a fool's musings

Fool, said my muse to me, look in thy heart and write...

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2002-03-25 - 5:12 p.m. best v. favorite So, I riposte and Jenn parries. *g* And people wonder why I get such a kick out of this whole diary thing. How can you not? I mean, stimulating discussion plus nekkid boys. Add in a Krispy Kreme jelly donut [which I have right here], and it doesn't get much better. Anyhow, Jenn says: There are moments that surpass the canon. When the canon itself becomes meaningless in the face of what the author creates. This isn't something you see very often. And it's not something that I can absolutely state that everyone who reads the story in question will get. [...] But you get the idea here. It's emotional. It's the purest form of recognition of something that breaks everything else. It makes everything meaningless in the face of the strength. This. Does. Not. Happen. Often. I can't emphasize enough that some stories break canon spectacularly and I like it but do not feel the click. I might like them, but that moment? So not there. I do get it, and I have felt it. I agree totally that X-Manson is the perfect example. It takes everything - and I do mean everything - you think you know about the X-Men and turns it, Christ, turns it upside down *and* inside out, and you can see it and, more importantly, believe it. Even with my limited comics knowledge, I can see Cable as the messianic sociopath etc. But it's so rare, so completely unexpected, that I don't look for it. I think, also, that it's different when you have a weekly show, especially one that you've lived with for, say four or five seasons, as opposed to a movie, which gives you 90 minutes of stuff to work with. Am I splitting hairs? Probably. But a television show gives us an ongoing look into the characters and their behavior. We see them having coffee, we see them out on dates, we see them in life-or-death situations. We see them in gym class [and, we hope, in the locker room, all naked and sweaty, afterward]. It's still early on in Smallville; I think it's harder to do that sort of total rewriting of canon as a show gets older, which is possibly why this fic would work *now*, but won't after three seasons. Which is hedging. Jenn: Are we examining Te? :::hops up and down::: Heh. I wouldn't dream of it. I can tell when someone has a stranglehold on a character, and that she knows him well enough to make me believe anything she decides to have him do. I, too, love "Benediction." I just ... question the drag. I understand it, but I don't *feel* it. I can think of other stories that totally rework canon and just -- "Ein Sof (Endless)" by Kate Bolin... it's so short and seems so harmless, and yet, if only ME had used this explanation for Dawn and Glory and why Glory needed the Key. It just totally makes the season come together in a whole new light, one that makes sense, more than just Ben is Glory and Glory is Hell God who wants to go home. Jenn again: The character motivation thing intrigues me. I've enjoyed writing from an outside POV of someone trying to get into another character's head. This is probably one of the biggest challenges of fanfic--to examine Lex through Clark. Or Clark through Lex, though I'm not as hot for that. I love when authors do this. And it's not easy to do it--it's easier to write from Lex's POV and let him examine himself so we get the motivations. It's a different sort of challenge to get the other way, to do it ALL from Clark's point of view, have him figure it out by inches, using nothing more than body language and observation, dialogue. I agree completely here. It's more interesting to see the action unfold from the POV of the character who *doesn't* know exactly what the other person's motivations are - they project their own motives onto him, as do we, as the readers, believing in the narrator. And then you can play with reliability -- is what Clark sees in Lex really what Lex is? How much of what Clark believes about Lex is based on his experience of Lex, and how much on what his father says about him? I think I played fairly well with this in Caveat Emptor, simply because I, as the author, *always* knew what Lex's motivations were, but Clark didn't figure it out until the end. I find Lex's POV very hard to write. I find him a little hard to peg. As he should be. *g* But I keep returning to this idea that what you get out of fanfic is directly related to what you're looking for when you go in. Which I have to think about some more, since it just sort of came to me as I started typing earlier. As for the best v. favorite discussion, as a lead-in, read this. I think I made my case in the last post, by referencing "Three Men and Adena" as possibly the best hour of television ever, not to mention the best episode of "Homicide: Life on the Street," yet I don't call it my favorite