Spice Girls - New Music or OMG! I nearly broke the repeat button over this song!!!

SPICE GIRLS!!!

(This post is a bit real, so I apologize for such candor in advance)

The first album that I can ever remember having in my life was purchased for me by my sister, Denise. It was one of the Spice Girls albums and I listened to that album on REPEAT. I have always loved my sister for getting me this album because it cemented me as a Spice fanatic for life. I have listened to both "Spice" and "Spice World" for most of my adult life. I was never a huge "Forever" fan, but yes I own a copy of it as well. 

SPICE

"SPICE WORLD"

"FOREVER"

It is obvious from the covers that by the time that "Forever" came out one of the girls had left the group, which was Geri Halliwell. She was also known as Ginger Spice. She was my absolute favorite of the girls. I now recognize that somewhat it was because I wish I could look and be like Geri. Geri maintained her status as my favorite for most of my life. While I was homeless in San Francisco, I can recall somehow obtaining enough money to purchase the album:

"Scream If You Wanna Go Faster"

I have purchased over time most of their solo projects. I realized as I was preparing to write this particular blog that the only one of the girls that I have never had a solo album from was Mel B, so I am going to have to remedy that before too much longer. I am not sure that I have any of the solo albums any more due to moving, so I want to get them again for my collection. I remember even having at one point Victoria's album, which I enjoy the song "Mind of Its Own" off of. I also really enjoy Mel C's "Northern Star" album and I have constantly listened to it over the years, especially "If That Were Me" since I actually was homeless at one point of my life. I have felt a connection with these girls for all of my life. 

Last Christmas, my partner, Brandon, purchased for me a collection of one each of the Spice Girl dolls, so that I would have at least one of each girl. I used to have them growing up, but as I have not had contact with my family they have been lost to me. I wish I still had those, but I enjoy knowing that I have these dolls. At some point I want to eventually get them all from the multiple lines that they had. These dolls mean something for me. I do not talk a lot about toys or show that I like toys, but these dolls feel like a part of me in ways that I simply cannot express fully. I think it is because the Spice Girls helped me through dark times. I was able to listen to music and just be silly. I can recall shaking my booty to "Stop" even while I was having to turn tricks to survive and worrying where my next meal would come from. I felt hope in their songs, even though some of them were not that deep. My favorite song will always be "Viva Forever" though because it is the one that has stuck with me this long as the one that has pushed me through every single moment of my life. When I feel a dark cloud coming over me I simply put that song on and I feel lifted up, even though it is a sad slow song. Music can transport us and their music always has.

I stated that one of my sisters purchased the first album for me, but I also got the greatest hits album due to a sister, Bekah in this case. The album was originally released only at Victoria's Secret, which was somewhere I was reluctant to go into. She got it for me and handed it to me. I was floored and I still appreciate it that she went in for me to get that CD. When you love something as much as I do the Spice Girls having all of the CDs is important. That is why I was so happy she got it. Also it contained a couple of new songs, so I had to have it. So if I never said thanks Bekah, know I appreciated it so much.

Now why am I posting about the Spice Girls right now? What triggered this desire to speak on my life for each of them? Three of them have gotten back together for a special little reunion. They are calling themselves "GEM" because it is Geri, Emma, and Mel B that have gotten together. The primary reason that the others have not joined is because they have other endeavors outside of the group. Mel C has a solo career, Victoria has a thriving fashion empire. I appreciate that they have these endeavors, so I am okay with the fact that they have not joined this reunion. I was happy to see the bits and pieces that these three were doing together and still am. On the 23rd of November though I got super excited. The reason? THIS:

SONG FOR HER - SPICE GIRLS GEM

A new song leaked by the three girls! Can you say SUPER EXCITED? I am ecstatic that they are releasing music together. I understand that it is a branch off of the original group, but I am excited to hear familiar voices, especially in what has been a dark period for me with the issues of depression, anxiety, and all that around my transition and also the election. It was like happiness poured down from the heavens to say "Here is something you need right now. You need a little more spice in your life." I am so glad this got leaked and I am listening to it none stop. I will always support these girls in all of their endeavors, but when it comes to any of them singing together I am sold. This song is catchy and sticks with their "Girl Power" message. I am thankful that they continue to "Spice Up My Life". 

Thank you Geri, Emma, Mel B., Mel. C, and Victoria for releasing the music that you have. Thank you for being such an integral part of my world and life. You each, even as a fan that doesn't speak to any of you or engage with you on social media, have had such a profound positive influence on my life. I know I am here today because of the spice that you have released. Please keep releasing music, keeping creating fashion (Victoria), and doing everything you can in this world. You are all beautiful, powerful women! 

You can find me on Goodreads at

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59000535-cassandra-winters

You can also check out these great blogs:

Collectors' Universe- collectorsuniverse.blogspot.com

Green Plastic Squirt Gun- greenplasticsquirtgun.blogspot.com/

Thank you for coming to the library... I hope you check me out again soon!

