Most of you probably have no idea who Brak is... and, quite frankly, it would take far too long to explain. Suffice it to say, he is the very funny evil sidekick of Space Ghost, from the Sci Fi Channel "Talk" show, "Space Ghost, Coast to Coast". I highly recommend same. *grin*

posted by Ducks . at 8:48 PM

Ummm... testing? This remote blogger thingy, that... if it works, and I'm heartily doubting that it will, will be might handy in my wanderings around the web!
posted by Ducks . at 10:49 PM

So... I'd like to bitch and moan some about this thing. I wrote a long, tasty rant and rave about seeing "Valentine" on Friday night ... how bad it sucked, how cute DB was, etc... and it's vanished. *sigh* And it was damn funny, too. One of the many reasons I continue to despise technology... it tends to be even less reliable than humans, and you can't punch it in the nose if it pisses you off. I mean... you CAN, but it'd be pretty damn stupid to do so, because then you probably wouldn't fix the problem, and only end up hurting your hand. The old "cutting off your nose to spite your face" thing.

So... I'm going to go try this again. There'll probably be more later. Want to talk about feedback and fic awards a little bit.
posted by Ducks . at 10:44 PM

Okay, so I spoke too soon. I wrote the wonderful rant below and can't get it to publish. *sigh* This is why I'll never truly be a computer geek.
posted by Ducks . at 10:21 PM

I FINALLY GOT THE BLOODY THING TO WORK! YAY ME! So now you can come and listen to me... er... or rather, listen to me... babble, whenever you want.

So, what's on my mind tonight? A couple of things, actually... but now I'm so excited that this damn thing works, I can't remember what they were. Oh... right. B/A. Wow, there's a big surprise, huh?

I've been a 'Shipper since the first time I watched BtVS, back in 1998... kind of the middle of the road, right around WML... and what an episode to jump in on. Fell in love with this story, I did. Primarily, I think, because I've always been fascinated by the character of Angel (and yeah, I know... he ain't too hard on the eyes, either. *grin*), and I think Buffy's effect on him was incredibly profound. After all, SHE is the initial reason he came out of the alley and got into the Good Fight to begin with. And that's not even getting into the mythic fairy tale aspects, the classical tragedy, the incredibly beautiful romance...

Point is, I'm still a Shipper, to this day. No, I don't write as much B/A fic as I used to... don't hang around and argue or defend or discuss the relationship, and here's why, in a nutshell:

It's too damn painful. Being a fic writer has brought me right into the center of the B/A Ship... to write them well, I think, you have to live in their heads more than a little. And that, my friends, means PAIN. I know, I sound like one of those artists who has to "suffer" for their art, or whatever... but it's true. I've sobbed my way through more than one of the fics I wrote. But I've always had some little eensy corner of hope in my heart that we'd see them reunited at some point... and no, I don't mean the end, although that's the most realistic. I mean sometime when we can actually watch their relationship develop over some period of time, in a mature way based on who the characters have become (which, I think, is more and more similar as time goes by). That's from both a Shipper, and a Storyteller's, POV. You never cut off one of your central stories without giving it a satisfying end.

But here's where the *realism* comes in... you can suspend your disbelief all you want when you're watching the shows... but the fact is, they are shows... televsions shows made by people who's primary purpose is NOT necessarily to tell a good story, but to get ratings, satisfy network suits, and make money. Hence the fact that Angel got his own show. Yes, I'm sure Joss & David Greenwalt were psyched on an artistic level to be able to expand one of their most interesting characters... but STILL, the goal is to make the dosh. And then there's all the scheduling nonsense, and whatever damn excuses they've given us for no more B/A. The fact is, the writer's don't want to write it anymore. They're burnt out, bored, whatever... and I'm personally of the opinion that they've spent the last couple of seasons (most ESPECIALLY this season of AtS) trying to wipe out three years of history between Buffy and Angel so "the two shows can stand on their own." Pah.

I have trouble saying anything about B/A these days, because the way things are with the show's creators, and indeed, the characters, right now, I just don't have a lot of hope, and therefore just don't feel inspired to write about them much. At least not in the fluffy manner I'm more or less known for.

That's not to say I won't change my mind. Like I said, this ship is at the core of my BtVS/AtS Fan-ness... and I *will* support the idea that a consistent, well-told story will contain more of the two of them in some way. Especially toward the end. But when it comes to my writing, I have to tell the story I hear in my head (much, I imagine, like the writers on the show do). Right now, I'm very much into exploring a darker part of Angel's past, his relationship with Spike (and don't even get me STARTED about this "Who Sired Spike" Joss Changed the Canon in the Damn Middle Crap! If you're interested in my take on that, you can see my little protest site: URRSH - Unilateral Rejection of Revisionist Spike History), and the relationship of the three of them together.

Plus, Slash is fun. *grin*

But, alas... don't take this as my last word. I change my mind a lot.

Okay, that's it for now.

BOO on ASHCROFT'S APPROVAL! BOO! BOO! Anybody read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood? Buckle your seatbelts, Americans... we're about to live in that world before too long. :(
posted by Ducks . at 10:12 PM

Putting together my Slightly Scary Space as we speak. Debating graphics and content. Thoughts to share, that sort of thing. In the meantime, feel free to stop by my Site: Ducks' Fanfic, where you will just as easily... and perhaps more enjoyably, be able to peak into my mushy-fried brain. But mostly you'll see Angel.

At least he's naked. *grin*
posted by Ducks . at 7:54 PM