Quiz shows, and a fandom meme

[jlh]

I just put Match Game, I've Got a Secret, and What's My Line on the TiVo and they are the awesome sauce. It's like the British panel quiz shows have led me full circle back to Charles Nelson Reilly, and just in time, as Saturday Night Live did an awesome Match Game parody just this weekend! Though I have to wonder if anyone under the age of 30 even understood what the hell was going on.

Fandom meme! Totally stolen from dreamerren. Later I'll post some ask me questions meme because it is the end of term and OMG the grading.

The one who seduced you and fucked you over and broke your heart in a million pieces and laughed about it: Harry Potter, if I'm honest, especially canon and Harry/Hermione. I'm still PTSD over that shit. The drama, the ship wars, the way the canon went down (not in terms of shipping—I never thought H/hr would be canon—but in terms of the plot itself). And yet, I still have stories to tell there; at this point they're like, my own personal AU, but they're probably still worth writing even if I'm not "really" in the fandom anymore at this point.

The old flame you don't see very often any more but whom you still really enjoy getting together with for a few drinks and maybe a pleasant nostalgic romp in the sheets: Harry Potter Seamus/Dean, but I wouldn't say it's entirely nostalgic, even if it isn't top of mind these days. I mean, there are chapters written and an outline to be reworked for the project that I'd started, and I'm a finisher type of gal. Never mind that writing that will probably help me to work through all the issues referenced above.

The mysterious dark gothy one with whom you used to sit up talking until 3 a.m. at weird coffeehouses and with whom you were quite smitten until you realized he really was fucking crazy: CSI, where I read and reviewed for a summer. Lotta BDSM in CSI slash fandom, it's weird. The other day I was going to do a Gil/Nick rec list to sort of put that all to bed, but looking at those fics and remembering the hopes for Nick in the wake of "Grave Danger" just made me sad.

The one you spent a whole weekend in bed with and who drank up all your liquor, and whom you'd still really like to fuck again although you're relieved he doesn't actually live in town: Starsky & Hutch, where I lurked for a summer. Great fic, especially the old stuff from the zines, and I read a lot of it in sort of a fever one summer. Closed canon ftw, but the schmoopy gen sort of freaks me out a heck of a lot more than any of the slash.

The steady: American Idol: the show and Rymon. It's why I never say, "I'll never write this again" etc, because that's what I said when I posted my first Rymon fic and look where I am now. Rymon is a renewable resource, there every year, which allows me for the most part to skim along the top of the ongoing singer-based drama. We're small but awesome! And it's probably one of the very few shows I enjoy really discussing the ins and outs of.

The ex: American Idol: Cake. It was a good time, and I've made great friends, but while I'll probably be OTP about them in any other Idol AU's I write, I don't think I'd write something centering around them again. The fandom itself wasn't a great fit for my priorities and sensibilities, which has led to other problems, so it's best that I just leave that one lie.

The alluring stranger whom you've flirted with at parties but have never gotten really serious with: Avatar: the Last Airbender, though that hasn't been for all that long. I'm pondering fic, and ali_wildgoose thinks I should write it before canon closes, but there's so much other stuff in my head at present I'm not sure I'll be able to get it out before July, not to mention that since the novelization came out I'm not sure canon hasn't already closed.

The one you hang out with and have vague fantasies about maybe having a thing with but ultimately you're just good buddies 'cause the friendship is there but the chemistry ain't: How I Met Your Mother. Love the show, love talking about it with friends, recommend it to everyone I know. But the yuletide fic might have been it, my Statement on Matters HIMYM, and I have no desire to get into that fandom proper.

The one your friends keep introducing you to and who seems like a hell of a cool guy except it's never really gone anywhere: Battlestar Gallactica. I mean, we'll see; it may well be a show I like watching as it ends, but other than reading a few things here or there, I don't want to get fandomy about.

The one who's slept with all your friends, and you keep looking at him and thinking, "Him? How the hell did he land all these cool babes?": Stargate Atlantis. And it isn't just the babes, it's the meta, not just on the show, but on the fics. Every time someone on my flist posts about being destroyed by a fic, it's an SGA fic, and I have to admit, I feel totally jealous. Don't get me wrong; I really like what I write. But my stories aren't going to destroy anyone, or prompt discussion. So I look upon SGA somewhat wistfully.

The one your friend has fallen for like a ton of bricks and whom she keeps babbling to you about on the phone for hours, and you'd be happy for her except you just know it's going to end badly: Supernatural. It's just, IMO, not a good show, and it will go the way of Smallville and all those other not-good shows with enough action or monsters to be sort of genre, lots of cute boys, weird gender issues, a small cast—in other words, random militant slasher catnip.