Comic Book Review: "Giant Days" - Volume 1 by John Allison or "College Was Never Like This For Me? Oh Wait It is Cause I am Old AS HELL!"

Giant Days

by John Allison

 

I discovered a little app through my library called HOOPLA that allows me to check out ten items in a month (see their banner below, which is not me advertising for them. I simply want you to know what I am talking about). Through this service I was able to get the first volume of a series called "Giant Days". I had seen it on a list of LGBT recommendations, so I was like OK now I will read it so I don't have to buy it. I read this graphic novel in the manner of a few hours because I was enthralled with it.

The main characters of "Giant Days" are Esther, Susan, and Daisy. Each serves, what I feel, is an archetype of the college experience. You have the girl experimenting with their sexuality and that predominately has been shy to that point, which is Daisy. The popular gothy girl in Esther. Then finally the saracastic, dry-witted unapproachable girl, which is Susan. Susan though also has a past involving another male character, You are left wondering what is going on between these two characters for most of this first volume. I have yet to read the second volume, but I am wondering what is going on myself right now.

The artwork is done well. I was pleasantly surprised because often when it comes to these publishers, like Boom, I find that I am not a fan of the stylistic choices that are made. Here though I feel that they kept a somewhat cartoony vibe that works for the direction and overall feel of the story. Now, about story. You need to understand that this is not your superhero comic book series. This is a tale of college and the adventures that happen with friends during those days. Simplistic things, like getting sick or school dances or social events, are what are gathered within the pages of this volume. If that is not your thing then look for a different graphic novel, but if you want to remember fondly your days of college or about to go and want to know what it is will be like this is a fairly honest representation of it. Their will be pain, suffering, and oh yea friendship. Giant Days is definitely a must-read graphic novel!

Who I Recommend This To: Graphic Novel Enthusiasts, Indie Readers, College Graduates, Incoming Freshmen to College, College Students, People Who Like Human Stories, and People that simply like good artwork.

Who I Would Not Recommend This To: People who do not like comics, those that have not attende college as some of it will be lost on you, and people that do not like cartoony style artwork in their comics. 

You can find me on Goodreads at

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59000535-cassandra-winters

You can also check out these great blogs:

Collectors' Universe- collectorsuniverse.blogspot.com

Green Plastic Squirt Gun- greenplasticsquirtgun.blogspot.com/

Thank you for coming to the library... I hope you check me out again soon!

Cassie Reads A Classic: "Winnie-The-Pooh" by A.A. Milne or "You mean DISNEY didn't create these characters?"

Winnie-The-Pooh

by A.A. Milne

Recently, I was purchasing books with my partner when we stumbled upon this book. He asked me if I had ever read it and I admitted to the fact that I had never had the opportunity. He said that he thought I would enjoy it, so we purchased it that very day. 

The book is a short story collection, in my opinion, even if it is appears to be broken up by chapters. Each chapter is a complete story and you become aware early on that the narrator is someone that is reading to Christopher Robin, one of the main characters. If you remember the Disney movie that first had Pooh appear you will be able to know the vast majority of these particular stories, as they stayed very true to the original source material. Normally Disney changes a lot, but this is not the case with the Pooh film. 

I rather enjoyed this short story collection. The minor differences from the film were that one or more characters did not help out in the same manners that they did in the film. The other difference was that this book does not contain the character of TIGGER at all. That made this more enjoyable to me because I feel that this particular character has become over utilized when it comes to this particular franchise. I enjoy the other characters, like eeyore, rabbit, and owl much more. Eeyore will always be my favorite character and seeing here his story about his missing tail was thoroughly enjoyable. I also enjoyed the fact that it felt that Piglet served as a more prominent cast member as well. While he is in many of the moments of the film it felt that he was actually a main character here in the book. 

The overall feel of the book is pretty upbeat and positive, even when the characters are faced with horrendous events (such as the endless rain). The book keeps a positive attitude about itself and as a result is a great book for those of a younger age. I would feel that this is appropriate for children to read, so parents do not worry about any of those issues here. This book will not contain anything too overly troublesome, unless you are bothered by talking animals or them saying "bother" for some in-explicit reason.  

I would write more about this book, but this is one of the few books that I am actually feeling like I am burning off from the old style of the blog, even though it does fit the primary theme of reading books that I never had the opportunity to read. I feel like starting in December and on I am doing what I truly want to do with the blog, so that is why this feels like a more rushed blog posting. I honestly cannot wait until December and the start of January when I feel like I am doing my own thing. This was a previously scheduled review, which is also part of the issue. I feel like I have more direction, more desire to pay attention to what is happening in a book, and more fun to be had while doing this blog, so even though this is not as in-depth as it could be do not give up. They will keep getting better, I promise!

Who I Would Recommend This Book To: Fans of Pooh, Children, Short Story Readers.

Who I Would NOT Recommend This Book To: Adults, Haters of Pooh, Those Looking For a Longer Read, and People That Do not Like Feel Good Stories. 

