Of Swords and Parasols

45 x Damages
34 x Joseon X-Files/Secret Investigation Record
31 x Nikita
65 x Pretty Little Liars
46 x The Undercovers
70 x Vampire Diaries

  
  

the rest at my lj

So, this comes with a poll, which I was going to try to have in both the DW and LJ version of this post instead of only at LJ, but DW logs me out everytime I try to create it. So, if you watch The Vampire Diaries please go here and vote on your favorite character of the main three, the pairing of those three you'd go with if you had to, and your favorite character overall. If you don't watch the show, then just keep reading.

Either way, don't worry, this is not a stealth “If you like Damon or Damon/Elena you fail!” (or “If you like Stefan or Elena/Stefan, you fail!” for that matter) post. I mean, I have my (frequently strongly voiced) opinions on all three characters, but like and ship who you will without fear of judgement.

So, this was basically prompted by a recent discussion about Team Guy shipping in fandom, where you have a M/F/M triangle and fandom makes their preferences known by declaring themselves “Team Guy A” and “Team Guy B.” I have a lot of issues with “Team” shipping, which often seems to create the perspective that the important thing is not the girl in question and her feelings, but wanting your guy of choice to “get the girl,” with terms like “worthy” and “deserving” and “earning” thrown in. Insert a “women are not prizes and love doesn’t work on a points system” diatribe here. F/M/F triangles and shipwars happen too, but not nearly as widespread or as frequently as M/F/M. (Compare Zuko/Katara/Aang to Mai/Zuko/Katara, if you will, though that’s a bit skewed by the latter not really being a factor until the final season.) Anyway, for The Vampire Diaries specifically, the conversation went into the fact that Team Stefan was really Stealth Team Elena, because people who prefer Damon/Elena seem to have Damon as their favorite character, and people who prefer Elena and/o Stefan as a character tend to prefer Elena/Stefan, and support is based on “Damon loves her and I sympathize with him and it’s redeeming” vs. “it’s what she wants and what makes her happy.” This isn’t a universal absolute, of course, but a general observation.

For general purposes here, I’m using “triangles” in the fannish sense and how the fanshipping relates to the feelings and opinions expressed by the characters in canon, and the relationships shown, as opposed to the straightup case of the canons creating “Character A torn between Character B and Character C,” though there’s obviously plenty of overlap, and a focus on at least one side being regular canon or “endgame“ canon.

For the most part, shipping triangles seem to fall into four categories:

Triangle A: Girl dates Boy A. Girl and Boy A break up. Time passes. Girl and Boy B hook up. Fandom bickers over which pairing they prefer.

Triangle B: Girl and Boy B share a canon, but never express romantic interest in each other, and Girl is paired-either directly or by implication-with Guy A. Much of fandom prefers Girl/Guy B, despite neither character ever voicing or indicating thoughts on the matter, either for or against it.

Triangle C: The canon implies that Girl has romantic feelings for both Guy A and Guy B. Probably, she’s either involved with or clearly going to be involved with Guy A, but the writers want you to think there’s a chance she’ll choose Guy B, or at least think about it, and there will probably be at least one kiss, and various secretive looks. Fandom either likes the probable main pairing, or wants the Forbidden.

Triangle D: Girl likes Guy A. Probably, Girl and Guy A are in a relationship. Guy B likes Girl, and confronts her with his feelings, usually with lines like “I know you have feelings for me” thrown in. Girl says “nope, not interested.” Guy B either keeps at it, or pretends to give in but hangs around, pining. Sometimes, there is no Guy A, and Girl basically ends up being pressured into it. Sometimes, Guy A is the Wrong One and Girl ends up being forced to realize Guy B was “right all along” and apparently knew her feelings better than she did. Fandom bickers again.

Obviously, there’s going to be disagreement about what fits into which category at times, and not all triangles fit, but I think most can at least be reflected in the above.

