Veronica Mars

Last night, for some reason I couldn't sleep from 4am-6am so I ended up sitting in bed rereading old, bookmarked Veronica Mars fanfic, of all things.



And now I feel like a rewatch! S1 and 2 here I come (S3, you are dead to me).

Once upon a time, this LJ was a Veronica Mars zone - all VM, all the time. Looking back on it, VM was the last time I truly fell in love with an American show - in love to the point of rabidness - spoilers, meta, lots of fandom participation, even fic. I've liked American shows since (Burn Notice comes to mind) but I haven't loved them or, more to the point, fangirled them.

Yes, definitely a rewatch.

In case you have no idea what VM was, it was a show about a California teen, Veronica Mars, who lives in a small, class-divided town of Neptune. Tough, prickly, very damaged Veronica helps her father (now a private investigator, formerly a sheriff) and solves cases on her own. The entirety of the first season (the best one) revolves around a single story - Veronica's driven, dyfunctional quest to find out who really killed her best friend, Lilly Kane, a billionaire's daughter and the town's golden girl. Lilly's death, and Veronica's father's subsequent belief that it was the Kanes who killed her, was what ended Veronica's sheltered and privileged existence and made her world fall apart. Second season, which is flawed but good, pursues a different if related mystery. I like to pretend S3 doesn't exist.

Oh, it all comes back now. How I used to obsess over Veronica/Logan. GUUUUUH. They are still such a huge ship of mine. In retrospect and with the calming distance of years, the chances of them ultimately working out would probably be nil - a closed-off, distrustful vigilante rape victim who is terrified of trusting anyone and letting anyone in and an acting-out abuse victim who desperately latches onto any sign of affection and cannot let go is a recipe for decades of therapy, not a happily-ever-after. At least in real life. But hey, this is fiction, and I like to believe that after everything came out into the open and he rescued her on the roof, thus proving to her that he will always there for her if she needs it, and his father is finally dead and he's acquitted, they can move on to a place of therapy happiness. That's what fiction is for - to give us happy endings you are unlikely to get in RL. S3 does not exist does not exist does not exist :P

Have a shippy MV. It's not as crisp as I prefer but I really like the clips.

Veronica Mars

Last night, for some reason I couldn't sleep from 4am-6am so I ended up sitting in bed rereading old, bookmarked Veronica Mars fanfic, of all things.



And now I feel like a rewatch! S1 and 2 here I come (S3, you are dead to me).

Once upon a time, this LJ was a Veronica Mars zone - all VM, all the time. Looking back on it, VM was the last time I truly fell in love with an American show - in love to the point of rabidness - spoilers, meta, lots of fandom participation, even fic. I've liked American shows since (Burn Notice comes to mind) but I haven't loved them or, more to the point, fangirled them.

Yes, definitely a rewatch.

In case you have no idea what VM was, it was a show about a California teen, Veronica Mars, who lives in a small, class-divided town of Neptune. Tough, prickly, very damaged Veronica helps her father (now a private investigator, formerly a sheriff) and solves cases on her own. The entirety of the first season (the best one) revolves around a single story - Veronica's driven, dyfunctional quest to find out who really killed her best friend, Lilly Kane, a billionaire's daughter and the town's golden girl. Lilly's death, and Veronica's father's subsequent belief that it was the Kanes who killed her, was what ended Veronica's sheltered and privileged existence and made her world fall apart. Second season, which is flawed but good, pursues a different if related mystery. I like to pretend S3 doesn't exist.

Oh, it all comes back now. How I used to obsess over Veronica/Logan. GUUUUUH. They are still such a huge ship of mine. In retrospect and with the calming distance of years, the chances of them ultimately working out would probably be nil - a closed-off, distrustful vigilante rape victim who is terrified of trusting anyone and letting anyone in and an acting-out abuse victim who desperately latches onto any sign of affection and cannot let go is a recipe for decades of therapy, not a happily-ever-after. At least in real life. But hey, this is fiction, and I like to believe that after everything came out into the open and he rescued her on the roof, thus proving to her that he will always there for her if she needs it, and his father is finally dead and he's acquitted, they can move on to a place of therapy happiness. That's what fiction is for - to give us happy endings you are unlikely to get in RL. S3 does not exist does not exist does not exist :P

Have a shippy MV. It's not as crisp as I prefer but I really like the clips.

