Pirates, X-Men and other things
Sep. 3rd, 2003 09:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakPirates of the Carribean finally started in my part of the world. I loved it to bits. Fun, fun, fun, and the feminist in me appreciated that Elizabeth (as ably embodied by Keira Knightley) was as good a character as the boys. They also avoided one of the usual clichés, the Evil Fiancé ™, by letting the Commodore be strict but fair. Johnny Depp was outrageously perfect at Captain Jack Sparrow, and Geoffrey Rush confirms yet again that there is something about Australian actors… do you bake them differently, people?
I was so enthralled by the movie I risked a glimpse at FFN afterwards. Naturally, Mary Sue was running rampant and I hastily backed out and looked up Silverlake before I called it a night. Can't see the slash, though, sorry, which is probably due to Orlando Bloom. (I couldn't see any Legolas pairings, either.)
Speaking of pairings which everyone gets but yours truly, I sometimes feel like I'm the only person on earth who doesn't feel the Wolverine/Rogue vibe. In the romantic/sexual sense, I mean. Which posed something of a problem to me when reading![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
yahtzee63's newest epic, "His Terrible Swift Sword". It's a terrific past-and-future X-Men movieverse story, written with her usual skill, weaving plot and character exploration together, I loved what she did with Xavier and Magneto, found her amoral angst-free Pyro quite plausible and an interesting change from most other post-X2-stories I read…but one of the main plot threads is Logan/Marie. And since I don't go for that couple, about a third-to-half of the story fell flat for me. Which is my fault completely, I know - but I wonder - does this happen to anyone else? You read a superbly written story but can't believe in one of the basic premises?
On the other hand, I found a delightful short story bypenknife about Xavier and Magneto being stuck at the airport together. It neatly avoids the obvious cliché, is full of delightful Charles/Erik snark and just makes me worship the author's dialogue skills. Read it here.
alara_r caught the "Five Things…" bug, it seems, and started them for Q. (Star Trek, not Bond, to misquote Buffy.) Since she's the queen of Q fanfiction, it's quality is a given, but the first chapter made me shiver. All too often Q is only written as the fun-loving trickster. Not here.
Lastly, I've got my usual title problem. Does anyone have any idea how I should call my latest B5 endeavour? I can hardly go for the obscure movie joke and name it Married To Mollari, and Scenes from a Marriage sounds too clumsy to me.
I was so enthralled by the movie I risked a glimpse at FFN afterwards. Naturally, Mary Sue was running rampant and I hastily backed out and looked up Silverlake before I called it a night. Can't see the slash, though, sorry, which is probably due to Orlando Bloom. (I couldn't see any Legolas pairings, either.)
Speaking of pairings which everyone gets but yours truly, I sometimes feel like I'm the only person on earth who doesn't feel the Wolverine/Rogue vibe. In the romantic/sexual sense, I mean. Which posed something of a problem to me when reading
yahtzee63's newest epic, "His Terrible Swift Sword". It's a terrific past-and-future X-Men movieverse story, written with her usual skill, weaving plot and character exploration together, I loved what she did with Xavier and Magneto, found her amoral angst-free Pyro quite plausible and an interesting change from most other post-X2-stories I read…but one of the main plot threads is Logan/Marie. And since I don't go for that couple, about a third-to-half of the story fell flat for me. Which is my fault completely, I know - but I wonder - does this happen to anyone else? You read a superbly written story but can't believe in one of the basic premises? On the other hand, I found a delightful short story by
penknife about Xavier and Magneto being stuck at the airport together. It neatly avoids the obvious cliché, is full of delightful Charles/Erik snark and just makes me worship the author's dialogue skills. Read it here.alara_r caught the "Five Things…" bug, it seems, and started them for Q. (Star Trek, not Bond, to misquote Buffy.) Since she's the queen of Q fanfiction, it's quality is a given, but the first chapter made me shiver. All too often Q is only written as the fun-loving trickster. Not here.Lastly, I've got my usual title problem. Does anyone have any idea how I should call my latest B5 endeavour? I can hardly go for the obscure movie joke and name it Married To Mollari, and Scenes from a Marriage sounds too clumsy to me.
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no subject
Date: 2003-09-03 12:23 am (UTC)I thought it had to be something like that.*g*
Date: 2003-09-03 12:33 am (UTC)Re: I thought it had to be something like that.*g*
Date: 2003-09-03 12:35 am (UTC)Re: I thought it had to be something like that.*g*
Date: 2003-09-03 12:54 am (UTC)Re: I thought it had to be something like that.*g*
Date: 2003-09-03 12:57 am (UTC)Excuse my ignorance, but...
Date: 2003-09-03 03:20 am (UTC)Re: Excuse my ignorance, but...
