Musings of the Obsessive Kind

I talk so much about drama OTPs but here is a list of my Top 10 American/British tv OTPs. No order, except that John/Aeryn ARE my number 1.

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Well, the women are strong, and the men idealistic, and there is angst, but that is about all they have in common :P

If you've friended me for more than a month or so, you probably know that Max/Logan from Dark Angel is one of my Top 5 TV ships (the other four are John/Aeryn of Farscape, Mal/Inara of Firefly, Buffy/Angel of Buffy and Max/Liz of Roswell. And Helo/Sharon of BSG get the honorary 6th spot). As you can tell, I like my ships canonical and very angsty. Basically, they hit every kink of mine. I even wrote fic and bought the authorized novels just because they finish out the story and M/L end up together. Yeah. Am a geek (am still working my way through fan season 3 script thingy, too). I mean! Hot people! Angst! No touching! Revolutionaries and wheel chairs! Mutual rescuing and burning stares and his kissing her even though he will probably die from it and just...guuuuh. Everything. After I finish Farscape, it's Dark Angel rewatch (I discovered it last year and posted about it much too much, but whatever).

It's one of the rare OTPs that made me cry. Forget cry, made me bawl.

Anyway, without much ado, since youtube is my new obsession,

( Max/Logan vids behind the cut )

If you've friended me for more than a month or so, you probably know that Max/Logan from Dark Angel is one of my Top 5 TV ships (the other four are John/Aeryn of Farscape, Mal/Inara of Firefly, Buffy/Angel of Buffy and Max/Liz of Roswell. And Helo/Sharon of BSG get the honorary 6th spot). As you can tell, I like my ships canonical and very angsty. Basically, they hit every kink of mine. I even wrote fic and bought the authorized novels just because they finish out the story and M/L end up together. Yeah. Am a geek (am still working my way through fan season 3 script thingy, too). I mean! Hot people! Angst! No touching! Revolutionaries and wheel chairs! Mutual rescuing and burning stares and his kissing her even though he will probably die from it and just...guuuuh. Everything. After I finish Farscape, it's Dark Angel rewatch (I discovered it last year and posted about it much too much, but whatever).

It's one of the rare OTPs that made me cry. Forget cry, made me bawl.

Anyway, without much ado, since youtube is my new obsession,

( Max/Logan vids behind the cut )

Anyone who was on my flist around fall-early winter last year would have seen me go nuts for the post-apocalyptic, gritty and OMG!worthy show Dark Angel. Well, it's time for a rewatch.

And I am rewatching the Pilot and it's just as good the second time around. I love the cynical, world-weary attitude of both Max (the heroine) and the story as a whole. I like the reimagining of US as a third-world country, not evil but rife with corruption and poverty and lawlessness, something like a North American version of Nigeria or former USSR. It's striking (and much as I enjoyed the second season, I am sorry that theme got derailed, even if understandably so, in the post 9/11 world).

I lovee Max. She is gorgeous, but she is also somewhat world weary, with a cynicism that is partially put on because despite it all she wants to hope, but also is a result of school of very hard knocks. She is tough and fun and messed up. And she is afraid to open up or believe. Her meeting and involvement with Logan and his causes gradually changes all that, and one of the pleasures of the show is watching her transform, but she never loses the slightly hard edge. Logan is the dreamer, the idealist. Max is the voice of pragmatism.

And that brings me to Logan. I love him. Idealist intellectual revolutionaries are a rarer scifi breed than manly tough-jawed heroes, but are as a catnip to me. Max/Logan is an OTP that not only has unholy levels of angst (a Max/Logan-centric ep in S2 is one of the very few TV eps that made me bawl), but also has a thing a lot of my OTPs have: a more practical girl and a more idealistic guy. And a girl who is tough enough to rescue the guy AND kick his ass if she wanted to. But Logan is no Gary Stu, far from it. He has his own issues and flaws and he is entirely too reserved and too proud and too prickly and too bitter about his handicap (and how much do I love that the romantic lead of this show is in a wheelchair?) ax and Logan are both very unique, very messed up people who fit together. And Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly have one of those really rare things: scorching hot chemistry. I love their meeting in the Pilot: she is robbing his house and when they lock eyes, you feel something on the TV screen. I like the way the ship is written throughout, true. But no writing could be substitute for that spark. (And I love that he is really arresred by her when she talks about the statuette she stole, the Goddess Bast and quotes her descriptions from the Egyptian texts. He is caught not just by the incongruity but by her brain. He's a keeper).

