So what am I fannish about at the moment?
I've been promising a while to do a post with my reactions to current fannish obsessions. Let's see if this time I actually make it.
Leaving SPN till last, let's start with the Buffy comic, which I finally managed to get up to date on this week.
I'm... not as impressed as I thought I would be. The dialogue is typical Joss brilliance and there's some some interesting plot ideas and character interactions in there, but it's all very disjointed. It feels, to me, really like more of a story outline than the full story, that there's a ton of stuff that should be fleshed out and it isn't happening. I don't know, I mean it's been years since I was a regular comic collector, but I don't think I've forgotten how to read them and follow storylines or anything.
I'm going to continue buying and reading it because there are those moments of characterization and all that I've missed and am glad to be getting, but I hope that we get a bit more detail and depth, even if it slows the advancing of the plot along.
Of course, part of my disappointment can probably be traced to the fact that I was very happy that Joss remembered Ethan and brought him back in an interesting way in very much shades of grey.... and then promptly killed him off. *facepalm* Waste of a really good and intriguing character, Joss. (Not to mention that congratulations, I have three pairings that I consider my OTP in Buffy-Angel fandom: Angel/Doyle, Angel/Wes and Giles/Ethan. You've now managed to kill off one half of each of them.)
So yeah, am reading, but it probably isn't going to become part of my own personal Buffy post season 7 canon. No matter what Joss says.
I'm also happily watching Doctor Who.
I had fallen three episodes behind but got caught up this past weekend. And I really am liking this season -- for me Martha seems a much better fit with Ten than Rose did (although I adored Rose with Nine) and I'm really enjoying the whole gothic feel this season seems to have so far. (Which if I've interpreted the clues and the rumours correctly fits very nicely with this season's main villain. The Master always seemed to belong in a gothic story.)
I loved the ep Blink -- nice and creepy with a fabulous plot/villains. I so totally want to see Dean and Sam go up against evil statues that can only move when you don't look at them now... I still think The Empty Child was creepier but this definitely is in the top five.
And next week, finally Jack! Yay!
I also when I picked up the Buffy comics, picked up Supernatural Origins as well.
Okay, the art sucks in it and I've decided I'm going to happily ignore the things which counter either the show canon or my own personal Winchester canon (much like I've decided to do with the Buffy comic) but I'm enjoying reading them a lot. It's nice to get more of John, especially in the early days and there are some things in them that are going into my personal canon -- such as Mary having an older brother named Jacob who practically raised her after their parents died, and Dean asking repeatedly when they were going to go home. *pets poor wee Dean). I'm ignoring the "John drove a station wagon until he took his dead brother in law's cool car" thing because that doesn't agree with the show canon. Also? No way in hell John would ever be caught driving a station wagon.
I'm actually finding the stories in these comics, bad art and canon inconsistencies aside, a more linear easier to follow read than the Buffy comics. And, like I said, I'm just happy to get more of John. :)
And then of course there's Supernatural itself. The show that every time I try to write something coherent about, I dissolve into inarticulate squee (which would be why there hasn't been a lot of thoughtful commentary on it from me here.) But let's give talking about season two one more shot.
I loved it. Really. With an all consuming flailful and squeeful love. This show just kills me dead with every new ep. And the two part finale was just... I laughed, I cried, I flailed, I squeed, I "Oh Dean"'ed a lot. I couldn't have asked for a better season ender and I love Kripke forever for NOT ending the season after AHBL part 1. I swear the end of that ep was giving my Sentinel Too part one flashbacks, even knowing part two was next week.
I... may have issues with characters being dead at the end of eps with the words to be continued flashing on the screen.
But the second part was totally worth the angst and flailing and like I said I am so grateful that I only had to wait seven days and not nine months like I did for Blair to come back.
And while both boys have arcs in both seasons, if I had to boil the first season down to one theme/arc it's Sam finally getting that his family is the most important thing there is, more than revenge or having a normal life. It was summed up in one of the last lines in Devil's Trap -- with John saying "Killing the demon comes .... before everything." and Sam replies with, "No, sir, not everything."
(of course we have since learned that the reason John was so "MUST KILL DEMON NOW EVEN IF IT KILLS ME" wasn't so much about revenge as it was about saving Sam. (and the other special kids *sniff* poor Andy, but yeah mostly Sam) So while it looks for the longest time that John doesn't get it, he's got it all along. He just is shit about talking about it.)
Season two the arc/theme was Dean's -- his dealing with his Dad's sacrifice and death and his own sense of self worth. And again it was near the last lines in the season finale that summed it up for me -- Sam's lines again -- "You're my big brother. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Dean seems to finally actually hear the words and believe them. So in one way, season one was about Sam getting that nothing is more important than his family and season two is Dean getting that Sam gets that, and that family being important includes him as well.
Season three I wonder if it'll be about Sam taking on that burden more of being the protector/rescuer and what that pressure does to him... I have my theories what the season three finale is going to be about, (Sam throws down with the crossroads demon over Dean's soul and wins but only by giving in and using his demon given powers and season four would be them dealing with the fallout of that) and I am looking forward to see how close I am.
Also in the category of I really am starting to think it is a fandom all on its own, Fandom High. Applications for the second summer term are open. The game really is crack of the best variety, so if there's a character you thought you might like to play, app them. Come on, join the madness.
And to end a meme, gakked from several places on my flist:
1. Comment to this post with the name of a character that I have written in fic. Or geeked out about.
2. I will comment telling you the following:
a. What initially prompted me to like the character enough to write about him/her.
b. One of his/her best traits.
c. One of his/her worst traits.
d. How easy/difficult I find it to write the character.
e. The story/chapter/paragraph/phrase where I feel that I truly captured the character (if I've written them).
f. My plans (if any) to write the character in the near future.
