'Psychologically, this is fascinating...'

[marguerite_krux]

'...doesn't it make everyone want to lock them in separate rooms and do experiments on them...?'

Meme #1

Comment on this post and I will give you 5 subjects/things I associate with you. Then post this in your LJ and elaborate on the subjects given.

Five things from sapphs :
1. The Mentalist

New favorite show! I'm so predictable but I DON'T CARE. I have a type and I stick to it. One of my favorite dynamics is with a female boss and the maverick male character that she has to rein in and keep under control. [House and Shark are other examples] Yes, the show is based on a gimmick, but I don't really care. I like that Jane can read people and that he can manipulate them and pull off these ridiculous stunts flawlessly. I like that he acts so outrageously and doesn't end up fired or in court. I don't watch this show for 'reality', but for escapism. It'd ruin the fun if he sometimes made mistakes or messed up.

2. Merlin
Another new favorite show! I grew up with Xena and Hercules, so watching this is like old times. Myth and magic. Warlords and kings. Sword-fighting. *wriggles* And dude, the female friendship on this show! It's something I can never get enough of, as well as the fact that the fourtet have strong, interconnecting friendships that exist separately as well. It's not like in SGA, where Shep was the main focal point and everyone was connected to each other through him, without having their own relationships developed. So I love the friendships, and also the shippiness! The writers gratuitously sprinkle heckloads of UST into every single episode. Yes, the focus is pretty much Arthur/Merlin, but I'm okay with that, since they're generous to Arthur/Morgana as well. Here's hoping they don't mess with that formula in the second season. *bites nails*

3. Strong female characters
Are LOVE. I can't get into a show without one. I tend to look for somone I admire, that I would love to be like, that I can live vicariously through. Which is why I pick intelligent, amusing, beautiful, capable, independent women with a gorgeous love interest. I tend to have this authority kink, too, lol. Women with guns and/or badges are so much fun. :P

I don't pick characters that are married or mothers or other things that don't mesh with who I would ideally like to be. Not that I don't think these women are equally worthy or strong characters in their own right, but because there is a disconnect between that mindset and my own. I don't see myself married or with children, so I can't see the world through their eyes and wouldn't really want to, either. So I'd pick Emily over JJ, I'd go for Morgana- a highborn lady- rather than Gwen- a servant.

And pardon me while I get on my soapbox, but while I'm on this subject, I want to get something off my chest. It's almost insulting that I have people assuming I'm gay because I have so much love for characters like Marguerite and Elizabeth and Emily. I'm not sure I can explain it, but it's almost like they're implying that the only reason a girl can adore a female character is if she's sexually attracted to her. That 'normal' girls would focus on worshiping the guys instead. My cousins can say that they love Shep because he's heroic and courageous and funny and damn hot, that's okay. All those opinions are valid reasons for their love for the character.

But me? I must love all these female characters for their bodies, not their minds, not their personalities. It trivializes the matter and their importance, and that is why I get pissed off. Women tend to be reduced to their appearance as though nothing more about them is of relevance, and that does a huge disservice to the characters. If I only cared about appearance, I'd be all for Keller or that frellwit Susan on DH or Seven of Nine, etc. etc. I freely admit that all the characters I love are stunning and gorgeous, but that alone isn't a reason to worship them. /rant

4. Vidding ;)
Lol. I've made two TLW vids so far and a certain someone still hasn't seen them yet. *pouts*

Vidding is something that, much like fic writing, I am too lazy to do on a regular basis. My very first was a Sparky vid to Candice Alley, which I only attempted because it was like, just over a minute, lol. I've done several since then, but only when a song gets stuck in my head and refuses to leave me alone: Nelly Furtado- Showtime, Cassie- U & Me, Everlast- Broken, Sarah Blasko- For You [which I can't even watch because it makes me so sad] and Dido- Do You Have a Little Time. [Kinda random, huh? I can't predict what will hook me next, my brain operates on several levels, lol.] I cringe a little when I watch my old vids but ah well. I'm not the best out there, but I'm not the worst either, and I'm content with that.

Cont'd: see #1 below. 

5. Procrastination skillz
Well, I got these prompts like a week ago, so that's fairly self-explanatory, lol. But um, yeah, I fail at doing things on time. I'm always leaving assignments til the last minute of the day they're due, maybe even leaving it til the next day or the weekend because of that nifty rule where if you hand in something before 9am the next day or on Monday, it's stamped as handed in the previous day or Friday. Perfect for a procrastinator like moi! In general, I don't really study the whole way through a semester and I know it's stupid but I don't care about the course and I'd much rather be on LJ or reading trashy romances or watching tv than doing work. I lost that 'in the zone' thing I had going in VCE.

Five things from speckleberry :

1. Vidding

I thought I was over this, but the vidding bug bit me again recently with TLW. What frustrated me with other vids in various fandoms that I've tried and given up in the past few years is how little material I have to work with- my ship is usually based on eye!sex and a few moments of romantic verbal subtext, like, I'm lucky if I get a pat on the shoulder or something. But with TLW? Pretty much every ep provides potential fodder for a vid- there is kissing, there is hugging, everything a vidder could want! It's hard NOT to be inspired, lol.