Triangle A is Angel/Buffy/Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy is in love with and involved with Angel. They break up, Buffy later dates Riley. Shortly before Buffy and Riley start having problems (and eventually break up) Spike, who has been hanging around for a while, begins to pursue Buffy, but is thoroughly rejected. Buffy does eventually enter into a relationship with Spike but it’s notable that the sexual relationship they had was not the romantic relationship that Spike had wanted. (Whether or not it may have eventually turned into that without the attempted rape is a separate and debatable matter.) In terms of shipping, it’s noteworthy that the two relationship, though both canon, took place with years and another romantic relationship between them, and do not have an overlap in the canon, or a setup that creates a traditional triangle.

Triangle B is Zuko/Katara/Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Katara/Aang is the fairly obvious “endgame” pairing, but lots of people ship Katara/Zuko, though they only share a few scenes before the middle of season 3. (I understand the trailers and advertisements aired on Nickelodeon also encouraged the pairing, but I’ve only seen it on DVD.) Regardless of which character you think s better suited for/more interesting with Katara, here’s the thing: At no point do either Katara or Zuko voice an opinion regarding the idea of the other as a romantic partner, and they’re never confronted with the idea. No “Ember Island Players” (I probably have the title wrong) doesn’t count. They aren’t confronted with the idea of the other as a romantic partner, but with a propaganda-driven parody of what a group of actors think a romantic relationship would be like. So, fans may have widely and strongly differing opinions about, say, what would have happened if Zuko had joined Aang instead of Azula at the end of season two and Katara and Zuko had gotten to know each other as friends and allies before she started to realize Aang’s feelings and before he became involved with Mai, but the characters themselves never actually voice an opinion on the matter.

Triangle C is Will/Elizabeth/Jack in Pirates of the Caribbean. Will and Elizabeth pretty clearly love each other early in the first movie. The first movie implies that Elizabeth may be intrigued by Jack, and in the second, there’s flirting, secretive looks, and even a kiss, despite the fact that Elizabeth is still driven by the need to find Will, and consistently portrayed as being in love with Will. Now, the reasons for her behavior-she could be drawn to and attracted to Jack but more in love with Will, she could be drawn to the adventurous lifestyle, and imprinting on Jack as the personification of that, but not interested in Jack himself, or she could have just been doing what she thought was most likely to get what she wanted (Will) from Jack-can be debated as much as we want, but whether you think she wants Jack but thinks she should be with Will or is just using Jack, the fact remains that the writers want us to think that there’s at least the possibility that she does or potentially could harbor romantic feelings for Jack.

Triangle D is far too many romance novels and shoujo manga to contemplate. It’s also where I get back to The Vampire Diaries. (Note: I am only discussing the TV show here, not the books.) Elena loves Stefan. Stefan loves Elena. Damon is Stefan’s brother, and also loves Elena. (Ok, it is debatable whether Damon loves Elena or just cares about her and wants to love her, but we’ll go with “he loves her.”) Elena tells Damon “No, I am not interested in you, and even if I did have some interest, that would not change the fact that I am in love with my boyfriend, also known as your brother.” Damon hangs around, he pines. He insists there’s more. She says “No, still not interested. Also still exclusively in love with my boyfriend, your brother.” He murders her brother. Her brother gets better, but that’s not really the point. He pines and sulks a bit and acts like things will just “go back to normal” if he behaves, and she softens because she’s nice, and so he has “character growth” and deprives her of free will, robs her of the ability to state her will or wants (or tell him to get out of her bedroom), and tells her that he’s giving up on her and giving her to his “more deserving” and “good” brother. And then he erases the event from her mind and she goes “I think something weird just happened and I’m weirdly disoriented, but still in love with my boyfriend.”

( More on this type of triangle, The Vampire Diaries and otherwise )

I swear I still read books, and even have comments to make on them!

UNCUT SEASON TWO OF VAMPIRE DIARIES SPOILERS WARNING.

While I dislike the dialogue, having seen the episodes (personal taste: not a fan of much dialogue in fanvids), this is a pretty good intro/conversion vid for Caroline/Tyler. And since a lot of people I know who have issues getting into the show boil it down to "Damon," I should mention that the small bit with him in the vid highlights his loser-ness quite nicely. (Personally, the plotline in general-both Caroline individually and her plotline with Tyler-so far, takes care of quite a few of my issues regarding vampires in fiction.)



