misc... and tldr about James Bond
Hello, this is me posting to DWidth instead of LJ, but for now I'll crosspost and I don't mind you replying wherever and however you want.
Things are going well right now, I'm continuing to study very diligently (if I had studied this effectively before, I'd be done with my degree three times over by now), I've come to terms with the fact that once I'm done with the exams, I will face my psychological issues, and I've been sleeping extremely well for the last week.
Yesterday I went to a lecture by Stephen Greenblatt (you might know him if you do English Lit or Renaissance Studies or stuff like that). We don't often have famous humanities guest lecturers in Heidelberg, so that was pretty cool. And quite thought-provoking, too, as it made me think about my own atheism (or whatever my stance on religion is... I'm mostly atheist, but sometimes I flirt with agnosticism, and sometimes I'm having pantheistic or animistic moments of magical thinking.)
If I didn't have to study so much, I'd be majorly into James Bond fandom right now. I've always been aware of Bond as a cultural THING, having seen all the films as a kid. I went to see Casino Royale at the cinema, but it didn't hook me in fannish way - Skyfall, however, did. So now I've gone back and rewatched a number of Bond movies - Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Goldeneye, Die Another Day (I hate Brosnan!Bond, really, really dislike him, but I love M), The Living Daylights and The Licence To Kill (I love Dalton!Bond and always have, he's my favourite old school Bond - the only one I find charming instead of creepily chauvinistic). Then I watched In Her Majesty's Secret Service, aka. Lazenby's one film as Bond. I think I'd seen it before, but this time was the first time I consciously watched it as "Lazenby's Bond" and seriously, Lazenby's a weird choice for Bond. He's incredibly British... and reminds me of Benton from UNIT in his hapless, somewhat awkward naivite. Also, the Sixties are weird, and still manage to make me go WTF no matter how much Sixties Who and Star Trek I've seen. I've yet to rewatch any Connery or Moore, but the way I remember it I kinda like Connery and I find Moore extremely dull.
Unfortunately, even though Bond fandom took off after Skyfall, it's pretty much 99% Bond/Wishaw!Q. I loved Ben Wishaw in "Richard II", but his Q does nothing for me. He looks too much like a hipster, and that's how people tend to write him. Besides, what I really want from a pairing with Bond in it is some sort of subversion of his womanizing, hyper-macho image, and Q doesn't really work as a foil for him in that way. I like Craig and Dalton because both of them are more vulnerable versions of Bond (but I also like Craig!Bond because he's presented as a brutal, somewhat unhinged killer rather than Prince Charming with a Gun).
Aside from pairings, what I really want is fic with M and Bond in it. I'm fascinated by the difference between M's relationship to Brosnan!Bond as compared to her relationship with Craig!Bond - in the Craig trilogy she is probably his closest friend/family, and he her most trusted asset, whereas M hated Brosnan!Bond enough to tell him he should have used his cyanide capsule when he was in North Korean captivity for a year (sound familiar? I really want some fic/meta about "Die Another Day" and "Skyfall"). I also wouldn't say no to some magical realism or sci-fi AU's that fankwank Bond continuity so that there actually have been six Bonds, or fics which examine Bond's motivation - is he a British patriot? A killer or a playboy for whom spying is a convenient outlet? An orphan looking for a parental substitute? Oh, and AUs in general - what else could Bond have been, besides a British spy.
Okay, I lied. I am really fannish about Bond right now, it just feels as though the fandom I want to exist for it doesn't exist. Recs are welcome, though, even if they will distract me from studying...
Things are going well right now, I'm continuing to study very diligently (if I had studied this effectively before, I'd be done with my degree three times over by now), I've come to terms with the fact that once I'm done with the exams, I will face my psychological issues, and I've been sleeping extremely well for the last week.
Yesterday I went to a lecture by Stephen Greenblatt (you might know him if you do English Lit or Renaissance Studies or stuff like that). We don't often have famous humanities guest lecturers in Heidelberg, so that was pretty cool. And quite thought-provoking, too, as it made me think about my own atheism (or whatever my stance on religion is... I'm mostly atheist, but sometimes I flirt with agnosticism, and sometimes I'm having pantheistic or animistic moments of magical thinking.)
If I didn't have to study so much, I'd be majorly into James Bond fandom right now. I've always been aware of Bond as a cultural THING, having seen all the films as a kid. I went to see Casino Royale at the cinema, but it didn't hook me in fannish way - Skyfall, however, did. So now I've gone back and rewatched a number of Bond movies - Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Goldeneye, Die Another Day (I hate Brosnan!Bond, really, really dislike him, but I love M), The Living Daylights and The Licence To Kill (I love Dalton!Bond and always have, he's my favourite old school Bond - the only one I find charming instead of creepily chauvinistic). Then I watched In Her Majesty's Secret Service, aka. Lazenby's one film as Bond. I think I'd seen it before, but this time was the first time I consciously watched it as "Lazenby's Bond" and seriously, Lazenby's a weird choice for Bond. He's incredibly British... and reminds me of Benton from UNIT in his hapless, somewhat awkward naivite. Also, the Sixties are weird, and still manage to make me go WTF no matter how much Sixties Who and Star Trek I've seen. I've yet to rewatch any Connery or Moore, but the way I remember it I kinda like Connery and I find Moore extremely dull.
Unfortunately, even though Bond fandom took off after Skyfall, it's pretty much 99% Bond/Wishaw!Q. I loved Ben Wishaw in "Richard II", but his Q does nothing for me. He looks too much like a hipster, and that's how people tend to write him. Besides, what I really want from a pairing with Bond in it is some sort of subversion of his womanizing, hyper-macho image, and Q doesn't really work as a foil for him in that way. I like Craig and Dalton because both of them are more vulnerable versions of Bond (but I also like Craig!Bond because he's presented as a brutal, somewhat unhinged killer rather than Prince Charming with a Gun).
Aside from pairings, what I really want is fic with M and Bond in it. I'm fascinated by the difference between M's relationship to Brosnan!Bond as compared to her relationship with Craig!Bond - in the Craig trilogy she is probably his closest friend/family, and he her most trusted asset, whereas M hated Brosnan!Bond enough to tell him he should have used his cyanide capsule when he was in North Korean captivity for a year (sound familiar? I really want some fic/meta about "Die Another Day" and "Skyfall"). I also wouldn't say no to some magical realism or sci-fi AU's that fankwank Bond continuity so that there actually have been six Bonds, or fics which examine Bond's motivation - is he a British patriot? A killer or a playboy for whom spying is a convenient outlet? An orphan looking for a parental substitute? Oh, and AUs in general - what else could Bond have been, besides a British spy.
Okay, I lied. I am really fannish about Bond right now, it just feels as though the fandom I want to exist for it doesn't exist. Recs are welcome, though, even if they will distract me from studying...