Wednesday...
May. 8th, 2008 04:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fajrdrakoI'm becoming more and more eager to get my new computer. This one is giving me mild but accellerating trouble; if I suddenly disappear from LJ or online, it would be because of that. How long will it take to cross over from one computer to the next? I don't know.
Went to Von's for lunch with Marion, Vicky and
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maaseru today. Had a lovely time, except that maaseru became ill. I worry.Watched Cranford and enjoyed it well enough, but without much sense of engagement. Also watched the first episode of The Invisibles because it stars Anthony Head and Jenny Agutter. Didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped; it has good moments but the overall story didn't interest me much. Am I in an off-mood, or what? Or just pining for more Torchwood? Suffering mid-week blues because I've seen last week's Doctor Who and don't have next week's episode yet?
I did a lot of computer clean-up and computer desk clean-up, including listing addreses of friends and relatives - a job that never seems urgent enough, or quick enough, to pay much attention to, but which is most useful and important.
Writing my apazine, too. Slowly (very slowly) but surely.
And - despite my current physical difficulties - I managed to frame a picture of Captain Jack Harkness and Captain John Hart from the Torchwood magazine, and put it on my bathroom wall.
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Date: 2008-05-08 09:12 pm (UTC)Yay, picture! Congratulations!
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Date: 2008-05-08 10:02 pm (UTC)You're making real progress: if anything, you were more productive today than I was, and I don't have the ankle! Keep going on that apazine and it'll be finished in another few days, well in advance.
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Date: 2008-05-08 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-09 12:26 am (UTC)The new monitor is magnificent. The only hitch so far: there's no one to remove the old monitor from my desk, so my computer desk is kind of overburdened at the moment! Ah well, sooner or later someone with the mobility and strength to do something about it will come around.
Meanwhile... what a great screen.
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Date: 2008-05-09 12:29 am (UTC)if anything, you were more productive today than I was, and I don't have the ankle!
Aww - I find that hard to believe, but it's a nice thought! My leather sofa is covered in debris, but I like to think I have a handle on my mess even if it's messier than it was. (What was
Keep going on that apazine and it'll be finished in another few days, well in advance
I didn't have any time to work on it today because I was copying Torchwood for Harry. I can probably do more tomorrow. At least I've started!
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Date: 2008-05-09 12:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-09 12:44 am (UTC)Fact which occured to me whilst walking in the saltmarsh with the dog this evening: in "Adam", when Jack asks them to find the thing that makes them who they are, remember? Gwen = love, Tosh = skill, Owen = bitterness or lack of love or or something, Ianto = love. Jack is left with the ones who are defined by love. (And positions Ianto as Gwen's equal in the "heart" department.) Did we ever learn what Jack used on himself?
What's an apazine?
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Date: 2008-05-09 12:59 am (UTC)Yes. I want more... more... more.
Gwen = love, Tosh = skill, Owen = bitterness or lack of love or or something, Ianto = love. Jack is left with the ones who are defined by love.
Good point. Interesting thematically in terms of Jack's values: love seems to be central for him. (More than sex. Way more. Not that he doesn't love sex.)
Did we ever learn what Jack used on himself?
No, I don't think so - though maybe it's an excuse to watch that one again, to see if I can guess or if I missed a clue.
What's an apazine?
The apa I'm in has a website that answers that very question! (http://www.apaplexy.org/) It's a sort of LiveJournal in print form...!
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Date: 2008-05-09 01:06 am (UTC)Aha! excellent. No bathroom ever has too much of either of these two.
Okay -- apa collation coming up? Let me see, April 5, plus six weeks, equals... oh, crap. Well, guess something made it slip my mind. But I can't actually recall anything momentous having happened in the past month and a half... can you? Clear skies all the way! Goodness me, but it's been a slow spring so far.
I got out of the car at my dad's place (i.e., the house where I grew up) and breathed pure perfume: my two lilacs, planted about 18 years ago and now about twelve feet tall, are in almost-full bloom. They are medium-dark purple, like the old-fashioned sort of lilac that you find at random spots in overgrown lots beside old house foundations. And the ground between them was covered by white blossoms... apple tree blossoms. Covered. It was all quite beautiful.
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Date: 2008-05-09 01:16 am (UTC)Mm, it's sad that Owen defined himself by a negative. And frankly, I'd be terrified if someone told me that they defined themselves by their love for me. O__O That's quite a responsibility, especially when that person is an emotional boiler room like Ianto.
