Mind over matter

Heads up...

2017-01-04T23:42:36Z

for anyone still following me and/or actively checking LJ - I have move everything over to Dreamwidth under the same name. Future posting (what there is of it) will be done there or on my tumblr (also same name).

Happy New Year!

Gilmore Girls Revival Discussion Post

2016-11-28T00:35:39Z

Ok, I have now finished all four 'seasons' of the Gilmore Girls revival. Commentary below the cut and in the comments if anyone wants.

Emily had the best arc by far I think. It was in character in a way that I can picture a real person responding.

I'm also generally positive on Lorelai's arc. I love that she and Luke got married (but seriously did they think they were making a music video?). The "Wild" thing was amusing but unnecessary. The pool scene during Summer was horrible. But it was great to see Lorelai, Michel, and Sookie back at the Inn again.

Rory annoyed the crap out of me for most of the series. First, Logan - I hated this storyline the first time they did it with Dean. Full disclosure I've always thought Logan brought out the worst in Rory and this did nothing to change my mind. I'm glad she finally ended things and I would hope she continued without him even if the child was his. Second, the job thing - sigh it's like ASP tried to pack as many negative Millennial stereotypes as possible into this arc. I like the idea of her working the Gazette or teaching at Chilton or even the book in the end, but ugh. Also it totally would've worked better with a 5 year gap than a 10 year gap. I wasn't expecting the final four words (I was expecting something more about affirming the Gilmore Girl bond, though I suppose this was actually), but now that I know them I can see the blatant foreshadowing in the revival.

It was nice to see the townsfolk and other supporting characters again, though many of the cameos were more distractions than additions. I'd be happy to see more.

Thoughts?

Captain America: Civil War discussion post

2016-05-06T20:09:51Z

I guess this is going to be a semi-annual thing now - making a post where spoilery discussion can be held without ruining everyone else's day.

Commentary after the cut

So that happened. And honestly, it wasn't as catastrophic as I was worried it might be.

Yes, the bad guy won and both Team Cap and Team Iron Man are kinda screwed but none of the Avengers died and T'Challa was A+.

So much happened that I need to see it again before I can do real character meta, but here are a few of the things that stood out for me:

1 - They really need to stop making Tony Stark the stupidest genius ever just for the sake of launching plot lines; its such a bad cliche. I know Tony is inextricably tied to the military industrial complex even though he's stopped making weapons and obviously he has a million of his own issues, but working with Ross?! For fuck sake - this is a guy Tony has cannonically hated since before he met Bruce Banner. I don't care if he is the Secretary of Defense (and how the FUCK did that happen), Tony Stark has enough clout to demand a different liason and he should know better than to trust him. I was really hoping we were going to get some hint that this 'cooperation' was in an effort to distract Ross from Banner but apparently not. Also basically every viewer came out of CA: Winter Soldier suspecting that HYDRA had used him to kill Howard. How on Earth did this completely blindside Tony? I mean I know they kept mentioning his issues but seriously they also admitted it had been years. How did he not pick up on it? How did JARVIS not pick up on it? I just - ugh! This is my biggest suspension of disbelief problem.

2 - I wish Marvel/Disney/etc had the balls to just make Steve Rogers bisexual because JFC!

3 - The noobs - T'Challa can stay (and GET IT!). Spider-man wasn't bad but I'm just so tired of Spidermen.

4 - The not-so-noobs - I enjoyed the Wanda/Vision bits. Sam is a gift. Natasha had some awesome moments, and as always (it seems) Clint could have had more to do. Also, I'm actually considering finally watching Ant-man so there's that.

5 - Tony Stank - I'm with Rhodey - never letting that one go, and I'm very glad to see he survived.

I think that's all I've got for now. Thoughts?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

2015-12-19T18:02:00Z

*taps mic* Hello, I know I haven't been here in ages but I have feels about Star Wars and I needed somewhere that could support actual discussion.

Spoilers for "The Force Awakens" below.

I went into this as unspoiled as can be so if I repeat things that have been discussed to death in those circles below I appologize. Hopefully there's something new or at least something worth discussing herein.

God was it good to have some Star Wars on the big screen again. I teared up a bit at the opening fanfare and the crawl.

For the most part I was happy with the movie, but for a team that wanted to dump the "Extended Universe" they sure did smash together a lot of EU plot lines. I mean, I'm not sure how you could write a Star Wars: TNG movie plot without stumbling over a lot of the EU storylines, but there's definitely a part of me feeling a bit *eyeroll*-ish about the choices.

