Care Free



( Full Size Flying Robins Under Here )


AHHAHA! My artistic muse worked with me two days ago and last night. I'm so happy.

It is Pre-Crisis Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, back when Jason was also a trapeze artist and more or less had Dick's origin story. While amusingly derivative, it created an interesting connection between them that I thought would make for a cute picture (also as an aside I actually like this origin better, though I like the post-crisis emotional issues, but those could totally have been explained via his parents death IMHO, which then creates an interesting difference between him and Dick despite their similar traumas . . ANYWAY)

( My Personal C&C's )

The Art

Bucky, Ultimate!Jan, Reborn!Steve



( larger versions under here )

Toro Raymond and Dick Grayson.


heh, I'm doing more art for this fic than I am actually writing the fic *blush* It is being worked on. Cross my heart!
( There is also a crappy PS colored version if anyone wants to see )


The Fic

Title Involuntary Admission
Rating G
Character Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne
Notes/Warnings This is pure fluff. And contains a spoiler for Batman and Robin #3 in terms of what it was Prof.Pyg was using. Damien would also like to remind everyone that this is NOT canon. *L*

Summery: Damien got exposed to Prof. Pyg's stuff after all

(  Take care of yourself first, Master Richard. If something happens to you, you will not be able to help him )


OMG! I wrote a DCU fic! Don't get excited this is probably not gonna become usual. Sometimes, like with BSG or Bucky/ Toro I'm attacked by gazillions of plot bunnies. Sometimes, like with Star Trek, I've only got a finite amount. I'm thinking this is going to hit the "finite" category. But meh, this plot bunny attacked and I thought it was too adorable to shoot dead ^^;;

Ok so in this post I asked people to suggest things for me to write/draw. It was open to the first 10 people who responded. I've gotten 5 fics done, so I thought I'd post those, then do the next 5.

For fpb Inner Strength
Fnadom: Captain America
Rating: G
Characters: Steve Rogers, The Shadow
A Young Steve Rogers tries to save a child's life and gets some help from someone who could bring out his inner strength.

For archon_mentha Before the First Day
Fandom: Star Trek
Rating: G
Characters: Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu
Sulu brings Chekov up to the bridge the night before Chekov's first official day, much to the delight of Uhura.

For elspethdixon Stand By Me
Fandom: Invaders
Rating: PG
Characters: Toro/Bucky
Toro wants to know what Bucky plans for the future, and if it includes him.

For ellyr_in_ink Good Night
Fandom: NCIS
Rating: G
Character: Tony Dinozzo and Gibbs
Gibbs told Tony his door was unlocked, so Tony takes him up on it, though a bit apprehensively.

For mississippienne Honest Truth
Fandom: Invaders
Rating: G
Characters: Namor and The Human Torch (Jim Hammond) + unconscious Toro
Toro is near death from a gun shot wound (canon) and Jim is already mourning. Namor wans to point out some truths to the Firebug.

You know, the more I think on it, the more I feel the New Uhurua is closer to a re-tool of Yoeman Rand than Uhura :( And I mean nothing good by that.
Henry Jenkins does a heck of a lot better going into that than I could so just read his awesome (and spoilery) thoughts here.
He also does a great job commenting on the "Not your father's Star Trek" tag that I objected to earlier. *huggles him for being on my brain wave*
(much thanks to cunningplan for the linky)


In other news.
I'm writing harry Poter fic btw.
Sirius And James.

It's actually pretty fun. Sirius is a blast to write. It's been ages since I read any HP fanfiction and I haven't written any in time out of mind, so it kinda feels like a fresh start.

I should give the active memebers of the bsgflash community cookies or something for re-kindeling my love of writing, which carried over into Marvel fandom, and now has me poking the Trek fandom and the Harry Potter fandom with fic.

The HP fandom is by far the most intemidating, but you know, screw it.
I'm just gonna have fun with this fic.

Maybe if this keeps up, I'll even finish my abaondoned A-Team fics!

Title Vantage Point
Fandom Star Trek
Characters Sulu and Chekov (umm sorta slash? What is it if one character is interested and the other one is staring at Moscow?)
Rating G
Summary Chekov is showing off his home to Sulu
Notes I dear lord I never should have stated writing Sulu and Chekov.
Thanks to ellyr_in_ink for the beta read and reassurance
Thanks to gileonnen and isilwith for the helpful discussion on Russian names.
And thanks to thanfiction for correcting me on the ingredient of Broscht


( Would you like me to find a weapon and chase you up this hill, Sir? )

ETA FYI: This is aimed only at the three professional reviewers I've read. Unles syou are employeed by my local newspapers, you didn't write the reviews that annoyed me.

Okay I know I've brought up my irritation with this phrase before but I enjoy beating dead hourses and it's really annoying me know.

Dear review peoples, please stop saying "This is Not your Father's [or Grandfather's] Star Trek" as a way of saying "this one actually is good.

You know why?
YES, IT IS MY FATHER'S STAR TREK.
If it was not my father's Trek I'd be writing an angry rant against this film right now instead of being pretty happy with it and defending.
And also, my grandfather and father would have hated it.

Really the major ways it's not like my father's Star Trek (IMHO) are as follows:
1. The actors are younger
2. The effects are sparklier

Heck if people who never have seen Star Trek liked this movie, I think they might find other Trek movies fun. I'm not saying if you like this film and not other films you are shallow or anything. I like this film way more than some of the older films, so I would agree there's nicer quality to it than say Star Trek 1, 5, 10, or 7, but I'm just saying if you are thinking that this film is good because it's totally unlike all the other films, I don't so much agree. I think it hasa lot in common, stylistically and theme wise, with Wrath of Kahn and Star Trek VI, and fun moments like in Star Trek IV.
And massive Spockness like in Star Trek III.

I mean, I honestly expected a BSG style re-make with "reality" meaning "dark and gritty" lots of random sex, totally re-done characters and no resemelance what so ever to the original material.

But that's not what I got. The characters, IMHO, are spot on.
Even more importantlu (to me and my dad) JJ Abrams did a brilliant job of not falling into the dark and gritty = good story trap that so many writers are falling into right now (and with DS9) and thus capturing, for me, the spirit of Trek (hope, yaya hope).

For me and many of the older gen Trekkies I know, it bascially IS in every respect that matters to me, a Trek film in the tradition of "My Father's Star Trek." It's, in fact, more Trek to me than DS9 or Enterprise (in our opinions).

I've seen some fans say it was to actiony or not "Smart" enough or whatever, but by that account Nemisis, First Contact, and Wrath of Kahn, were not Trek movies (Ok Nemesis I know some fans want to say was not). Also a lot of the ToS episodes are not Trek if they needed to be smart to be Trek. =P



In conclusion,
Yes the film IS my Father's Star Trek.
And that's what made it good.


I shall now be stoned my hardcore Trekkies ^^;;;

I had a rather long, annoyed rant about the recent Troll in the cap_ironman fandom, but honestly . . . meh. As far as I can tell its one maybe two people with petty axes to grind, the main one being someone who hates that two fics they don't like get attention and fanart. Oh wha wha.
The fandom actually pulled together and turned it into a pretty funy/positive little meme, so we defeated the spirit of the troll. yay.
So I don't feel the need to rant,

Instead, I'll post the first of the doodles I got scanned and uploaded.
I Themed it. Here are all the requests I got realting to DC Comics ^__^

For foxestacado: ( Bruce Wayne )

For xterm: ( Cat Woman )

For birgitriddle: ( The Scarcrow )


More doodles coming soon ^__^
These are really, really fun. Thanks guys.

Watercoloring dueing lunch break is oddly satisfying ^__^
Inking though is not.
Interesting.

I watched X-Files: I Want to Believe with Brandon yesterday.
I enjoyed it, but I think they took a huge gamble and lost bad by not making it about aliens. I liked the psychic and the serial killer and the crazy Russian experiments and such but it felt almost more like a Millennium episode than an X-Files episode.

Also I thought it was a weak plot device to get Mulder back. Mulder and Scully where in a truck load of trouble last I checked. Some measly ol' question of a psychic's authenticity ain't gonna clear the waters IMHO.

BUT weak initial plot device aside, I loved the plot once Mulder got involved. I thought it was a great character driven movie and for the first time EVER I found Mulder and Scully adorable as a couple. So that was nice.
Skinner rules. Have I mentioned this. His short appearance was great.

It was so low budget though. I think some of their TV episodes probably had a bigger budget. This dind't bug me, in fact I thought it heightened the reality of the movie somehow. It wasn't flashy or glitzy, it all looked real.

Granted lack of fundage may be what nixed any ET plotline.



All in all, I relaly enjoyed it, and actually, I wish terribly I'd gotten to see this in a theater. I rarely feel that way, but there was smething that makes me wish I'd gone to see it theatrically. And IMHO it was *far* better written than the first movie.

Also MULDER! Keep the beard! You looked AWESOME with it. You need the facial hair now that you are a bonafide crazy UFO hermit *LOL*

It suits you =P

*stares at the explosion of productivity on the cap_ironman list*

Wow, there is nothing like the need to fix canon (or write canon better) to inspire an massive output of fanon.


Except as I say that, I know HP fandom had huge issues with DH and HBP
But i dont' recall a fandom explosion like this.

There was after OotP though.
Were we all just burned out by the time HBP got around and just kinda ll "well fuck it" by the time DH got here?

I never have tried to do anything for Peter I don't thik.
I just kinda . . . still can't get passed how BAD THAT WAS *flail*

I don't even know what to say to that ending for Peter. I don't.

Also
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO my comic book shop removed all the old back issues *cries*
My wallet is happy but I'm not.

I just need to accept that in Marvel beating the crap outta someone trumps characterization. I forget Marvel writers are not the fanfic writers.

Actually after seeing some of the Avenger cartoon (which caused me to laugh until my sides hurt) I want to make an Icon that says:

Marvel: The only universe where beating the crap outta someone is a scientific personality test.

This is in reference to the bit of plot that basically went thusly:

Avengers: Wow, this dude we just pulled outta the frozen water in defiance of all logical medical science, you think it's Captain America?
Captain America: Yes it's me
Avengers: How can we be sure?
Captain America: Test me.
Avengers: *beat on him*
Captain America: *kicks their collective butts*
Iron Man: Wow, he kicked out collective butts. He MUST be Captain America.
Ani: WTF. Dude most people would have used finger printing . . . and does that mean anyone who kicks your collective butts is Captain America?

. . ..

Galactus: *Kicks Avengers collective butts*
Iron Man: MY GOD! All this time we thought Steve was Captain America, but clearly big giant world devouring guy, YOU are Captain America.
Steve: 0.o
Iron Man *takes the Shield * Hear you go New Captain America
Steve: *wibble* my shield

I amuse myself.


And now let me comment on Winter Soldier
( No seriously I'll suspend my knowledge of science for cracktastic ressurections, but too long hair? Sorry breaking point )

Watched Spiderman 3 last night.

It was . . . ok. I think it was helped by the fact that I had massively low expectations for it, so be not being 100% epic fail, it seemed pretty good.

Pretty much my issues are everyone else's issues.

Peter was dumb once he had Venom. It didn't enhance his aggression, it enhanced is dorkiness. Also is aggression, but mainly his dorkiness.
Too many villains
A-List villains short changed.
Entire Sandman arc made of stupid and horribly forced
I hate Kristen Dunst as MJ (ok don't know if that's a common complaint but it is one of mine. Also she was icky thin in this film)

Things I did like:
Harry Osborn and Peter Parker fighting together (and I now understand the slash).
Mary Jane dropping the cinderblock on Venom. That's why I love MJ.
Aunt May. I always like Aunt May.

Best moment though
Eddie asking God to kill Peter Parker.
Uhh Eddie dearest, that's not what you pray to God for.

Toby grew on my as Spiderman again. I think he just seemed so damn negative while promoting Spiderman 3 that I get sick of him. Topher Grace though, still woulda made a better Peter.

SPEKING of Topher, hats off to him for pulling off against type casting as Eddie. Didn't think he'd manage at all. I still think he wasn't the best choice, but he did well.

While watching this movie I drew Remus as the Hulk. It's not the best fanart I've ever done, but it's cute and I'll scan it tonight.

I also had a cute little BSG comic pop into my head, so maybe I can knock that out at work.

Btw, Hp-Art-Project, I went to work without make up because of you.

You guys want to humor me with art?
See I loved Spiderman and Peter Parker. I know I've mentioned this.
My thing is I CAN NOT DRAW PETER PARKER. At all. Nothing ever looks right to me. It's unspeakable frustration to me.


So I was wondering if anyone wanted to draw some Peter Parker for me (or link to drawings already done). I'd love to see some of y'all interpretations of the character. ^__^

I realize this is an odd request, but what the hey I'd love to see my F'lists take on him so I thought I'd ask.


BTW, I' mconstently sketching Ginny right now. If I want to draw HP, poof there's Ginny. It's . . odd. Art to be posted soon . . maybe.

Wow! BSG Graphic novel artist, in all the times I watched BSG 1978, I never noticed Serina was a D Cup. Thank you BSG comic artist for pointing this out to me.

Oh wait. She's not.
I am in fact being sarcastic. What I really want to say is:
dklfhsalkfhsdalkfhdskhflsdak
MALE ARTISTS WTF!!! *flail*


No seriously, I know an artist draws women's breasts too large if my fiancé's attention is drawn to the large, but covered, breasts of random female love interest rather than the practically naked, but proportionate, woman on the other page.

Not only that but honestly artist dude, if that's what you think woman's breast look like even without a bra, I suggest you meet some woman *without* breast implants.

Again.
MALE ARTISTS ARGHHH.
That said the first BSG story is ok. Not brilliant, even now that I have the whole sotry rather than bits and pieces. It was a good buy though.
That art still annoys me, but it was better issue one. I guess the artist had to speed up later issues.


In the news of comic Books with artists who have a better understanding of plausible female anatomy:
I Read The Ultimates this weekend.
Can they make a live action movie on that? Seriously? it was really good (better than the animated movie which prompted me to go find this series)

The Ultimates Vol 1 is coherent and lacking about 400 bajillion stupid Marvel U hang ups that are the reason I really can't follow Marvel U comics. You know like Bucky being the Winter Whatever. Yeah no in Ultimates Bucky is an elderly man which MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE! And provides so much more relatable angst as far as that goes. Oh and there is Domestic Violence, which was interesting. I'd like to see Hank and Janet Pym fleshed out more there.
. . . no wait expanded. Please don't "flesh" Janet Pym out anymore comic fan boys. k thanks.


Generally annoyance with Marvel U aside, I did read Rob's New Avengers comics up to Civil War. You see I noticed Spiderman was on the team! GLEE! I forgot how much I used to adore Spiderman. I missed him (I would have married him when I was like uumm 10, him and Peter Rasputin), but I swore off Spiderman after the whole Clone thingy of massive idiocy.

Actually I sorted started to give up around Carnage, which is WAY back IIRC.


Oh and In Things I'm Surprised I'm not Seeing more Kerfluffle Over But Maybe I'm in the Wrong Circles:

Has anyone see the Iron Man commentary?
Well Someone please tell Gwyneth Paltrow that actually, yes girls do read comic books? I can't recall the exact quote (nor can I find it online with limited work access) but she said something about how her brother read Iron Man, but she didn't because she was a girl.

To which me and Chrissy immediately went, and so?


I'm also getting Usagi Yojimbo again, so a general squee to that.
The Jei-San arc was amazing. Seriously.
Story telling at its best. Straight forward character writing with an engaging, coherent plot! HAPPY!!!


I've dropped Hellblazer sadly.
Not for any lack of love but for lack of funds.

Right now My Comics are:
Usagi Yojimbo
Dark Tower Universe Comics
The Stand
Ghostbusters (NOT the tokypop comic, there's another coming out)

Also Chrissy slapped
Tony Stark Director of SHIELD on there for trial purposes.

I think if I need a marvel fix, I'm officially on Graphic novel's only now.
And I may need to pick up more Ultimate U GN's, as funds allow.

Back at work today.

Much to catch up on.
I'm getting a cold or allergies, odn't knwo which yet.
I blame The Stand.

btw in case anyone wonders my priorities.

When faced with the decision to either pay 18.00 for season one of Supernatural or pay 40.00 and catch up on all the Usagi Yojimbo and Stephen King comics I've failed to buy this last year I got the comics.

Usagi Yojimbo is such love. OMG! The Jei storyline is AWESOME. I got spoiled for it, which was a bummer, but wow, what a way to go with Inazuma. Wow.
Stan write's such good female characters.

And now I need to run to yuletart and see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as been listed. If not I I need to bribe someone else to lsit it because I only have one listing left and I think I'll use it for Usagi.

Unless it was already listed.


Oh and yes

yuletart

If you would like to participate in a Fanart holiday art exchange for fandoms that are *not* Harry Potter, go take a look!

I've already lsited Classic BSG, Ghostbusters, Dark Tower universe, and Babylon 5!

This means certain 1978 BSG fanartist on my f'lsit are going to be poked with sticks to sign up.

TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), my original fandom, just came and attacked me out of nowhere.

Or sorta, I mean I never really hung with others who enjoyed it as much as I did and there was no net that I could be one when I was like 8-11, but if you spend 6 hours outside wiedling a large green stick and pretending to be Donatello, I think that totally counts as a fandom =P

I did btw. All by myself. I'd run around the backyard, all by myself, pretending there were other turtles. There were not a lot of kids in my neighborhood.

I can remember my mom stopping me once when I came in to eath and asking what on earth I'd been doing all day. I was totally embaressed and tried to brush the question off because I dind't want to admit I was playing TMNT. I felt it'd look silly because I was not a boy. (an insecurity that had nothing to do with lack of girls on the show, but rather peer pressure. I did not know a single girl who thought TMNT were cool, so I kept very very quite about liking them) and also because I thought I was probably too old to be doing that (I would have been ummm 10 or 11 I guess).

The one time I got away with publically playing TMNT was with my younger brother, sister, and two younger cousins. I alternated between April (as the girl as was pointed out by the boys, my sister didn't have this issue probably being closer in age to my cousins) and Leo because I was the oldest and was suppossed to be looking after them and needed the excuse to make them listen to me ^__^

Anyway, so now I'm at work doodeling Turtles while the system doesn't work.
And Donatello is still my favorite. ^__^

Ok things are going better now. Or as better as it'll be for a while.
It's still touch and go with the Hp-Art-Project.

I sent a form letter out to (hopeflly) everyone who e-mailed me in the last few days letting them know I was behind answering e-mail.

So far I'm not so behind as I wasn't planning to start handing out assignment until today. So I'm thinking if I can't get that done until Saturday, I'm honestly not that far behind.

What this is killing is the book divider people as I was suppossed tos tart planning things with them.


Moving on from my personal life and how it affects my fandom duties:

Anyone watching The Cleaner?
I'm loving this show to itty bitty pieces.

Chrissy and I started watching it and it is GREAT. Benjimen Bratt rocks and you know what, I had NO IDEA he played Detective Curtis on Law and Order 0.o I even watched a Law and Order with him in it right before watching The Cleaner and did not notice, that's how good he is at playing a totally different character.

So all the best to him and his show. It very well done and very well acted (the wife and his two kids are AMAZING!), and very well filmed, so I'm hoping it does well.

My one complaint is that'Boomer/Sharon' (last time I tired to write the actress's name I got it wrong, so she can be 'Boomer/Sharon' now) needs to fill back out a bit. She's a great actress and kicking it on this show, which hopefully will keep her from being typcasted as 'asian sci-fi babe' or something, but she's creeping into 'painfully thin' territory.

I know she's likely naturally on the small/petite side, but she's starting to look a little like a bobble head. So hopefully she fills out slightly, or at least gets no thinner.

You ever have that Looming Sense of Doom?



The alien, btw, is surprisingly simple to get the gist of. they're so organic really and not hard at all. You cant' tell how much I drew of it, but I drew more than I ended up showing.

true to the movie that =P

Marvel Adapts The Stand

Coolness!!

I at least want to get the Captain Tripps part . . . I'm I the only one who really only likes that part? I mean ok the second half is . . . all right. Flagg is somewhat cool and I like Stu and they guys journey but it is no where near as awesome as the first half.

OH AND: From the defunct Realm Comics


Dghflhlfhlsafh BSG/ALIENS (image done in fun not for any real story that I know of) I WANT THIS CROSSOVER! Do you hear me Dark Horse? I. Want. This.

And I still have my money being on Bishop for the 5th Cylon. =P
Maybe Annalee Call, but I think Bishop. I mean C'mon he's based on the big poobah founder of the Company.

And somehow how X-files needs to be worked into this.

Tokyopop Releasing GHOSTBUSTERS

. . .
Yup that's right EVERYTHING is now Manga.

Ok personally I like manga, and can find the style interesting but after the abomination was the Star Trek manga(GRRRRR to that mess)I'm seriously worried about this.

The image of Dr. Venkman worried me even more. Ray look sok, Winston looks ok, Egon looks . . . sorta ok, Venkman WTF did they DO.


*sigh* I'll porbably go look at it and judge when I see it, but my pre-judgement is to be nervous. I hope the story is ok. I honestly don't think I'd worry so much if it was ANYONE other than Tokyoopop but Tokyopop's original releases have never impressed me much.

So I read an article online about the Indiana Jones moves in which some film academic spent 4 webpages explaining that the Indiana Jones films were not high on the intellect content and significance.

I'd make more fun of him except he began is whole thing by saying he was going to intentionally miss the point by a mile. I'm curious then why anyone would intentionally miss the point of a movie by a mile and then criticize it.

Indiana Jones and the Meaningless Void:
If You Really Want a Quest for The Holy Grail, Try Looking for Significance in an Indy Adventure

He also never really gets around to answering anything actually interesting. Like for example: OK so the movie slack intellectual significance, proper character development and are largely escapist in the worst (or best) sense of the word.

So then what causes the significance of the movies? You can't say there is none because if there was none then Indiana Jones would have ended at the first movie and no one would have cared about a sequel let alone a 4th sequel darn near 20 years later.

So clearly THERE is significance, just not in deeper meaning in the movies.

I also found this bit interesting for a fannish PoV:

"Star Trek" fans write. Harry Potter fans write. "Star Wars" fans play dress-up. And what do Indiana Jones fans do? They are the ultimate "Making of . . ." technical geeks, wanting to know everything about storyboarding, stunts, squib explosions, editing, matte backdrops, sound mixing and John Williams's musical scores. They almost never want to know about character development or theme

And then he writes this:

We entertain ourselves by entertaining you.
The biggest Indiana fans do the same. At considerable expense and with varying degrees of believability, they make their own movies and post them online (or sell them to one another), the further adventures of Indiana Jones, in which they cast themselves in the lead.


Sooo which is it? The Indiana fans are 'uncreative*' tech geeks or they dress up and make movies (which involves last I checked writing a script . . . and dressing up)



* hmmmm ok he could also be saying that there is nothing of value for the fans to jump from andwrite stuff far as Trek and HP fans do. But then . . how does he explain the A-Team fanfics? I mean I love the show to death but but it is pretty close to the Indiana Jones films in terms of escapist fun over intellectual content. But the fan s have no problem writing WAY WAY WAY more serious fics in rather large quantities.