Hi.

xkcd.com/2347

It looks as if I only ever post on LJ when there's a Marvelverse movie to blabber about. :)

One thing I really appreciate in Marvel's Phase 2 is that while you can obviously watch just one of the movies and get a full story, they become richer when you've seen all of them. And they're not just using silly Easter Eggs of dropped names/events/places from the comics, it's full on character development and worldbuilding. You know, like in a good TV show. It feels like watching TV at the movies once or twice a year, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the newest episode of this massive series.

( On your left.Collapse )

Anyway. HI!

I spent the entire day talking about the fact that Amazon wants to sell fanfic instead of working, so I'm gonna compile the stuff I've said elsewhere here so I can have a reference post, and more importantly, so I can include all of you folks in the discussion.

[Folks who have read me ranting all day long, sorry for the repeats, but I'm totally copying and pasting stuff you've already seen. :)]

( Scattered thoughts.Collapse )

The last time someone tried to profit from fanfic [remember FanLib?], the OTW and AO3 were created in response. I can only hope the outcome this time around is just as positive.

( Bullet points on Pepper and Tony/Pepper.Collapse )

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I think I'm done now? I haven't watched the movie in a week, but I'm sorta thinking of re-watching it once more this weekend just so I can be sure I'm done.

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In other news, the new National album leaked today, making it THE BEST DAY.

Disjointed thoughts on Tony Stark during Iron Man 3:

( Is this forehead of security?Collapse )

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ETA: And the Mandarin:

( Because we're connected.Collapse )

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I have more stuff on Pepper, and Tony/Pepper, but I'm leaving that to another post because this is gonna get super long and confusing if I go on. Comments on everything about the movie are more than welcome though, especially now that my good friends at the North have all seen the movie already, right? Talk to me, peoples! :)

So Iron Man 3 was basically everything I ever wanted from these characters, from this universe, and more?

I just want the movie to OPEN EVERYWHERE already so I can talk about it A LOT with you guys.

But seriously. Shane Black? I love you, thank you, and good night.

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Hi. :)

[ETA: SPOILER WARNING for the comments, folks, BEWARE.]

I've quit and gone back to watching Supernatural about seventeen times now. The last time I had quit was in the beginning of S5, and I had swore I'd never go back... but then they hired Amanda Tapping for the multiple guest stunt in S8. And in the order of importance my brain gives to things, watching Amanda Tapping on television is pretty much high up there in the top 10.

I could've just waited for her episodes to start and watch just them, I guess, but I'm fortunate enough that I can work and watch TV at the same time, and mock it on Twitter while at it too [in fact, having an easy-to-watch show to marathon while I'm working helps keep me focused, so. Bonus].

So I went back and got all caught up, and let me tell you, watching S5 and S6 was A CHORE. ( Really, I almost DIED of self-inflicted righteous indignation.Collapse )

But then came season seven, ( and it was awesome!Collapse )

Anyway. The whole point of this post is this:

SPN did their take on a first-person-hand-held-cameras-Blair-Witch-POV episode this season, and they managed to make such a raw, compelling episode about friendship and love and well, werewolves, that for me, watching the terrrible horrible S5 and S6 just to get to it was worth it. This episode [8.04, Bitten] is incredible. And the thing that stuck with me about it is the soundtrack. Because the episode is told from the POVs of people who are not Sam & Dean, the music is not the usual hair metal. At all. Instead, it's one pretty girly shoegaze indie song called What's The Matter, by newcomer angeleno band Milo Greene [which The CW is milking for all of its rights' worth, since they used it on Hart of Dixie too] being played over and over, because one of the characters telling the story is obsessed with it. And I'm pretty obsessed with it too:

( Cut for video.Collapse )

Pretty, right? So I got their album, and the entire thing is lovely. Sure, it's pretty Summer music, which fits ME and my current Summer, but I figured a bunch of you guys might like it too, so here's a nifty link [right-click-save-as, rename to RAR] and if you like it, please buy it.

And I triple dog dare you guys not to chair-dance to 1957:

( Cut for video again.Collapse )

Triple. Dog. Dare.

:)

Is this thing on?

Never mind me much, flist, just trying the LJ app for iPad because apparently it doesn't suck? Maybe now I'll be able to post more? :) I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but maybe "posting to LJ about all the TV crap I'm still watching" might be a good one.

[Wedding Band is my new favorite show, you guys. WEDDING BAND. Brian Austin Green as the lead singer of a wedding band on a show clearly marketed *for dudes* on TBS. And I'm watching THE ENTIRE CW LINEUP except for 90210, because that one is too much even for me. But everything else? YES. I should be ashamed, but really, I'm totally not. I like bad TV waaay more than I like good TV anyway.]

