One Day at a Time...

[thedeadlyhook]

A Very Happy Birthday to beanbeans!!

The final word is in on Toys's computer - DOA. I have run of the laptop for a few hours because he's in class right now, but otherwise I'll probably be pretty absent here on LJ until we get some kind of solution. It goes without saying that the mood in our household is a bit grim. Toys is practically chewed up with stress. I'm making his favorite dinner tonight, but that's about all I can do.

But my woes are tiny - the world feels a particularly sad and nasty place right now, and I can only hope for the air to change soon. Enough, please, I think we've all had enough. Enough posturing, enough tough-guy bullshit, enough guns going off. Enough of people who think they have to prove something. As if learning to live in harmony with your neighbors wasn't challenge enough.

I've been signing a lot of petitions lately; I urge everyone to do the same. There is no tomorrow until we make it happen.



The reports from the Marsters's latest con appearance have been a bright spot in my day. elisi has compiled a nice list of links, here, including the funny photo story from the Q&A session on mad_brilliant's journal, here. I'm still trying to nail down what it is exactly that I enjoy about JM as an actor, but if I had to guess it would be that the guy is just such a dork. He's not what I'd call classically handsome, with that big ol' head and teensy facial features, and hair that just screams bratty-boy-next-door, but he does have a fabulously expressive face, and great body language that manages to stay just this side of queenish (but not always - true story from back in my office days, when I was sporting a Spike-and-Buffy desktop: one of my coworkers saw the picture and immediately barked, "hey, is that guy gay?" This is also why I was pretty tickled to hear that he's been cast as an out gay celeb for that play in San Francisco, although I'm unlikely to see it myself, even though I'm right here in SF, because this is where my live actor phobia comes in - as I think I've said before about seeing Mark Hamill from across a room, I'm more than happy to live my whole life without knowing exactly how much taller I am than someone I've seen onscreen.) But yeah, I think the JM thing still kinda works for me, because even when he's doing that I'm-so-sexy thing, and making with the big smoulder, I can so see the kid who stood up at a con to ask Mr. Spock how his ears were pasted on. And part of me thinks that had a lot to do with what made Spike work as a character, and why "Fool For Love" made such perfect sense - it filled in a missing piece, one that you could kind of sense, if only subliminally, was always there.

David Boreanaz, on the other hand, IS handsome - he's a great-looking guy - but he does nothing for me unless he's got his full-on goofball turned on. As in the lovely Boreanz picspam over in jascott's LJ that several people on my list have pointed to - when DB is being all grim and sex-ay on purpose, I just can't take him seriously. But when he's showing all his teeth in that big Krusty the Klown grin, looking all jocklike in some sporting jersey, standing next to Nicholas Brendon who's all like, "where am I, and why are my hands on my crotch?" That DB I find cute, in a sort of doofus, tenth-grade way. (I guess this also explains why I enjoy Angel the most when he's being ridiculously petty.)

Great discussion on Buffy's characterization in "Sanctuary", over on AtS, here. Nice to see it's not just me who thinks that characters tended to change radically when crossing over for guest appearances between shows! (Frex: I'd had huge problems with Spike's appearance in "In the Dark" on its first run - I didn't like the way Spike was suddenly cartoonishly stupid, which hadn't previously been the case on BtVS.)

Thanks to everyone who responded with such interesting thoughts on the concrit poll - I'm still ruminating on a number of incomplete thoughts there, but I keep thinking that there's something, some key truth to reach, about the social interactivity of fic writing, and how the most useful crit would ideally be tailored to the writer's goals and what the audience wants to read/talk about. Writers want feedback and discussion, but within limits, and readers want to discuss, but (guessing, because I haven't done a poll on this part yet) also within limits - they want to see their kinks met. So maybe a crit group organized almost like a message board, where you would post under specific topics? (Although now I'm wondering about the odds that this approach hasn't been tried - has it? And if so, what were the results like?)

My best thoughts go out to you all. I'm going to try to get some writing done today while I can.

Comments

[shapinglight]

I hope you come back soon. You'll be missed.

I know what you mean about the JM/DB thing. JM isn't classically handsome at all - his head is too big, his legs are too short etc etc - but even now he looks so much older, he still does it for me in a way that the very much classically handsome DB (and any other classically handsome bloke - Alexis Denisof, for instance, who is utterly gorgeous in RL) - just doesn't. I've never really gone for classically handsome anyway. I like something quirky about my men, which is why all these Hollywood/TV pretty boys do nothing for me.

I also enjoy DB as Angel the most when he's being goofy. He's very endearing.

Re: JM in the play - have to admit, the moment I saw him in RL I knew he couldn't possibly be gay but I would still love to see him in that play. I've really enjoyed seeing some of these actors in RL and seeing JM in a real live play on stage would be a dream come true.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I have to agree. I've long believed that it's JM's inner dork that constantly brings a smile to my face and what levened Spike's "bad boy" in such a way that it gave Spike an inner dork and thus my undying love. :)

[shapinglight]

Erm - have just re-read my comment and it comes across a little weird. Of course, JM being gay or not has no bearing whatsoever on whether I'd like to see him on stage or not.

[herself_nyc]

I am SORRY to hear about the dead computer--I know how much you two depend on it for work.

[beanbeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the birthday greeting. :)

Those are all good things to be happy about. Fandom, in the best of times, at least provides a light-hearted distraction when we need a break from the news and from RL woes.

Sorry to hear about your computer. :(

Happy writing today, and enjoy the special dinner you're preparing. *hugs*

[wenchsenior.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about DB. He is objectively really good-looking, but the only time I feel any twinge of gut-level attraction is when he's grinning maniacally.

Interestingly, though, I suspect I'd find DB more attractive in real life than JM (although Marsters' personal charisma is supposed to be pretty intense, so maybe not). JM is just such an over-sharing spaz IRL. He'd probably make a great buddy, but I suspect his personality might kill any attraction dead. However, he's a far more interesting and attractive an actor than DB, IMO.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry for your computer woes.

And I definitely see the dork in JM - one of the reasons I don't fangirl him at all. He just comes off as a loveable doof to me - so not a sex god. ;-)

DB, on the other hand, I find way sexy.

I've probably said this before, but I find Spike so much sexier than Angel, but DB a lot hotter than JM. It's a conundrum. *g*

[ruuger]

great body language that manages to stay just this side of queenish

Or not :)

But yeah, I adore JM to bits because he can go from spaz to sex-god and back in less than five seconds :) I can appreciate that DB is pretty, but I only find him attractive in maybe one in ten pictures, but JM has that something despite his funny head and his tendency to make weird faces when he talks :)

As for the height thing, my problem is quite the opposite - even Danny de Vito is taller than I am (though only maybe quarter of an inch), so I'd be intimidated to meet people like Goran Visnjic, because it's rather awkward trying to have a conversation with someone whose crotch is at your eye-level :)