Happy Valentine's Day my dear readers! I hope that whatever your relationship status you truly do have a wonderful day. Remember, there are many different kinds of love out there, so if you don't have a special romantic valentine to share your day with, there's no need to be all grumpy and anti-love. Declare yourself your valentine and treat yourself to a fantastic evening of your favorite things. Or make a good friend your valentine and go out and have a good time together.
I have to say I am lucky enough to have found the love of my life and we have a nice low-key celebration planned for the evening. We're going to dinner with our daughter at one of our favorite restaurants and just plan to enjoy one another's company. I am very much looking forward to it.
I read an interesting Valentine's Day-inspired article on GeekMom yesterday. Geek Mom Delphine asserts her belief in every reader's right to fall in love with the characters in the books we read. I really couldn't agree with her more. I think a character so well written you can fall in love with him (or her) is the sign that a writer is doing something very, very right. After reading this post, I was inspired to come up with my own list of fictional valentines to share with you guys.
Harry Dresden
(The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher)
Harry is all kinds of awesome. He has his flaws, certainly, but he is a loyal friend and fiercely protective. He does what he believes is right and he always stands up to bullies, no matter the odds against him. He has a pretty solid sense of humor as well--freely joking about the time that one bad guy kidnapped him and tried to sell him on Ebay. Also, he's a wizard. And when he needed a way to stop necromancers, his weapon of choice was a reincarnated T-Rex. I mean, come on, how cool is that? Sadly though, it could never work out between us. My love of computers and gaming would not mix well with his effect on electronics I fear.
Araris Valarian
(Codex Alera by Jim Butcher)
Well, clearly JB is quite a talented writer. Araris is a very interesting character indeed to me, and he is a romantic, which wins him points. Araris was the most well-known swordsman in Alera, and singulare (body guard and friend) to the princeps Septimus before his death. When Septimus was killed in battle, leaving behind an unacknowledged wife and newborn son, Araris allowed himself to be disfigured with the coward's brand and presumed dead so that he could go into hiding with his friend's widow and son and keep them safe from the princeps' enemies. It's not his fault he fell in love with her, but he was a total gentleman about it, which makes their eventual romance all the more sweet.
Ostvel
(The Dragon Prince and The Dragon Star by Melanie Rawn)
Ostvel stuck me as an interesting character throughout the entire span of both of Rawn's trilogies. Not a Sunrunner, but living among them, and married to not one, but two, over the course of the narrative (his first wife died due to illness), he carried with him a perspective on the group that not many others in the series possessed. He was forever surrounded by people of power (Sunrunners and nobility), but he always remained a very straightforward and simple man, even when Rohan gave him is own princedom to run. The guy was just plain cool. If he was real, he would be the first friend I would turn to in any sort of crisis, no matter how big or small, and I would never hesitate to confide in him. Plus, he just seems like a pretty fun guy to hang out with.
Bardan Jusik
(Star Wars Republic Commando by Karen Traviss)
Oh man, Bardan. I think I've told you before he's probably now my favorite Jedi of all time. Mostly because he had the guts to look at the Jedi Order and see it for what it was--neither good nor bad, just stagnant, and willing to let itself be used and compromise its morals because it thought doing so would serve the greater good. The man has a conscience, which, dagnabbit is just sexy. Also, he didn't stop being a user of the Force just because he walked away from the order, and he was constantly looking within himself to keep himself from being tempted by the dark side, while still allowing himself to have the kind of life that most Jedi deny themselves. It's hard not to love a man who is willing to give up the only way of life he's ever known for his family. Not for some half-baked romance, mind you, but for his actual family.
Lord John Grey
(The Outlander and Lord John Grey by Diana Gabaldan)
Okay, this maybe is a bit of a stretch, since he definitely plays for the other team. But John Grey is an absolutely fascinating character. He falls in love with a man who clearly prefers women, in a time when homosexuality is definitely something that needs to be kept hidden. Instead of pining about his unrequited love, he gets on with his life, while remaining a silent pillar of support for the man who has captured his heart. He is a true gentleman, in every sense of the word, and it's hard not to love him a little bit.
