SG1, SGA & Dresden
I apologize for not posting all week. I've been working about a zillion hours a day and honestly, didn't have a whole lot to talk about that wasn't all frustrated geek-speak.
So... I'll probably do a lot more meta on Line in the Sand tomorrow or Sunday morning. I'm a lot more thinky at that time of day. I've had a gin and Squirt (shut up, I know it's kinda disgusting sounding) or two and that kind of negates the whole thinky thing. Sort of Anti-thinky.
While I might not be a true whumper at heart, I really liked that Sam finally got seriously wounded. Yeah, I know she did that in Death Knell, too, but this was a little different, since Cam was there.
Amanda really knocked it out of the ball park. I loved her take on the whole wounded thing. It hurt and Sam didn't suck it back unreasonably. She hurt and let Cam know that she hurt. Not to mention that I have a tiny little kink (okay it's not sexual) about field surgery, so I was delighted to see Cam in that role. Whether you choose to see it through shipper glasses or not, there was an element of trust and intimacy between Sam and Cam that was really lovely. Neither of them was overly reluctant to be vulnerable to the other. Sam was physically weak and injured. Cam was still haunted by Daniel's loss, though he put a good professional face on it until push came to shove.
I really enjoyed Vala, too. I loved the look in her eyes after Tomin hit her. Very, very typical Vala hardness there. No, she doesn't like being hurt, but it's nothing alien to her. She's been hurt before, whether we've seen it or not. But the look in her eyes was hard and sort of 'all bets are off'. Tomin had crossed a line with her. She may have genuinely loved him, but once he struck her, well, that pretty much was it for her. Nice, layered performance there. Vala is not merely Daniel's foil any more.
Teal'c was also great. I adored the scene when Vala was reunited with him! I honestly think there's a stealth pairing there. Honestly, I think I like it more than Daniel/Vala, but that may be some of my own issues talking.
SGA: Thank God Beckett wasn't a silly twit here. While I'm generally not all that critical of the writers, I've really loathed what they've done wtih the Beckett character in the last season. Making him look weak and silly felt too much like trying to shore up McKay.
Teyla/Ronon however, got ramped up to a new level for me. Okay, I tend to resist the more obvious pairings. I'm not a big SG1 Jack/Sam shipper not because of any reason probably more deep than it's an obvious choice. It's been done. I tend to look for something deeper and less obvious. Teyla/Ronon felt similar to me. They're the two most prominant aliens. They're both 'people of color' to touch on some recent meta, though I've never actually thought of them that way. To me, it wasn't a skin color issue - it was an alien issue, but whatever.
This ep, however, really sort of sold me on Teyla/Ronon. It felt natural and easy, not contrived. I'm a real junky for sparring scenes, be it John/Teyla or Teyla/Ronon. They're sexy as hell and Ronon is so damn primal. Which I think turns Teyla on at some level. She likes playing with fire ;)
Ronon's tenderness and concern for her well-being really make Ronon a bit more accessible for me tonight. Sometimes he comes across as so primal as to be barely human, but they've added depth to his character.
So, them's my thoughts at the moment. I reserve the right to get all meta about it, later.
I'll admit it, Dresden has sort of co-opted my brain recently. But I've read the latest book and the television series is over for the time being. I need to get back to SG1.
Dresden is a fascinating Universe to play in. Jim Butcher has created a very rich world for his characters, with lots of fascinating twists and turns. His characters really *live* - are complete human beings with strengths and weaknesses and libidos. Harry is a bit of a classic tragic hero. He always saves the day, in the end, sometimes at great cost to himself and/or those close to him. He virtually never gets the girl.
At times, Harry is a horny, frustrated guy, but he never lets it get in the way of the greater good. Sometimes, he's stubbornly uncompromising, but in others he compromises in surprising ways. Fascinating character. The modern cultural references make the stories really accessible. Harry is *us* in many ways. He may be a wizard, but he's human and he's a contemporary. Harry can be supremly snarky, which is probably one of Jim's greatest strengths as an author. God, I love good snark.
Last night there was a book signing in Colorado Springs with Jim Butcher, Susan K. Butcher (she writes romance novels - I bought one) and a couple of other writers, mostly of supernatural romance. Jim was a great speaker. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is a bit self-effacing, but not horribly so. He has enough... ego, that he's proud of his work, which is nice.
As an aside, Jim is *much* better looking in person than he is in pictures. And he's not bad looking in pictures at all. It might have been that his long hair wasn't pulled back, softening his face. I dunno. I just know that he was an attractive guy. Shannon, his wifem is a charming woman, very cute, with a peaches and cream complexion and long, dark red hair. A very attractive couple.
I got the opportunity to gush about the romance parts of his novels, which by the way, aren't at all overwhelming. They're really quite a small part of the books, but they are so very well done, so integral to the characters, that they feel natural and spontaneous, not forced. And you never know exactly how they're gong to turn out, for the most part. Harry just might give in, or he might not, and you honestly don't know until the last moment. Jim's an expert at building that suspense.