because I find it painful to watch. However, I do list "Passion" from BtVS as one of my favorites *and* the best episode of the show, even though that, too, I find too painful to watch. Is it a matter of not being clear in my terms? I don't think so. One of my favorite fics is "A Desperate Attempt" by Dark Ferret. It is by no means perfect. First, there's the issue of Rogue's accent. It's there, and I hate it. There are also some technical/grammatical issues - it's not the best-written story out there, but it's one that evokes a strong visceral reaction in me. I can't read it without crying, without *hurting* for both Rogue and Logan, and even, when I'm feeling generous, for Remy. If you were to ask me what the most technically brilliant fic was, I'd have to think and probably end up naming something by Min or Jenn or Elizabeth. But if you asked me what was the most emotionally satisfying fic, the one I want to read over and over again, I'd say "A Desperate Attempt." And that's just one example. Is it a matter of personal preference? Indubitably. But it's also about the whole technical brilliance v. emotional wallop thing we were talking about a few days ago. The original discussion is here. Yes, good writing *should* carry that emotional wallop with it. Great writing does. But haven't we all read something that sparkles like a diamond, the prose is clear and sharp, and yet, it's as hard as a diamond, too. There's no feeling, no warmth, no sense of connection between the reader and the characters. So it doesn't matter how beautiful the words are, if they don't cause a corresponding movement in feeling within the reader. So, something can be best and favorite, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. I'm somewhat irrationally attached to certain of my own stories. I don't know if they're my best work, but I love them. I love how they came together in my head, how great it felt to *write* them (never underestimate the power of joy in writing - it will literally jump off the page at the reader. I can tell when a writer loves her story and when she had to force every last bit of it out, like expelling gall stones or something), and how simultaneously sad I was to finish and yet thrilled that there was now this thing I created, and it was whole unto itself. Anyhow, I think, in the end, it's all about heart, to fall back onto a bad cliché. On the other hand, how can something that doesn't move a reader, something that's hollow at the center - how can that be the *best*? There's something obviously missing. I think, past a certain point of proficiency, it becomes pointless to begin making comparisons between works of art. Hence my anxiety and ambivalence about awards. Do I really think Jennifer Connolly's performance was better than Maggie Smith's or Helen Mirren's? I was most moved by Helen Mirren's, laughed most at Maggie Smith's, and marveled most at the *acting* going on with Jennifer Connolly. I'm not sure what that means. I'm getting ready to go home now, so I'll leave you to ponder these questions... And I forgot - if you wanna join the discussion, feel free. ~victoria [current mood: thoughtful and tired] [current music: It's Been A While - Staind] [current mood: ] [current music: ] [random quote: ] ~*~ 2002-03-25 - 12:47 p.m. On Characterization, or, a response to Jenn I think I have a crush on the Verizon "Can you hear me now? Good." guy. He looks like Adrian Pasdar, who's just nummy. My Oscar musings are over in the LJ. I did pretty well in my picks. The only thing I'm really disgruntled about is Sir Ian not winning. Dammit. He deserved it. He deserved it for "Gods and Monsters," really, which is an excellent, heartbreaking movie. Highly recommend it. And Brendan Fraser does a nice job, too, playing subtle for once. On to fannish matters. So, in her diary, Jenn wrote about a couple interesting things. (Welcome back to the fray, Jenn. We missed you!) First off, characterization. Jenn writes: I finally isolated the factor that makes me love a story[...] It's the characterization. Or more importantly, it's the author's characterization of a character. It's not--the canonness. I mean, canon is there and we use it, but fanfic in itself is a protest against canon, so I don't have issues with people breaking it in the name of good writing. Destroy at will. Rewrite the damn episodes. Discard what you don't need. I both agree and disagree with this to some extent. I wrote, way back on December 27: I admit that I dislike stories where the characters stray too far from my own personal interpretation of them. I'm going to take a wild guess and generalize that most people are the same way. So unless a story *shows* me how Rogue [or Jean or Clark or Wesley] became that way, I'm not going to buy the characterization. There are certain stories where the author has deliberately left a character's motivations shrouded, and