So there's my top five literary valentines for you. Delphine actually threw in one in her blog that was from a movie, Obi Wan Kenobi as portrayed by Ewan MacGregor in The Revenge of the Sith and I have to say I am totally in agreement with her on that. That particular role made me fall in love with MacGregor as an actor and with Obi Wan as a character. It is not easy to make a stuffed shirt like Obi Wan sexy, but MacGregor somehow managed to pull it off, and whatever lingering reticence I might have been having about being a Star Wars fangirl was completely quashed when I realized that while watching The Revenge of the Sith for the first time.
Other honorable mentions include:
Oz the werewolf from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (he is just cool in every sense of the word).
Charlie Weasley from Harry Potter (a British ginger who loves dragons? I mean, come on).
Alistair from Dragon Age: Origins (a cute, super sweet, slightly naive, prince in disguise with a wonderful sense of humor and all kinds of loyalty and courage to boot? Um, heck yeah.)
So, who are your imaginary valentines?
Showing posts with label Outlander. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Outlander. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday is Your Friend
Howdy, folks!
Just a few quick reminders for you:
I will, of course, have my Stargate write-up for you tomorrow. Speaking of Stargate, I found out today that there is a series of comic books out about the SG-1 character Vala Mal Doran (fabulously portrayed by Claudia Black). It gives a glimpse into some of her back story, which, given that it's Vala, has got to be pretty interesting. Geek With Curves did a write-up of the series here. I so far have been able to stay away from the Stargate comic books (I know, I don't really know why either), but I think with this I might have to cave in. It looks like the first four issues are out and a trade paperback collection of them is due out next month, so I went ahead and preordered it. I will definitely let you know how it is.
Speaking of Stargate reading material, I don't know if you are familiar with the Stargate novels that Fandemonium has been putting out, but they are mostly pretty fantastic. They've got a pretty good batch of writers who are familiar enough with the shows and their mythology that usually each book feels just like its own stand alone episode. There are a few hit or miss moments here or there sometimes--usually when someone doesn't get a character quite right or an author that is clearly much more familiar with SG-1 takes a stab at an Atlantis story and doesn't quite get all of the Pegasus nuances down. But still, I highly recommend these books for anyone who misses SG-1 or Atlantis and is looking for new adventures of a better quality (or with less, um, monkey business) than fan fiction. Which isn't to say I don't love me some Stargate fan fiction, but these are better, trust me.
My only really big bone of contention with these books is that they have got some serious kinks going on in their marketing/distribution system. See, in order to keep up enthusiasm in between book releases, they'll go ahead and announce new titles well before they have finished the publication process. They'll even have them up for preorder on Amazon. This is cool and all, except that when there are delays, you're sitting there waiting for your book that you preordered and it doesn't come for another month or three or twelve. The SGA title Brimstone, for example, was initially slated to come out in March or May of 2008, and I preordered it on Amazon two days before its scheduled release date. But apparently there was some sort of glitch in the approval process, and well, you know what, it still hasn't come out. I tend to hop on Amazon once or twice a year and just preorder any of the new books that they have showing available--but after all of the delays from the last batch I swore to myself that I would never do that again. I would just wait until each book was actually in stock to order it. But, I am kind of addicted to preordering, and also, apparently, a masochist. So after I finished the most recent stack of Stargate books in my reading pile, I went ahead and preordered all of the ones that were available to preorder. Sigh. So, when I got three emails today from Amazon telling me that there had been a delay in my order and that some items would be arriving later than originally expected, was I surprised? Not really. I can't even be mad about it any more, but still. I wish they could get their act together, because honestly, that have a really good thing going.
On the bright side, it isn't as if I don't have plenty to read while I wait for those to finally come out, do I?
