Am I the only one he does that to?

[sarea]

Is anyone else not receiving email notifications for LJ comments? *smites LJ*

Hearing Diana Gabaldon speak was v. cool, especially when it's not some huge conference and it was just about 30 of us in the room. She talks v., v. fast, and answered the two questions Alicia and I had joked about w/o any prompting from us first thing. So in case you want to know: 1) Gabaldon is pronounced with a long "o" -- it rhymes with "Gabble-phone." 2) She loathes being shelved in the Romance section (don't blame her, as the novels are far more), but lived with it until the publication of Lord John and the Private Matter, which doesn't have a romance and is about a homosexual protagonist, and now she's done with Barnes & Noble, which is apparently insisting on shelving it in Romance. :D

Lord John is apparently a minor character in the "Outlander" series, but I don't think I've encountered him yet (and please don't tell me anything about him, as I don't want to be spoiled). So according to Diana, this new "series" is still part of "Outlander." As for the next Jamie and Claire book, it's called "A Breath of Snow and Ashes," and there'll be one or two more after that. I did get LJatPM, even though I hate paying full price for books, because how often will Diana Gabaldon be there to sign it? <g> I also got her to sign my hardcovers of "The Fiery Cross" and "Through the Stones" (which is the British edition of "The Outlandish Companion").

If you've never read "Outlander," I recommend that you give it a try. It's the crack.

Thanks for inviting me, corianderstem! And also for the delicious latte and the espresso beans. Felt like such a glutton when I walked out of your building. <g> Am going to HPB soon to pick up Gregory Maguire stuff.

Oh oh -- and to all our mutual friends: I have met Brent, and can attest that he does, in fact, exist, and seems lovely. He Who Shall Not Be Named seems puny in comparison. :D

mynuet wrote a really great Tom/OC piece, His, which is not something I'd ever thought I'd enjoy. (ETA: The sequel, Homecoming by kirixchi, was written first and is also fab. The two together are really a punch.) But it just goes to show that I may able to read outside my normal preferences as long as it's written well (and doesn't hit my hot buttons). My hot buttons: teacher/student, parent/child, Draco/Girl Other Than Ginny (and maybe Cho), Draco/Ron, Hagrid, Dumbledore, sorting hat/squid/house-elves. That's why it makes me so sad not to be able to read akscully's smut piece Red and Gold, though I have heard tell that it's great. Those of you without my hang ups should check it out.

And now, for TV. You know, maybe I like crappy episodes better, because then I don't have to write as much afterward. <g>

Smallville: Not a bad episode, although the acting I praised KK for in 'Extinction' was sadly not present here. The premise of the episode was good; the execution was decent; but the biggest problem with Smallville is that the base material isn't there. That was a problem in S1 as well, but the Clark and Lex material was strong, and carried the show. There wasn't much of that last season, and 'Slumber' was the first truly great Lex/Clark interaction since ... I don't even know when. But it makes such a difference.

They're in their third season, though -- the rest of the stuff has to be good, too. And it's just not. They start out with a strong premise, but then it's so lame. The storytelling skills just aren't there. It's all so trite, boring, and predictable. I don't look forward to watching Smallville anymore, which was not the case in S1. Now I watch it because 1) heck, I might as well, it's on before Angel; 2) I've followed it this long; 3) I'm still hoping something will happen to spark my interest in the show again. I need more Clark/Lex and Lex/Lana. And not stupid Clark/Lana would be good as well. One of the best Clark/Lana scenes they've done was the rain scene in 'Visage.' That was lovely.

Angel: Gah. Much more of this, and they'll have to rename the show "Spike." <g> Which, you know, fine with me. Though I think Spike is much stronger in a supporting role. So. I loved this ep, much more than the last, but that's not even a bar.