I love Normal and Original Cindy (if I were a lesbian, I'd do her) and, as dtissagirl pointed out, the unusual use of language. I am going to have fun rewatching this.

But never fear, I am still going to rewatch the rest of Veronica Mars and continue with Supernatural. Multitasking rocks.

Ten Couples that need just "do it." This is inspired by the fact that I've found myself sifting through ff.net (yes, indeed) looking for Sousuke/Kaname stories. Additions? Suggestions?

1. Logan/Veronica, Veronica Mars: Almost two seasons! There are limits to what a girl can stand, especially when the chemistry is as combustible as it is with those two. If slow-dancing together is enough to melt my screen, I can only imagine how hot a real get-together scene would be. Come on, after Dullnut, Veronica deserves a good lover. And wouldn't it be nice for Logan to actually do it with someone he loves and who loves him back for a change?

2. Sousuke/Kaname, Full Metal Panic: OK, a blind mouse can tell that you love each other. A blind, mentally challenged mouse. You love each other, you are available and, oh yeah, you risk your lives on regular basis to save each other. The staring at each other in the rain? The almost kiss in scenic locations? The rescuing, and the jealousy. The waiting up by his door waiting for him to come home (Kaname), or disobeying direct orders to save the other (Sousuke)? Stop teasing me, TPTB! Yes, he is clueless emotionally due to his background, and yes, she doesn't want to take the first step, but take pity on me. Kiss already, at least. Besides, face it. No one else will be able to deal with either Kaname's pushiness or Sousuke's off-the-wallness on a regular basis, so you might as well hook up.

3. Doctor/Rose, Doctor Who: What's a trifling 800+ age difference? And what's a nice bloke of a boyfriend? My newest and shiniest OTP so needs to get it on in the back of the TARDIS, it's not even funny.

4. Lee/Kara, BSG: Oh, my OTP. You came so close. Forget Zack. Forget Baltar. Forget Anders. Forget Dee and the Ho of Doom and the Nameless Girlfriend that Lee left behind to be toasted. From the mini, I thought the two were OTP. And TPTB tease us with looks (eye fucking masters, these two), and the kissing, and the drunken desperate making out. Come on, Lee so clearly wants Kara. And short of being brain-damaged, I see no reason for Kara to prefer Lee Lite (a.k.a. Anders) when she can have the real deal. Let Anders bite the big one (Leoben can sit on him), and Kara and Lee get together.

5. Logan/Max, Dark Angel: Come on. Mutually acknowledged love? Check. Mutually acknowledged hotness? Check. Angst and eye fucking and UST? Check. But where is the seeeeeeeeex? Yes, I know, Max's virus would kill Logan on touch, but come on, full-body condom? Not optimal, but you could get really kinky! Considering how hot it was when he was merely examining her tattoos in latex gloves, the possibilities are endless.

6. Mal/Inara, Firefly: I have such a thing for the two of you. Because honestly, if the UST got any hotter, it would become a health hazard. Eye-fucking is all well and good, and so is the angst, and the unconscious kissing, and the crying after you pushed him in someone else's arms, but I am a greedy, greedy, GREEDY bitch and I want more. Not that I should complain, seeing that I got Simon/Kaylee make-out, but I can't help it. I've fallen for the two of them so hard.

7. Lex/Clark, Smallville: Come on. Sexy woobie gazillionnaire, ogling and befriending a teenage boy? Hot and dumb farmboy exchanging lusty longing looks with said millionaire? On second thoughts, I should take them off the list, because they are so doing it already.

