When November comes around I always start thinking about all the things I’m grateful for. I’m sure it’s from years of celebrating Thanksgiving, or maybe it’s from the end of the year fast approaching. Either way, since this month’s Geek Blog Unite theme week is about what we feel thankful for, I would like to share a couple of these thoughts with you today.
I’m grateful for all the creators out there that have a story to tell, and have the passion to get it told. From movie directors to game designers, they all at the end of the day are working on creating a story to share with us.
Stranger Things
An example of a story that I’ve been thankful for watching is Stranger Things. The minor details they put into making sure that when you start watching this show you feel like you are time travelling to the 80’s is surreal. From the way they film the shots to the music they have planned every detail. The story they present, in all its supernatural glory, is a fresh take. I look forward to where they continue this story.
Horizon Zero Dawn
One of the earlier releases of 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn took my breath away. I got so enthralled with this story that I got really emotionally involved in the ending. It’s again an example of how the passion to tell a tale helped them work on so many details that though somewhat minor, really made this story stand out to me. After completing the first side quest, I knew that I was going to hunt for the rest as I got to explore the stories of side characters and learn about the world.
These are just some of the examples from this year of tales that have made an impact on me personally. These stories have helped bring a brightness to the dark days, and made the good days a little better. That’s probably why there are so many great, positive people in the communities these stories help create.
This is only the tip of the iceberg for all the things I’m grateful for from this year. My family, friends, job opportunities…but for the sake of not boring you to tears, I’ll stop my list there for now.
What are a few tales that have impacted you positively this year?
Until next time,
Jessi, the ArtsyRobotz
P.S. As a bonus for all those who have gotten this far into my post, I have a little surprise. Below I created a coloring page from one of my Inktober drawings from this year. Hopefully all you need to do to save the file is right-click and save the image so you can print it later.
All I ask is that you don’t erase the link to my website, and if you post it online, please give me credit! I would really enjoy seeing where your creativity leads you.
This post is a part of Geeks Blog Unite Theme Week “Feeling Thankful.”
ArtsyRobotz 
I agree that stories are a wonderful thing to be thankful for. They can entertain, educate, challenge, and expand our minds. Three TV shows have done that for me this year.
Stranger Things (season 1 only) pulled me in as well. As a child of the 80s and old school gamer, the environments the storyteller developed for this series would remind me of my childhood pulling me deeper into the story.
The Expanse (season 1 only) has all my favorite elements of true science fiction. Their use of practical effects wherever they can, strong character development, and pulling in real world issues makes for great storytelling. You aren’t distracted by flashy special effects so you can focus on the story being told from each character’s perspective and what the various story lines interweave.
The Gifted is the newest on my list. I grew up loving superheroes, watching Super Friends, reading comics, and playing superhero RPGs. Now I enjoy many of the superhero movies in theaters. Recent shows like Shield, Flash, and Inhumans have disappointed me…but The Gifted has been amazing. Its focus is on a family struggling in this world of super powers, while showing what a true loving family can be like. There is hardship, failures, forgiveness, mistrust, love, communication, and each week they work through it together. They are not perfect, they are real. Add in the stories of the other characters, the conspiracy, the mutant powers, racism, hatred, fear, and powers and you really have a compelling story to watch each week.
There are also books, and games, and movies that have fascinated me…but thought I would focus on these TV shows for now.
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