to an extent, I can accept that. More Jenn: What I mean is, an author's ability to force their vision of these characters on me. I'm not talking about sheer talent or hard work here either--I'm talking the raw, intense, ruthless focus, when an author is on, when they've clarified and purified their vision to the point where when I read it, I have no choice but to believe it. No matter my prejudices, my preferences, or my squicks. Good authors hit or miss on this one. Great authors are the ones that can make me believe Lex would wear a green silk dress and lipstick. Again, yes, to a certain degree. But if the characters' motivations remain shrouded, no matter what the power of the words written, I won't believe it. *WHY* does Lex wear that dress? Why had he before? Give me the why and I'll follow you anywhere. Leave it out and I'll probably say something like, "Okay, I really liked the structure" or "God, I wish I could write such beautiful sentences" and then, "But I don't *get* it. *Why* did X do thus-and-so?" If you don't answer that question, for me, your story is a failure. Perhaps that's simplistic, and perhaps it narrows the fiction that I will enjoy -- I understand that sometimes there is no why, that people do things for reasons even they can't comprehend, let alone articulate, but then that has to somehow be passed onto me as the reader, as well. Jenn again, getting to what I consider the heart of the matter: Character, character, character--this act of will where the author takes the choice out of my hands and says, this is what it IS, this is who they ARE. And I say, my God, you're right. This is a total turnaround from what I used to believe about stories, that the story was what mattered, that everything else should be sacrificed for it. Because--in the end, the story should BE the characters. Nothing less will do. That means if you want to make Clark a stripper in a cheap downtown club, make me believe he'll do it. I've always believed that characterization will carry a story. If I don't like or don't care about the characters, there is no way I'm going to finish the book or watch the movie or whatever. So if you turn both Clark and Lex into unrecognizable awful people, you're going to have to hook me with something else, or, more precisely, someone else. Or I'll hit delete pretty damn rapidly, muttering, "What show are you watching?" This is why I cannot read much Evil!Jean or Evil!Amy or Evil!Buffy fic. Because just making a character nasty because you don't like them ... there's nothing for me to hang that characterization on. If you want to write it, you have to make it believable to people who *don't* share your view of the character. You have to seduce me into believing that Clark *will* allow his dark side (and he does have one) out and never force it back down, totally contravening what I know of Superman canon. You have to work, in other words. Authorial fiat is bad writing. "It is because I say it is" doesn't work. Not with this reader. So, to sum up... if a characterization makes no sense to me, based on canon, I can't get into a fic. So while I can admire the *writing* of authors who put Lex in drag, I can't believe it. I believe in the characters I see on screen, and there has to be some pretty damn fine writing to get them from point A [canon] to point B [whatever you want], especially if point B blatantly contradicts canon or just doesn't *mesh* with the way I see the characters. Does that limit my enjoyment in a lot of fanfic? Yes. Because to me, it stops being fanfic when the characters stop being recognizable from canon... Examples of things I *don't* believe, but that the authors made me see as possible: Lionel/Lex, in Thin Line by xoverau and See This by Te. I think Beth's Bitter Strands does a great job with a much darker Lex and a much more human Lionel than we've seen. But it works, because it doesn't contravene canon so much as explodes it. I guess, beyond the debate about characterization and plot and the story as seamless garment vs. patchwork quilt etc. etc., it comes down to what you believe fanfiction itself is, and what purpose it serves. Because while the craft of writing fanfic is the same as writing profic in the execution, the reasoning, the purpose, the whole *thrust* of the activity is different. On zendom, someone (Seema?) asked the question, why are we attracted to some pairings and not others? How can one be a slavish fan of two shows, and fic the life out of one and not bother for the other? I think that also plays a large part in determining how one will respond to a fic. If you are of the school of thought that views fic as transgressive, and reads in order to see how the story traduces the canon, then you might be open to far more radical departures from canon than someone who reads to see their favorite couple together, or, on the third hand, someone who reads to