8. Aoshi/Misao, Rurouni Kenshin: I have never seen a man more in need of some sex as a means of de-stressing than Aoshi. And let's face it, killer looks or not, not that many women would want to put up with the full of guilt, driven, serious and issue-laden Aoshi. Plus, Misao loves him and wants him, even though she knows him so well, and that's good enough for me.

9. Fry/Leela, Futurama: Because the poor slob Fry is Everyman. And Leela is Everywoman, if Everywoman was a mutant with one eye, flying a spaceship. Because this is Leela's only chance to make out with a guy a thousand years older than she is. And because Bender could sell the videos. Basically, Futurama rules and I couldn't not mention it.

10. Vash/Meryl, Trigun: Come on, when a Catholic Priest is getting more action with his OTP (and I don't mean Jesus) than you two, it's time to get serious. Vash might be close to immortal, but Meryl isn't. Now that Vash's brother problems have been taken care of (or alternatively, just beginning), it's time to settle down and have some adorable rugrats to boss the Deadliest Man Alive silly. She is into you, you are into her, and face it, you won't find another woman to put up with his baggage or another man to put up with he bossiness.

Ten Couples that need just "do it." This is inspired by the fact that I've found myself sifting through ff.net (yes, indeed) looking for Sousuke/Kaname stories. Additions? Suggestions?

1. Logan/Veronica, Veronica Mars: Almost two seasons! There are limits to what a girl can stand, especially when the chemistry is as combustible as it is with those two. If slow-dancing together is enough to melt my screen, I can only imagine how hot a real get-together scene would be. Come on, after Dullnut, Veronica deserves a good lover. And wouldn't it be nice for Logan to actually do it with someone he loves and who loves him back for a change?

2. Sousuke/Kaname, Full Metal Panic: OK, a blind mouse can tell that you love each other. A blind, mentally challenged mouse. You love each other, you are available and, oh yeah, you risk your lives on regular basis to save each other. The staring at each other in the rain? The almost kiss in scenic locations? The rescuing, and the jealousy. The waiting up by his door waiting for him to come home (Kaname), or disobeying direct orders to save the other (Sousuke)? Stop teasing me, TPTB! Yes, he is clueless emotionally due to his background, and yes, she doesn't want to take the first step, but take pity on me. Kiss already, at least. Besides, face it. No one else will be able to deal with either Kaname's pushiness or Sousuke's off-the-wallness on a regular basis, so you might as well hook up.

3. Doctor/Rose, Doctor Who: What's a trifling 800+ age difference? And what's a nice bloke of a boyfriend? My newest and shiniest OTP so needs to get it on in the back of the TARDIS, it's not even funny.

4. Lee/Kara, BSG: Oh, my OTP. You came so close. Forget Zack. Forget Baltar. Forget Anders. Forget Dee and the Ho of Doom and the Nameless Girlfriend that Lee left behind to be toasted. From the mini, I thought the two were OTP. And TPTB tease us with looks (eye fucking masters, these two), and the kissing, and the drunken desperate making out. Come on, Lee so clearly wants Kara. And short of being brain-damaged, I see no reason for Kara to prefer Lee Lite (a.k.a. Anders) when she can have the real deal. Let Anders bite the big one (Leoben can sit on him), and Kara and Lee get together.

5. Logan/Max, Dark Angel: Come on. Mutually acknowledged love? Check. Mutually acknowledged hotness? Check. Angst and eye fucking and UST? Check. But where is the seeeeeeeeex? Yes, I know, Max's virus would kill Logan on touch, but come on, full-body condom? Not optimal, but you could get really kinky! Considering how hot it was when he was merely examining her tattoos in latex gloves, the possibilities are endless.

6. Mal/Inara, Firefly: I have such a thing for the two of you. Because honestly, if the UST got any hotter, it would become a health hazard. Eye-fucking is all well and good, and so is the angst, and the unconscious kissing, and the crying after you pushed him in someone else's arms, but I am a greedy, greedy, GREEDY bitch and I want more. Not that I should complain, seeing that I got Simon/Kaylee make-out, but I can't help it. I've fallen for the two of them so hard.

