Happy making is hard.
Stuff which has been putting a smile on my face in the most trying of times (I'm sick again right before XQ. Kill me)
Wherein Kirk Swears that the ‘T’ Doesn’t Stand for Thickheaded by jade_dragoness, Kirk/Spock. NC-17. PON FARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Like these two words don't make your fingers twitch in glee.
Happy making video: Fist/Kiss [Star Trek XI Kirk/Spock]
Gets your blood pumping and your head nodding.
Kirk/Spock: Mind Meld. Fanon dictates that when Spock!Prime did this he also gave Kirk a taste of the past. So why not do it for reals? I love the song choice, but then nothing soothes the soul like Celine Dion.
The Church of Pine. My LOL link of the day.
Eromenos The Beginning by purefoysgirl
Fandom: FFVII
Pairing: Sephiroth/Cloud
Rating: NC-17 (everybody throw their hands up in joy!)
Why: It's 53 chapters of delicious smutty FFVII that's why, to the point I cannot still believe it is on ff.net, clutching on the tether of it's censorship ridden minefield. I love this fic. As, arlo_arleh puts it, the Sephiroth/Cloud relationship is hero worship which so easily slides into delicious delicious abuse. I like that this fic isn't afraid to boot the relationship straight from the beginning. To have Cloud so innocent and a Sephiroth who is so clearly riding the line of being morally in contempt, and yet seeing them come together is like watching a car crash, you can't look away. This fic is just enthralling, doesn't pull it's punches, doesn't shy away from the physicality of their relationship, and does a damned good job at showing how emotionally stunted both of these characters are. FFVII is also one of those fandoms where you continually WANT more fic, and no one is providing it. Especially for this pairing. So me reading this for a glorious three days was glorious indeed.
Meanwhile, yesterday I watched AVATAR:
My mind is not BLOWN (as it was say, compared to Dark Knight), but it was definitely a SOLID movie, well paced, and some of the CGI was definitely like nothing I had seen before. It wasn't so much that you NOTICED the CGI that made it so astounding great, it was the fact you didn't at times.
Some of the effects blended so seamlessly into what was real that you honestly could not tell what had been digitally created and what wasn't.
Of course what made the film so emotionally sound and beautiful was the imagination that powered it. To which I say, KUDOS to Weta, because no other company can create such backgrounds and such a world with such scale and such a profound delight in creating a new sphere to which our minds can roam.
I like the humour in it too. That little lizard thing which spun around like a crazy helicopter I didn't even know how it could evolve that way because it looked like it was freaking out in the air half the time, but hell was it adorable and funny.
I also liked how Jake would bat aside the dandelions/jellyfishes since I'm of a mind of hating bugs and that was funny in a, he does it AGAIN! Despite being told not to kind of way.
Some of Zoe's Naavi expressions were incredibly detailed in how they were rendered, so soft and rich in emotion and expression I forget at times that she's a CGI creature. She really delivered, as did Sam Worthington.
Some of AVATAR's short comings is that it's basically Pocahontas meets Ferngully. I mean, if you smushed those two films together, and made them live action, you basically have this film. It read in many ways like Disney film, and I cannot even tell you how hard Colours of The Wind was stuck in my head the moment I left the theatre.
That said, I appreciated that the 3D was done in a non-gimmicky way, and that James Cameron really tried to make a solid which just HAPPENED to be in 3D rather than a 3D film. There was a seamingly effortless sense of control over the depth you got as a viewer into this world. There were very few balls bouncing into your face over your 3D glasses, but when the action jumped at you, you took it in stride and was pulled into the ride rather than be taken out of it. First 3D movie where I didn't get dizzy :D
I also find a kindred spirit in the fact that Jim Cameron is a sap. I liked the love story, there's something so innocent and resounding about a simple cross cultural, cross species love affair. He really does the love across all barriers thing very well. You believed that these two creatures could get together.
I also liked how when Zoe's character finally got to see Jake's human shell she didn't cry or felt pity for his handicapped and wasted 'real' self, but responded in a way that was deeply connected to the soul rather than the container. It's never explored what would happen if Jake had to remain in his human body whether this connection could withstand that, but at that particular point in the story, I enjoyed the idea that Jake had moved beyond his humanity, and believed himself to be the unlimited warrior, but that Zoe's character was inherently more attracted to the spirit of Jake who had overcome such barrier in the first place. Like I said, I'm a sap.
The vocal track at the end? IN THE DARKEST DEPTHS OF MY HEART. It made me chant, NEVER LET GO.
I guess the best test of success for this movie is the fact it made a world so encompassing that I was thinking about it long after the film was over. Loved and cherished it. Will watch again. Solid 8/10
IN SHORT AVATAR:
I loved Pandora, I loved the ideas it brought, and the potential and possibilities it gave me imagination-wise.
...
I confess, the first thought post-viewing was that, this ENTIRE FILM could've been improved if it was about John Sheppard the air force officer who was given a second chance to fly, and Rodney Mckay the Scientist who made it possible.
Hell, that mention of past Dreamwalkers who went insane? MAYBE IT WAS JOHN AND RODNEY? Maybe the ATA Gene allowed John to naturally transcend out of his own body over to the Naavi Body.
And Rodney in turn could not let go and leave him be.
I just like to imagine the look on Sheppard's face when he's given the power to fly on a gigantic dinosaur with the power of his mind. And the look on Rodney's face when he's able to witness that joy.
I will give a limb for this AU to be written either PRE-movie or POST-movie. It's a PERFECT FIT for these characters omg. I need it like now.