either fill in the missing scenes (which, for some of my favorite shows, are conversations we're never privy to etc.) or to enjoy the feel/premise of the show/book/movie (i.e., noromo/casefile fic that adheres to the standard ep structure - a Buffy story about vamps and the end of the world, say, rather than about Spuffy without any of the slaying). I freely admit I'm of the second school. I write stories I want to read. I don't have the stomach for dark when it comes to fic. I have zero desire to torture them. (And in the Jossverse, I think he does a way better job than I *ever* could, *g* so why try to top the master?) I want them to be happy fluffy bunnies and have amazing sex and fun adventures. Do I realize that they can't? That there are things that get in the way of this happy fluffy vision I have? Yes. That's where the fic comes in. Rogue's skin? Logan's past? Clark and Lex's lies? All fodder for my "let's make it all better" philosophy. I don't ignore them, but I don't think everything needs to be bleak, either. Hmm... I seem to have wandered from the point there. I do have more thinking about fanfic and what it means to different fans, readers and writers both. I wonder ... Anyhow, on best v. favorite, I'll have to get back to you, because I have actual work to do now, but it's one of my lovely discussions that I seem to get involved in wherever I go, because I don't think best=favorite or favorite=best. And I have no trouble saying that something is the "best" but that it's not my favorite. For example, chew on this one: Three Men and Adena. I defy you to find an hour of television that is as powerful, as masterful, as beautifully written and directed and as painfully real and true. But it's not a favorite of mine, because it hurts too much to watch, because of how real and true it is, because I can feel the Araber's pain almost as much as I can feel Bayliss's and now, looking back with the knowledge that they never do catch Adena's killer, and how that haunts Timmy til the end... God, I'm getting a little choked up just writing about it. Possibly the best hour of television ever, and that includes Passion, Becoming 2, Goodbye, Farewell, Amen, Two Cathedrals, and anything else you want to throw into the mix. But, not my favorite. *g* More later... If you have comments, feel free to post 'em over in the LJ or in the guestbook. I still have work to do. Dammit. ~victoria [current mood: woozy and busy] [current music: One Bourbon, One Shot and One Beer - George Thorogood] PS: Yes, I know it's wanky to self-reference, but it's easier than reinventing the wheel. PPS: Hee! Jenn responded to my guestbook post, which was a shorter version of this. *g* I love blogland. [current mood: ] [current music: ] [random quote: ] ~*~ 2002-03-24 - 6:15 p.m. No Day But Today Since I plan on eating bad junk food and watching the Oscars, I probably won't be online tonight. If I were at home, sure, because I could just plug the laptop in in the living room and snark on AIM about who's wearing what. But M&D don't want me tying up the main phone line and the second line doesn't reach into the living room, so... Oscars win out over internet. Sorry. Anyhow, I've been working on this really cheesy answer to Meg's Caved-In challenge, and here's the beginning of it... No Day But Today Logan was not a praying man, but he closed his eyes and wished to the god he didn't believe in that the X-Men arrived soon. He concentrated, hoping Jean or Xavier would pick up his thoughts, even if God didn't. He tightened his arms around Rogue and dropped a light kiss onto her hair. This was supposed to be a quiet weekend in the mountains. A little fishing, a little hiking, nothing too exciting; just a celebration of her college graduation. He should have known things had been a little *too* quiet. Rogue wanted to explore the caves. They'd smelled all right -- no bears or badgers lurking -- so he hadn't been too concerned. He *hadn't* expected the rockslide. They were now trapped inside, and the cell phone wasn't working. He'd managed to connect with Storm for mere seconds before the signal winked out, and he hoped Chuck was in Cerebro, tracking them. But there was no way to know for sure. "Logan, can I tell you something?" "Anything, kid." "You know I love you, right?" she said, her voice soft and thready from the pain. "Yeah." "'Cause, I mean, I always wanted to say it, but I didn't think you wanted me, wanted the bother--" "Of course, I want you. You're my girl." "Well, I love you, Logan. And now, you don't have to worry about loving me back, because I won't be around anymore." "Hey, hey, don't talk like that, kid. You're gonna pull through this. Cyke and the others will be here soon, I'll give you the old healing touch, and were in like Flynn." "No." "Yes." "Stop trying to make me feel better. I know they're not coming. They'd have been here by now. They