Laughter and Tears

[aunt_zelda]

First of all ... I now HEART Steven Colbert. Why didn't anyone TELL ME how HI-LARIOUS that man is?
Case in point: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/17/the-colbert-coalitions-an_n_188124.html

Also, have ya'll seen this lady yet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY WHY IS EVERYONE CALLING HER UGLY? She is RADIANT and BEAUTIFUL at the end of that song! And she made Simon Cowell SMILE! I didn't know he COULD!
But yeah. My mom saw it, cried, and then called me to tell me about it. I watched it and cried too. It's just one of those stories that renews your faith in the human race, ya know? There is good news out there ... you just need to find it.
(Now I'm LOL-ing about Mr. Cowell's expression at the four-minute mark on that vid. He looked like an ickle fanboy in that second. Let me repeat myself: SIMON COWELL LOOKED HUMAN! Surely this, and not gay marriage, is the herald of the Apocalypse?)

Anyhoo, some Lost WAZTs should be up tomorrow. And Small Favor was slashtastic. Not as slashtastic as White Night, but in order to beat that there would have had to be canon kissing.Small Favor was still just about one of my favorites, though. *cheers Jim Butcher* I'm trying my darndest to hold out on reading Turn Coat, but I think I may crack by Monday.

Comments

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Ohthankgodyoureadit.

I was all, "He spends the entire book saving Marcone and Johan's barely even in it? Wah! And also hah!" And poor Michael. I nearly flipped out when he got shot. I thought he was dead.

But HOMG Nicodemus, right?! I can't figure whether he's dead or not, or whether I want him to be. I mean, that was an awesome way to kill the guy...but villains that good are hard to come by. On the other hand, if that didn't take him out, then I can't see how Harry can possibly get another shot at him.

I'm thinking, too: Nik's the only one who's figured it out, isn't he? Well, and maybe Mab. Everybody else is always rushing around after these big powerful types, like Ivy, but Nicodemus and Mab (and John, who funnily enough knew from the beginning) take a look around and note how it all manages to keep centering around Harry, who keeps surviving. You know what? Screw the sentient Library of Alexandria. I'll take the badass wizard who's smart enough to mess with gods and survive.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Ohthankgodyoureadit.
I wasn't aware you were waiting with bated breath! I'd have gone faster if I knew you were! (Well, I'd have TRIED to go faster. I'd have had to go into hyperspeed to go faster than I did, with the time I was given last week.)
I think I'll start Turn Coat sometime this week.

I was all, "He spends the entire book saving Marcone and Johan's barely even in it? Wah! And also hah!"
Hee ... 'Saving Marcone' ... sounds like the title of a really weird indie film, or a really inspiring sweet movie like 'Finding Forrester' ...
But yeah, I was a tad miffed that Harry spent the WHOLE DAMN BOOK (well, the first half of it, at least. Once Ivy got snatched he was primarily concerned with saving her.) trying to save Marcone, a man he REALLY doesn't like but yet spends an awful lot of time in the book going on about how NOBLE he is despite being 'criminal scum' (Fooooooooooooe-Yay ... foooooooe-yay ... foe-yay ...) and gets like, one measly little scene with him. And it isn't even ALONE! Or in the backseat of his car like so many of their slashtastic scenes are, do you think Jim Butcher is trying to tell us something? ... just in this office, and the whole thing felt so wrong and was the only bit of writing in the whole dang series that felt off for me, and that is SAYING something!
Really, there ought to have been SOME kind of thanks (I mean, Marcone probably took care of Michael's hospital bills, but he should have THANKED Harry personally and maybe say he owed Harry one so us slashers could go into a frenzy and swamp the interwebs with fanfic about what favor that entailed) and reconciliation.
Honestly, I’d have gone for something like this fic: http://community.livejournal.com/mafiabanter/1860.html or something like it. I’d have even settled for Harry turning to go, then saying “You know, John, I’ve been there too. If you ever wanted to talk …” and letting it hang in the air and Marcone nodding, then shifting back into his Refrigerator facade and saying “Good day, Mr. Dresden.”
But no. We did not get ANY of those things. *shakes head at Jim Butcher* I’ll let this ONE THING slide, as the series is some of the best writing I’ve ever seen, but … that doesn’t mean you can pull a Heroes on us!

And poor Michael. I nearly flipped out when he got shot. I thought he was dead.
Me too! I thought I’d read something about him NOT being dead post-Small-Favor, but as I try my darndest to avoid spoilers when trolling for fanfic, I wasn’t sure. I think I stopped breathing and yelped.

