Singing the Body Electric

The first episode of the newest Dimension 20 campaign premiered on Wednesday, and I am so on board for this one.

City Council of Darkness is in the world of Vampire: The Masquerade, the tabletop roleplaying game most commonly set in the modern day, where vampires belonging to various clans and bloodlines engage politically in their home cities while trying to manage their own bestial urges, avoid the vampire hunters of the Second Inquisition, and above all keep the existence of vampires secret from humanity at large. City Council of Darkness is about what happens when a group of ambitious San Francisco vampires' bid for attention from the vampiric elite goes comically wrong, resulting in them being banished to the town of Purpee, Oregon, and forbidden to leave until they establish vampiric dominion there.

So far, it's been supremely silly in the best of ways, well-paced and plotted, full of mayhem, with characters and relationships that I'm looking forward to learning more about and an important reminder that the real monsters of San Francisco are Silicon Valley billionaires. I especially can't wait to see more of the friendship between Ventrue finance hustlers LaVonte Worthy and H.J. Wingstreet (joining Kingston Brown & Pete Conlan and Montgomery LaMontgommery & Olethra MacLeod as characters played by Lou Wilson and Ally Beardsley whose dynamic immediately grabbed me) and whatever the deal is between chaotic '80s(?) Brujah childe Zaeth Bondana and his respectable sire Koschei Severov.



The series as a whole is exclusive to Dropout.tv or through Youtube membership, but I'm pretty sure that in the tradition of Dimension 20, the first episode of the campaign will go up for free on the Youtube channel's Season Premieres playlist.

I know disappearing into TV and movies isn't an option for everyone who's finding themselves spending a lot more time at home recently, but I thought I'd do a rec post of my favourite streaming services for anyone looking for something new.

CBC Gem is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's streaming platform, which includes both CBC original programming and other licensed shows that air on the channel, including some programs from the BBC. They also recently rolled out a Retro Favourites section that includes older shows like Due South, The Kids in the Hall, and Slings & Arrows.
Note: This service is free for Canadians, and it looks like it doesn't block attempts to join from people using VPNs. So if you're outside Canada and have a VPN, it's worth a shot. Closed captions seem to be available on all programs, and audio description is available for the CBC productions.

The Criterion Channel is run by the Criterion Collection, Inc., who focus on licensing "important classic and contemporary films." Besides offering great movies, their features are also bundled with a lot of extra material so that you can follow up a film with interviews and commentary.
Note: This service is only available in the U.S. and Canada, and comes with a 14-day free trial. Most films have subtitle options, but I haven't seen any option for audio description.

CuriosityStream specializes in documentaries and non-fiction series about science and technology, history, and sociology. It was started by the guy who founded the Discover Channel and is basically like the Discovery Channel was before it had to get exciting.
Note: Access looks to be international, and many universities and libraries have subscriptions for their patrons. Closed captioning is available, but I'm not seeing any option for audio description.

MUBI specializes in notable or inventive cinema and shows a rotating lineup of 30 films, with one new film being added every day and staying available for 30 days. The current lineup in Canada (lineups vary by country due to licensing) represents five continents and 95 years of film-making, running through light comedies, science fiction, LGBTQ romance and drama, documentaries, musicals, cartoons, and film noir.
Note: MUBI is available in 195 countries. It doesn't have a free trial period in my region, but it looks like I have the ability to give out some 7-day memberships (either one, three, or possibly more). I've never tested this, so I can't vouch that it will work, but if anyone's interested in being a guinea pig, let me know. Also, the player is bare bones, and while subtitles are usually an option, audio description is not.

Nebula is a platform for educational Youtubers who are looking to put out good material and tailor their content to their core audience rather than playing to Youtube's algorithms for monetization. Folks on the site include Lindsay Ellis, HBomberguy, and Philosophy Tube, and creator categories consist of Animation, Explainers, Film & TV, Gaming, History, Music, Science & Engineering, Technology, and Writing.
Note: A 7-day free trial is available, and I actually got my subscription for free by using a Youtube promotional link from one of Lindsay Ellis's videos when I subscribed to CuriosityStream. Unfortunately, neither closed captioning nor audio description seem to be available.

ETA: In addition to only having accessed these platforms from Canada, I've also only used my laptop. The notes about closed captioning and audio descriptions may or may not apply to apps or smart TVs.

What's Making Me Happy Today

Upcoming new seasons of both Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman:

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Camp NaNoWriMo Update, Day 7

Target Wordcount: 269

Actual Wordcount: 334

Total Progress: 3357 / 10,000

( Excerpt )

Am currently devouring episodes of The Great British Bake Off. Lovely baked goods and Sue Perkins—does it get any tastier?

...it would be about Marie, full-time librarian and part-time monster slayer, raising her twelve-year-old nephew in Portland whilst having adventures with her kooky reformed blutbad neighbour.

At the very least, as things stand, I am going to need some good Nick/Monroe/Juliette fic and fodder.

All I have to say about this episode (which features the famous Ritz Hotel vs. Standish Tavern subplot) is that Maude really does get a raw deal in fandom. Also, I would really, really love to read some Maude/Inez.

Title: Sins of the Past
Author: Delphi
Pairing: Josiah Sanchez/Ezra Standish
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Summary: Jealousy and human nature.

( Sins of the Past )

Not a lot of thoughts on this episode. I found it kind of slow. I'm not the biggest Chris fan (not that I dislike the character, but I don't really connect with him) and I just kept thinking, "Some writer really liked The Shawshank Redemption." It wasn't bad, though, just not very memorable for me.

Title: Inmate 78
Author: Delphi
Pairing: Josiah Sanchez/Ezra Standish
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Summary: A poorly-timed joke.

( Inmate 78 )