(Unrelatedly: I am currently watching the new Sherlock Holmes movie and am probably the first person to find it kinda boring. This saddens me.)

It’s easy to catch up with your shows when they’ve all been on hiatus! And…are apparently only coming back for two episodes each.

Undercovers remains mostly episodic and absolutely adorable. I mean, I think I even liked Leo and Holt in this episode. I may not have much to say about it, but I’m really going to miss it when it’s officially gone.

Nikita had a very strong comeback episode, overall. I’m so very happy that they’re finally doing things with Jaden now. Though I…I wonder if the writers are actually intending for her to be as likable and sympathetic as she comes across? Because everyone I know who talks about Nikita is all “Whee! Jaden! Will Jaden and Alex finally become frenemies?” (And have been from, like, the first episode.) but I’m worried that the writers see her more as an antagonist.

( spoilery whine )

Then there’s Vampire Diaries, which…there were some really good parts, and then one major part that kind of…seriously killed the episode. And may I say that I’m seriously disturbed by how the fans are squeeing over Damon repeatedly threatening Elena with physical violence, telling her she doesn’t get to make her own decisions, and then actually using physical force against her? Because I am.


( lotsa spoilers )

1. I was going to start this with “first and foremost, where is this week’s Lost Girl?” but it finally showed up a little while ago, if way later than usual. I actually just got around to watching ep 8 on Sunday, and haven’t seen ep 9 yet, but having it is the most important part! Speaking of ep 8, I rather hope the Villain of the Week doesn’t reappear, though he’s certain too. He bugged me on multiple levels, not the least of which was that it was like watching Damon Salvatore try to impersonate Jack Sparrow. Actually, despite certain good parts, that episode was one I could do without altogether.

Incidentally, though the character has not (to my knowledge) appeared since the first episode (though she has been mentioned a few times) I will be deeply saddened if the Morrigan is not Bo’s mother, aunt, or grandmother. Or somehow related. If she is not related to Bo, I demand she be the goddess. Slumming.

2. It is entirely possible that I am being stalked by “The Magic Flute.” Shortly after posting on the 2 versions I recently watched, I read Julia Quinn’s latest book* where the characters go to watch it at the opera and the hero…almost quotes me regarding Pamina and Tamino’s Epic Love. Then, while traveling to visit my brother and his family last weekend, I was browsing radio stations on the highway and settled on a classical music station…then realized it was playing instrumentals from “The Magic Flute.” And then I was flipping through one of Eva Ibbotson’s YA romances (though they were originally published as general fiction, I believe) and realized the heroine was involved with a company putting on a production of “The Magic Flute”!

3. I am rewatching the first Fairies of Liao Zhai arc with some of the usual suspects, though not the usual combination of the usual suspects, and while I’ve always noticed that this director likes deeply saturated colors, Hu Ge, friendships of all sorts, melodrama, crack, and Doom, I think part of why I always start something of his assuming that I’ll love it is that he always has lots of women (not unusual for wuxia) but also that his shows are more willing to give them flaws and acknowledge the flaws, but also still expect us to like them. I actually can’t think of any of his female characters that didn’t seem to be written with the expectation that the audience would like her and find her interesting, even if the actual character sometimes mostly just one time isn’t as fun as written. (Also, rewatching is letting me appreciate the clothes more. OMG the clothes.)

4. Is Undercovers gone forever? I thought there were a few more eps left to air!

5. Nikita and Vampire Diaries being on hold is reminding me of why I don’t often watch shows until they’re finished/the season is complete/there are DVDs. The breaks are traumatic! (Purely in the fannish sense.)

This is particularly bad with Vampire Diaries as I am prone to theorizing there, and fantasizing about what the future may bring. My head may have spun epic plot arcs about the Bennett witches, Caroline and Tyler having supernatural adventures, and Meredith having a hugely important role in which she is still Hispanic, does not die, does not hook up with Alaric, because he’s older here and I like him with Jenna even though I’m annoyed they aren’t having her do much outside of that this season, and I know the show will give me none of these. Ok, maybe Caroline and Tyler having supernatural adventures. It also gave me time to ponder.