And that's just my pile of books to read. And despite my attempts to whittle my way through it, it keeps getting bigger. I keep saying, oh, no, I won't buy any more books, but really, how can you not buy more books if you're a bibliophile? I am lucky that my husband is not only a patient man, but also an understanding one who happens to have the same problem. Man, and those Outlander books? When I get to those, I'm going to have to reread the first three in the series first anyway, because I haven't read them since the start of 2009, and I'll need to refresh my memory. AND I'll have to take a break in whatever I am reading next month when the new Wheel of Time book comes out, because that is an immediate must-read, of course. And I guess I shouldn't complain too much about the lack of Stargate books, because fourth and fifth down from the top on the right are actually two more Stargate books. Hmm. Time to stop complaining, Cori.
Right, moving on. So, it's Tuesday, yay! That means a new webisode of The Guild, huzzah! Sadly, it's the season finale, but that just means that Felicia Day and crew are hard at work on making a new season now, so I am trying to not be too sad about the end of season four. It's not that hard, because today's episode was AWESOME. Check it out here.
There's also a new webisode of Legend of Neil. For those of you unfamiliar with that series, it follows slacker Neil who is "magically" transported into the original The Legend of Zelda game. It is not for the easily offended, but I for one find it extremely hilarious. It manages to make fun of video games and video gamers in a loving way that you realize is really a tribute to us and an acknowledgment of how far video games have come since the original Zelda. The current season is actually the last--but I am okay with that. I think American show makers have a lot to learn about just telling a story and ending it where appropriate, rather than stretching it out as long as possible. I would rather have three outstanding seasons of this series than six or eight mediocre seasons. You can check out the newest episode here. Kill Link!
And, lastly, I shall close with...crochet! Yay! This past Saturday my husband and I attended the wedding of one of the guys he is in a band with (Holy Moly, they are awesome, check them out), and so of course I made the happy couple a blanket for their wedding present. Instead of going with an actual blanket pattern this time, I went to my pattern book and picked out a cool stitch pattern and used that. The stitch I picked out is called Diamond Mesh, and I would love to give you a link to it, but I can't, because my copy of the pattern is a photocopy from a pattern book and I don't know what pattern book it came from. Boo me, I know. But, here is what the stitch looks like:
And here is the entire blanket:
And that's all I've got for you. Enjoy your Tuesdays! Oh, and if you're looking for something to watch before Stargate and Caprica, there's a new episode of Glee on Fox. It looks like they are doing their version of Only the Good Die Young, which is one of my top five favorite songs of all time, yay!
Just a few quick reminders for you:
There's a new episode of Stargate Universe on tonight!
(Syfy @ 8 p.m. CST)
Caprica is finally back with new episodes right after Stargate!!
I will, of course, have my Stargate write-up for you tomorrow. Speaking of Stargate, I found out today that there is a series of comic books out about the SG-1 character Vala Mal Doran (fabulously portrayed by Claudia Black). It gives a glimpse into some of her back story, which, given that it's Vala, has got to be pretty interesting. Geek With Curves did a write-up of the series here. I so far have been able to stay away from the Stargate comic books (I know, I don't really know why either), but I think with this I might have to cave in. It looks like the first four issues are out and a trade paperback collection of them is due out next month, so I went ahead and preordered it. I will definitely let you know how it is.
Speaking of Stargate reading material, I don't know if you are familiar with the Stargate novels that Fandemonium has been putting out, but they are mostly pretty fantastic. They've got a pretty good batch of writers who are familiar enough with the shows and their mythology that usually each book feels just like its own stand alone episode. There are a few hit or miss moments here or there sometimes--usually when someone doesn't get a character quite right or an author that is clearly much more familiar with SG-1 takes a stab at an Atlantis story and doesn't quite get all of the Pegasus nuances down. But still, I highly recommend these books for anyone who misses SG-1 or Atlantis and is looking for new adventures of a better quality (or with less, um, monkey business) than fan fiction. Which isn't to say I don't love me some Stargate fan fiction, but these are better, trust me.