I liked the new kids. Rey is lovely. I think my biggest complaint about the movie is how much we were TOLD and not shown about what happened between Han, Leia, and Luke. These are characters that much of the audience already cares strongly about and a huge amount of plot and its all just sort of - glossed over. I understand that filming a convincing flashback scene for the Big Three would've been super difficult, but still... Sigh. At least give me a fucking kiss between my original OTP asshats!

Having a passing familiarity with the EU I was completely unsurprised by the 'reveal' of Kylo Ren's parantage and I say 'reveal' because they really didn't tease it very long or that mysteriously. Nor was I particcularly surprised by Han's death. Though I am super upset and it plays back into the frustration above, I was expecting one of the Big Three to kick the bucket and by the time they left the Rebel base it was pretty clear that there was only one choice left. I do like that they maintained enough continuity to show Leia feeling it.

Speculation: Speaking of parentage mysteries - Rey has to be a Skywalker right? I mean there's no other bloodline in Universe that has that level of force sensitivity/power/control that I know of. But I haven't seen any of Clone Wars (is that considered canon to these movies?) so maybe there is someone else?

It was nice to see/hear a couple more women in on the action this time around and Yay! for passing the Bechdel test but there still isn't great balance over all.

I'm definitely going to see it again because I know there are things I missed - like parsing all the scenes from Rey's lightsaber trip - and I think TFA certainly out did the prequels, but nothing was every going to fully live up to the hype.

Secret Santa Reveal

2013-01-10T03:50:55Z

I can now tell you that I made a gift basket with icons, wallpapers and fic for telaryn as part of be_compromised's Secret Santa exchange.

Half Forgotten Memories
Rating: PG
Pairings: Clint/Natasha
Summary/Prompt Used: Angst and Crossovers with The Bourne Legacy and Leverage
Authors Notes: Because every role Renner’s played is just another undercover mission for Clint Barton. It has nothing to do with the holidays and everything to do with trying to capture the mood of the wallpapers. This may end up with another chapter or two at some point in the not to distant future. Thank you to athena4lynn ho did a fabulous beta job for this.

Wallpapers and icons here.

Master Post for all Gifts

100 Places to Visit - #85-81 New Zealand

2012-12-08T19:42:12Z

Back in October I was luck enough to take a trip to visit both New Zealand and Australia. Here's 5 places I got to visit as part of the trip which I thought were good to recommend.

85. Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand

This museum has most of the first floor dedicated to Maori art and artifacts all of which are amazingly detailed. They also have information on the natural history of New Zealand and New Zealand's involvement with various wars, but we didn't have enough time for that.

84. Piha Beach, Auckland

This volcanic black sand beach can be found a short drive away from Auckland by going up and over the Waitakere range to the west coast. Lion Rock guards the beach which is famous for its surfing.

83. Queenstown

It is hard to find a bad view of the Remarkables from anywhere in town and the mountains bring a wide range of outdoor activities. This area was also home to a lot of the filming for the Lord of The Rings movies.

82. Fiordland

It isn't easy getting into the fiords, but the scenery is stunning and there's some pretty cool wildlife as well.

81. Speight's Brewery, Dunedin

The Dunedin area has some pretty neat things going for it, but I can't resist a good brewery and pub, particularly when I get to have my birthday dinner there.

For more of my NZ photos go here.

Avengers icons

2012-06-27T02:46:45Z

[30] mixed Avengers icons, featuring Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson

teasers:

01-05:
06-10:
11-15:
16-20:
21-25:
26-30:

Comments and credit are love.

Round 28 of Fringe 20 in 20 - Season 3

2012-06-17T21:15:26Z

20 icons from Season 3

teasers:

10 THEMES

End	Beginning	Best Episode	Worst Episode	Favorite Screencap


Change	Color Splash	Silence	Sepia	Fringe20in20

5 CATEGORY - **BRUSHES**

Category #1	Category #2	Category #3	Category #4	Category #5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

Artist's Choice #1	Artist's Choice #2	Artist's Choice #3	Artist's Choice #4	Artist's Choice #5

Comments and credit are love.

100 Places to Visit - #90-86 DC

2012-05-23T22:23:02Z

5 Places to visit in DC that aren't the monuments or main Smithsonian museums

90 - U.S. Botanic Gardens - This little oasis is located at the end of the Mall right below the Capitol building. If you like flower or just want to take a little break this is a great place to go.