You know, I never even considered the possibility of Nicodemus being dead … but now that you mention it … yeah, that WAS left ambiguously hanging (pun not intended.) Maybe he IS dead! And that would … suck, for Harry, because that’d mean an ever BIGGER bad was gonna leap up out of the shadows and take Nick’s place … I really, REALLY hope that it isn’t Justin. Jim Butcher has said Justin is dead and not coming back but … creators have lied to us before …

You know what? Screw the sentient Library of Alexandria. I'll take the badass wizard who's smart enough to mess with gods and survive.
Yeppers! I don’t think Mab’s crazy: I think she’s just cleverer than anyone else. Hence, she wants Harry as the Winter Knight. It’s a scary idea, but he’d make a REALLY badass Winter Knight. Just like he’d make a really awesome kept woman employee of Marcone’s. Or a really terrifying Nicklehead. None of those things are gonna happen, but it really DOES say a lot about Mab, Marcone, and Nick for wanting to get Harry working for them.

MAN, I’ve missed these conversations with you! I promise I’ll watch the Doctor Who Easter special soon and get that WAZT up so we can debate about that!

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I haven't been reading your Heroes WAZTs because I keep falling so far behind on the series and I don't want to spoil myself. I've been taking some continuing education classes, so I tend to get my TV-watching done in chunks and spurts when I get around to it. But I do miss them! They're always fun, and often insightful.

Mab's crazy in human terms, but she's not human, so that's okay.

I was okay--well, ish--with the scene with Harry and Marcone. Neither of them are the sort to be demonstrative. An appreciative nod is about all I expected there (though not all I was wishing for :D). I can live with that so long as we continue to get the good stuff elsewhere in the series (I'm really, really hoping Harry ends up needing Marcone's help to bail out Morgan in Turn Coat XD).

I can't imagine anything being more dangerous than Nicodemus. Harder to find, possibly (Cowl's still out there somewhere), but Nicodemus is probably more dangerous to Harry's body and soul than anything else he could come across. Which, granted, may be a reason for the writer to off him now. Sometimes characters get too dangerous to keep them in the script.

Speaking of wanting Harry to work for them, have you noticed the comparisons between Harry and Merlin? Bob's mostly been the one to make them (usually regarding the Swords), but I think the parallels are deliberate. Harry's a one-in-a-million wizard. He's not just extremely powerful or clever or resourceful--it's like he's got fate on his side.

Now, I think Marcone wants him just because he knows talent when he sees it (or maybe he's got good instincts), but Mab and Nicodemus, I'm pretty sure, realize that when everything begins to converge, you want the guy touched by destiny. That guy might not be as big a power player as some, but he's the fulcrum it all turns on. Or maybe more accurately, he's the dice roll that decides the game. That was Merlin, and Taliesin (whom I believe he's also been compared to), and now it's Harry.

I haven't even watched "Planet of the Dead" yet. Isn't that horrible? It's another of those things I'm planning to catch up on in the next few weeks, now that my class is over.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Awwww, you miss my Heroes WAZT? *blushes* Well, the one I did for last week's episode kinda tanked, but I have high hopes for this week's episode's WAZT ...
You'd better catch up! V4 has been AWESOME! It's making me forget about the hideousness that was V3!

Mab's crazy in human terms, but she's not human, so that's okay.
Yeah, I don't think that we, as mortals, are supposed to be able to judge her mental stability. You'd get a little cuckoo around the edges after living forever. Just look at Lestat.

I was okay--well, ish--with the scene with Harry and Marcone. Neither of them are the sort to be demonstrative. An appreciative nod is about all I expected there (though not all I was wishing for :D).
Well, you are right of course, but for all we (and Harry) know, this is the first time that Marcone's been seriously confronted with big supernatural (I mean, FALLEN ANGELS! Come on here!) baddies that took a PERSONAL interest in breaking him. I think he deserved more than a nod. And yes, I would have been perfectly ok with a romantic makeout session and drop-off scene too. It's good for the soul, you know!

but Nicodemus is probably more dangerous to Harry's body and soul than anything else he could come across. Which, granted, may be a reason for the writer to off him now. Sometimes characters get too dangerous to keep them in the script.
Again, VERY good point! How do you make so MANY of those?!

Hrrrrrrm ... Harry reminds me more of T.A. Barron's Merlin (from the Lost Years series, dunno if you've heard of that one. It's decently well written, and I ate them up for ages, and lingered on them for a really long time because, well, Eagle People for one, and IDENTIFYING ACCENTS FOR EVERYONE for another. You'd have to have read it to know what I'm talking about. Oh, hello tangent!) But yes, now that I think on that ... DAYUM. So ... who's Arthur? And was Lash Nimue? Is Morgana the Big Bad? Jim Butcher, I SWEAR, if you pull out the sexist Arthurian legend crap ... *snarls*

Or maybe more accurately, he's the dice roll that decides the game. That was Merlin, and Taliesin (whom I believe he's also been compared to), and now it's Harry.
Huh ... *stares at you* I wish my brain could half as hard as yours can.

