Horses are good company -- The Witcher

Today I watched the SNL monologue that someone re-tweeted; the host this weekend was Jerrod Carmichael (pronounced with the emphasis on the ROD), whom I'd never heard of. I love him now. You can see the monologue here: https://twitter.com/nbcsnl/status/1510466919551414274

I hunted down his recent HBO special, called "Rothaniel" after his given name. This program is more than comedy. It's one of those performances that elevates the form and will absolutely save lives. Carmichael talks about his family being a family of secrets. He talks about his own secret, being gay; about being a gay Black man with a religious mother. This performance was his public coming out. The set is funny, introspective, vulnerable, heart breaking, and uplifting. Interestingly, he sits in a chair and talks to the audience as if they are in a living room together, creating a tremendous sense of intimacy. The filming involves many close ups of his face. It was stunning.

Afterwards I went and watched the rest of his SNL program, which, you know, is SNL, but he's very comfortable and funny. I watched the first two episodes of his sit com from a few years ago, "The Carmichael Show," which is based on his family, but it's not gay because he was closeted at that time. I don't know that I will continue with the show, but I did enjoy it.

Content note for "Rothaniel": one use of the r-slur; discussion of homophobia.

Day 6: leave feedback for a fanwork. I left a comment on this extraordinary fic:

Unaccommodated Man (26898 words) by kvikindi
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: Black Sails
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Captain Flint/Thomas Hamilton


I won't copy the comment here, because I don't want to spoil anything.

But in part: "Like the best writing always does, this work gives me insight into the way other people think and feel."

Sometimes reading something I'm like, yeah, I could write this. And then sometimes I'm like, no, I could never write this-- this person thinks differently than I do, and they have insights into other people that I cannot access. My brain simply works differently. I love that feeling. For one thing, the author is sharing that gift with the reader. It's an expansive experience.

Nico and I went to see the film "Moonlight" last night. It was so, so amazing. I would rank it as one of the best films I've ever seen.

Recommended if you like coming of age films, films about queer people, good writing, good cinematography, good acting, stories that have a strong sense of place, films that feature people of color, Janelle Monae, Mahershala Ali.

content notes under the cut.
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Rec: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by feelslikefire. Q/Bond. Post-Skyfall.

This had a nice slow build to it, and a fun, snarky flirtation. There is a slow reveal to Q's back story. I liked Moneypenny's characterization and the friendship between her and Q. A very satisfying read.