Veronica Mars

Last night, for some reason I couldn't sleep from 4am-6am so I ended up sitting in bed rereading old, bookmarked Veronica Mars fanfic, of all things.



And now I feel like a rewatch! S1 and 2 here I come (S3, you are dead to me).

Once upon a time, this LJ was a Veronica Mars zone - all VM, all the time. Looking back on it, VM was the last time I truly fell in love with an American show - in love to the point of rabidness - spoilers, meta, lots of fandom participation, even fic. I've liked American shows since (Burn Notice comes to mind) but I haven't loved them or, more to the point, fangirled them.

Yes, definitely a rewatch.

In case you have no idea what VM was, it was a show about a California teen, Veronica Mars, who lives in a small, class-divided town of Neptune. Tough, prickly, very damaged Veronica helps her father (now a private investigator, formerly a sheriff) and solves cases on her own. The entirety of the first season (the best one) revolves around a single story - Veronica's driven, dyfunctional quest to find out who really killed her best friend, Lilly Kane, a billionaire's daughter and the town's golden girl. Lilly's death, and Veronica's father's subsequent belief that it was the Kanes who killed her, was what ended Veronica's sheltered and privileged existence and made her world fall apart. Second season, which is flawed but good, pursues a different if related mystery. I like to pretend S3 doesn't exist.

Oh, it all comes back now. How I used to obsess over Veronica/Logan. GUUUUUH. They are still such a huge ship of mine. In retrospect and with the calming distance of years, the chances of them ultimately working out would probably be nil - a closed-off, distrustful vigilante rape victim who is terrified of trusting anyone and letting anyone in and an acting-out abuse victim who desperately latches onto any sign of affection and cannot let go is a recipe for decades of therapy, not a happily-ever-after. At least in real life. But hey, this is fiction, and I like to believe that after everything came out into the open and he rescued her on the roof, thus proving to her that he will always there for her if she needs it, and his father is finally dead and he's acquitted, they can move on to a place of therapy happiness. That's what fiction is for - to give us happy endings you are unlikely to get in RL. S3 does not exist does not exist does not exist :P

Have a shippy MV. It's not as crisp as I prefer but I really like the clips.

2220 years and three lifeimes? All I hope is it is worth it, you crazy kids!

To say that I am a little excited for the upcoming cdrama Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior starring Ady An and Du Chun is like claiming a monsoon is a little wet.



Because, frankly, I am unhealthily obsessed and it's months until it airs! I've rewatched the 15-min trailer about a dozen times (I could have read an entire Trollope omnibus set or cleaned the entire house top-to-bottom by now).



Warrior is about two people who have no luck at all - during the Qin dynasty, they fall in love despite the fact that she is the Emperor's concubine/mystical conduit and he is the Emperor's Chief General. It goes about as well as you expect which is to say blood! death! terror! and other fun things. Since she's made him immortal (it pays to have an awesome gf), Qin emperor orders him forced inside a terracota warrior clay figurine to be sealed in the tomb for all eternity and she kills herself. As I said, good times. Fast-forward to the 1930s where she is an aspiring actress with no memory of her past life and he accidentally gets freed and is, of course, still in love with her. I have no idea how that goes, but something tells me it doesn't go too well because here we are in 2012 and they are on their third incarnation (OK, in his case I use the term loosely). Please tell me they work it out this time, because otherwise that's just sadistic.



Anyway, this looks like it combines everything I love - period epic (two for the price of one!), angst, gorgeous costumes, cross-dressing, and of course love that defies death (gurlygirl10, this sounds like something up your alley!)

Because I am unhealthily obsessed I went trolling Chinese-language sites for pictures even though I don't read/speak Chinese. It was...interesting...but I bring you the awesome results.

( shippy and other gorgeousness behind the cut )

Have the trailer that got me so obsessed:

2220 years and three lifeimes? All I hope is it is worth it, you crazy kids!

To say that I am a little excited for the upcoming cdrama Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior starring Ady An and Du Chun is like claiming a monsoon is a little wet.



Because, frankly, I am unhealthily obsessed and it's months until it airs! I've rewatched the 15-min trailer about a dozen times (I could have read an entire Trollope omnibus set or cleaned the entire house top-to-bottom by now).