Hey, I haven't watched it yet, and I write RECAPS for a usually-eager audience! And these are DT's last episodes! I think I ought to be more ashamed than you, and believe me, I am. (Though I've probably been busier in these past few weeks than I have in my entire LIFE.)

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

I come up with this stuff because I think too much. ^__^

S4 does look pretty nifty so far. I'm about four episodes into it. But actually I sort of liked S3 (except for Peter and Hiro losing their powers; now I'll never get the superpowered Sylar/Peter showdown! *sniffle*).

Oh, I don't think the Dresden Files are Arthurian myth in disguise (and Murphy, Molly, and Charity have surely done their part to overcome fears of sexist bullcrap). I'm just saying, every once in a while a wizard comes along to follow in the footsteps of Merlin (and it sure as heck isn't THE Merlin, who's a calcified, self-righteous prat), and I think Harry's one.

I would dearly love a Harry/John makeout session myself, but I find that my mind rebels against the idea of making it easy for them. :P This irritates me somewhat, but I can't imagine any plausible way those two would get together without huge amounts of prickliness and cautious maneuvering(whoever wrote this did a good job of capturing my views on the subject). *pokes John and Harry* Hey! You guys want to give us something to work with, here? Or how about you, Mr. Butcher? Throw us a bone!

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

V4 IS nifty! Very, very nifty indeed! Especially once they got Brian Fuller back! *SQUEE*
I dunno ... I think the only good thing to come out of V3 was Daphne, personally. And the turtle. They screwed with way too much continuity. Made me mad.

(and Murphy, Molly, and Charity have surely done their part to overcome fears of sexist bullcrap)
Very true! *huggles them all*

I'm just saying, every once in a while a wizard comes along to follow in the footsteps of Merlin (and it sure as heck isn't THE Merlin, who's a calcified, self-righteous prat), and I think Harry's one.
Yeah, I get that ...
You read 'Turn Coat' yet? The Merlin did some stuff! And it was pretty cool! He's still a jerk, obviously, but ... he did some stuff! (I did a WAZT of 'Turn Coat' today. If you've read the book, go read the WAZT! And then debate with me on that! I need to talk to SOMEONE about it! ARRRRRRRRRRGH! *flails and is tempted to morph into the ANGRY!Fic-monster*

but I find that my mind rebels against the idea of making it easy for them. :P This irritates me somewhat, but I can't imagine any plausible way those two would get together without huge amounts of prickliness and cautious maneuvering
They're just one of those pairings that likes to make things DIFFICULT for us. They're a CHALLENGE. You need to take them by surprise and tackle them, and even then there's a fifty-fifty chance you'll fail.
I kinda LOVE pairings like that. Then again, I also love pairings that don't involve guns, dead fathers, or undue amounts of violence, but they're the kind of pairings I like to snuggle with and read when I'm bored or need a good story before I go to sleep. Tackle-pairings, however, are just plain FUN. Every aspect of them is FUN.

Oh yes, I have read that fic! VERY good, and yes, rather ... well, let's leave it at 'in-character.'

They've given us stuff to work with! Re: eyesex like crazy. Harry can't look into many people's eyes, so it must be kinda nice to be able to stare right at Marcone without worrying about a soulgaze. I mean, we've based pairings on less, and they've given us MORE. (A certain phone conversation comes to mind ...)
But yeah, it'd take a lot of maneuvering and stuff. They couldn't just start making out and stagger into bed. I'm trying to make my fic slightly believable (not PWP, though there ought to be more Harry/Marcone PWP out there ... hell, there ought to be just plain MORE Harry/Marcone out there, period!)

[phoenixjustice.livejournal.com]

though there ought to be more Harry/Marcone PWP out there ... hell, there ought to be just plain MORE Harry/Marcone out there, period!)
Word on that! lol

[phoenixjustice.livejournal.com]

Yes Stephen Colbert is AWESOME, I didn't know that you didn't know that! lol. And Susan's Boyle's performance was like WOAH. When I heard it for the first time, it gave me goosebumps. She's great. (And yes, Simon looking human, must be like the final sign of the apocalypse, that, or what breaks the final seal to release Lucifer (the latter talking about Supernatural lol)

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Yes Stephen Colbert is AWESOME, I didn't know that you didn't know that! lol.
I did not! I heard people talk about him and just thought he was another comedian ... and then I saw that video and wanted to track him down and give him a hug and a box of cookies. He's such a WOOBIE! *giggles*

My mother is a Susan Boyle FANGIRL. I wish I were kidding. She's called me about it. *shakes head* Still, I'm not sure which was more shocking, her fantastic voice, or Simon Cowell's fanboyish reaction.

Simon Cowell looked human. The Four Horseman are surely on the way.

(Ooooo, that's a very yummy icon you've got there ...)