You can find me on Goodreads at

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59000535-cassandra-winters

You can also check out these great blogs:

Collectors' Universe- collectorsuniverse.blogspot.com

Green Plastic Squirt Gun- greenplasticsquirtgun.blogspot.com/

Thank you for coming to the library... I hope you check me out again soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! or "The Happiest Day, except for maybe a turkey..."

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. I hope it is a day full of joy, laughter, and happiness for each of you. May you all be so blessed to have each of these things!

I also want it to be known that my schedule will be changing from the previous days posting of Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday to the schedule of Monday, Wednesday, Friday here at the Library. This will allow me to better focus on when I post and allow for you to not have to try to check out my blog during your weekend! I know you are all busy then, so this gives you more days to look at the Friday posting before the new Monday posting. Again Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you have the best day possibly!

Pop Culture League: Gee, Thanks or "Time to Say Goodbye To Toys"

This week's "Pop Culture League" from the COOL & COLLECTED Blog is entitled "GEE, THANKS" and subtitle is "It's the season to be thankful"

When I saw this particular topic I instantly thought of a song because it is how I am feeling about my life at this point and this particular part of my blog.

Shirley Bassey's "This Is My Life"

In this song she sings the line about how she often thinks about how much of a mess she has made of her life, but then she states how she should count the things that she is grateful in this life. I think sometimes we get caught up in the drama of life and forget that we still have so much to be thankful for. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for and these are just a few of those things:

- I am thankful for the fact that I am finding a voice that I felt that I wasn't allowed to have because of my past history. I am grateful that I was given permission to discuss things that happened to me, though I avoid it so often, from my immediate important family. I know that this is healing in many ways. I am glad that I also have that choice not to discuss these things when I do not want to discuss them. It is great that I am finding the means to just allow myself to talk about whatever the hell I want to without worrying about someone will chastise me or hurt me as a result of it. 

- I am thankful for the fact that I have a partner, that while makes me angry at times, that I can tell wants to build a future together. Someone that wants to not be the sum of their past, but be better than that. I can see a bright future if we continue down the road we are going.

- I am thankful for friends, especially my friend Alexis. She has supported me, and vice versa, through some of the darkest moments of my life. I will continue to support her in all that she does (collectorsuniverse.blogspot.com) and she will continue to support me no matter what direction I take,as long as it is perfectly legal ;-) hehe. Friends have kept me alive, especially those on Facebook. There are people on there that I never thought would give a damn about where I was or what I was dealing with, but many have proven that my thought about them was misguided. I appreciate every single one of you deeply. Thank you for being in my life.

- I am thankful for the fact that I have such a deep appreciation for the world of books. I love that they can transport me to another world. Far away from the world that I am currently in. They are magical. 

- I am thankful that I have been able to pursue my education, which I start the next chapter of that leg in January when I start my Masters of Social Work at Indiana University. I know that I am going to do wonderful things and help numerous people have the best future that they can have. I look forward to that so much!

- I am finally thankful for the fact that I had been able to participate in the "Pop Culture League" up to this point. As I said at the beginning of the post it was great that this was the topic for this week because it allows me to say one final thank you to those that came from "Pop Culture League" to my blog. As I announced yesterday this will be my last league challenge. I'm refocused in a positive direction for where I want to go with this blog. I do not want to have a constant feeling of something is wrong, so I am changing in the direction that I need to go. I thank you for being part of the journey thus far. I hope you will continue to visit from time to time even after I am changed from the toy focus to where I feel I should be with books, life, community, and ranting. 

 I will keep looking towards the future and I will keep learning to count the things that I am thankful for because THIS IS MY LIFE!!

You can find me on Goodreads at

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59000535-cassandra-winters

You can also check out these great postings for this league challenge as well:

Collectors' Universe- collectorsuniverse.blogspot.com - discusses numerous things that she is thankful in her life, including ME!!

Green Plastic Squirt Gun- greenplasticsquirtgun.blogspot.com/ - Love the scary and is thankful for MUMMYS!

The Toy Box- http://thetoybox1138.blogspot.com/ - Is thankful for those that he has shared the league with to date!

20 years before 2000 - http://20yearsb42000.blogspot.com/ - Writes a poem that shows the things that they are thankful for this Thanksgiving, which one is THE GOLDEN GIRLS!! *I love that show*

Mr Smiths Plastic Bubble - http://primordialbadgersmediahoard.blogspot.com/ - Is thankful for BIRDS! No seriously, he owns birds. There is also more so go check it out!

Thank you for coming to the library... I hope you check me out again soon!

Some necessary changes or Voices should not be silenced...