Jim laughingly replied that Shannon wrote all those scenes, to which she emphatically said she didn't. He then said that he's read a LOT of romance novels, for a guy. Shannon apparently throws the occasional romance novel at him and orders him to read it. Later, when a particular romance writer was mentioned, Jim clasped his hand over his heart and said that metaphorically speaking, he wants to have that author's babies ;) I really wish I'd had the presence of mind to write down the author's name.
Just let me say that Harry Dresden is truly and completely a guy. He's a bit of a chauvinist, but in only the nicest of ways. It tears him up to see a woman hurt. He may not have gotten laid in four years, but he actually realizes how pathetic this is. It's a living bitch to be a man of principles and values and yet still pretty young. Not to mention that in practically every book, Harry's tempted by sensuous fairies or succubi or stuck on the set of a porn movie. I'm not kidding, these are actual scenarious from the books. And Jim has a way of conveying all of this, through Harry's eyes (the books are written in first person) without ever descending to the pornographic. Not that I would mind the pornographic, but there's something *much* more dignified about allusion. If Jim delved much deeper, he'd be treading in Laurell K. Hamilton territory in those scenes.
Speaking of Ms. Hamilton, don't ever expect him to say a word against her. She helped him get his start. Aside from that, some of the answers to questions posed by his fans consist of, "because my writing teacher said so..." Which is why Harry came to live in Chicago, interestingly enough. Originally, Harry was based in Kansas City, much closer to where Jim himself lives. But his writing teacher nixed that idea. It's already been done by Ms. Hamilton. So Jim looked at a globe and found the most prominant cities. As he puts it, every college student knows that when in doubt, choose B. Which happened to be Chicago ;) He'd never visited the city until last year and yet he has an excellent grasp of its geography. Well, I'm suspecting that it's not all that tough to research Chicago.
Anyway, Jim is a delightful speaker. I was invited to attend a banquet tomorrow night where he's the keynote speaker, but I never heard back, so perhaps not. I was conflicted at spending the $45 to attend anyway, so I'm not overly upset, despite how much I'd like to hear Jim speak again.
So, them's my thoughts for the moment. Harry must leave my head, and I know he will before too long. I have my Dan/Sam piece to write for the ficathon! I think I've sort of written myself into a corner, so I might need to back up. Can't have the resolution happen too soon. Yes, I am evil.
Having SG1 back helps, but the lack of Daniel tonight didn't really help in the fic department. Well, at least not from the Sam/Daniel perspective anyway. My brain is sort of on a Cam/Sam, Daniel/Adria track at the moment. I know, I'm a horribly sick puppy. But, I swear to God, TPTB have intended those Daniel/Adria moments. Perhaps not realized, but... I'm sorry. I suck.
Must Get Brain Out of Gutter!
So... I'll probably do a lot more meta on Line in the Sand tomorrow or Sunday morning. I'm a lot more thinky at that time of day. I've had a gin and Squirt (shut up, I know it's kinda disgusting sounding) or two and that kind of negates the whole thinky thing. Sort of Anti-thinky.
While I might not be a true whumper at heart, I really liked that Sam finally got seriously wounded. Yeah, I know she did that in Death Knell, too, but this was a little different, since Cam was there.
Amanda really knocked it out of the ball park. I loved her take on the whole wounded thing. It hurt and Sam didn't suck it back unreasonably. She hurt and let Cam know that she hurt. Not to mention that I have a tiny little kink (okay it's not sexual) about field surgery, so I was delighted to see Cam in that role. Whether you choose to see it through shipper glasses or not, there was an element of trust and intimacy between Sam and Cam that was really lovely. Neither of them was overly reluctant to be vulnerable to the other. Sam was physically weak and injured. Cam was still haunted by Daniel's loss, though he put a good professional face on it until push came to shove.
I really enjoyed Vala, too. I loved the look in her eyes after Tomin hit her. Very, very typical Vala hardness there. No, she doesn't like being hurt, but it's nothing alien to her. She's been hurt before, whether we've seen it or not. But the look in her eyes was hard and sort of 'all bets are off'. Tomin had crossed a line with her. She may have genuinely loved him, but once he struck her, well, that pretty much was it for her. Nice, layered performance there. Vala is not merely Daniel's foil any more.
Teal'c was also great. I adored the scene when Vala was reunited with him! I honestly think there's a stealth pairing there. Honestly, I think I like it more than Daniel/Vala, but that may be some of my own issues talking.
SGA: Thank God Beckett wasn't a silly twit here. While I'm generally not all that critical of the writers, I've really loathed what they've done wtih the Beckett character in the last season. Making him look weak and silly felt too much like trying to shore up McKay.
Teyla/Ronon however, got ramped up to a new level for me. Okay, I tend to resist the more obvious pairings. I'm not a big SG1 Jack/Sam shipper not because of any reason probably more deep than it's an obvious choice. It's been done. I tend to look for something deeper and less obvious. Teyla/Ronon felt similar to me. They're the two most prominant aliens. They're both 'people of color' to touch on some recent meta, though I've never actually thought of them that way. To me, it wasn't a skin color issue - it was an alien issue, but whatever.