89 - Newseum - Just north of the Mall on Pennsylvania Ave is a chance to see a piece of the Berlin Wall and some very famous headlines. If you're like me you might not last to long in the 9/11 gallery though.

88 - Spy Museum - Unsurprisingly you can't take photos of the Spy Museum, but its a fun and fascinating place to go.

87 - National Zoo - I'm always impressed by what they manage to fit into such a relatively small space in the middle of the city. Don't miss the 'Great Flight' exhibit outside the Bird House.

86 -

[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<a www.nationalcathedral.org>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

5 Places to visit in DC that aren't the monuments or main Smithsonian museums <lj-cut> 90 - <a href="http://www.usbg.gov/">U.S. Botanic Gardens</a> - This little oasis is located at the end of the Mall right below the Capitol building. If you like flower or just want to take a little break this is a great place to go. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheme_pard/5598786719/" title="purple by ALH Photos, on Flickr"><img alt="purple" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5267/5598786719_35abe26713.jpg" width="500" /></a> 89 - <a href="http://www.newseum.org/?gclid=CP7whOayl7ACFSKhtgodUBjX2A">Newseum</a> - Just north of the Mall on Pennsylvania Ave is a chance to see a piece of the Berlin Wall and some very famous headlines. If you're like me you might not last to long in the 9/11 gallery though. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheme_pard/5629144550/" title="Wall large by ALH Photos, on Flickr"><img alt="Wall large" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5264/5629144550_66babde89a.jpg" width="500" /></a> 88 - <a href="http://www.spymuseum.org/">Spy Museum</a> - Unsurprisingly you can't take photos of the Spy Museum, but its a fun and fascinating place to go. 87 - <a href="http://nationalzoo.si.edu/">National Zoo</a> - I'm always impressed by what they manage to fit into such a relatively small space in the middle of the city. Don't miss the 'Great Flight' exhibit outside the Bird House. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheme_pard/7245885642/" title="Showing Off by ALH Photos, on Flickr"><img alt="Showing Off" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7245885642_6b996e98b1.jpg" width="500" /></a> 86 - <a http:="" www.nationalcathedral.org="">National Cathedral</a> - An impressive example of Gothic (revival) Architecture with all the flying buttresses, carved stone, and stained glass your heart could desire. The Cathedral is a little beat up these days as last year's earthquake did a lot of damage to the spires, but its still very pretty. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheme_pard/5109256060/" title="Rose window alight by ALH Photos, on Flickr"><img alt="Rose window alight" height="375" src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1131/5109256060_5f1a8ef028.jpg" width="500" /></a> Let me know if you're going to be visiting the area. :-D </lj-cut>

Round 27 of Fringe 20 in 20

2012-05-20T22:38:17Z

previews:

10 THEMES

Picspam	Favorite Color	Hand Gesture	Favorite Storyline	Name


Funny Face	Two Faced	No Background	Sweet	Rotated

5 CATEGORY - **LJ EMOTIONS**

#1 Amused	#2 Confused	#3 Scared	#4 Busy	#5 Cynical

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

Artist's Choice #1	Artist's Choice #2	Artist's Choice #3	Artist's Choice #4	Artist's Choice #5

I think I might be going to hell for that interpretation of "funny face". Comments and credit are lovely.

Saw "Avengers" for the second time today...

2012-05-19T21:20:24Z

The theater was about 80% full and I'd say about half of that was still first timers, which surprised me since this is the 3rd weekend now. I noticed a couple of things that didn't really register the first time...

1 - I think part of the reason I like Hawkeye so much (other than the fact that I'm a ship whore) is that I was expecting him to get Joss'd the first time. He's the Avenger we're least familiar with and if Joss was going to off an Avenger proper it was going to be Clint or Natasha; all the others have franchises. He was pretty much in the perfect position for a Wash-death.

2 - speaking of ppl getting Joss'd they really did leave it open to interpretation as to whether or not Coulson was actually killed or just seriously wounded and used as a ploy. We didn't see the medics treat him or call it and as Maria pointed out, the cards weren't in his jacket. I haven't decided yet which outcome I like better in terms of future films. I will of course be reading fix-it fic and he can clearly still appear in other movies in prequel (like the 'confirmed' Black Widow origins project) or flashback scenes. But for Avengers 2...

3 - I've seen some complaints about gender imbalance. While Natasha is currently the only female Avenger I think it is worth noting that this movie basically introduces only 1 new character of consequence and that is Maria Hill. She doesn't get much to do once the Avengers are assembled, but realistically Fury doesn't either.