Date: 2003-09-03 03:47 am (UTC)pairings-everyone-gets-but-you
Date: 2003-09-03 07:16 am (UTC)And for a long time, I thought I could be convinced of anything by the right story, and then I read a couple of really spectacularly good Han/Luke pieces, and I said to myself, "oh, absolutely, that's just how it would go if that were true, which it . . . you know, isn't."
And I'll be the first to say that's not a writing issue, or a warping-characters-all-out-of-shape issue. I'm talking about good stories. It's entirely a me issue. So I certainly feel your pain.
And I'm glad you liked "Travel Advisory." It was therapy for my hostility toward the entire air travel industry.
Re: pairings-everyone-gets-but-you
Date: 2003-09-03 08:47 am (UTC)Me neither, but then I haven't really tried. It's strange - there are fandoms where I can see UCs all over the place, doesn't matter whether slash or het - BTVS and AtS, for example - and fandoms where I can't see much beyond canon. As for my SW inclinations, I am an extremely odd person who likes the OT but loves the prequels. If you're interested, I explained why here. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/selenak/14612.html#cutid1) Which reminds me - I've been meaning to tell you I like your Anakin story.
And I'll be the first to say that's not a writing issue, or a warping-characters-all-out-of-shape issue. I'm talking about good stories.
Yes, that is exactly what happened to me. It's so much easier when you can blame the writing.*g* But when a story is really good, and you still don't get it? Frustrating. (As for which slash pairings specifically I do and don't get: I listed them here. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/selenak/15617.html)
And I'm glad you liked "Travel Advisory." It was therapy for my hostility toward the entire air travel industry.
As someone who was once trapped at La Guardia due to a storm and ended up spending the night in the Minneapolis airport when she had to get to Los Angeles, I empathised, believe me.*g*
I've been bad about feedback for your stories, because in the last three weeks since I discovered them, life has been quite busy. But I loved all the X-Men ones, and the Snape & McGonnagal story, and as I said the Anakin story, plus the ones featuring Sarek. And I'm mostly a TNG and DS9 girl at heart...
Re: pairings-everyone-gets-but-you
Date: 2003-09-04 12:22 am (UTC)I don't think it's just a question of seeing it when I was so young, though,b ecause there are other books and movies I read or saw at a young age when I wasn't aware of slash, and I've gone back to them much later and thought "Oh, that's so slashy." I think it's more a question of the one pairing being so vivid for me that nothing else really registers.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-03 07:41 am (UTC)You know, after I saw the movie, I was a little surprised not to see nearly as much slash potential (for Jack/Will) as I had anticipated. A second viewing totally convinced me that Captain Jack and Bootstrap Bill were lovers back in the day, however. Of course, then there's also Soldier 1/Soldier 2 (so cute!) and Wooden Eye/Parley Guy (Aww!). It's a bit hard for me to get behind the Jack/Will pairing, though. Unless Elizabeth is involved; somehow the OT3 of Jack/Elizabeth/Will works better for me.
Speaking of pairings which everyone gets but yours truly, I sometimes feel like I'm the only person on earth who doesn't feel the Wolverine/Rogue vibe.
No, I feel the same way, at least when it comes to movie canon. I gather Rogue in the comics is a very different sort of person, but what I love about the Wolverine-Rogue relationship in the movies (especially the first one, and I kind of missed it in the second one) was the protective-big-brother vibe. And just like the Spike-Dawn relationship in 5th and 6th season (there are so many parallels there, including the almost-innocent schoolgirl crush on the much older, tougher man) putting romance and/or sex onto that big brother-little sister vibe ruins it for me.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-03 09:12 am (UTC)Now that's a different issue.*g* I never said I didn't find Captain Jack slashable - just not with Will. So yes, a Jack/Bill backstory would make sense; or even a Jack/Barbossa (spelling?) one.
It's a bit hard for me to get behind the Jack/Will pairing, though. Unless Elizabeth is involved; somehow the OT3 of Jack/Elizabeth/Will works better for me.
Because we just know Elizabeth enjoyed herself on that island.*g* Anyway, I could see the three of them together in general, yes.
putting romance and/or sex onto that big brother-little sister vibe ruins it for me
Exactly.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-03 10:18 am (UTC)Indeed she isn't!
Date: 2003-09-03 12:17 pm (UTC)Cool!
Date: 2003-09-03 01:34 pm (UTC)It's up at FFN now, and...
Date: 2003-09-04 12:04 am (UTC)man. it's really all about Jack/Norrington
Date: 2003-09-03 01:03 pm (UTC)Yes, the threesome potential is more attractive than just the Jack/Will slash angle - but Norrington's yen for pirates..and Jack in general...verrah interesting.
;)
Re: man. it's really all about Jack/Norrington
Date: 2003-09-03 11:15 pm (UTC)