Warrior is about two people who have no luck at all - during the Qin dynasty, they fall in love despite the fact that she is the Emperor's concubine/mystical conduit and he is the Emperor's Chief General. It goes about as well as you expect which is to say blood! death! terror! and other fun things. Since she's made him immortal (it pays to have an awesome gf), Qin emperor orders him forced inside a terracota warrior clay figurine to be sealed in the tomb for all eternity and she kills herself. As I said, good times. Fast-forward to the 1930s where she is an aspiring actress with no memory of her past life and he accidentally gets freed and is, of course, still in love with her. I have no idea how that goes, but something tells me it doesn't go too well because here we are in 2012 and they are on their third incarnation (OK, in his case I use the term loosely). Please tell me they work it out this time, because otherwise that's just sadistic.



Anyway, this looks like it combines everything I love - period epic (two for the price of one!), angst, gorgeous costumes, cross-dressing, and of course love that defies death (gurlygirl10, this sounds like something up your alley!)

Because I am unhealthily obsessed I went trolling Chinese-language sites for pictures even though I don't read/speak Chinese. It was...interesting...but I bring you the awesome results.

( shippy and other gorgeousness behind the cut )

Have the trailer that got me so obsessed:

2220 years and three lifeimes? All I hope is it is worth it, you crazy kids!

To say that I am a little excited for the upcoming cdrama Fight and Love with a Terracotta Warrior starring Ady An and Du Chun is like claiming a monsoon is a little wet.



Because, frankly, I am unhealthily obsessed and it's months until it airs! I've rewatched the 15-min trailer about a dozen times (I could have read an entire Trollope omnibus set or cleaned the entire house top-to-bottom by now).



Warrior is about two people who have no luck at all - during the Qin dynasty, they fall in love despite the fact that she is the Emperor's concubine/mystical conduit and he is the Emperor's Chief General. It goes about as well as you expect which is to say blood! death! terror! and other fun things. Since she's made him immortal (it pays to have an awesome gf), Qin emperor orders him forced inside a terracota warrior clay figurine to be sealed in the tomb for all eternity and she kills herself. As I said, good times. Fast-forward to the 1930s where she is an aspiring actress with no memory of her past life and he accidentally gets freed and is, of course, still in love with her. I have no idea how that goes, but something tells me it doesn't go too well because here we are in 2012 and they are on their third incarnation (OK, in his case I use the term loosely). Please tell me they work it out this time, because otherwise that's just sadistic.



Anyway, this looks like it combines everything I love - period epic (two for the price of one!), angst, gorgeous costumes, cross-dressing, and of course love that defies death (gurlygirl10, this sounds like something up your alley!)

Because I am unhealthily obsessed I went trolling Chinese-language sites for pictures even though I don't read/speak Chinese. It was...interesting...but I bring you the awesome results.

( shippy and other gorgeousness behind the cut )

Have the trailer that got me so obsessed:

Have these assassins been hired by Stephen Colbert? :P

After watching ep 1 of Fugitive, I gave up on it - it was a boring, disjointed mess and I couldn't have cared if all the characters in it blew up at the same time (I can persevere with a drama if the first ep leaves me indifferent but not if I actively dislike it).

I was reading dramabeans' write-up on halfway point of this drama and decided to check it out again - her and my tastes are pretty much polar opposite but I was curious if my opinion improved at all from the horrifying premiere. Being me, I went for the scene which interested me most in her write-up. If you guess it involves manpain, you are correct.

Mainpain! Bruises! Offering to die in place of OTP! Indeed.

My opinion of Fugitive certainly rose about 1000% after watching this - it looks like, now, I will actually watch the entire drama, even if I will likely wait until it's all over and marathon with liberal fast-forwarding. But if I were to say I am madly in love with this drama after this clip, it would be lying. The vibe reminds me a lot of those somewhat wacky Japanese procedurals - think Tokyo Dogs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not really something I go rabid for - I need my emotional investment as opposed to light interest, and it's not there.