4 - For the "Black Widow wasn't a good enough heroine" crowd - Yes, she runs from the Hulk and she hides out for a bit after taking a pretty good swat but you know what, when Fury calls for help she pulls herself up off the floor and takes care of business. Her fear of the Hulk is telegraphed from the word "go" but she still brings Bruce in, shows him around and comes pretty close to talking him down before it all goes to shit. Also, she tricks information out of Loki, 'recalibrates' Clint, and closes the damn portal. She might not have been you favorite Avenger or the female Avenger you really wanted to see on the big screen, but you're doing yourself, the movie, and Scarlett a pretty big disservice by dismissing her.

5 - There is definitely 'evidence' to support ALL THE SHIPS and I don't care if the hipster comic geeks hate me for saying that because I'm only a fan of the movies and it doesn't match the decades of comic developed back story or whatever.

How many times have y'all seen the movie? Who are you shipping?

ETA: I haz a tumblr which I don't think I've mentioned here before: TenHoursInTheLab

100 Places to Visit - #95-91 Places in NY (not NYC)

2012-04-25T01:07:24Z

NY is a giant state with a lot of things to do outside of NYC. From East to West (ish) here are a couple of pretty places to walk/hike/visit.

# 95 - Cupsogue Beach, Long Island

This is where we go to the beach when we visit LI.

# 94 - Lake George, NY

Such a pretty place.

# 93 - Lake Placid, NY

For the scenery and the Olympic stuff.

# 92 - Ithaca, NY

Don't just go there as a stop on some college tour trip, but because "Ithaca is Gorges". ;-)

# 91 - Watkins Glen, NY

While you're in the area hop a little further west from Ithaca to visit this beautiful place, if you're a fan of waterfalls like I am. This photo used to be on the cover of AAA's New York State travel guide book and it was just as impressive in person as I expected.

*This time the LI photo is mine but the others aren't.

Stop, meme time...

2012-04-18T00:05:00Z

Tell me you want to play and I'll pick up to three of your fandoms. Then update your journal and answer the following questions.

zinke gave me Eureka, BSG and Fringe

Eureka:

What got you into this fandom in the first place? I think this is one of the ones my brother got me started on. I don't know why I didn't watch the first season as it aired - I was still watching SciFi back then - but I didn't start watching live until S2.5. Why do I fangirl the show? It's adorable, quirky, smart and full of great characters.

Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? I will always love "Eureka" but I'm not sure I'm really even 'in the fandom' now.

Favorite episodes/books/movies, etc? I have some favorite moments, but this is one of the few shows where I can't single out specific episodes as favorites.

Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? Occasionally. I haven't done much fandom-wise for "Eureka" even though I love it, in part because I tend to write to 'fix' things and I haven't felt the need to here. This season though (premiered last night) might need discussing.

Do you think more people should get into this fandom? Yes, though actually it has really strong ratings for a cable show (Frak You ~~SyFy~~), the fandom seems pretty small.

BSG

What got you into this fandom in the first place? Partial credit for this one goes, again, to my brother. I meant to watch the miniseries live, but ended up missing it and never getting into the show. Then he was talking up S2 and I got spoiled for the S2 finale, but I decided to try it anyways. What really got me into the fandom aspect of BSG was the lovely ladies of btlstr_hiatusca and their awesome spoiler free rewatch posts/discussions between S2 and S3.

Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? I've pretty much moved on from this fandom already. The bitter disappointment I felt towards the finale made it very hard for me to continue to play in the sandbox and the lack of inspiration bled over into my participation in other fandoms.

Favorite episodes/books/movies, etc? "Unfinished Business" (which I'm sure surprises nobody) and much of S1 and S2.

Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? Not any more, but for a while we had a pretty intense relationship.

Do you think more people should get into this fandom? I'm torn on this, because for me knowing how it ends (with a self-contradictory, narcissistic whimper) makes it hard for me to recommend. However, I know there's a bit of YMMV going on with how people view the finale and the early parts of the show are pretty impressive.

Fringe

What got you into this fandom in the first place? "Fringe" has always been on my list of shows to watch, but up until recently it had always been on directly opposite something else I had been watching first. Why start now? Because dianora2 was always talking about it and I didn't want to be spoiled if this turns out to be the final season.

Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on? I'll probably move on eventually because the fandom seems to be pretty small and quiet and while I really like/enjoy the show I don't LOVE it in a way that will make me cling to it.

Favorite episodes/books/movies, etc? "Brown Betty", "Jacksonville", "Subject 13", and "Making Angels" come to mind.

Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)? Yes, I've done a little bit of everything in this fandom.

Do you think more people should get into this fandom? 100% Yes! 1 - John Noble is AMAZING! And Funny! 2 - The characters talk to each other - no, really there are converations about relationships!

How to post more...

2012-04-14T00:06:05Z

{Take the 100 Things challenge!}

This just popped up on my F'list (h/t mingsmommy) and I thought it might be an interesting thing to do. Haven't decided on my 100 Things Theme yet, but I thought some of the rest of you might be interested in playing along.

Theme Ideas:
100 Places I want to visit
100 Recs (books/movies/tv/music)
100 Crazy Patents

Any suggestions?

Fringe Icons

2012-04-10T22:57:26Z

Newest icon set for fringe20in20...

Teasers:

10 THEMES

Shapes	Profile	Eyes	Texture	Unexpected


Split	Tiny text	Fav Outfit	Dark	Room

5 CATEGORY - **5 ELEMENTS**

Air	Earth	Fire	Spirit	Water

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

Arist's Choice #1	Arist's Choice #2	Arist's Choice #3	Arist's Choice #4	Arist's Choice #5

Comments and credit are always appreciated.

Fringe Reaction Post - "Everything in its Right Place" 4x17

2012-04-07T16:15:21Z

10 minutes into last night's episode I posted this tweet...

I didn't mean to be right about it. There's a part of me that is still hoping its a ploy to help figure out who the mole is, but I'm not sure even AltLincoln is bad ass enough to pull that off w/o help and AltLiv is clearly not in on it. If it sticks I'll continue to be sad about the loss of AltLincoln, cause let's face it - he was awesome, but not pissed in a "Frak you that was manipulative and unnecessary way" (see also RTD and RDM).

As awesome as AltLincoln was I can see why and I think where TPTB are going with this and I don't disapprove. With the resurfacing of Olivia's original timeline memories and Walter's acceptance of Peter into the fold there really was no place left for Lincoln "Here". Putting Lincoln "Over There" provides an interesting sort of balance between the Universes counter-acting the existence of Peter "Here". Add in this little gem from "Making Angels":

and I'd say Lincoln might have a much more interesting future "Over There" even if TPTB are still solving the problem of duplicates by just killing one.

Current rewatch obsession...

2012-04-02T15:20:01Z

If you've been following along on twitter you may have noticed that I skipped from my Epic Whoniverse Rewatch to an Epic Voyager Rewatch. I blame my brother. He was in the middle of his own rewatch when he came down for the Mythbusters' Tour the other weekend and because of the rainy weather I ended up watching with him.

I'm currently in the early half of S4 and enjoying myself. I haven't seen any of these episodes since they first aired and I've never seen the last 2 seasons (no tv in the dorm), but my original shipper tendencies have strongly reasserted themselves.

If someone would be kind enough to rec Janeway/Chakotay (say around 2x25 "Resolutions"?) or Tom/B'Elanna (Around 3x16 "Blood Fever" and/or 4x03 "Day of Honor"?) that would be appreciated.

Things to do while waiting for it to be Fringe time...

2012-03-31T01:53:12Z

A meme!

Comment to this post, and I will list seven things I want you to talk about. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.

zinke tagged me with the following:

Camera: I like my camera. Its a good starter camera and I've come to really appreciate one of the two lenses that came in the kit with it. The other one will need to be replaced before Australia. I may also have to look into renting a longer lens and a tripod while I'm down there, because after a certain point the lenses are more important than the body. It would be interesting to actually try to make a go of the camera thing sometime.

Kitties: I love my boys - Caspian and Tirian. They're so cute and fluffy! :-) Every once in a while I consider adding to my collection - usually when someone posts about an adorable furball in need of rescue - but two is my limit at the moment.

Science: Is important? This is such a broad topic that I'm not quite sure what to day about it. I love science and hate that there is such a significant popular movement that intentionally ignores, undermines and deliberately misrepresents it.

Wyoming: The parts of the state that I've seen (Grand Tetons and Yellowstone) are gorgeous. You can see my favorite shots from that trip here. This was the trip that convinced me I needed to upgrade my camera to the one I'm talking about above. :-)

Magic: I want to believe that it exists. Despite the horrific implications of the Harry Potter world (Cracked) I still think it would be an awesome place to share a world with/visit occasionally. I always was a sucker for fantasy universes. My favorite YA world is still Tortall, which features plenty of magic.