7. Lex/Clark, Smallville: Come on. Sexy woobie gazillionnaire, ogling and befriending a teenage boy? Hot and dumb farmboy exchanging lusty longing looks with said millionaire? On second thoughts, I should take them off the list, because they are so doing it already.

8. Aoshi/Misao, Rurouni Kenshin: I have never seen a man more in need of some sex as a means of de-stressing than Aoshi. And let's face it, killer looks or not, not that many women would want to put up with the full of guilt, driven, serious and issue-laden Aoshi. Plus, Misao loves him and wants him, even though she knows him so well, and that's good enough for me.

9. Fry/Leela, Futurama: Because the poor slob Fry is Everyman. And Leela is Everywoman, if Everywoman was a mutant with one eye, flying a spaceship. Because this is Leela's only chance to make out with a guy a thousand years older than she is. And because Bender could sell the videos. Basically, Futurama rules and I couldn't not mention it.

10. Vash/Meryl, Trigun: Come on, when a Catholic Priest is getting more action with his OTP (and I don't mean Jesus) than you two, it's time to get serious. Vash might be close to immortal, but Meryl isn't. Now that Vash's brother problems have been taken care of (or alternatively, just beginning), it's time to settle down and have some adorable rugrats to boss the Deadliest Man Alive silly. She is into you, you are into her, and face it, you won't find another woman to put up with his baggage or another man to put up with he bossiness.

I was reading an article that listed Top 10 TV kisses and I realized I'd seen exactly two out of the list. So I decided to compile my own. No Order, since I couldn't rank them, honestly. Also, what are yours?

1. Veronica Mars/Logan Echolls, VM. Kiss at the Camelot. It's a kiss completely out of the blue. She aims for his cheek to thank him for rescuing her and hits his mouth instead. As she is pulling away, he pulls her to him and they go into a full-on kiss, with the camera spinning around them, and they appearing as startled by this as I was.

2. John Crichton/Aeryn Sun, Farscape. Kiss in Season of Death: That kiss, right after they acknowledge their love for the first time, literally brings both of them to their knees. Me too.

3. John Crichton/Aeryn Sun, Farscape. (They are my favorite TV OTP and ergo appear on this list twice). Kiss in Twice Shy. They have sorted out their issues, and while publically breaking up, they are kissing sweetly and quietly in the hallway with all the pent-up giddiness of love denied and repressed for ages. And from then on, they are together.

4. Max Evans/Liz Parker, Roswell. Kiss in Heatwave. There are hotter kisses between them on the show (the kisses on the counter with strawberry bowl falling come to mind), but this first kiss between the star-crossed pair is my favorite. As he finally gives in to his feelings for her and pulls her into him for the kiss, her feet completely leave the ground as he kisses her and holds her at the same time.

5. Buffy Sommers/Angel, Buffy. I am a sucker for angst and what is angstier than Buffy kissing Angel in S2's Becoming right before she has to send him to Hell to save the world and crying.

6. Miaka/Tamahome, Fushigi Yuugi. The music box kiss. As Miaka and Tamahome hide from soldiers in a disused storeroom, Tamahome finally admits what he feels for Miaka and pulls her to him, kissing her in the shadows as a dusty music box plays a lyrical, haunted tune and Yui, heart-broken, spies on them from behind the door.

7. Kara Thrace/Lee Adama, BSG. They are both drunk and all of a sudden things get hot and heavy. But then they stop because they both dysfunctional. And then Lee tells Kara that she can handle dead guys but not living ones. Kara slaps him. And then kisses him, a real, passionate kiss. And walks off.

8. Max Guevara/Logan Cale, Dark Angel. After months of not being able to touch each other they lost their one chance to do so. Her beeper goes off, and the time's up. If he touches her he dies. And then after that Logan very deliberately leans over and kisses Max because he doesn't care if he lives or dies and it's worth the risk and he is so quiet and still and they just look as if they are falling apart into little pieces in front of your eyes and then he says "I love you, Max" and as he walks away she replies "I love you, too."