2. Jisbon *LOLZ*
Ohhh. Oh, YOU. *evil eyes* I gave that one to sapphs just to make fun of her and lookit what karma did to me. *facepalm* Jisbon is one of the ship names that makes me shudder. If it's brevity you're after, J/L conveys it well enough. Or, failing that, Jello. *nodnod* My mind, it strikes out on wacky tangents and never returns.

This ship, though. Mmm. It may not be of the epic awesome of M/R, but realistically- what could match up to them, right? I'm quite happy with this little ship, I don't need anything overt or resolved, in fact, please, I'd rather not. The best scenario would be a few years of Jane and Lisbon solving cases together, teasing each other, making cute with the banter, having occasional serious moments where Jane opens up to her and reveals something about himself. That's all I need, 'k? Just please to not be ruining the dynamics by bringing in outside love interests and I'll be happy. 

3. TLW
So, there I was, disillusioned with SGA, finished with SG-1, no other shows to occupy me. I was desperate like you wouldn't believe. sapphs  mentioned this show on her journal and because I don't do fandom in half-measures, I hunted a copy online and decided to buy the whole damn show, sight unseen. No clue what to expect, just having this blind faith that it would meet my needs. And how. *g*

Yes, it is the cheesiest show imaginable. Yes, the plots are frequently ridiculous. Yes, it has really tragic special effects. Yes, there is over-acting of eye-rolling proportions. But none of it matters! Mainly  because Rachel Blakely is a phenomenal actress and is totally flawless throughout the whole series. She makes it a million times better than it might otherwise have been. But also because there is the family bond that I love to see in my shows [like TWW and CM, except more overt since they all live together in a treehouse!] and ALSO because of the Epic Ship of Awesome that is Marguerite/Roxton.

In short, my expectations were completely blown away. This is a show I can watch over and over and enjoy every time because of its humor and friendships and ridiculous OTT sense of fun.

4. Marguerite
Um. Wow. There are no words to express how absolutely wonderful and incredible and IN LOVE I am with this woman. I've tried to describe why it is that she's fantastic, but I could write a thousand entries and never even halfway sum up her awesome.

She's struggled to overcome so many obstacles in her life, faced all these challenges on her own without anyone's help- or on the odd occasion that she's let herself get close to someone, she's either betrayed or abandoned or loses that person. So she builds up this wall to shield her from the world, and she quite reasonably puts her own best interests first and foremost. Or that's what she's most commonly derided for, by people who don't care to look deeper and see the truth. Despite the painful lessons life has taught her, despite the sneers and misconceptions held by others, she grows as a person and overcomes her own fears and scars and protective mechanisms in order to reach out to others, slowly, carefully, and often retreating once more, but watching her make the effort to connect with people, especially Roxton, is just...beautiful and painful and rewarding and...*sighs* No words.

Those are the major themes associated with her character, but there's more to her than just overcoming adversity. There would have to be, otherwise I wouldn't be so interested- on their own merit, I don't really care about intellectual themes and stuff like that, I don't love movies like Gran Torino or I've Loved You So Long or Slumdog Millionaire or other tragic weepie movies about someone's journey of discovery and character growth and whatever. Marguerite also owns my heart for a multitude of other reasons, including her amusing practicality and her sharp witty comments and the way she manipulates people and even just the way she looks, lol. That is one damn gorgeous woman.

5. Chocolate (I couldn't think of a fifth, so i took something we have in common.)
Well, my blood fat's apparently higher than it was last year and I'm told I'm heading towards having cholesterol problems so I'm supposed to not eat so much chocolate. Um, SCREW THAT. What's the point of living if you can't enjoy your little pleasures? I'd rather die young and happy than live a long, miserable, healthy life. I don't do moderation or balance, kthxbai. Chocolate enhances the fandom experience. I mean, I can't watch a show I care about or read a really good fic without having chocolate to increase the pleasure of it all.

Meme #2. DO IT. DO IT NOW. :P

1. Name:
2. Birthday:
3. Where do you live:
4. What are you studying/What are you working as:
5. What makes you happy:
6. What are you listening to now/have listened to last:
7. What is particularly good/bad about my LJ:
8. An interesting fact about you:
9. Are you in love/have a crush at the moment:
10. Favorite place to be:
11. Favorite lyric:
12. Best time of the year:
13. Weirdest food you like:

RECOMMEND
1. A film:
2. A book:
3. A song:
4. A band:
5. A tv show:

FANDOM
1. Favorite Fandom:
2. OTP/OT3:
3. Icon/Fic Journal (so I can join):

PLUS
1. One thing you like about me:
2. Two things you like about yourself:
3. Put this in your lj so I can tell you what I think of you?

Comments

[spence-reid.livejournal.com]

Since you've already read mine, I'll just fill in the parts that are specific to you:
7. What is particularly good/bad about my LJ: You are always very honest and you talk about fandom a lot!
8. One thing you like about me: We're very alike so you always understand what I'm going through and are always there with hugs.