Oh and also GIP. *loves on boys*
Leaving SPN till last, let's start with the Buffy comic, which I finally managed to get up to date on this week.
I'm... not as impressed as I thought I would be. The dialogue is typical Joss brilliance and there's some some interesting plot ideas and character interactions in there, but it's all very disjointed. It feels, to me, really like more of a story outline than the full story, that there's a ton of stuff that should be fleshed out and it isn't happening. I don't know, I mean it's been years since I was a regular comic collector, but I don't think I've forgotten how to read them and follow storylines or anything.
I'm going to continue buying and reading it because there are those moments of characterization and all that I've missed and am glad to be getting, but I hope that we get a bit more detail and depth, even if it slows the advancing of the plot along.
Of course, part of my disappointment can probably be traced to the fact that I was very happy that Joss remembered Ethan and brought him back in an interesting way in very much shades of grey.... and then promptly killed him off. *facepalm* Waste of a really good and intriguing character, Joss. (Not to mention that congratulations, I have three pairings that I consider my OTP in Buffy-Angel fandom: Angel/Doyle, Angel/Wes and Giles/Ethan. You've now managed to kill off one half of each of them.)
So yeah, am reading, but it probably isn't going to become part of my own personal Buffy post season 7 canon. No matter what Joss says.
I'm also happily watching Doctor Who.
I had fallen three episodes behind but got caught up this past weekend. And I really am liking this season -- for me Martha seems a much better fit with Ten than Rose did (although I adored Rose with Nine) and I'm really enjoying the whole gothic feel this season seems to have so far. (Which if I've interpreted the clues and the rumours correctly fits very nicely with this season's main villain. The Master always seemed to belong in a gothic story.)
I loved the ep Blink -- nice and creepy with a fabulous plot/villains. I so totally want to see Dean and Sam go up against evil statues that can only move when you don't look at them now... I still think The Empty Child was creepier but this definitely is in the top five.
And next week, finally Jack! Yay!
I also when I picked up the Buffy comics, picked up Supernatural Origins as well.
Okay, the art sucks in it and I've decided I'm going to happily ignore the things which counter either the show canon or my own personal Winchester canon (much like I've decided to do with the Buffy comic) but I'm enjoying reading them a lot. It's nice to get more of John, especially in the early days and there are some things in them that are going into my personal canon -- such as Mary having an older brother named Jacob who practically raised her after their parents died, and Dean asking repeatedly when they were going to go home. *pets poor wee Dean). I'm ignoring the "John drove a station wagon until he took his dead brother in law's cool car" thing because that doesn't agree with the show canon. Also? No way in hell John would ever be caught driving a station wagon.
I'm actually finding the stories in these comics, bad art and canon inconsistencies aside, a more linear easier to follow read than the Buffy comics. And, like I said, I'm just happy to get more of John. :)
And then of course there's Supernatural itself. The show that every time I try to write something coherent about, I dissolve into inarticulate squee (which would be why there hasn't been a lot of thoughtful commentary on it from me here.) But let's give talking about season two one more shot.
I loved it. Really. With an all consuming flailful and squeeful love. This show just kills me dead with every new ep. And the two part finale was just... I laughed, I cried, I flailed, I squeed, I "Oh Dean"'ed a lot. I couldn't have asked for a better season ender and I love Kripke forever for NOT ending the season after AHBL part 1. I swear the end of that ep was giving my Sentinel Too part one flashbacks, even knowing part two was next week.
I... may have issues with characters being dead at the end of eps with the words to be continued flashing on the screen.
But the second part was totally worth the angst and flailing and like I said I am so grateful that I only had to wait seven days and not nine months like I did for Blair to come back.
And while both boys have arcs in both seasons, if I had to boil the first season down to one theme/arc it's Sam finally getting that his family is the most important thing there is, more than revenge or having a normal life. It was summed up in one of the last lines in Devil's Trap -- with John saying "Killing the demon comes .... before everything." and Sam replies with, "No, sir, not everything."
(of course we have since learned that the reason John was so "MUST KILL DEMON NOW EVEN IF IT KILLS ME" wasn't so much about revenge as it was about saving Sam. (and the other special kids *sniff* poor Andy, but yeah mostly Sam) So while it looks for the longest time that John doesn't get it, he's got it all along. He just is shit about talking about it.)
Season two the arc/theme was Dean's -- his dealing with his Dad's sacrifice and death and his own sense of self worth. And again it was near the last lines in the season finale that summed it up for me -- Sam's lines again -- "You're my big brother. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Dean seems to finally actually hear the words and believe them. So in one way, season one was about Sam getting that nothing is more important than his family and season two is Dean getting that Sam gets that, and that family being important includes him as well.
Season three I wonder if it'll be about Sam taking on that burden more of being the protector/rescuer and what that pressure does to him... I have my theories what the season three finale is going to be about, (Sam throws down with the crossroads demon over Dean's soul and wins but only by giving in and using his demon given powers and season four would be them dealing with the fallout of that) and I am looking forward to see how close I am.
Also in the category of I really am starting to think it is a fandom all on its own, Fandom High. Applications for the second summer term are open. The game really is crack of the best variety, so if there's a character you thought you might like to play, app them. Come on, join the madness.
And to end a meme, gakked from several places on my flist:
1. Comment to this post with the name of a character that I have written in fic. Or geeked out about.
2. I will comment telling you the following:
a. What initially prompted me to like the character enough to write about him/her.
b. One of his/her best traits.
c. One of his/her worst traits.
d. How easy/difficult I find it to write the character.
e. The story/chapter/paragraph/phrase where I feel that I truly captured the character (if I've written them).
f. My plans (if any) to write the character in the near future.
Oh and also GIP. *loves on boys*