Via tex, Joe Flanigan still gives pretty awesome interviews.

Might be a wee bit spoilery for the Season finale? Really, I don't care. It's hilarious. There's loads more, which makes a nice read. I'll just leave you with this quip (because the other bits might ping the spoilerphobes): "And I won’t watch American Idol because the truth is I’m sure I’d get addicted."

*KEYBOARDMASH*
*KEYBOARDMASH*

The Water Grinds the Stone by auburnnothenna, McKay/Sheppard, NC-17. 250k words of *epic* SGA whirlwind. If this was a book, I'd be pushing a copy at everyone I can get hold of. The premise starts off easy: When the Stargate Program goes public, old loyalties are set against new ambitions for the Atlantis team, but a deal with the devil to save McKay's life will bring everything full circle and leave Sheppard in need of saving too, when Earth finds itself in contention with the people of the Pegasus Galaxy.

And then it's *15* years of storytelling, taking you to places you can hardly expect or imagine. But it's Auburn. Trust her in the way you don't trust her, breaking your heart in all the right ways and mending it again. Love, loss, betrayal, duty, friendship and a place you call home. Just read it.


ETA: Of note, because it's almost a given that fic will drag me back into a fandom, icarusancalion's listing SGa's year 1 fanon. Interesting to see, because of how much cognitive dissonance I'm getting from watching the show after time in fic, and also because writers coming in with (oft overused) yr 1 fanon after 4 seasons tend to throw me out of their stories.

I poke and prod around a lot these days, trying to find good gen fics, and more often than not, stumble into them quite randomly. bellatemple, the same writer who gave us all the hilariously wonderful multimedia fic Dimensions and Verticals, has another series that's well worth a look. But Deadly is a 'verse that explores the canon AU premise of a mute Dean, and a John who burned instead of Mary. The main storyline follows the canon episodes very roughly, but told from the pov of well-drawn secondary characters and OCs. It gives a wonderful outsider look at the brothers' relationship, no less fraught than what's already there now, even as they're brought up mostly normal. The question will always be, how far can they really be removed from their destiny? Extra kudos to the author for threading in what canon has been hinting at for a long time, but has yet truly explored.

Wee!chester fics always breaks my heart, and this one did it so well too. From spn_summergen, author unknown atm, I Dunno Third Base has a Sam and Dean at ages nine and fourteen, stuck with a John who had a bad fall. The premise isn't an especially unusual one, I think, but the results are quite delicately brittle, in a good way, matter-of-fact. Not your usual cocky teen!Dean, but just another unsure kid with too much on his shoulders.

If you like Scrubs, thehighwaywoman's J2 AU Custard is the pitch perfect fusion. So very snappy and fun, fun, fun! I went, I read, and I snerked a lot. FYI, Jared's the frazzled resident, and Jensen's the snarky attending physician. See where it's going yet? Shoo!

In the art department, pentapus delivers yet another adorable piece, with thetruebard, in the form of Methos and River. Highlander/Firefly, whee! Command In Fancy Clothes is a short comic that'll bring a smile to anyone who's a fan of both series.

Side: For anyone who doesn't care about getting spoiled for new season titles, check out the title of Supernatural S4's episode 2, which is a different kind of special. It's making me dance in my underwear in glee and getting flashbacks. Woo!


*Also, an excuse to use my new icon. *coughs* At least until the squickiness of seeing more graphics made from the same series of pictures catch up with me. That smiley photo? Is starting to feel too damn private. *squirms on behalf of Jensen*

winterlive just posted Danse Fambeaux, a J2 (canon-ish) fic with a voodoo practicing Jared and family, and a clueless Jensen stumbling into things he cannot unknow and can barely understand. It's rich, thickly textured, with details that pulls you right into a very different world. There's a certain opaqueness about the characters' voices, but it somehow worked for me. Don't miss the music by Dr. John, which sets the perfect atmosphere, even if it was voodoo in the middle of Texas. guede_mazaka, I keep thinking about you when reading the fic ;)

spn_j2_bigbang has finally ended, but the one fic I've been really looking forward to, sanyin's The Pomegranate King, was never posted. There's consolation, however, in the fic art by taliosi_x, the cover which I especially love. In the meantime, my fingers are firmly crossed.