9. Qui-Luo/Ling, MARS. He drove her home and the shy, reserved Qui-Luo bursts out passionately with how much she likes Ling. Not understanding why, and not being able to help himself he leans in to kiss her, looking uncharacteristically vulnerable and flustered. It's adorable.

10. Doumyouji Tsukasa/Makino Tsukushi, Hana Yori Dango. Finally, 49 episodes in, when Doumyouji kisses her, Tsukushi's arms go around him as she holds him tightly and her eyes close verrrry slowly, as those two finally get together. And I melt.

What do you get when you have a pair of latex gloves, a woman's naked back with tattoos on it, and a small camera? The world's sexiest scene. If Max and Logan are involved, that is.

I thought that was an absolutely sizzling scene (in Freak Nation), because after so long, they could (sorta) touch each other again and you could tell how much it was affecting them. When they get rid of that virus, they are probably going to lock themselves in for a week. And for now, they could have some severely kinky sex.

I ended up finishing Dark Angel and there is no more. Which is upsetting, as I wanted to see how the transgenic and the cult issues would have been resolved, how White would have gotten his comeuppance, how Max and Logan found a cure for the virus, and of course, how Max told Logan she lied about Alec and they got it on for real. Shipper? Me. Oh, well, at least there are always the books. I much prefer Season 1 to Season 2 (though oddly enough, my Top 3 eps are all from S2), because I like the dystopia, impoverished, military, corrupt government theme a lot better than xmenish "freaks among us" theme. And of course, S1 is scifi, and S2 is fantasy/horror and I prefer the former (the degree of suspension of disbelief is much smaller). Plus, I love seeing Logan fight corruption not be a transgenic tolerance crusader. It's also more realistic in smaller touches: Logan is in a wheelchair for a large part of it and struggles with it (no leaps on cars for him), Max tries to find herself, siblings, and identity. Everybody scrabbles for necessities. No such introspection in S2. Which is a pity. But I understand the post 9-11 timing, of course. And it is still quite a good show.

( Thoughts on the last eps, Max/Logan, Alec, and Starbuck. Yes, Starbuck )

What do you get when you have a pair of latex gloves, a woman's naked back with tattoos on it, and a small camera? The world's sexiest scene. If Max and Logan are involved, that is.

I thought that was an absolutely sizzling scene (in Freak Nation), because after so long, they could (sorta) touch each other again and you could tell how much it was affecting them. When they get rid of that virus, they are probably going to lock themselves in for a week. And for now, they could have some severely kinky sex.

I ended up finishing Dark Angel and there is no more. Which is upsetting, as I wanted to see how the transgenic and the cult issues would have been resolved, how White would have gotten his comeuppance, how Max and Logan found a cure for the virus, and of course, how Max told Logan she lied about Alec and they got it on for real. Shipper? Me. Oh, well, at least there are always the books. I much prefer Season 1 to Season 2 (though oddly enough, my Top 3 eps are all from S2), because I like the dystopia, impoverished, military, corrupt government theme a lot better than xmenish "freaks among us" theme. And of course, S1 is scifi, and S2 is fantasy/horror and I prefer the former (the degree of suspension of disbelief is much smaller). Plus, I love seeing Logan fight corruption not be a transgenic tolerance crusader. It's also more realistic in smaller touches: Logan is in a wheelchair for a large part of it and struggles with it (no leaps on cars for him), Max tries to find herself, siblings, and identity. Everybody scrabbles for necessities. No such introspection in S2. Which is a pity. But I understand the post 9-11 timing, of course. And it is still quite a good show.

( Thoughts on the last eps, Max/Logan, Alec, and Starbuck. Yes, Starbuck )

Title: Dreams, 1/1
Fandom: Dark Angel
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A ficlet about sleep. Max, Logan, Alec and Zack. Set in the second half of S2 (but before the S2 finale). Incredbily vague spoilers for S2.
A/N: I am really not super pleased with Max's section, no matter how much I work on it, so any feedback on how to improve the story (any of its sections) is really welcome.

( Story Here )