think I'm dead and they know you can make it out by yourself." "Rogue--" "No. No. You've never given me false hope before, Logan. Don't start now." "What the hell does that mean?" "I mean, you never pretended we were anything but friends. You never led me on. I really appreciate that. It would have been so easy for you to--" she broke off, coughing. "I don't like the sound of that," he muttered, shifting slightly so he could see her face better. She was dirty and her face was pale and drawn with pain, but she managed to smile when he looked at her. "It's okay, Logan. I'm dying. I know that. And that means you're free of your obligation. I know the only reason you stuck around was because of the promise you made. I know you always keep your word." "Come on, Rogue, stop it. That's crazy talk." "No, it's not." "Fuck this shit, I'm touching you now." Her eyes widened and she shrank from his outstretched hand. "No!" She swallowed hard, and the tears slipped silently down her cheeks. "You'll be too weak. It'll knock you out." "I'll only hold on long enough to stop the bleeding. How's that?" "No." "But--" "But me no buts, Logan. I said, no." "You're in shock, darlin'. You don't know what you're saying." "I know that I'm going to die here, Logan, in your arms. And that's the way I want to go, so it's all right." "Now, you're just being dramatic. You're not gonna die." "Logan, I can't feel my legs." Her voice was edged with hysteria, and he tried to gather her even closer. "Everything I *can* feel hurts like hell on fire. We're miles from anywhere, and the phone didn't work." "Yes, it did." "Don't start lying to me now," she snapped, anger giving her strength. "You pretended you were talking to Storm, but all she said was, 'Hello? Hello?' before the signal faded. I doubt she even heard you." "How--" "Good hearing," she said, with a wan smile. "Thanks to you." "And I can do it again, if you let me." "No." "Fine. I'll just wait until you pass out." "Logan!" "I'm serious. I'm gonna heal you and then we're gonna dig our way out, regardless of whether or not the geeks show up." "That's not the point." "It's not?" "No. You're avoiding the point. I just told you I love you." He felt his chest constrict and warmth flood his body at that. "Yeah. Yeah, you did." He couldn't stop the smile from sliding across his face. "I love you, too, kid." He'd never said it to anyone else, that he could remember, but the words tumbled from his lips more easily than he'd ever have believed. Because it was Marie. "Don't lie!" She was crying now in earnest, and he was baffled. "I'm not lying, Marie. I love you. Have forever, it seems like." "No! You love Jean. I know. I have your thoughts--" "That was five years ago. And it was never love. Not like I feel for you." "Exactly! You love me like a kid sister, or the daughter you might have had --" He swallowed uneasily. It was true, that was what other people had always thought about their relationship, but it had never entered his mind. ... And that's where I keep getting interrupted by my dad and his damned Access database, that's not doing what he wants it to do. So, I'm thinking I should write two endings - one where Rogue kicks off, and one where the X-Men show up and save them in time. Jen's saying, "Kill her!" but my inner shipper cringes from the idea. So, I'm still thinking... The title, as some of you might know, comes from "Rent." "No other road, no other way, no day but today..." As always, comments welcome over in the LJ or the guestbook. And when it comes to fic snips, I really, really mean that - if you see something that's wrong or bad or just needs fixing, please tell me. ~victoria [current mood: hungry] [current music: silence] [current mood: ] [current music: ] [random quote: ] ~*~ 2002-03-24 - 3:45 p.m. Let's try this again... Grr... I just spent 40 minutes constructing my best and worst of Angel lists, and it's gone, into the ether. I hate technology. So, the short version: Nestra ranked all the episodes of Angel and since my list looks considerably different, I figured I'd share... Best Five by Five/Sanctuary Faith! Wesley! Nasty!Abusive!Buffy and Finally-Grows-a-Backbone!Angel. Lindsey/Lilah/Lee shenanigans. "This is getting ridiculous. The first assassin kills the second assassin - sent to kill the first assassin, - who didn't assassinate anyone until we hired - the second assassin to assassinate the first assassin." Plus, the end of 5x5 always makes me weepy. Somnambulist Angel's past comes back to bite him in the ass. The Prodigal Some backstory on Angel, and man, did I feel for Kate. I've Got You Under My Skin Minear et al. tackle sociopathy. Woohoo! "I am Ethros. I corrupted the spirits of men before they had speech to name me. - The child was but the last among tens of thousands, one more pure heart to corrupt, one more soul to suck dry." Wesley: "Well, chalk up one exciting failure. You