My opinion on its lack of emotional connection holds - I enjoyed the scene quite a lot (why not, it's as if it was target-written for me) but I don't know - I could stay detached and enjoy the angst as opposed to writhe in vicarious agony the way I did in e.g. Rain's angst scenes in Sang-Do (time for a rewatch!) or A Love to Kill. Granted, I am not familiar with the characters here the way I was in those dramas, but a truly good visceral scene grabs you even if you don't know what is going on (what drew me to Bali, for example, was a scene of Jo In Sung breaking down. I had no idea who he was at the time but I felt that emotional punch in the gut and HAD to watch more. That hyper-reality is missing).

Also, I cannot believe this is done by the Chuno guys - the colors are so washed-out, the cinematography, so pedestrian.

What really strikes me the most, the strongest emotional reaction I get is regret. I am not fond of Lee Na Young (her looks do not appeal to me; she's never been in a drama I could tolerate) but she is no doubt a competent actress. The rest of the cast is competent too. And then there is Rain. There are kdrama stars I love better, but none who've imprinted on me quite so much. Full House was my first kdrama. A Love to Kill was the first kdrama which broke my heart. Sang Do completed breaking what was left. I love Rain. Let me modify this - I love Rain. I don't find him particularly good-looking (even if his body is a dream), but I don't even care because he can portray steely vulnerability (yes, I mean that contradictory term) so perfectly. He is a nuanced, underrated actor who is best at intense. When I think of his performances in A Love to Kill and Sang Do (and the more serious parts in Full House - yes, I know it's fashionable to rag on it, but it was my first and I loved it and I still love it and will defend it to the death or at least a light maiming), I can't help but look at Fugitive and get so angry at the total waste. It's his first drama in 6 years and what did they do? When I remember the plans for that angstorama melodrama by Sang Do/ALTK writer about a mercenary and a foreign correspondent with him and JJH and how it fell through and now we are stuck with this I want to cry and then to hit things. He is doing his best, but there isn't much there to do it with! And who knows when and if he ever comes back to doing a drama again.

So angry.

OK, this is turning into a downer post and it shouldn't be. Fugitive = much better than I initially thought. But still, sadly, not enough.

Have these assassins been hired by Stephen Colbert? :P

After watching ep 1 of Fugitive, I gave up on it - it was a boring, disjointed mess and I couldn't have cared if all the characters in it blew up at the same time (I can persevere with a drama if the first ep leaves me indifferent but not if I actively dislike it).

I was reading dramabeans' write-up on halfway point of this drama and decided to check it out again - her and my tastes are pretty much polar opposite but I was curious if my opinion improved at all from the horrifying premiere. Being me, I went for the scene which interested me most in her write-up. If you guess it involves manpain, you are correct.

Mainpain! Bruises! Offering to die in place of OTP! Indeed.

My opinion of Fugitive certainly rose about 1000% after watching this - it looks like, now, I will actually watch the entire drama, even if I will likely wait until it's all over and marathon with liberal fast-forwarding. But if I were to say I am madly in love with this drama after this clip, it would be lying. The vibe reminds me a lot of those somewhat wacky Japanese procedurals - think Tokyo Dogs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not really something I go rabid for - I need my emotional investment as opposed to light interest, and it's not there.

My opinion on its lack of emotional connection holds - I enjoyed the scene quite a lot (why not, it's as if it was target-written for me) but I don't know - I could stay detached and enjoy the angst as opposed to writhe in vicarious agony the way I did in e.g. Rain's angst scenes in Sang-Do (time for a rewatch!) or A Love to Kill. Granted, I am not familiar with the characters here the way I was in those dramas, but a truly good visceral scene grabs you even if you don't know what is going on (what drew me to Bali, for example, was a scene of Jo In Sung breaking down. I had no idea who he was at the time but I felt that emotional punch in the gut and HAD to watch more. That hyper-reality is missing).

Also, I cannot believe this is done by the Chuno guys - the colors are so washed-out, the cinematography, so pedestrian.