I'm finally getting back into the mood for reading Supernatural canon fic, and figured maybe keeping some distance from Wincest might be a good idea for a while. (Read: Low tolerance for too wide range of characterizations wrt justifying the incest. Sigh.) Because iamstealthyone is stealthy, ahem, I've never read her gen/het fics until now. That's a mistake that requires fixing, and her drabbles are a good place to start. They're each of them like so many different worlds and possibilities, slices of lives that range from the delightfully funny to hair-raising creepiness. Sustenance, a tale about the Winchesters through the years told through five cookbooks, was the first lengthier fic I've read, and it's just so very good.

Every fandom needs their transformation crack fics, and kroki_refur's recent Everything I Know About Marine Biology I Learned from My Brother was an absolute hoot. Do *not* miss the visual aids *g* And then, you know, as if the sea creatures aren't enough for you, Sam turned into a radish too, in sgt_psycho's Just Cause a Radish Can't Scream. Short and very adorable.

Now for some big_pink rereads, and finishing up Salvation 'verse. *cracks knuckles* *hums contentedly*

ETA: Is any of you the_secret_6 on last.fm?

The common fate of all by gretazreta, SPN, Sam/Dean, R.
Dean Winchester works in insurance: brought up in foster care, he’s never hunted, never fired a gun, and never owned a car. Then, one day, he meets a guy called Sam.

Ow. The good kind. Like being overwhelmed.

Sweet Dreams Remain by dark_reaction. J2, Jensen is bartender who has the shit luck of falling for a married man, or the cocktail waitress who ended Jared and Sandy's fabulous marriage.

WHAT. HEART EXPLODED. *bites lip hard* *makes stupid flaily noises* Courtship by cocktails.

And also: more Retriever 'verse in the same night. FANGIRL HEART CANNOT TAKE IT.

ETA: Because the night of the awesome fangirl esplodsions IS NOT ENDING. Happy pics of David Hewlett's wedding, and a shot from the fourth Fast & the Furious movie, Dom and Brian ride again! \o/

Looking a little chunky, but still lovely. I've yet to check in on the add-on's, but the speed is definitely a major plus.

Christian Bale is to play rebel leader John Connor in three sequels to the Terminator franchise

WHAT.

NIN has a new album available for free download, The Slip.

Coldplay also have a new song, Violet Hill, up for free download, available here. I liked it quite a lot, even though (or really, especially because) it's not their usual style.

ETA: Okay, late, whut? New Dark Knight trailer, with oodles of Harvey Dent and Joker. Oh me, oh my. (Careful, trailer loads immediately, and while the connection's fast, it's still about 21mb.) Nnnghn. (Also, need to catch Ironman asap, AAAAAAHHHH)

OH JARED WHY YOU GOTTA BE LIKE THAT? ( GUH )

By way of moonlash_cc, ad by Discovery:


It's too good not to share, I love it so much ♥ (And then Adam sets Jamie on fire \o/)

Insta!rec, really: Red Moon by sol_se

On the heels of the discussion on why John/Ronon isn't a more common pairing, this vid is almost like a godsend. Awesome song and clipping, and seeing how their lives echo each other makes me all squirmy happy inside. Hardly schmoopy, but man-back-slapping-ly sweet anyway. Two thumbs up, and this is going into my list of definitive SGA vids.


In home news, I'm contemplating packing a hairdryer. Load vs. looking unkempt and insane? Hm. (I'm assuming hotels will carry them, but we're mostly staying at hostels, so.)

Saw this picture a while ago, and it's too awesome not to share: ( Dench and Mirren, in an old fashioned getaway )

It was hardly ever a case of disinterest that kept me from Westerns. The honest truth is that I've never seen enough of them. There was The Lone Ranger from childhood, of course. The memory is vague, but it had obviously left an impression, because there's no reason otherwise to explain the attraction still: of gunslingers in dusty towns, whiskey rough voices and horses being ridden hard, pulling along runaway trains to the rescue, and galloping into the sunset.