Two events occurred so seamlessly that they upturned my world in ways I was not expecting. The first was innocent and my own fault. This would be the project for halloween. Most of my life I have had others telling me what to do, so I resorted back to that under the disguise of some fun little project for the blog. Afterwards though I just felt like I have most of my life, which is that I was allowing someone else to dictate to me what to do with my life. This is definitely not the recommenders of the various films fault. They had no clue I'm sure that this was something I have been struggling with for a long time. I keep trying to get others to dictate so I don't have to either do the things I want or need to do for my own life. It is a defense mechanism and it sucks. I was drained after this occurred so I stepped away to figure out why I felt so sick and fed up with the blog after something I wanted to do. I analyzed it and that was the conclusion I came to.

When I felt ready to return and figure out where I wanted to go from there the election happened, which I have already discussed somewhat. I was petrified and it has caused me to be somewhat reluctant to get back out there. I felt and still feel myself going deeper into my own shell, but I am trying to find ways out right now of that. I am pushing against that and saying yes we have done this before and all it gets us is sadness. I don't want that at this particular point. I am trying to figure out new ways of moving forward. This being said I know I have to start listening to the voice that is my own  and letting it guide me forward. 

With that being said here are a few things I know for sure...

I originally started this blog to read, watch, and do things I feel like I hadn't gotten  to do previously. That focus became very muddled in other drama and other things. I want to focus heavily on the reading aspect of this. I want to read books from the past that I never got the chance to read due to horrible circumstances. I want to focus on finding some peace of mind in this aspect of my life and that means it is imperative to let that be a focus. 

I will always support other bloggers and what they are doing, but another thing that I have to do is begin to remove myself slightly from the bloggers that I have become attached with because they are not actually in my blog wheelhouse.  By that I mean I want to focus so heavily on books that I do not fit really with toy collectors, but I feel like through a friend's love of toys I have been  some what pushed in that direction. I am removing myself from it because that is not who I am and not where I want to go with this blog. Most of my life I have allowed others to influence what direction I take in life, but I cannot keep doing that if I want to be happy.  Each individual must find and listen to their own voice and mine has been telling me something is off with my blog for awhile. It simply was myself forcing myself into the wrong peg of the wooden toy of life. I don't want to keep feeling that in regards to this blog, so these changes have to occur.  I also do not blame this friend for this is a struggle I'm dealing with that they, I believe, were not fully aware, so malicious intention was never even on their mind with pushing me in their love of toy direction. I appreciate others that have a deep love for toys and while I have a deep appreciation for a few lines I do not have that deep passion that those in that blogging community have, but I do have it for books. I feel alive when I find a book at Goodwill that I have wanted, so I understand that passion toy bloggers and I am glad you embraced me for the time I was involved in that community. Tomorrow, Monday, I will be doing my last pop culture league challenge here at the library. This was not an easy decision to come to since I get good traffic from the challenge, but I realize that the traffic is not from my community. I hope none of the toy community thinks I am belittling their love because again I am not. We both have passions for items, just not the same ones. 

Another aspect that I feel like I have skimmed over was a desire to find my own voice in my community as a transgender person. This means I will be focusing at least once a month on a prevalent issue attached to the community and also be trying to read at least one book a month on this subject matter to discuss. This will help me not only better understand myself, but also provide me a way to connect hopefully to my own community better than I have recently. 

I have found the posts where I state my own opinion on things to be invigorating. I feel like it is me finding a part of myself that I was never allowed to have. This will become a regular part of the library as I desire to post a weekly rant video on something going on either in the larger world or my own. These may become slightly political in nature or may be humorous at times. 

The other aspect of fully engaging my own voice or discovering it will be that I will be writing more often. This is for two reasons. 1 being I will be in classes starting January 9 at Indiana University, so I need to constantly keep those skills oiled up to use. The second reason is I have always wanted to write in some capacity. I wanted to be a writer at one point of my life but bitterness set in and I gave up that dream. I started thinking I can never be a Hemingway or Austin, so what is the point of even trying. The point is happiness, release, having a voice, and honestly of course I am not going to be those authors because I am Cassie Winters. That is the person and writer I should be striving to be. Writing shouldn't be a comparison fame game for me, but instead should be about again finding my own voice. The voice that was deadened to me by certain members of my family and now I want it to scream, no shout, no yell from a freaking mountain top. This is why making these changes are vital. They will allow me to keep singing a beautiful song instead of becoming a wilted flower. I will be doing videos at least once a week for my rant video, but the majority will be written to help me Hine and craft those specific skills. When I feel like recording more those will naturally occur in the schedule. 

Because I want to focus on books so heavily here at the library and I want to start writing more I will actually be starting a couple of other blogs. One won't launch until January because it will be a media blog with a friend and I will be doing my last bit of media on the library during Christmas season. So look for that blog starting around the same time I start the Babysitters Club challenge for myself. The other will start sometime this week and will focus on my writing a short story, doing a writing assignment from a book, or something similar with writing.  I imagine since I have numerous writing books that it more than likely will be that at the beginning. This will meet all the goals I have, but also allow people to visit whichever blog is more their individual speed. More details on the January blog will be forthcoming as the start date approaches. There will probably be a few teasers between now and the first of January as well. 