Wherein Kirk Swears that the ‘T’ Doesn’t Stand for Thickheaded by jade_dragoness, Kirk/Spock. NC-17. PON FARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Like these two words don't make your fingers twitch in glee.
Happy making video: Fist/Kiss [Star Trek XI Kirk/Spock]
Click to viewGets your blood pumping and your head nodding.
Kirk/Spock: Mind Meld. Fanon dictates that when Spock!Prime did this he also gave Kirk a taste of the past. So why not do it for reals? I love the song choice, but then nothing soothes the soul like Celine Dion.
The Church of Pine. My LOL link of the day.
Eromenos The Beginning by purefoysgirl
Fandom: FFVII
Pairing: Sephiroth/Cloud
Rating: NC-17 (everybody throw their hands up in joy!)
Why: It's 53 chapters of delicious smutty FFVII that's why, to the point I cannot still believe it is on ff.net, clutching on the tether of it's censorship ridden minefield. I love this fic. As, arlo_arleh puts it, the Sephiroth/Cloud relationship is hero worship which so easily slides into delicious delicious abuse. I like that this fic isn't afraid to boot the relationship straight from the beginning. To have Cloud so innocent and a Sephiroth who is so clearly riding the line of being morally in contempt, and yet seeing them come together is like watching a car crash, you can't look away. This fic is just enthralling, doesn't pull it's punches, doesn't shy away from the physicality of their relationship, and does a damned good job at showing how emotionally stunted both of these characters are. FFVII is also one of those fandoms where you continually WANT more fic, and no one is providing it. Especially for this pairing. So me reading this for a glorious three days was glorious indeed.
Meanwhile, yesterday I watched AVATAR:
My mind is not BLOWN (as it was say, compared to Dark Knight), but it was definitely a SOLID movie, well paced, and some of the CGI was definitely like nothing I had seen before. It wasn't so much that you NOTICED the CGI that made it so astounding great, it was the fact you didn't at times.
Some of the effects blended so seamlessly into what was real that you honestly could not tell what had been digitally created and what wasn't.
Of course what made the film so emotionally sound and beautiful was the imagination that powered it. To which I say, KUDOS to Weta, because no other company can create such backgrounds and such a world with such scale and such a profound delight in creating a new sphere to which our minds can roam.
I like the humour in it too. That little lizard thing which spun around like a crazy helicopter I didn't even know how it could evolve that way because it looked like it was freaking out in the air half the time, but hell was it adorable and funny.
I also liked how Jake would bat aside the dandelions/jellyfishes since I'm of a mind of hating bugs and that was funny in a, he does it AGAIN! Despite being told not to kind of way.
Some of Zoe's Naavi expressions were incredibly detailed in how they were rendered, so soft and rich in emotion and expression I forget at times that she's a CGI creature. She really delivered, as did Sam Worthington.
Some of AVATAR's short comings is that it's basically Pocahontas meets Ferngully. I mean, if you smushed those two films together, and made them live action, you basically have this film. It read in many ways like Disney film, and I cannot even tell you how hard Colours of The Wind was stuck in my head the moment I left the theatre.
That said, I appreciated that the 3D was done in a non-gimmicky way, and that James Cameron really tried to make a solid which just HAPPENED to be in 3D rather than a 3D film. There was a seamingly effortless sense of control over the depth you got as a viewer into this world. There were very few balls bouncing into your face over your 3D glasses, but when the action jumped at you, you took it in stride and was pulled into the ride rather than be taken out of it. First 3D movie where I didn't get dizzy :D
I also find a kindred spirit in the fact that Jim Cameron is a sap. I liked the love story, there's something so innocent and resounding about a simple cross cultural, cross species love affair. He really does the love across all barriers thing very well. You believed that these two creatures could get together.
I also liked how when Zoe's character finally got to see Jake's human shell she didn't cry or felt pity for his handicapped and wasted 'real' self, but responded in a way that was deeply connected to the soul rather than the container. It's never explored what would happen if Jake had to remain in his human body whether this connection could withstand that, but at that particular point in the story, I enjoyed the idea that Jake had moved beyond his humanity, and believed himself to be the unlimited warrior, but that Zoe's character was inherently more attracted to the spirit of Jake who had overcome such barrier in the first place. Like I said, I'm a sap.
The vocal track at the end? IN THE DARKEST DEPTHS OF MY HEART. It made me chant, NEVER LET GO.
I guess the best test of success for this movie is the fact it made a world so encompassing that I was thinking about it long after the film was over. Loved and cherished it. Will watch again. Solid 8/10
IN SHORT AVATAR:
I loved Pandora, I loved the ideas it brought, and the potential and possibilities it gave me imagination-wise.
...
I confess, the first thought post-viewing was that, this ENTIRE FILM could've been improved if it was about John Sheppard the air force officer who was given a second chance to fly, and Rodney Mckay the Scientist who made it possible.
Hell, that mention of past Dreamwalkers who went insane? MAYBE IT WAS JOHN AND RODNEY? Maybe the ATA Gene allowed John to naturally transcend out of his own body over to the Naavi Body.
And Rodney in turn could not let go and leave him be.
I just like to imagine the look on Sheppard's face when he's given the power to fly on a gigantic dinosaur with the power of his mind. And the look on Rodney's face when he's able to witness that joy.
I will give a limb for this AU to be written either PRE-movie or POST-movie. It's a PERFECT FIT for these characters omg. I need it like now.