Comments

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

remembering the hopes for Nick in the wake of "Grave Danger" just made me sad

That's the same problem I have regarding CSI. Every time I think about watching it again, I think about that, and, woe.

You should totally write Avatar fic, even if you don't get to it before canon ends. *prods*

But my stories aren't going to destroy anyone, or prompt discussion. So I look upon SGA somewhat wistfully.

I write SGA fic and I still feel that way because yeah, totally not going to blow anyone away with my stories like other people seem to do. :P

it will go the way of Smallville and all those other not-good shows

Has done, for me anyway. Bummer. But, catnip! That's the perfect metaphor. Hee.

[jlh.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you've seen the promos for the season finale tonight, since you watch other CBS shows, and I'm like, "The black man, who came in with the DA taking advantage of his gambling addiction, goes out charged with murder. SERIOUSLY?"

I've been watching the Suki eps—I'm all about the Suki/Sokka—and Ali thinks there's a missing moment story in there someplace. I have a lot of thoughts in my head about it, but I'm not there quite yet in terms of having her character down.

It's always so weird to watch that slasher crowd moving around voraciously, consuming shows in that peculiar way that they do. They seem to be edging over into bandom now, and as usual deciding that they invented it, or at least, re-invented it.

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

The black man, who came in with the DA taking advantage of his gambling addiction, goes out charged with murder.

Are you KIDDING me? I haven't seen the promos, which is probably a good thing since I would have been throwing stuff at my t.v.

Warrick was the most interesting underused character on that show. I loved his attitude, his sort of quiet but strong vibe, the chemistry he had with the other characters. Warrick and Catherine in particular had fantastic chemistry. The other thing along with the lack of follow-up on Nick's trauma that left me frustrated with the show was that the show eventually paired Warrick off (however briefly) with some random person in a really weird way instead of taking advantage of the undercurrent between he and Catherine, and then chose to pursue Grissom/Sara instead. The enormous sense that did not make. Gah.

I just. It sucked enough that they neglected the character so much, but to do that to him? It's like they apparently had no idea what to do with him, ever, so when it came time that they had to do something with him...they go with the worst possible stereotype.

I'm really, really glad I never picked back up on watching that show.

Suki/Sokka is adorable. I've always been sort of a closet Toph/Sokka fan, but it's one of those situations where regardless of how much I may like a non-canon ship, I'm perfectly happy with the canon ship too. I'd really be interested in seeing their relationship explored more, and yeah, there's a ton of potentially missing stories, imho. Doooo iiiiiit! (When you're ready, of course.)

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

Oh, Toph/Sokka....

*contented sigh*

[jlh.livejournal.com]

He is at the very least arrested, and questioned, and the show is setting us up to think he's done it, and as many know, Gary is leaving the show. Now, Gary has some drug problems, so it's sort of a firing, and that might be why he was underused, because the actor wasn't as reliable as they might have wanted. But George is a rock solid panda and that doesn't mean they did anything with Nick, so I really don't get it.

CWR was so amazingly hot, and it was typical television lame that they didn't follow through on that. Oh, of course also, Catherine can't have an actual sexual relationship without horrible things happening, either because she's a single mom, or because she used to be a stripper—I'm not sure which one gets her punished on the show, or maybe both. Or maybe just that she's a woman having sex with someone other than Gil.

Be glad. The season after Grave Danger sucked, and I never looked back.

Toph/Sokka is really adorable too. Ali tells me there is no ship fighting among het Sokka ships—what a relief! I love Toph loads as a character, and I'm really interested to see what happens to her at the end of this show. Unrequited crush becomes my how you've grown ships aren't my thing—it's one reason I don't love love love Kataang and I never liked Harry/Ginny much. I like equality in my pairings. But crushing Toph is super cute.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Unrequited crush becomes my how you've grown ships aren't my thing—it's one reason I don't love love love Kataang and I never liked Harry/Ginny much.

I have to say, I was really taken aback by the shipping wars in this fandom. I knew it was there but damn...it's like a subfandom in itself! I'm glad to hear it doesn't exist for the Sokka het ships. It doesn't seem like it should.

But also, I keep trying to make myself like Kataang more and I just can't, I guess for a similar reason. Maybe I also just don't like the vibe of the younger but special boy and the responsible older girl? Because I think that's how they try to deal with the inequality, that the girl is older but the boy is the One. But change the personalities and the issues and it's Anakin/Padme in PM and I didn't like it there either. Just leaves me cold. ::sigh::

Luckily there's MatchGame--I wonder if people write rps for that?