I greatly appreciate anyone and everyone that has been viewing my blog and I hope you will join me on this next leg of my journey as well. 

As always, Thank you for coming to the library. I hope you check me out again real soon.

Images from Google search. All rights given to respective owners and used here purely for entertainment or adding value to blog posting. *May contain typos because this was written on my tablet and the stupid thing autocorrects even when it shouldn't. Sometimes it doesn't even show it correctly on my screen until I have moved on and posted.*

Sit Still and Be Quiet or Don't Have a Dissenting Opinion Anymore...

Our New President? OMG WHAT?!?

The shock I have felt recently! People may have noticed I have been somewhat quiet, especially on here. I have not mentioned anything related to the election. I have even seemed to care less about posting regularly or doing videos. Well, today that ends. I have been afraid, to say the least. I have been petrified. I have been told that being scared is wrong on Facebook since the damn results of this election. People are allowed to have fear and it is allowed to cause them to not go about their normal existence. We do not get to decide what someone else can deal with. When did we forget that we are all human beings trying to live our best lives? When did we get so hateful towards our fellow people? I forget that this has always been the case though. We seem to thrive on hating someone than ourselves. It seems to make us feel stronger or something. It doesn't though. It just makes us evil and wrong. It makes us tear down people that need to be built up. Most of us are just trying to survive our lives daily and we should be allowed to do that to the same level as everyone else in the country. When someone spews hatred that they may take away your rights then you can speak to these people about being afraid, until then PLEASE LEARN BASIC HUMAN COMPASSION! Please don't make them feel worse. Support them and simply say if their rights are taken away YOU WILL HELP PROTECT THEM! Tell them you love them! BUILD THEM UP because now is the time to do that instead of telling them to stop whining, stop telling them that their fears are unwarranted! Lets stop telling others how to feel, act, and emote. It is time to come together, but it does not mean we have to agree that this guy above is a great selection for our highest office of the country. 

Now I want to leave you with real quotes that our new President of the United States has said. These are WORDS HE HAS SAID. Words have meaning and if you don't believe that then you are part of the problem because words do have meaning. 

Trump on LGBT Issues- 

“There can be no discrimination against gays. I’m against gay marriage.”

“We have some very terrible Supreme Court justices, and frankly, they should have at least had that [same-sex marriage case] as a state’s right issue.”

“It’s like in golf. A lot of people — I don’t want this to sound trivial — but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive. It’s weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can’t sink three-footers anymore. And, I hate it. I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist.”

On appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn the same-sex marriage ruling - “I would strongly consider that, yes," Fox News 2016.

Trump on Various Women - 

Arianna Huffington is “unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man – he made a good decision.”

“I would never buy Ivana any decent jewels or pictures. Why give her negotiable assets?” Trump is quoted as saying of his then-wife in a 1990 Vanity Fair piece. Tweet - 26,000 unreported sexual assults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?

“It’s certainly not groundbreaking news that the early victories by the women on ‘The Apprentice’ were, to a very large extent, dependent on their sex appeal.” — How To Get Rich, 2004

“You know, it doesn’t really matter what [the media] write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.” — from an interview with Esquire, 1991

“The most difficult aspect of the prenuptial agreement is informing your future wife (or husband): I love you very much, but just in case things don’t work out, this is what you will get in the divorce. There are basically three types of women and reactions. One is the good woman who very much loves her future husband, solely for himself, but refuses to sign the agreement on principle. I fully understand this, but the man should take a pass anyway and find someone else. The other is the calculating woman who refuses to sign the prenuptial agreement because she is expecting to take advantage of the poor, unsuspecting sucker she’s got in her grasp. There is also the woman who will openly and quickly sign a prenuptial agreement in order to make a quick hit and take the money given to her.” —Trump: The Art of the Comeback, 1997

“Women have one of the great acts of all time. The smart ones act very feminine and needy, but inside they are real killers. The person who came up with the expression ‘the weaker sex’ was either very naive or had to be kidding. I have seen women manipulate men with just a twitch of their eye — or perhaps another body part.” — Trump: The Art of the Comeback, 1997

A Tweet from Oct. 28, 2012 - While @BetteMidler is an extremely unattractive woman, I refuse to say that because I always insist on being politically correct.

“Cher is an average talent who’s out of touch with reality,” he said in a 2012 Fox News interview. “Cher is somewhat of a loser. She’s lonely. She’s unhappy. She’s very miserable.”

Trump on Immigrants - 

“I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me — and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.

“They have to go.”

“You’re going to have a deportation force, and you’re going to do it humanely. Don’t forget…that you have millions of people that are waiting in line to come into this country and they’re waiting to come in legally. And I always say the wall, we’re going to build the wall. It’s going to be a real deal. It’s going to be a real wall.”

“Somebody’s doing the raping. The thing is women being raped, well, then who’s doing the raping?”


I finish up this post with a song as a gentle reminder that our words also have meaning and what we are currently saying is toxic and that there are people listening... little ears... 