Stars: They're pretty? I don't really have much to say about this. Space has never really interested me as anything more than a backdrop.

Politics: is ridiculously frakking crazy in this country at the moment. The extremes to which the "center" has shifted to the right and the subsequent attacks on pretty much everything I would consider sensible really scares me.

Fringe Icons

2012-03-14T02:43:45Z

[24] icons and alternates for Round 25 of fringe20in20 ...

Teasers:

10 THEMES

Crazy	Destiny	Nerdy	Om nom nom	Alt universe


Vibrant	Forgiveness	Accessory	Building	In Car

5 CATEGORY - **JUST ONE**

Category #1	Category #2	Category #3	Category #4	Category #5

5 ARTIST'S CHOICE

Arist's Choice #1	Arist's Choice #2	Arist's Choice #3	Arist's Choice #4	Arist's Choice #5

Alternates:

Comments and credit are love.

Fringe Icons

2012-03-06T02:35:45Z

[15] Fringe icons all from 3x08 "Entrada"

Teasers:

These icons were made in part for a battle hosted by the lovely marcasite:

01-05:
06-10:
11-15:

Comments and credit are love. Please check out the other awesome entries in the battle.

Alternate Realities, Timelines, Memories and Identity in Fringe

2012-02-25T16:26:06Z

Spoilers through all episodes of S4 (including 4x14 "The End of All Things") which aired last night.

The way I understand "Fringe" is that there are 2 Universes ("Here" and "Over There") and 2 Timelines (S1-3 and S4) which to me means there are 4 realities, 4 versions of every character except Peter.

Through the previous seasons "Fringe" has made it pretty clear that Olivia and Fauxlivia, Walter and Walternate, etc are NOT the same person. I think the beginning of S4 made it pretty clear that Olivia and Olivia' (where Olivia' is the version from the 2nd timeline) have had significantly different memories and experiences and were NOT the same person. The question that has been posed to us (Peter and the audience) in the last few episodes is does giving Olivia' the memories of Olivia's life make them now the same person (leaving aside for the moment how she got them)?

My answer is no, at least not yet. As of now Olivia' has two sets of memories, one from each timeline and though those from the 2nd timeline might have faded they are still there and still influencing who she is. I think most people agree that memory, the sum of ones experiences, is the major factor in creating identity. In recent tv terms: Sharon is not Athena and Caprica is not Gina but the Leoben who dies repeatedly on New Caprica at Kara's hands is the same Leoben. Or Nine, Ten and Eleven are all The Doctor, but TenII is not (see my previous post on Identity in New Who). I think the situation with Olivia' is very similar at the moment to the TenII situation, which in my opinion means that she is NOT Peter's Olivia. If Olivia' loses her memories of the 2nd timeline completely I believe I would consider her and Olivia to then be the same person, however I still wouldn't blame Peter for wanting to go home to a place where everyone has memories of him.

I don't feel prepared to fully speculate on why Olivia' suddenly has memories of the Olivia timeline. I assume it is related to some combination of the fact that Peter and the other timeline were never erased completely, the recent Cortexiphan exposure, and exposure to Peter. I'm also currently assuming that at the end of the season we're going to end up back at the machine, though maybe not with Peter stepping into it this time.

While I'm here I'd also like to comment on a few other issues raised by "The End of All Things", which finally gave us a bit more information on the Observers. Clearly the Observers are in addition to just Observing attempting to keep the Universes on a "correct" course, which I assume is one in which they exist. I'm not quite sure why the default setting of the other characters seems to be accepting that the course chosen by the Observers is the best, but I can accept it. What is bothering me at the moment is this... if September erred by distracting Walternate why is Fauxlivia the wrong mother for Pete's child? One would assume that if September hadn't distracted Walternate at the critical moment the Walternate would have cured Peter Over There, the two Universes wouldn't have become linked and Peter would have never met Olivia, though he might have met Fauxlivia. If a Bishop-Dunham child is really some sort of linchpin and having Fauxlivia as the mother places the child in the wrong Universe then I don't see how the Observers' solution of wiping Peter from the timelines completely can possibly compensate. It erases Henry, but it also erases all possibility of a Bishop-Dunham child ever existing.