Thus, I can hardly speak for 3:10 To Yuma from the viewpoint of the genre, much less be making comparisons to its original made in 1957 which I've never seen. All of that aside, this is still a solid piece of storytelling that had me captivated from beginning to end. (True fax: Saw it on a plane while aboard a short flight, subtitled in Chinese, soundless and on a tiny screen. My eyes never left it until the plane landed.)

Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a Civil War veteran who's struggling to keep his family together on a ranch in Arizona. It was a tough fight with the local authorities (or bullies, more like) who wants his land for the railroad, the drought making matters worse. While attempting to bring in his wayward cattle one day with his two sons, they came across a robbery led by infamous outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), taking down the coach transporting the railroad company's money. Wade's gang killed all but one travelling with the coach, bounty hunter Byron McElroy (Peter Fonda), and Wade let Evans and his sons go seeing as they were no threat.

It was a stroke of fate for Wade to linger in the nearby town of Bisbee for a bargirl, and for Evans to find him by chance, which led to Wade's capture. The locals were all for shooting Wade on sight, but Butterfield, who works for the railroad company, insisted that the outlaw be escorted to Contention, so Wade can be delivered for official arrest on the train at 3:10 to Yuma. He then enlists the help of McElroy, Tucker (Kevin Durand, Dark Angel), Doc Potter (Alan Tudyk, Firefly) as escorts. Evans offered his services for a fee. As the small group made their way to Contention, Evans' elder son, William, tails them. Not far behind is Ben Wade's gang, now headed by his 2IC Charlie Prince (Ben Foster, X-men 3, Six Feet Under).

The plot is straightforward enough, and the action that peppers the journey is well placed and gives the story steady momentum. It was, however, the characters' shifts and personality/motivational reveals that made the ride so interesting.

( Pardon the gush-- )

Giant, OMG-I-can-see-your-pores! hi-res images are my catnip. Thank fuck Supernatural's Repro Network media site is still around and delivering bombs.

LIKE THIS ONE. From 3x11, not especially spoilery, but ooooh, ooooooh! ( *COMES IN PANTS* )

At least it's the good kind of nuts. (Like hazelnuts. With chocolate. Mmmm.)

Robert Cooper answering questions on Mallozzi's blog made me cackle, cackle with glee. Just a quote:

Pauline writes: "After watching Doppelganger I felt cheated. ...I take it that when Sheppard was defibrillate at the end, that they meant just to administer an electric shock to his body. Because if they were trying to restart his heart they had the paddles a bit too low!!"

RCC: You say slight rehash I say evolution. Although, slight rehash is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. ...As far as the defibrillating not being high enough, Joe Flannigan didn’t want to take his shirt off. Something about causing too much squee? I didn’t get it myself but whatever.

Joe: You felt cheated? You're not going to ask for your money back, are you?

( And the following just had to be real, and recorded, dammit. ) All that, and other cracks. They all eat snark for breakfast. Yum.

Then there's finding out that SPN cast and crew read fanfic. Everything. I laughed and then I cringed and then I laughed. And then gained a strange kind of itch for Dean/Ellen.

ETA: For posterity's sake, happiest recap of Bad Day at Black Rock :DD

What? Fuck you, Previously-Awesome(-Or-So-I-Thought) Postal Service. You made me waste a day waiting at home in vain for a package you're supposed to be delivering. With items I've been waiting for months. They'd better not be missing or lost or goddamn anywhere else because I'll be on your ass like a demon Wraith-born on crack without lube and a plug three times the girth of Earth. *shakes puny fists*

And it's like what might be happening in the package now, Dean cozying up to Mal, in sevenfists' SPN/Firefly crossover Weight and Motion and all the other yummy stories in the same 'verse.

Because I can't leave without saying the following: Atlantis' and Heroes' season premieres are both ungodly YAY-inducing. I can't believe the Beard actually went on-screen.

Stuff made, over at sg_flyboys.

I DO THIS IN THE OFFICE.

*FEELS VINDICATED*