All Rights Given To Their Respective Owners

Force Works by Marvel or West Coast Avengers ALIEN SHIATSU STYLE!!!

FORCE WORKS

22 Issues Published by MARVEL COMICS

Scripts by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

Various Pencilers and Inkers 

When I finished "West Coast Avengers" I was immediately ready to pick-up where it left off with the team that formed from it. The West Coast Avengers did not have a place in the new Avengers world after numerous devastations because they were basically looking for someone to hang all of their inabilities on. The West Coast team took the brunt of this and ultimately was forced to disband. This resulted in several characters feeling that they no longer belonged in the Avengers version of the superhero game, especially Scarlet Witch who felt that she had put her heart and soul to the Avengers only to feel them crush her down in this moment. Iron Man decides it is time to form a new team. A team that works on a global level and tries to divert a crisis before it begins. He decides that he will create the team "FORCE WORKS!"

I went in with high expectations for this series because two of my favorite characters, as I mentioned in the previous article (Scarlet Witch and Spider-Woman), were featured in it. I was disappointed in many realms because this book did not do what it could have done. It did not develop, in my opinion, any truly lasting story arcs involving the main characters. There are no standout moments for any particular character. The characters are interchangeable for the most part or just seem to follow a standard comic book team formula of heavy hitter, long range character, magic user, etc. Unlike West Coast Avenger that added depth and even angst to characters, such as Scarlet Witch, this turns such characters into what appears to be a clear objectification of the female character. The reason I feel this way is because Scarlet Witch, for example, went from a pretty overly conservative outfit to this:

The series must not have been doing that well overall because it did not last that long and reading it I truly understood the reasoning behind this. It seemed that every story involved some huge ALIEN encounter instead of really being about superheroes finding villains and thwarting their plans, which is what I liked about many of the stores in "West Coast Avengers". I recognize this was a different team, but there was nothing that made me invested in the stories that were being told.

Early on in the title an important character dies off and as a result another character named Century is brought into the folds of the team. This character seemed to have some potential as a character, but as you progress over the 22 issues you start to feel that potential starting to slip away as you get less and less invested in their story. You wonder why you should care about why he has no memories of his home world and the life that he had led before "Force Works" came into his life. During one part of the series this new character actually disappears and gets a one-shot about this part of his past. I did not read that title because I simply was not invested enough in the character to want to spend more time with him in this manner. 

There were a LOT and I mean a LOT of potential in other characters as well. There were two supporting role characters in a public relations specialist and a technician for the team, but they were not utilized properly to create any tension or anything extra into the team until near the end of the series. When the series gets into a story arc called "THE CROSSING", which if you are unfamiliar with this go look it up because it is one crappy story, it felt like it was finally doing the things that it SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOING. Spider-Woman has a love triangle, there is leadership tension between Iron Man and Scarlet Witch, Century comes back in enough time to realize something is screwy, Villains are trying to kill them, and the team has to band together to really try to thwart some evil. Ultimately, the team does not succeed though, but it would have been awesome to have this tension, this level of teamwork throughout the entire run. If this had been there the book would have achieved better overall success for what it was trying to do, but it seemed to forgo any character development for quick Alien plots. This was disappointing for a series that spun out of one that showed that you can mix both and create something all together magical. Also something else that was magical was that Scarlet Witch got to have one of my favorite costumes finally!

This was a redesign that bad homage to the original one, but also added more stylized and modern elements of the time. It felt like a natural and organic progression of the character, instead of the other style that was used throughout this run. I wish I could find more positive and happy things to say about this particular series, but it just didn't "work" for me!

My next post will be on Monday and will be the response to the newest

POP CULTURE LEAGUE CHALLENGE!

Videos will return NEXT WEEK!!! I am also working on retooling a few things, so you may notice differences in the schedule or changes in the way the blog looks. All these are part of the process of me discovering exactly what I want to do with my blog and creating a brand that I like! I hope you all understand and will stay coming to the library during this time!

You can find me on Goodreads at

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59000535-cassandra-winters

You can also check out these great blogs:

Collectors' Universe- collectorsuniverse.blogspot.com

Green Plastic Squirt Gun- greenplasticsquirtgun.blogspot.com/

Thank you for coming to the library... I hope you check me out again soon!

West Coast Avengers - Published by Marvel or How Cassie Finally Read 102 Issues of a Series from Childhood...

Growing up my father had a rather large collection of comics. One of the series that he had several issues of was an "Avengers" spin-off titled "West Coast Avengers". I remember reading several of them growing up, but I never finished the entire series because it was not readily available to me. Now with the beauty of both the internet and purchasing as an adult I finally saying...

-

"I READ ALL OF WEST COAST AVENGERS."

The series started off as a limited run series of just four issues. It must have proved to be popular at Marvel though because it was picked up and ran for an additional 102 issues before its cancellation. 