I couldn't believe all the fab Spred we got! :o In a way, I think they're pushing a little too hard, a little too fast, which is either because it's not like they have all the time in the world, or because it's a red herring and is never gonna happen. This ship will never have the awesome build up that B/S got, because, as Jade pointed out, that was never supposed to be build up in the first place. <g> Still, I liked/disliked the overt Spred by turns. On the one hand: Spike being so dependent on her, Spike wanting to touch her so badly that he does, Spike giving up his chance to be noncorporeal to save Fred, is all aww-worthy. But ... a little too soon, maybe? I mean, I think those things don't necessarily have to be construed romantically, but this is TV. And I can't believe he saw her nekkid in the shower. Although that was one part that was played out perfectly -- no overt ogling, no mentions of it later in the ep.

One of the reasons I love Spike so is that he's not your average, boring, hot guy. He'll seem all suave and sexy, and then in a key moment of flirting he'll forget he can't touch things and put his elbow on the table, only to fall right through the floor. I'm glad Fred isn't taken in by him; she knows what's going on, and is just doing it because it's what's right. That is excellent. And while I do love that Spike obviously has affection for Fred ("Where's a fetching mad scientist when you need one?"), I'm not sure I can really buy into it. They barely know each other. It doesn't help that we know so much of Spike's history, but she ... doesn't. The reverse is also true, and they haven't been through enough together to make me really see/understand why these two people would be so drawn to one another.

I liked Wes's concern for Fred, though at first when it seemed like he was just all desperate still to get with her I was like, "Ack! No!" Though actually, Wes/Fred is more promising that he didn't. Gunn might have had the funniest exchange of the ep, w/ his "Am I the only one he does that to?" Heeheehee. Still, these two guys have gotten maybe five lines an ep so far.

To be fair, Angel didn't have that many in this ep, either, but I adored his exchange w/ Spike. They're so older-brother/younger-brother. Or, you know, an old married couple. Whatever your preference.

Am confused about one thing: So does that mean that Spike won't blink in and out anymore? It was all that old ghost's doing? Yet Spike had described his visits to "hell" as if it were truly horrible; this didn't seem all that bad, and he also pretty much acted like he was seeing this all for the first time. So am confused. Also kind of rolled my eyes at the gratuitous nudity, though I supposed you could say that it wasn't gratuitous at all ... it was supposed to be symbolic of his vulnerability, and then the return of his clothes (which was awesome) represented his strength/will -- and all of that is true, if only I didn't believe that they made that all up so that they could get James Marsters nekkid. :D

Can I just say that I had a horrible Casper moment when Spike did not get corporealized, and the other dude did??? It was just like poor little Devon Sawa getting gypped. Grrrr. Only, not as stupid and maddening as that. Plus, I'm glad it wasn't so easy. I don't want to see Spike as a ghost forever, because he needs to affect things in a physical way (how nice it was to see him kick some ass after so long), but I also don't want the ghost thing to have been some 4-episode arc that was ultimately pointless. That way, when he gets his physical form back at some point this season (one hopes), it will be this touching thing that will be far more meaningful. <33333

I wonder, though -- now Spike knows about Shanshu. And of course is quite put out about it. I wonder, too. They touched on some key points in this ep, so clearly they're thinking about it: If Spike has a soul, and now does good, doesn't he deserve a better fate than hell? If Angel gets to be human, what does Spike get? When Angel was the only vampire with a soul around, Shanshu was great. It was enough. But now it stands to reason that Spike needs his own reward. So what will that be? Are they actually thinking about it? Or do they already have an answer? Or is his reward that his soul doesn't come with a curse, and he can theoretically boink whoever he wants to boink, and fall in love with whoever he wants to fall in love with?

Am still annoyed by Eve. Sincerely hope the thing next week is a misunderstanding, though hee at the Gunn/Spike exchange.

Comments

[akscully.livejournal.com]

You can't read Ron/Draco?

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

No. It's nearly as wrong as Draco/Hermione to me. And I think the only people who would make a stronger "blech" face than me would be the characters themselves. But of course, that is personal speculation. <g>

[significantowl.livejournal.com]

mm, I've actually read one Ron/Draco I liked - it was a humor fic, and it was too damn funny for the ship to matter to me. Mad Maudlin's Strange Bedfellows - you can find it on ffnet, if you think you can stand to try it. :-)