Oh, well. Wishing everyone a very happy 2013, and hopefully I'll not disappear from LJ for another six months? I hope. :)

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

Drive by random rec post, but --

Two online comics everyone's gotta read because I say so they're awesome:

1. Strong Female Protagonist 

Official description: SFP follows the adventures of a young middle-class American with super-strength, invincibility and a crippling sense of social injustice.

They're midway through Issue 2, so in about 15 minutes you guys will be up to date.

2. Monster of the Week - the complete cartoon X-Files 

fickery pointed this my way last night, and it is the most brilliant take on XF ever. It's only up to Squeeze, so you guys only have to read 3 posts to get up to date. And here's hoping the entire series gets done!

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Because I actually use LJ to read this sort of stuff, here are syndicated feeds for both: strongfemale and monsterotweek.

...Except syndicated feeds are kinda not working right now? Oh well. Hopefully LJ will fix them soon. In the meantime, add them to the flist because believe me, it's A LOT easier to read weekly-updated comics when they show up right in front of your face. :)

Went to see The Avengers for the sixth time today, and I had a couple of thoughts during the movie, as one is wont to do when one is reciting the lines along with instead of paying attention. The brain wanders and well, this is what happens.

1. ( Sleight of hands.Collapse )


2. ( Smoke & Mirrors, or The Use of Glass Surfaces on The Avengers: A Pictorial Essay.Collapse )

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HI. :)

One thing I missed about having brand new Joss dialog lines in my life again was how I have always appreciated it that he usually does NOT assume the audience is stupid.

( Spoilers for superhero movies.Collapse )

Anyway. TL;DR, this is me wishing superhero blockbusters would just get smarter already.

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In related Avengers news, here are 3 links that are totally worth the read:

1. From ThinkProgress: With ‘The Avengers,’ Movies are Finally Really Acting Like Comics, and that Means It’s Time to Demand More of Them

And Wired posted two pieces on Joss last week, if you haven't read them, they're both extremely insightful and fun:

2. With The Avengers, Joss Whedon Masters the Marvel Universe

3. Interview: Joss Whedon on Comic Books, Abusing Language and the Joys of Genre

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ICYMI, Avengers Squee Post. People are being awesome in the comments, come join the youth and beauty brigade and all.

[last time I posted here, it was the Avengers trailer. Two months ago. Somehow this feels eerily appropriate now.]

The Avengers opened here a week ago, thanks to it being the 4-day Labor Day holiday [say that 3 times fast], so it turns out I've watched it 4 times already. The excuse was so I could watch it in 2D, regular 3D, IMAX 3D and stuff, but the reality is I fucking loved it so goddamn much once-twice-thrice was NOT ENOUGH, and truth is, I thought I was done but now I'm making plans to see it at least once more. Because yes.

And really, no spoilers here [although there might be in the eventual comments], but it's just that. YOU GUYS. I keep seeing everyone I met here so long ago now squeeing like crazy over on Tumblr and Twitter about how much they loved the movie, and earlier today it dawned on me: PEOPLES. WE HAVE A JOSS-MADE FANDOM IN COMMON AGAIN.

So. I'm opening an Avengers Squee Post here for old times' sake. Call me nostalgic if you will. :)

But feel free to post any and everything about the movie in the comments, be it pictures, videos, gifs, links to reviews, pretties on Tumblr; random commentaries, fic recs, 'shipping choices, ANYTHING GOES.

...And let's just bask in the knowledge that we knew over a decade ago that one day Joss was gonna make something larger than life.

Ready. Set. GO!

New Avengers trailer.

( Embed under the cut for your viewing pleasure.Collapse )

I'm ridiculously excited about this movie. I'm also sorta thinking there's no way Joss can fuck it up, but then, you know, I remember Dollhouse existed. Heh.

Also, if Joss kills Evil Johnny Weir, the internets might implode. Well, at least Tumblr will.

Anyway. Discuss amongst yourselves.

And Jeremy Renner's arms are good arms to have.

Random crap:

- Loserville is getting an eleventh season in comic book form, and it's gonna be written by Bryan Q. Miller, who is basically my current favorite comic book writer anyway, so color me Ecstatic Can't-Stop-Grinning fangirl. Plus, he's already said the adorable blonds are still adorable and blonds and happy together, and that's basically all I need from anything Loseville-related, so yeah. HAPPY.

- The Decemberists have a track on The Hunger Games soundtrack called One Engine, it's up on Stereogum, so go have a listen.

- If anyone else is in the mood for Veronica/Logan fic, there is now a ton and a half of links in my previous post. I'm slowly going through it all, but everything I really love is gonna end up in my Pinboard and/or Delicious accounts.