[jlh.livejournal.com]

I think part of the lack of Sokka ship wars is that who Sokka ends up with isn't revelatory of the narrative itself. But Katara is clearly a kind of narrative prize, so the question is, is she the prize for the Chosen One (and therefore, will she stop mothering him? because, creepy vibe, kthx) or is she the prize for the One Who Chooses? I like how Ali said for her it was about liking Mai—that was true for me, too. It doesn't work without her being interesting, and she wasn't for a long while.

I'm hoping that there is an important shift in Katara, and in how Aang talks to her, that makes it work.

What would you ship on MatchGame though? The SNL sketch implied sort of CNR/Gene Rayburn.

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

Oh man, Clio, this whole thing just worked ENTIRELY too fucking well. XD

In regards to closed canon: you know, I am now more solidly than ever of the opinion that there will be a shitload of post-canon fic, for a wide variety of reasons largely due to ways in which they set up for a fourth season that never happened.

SO YOU KNOW, NO WORRIES?

[jlh.livejournal.com]

I am reminded: If no one else has, someone should remind the people on your spoiler-free comm that fandom!secrets has spoilers in the comments, especially the comments to the comments. I saw something that I actually don't care about at all, so it didn't matter to me except in a very vague way, that came out of the book, but I was a little surprised to see it all the same.

So I thought that they were thinking there might be a fourth season but they had originally really planned for three, so the arc was done? So when they were doing these eps they didn't know if there would be a fourth season or not?

One thing that's holding me back a little is whatever may or may not have happened in the ep between TBR and Ember Island, because now of course I'm all terrified of the Jossing, since the episodes are done and some people have seen them. My instinct, other than some Suki internal monologue thing, is to do what happened right after TBR, but I fear that it will end up happening in that ep, and you know how I get.

Also I need to see TBR again—has your upload been taken back down? Because I never downloaded it, as I saw it at your place.

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

Hmmm....well, as for the episode after TBR, there is Sokka/Suki-ness in it, but it isn't central? I could answer specific questions if you have them.

That's a good point about Fandom Secrets, though really I think people are probaly avoiding it entirely anyway since soon enough the secrets themselves will be packed full of bitching about the spoilers. In fact you might want to stop reading it yourself if you care at all, or have me or someone else check for you first.

And the upload should still work -- if it doesn't, I'll re-upload when I get home. Haha, or I'll ask Rawles to do it ;3

[jlh.livejournal.com]

And also: It's weird, because when I started it I didn't think that it would work particularly well, as I haven't really been in very many fandoms, but I decided to take it broadly, and split AI and HP in two, and then it worked very well. Except the Seamus/Dean—that was the closest but I'm not sure it fits.

DO THIS MEME.

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

Haha, but I don't know if I can, without splitting some stuff up A LOT, as I've hardly been in any fandoms!

[jlh.livejournal.com]

You've been in more than I have! And I had to stretch to fandoms I just lurked in but didn't produce anything for, like CSI and S&H. Besides, two of the questions are about friends' fandoms, and three are about fandoms you aren't really in.

[consumedbywords.livejournal.com]

I adore Match Game. Brett + Charles = LOVE. I'm sad that they're both dead now because they were awesome, both together and separately.

[jlh.livejournal.com]

Brett and Charles are the best fag and his hag EVER. I totally hope that my two GBFs become Charlesesque as we get older, because I will probably be rather Brettish.

okay WHERE did you get that icon? Did you make it? Is someone making Match Game icons someplace? Are there caps? Because shit YEAH.

[consumedbywords.livejournal.com]

I got it from heaven_disco. There are a bunch of Match Game icons and caps posted there.

[ziggy1278.livejournal.com]

UGH Harry Potter. I am so with you on all of that, except I am perhaps more militant. I try to just stay away from it, but I finally realized that i hate book seven. I can't believe how it ended. I can't believe Lupin got less than a page. The ginny/neville hogwarts stuff got less than a page. Everyone and everything that was or could have been lasting and enduring and awesome was thrown under the bus in favor of... camping. It took me a long time - kindof like the star wars prequels - to admit just how bad it was because my love was so strong. And now it just makes me angry.

I'm pretty sure I would throw the actual book away and pretend it never happened if it didn't have that beautiful Snape/Lilly stuff at the end.

[jlh.livejournal.com]

I hope you read what Ali said about HP in her meme—she has it boiled down to like, 6 sentences now. When I talk about things going horribly wrong I often invoke you and Holly as people who were totally all about the Harry/Ginny because canon H/G was like, totally lame and let you guys down hard core.

Poor Snape. Even that got sort of simplified and made lame, actually; it could have been cooler, more nuanced.