Regardless, I am excited/amused by the Universe changing epicness of Peter/Olivia and I continue to be impressed that people actually have conversations on Fringe. It may have been a bit one-sided and boneheaded (though given the crap everyone else has been giving him I didn't find it surprising) but at least Peter told Olivia' what he was doing instead of just walking away from her. I'm very curious to see where they go with this when we get the back 8. If only we didn't have to wait an entire month - I hate the way our tv schedule runs.

TV Thinky Thoughts...

2012-02-04T23:28:28Z

I haz them...

Lost Girl (through 1x04)
This new to SyFy series (I refuse to call it a "SyFy Original") is really quite charming. Strong female lead, quirky female side kick, intelligent male ally/romantic interest, intelligent female ally/romantic interest, mysterious origins, fighting fae and oblivious humans all tied up in a fun little Canadian package that knows how not to take itself too seriously. I wish I could watch more of it, like the 20ish more episodes which have already aired in Canada or at least the rest of the first season which finished airing up there over a year ago. But nope. There's no legal way to obtain copies because the Canadian production company is withholding the DVDs until after the US airing finishes and neither company has made anything available online. This is exactly why I download things; though the MU take down has certainly impacted availability. I want to be able to enjoy this show and participate in its fandom w/o having to be constantly aware of whether or not I'm looking at something that might ruin it for me. Frakking media companies!

Fringe (through 3x15)
I sped through the first two seasons of this series fairly quickly, but despite wanting to be able to catch up and watch live soon, I'm taking season 3 slower. I think this season (assuming the back half doesn't completely frak it up) is probably going to make my list of my favorite seasons of things ever. It's not perfect, but it is pretty damn good. First, props to the cast which is doing a fantastic job of playing doubles and making the differences subtle but obvious. Second, props to the writers and other TPTB for giving us characters that actually have the hard conversations, for giving us text not just subtext. Finally, mad props to John Noble for the incredible complexity he brings to Walter Bishop because that engaging performance seems to be a large part of what keeps people coming back to the show through its early mistakes.

Chuck (through series finale)
I loved the series finale, despite the fact that I found Nicholas Quinn to be a horribly miscast waste of time for every moment he was on screen. Ok, so getting anyone who even came close to the levels of Chevy Chase or Timothy Dalton was going to be difficult given they no longer had the time or the budget and yes the focus was really supposed to be on Sarah, but did they really need to introduce a new character for this? Couldn't this just have been part of the reason Shaw stuck around?

Anyway - the finale... I think they chose an interesting way to take us on a trip back through the past five seasons so that we could see the growth in all the characters. Love that the Buy Morians got their own moment to shine along with everyone else. The callbacks, both blatant and subtle, had my emotions swinging throughout the episodes.

Oh - second mini-rant - WTF with that roof scene and Sarah not getting to have any say in what was done with the Intersect glasses? Yes, I thought Ellie's idea about Intersecting Sarah with "memories" of the past five years was incredibly stupid (all it would've done was give her pictures and facts not true memories/emotions and I don't think it would've "brought Sarah back") and yes it was nice to see Chuck choose, but to not even give Sarah a line in that scene?! I think that set completely the wrong tone.

Regardless, I thought the storyline overall was a bold choice well executed and I like that they left it where they did. Haters to the left.

Sherlock (S2, Reichenbach Fall)
I assume the method of the deception had something to do with what Sherlock asked Molly to do for him and to do with why John had to stay exactly where he was - where he could see Sherlock fall, but not actually see him land.

I've decided that part of the reason I like Sherlock and no longer particularly care for Doctor Who is that I find Moffat's desire to prove how clever he is fits better with the Holmes character and goes down better in smaller doses.

How about you, Flist? What have you been watching (other than Downton, it's on the list)?

phdelicious @ 2012-01-30T21:04:00

2012-01-31T02:04:37Z

I committed Sam/Jack comment fic for the TFLN ficathon.

Prompt: Stargate: SG-1 - Sam Carter/Jack O'Neill, likely after Hathor - (925): Tequila me may have very bluntly told him that I wanted to touch his abs.

Fic
Rating: PG
Setting: immediately post-Hathor
A/N: Its not particularly good, but it means I'm continuing to write so...

The fiasco continues

2012-01-23T23:45:52Z

Originally posted by electricdruid at The fiasco continues

ACTA in a Nutshell –

What is ACTA? ACTA is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. A new intellectual property enforcement treaty being negotiated by the United States, the European Community, Switzerland, and Japan, with Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada recently announcing that they will join in as well.