The main founders of the team were Hawkeye and his wife, Mockingbird. Due to knowing some stories that happen later within the Marvel Universe it was interesting to see the beginning of the pairing here. This book took place shortly after their nuptials, as they were tasked to create a West Coast division of the superhero team "Avengers".

Line-Ups & Characters - 

The book has several line-ups during the 102 issues of the series. They are pretty much as followed in the pictures. I will be including after each line-up who was my favorite and least favorite character of that line-up. These images were found online through google search, so all rights belong to their original owner and used here for clarity and visual sake.

Favorite Character - Firebird/Tigra
Least Fave Character - Wonder Man

Favorite Character - Moon Knight

Least Favorite Character - Wonder Man

Favorite Character - Scarlet Witch

Least Favorite Character - Human Torch 

Favorite Character - Spider-Woman
Least Favorite Character - Mockingbird/Living Lightening

It may seem like four team changes during the tenure of 102 is not a lot, but when many of these line-up changes do not take place in a singular issue but are spread out through numerous arcs and sometimes these characters only stay for a few issues (i.e. Living Lighening) before vanishing into obscurity, it all becomes a bit too much as a reader. This was one of the biggest issues I personally had with the book. It felt like it was constantly try to find its place within the Marvel Universe instead of just allowing itself to be a second group of the "Avengers", which would have made the group stronger and by far more interesting to read.

My favorite character of the entire run is a toss-up between Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) and Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff). The reason that I feel that these are my favorite characters are because those are the ones I am always drawn to when I want to read something from Marvel. I am instantly interested if either are mentioned. When Wanda was given her own series I was invested from the first issue. She is a strong female character that has had a lot happen to her, but she has survived it and comes back stronger. She becomes more ready to champion those around her. I feel that my love of Spider-Woman comes from seeing many of her issues growing up. Also having numerous action figures of her in my own collection of toys. I find her aesthetically appealing and I would like to model my own transition slightly after her, if possible. I also love the fact that she wants to be the best mother she can to her child, Rachel. I always have a deep amount of respect for someone that wants to take care of their children and Julia always is considering the effect of her life on her child.

Story Arcs - 

Favorite: 

My favorite overall story arc within the series was the "Darker Than Scarlet" story where Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) loses her sanity (umm doesn't this happen to her a lot) and she is manipulated by her "father" Magneto. This was interesting having just recently came off the arc where she loses her children, which is another great arc in the 102 issues. I don't want to go into further details about these story arcs because I want you to read them because they are readily available online and in collected editions because even though West Coast Avengers appears to be critically panned in this day and age by fans, it produced two of the best Scarlet Witch stories. 

These are just two of the covers from the "Darker than Scarlet" story arc! Classic COVERS!

Least Favorite Story Arc - 

My least favorite story arc involved the Vision and I believe was started in the arc called "Vision Quest", which is considered a classic by many people. This is the story that sees Vision lose his "humanity" and turn into the white-colored Vision. I did not enjoy seeing the character have this part of himself stripped away because it was what made him a likable character. There was something about him after this particular arc that made me want to stay away from reading about him, so I am glad that he did not feature so prominently in the rest of the series. 

Villains - 

There were numerous villains that could be seen as "iconic" during the tenure, but perhaps the most well-known and to me the "best villain" was the classic "ULTRON" character. Here we get to see him getting rebuilt over a few of the times (since there have been numerous) and we even get to see a nicer, more gentler version during the run. The few stories with him as the "villain of the week" felt the strongest. The second best villain from WCA was the character "The Hangman", which was attached to Wonder Man. This was unfortunate for him because I despise the character. The only villain in the series that I detested was the original villain named "Graviton". He just seemed like a weak character to me, but for a first villain they did the story correctly. If the story had not been done correctly I would have probably hated reading this entire run, since it was the entire set-up to the series. I also found that a hero/villain featured I did not enjoy much was the character Ghost Rider (original) because they took an iconic character and made him evil. The torture and abuse that he puts Mockingbird through in the story involving him was a bit much, even for comic books. It made him one of the worst villains in the sense of I HATE YOU! VILLAIN! senses. 

                     Ultron                                                             Ghost Rider (Original)

Final Thoughts - 

As I progressed through the series I started to understand something about my previous comic book reading habits as well. I noticed that a lot of the comics that I was drawn to at Marvel largely contained someone from WCA, such as Moon Knight's solo series or Tigra in Avengers: The Initiative. I did not know either that this is where I started my love for the slapstick team of "Great Lake Avengers"! I enjoy seeing these characters, even in the more series stuff that was produced by Marvel containing them. These are some of my favorite Marvel characters and it is all because I was exposed to them early on in childhood through this comic book series. I fell in love with Tigra, a woman that also a cat. I fell in love with a deeply flawed woman named Wanda that had to deal with so many pains that I could identify with. I saw a woman that simply wanted to take care of her child, even though now she was a superhero. I saw strong females in this series and I wished to be like them. I wished to know their adventures and see them succeed in the face of evil and atrocities. This is why I believe I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this team. They will always be "my superhero team". I will always be an honorary West Coast Avenger!