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Date: 2008-05-09 01:18 am (UTC)I think not! I put it up on place of the picture of Captain Jack walking with the Doctor from "The Sound of Drums". (Doctor Who episode 3x13.) It's still my favourite pairing but I didn't like that story arc - because of it being my favourite pairing - so it's fun to have Captain John there instead. I already have a picture of the Ninth Doctor (with Rose) and Ten on his own.
A slow six weeks? Tell me about it! I'm picturing my text now: "Lay staring at the ceiling. [Detailed description of ceiling.] Read. Slept. Read some more. Watched Buffy. Slept." - and so on....
Your lilacs sounds wonderful! I saw lilacs today, not quite in bloom yet, but almost. Another few days, probably. Maybe on the weekend. I must try to get out somehow.
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Date: 2008-05-09 01:27 am (UTC)Me? I contribute all the time - just about every issue, and usually at least 8 pages. I write about the same sorts of things as in LiveJournal - reviews, comments about life, things going on in the world - though I generally try to avoid politics. And I write comments to the other members of the apa about whatever they have been talking about. We all like to point out what's wrong with the world and what should be done about it.
That's quite a responsibility, especially when that person is an emotional boiler room like Ianto.
I think Jack is well aware of this - and it makes for an interesting balance to the relationship. I think Ianto has brought back Jack's sense of fun, and that's good for him. But there is still something of the loose cannon about Ianto.
I think also that it's interesting to see Ianto make Jack the centre of his universe the way Jack made the Doctor the centre of his universe. And that for Jack this doesn't involve following the Doctor on the TARDIS but following his values. Is Ianto similarly absorbing Jack's values?
I love the way Ianto seems protective of Jack in "Exit Wounds".
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Date: 2008-05-09 02:06 am (UTC)The arboretum here has hundreds of lilacs, of all colors and varieties. Each year when the blooms are at peak they have Lilac Sunday, and everybody brings a picnic and lollygags on the soft grass. It's just intoxicating to bury your face in bloom after bloom.
lilacs
Date: 2008-05-09 02:19 am (UTC)Aren't they wonderful? And they smell so good.
Each year when the blooms are at peak they have Lilac Sunday, and everybody brings a picnic and lollygags on the soft grass.
I would love to do that. How beautiful! Usually I get to experience a lot of lilacs as I walk to work along Queen Elizabeth Drive. Sadly, this spring I am not walking, and not going to work, and so not seeing or inhaling the lilacs. But I'm sure I can get out of doors to experience them somehow!
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Date: 2008-05-09 02:23 am (UTC)Is Ianto similarly absorbing Jack's values?
We talked about this before the season ended, and now that we've got all we're going to get for a while, I think the answer is No. Not really. Ianto is naturally a deeply moral* young man, but young enough that his passions still get the better of him. I think he's still just an acolyte, not a disciple. He has yet to live up to his own values, but Jack gives him a "sure foundation", to quote a hymn and tickle the whole Redeemer!Jack theme. He's trying.
*Deeply moral. I stand by that even though he prostituted himself to Jack in a surprisingly nonmetaphorical way. That was the act of a cornered and wounded animal.
ETA:
About protecting Jack. That also is his nature. What he did for love of Lisa was actually not sane, so we know he would gladly kill for Jack.
Re: lilacs
Date: 2008-05-09 02:28 am (UTC)I grew up in New Hampshire, where the state flower is the lilac. The state song begins
I want to wake up in the morning where the purple lilacs grow
:-)
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Date: 2008-05-09 02:52 am (UTC)Ianto is a delightfully complex character. I'd like to think that whatever is 'festering' in his soul is both benign and fairly normal - that is, the kind of ambition and desire felt by lost, clever, emotional people who are finding their way. Anyone with Ianto's degree of feeling has something underneath the obvious.
Ianto is naturally a deeply moral* young man
Yes. I agree.
even though he prostituted himself to Jack in a surprisingly nonmetaphorical way
For a cause he would have done anything for. This is in testimony of his strong morals, not contradicting them.
That was the act of a cornered and wounded animal.
Yes - desperation. He had no limits on what he could or would do for his objectives. And at the same time - he wasn't indifferent to Jack, he was never oblivious of what he was doing.
young enough that his passions still get the better of him.
It may not be because he is young (though he is). He may always be like that.
I think he's still just an acolyte, not a disciple.
I think... there is every indication that he loves Jack and would do anything to support Jack. Sometimes he acts against Jack's will or Jack's orders, such as in telling Gwen about the island in "Adrift". Thought he is committed to Torchwood and its work, I'm not sure how much of the 'big picture' Ianto has any concept of.