( series spoilers )But! Breaks in airing! Trauma! Though I may try watching the currently airing kdrama Secret Garden a few weeks behind as it comes out, once there are a few more subbed eps. It worked fairly well for me with Chuno, and it’s Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin switching bodies. Err…their characters switching bodies. I have yet to see Hyun Bin in anything, but Ha Ji Won is my favorite Korean actress, and the star of 2 of my 3 favorite kdramas.

6. Out of curiosity, is there much Bollywood fandom on LJ/DW, or is that fandom basically the people I already follow? I know there’s a pretty good sized English language fan base for Bollywood, but I get the impression that it’s like wuxia, where most English language fandom centers around the forums of a few websites.

*Which was a fun book, but I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a single character who wasn’t landed gentry or upper class. Like, I know Julia Quinn basically singlehandedly made super-windowdressing Regency Historicals the norm and created scores of copies (but she’s usually fun so we usually forgive her, except the one “no, JQ, men can so be raped too!” book) but that was a bit much. Also, the hero coped with his angst by writing gothic novels, and lives to encounter his fans, who all think he’s a woman hidden out in the country or something. I’m pretty sure he’s one of the guys who annoyed me in Quinn’s last book, but he was fun here.

( spoilers ) ETA: Uhm...is the next episode 12/2 or 12/22?

( In which my priorities may be malfunctioning. )

Oh, show, when you are good, you are good. Like, this episode had a LOT of things I’ve been wanting for a while? And the thing from the last episode where I almost forget how much I hate Damon when he interacts with certain characters, or at least can enjoy the scenes where he interacts with them? Held true. And then he went and reminded me that, like, half the conflicts and drama in the series boil down to “Damon re/acts emotionally/impulsively, people who aren’t Damon get hurt.” (I swear, I’d mind Damon a lot less if he was self-destructive instead of just destructive, and other people weren’t impacted far more by his actions than Damon himself.)

But everything not-Damon in the episode! Seriously! And even a few bits that involved him.

( I apparently had a lot to say about the episode. )

(I, for one, wish to know why Recent Events have not made the fandom explode with Caroline/Elena and Bonnie/Caroline. Particularly the latter. Possibly, fandom's brain does not glom immediately onto epic shattered friendships and such the way mine does... And pondering the chances of the show going Caroline/Tyler after Other Events have taken place.)

Anyway, excerpt of an interview with Kevin Williamson:

JH: I didn’t realize until I tweeted that I would be talking to you that there was such a drive to get Jeremy and Tyler in bed together! Did you know about this?

KW: Okay, who’s saying that?
JH: I got at least half a dozen emails about it. I hadn’t thought about it but it did make me wonder about having some gay characters and storylines pop up on the show. What are your plans for any of that including Tyler and Jeremy.

KW: Well, certainly not with those two characters, I’m sad to say so we’ll just have to dream about that. If I bring on a gay character onto our show…I’m really not interested in a coming out storyline because I’ve done it [on Dawson’s Creek with Kerr Smith’s Jack character]. A coming out storyline doesn’t really excite me. Bringing a gay character to me would be incredibly exciting but I just want to do it right and I want to do it when it feels good and not force it and bring them on just to have a gay character. I want something I can really dive into and relish. We have Caroline’s Dad in the wings. He is set up to be gay and in a relationship with another man and that’s really all we know about Caroline’s Dad. He is a founding member so I do envision a day when he comes onto the scene and wreaks havoc.


 

( last bit contains spoilers for Tyler's season 2 plot )


Not exactly fond of either character and notably good at missing most m/m stuff, but even I would have interpretted ep 5 A Certain Way.



Anyway, this may be the most directly I've seen a creator answer that particular question? But I find the "coming out plotline" comment kind of weird. I mean, that's not exactly "I did a spaceship show once and don't feel like making another."