My only really big bone of contention with these books is that they have got some serious kinks going on in their marketing/distribution system. See, in order to keep up enthusiasm in between book releases, they'll go ahead and announce new titles well before they have finished the publication process. They'll even have them up for preorder on Amazon. This is cool and all, except that when there are delays, you're sitting there waiting for your book that you preordered and it doesn't come for another month or three or twelve. The SGA title Brimstone, for example, was initially slated to come out in March or May of 2008, and I preordered it on Amazon two days before its scheduled release date. But apparently there was some sort of glitch in the approval process, and well, you know what, it still hasn't come out. I tend to hop on Amazon once or twice a year and just preorder any of the new books that they have showing available--but after all of the delays from the last batch I swore to myself that I would never do that again. I would just wait until each book was actually in stock to order it. But, I am kind of addicted to preordering, and also, apparently, a masochist. So after I finished the most recent stack of Stargate books in my reading pile, I went ahead and preordered all of the ones that were available to preorder. Sigh. So, when I got three emails today from Amazon telling me that there had been a delay in my order and that some items would be arriving later than originally expected, was I surprised? Not really. I can't even be mad about it any more, but still. I wish they could get their act together, because honestly, that have a really good thing going.
On the bright side, it isn't as if I don't have plenty to read while I wait for those to finally come out, do I?
 |
| Read us, Cori, please--before the dragon gets to us! |
And that's just my pile of books to read. And despite my attempts to whittle my way through it, it keeps getting bigger. I keep saying, oh, no, I won't buy any more books, but really, how can you not buy more books if you're a bibliophile? I am lucky that my husband is not only a patient man, but also an understanding one who happens to have the same problem. Man, and those Outlander books? When I get to those, I'm going to have to reread the first three in the series first anyway, because I haven't read them since the start of 2009, and I'll need to refresh my memory. AND I'll have to take a break in whatever I am reading next month when the new Wheel of Time book comes out, because that is an immediate must-read, of course. And I guess I shouldn't complain too much about the lack of Stargate books, because fourth and fifth down from the top on the right are actually two more Stargate books. Hmm. Time to stop complaining, Cori.
Right, moving on. So, it's Tuesday, yay! That means a new webisode of The Guild, huzzah! Sadly, it's the season finale, but that just means that Felicia Day and crew are hard at work on making a new season now, so I am trying to not be too sad about the end of season four. It's not that hard, because today's episode was AWESOME. Check it out here.
There's also a new webisode of Legend of Neil. For those of you unfamiliar with that series, it follows slacker Neil who is "magically" transported into the original The Legend of Zelda game. It is not for the easily offended, but I for one find it extremely hilarious. It manages to make fun of video games and video gamers in a loving way that you realize is really a tribute to us and an acknowledgment of how far video games have come since the original Zelda. The current season is actually the last--but I am okay with that. I think American show makers have a lot to learn about just telling a story and ending it where appropriate, rather than stretching it out as long as possible. I would rather have three outstanding seasons of this series than six or eight mediocre seasons. You can check out the newest episode here. Kill Link!
And, lastly, I shall close with...crochet! Yay! This past Saturday my husband and I attended the wedding of one of the guys he is in a band with (Holy Moly, they are awesome, check them out), and so of course I made the happy couple a blanket for their wedding present. Instead of going with an actual blanket pattern this time, I went to my pattern book and picked out a cool stitch pattern and used that. The stitch I picked out is called Diamond Mesh, and I would love to give you a link to it, but I can't, because my copy of the pattern is a photocopy from a pattern book and I don't know what pattern book it came from. Boo me, I know. But, here is what the stitch looks like:
 |
| Diamond Mesh |
And here is the entire blanket:
 |
| Diamond Mesh Blanket by Cori (2010) |
And that's all I've got for you. Enjoy your Tuesdays! Oh, and if you're looking for something to watch before Stargate and Caprica, there's a new episode of Glee on Fox. It looks like they are doing their version of Only the Good Die Young, which is one of my top five favorite songs of all time, yay!
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