- I went home this past weekend for my father's birthday, and had a blast. His wife threw him a party Friday night [and the cake had our football team's emblem on it, which: BEST CAKE EVER.], then we had a big luncheon at my Grandma's on Saturday, and then we took a trip to the beach to meet my father's BFF and his family for lunch at our faaaaavorite seafood restaurant on Sunday. Plenty goodtimes and good food were had.

- And to make life a little bit better, next week is Carnival, so I'm making the trip back home Thursday night so my family can roadtrip to our favorite beach on Friday to spend 10 whole days there doing absolutely nothing. I'm packing a crap load of movies and books and TV episodes, and I can barely wait.

- I'm also taking the notebook and yay this beautiful world of 3G internet, so I'm gonna try and hopefully keep on this regular updating thing. I even bought myself extra extra icon space as an incentive!

- Oh, and I changed my LJ layout last week. Most half-assed update ever, considering I just resized some artsy crap I made some six months ago, but I quite like how it turned out. So I'm still a hack, albeit a happy one. :)

I said I was gonna write about Hart of Dixie next, but I wanted to do some picspamming along with, and then I got stuck, so here's for something completely different.

Last week a Logan/Veronica fic rec list showed up in my flist, and ever since then, I've been reading tons of Veronica Mars fic. And then today I watched the first 4 episodes again, and will probably keep watching all of S1 [minus the finale], and a few selected episodes of S2.

It's funny, for a while there I got angry whenever I thought about VMars, so much so I spent a few years without having anything to do with it, but now I only have fond memories of omgsway!* and since I ignore S3 ever existed, I also have nothing but a good time on rewatches now. I still think Rob Thomas is the source of all evil, and I still mock KBell a lot, but it has no resentment behind it anymore.

Anyway. Here's the thing -- I never really read much VMars fic. I didn't when I watched it because I was good with that the show gave me, and then I BROKE UP with it ~forever and didn't want anything to do with it... but now I wanna read the fic. [And by fic I mean the Veronica/Logan fic, not interested in much of anything else *g*]. So I found _jems_'s recs, and this comm, which lists fic by topic, and this blog that lists fic by episode... but I was wondering, oh magnanimous flist, if any of you guys would have favorite fics they would like to rec me? I'd be pretty grateful.

[* HOLYCRAP so much people still lists omgsway! as an interest. That might just be my proudest fandom moment. Hee.]

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In other news, I've become one of those people who have an iTouch and an Android smartphone, and a Kindle, and an iPad, and now I'm eyeing some netbook I totally don't need AT ALL, but I waaaaants it so because it's so pretty and it's like a mini-version of my big notebook, except tiny... and I REGRET NOTHING, actually. Yay, consumerism.

:)

So. Nikita.

Another show I started watching back when it premiered, but that I stopped on account of OMZ BOREDOM by episode six. Again, people told me it got better, so a couple of weeks ago I got all caught up [and it involved a Sunday when I watched sixteen episodes in a row and then my brain almost melted. I do NOT recommend this to anyone, BE WARNED].

Anyway.

( Maggie Q. is the prettiest.Collapse )

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Did I mention I pretty much watch the entirety of The CW primetime lineup? 'Cause I do.

Except for 90210, 'cause really, even *I* can't deal with Bitch McDrunkface.


[Next: Hart of Dixie. Which is totally my favorite new show. And see what I mean re: The CW?]

Why, hello, flist. This is laughable attempt at going back to journaling number eleventy billion, please do feel free to point and laugh when I fail miserably again.

The plan is, instead of making one really long-winded post talking about everything and nothing, I go with smaller ones, sticking to one or two topics MAX each. Let's see if it works.

First -- I had abandoned The Vampire Diaries waaaay back in S1 when vamp dude who looks 40 years old turned into Angelus the first time. But a couple of my RL friends kept insisting the show got better, so during this past New Year's Eve weekend, I got all caught up.

( And turns out the show did get better.Collapse )

I should probably make at least one Caroline icon sometime soon.

Next: Nikita.

You know what’s coming up? October 3rd. Are you doing anything special to mark the one seven year anniversary of Lilly Kane’s murder?

When you see this on your flist, quote Veronica Mars.

Veronica: Oh, I am so sick of not having money. I'd be the best rich person. Seriously. I'd be the perfect combination of frivolous and sensible. Money is so wasted on the wealthy.
1x10 - An Echolls Family Christmas

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HI.

I've uploaded these five days ago and then kept forgetting to post them whenever I was near a computer and remembering when I was in the shower, or walking down the street, and the night before last, in my dreams. Anyway.

( In which I am ridiculous about cover songs. Again.Collapse )

All on my server, so if you please, right/control-click-save-as, comment if you download, and if you have a cover you think I might like, feel free to point me towards it. :)