Why should you care about ACTA? Initial reports indicate that the treaty will have a very broad scope and will involve new tools targeting “Internet distribution and information technology.”

What is the goal of ACTA? Reportedly the goal is to create new legal standards of intellectual property enforcement, as well as increased international cooperation, an example of which would be an increase in information sharing between signatory countries’ law enforcement agencies.

Essential ACTA Resources -

Read more about ACTA here: ACTA Fact Sheet
Read the authentic version of the ACTA text as of 15 April 2011, as finalized by participating countries here: ACTA Finalized Text
Follow the history of the treaty’s formation here: ACTA history
Read letters from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden wherein he challenges the constitutionality of ACTA: Letter 1 | Letter 2 | Read the Administration’s Response to Wyden’s First Letter here: Response
Watch a short informative video on ACTA: ACTA Video
Watch a lulzy video on ACTA: Lulzy Video

Say NO to ACTA. It is essential to spread awareness and get the word out on ACTA.

Via Tumblr

Fringe Fic

2012-01-22T22:19:54Z

As you may have noticed, Fringe has sort of taken over my brain in terms of new obsession show. I'm 8 episodes in to season 3 and am hoping to catch up and watch this season's finale live. This isn't exactly where I was planning to go with this when I started, but hey - I've written something...

In the Black
Fringe
Olivia(/Peter)
Spoilers through early S3
Rating: PG
A/N: This is just a small character study type piece to get myself back into the idea of writing. This has not been beta read so all mistakes are mine alone.

There are only so many things to do in a pitch black cell and knowing exactly why that can drive a person crazy doesn’t stop it from working.

She was still dazed from the grenade when they threw her into the cell. Olivia doesn’t know how long it was before Walter came to gloat or how long it took her to calm down after he left. When she pulls it together enough to begin to analyze the situation she realizes that the cell isn’t so different from the tank. She lays down on the hard mattress and tries to find the place inside herself which would take her home. But without Walter’s voice and Walter’s drugs the cold dark emptiness around her remains just that.

She talks to herself just so there’s something to listen to. She traces her scars just so there’s something to feel. She relives her kiss with Peter, wrapping herself in the sensory power of the memory, reminding herself why she can’t just allow the inevitability of sensory deprivation to make her crazy.

In the end it only helps for so long. When she’s no longer sure what she’s said aloud and what she’s kept internalized, they come for her. She struggles against them at first, but it quickly becomes clear how disoriented she already is. She stops fighting and doesn’t try to process what she’s seeing. Instead, she focuses on taking in as much information as possible, storing it away in her photographic memory to dissect later. The blank white walls don’t seem as if they’d be particularly helpful, but there are papers on a table, snippets of conversation disappearing around a corner, and glimpses of windows as they march her away from the cell.

They take her to a lab, strap her into a chair, and pump her full of drugs. Its almost familiar, but the hand holding her elbow isn’t gentle and there is no attempt to dull the sting of the needle. Whatever they flood her system with hurts, God does it hurt, but after so long without sensation it is almost welcome. She hopes that the drugs will be the kind that help her fly free of reality but all they do is muddle her mind. She wants to ask what they are doing to her but Peter isn’t there to translate and these masked strangers don’t bother to answer her anyways.

They shoot her up twice more in short order and then they leave her alone. She doesn’t understand why until they lead her into an office and seat her across from another person. The purpose behind the entire exercise quickly becomes clear. Nobody bothered to tell the psychologist that some discretion might be in order.

When the shrink gets tired of talking in circles, the guards return and throw her back in her cell. Now that Olivia knows what Walter is planning she knows that time is even more her enemy. She stops actively trying to hold onto her sanity and consciously retreats into her mind. She takes all the facts that she’s learned about the compound and lays them out on the large white table, covering the schematics Peter has been working on. It is time to get serious about planning her escape from this reality and for that she will need his help.

End	Beginning	Best Episode	Worst Episode	Favorite Screencap


Change	Color Splash	Silence	Sepia	Fringe20in20

Picspam	Favorite Color	Hand Gesture	Favorite Storyline	Name


Funny Face	Two Faced	No Background	Sweet	Rotated

Shapes	Profile	Eyes	Texture	Unexpected


Split	Tiny text	Fav Outfit	Dark	Room

Crazy	Destiny	Nerdy	Om nom nom	Alt universe


Vibrant	Forgiveness	Accessory	Building	In Car