didn't get that boy's soul." Ethros: "Hmpf, what soul? Do you know what the most frightening thing in the world is? - Nothing! That's what I found in the boy no conscience, no fear, no humanity, just a black void. I couldn't control him. I couldn't get out. I never even manifested until you brought me forth. I just sat there and watched as he destroyed everything around him. Not from a belief in evil, not for any reason at all. That boy's mind was the blackest hell I've ever known." Angel: "The marbles, that was you." Ethros: "When he slept, I could whisper in him. I tried to get him to end his life, even if it meant ending mine." Angel: "You sleepwalked him in front of the car." Ethros: "I had given up hope. - I know you bring death. I do not fear it. The only thing I have ever feared is in that house." Eep! This show has some great moments. Blind Date Born-again boy. Sigh. Dead End Two words for you: Evil hand. Lonely Hearts Great montage, lighting issues notwithstanding, to a wicked awesome song, intro's Kate, whom I always liked, plus the whole "trying to make a connection" thing was well-handled. The Trial The first of a number of eps on this list due to the freaking *awesome* endings. "How did you think this would end?" Gah! Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? Probably the closest the show gets to the noir eps I dream of, but still, only slightly heavy-handed and nice filling in of some of Angel's earlier years. Sleep Tight Wesley. It's all about the Wesley. The tense atmosphere makes up for the plot holes. City of... I was all set to dislike this show, since I always thought Angel was a broody bore on "Buffy" and it was on against "SportsNight". But when Angel jumped into the wrong car, I was sold. Sense and Sensitivity The Talking Stick. "There's a stick that talks?" "Your parents must have really messed you up." "I ate my parents. Tasted like chicken." Woohoo! Billy Cordelia and Lilah. What more need I say? Plus, Denisof shines. Rm w/a Vu Bitch!Cordy is back! Guise Will Be Guise I love the guys who play The Fake Guru and Virginia's father. "You're deeply ambivalent." "I am, and I'm not." "I was *not* a virgin." "I'm not a eunuch!" Hee! Lullaby Again with the shocking ending that overrides the mediocrity of the rest of the episode. I never in a million years expected *Darla* of all people to suicide. Brithday It's Cordy! Plus, Skip returns! Cordelia chooses her destiny. God, I love Cordelia. The Worst She There's an hour of my life I'll never get back. Not even the goofy dancing and Angel quoting Baudelaire can redeem this steaming pile of shite. I Will Remember You Overtly manipulative piece of bad fanfic masquerading as an episode. Bad Marti! No biscuit. I Fall to Pieces What where they smoking when they decided to *show* the body parts? Made this examination of stalking [and how Angel is a stalker] laughable instead of scary and intense. The Ring Not as bad as all that, but... just... this show should be better than this. Happy Anniversary Just... bleh. Bleh, bleh, bleh. Carpe Noctem Again, bleh. An hour I could have better spent writing fanfic. I know I'm missing stuff, but I can't reconstruct the wonderful list I had before. Sigh. Pisses me off... If you feel the need to disagree, or just have comments in general, go here. ~victoria [current mood: annoyed] [current music: Corduroy - Pearl Jam] [current mood: ] [current music: ] [random quote: ] ~*~ 2002-03-23 - 9:40 p.m. Victoria P., Genius-At-Large Happy Birthday to my sister. We were over there most of today, for her and Anthony V's birthdays (his is Wednesday), which meant much Benadryl for me. Stupid cats. Just got home a little bit ago, and I'm still a little loopy from the drugs. I swear, my eyes are dilated and I'm just very, very mellow. I don't know how much longer I can stay awake. If I fall asleep, what'll happen is, I'll wake up in two hours and be wide awake all night. We don't want that, so... attempting to do some email etc. tonight. Have two new story ideas, one for Meg's Cave-In challenge, which will be either very mushy or very mushy with an angsty ending, if I'm up for writing a really-and-for-true deathfic, which I don't know if I am. It started out as a completely angst-free way to get L/R together, but it's mutating rapidly under the influence of antihistamines. The other is the belated birthday fic for Jenn, since she was offline at the time of her b-day. So that will be Clex, of course, and I think I've got a fairly dark scenario that might please her. This morning I had dialogue rolling around in my head, but the trip to Old Navy to buy presents for Anthony drove it out. Sigh. Today's big adventure was Ella [the parents' dog] getting out of the house and running through the neighborhood. She is in *no* way an outside dog, and since I was the one who let her out [accidentally], I was the one who brought her back. