reinforce my clarity

We're the princes of the universe... *guitar solo*

Guess what? My Highlander DVDs arrived today! All 6 seasons in one gloriously 90s package, yay. So far I have watched episode 1, The Gathering and I have a totally stupid smile on my face. That was the only one I've seen more than once because I managed to find a VHS at one point but I haven't seen it for years.

( Not really a spoiler cut, more so you can avoid my ramblings: )

I rather enjoyed the extras too. Watcher chronicles for all the characters mentioned (with spoilers for later episodes, whoops) and a bit from Mr Panzer looking back at the first episode from 6 years on.

What is your favorite opening line of a book, and why?

"The education bestowed on Flora Poste by her parents had been expensive, athletic and prolonged; and when they died within a few weeks of each other during the annual epidemic of the influenza or Spanish Plague which occurred in her twentieth year, she was discovered to possess every art and grace save that of earning her own living."

from Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons because it shows exactly the tone and style of the book to come, light and breezy, and how could anyone not want to know what happens to Flora after that introduction?

I've been reading a lot of Buffy fic and meta lately and it has reminded me how much I love that show so I thought I would give this a go - though all at once because I'll never to remember to keep posting for 30 days. (TV show only - haven't read the comics and as far as I'm concerned they don't exist.)

( 30 things about Buffy... )

I did pretty well in the fannish Christmas present stakes this year: the latest Doctor Who, Sherlock, every radio series of The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, all of which I had asked for. The surprise gift in the fannish stocking was from my sister who gave me series 1 of Misfits - she raves about the show, much to my surprise as she normally doesn't go for the genre stuff, but I'd never seen it. (Though I spotted monanotlisa giving it a thumbs up a while back too and was intrigued.)

Watched the first three episodes tonight and the hype was spot on! Funny, off-beat, surprisingly brutal, a bit dark, pleasingly unpredictable and a whole hell of a lot of fun. I would happily rec it to anyone else who managed to miss the boat on it - can't wait to see where it goes.

So I present links to a couple of fics from various fandoms that make me laugh like an idiot:

They Grip the Ground by giddygeek (TW)

Patrick's Desperate Plan To Stop His House Expanding And Its Unexpected But Ultimately Pleasant Result by toft_froggy (SGA)

adult John Watson gets stealth adopted by Mummy Holmes (Sherlock)

And a random selection of P.G. Wodehouse:

"Well there it is," I said, and went into the silence. And as he, too, seemed disinclined for chit-chat, we stood for some moments like a couple of Trappist monks who have run into each other by chance at the dog races.

~

The face was drawn, the eyes haggard, the general appearance that of one who has searched for the leak in life's gaspipe with a lighted candle.

~

The only thing that prevented a father's love from faltering was the fact that there was in his possession a photograph of himself at the same early age, in which he, too, looked like a homicidal fried egg.

~

Pongo shuddered, accordingly, and in addition to shuddering uttered a sharp quack of anguish such as might have proceeded from some duck which, sauntering in a reverie beside a duck-pond, had inadvertently stubbed its toe on a broken soda-water bottle.

So I have dragged out the huge Merlin WIP of doom that I started yonks ago and finally added a little to it, but I am now Stuck Again and need a good kick up the backside help.

For those of you who had forgotten the Merlin WIP of doom (and who could blame you?) it is the modern AU where Arthur is a detective, Merlin is an intelligence analyst, magic is rising once again and I merrily warp S1 events to suit myself.

Now, I am 52000 words into the damn thing and have a pretty good idea of the remaining plot to come. The trouble is I'm not quite sure what bits should come next which is making it tricky to try and bridge into them.

So a poll:

[Poll #1638562]

Don't worry about what happens before this - I just need something to kickstart my thoughts again.

Apparently WB has done a press release - Martin Freeman as Bilbo and Richard Armitage as Thorin! So I'm thinking a possible new fantasy award of 'sexiest dwarf ever' may have to be coined. Now we just have to wait two years to actually see it...

Rambling review of ramblingness ( under the cut )

Barring further interruptions by a fez-wearing neighbour (that will never stop being bizarre and amusing), here are another 7 Sherlock recs:

( More fics that I liked under here )

Finally got around to iplayering Sherlock tonight. Well, actually I tried to iplayer it on Monday but for some reason the Beeb declared it was unavailable in my area, wtf was up with that? So I had to wait - worth it though because I laughed in glee a good four or five times, mostly at exchanges between Holmes and Watson. Oddly, the last thing I saw Benedict Cumberbatch in I didn't like him at all but in this he was attractive... must have been the long coat. Long coats are always good.

I've been in my new house almost a month now. This is the first time I've ever lived on my own - family until uni, obviously, and then shared housing. I think I rather like it, though it was very quiet at first. I'd get a cat, but I have no cat flap option currently and I'm slightly worried about ending up a mad cat woman... I now have a guest room which is pretty cool and I will have my first guests next weekend so I have been checking for enough bedding and towels - it's like being a proper grown up and everything.

In other news, Amazon just sent me an email with recs based (apparently) on my previous visits to them. The first one was a Dan Brown - what on earth did I ever do to deserve that? And how can I avoid ever doing it again? I know damn well I've never searched for one of his books - I've never even picked one up in RL.