He has yet to live up to his own values
I'm not sure he's found his own values, but meanwhile he's happy to borrow Jack's - at least to some extent.
but Jack gives him a "sure foundation"
Which he seems to need. While he gives Jack certain things Jack needs: affection, a sense of fun, support. What else?
Re: lilacs
Date: 2008-05-09 02:54 am (UTC)How lovely! Our provincial flower is the trillium, which I also love. But you seldom see them in the city.
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Date: 2008-05-09 03:48 am (UTC)We agree, but a point could be made that by doing such a violence to himself he strayed from morality. Just wanted to see if you'd make it. ;-)
It's a conundrum: moral suicide in service of a greater good which is in turn wrong. Oh God, the poor lost boy. What a mess. :-(
I'm not convinced Ianto particularly cares about the big picture. He'd probably be just as happy in the rare book department at the Library of Congress.
What else he gives Jack: he believes in the man that Jack would like to be. When Jack sees the love in Ianto's eyes, it's love of a Jack that Jack isn't certain of yet, I'm sure of it. And yet Ianto is not mistaken.
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Date: 2008-05-09 04:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-09 12:26 pm (UTC)Yes, and he might make that point himself. Which might be interesting to play with.
Oh God, the poor lost boy. What a mess.
Yes, that's our Ianto. Makes him fun to play with.
He'd probably be just as happy in the rare book department at the Library of Congress.
Good point. He cared about Lisa; that brought him into Jack's orbit, and Jack cares about the big picture. Ianto is struggling to see it.
he believes in the man that Jack would like to be.
Oh, yes, very good point. He can see his measure of success mirrored in Ianto's eyes.
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Date: 2008-05-09 12:27 pm (UTC)LOL - I fear the operative word in that sentence might be the 'insane' part. But... 'insane' in the nicest possible way!
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Date: 2008-05-09 02:55 pm (UTC)I rewatched part of "Adam" the other day, and was struck by how determined mindraped!Ianto was to keep the others safe from himself. Even as he was recounting his murderous glee to Jack, there was a large part of him untouched by Adam --untouchable?-- who wept with horror for his imagined crimes.
He forgot himself less than the others.
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Date: 2008-05-09 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-09 05:31 pm (UTC)Uh-huh. Even with what Adam did to him... he was being protective. And never lost sight of his own sense of horror. Which in itself was a clue (to Jack) that the memory was unreal - not that Jack had any doubts about that.
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Date: 2008-05-09 06:15 pm (UTC)Even after Adam gave him the memory of intense pleasure in the act.
He's my boy. *snuggles*
I never did figure out what that kiss was all about. A bit of sexual violation to go with the mental violation? Domination? Something else?
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Date: 2008-05-09 06:24 pm (UTC)Yes. He could remember that - and that made it all the more horrible to him - but he didn't relate to it. Which is quite wonderful, as Jack understands.
A bit of sexual violation to go with the mental violation? Domination?
I took it as such, and just generally Adam's predatory nature - possibly also a sign of his desire/need to connect?
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Date: 2008-05-09 06:49 pm (UTC)Thank God for Retcon.
I always wonder where actors find their tears, you know? Are they honestly in the moment, or is there some trick or memory that they have to use to make themselves cry?
Was Ianto's first kill one of those grim reaper weirdos? I can't think of another one. If so, that's a huge psychological milestone they let slip with only a bit of humor.
Sorry: I'm a quart low on Ianto today.
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Date: 2008-05-09 09:16 pm (UTC)By "him" you mean Jack?
Really quite a sickening scene.
It is.
Are they honestly in the moment, or is there some trick or memory that they have to use to make themselves cry?
I suspect they are in the moment. But I don't know. I should ask a few actors.
Was Ianto's first kill one of those grim reaper weirdos?
Um... I'm not sure. Good question. Tie in (I think) with the difficulty he has in shooting Blowfish: killing is really hard for him. Unless it's killing someone to protect Jack - I think he finds that easier. Or at least incentive.
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Date: 2008-05-09 09:38 pm (UTC)People/whatevers that Ianto didn't kill, even though he was brought to the point of it one way or another:
Lisa
Pizza Girl
Jack
Blowfish
John Hart
(I believe him when he says he was aiming for Owen's shoulder.)
The weevils and the reapers he killed in the last ep were tied up with losing Jack and the destruction of Cardiff.
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Date: 2008-05-10 04:07 am (UTC)Yes. I really love that scene.
