White not-Christmas-so-much

[fan_elune]

It's snowed! The garden is all white! ...and of course I'm going back to Paris, which means muddy snow (there's a word for it, I know there is... slug? slush? yes, slush) at best. Would it really have killed the weather gods to have it snow a couple days earlier, so we did get a white Christmas for once? *pouts*

Am catching the 2:50 train back to Paris, during which I shall not watch the Christmas Invasion, as I'm waiting for Joey, which is a big damn proof of my love really. I might watch some more Rome (rant upcoming), or that CSI:NY episode I downloaded because James Badge Dale is in it and I missed him in 24 Day Four, or write those drabbles I've promised people. Which, let's recap: one Harry/Remus (squick!! but shall do my best), one Vaughn/Sark (what is it with people asking me for slash? and not even of the pairings I actually ship? I write het and gen too, people!), and one Simon/Mal. Add to that the Chaucer ficlet I still owe the_grynne (no, I haven't forgotten!). Anything else? Come on, guys. Prompt me on more obscure, less written-about fandoms too, will you? Or tertiary characters you barely see in the big fandoms. Blaise Zabini and Dean Thomas deserve their drabble! Glorfindel! Scott Hope! Or, you know, whoever else. I feel like exploring things for the most part unexplored so far.

Finally, let's rant about Rome. This show rocks. And it's so crude at times. And there is much Puresex nudity. (James Purefoy, guys. Do you still not know who he is? I feel for you.) And it's just - well, it's an HBO show. Some of those characters are just... kudos to Octavian (played by Lord Blakeney, the kid that loses an arm in Master & Commander?), who is chillingly sensible and I heart him so very badly. Mark Anthony (Puresex) I obviously love, and not just because of James - he's everything I love. A warrior that enjoys good life, good shags, good food, good wine, and whose honour is the most unseizable thing - does he or doesn't he have any? You'd say not, until someone assumes he doesn't, and then he does the honourable thing - just out of contradiction? Who knows. *loveslovesloves* And, of course, my favourites, Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus. The best male friendship portrayed on screen ever, and it's so ripe for slashing except I don't even want to because they're just so. Good. Just the way they are. And Titus keeps breaking my heart lately, who'd have thought! Also, Brutus. For some reason I adore Brutus. And Attia is rather fascinating, although I'm incredibly glad she isn't my mother. I wonder whether we will see more of Cleopatra, too, which I dearly hope, especially since she has had no scene with Mark Anthony just yet.

Also, there are some very attractive men and incredibly beautiful women on this show. The way they shoot those bodies... good camera work. And sex work. You know.

Let's finish up with some Titus-and-Lucius goodness:

Titus, when Lucius asks him for advice on how to make his wife love him: When you couple with her, there's a spot just above her cunny, it's like a little button. Now... attend to that button, and she will open up, like a flower.
Lucius: ...how do you know this about her?
Titus: All woman have them! Ask anyone!

Comments

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

I haven't forgotten about the Jonesy ficlet either! *g* First, though, I need to get my SeSan fics out of the way.

Ah, Rome. Now that the incredibly sad (sad-pathetic) British mini "Empire" (also about JC and Octavian and Antony) is showing here, and I can compare it to Rome, I'm loving Rome even more than before, if that's possible. I've been reading about Octavian, and the casting for him really couldn't havebeen more perfect. I'm really looking forward to the second season -- when Puresex (hehe) is pitted against Octavian, and we'll see some real ruthlessness from both of them.

I love the Vorenus/Pullo duo so much, as well. Love their everyman-ness, the uncertainties they face, which really gives you a sense of how volatile and politically dangerous a place Rome was during these civil wars, not just for the people jostling for power, but for every citizens, especially the soldiers.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

*wonders how she could possibly overlook answering that comment*

I saw a trailer for Empire the other day, while in the middle of Rome, and for half a second I wondered whether it was a stupid translation of Rome (sometimes the way we translate titles is quite, quite beyond me), and a few images later made it abundantly clear that I really did not want to be watching it. Especially not after Rome.

I know so little about those times, apart from what Shakespeare did with the characters. I did not even realise we'd get Octavian vs. Mark Anthony, which, duh. My brain can be slow on the uptake sometimes, clearly. I'm very much looking forward to that, then. Has a second season been greenlighted then? I heard it might not happen because, despite its success, the show was costing HBO entirely too much. That would be a shame.

Exactly, yes, that's also why they're so good. They're just those two guys, their "everyman-ness" is it exactly. And their character arcs are simply amazing. Where Lucius's honour and moral code takes him, and how much Titus learns... The scene in the arena had me on the edge of my seat and possibly shedding a tear or two dammit I'm so easy when I realised that they might just kill him. They might just. And his loyalty to the thirteenth, now, after everything... hard to believe this is the same man that was flogged and imprisoned in the first episode. There's nothing like a battle lost in advance, and almost won, to get to me. And the fact that I actually believed it was possible that Lucius would just let him be killed... chilling, and heartwrenching, and oh how I love those boys.

And I might just be ranting, sorry. *shuts self up*

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

God, I knew nothing about that particular period (hadn't even read the play), so after I discovered I just loved the character of Octavian I went hunting for books about it -- which is what I normally do. John William's award winning novel "Augustus" is really splendid, by the way. His characterisation of Antony I believe might have been the basis for Puresex; he has Antony addressing people by "me cock" and everything. Before the reading I did, I only knew Augustus was the Emperor when JC was crucified (I also hunted down non-fiction books on Pontius Pilate after I saw The Passion of the Christ).

The second season starts production in 2006, and it'll be shown on HBO in 2007 -- why the long wait, I don't know. I'm sad that they'll probably have to replace Max Pirkis because he wouldn't be old enough to portray Octavian as a 19-to-mid-twenties year old, which is presumably the period they're going to cover in s2.

I still haven't seen episodes 7-12. *is sad* They were mailed to me almost a month ago and I think the postal service have lost the damn package.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Such is the power of Bowie? ;)
You're certainly making me want to give Augustus a try, in any case. I'll see if I ever come across it.

And hurray! That's very good news.

Ha! But... no! You need to. ...I could burn them for you, and mail them. But they're not the best quality ever and, in a rather interesting way, they have Spanish subtitles. No, I don't speak Spanish. But it was the most active torrent I could find with the whole season. Anyway. I'll do it if you want it, it would be my pleasure to spread the Rome goodness.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

You still have the episodes? *smooches* Well, I'll give the postal service the benefit of the doubt for a few more weeks (because it's not just that package, it's a lot of other stuff that for whatever reason i'm not getting) and if it never comes I'll take you up on your very generous offer. Thank you. Sooo much. *g*

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm not throwing that series away... until I can get it on DVD, that is. I hope they'll have good extras. Let me know if you want them! Don't forget!