This post is certified 100% drama free

[dangermousie]

You know what I realized? I am so mercenary when it comes to fictional men. It hit me when I was looking at a Michael/Sara pic that koalathebear posted. I never really got into PB, though it’s likely something I’ll rent one of these days and I know a lot of people on my flist are Michael/Sara shippers. But the thing is, I am looking at that pic and it’s cute and everything but I just don’t see the Michael thing. He’s attractive, smart and angsty, but he is a guy on the run with no career prospects. And I just can’t ship or be invested when a character is like this. I am all like ‘yeah, he is hot and you love him, but you can totally forget him and find someone who is more safe and with a brighter future.’ For them to be viable shipping potentials, I want them to be either really really sane or really really well off. It’s not just the ‘capability’ point (I hate incompetence in characters and I want my fictional men knowing what they are doing, but Michael clearly does). It’s sort of in all shows, books and movies, there is my inner mom/aunt/grandmother going ‘but honey, he isn’t good for you, you can do better.’ And that better is being measured by how socially desirable he is.

Odd.

In other news, I am reading three very different but fun books. One is Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon which I read years ago and which still has the capacity to make me cry. Such a beautiful, heartbreaking book. (It’s about a man, Charly, who is retarded but undergoes experiments which make him become a genius, only to relapse back. The whole thing is his dairy and wow…). The other is (because linaerys recommended it on her lj, Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games which is set in Mumbai and is just fascinating. And then there is a fluffy book by I-forget-her-name called How to Kill a Rockstar which is a good chick read, even though my interest in music is nil.

Also, and completely unconnected, but because tatterpunk mentioned her love of bikes and it made me think about cars. I love being able to drive. I love the speed, and the fact that it will get me where I want to go much faster (and a lot of places I want to go aren’t public transportation accessible) and the flexibility. But most importantly, I love that I can (I learned to drive relatively late).

Comments

[linaerys.livejournal.com]

FYI, it's Sacred Games. I hope I didn't mis-write in my LJ.

Anyhoo, I'm only about 250 pages in, so I can't fully rec yet, but I am enjoying it. Also, while it's probably better written than Shantaram, it also isn't quite as compelling. Of course, almost nothing is--Shantaram grabbed me and wouldn't let go--I read at least 100 pages a day the whole time I was reading it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

No, you didn't mistype. I was trying to remember the name and the book wasn't handy.

I have just barely started and I like it. And agreed on Shantaram. That was one of the rare books I found unputdownable.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

but he is a guy on the run with no career prospects. And I just can’t ship or be invested when a character is like this.

Yes but NO!!!! Michale is a genius with the photographic memory and some exiting mental illness which he gets because he is TOO genius : he feels responsible for everyone. And he only got himself into trouble because he wanted to save his brother (as succeeded). As soon as he is out of the woods he is going to be back doing his genius things. It all got too uninteresting for me in season 2 , though, similar to BSG.

And "Flowers for Algernon" is an amazing book!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but genius or not, he is currently unemployed, unemployable and with really sucky future prospects. So nope, not fictional date of choice :)

[morwen_peredhil]

What if he gets the millions of dollars back from T-Bag?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Than that's fine if he can stay clear of the FBI which seems a slim chance. But where would TBag get all this $$$?

[grace-om.livejournal.com]

I never really could get into PB because the premise bothered me. Sure, he wants to get his brother out of an undeserved death sentence and he's willing to get himself incarcerated and ruin his own life...all very angsty and maybe even admirable BUT to accomplish his plan he's quite willing to facilitate the release of any stone-cold killers he finds handy to his goal.

Ruthless, I can dig, but ruthless to the point of complete amorality? Not so much...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

You know, that's true. Wasn't there the child molester or someone on the show who escaped with them?

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Yepp, he's actually still out killing and torturing people. And Michael apparently doesn't give a lick about it because he is too busy in other areas.

Ah I knew it was the right choice to give it up after one season.

[morwen_peredhil]

I save the common sense for real-life relationships (H and I have been married 13 years; together for 17) and throw all caution to the winds when it comes to my fictional boyfriends and OTPs.

For fictional relationships, the more angsty, impossible, starcrossed, ill-advised, and/or insane the better!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like mine angsty, But they sort of have to be employable/well-off. Not to bring dramas into this (because this post is supposed to be drama free) but ina Japanese drama I am currently watching, there are all sorts of angst but the guy is super-rich so eventually, the girl will have a really good time :)

It's different in a very different setting (e.g. rules like that don't apply to Farscape which is a very different Universe) but PB is set in a very modern world (also depends on the girl. Kara or Aeryn or Buffy or whoever are tough enough to handle anything. From what I gathered, Sara isn't exactly a walking weapon).

[vierran45.livejournal.com]

One is Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon</>

I've only read the original short story, but I loved it and it definitely made me cry. My youngest sister has Down's Syndrome, so it hit close to home as well...

I love being able to drive, though I don't have a car (don't actually need one, most of the time). I can usually borrow my sister's car if I need to and it's so easy to go from one place to another.

Still, I have no plans of getting a car, because the public transport here is so good. I'd rather spend my commuting time reading a book than cursing the rush hour traffic :).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the book is excellent.

I don't drive too much because a lot of it is metro-accessible but it's nice to know I can if i want to.

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

I, too am mercenary but ... well .... Michael and Sara will end up with T-Bag's millions and live in Panama - and have lots of cute fat babies after they bring down the government conspiracy. I don't normally like angst, but Michael and Sara are so sweet and angsty - nothing more than aching looks, hand clasps and one kiss so far but they're so mad for one another.

The whole 'single-minded amorality' thing is something that bothers me and Michael has been haunted by it and it will be an issue later - but well, I suppose it just adds to the angst. I really only watch the show now because of Michael / Sara and to be honest, in some eps they're not even in it and in the last ep, they were in it for two minutes :D It's still worth it for me though because they're so adorable.