The final issue of "West Coast Avengers" saw the team TERMINATED by the other branch of the AVENGERS! Due to this injustice some of the WCA decided to form a new team, which resulted in the team "FORCE WORKS". As a result...

My next post will be on Friday and is a TEXT REVIEW of 

"FORCE WORKS"!!!

You can find me on Goodreads at

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59000535-cassandra-winters

You can also check out these great blogs:

Collectors' Universe- collectorsuniverse.blogspot.com

Green Plastic Squirt Gun- greenplasticsquirtgun.blogspot.com/

Thank you for coming to the library... I hope you check me out again soon!

Pop Culture League: Red State/Blue State or "I'm Blue baba didi di"

This week's challenge from COOL & COLLECTED's blog is to take a red or blue themed photo. I normally do videos, so this was a bit of a stretch for me! I decided to show off some of the blue items that I have in my collection! 

So obviously I already have a deep appreciation for the color blue if you watch my videos, I mean come on look at some of these stills from a couple of them. If I didn't like it I obviously wouldn't be wearing it! 

I even have ARTWORK in my house that is BLUE! If it was possible (and it was clean hehe) I would show you my living room because it is primarily done in blue hues. The curtains? BLUE The wall decorations? BLUE!! The only thing not blue is the TV and couch!

So first off in the collected items section, At one point I was obsessed with the doll line "Ever After High" and I have all of the original dolls in the series first wave! This challenge reminded me that Madeline Hatter, my favorite from the series, was a very blue character when she was first released! Maybe that is why I was drawn to her.  

The next item in this "BLUE" presentation is one of the characters from "Rose Petal Place", which is LILY FAIR!! While she is not my favorite (Orchid has that pleasure) she is still an awesome character and figure. I have a lot of love for her. I was so glad I bought her on Ebay finally.

In another part of my life I was obsessed with the online gaming community and website of NEOPETS! I have not kept most of the merchandise that I got during that period, but I did keep my favorite blue scorchio and refuse to part with him! 

You may remember from a recent haul video that I got the character "Blueberry Muffin" from the FUNKO! POP "Strawberry Shortcake" collection that was recently released. She is my favorite character in the franchise and I am so glad that I found this in stock at Walmart still!

Still at another part of my life, I was obsessed with "My Little Pony". When they switched from this look to the more modern look I stopped collecting the ponies, but I had to keep this one. I think she is beautiful. 

This is one of the newer lines that I collected. I am only currently missing one of the dolls in the line and I own 8 of the 12 first books in the series based on them. These are the "STAR DARLINGS" by Disney!!! Vega is not my favorite character in the series, but this is only because the series has a CASSIE, so I can't go against a character with my own name for goodness sake. 

To wrap up showing my collection pieces that are blue, I wanted to share the covers to some of my favorite books."The Baby-Sitters Club: Mystery" series alternated covers, but near the beginning of the series all of the covers were in this dark blue color. I am getting more of these in my collection currently to get ready for January, which is when I start "The Baby-Sitters Club" challenge I am doing for myself. This is again that I will read all of the books in the series in 2017 and review them! 

To finish up and show you how much I really do love the color BLUE I wanted to show you the shelf that I took these pictures on. This was a shelf that I got for free off of an ad on craigslist. Originally this shelf was a dull, lifeless, colorless beige. I went to Walmart and bought about $10 worth of spray paint and turned it into this fabulous piece that now houses many books that I own and will soon hold all my "Star Darling" dolls!!

You can also check out these great blogs: (Links will be updated when available to the specific responses for this Pop Culture League Challenge!)

Collectors' Universe- collectorsuniverse.blogspot.com 

Green Plastic Squirt Gun- http://greenplasticsquirtgun.blogspot.com/2016/11/pop-culture-league-challenge-red.html Shows us some old photos from his blog that are Red & Blue!! ONE BEING HEX FROM SKYLANDERS, whom I ADORE! Go check it out!!

Mr. Smith's Plastic Bubble - http://primordialbadgersmediahoard.blogspot.com/2016/11/pop-culture-league-challenge-red.html - Does a great job of explaining some simple truths about the RED Vs. BLUE issue through the usage of some toy pictures. This was a phenomenal posting and I hope you will check it out!

2 Minute Toy Break - https://toy-break.blogspot.com/

The Toy Box - http://thetoybox1138.blogspot.com/2016/11/pop-culture-league-challenge-red-state.html - Discusses their love of the BLUE SMURFS!

Another F***ing Blog - https://anotherfblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/pop-culture-league-red-stateblue-state.html - Shows us their love of red through NUMEROUS figures that they have. I have never seen this much RED in my entire LIFE!! What are you still doing here? GO SEE ALL THAT RED!!

My next post will be on Wednesday and is a Text Article for

"West Coast Avengers"

You can find me on Goodreads at

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/59000535-cassandra-winters

Thank you for coming to the library... I hope you check me out again soon!