[phoenixjustice.livejournal.com]

I did not! I heard people talk about him and just thought he was another comedian ... and then I saw that video and wanted to track him down and give him a hug and a box of cookies. He's such a WOOBIE! *giggles*))
He is! lol. Damn, if I had known you didn't know who he was, I would have shown a clip of him to you!

My mother is a Susan Boyle FANGIRL. I wish I were kidding. She's called me about it. *shakes head* Still, I'm not sure which was more shocking, her fantastic voice, or Simon Cowell's fanboyish reaction.)
wow lol. Oh and I know! Her voice was AMAZING, but Simon's reaction to her was PRICELESS.

Simon Cowell looked human. The Four Horseman are surely on the way. )
I know! They must be! lol. It must be one of the signs of the apocalypse or something. XP

(Ooooo, that's a very yummy icon you've got there ...)
Hee! Thank you! XD

[capesofwrath.livejournal.com]

I had no idea you didn't love Stephen Colbert before this! I'm madly in love with that man, and Jon Stewart of course. You should definitely read I am America (and So Can You!) if you have any free time.

Ah, Colbert. I definitely need to catch up, because it may be a bit sad to say, but sometimes he's the only source of the news that I get. I'm a college student. I only hear about things when everyone is freaking out. When I have free time, I always choose fic over real life. It's much more shiny.

But re:Susan Boyle, I saw that a while back and it was absolutely lovely. Awww. I was about ready to run at the beginning because I was worried she wouldn't be amazing, but that was one of the best surprises I've had in a long time.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

I plan on reading that book this summer. I ought to have read it when it first came out. Just seeing the title made me subconsciously adore him, what with all the presidential craziness going on at the time.

I haven't seen enough of Jon Stewart yet ... but I do love his interactions with Stephen Colbert. They're just so ... CUTE. *must not ship them* *must not ship them* *can't* ... noooo ... I have ENOUGH pairings to write fanfic for this summer!

Ah, Colbert. I definitely need to catch up, because it may be a bit sad to say, but sometimes he's the only source of the news that I get. I'm a college student. I only hear about things when everyone is freaking out. When I have free time, I always choose fic over real life. It's much more shiny.
I have NPR. Sometimes I miss out on important things, though, because I forget to turn on the radio sometimes.

that was one of the best surprises I've had in a long time.
Yeah ... she's one of those 'see? There IS good going on in the world! Take that!' kind of things, ya know?

[capesofwrath.livejournal.com]

Wait, why can't you ship them? Every fandom always needs more fic! Plus, sometimes they make it too easy. What are we supposed to do then? SHIP THEM, THAT'S WHAT.

You've seen the Banana thing, right? The Prince Charles Scandal. Click it! I think it has weird subtitles, though.

I've never been a fan of the radio. I'd much rather just read articles on the internet or in the paper, then move on. I'm not big into the listening. You can't skip over anything if you get bored.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Wait, why can't you ship them? Every fandom always needs more fic! Plus, sometimes they make it too easy. What are we supposed to do then? SHIP THEM, THAT'S WHAT.
Oh god. I'm so swamped right now, between the manuscript I promised I'd read AGES ago (I panicked and read about fifty pages today, straight, then had to take a break. Ooogh. I'll take another chunk out of it tomorrow.) and all the fics I want to write and read, not to mention the grassroots Smallest Fandom Ever that I seem to be personally responsible for starting that consists of me and two other girls who all need to keep nudging each other into writing more fic and keeping the pairings alive ... Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have taken a distinct backseat. And they can do what they want back there, I need to focus on the road, damnit! *flicks eyes to the mirror* Oh dear ...

OH MY GOD I HAD NOT SEEN THE BANANA THING! *passes out* ... thank you. Oh my GOD thank you! There is no way in HELL that he is not flirting shamelessly with Jon. I almost pity Jon. And Stephen is so ... puppy-dog-eyed, that the whole thing could potentially become incredibly squicky ...

I was raised with NPR, so it's a hard habit to break. I get most of my news online and in articles, but I listen to the radio a lot.

[capesofwrath.livejournal.com]

What is this smallest fandom ever? Tell me! I doubt I'm in it, as I'm barely on the internet anymore.

I do what I can. I love Jon and Colbert so much. It pains me that they're on separate shows now, but they still correspond every now and then.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

What is this smallest fandom ever? Tell me! I doubt I'm in it, as I'm barely on the internet anymore.
I think I was referring to the thatguywiththeglasses.com slash fandom that I kinda instigated. It involves shipping the vloggers from that website. Some of them found our fic two weeks ago. MORTIFYING. But kinda funny in retrospect.

It's so hard to find good Jon/Stephen fic. Yes, I have skimmed over the Daily Show community, but there's so much, and most of it for guys I don't know that well! ARGH! *headdesk* Guess I'll just have to watch more Daily Show and know all the personalities, THEN go wading through the mountains of fic, yeah?