Lisa
I've always wondered how close he was there - at least, when he raised the gun to the Pizza Girl/Liza hybrid, then turned away.
I believe him re Owen's shoulder also. Though the canon hasn't quite proved it yet, I believe that (with Jack as teacher) Ianto is really a superb marksman - but he doesn't like guns and isn't comfortable with them. The stun gun was a compromise.
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Date: 2008-05-11 12:59 am (UTC)That's the conclusion I came to after seeing him kick ass and take names in "Meat". He's certainly not hesitant to fight, so it's the deadly force that troubles him. Which again tells Jack all he needs to know about SerialKiller!Ianto.
Marksmanship: I have no doubt that like anything else Ianto sets his hand to, he is expert.
That he knows his power and refrains from exercising it makes him dangerous. I like that. Underestimate the teaboy at your own peril.
I'm not sure he was close at all to killing Pizza Lisa. He knew he had to, and he was trying; he even got to the point of saying goodbye, but I think that he even if he had to kill Lisa he felt he had no right to kill Pizza Girl. But that's just my guess. I wonder how Ianto would be different if he had gone through with it? What would we think of him? What would Jack think of him? Could he live with himself if he had?
*sigh*
Uncle Rusty, we're pickin' on the bones of the picnic, here.
Is it August yet? Are they filming? It's August, and they're filming, and we'll be getting set reports really soon, right?
I hope it's a full season and none of this mini-season baloney I've been hearing. If 13 episodes isn't near enough, how is five episodes going to be anything more than a torment? *gnaws knuckles*
Random aside: gnaws. knuckles. Two words that have lost their initial consonant sounds over the years. Love it. *guhnaws kanuckles*
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Date: 2008-05-11 01:46 am (UTC)Guns are formidable. I can understand his hesitation.
This being said, I know what I think he needs. More training and practice in the shooting gallery with Captain Jack. Jack aligning his body. Jack holding his hand over the holster. Jack cupping his hand around the trigger. Jack whispering encouragement in his year.
Which again tells Jack all he needs to know about SerialKiller!Ianto.
A creature that could not exist.
I wonder how Ianto would be different if he had gone through with it? What would we think of him?
My guess is that he couldn't have done it - it would have broken him. Or he's have done it because he had to, and have killed himself afterwards. Or... maybe he was strong enough to survive, but the psychic price would be horrendously high. Better that it happened as it did, I think. He could forgive Jack and the others. I don't think he could have forgiven himself.
It's August, and they're filming, and we'll be getting set reports really soon, right?
Time is relative. (Where's that TARDIS?)
If 13 episodes isn't near enough, how is five episodes going to be anything more than a torment?
But... a good torment. Maybe they'll do two five-episode stories. Or three.
Gnawing. Yes.
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Date: 2008-05-11 02:51 am (UTC)Sweet screaming monkeys, YES. That was just about the sexiest thing I ever saw: how much sexier with Jack and Ianto? Factor of 10. Oh my God.
Jack pulling Ianto's hips and shoulders into his own... Jack tracing a line down Ianto's right arm to bring his hand up straight...
Gah.
I'm pretty sure they wouldn't get much practice in before nature got the best of them.
Say, do you know why they all do the two-handed hold on their guns? I am ignorant of all things gunnish, but I notice different styles of holding them.
Speaking of "Cyberwoman" and suicide, GDL said something that took me by surprise: that filming the kiss with John was hard because he had to not breathe the whole time. Ianto was dead?!
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Date: 2008-05-11 03:47 am (UTC)Yes.
how much sexier with Jack and Ianto? Factor of 10.
At least.
Jack pulling Ianto's hips and shoulders into his own... Jack tracing a line down Ianto's right arm to bring his hand up straight...
Eee. Yes. Inspirational, isn't it?
I'm pretty sure they wouldn't get much practice in before nature got the best of them.
So... they would just have to spend more time at it.
do you know why they all do the two-handed hold on their guns? I am ignorant of all things gunnish, but I notice different styles of holding them.
Dramatic effect? That stance and hold has (I believe) two advantages; it keeps the gun from wobbling so the aim is better, and it gives the shooter a stable stance against recoil.
that filming the kiss with John was hard because he had to not breathe the whole time. Ianto was dead?!
I thought he was unconscious, but not dead. If he was actually dead... why would Jack ever need the resurrection glove? He'd just kiss everyone back to life. All the time. Estelle would be fine. I think Jack can regenerate himself, but not all and sundry.