What really strikes me the most, the strongest emotional reaction I get is regret. I am not fond of Lee Na Young (her looks do not appeal to me; she's never been in a drama I could tolerate) but she is no doubt a competent actress. The rest of the cast is competent too. And then there is Rain. There are kdrama stars I love better, but none who've imprinted on me quite so much. Full House was my first kdrama. A Love to Kill was the first kdrama which broke my heart. Sang Do completed breaking what was left. I love Rain. Let me modify this - I love Rain. I don't find him particularly good-looking (even if his body is a dream), but I don't even care because he can portray steely vulnerability (yes, I mean that contradictory term) so perfectly. He is a nuanced, underrated actor who is best at intense. When I think of his performances in A Love to Kill and Sang Do (and the more serious parts in Full House - yes, I know it's fashionable to rag on it, but it was my first and I loved it and I still love it and will defend it to the death or at least a light maiming), I can't help but look at Fugitive and get so angry at the total waste. It's his first drama in 6 years and what did they do? When I remember the plans for that angstorama melodrama by Sang Do/ALTK writer about a mercenary and a foreign correspondent with him and JJH and how it fell through and now we are stuck with this I want to cry and then to hit things. He is doing his best, but there isn't much there to do it with! And who knows when and if he ever comes back to doing a drama again.

So angry.

OK, this is turning into a downer post and it shouldn't be. Fugitive = much better than I initially thought. But still, sadly, not enough.

Have these assassins been hired by Stephen Colbert? :P

After watching ep 1 of Fugitive, I gave up on it - it was a boring, disjointed mess and I couldn't have cared if all the characters in it blew up at the same time (I can persevere with a drama if the first ep leaves me indifferent but not if I actively dislike it).

I was reading dramabeans' write-up on halfway point of this drama and decided to check it out again - her and my tastes are pretty much polar opposite but I was curious if my opinion improved at all from the horrifying premiere. Being me, I went for the scene which interested me most in her write-up. If you guess it involves manpain, you are correct.

Mainpain! Bruises! Offering to die in place of OTP! Indeed.

My opinion of Fugitive certainly rose about 1000% after watching this - it looks like, now, I will actually watch the entire drama, even if I will likely wait until it's all over and marathon with liberal fast-forwarding. But if I were to say I am madly in love with this drama after this clip, it would be lying. The vibe reminds me a lot of those somewhat wacky Japanese procedurals - think Tokyo Dogs. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not really something I go rabid for - I need my emotional investment as opposed to light interest, and it's not there.

My opinion on its lack of emotional connection holds - I enjoyed the scene quite a lot (why not, it's as if it was target-written for me) but I don't know - I could stay detached and enjoy the angst as opposed to writhe in vicarious agony the way I did in e.g. Rain's angst scenes in Sang-Do (time for a rewatch!) or A Love to Kill. Granted, I am not familiar with the characters here the way I was in those dramas, but a truly good visceral scene grabs you even if you don't know what is going on (what drew me to Bali, for example, was a scene of Jo In Sung breaking down. I had no idea who he was at the time but I felt that emotional punch in the gut and HAD to watch more. That hyper-reality is missing).

Also, I cannot believe this is done by the Chuno guys - the colors are so washed-out, the cinematography, so pedestrian.

What really strikes me the most, the strongest emotional reaction I get is regret. I am not fond of Lee Na Young (her looks do not appeal to me; she's never been in a drama I could tolerate) but she is no doubt a competent actress. The rest of the cast is competent too. And then there is Rain. There are kdrama stars I love better, but none who've imprinted on me quite so much. Full House was my first kdrama. A Love to Kill was the first kdrama which broke my heart. Sang Do completed breaking what was left. I love Rain. Let me modify this - I love Rain. I don't find him particularly good-looking (even if his body is a dream), but I don't even care because he can portray steely vulnerability (yes, I mean that contradictory term) so perfectly. He is a nuanced, underrated actor who is best at intense. When I think of his performances in A Love to Kill and Sang Do (and the more serious parts in Full House - yes, I know it's fashionable to rag on it, but it was my first and I loved it and I still love it and will defend it to the death or at least a light maiming), I can't help but look at Fugitive and get so angry at the total waste. It's his first drama in 6 years and what did they do? When I remember the plans for that angstorama melodrama by Sang Do/ALTK writer about a mercenary and a foreign correspondent with him and JJH and how it fell through and now we are stuck with this I want to cry and then to hit things. He is doing his best, but there isn't much there to do it with! And who knows when and if he ever comes back to doing a drama again.

So angry.

OK, this is turning into a downer post and it shouldn't be. Fugitive = much better than I initially thought. But still, sadly, not enough.