This ep, however, really sort of sold me on Teyla/Ronon. It felt natural and easy, not contrived. I'm a real junky for sparring scenes, be it John/Teyla or Teyla/Ronon. They're sexy as hell and Ronon is so damn primal. Which I think turns Teyla on at some level. She likes playing with fire ;)
Ronon's tenderness and concern for her well-being really make Ronon a bit more accessible for me tonight. Sometimes he comes across as so primal as to be barely human, but they've added depth to his character.
So, them's my thoughts at the moment. I reserve the right to get all meta about it, later.
I'll admit it, Dresden has sort of co-opted my brain recently. But I've read the latest book and the television series is over for the time being. I need to get back to SG1.
Dresden is a fascinating Universe to play in. Jim Butcher has created a very rich world for his characters, with lots of fascinating twists and turns. His characters really *live* - are complete human beings with strengths and weaknesses and libidos. Harry is a bit of a classic tragic hero. He always saves the day, in the end, sometimes at great cost to himself and/or those close to him. He virtually never gets the girl.
At times, Harry is a horny, frustrated guy, but he never lets it get in the way of the greater good. Sometimes, he's stubbornly uncompromising, but in others he compromises in surprising ways. Fascinating character. The modern cultural references make the stories really accessible. Harry is *us* in many ways. He may be a wizard, but he's human and he's a contemporary. Harry can be supremly snarky, which is probably one of Jim's greatest strengths as an author. God, I love good snark.
Last night there was a book signing in Colorado Springs with Jim Butcher, Susan K. Butcher (she writes romance novels - I bought one) and a couple of other writers, mostly of supernatural romance. Jim was a great speaker. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is a bit self-effacing, but not horribly so. He has enough... ego, that he's proud of his work, which is nice.
As an aside, Jim is *much* better looking in person than he is in pictures. And he's not bad looking in pictures at all. It might have been that his long hair wasn't pulled back, softening his face. I dunno. I just know that he was an attractive guy. Shannon, his wifem is a charming woman, very cute, with a peaches and cream complexion and long, dark red hair. A very attractive couple.
I got the opportunity to gush about the romance parts of his novels, which by the way, aren't at all overwhelming. They're really quite a small part of the books, but they are so very well done, so integral to the characters, that they feel natural and spontaneous, not forced. And you never know exactly how they're gong to turn out, for the most part. Harry just might give in, or he might not, and you honestly don't know until the last moment. Jim's an expert at building that suspense.
Jim laughingly replied that Shannon wrote all those scenes, to which she emphatically said she didn't. He then said that he's read a LOT of romance novels, for a guy. Shannon apparently throws the occasional romance novel at him and orders him to read it. Later, when a particular romance writer was mentioned, Jim clasped his hand over his heart and said that metaphorically speaking, he wants to have that author's babies ;) I really wish I'd had the presence of mind to write down the author's name.
Just let me say that Harry Dresden is truly and completely a guy. He's a bit of a chauvinist, but in only the nicest of ways. It tears him up to see a woman hurt. He may not have gotten laid in four years, but he actually realizes how pathetic this is. It's a living bitch to be a man of principles and values and yet still pretty young. Not to mention that in practically every book, Harry's tempted by sensuous fairies or succubi or stuck on the set of a porn movie. I'm not kidding, these are actual scenarious from the books. And Jim has a way of conveying all of this, through Harry's eyes (the books are written in first person) without ever descending to the pornographic. Not that I would mind the pornographic, but there's something *much* more dignified about allusion. If Jim delved much deeper, he'd be treading in Laurell K. Hamilton territory in those scenes.
Speaking of Ms. Hamilton, don't ever expect him to say a word against her. She helped him get his start. Aside from that, some of the answers to questions posed by his fans consist of, "because my writing teacher said so..." Which is why Harry came to live in Chicago, interestingly enough. Originally, Harry was based in Kansas City, much closer to where Jim himself lives. But his writing teacher nixed that idea. It's already been done by Ms. Hamilton. So Jim looked at a globe and found the most prominant cities. As he puts it, every college student knows that when in doubt, choose B. Which happened to be Chicago ;) He'd never visited the city until last year and yet he has an excellent grasp of its geography. Well, I'm suspecting that it's not all that tough to research Chicago.
Anyway, Jim is a delightful speaker. I was invited to attend a banquet tomorrow night where he's the keynote speaker, but I never heard back, so perhaps not. I was conflicted at spending the $45 to attend anyway, so I'm not overly upset, despite how much I'd like to hear Jim speak again.
So, them's my thoughts for the moment. Harry must leave my head, and I know he will before too long. I have my Dan/Sam piece to write for the ficathon! I think I've sort of written myself into a corner, so I might need to back up. Can't have the resolution happen too soon. Yes, I am evil.
Having SG1 back helps, but the lack of Daniel tonight didn't really help in the fic department. Well, at least not from the Sam/Daniel perspective anyway. My brain is sort of on a Cam/Sam, Daniel/Adria track at the moment. I know, I'm a horribly sick puppy. But, I swear to God, TPTB have intended those Daniel/Adria moments. Perhaps not realized, but... I'm sorry. I suck.
Must Get Brain Out of Gutter!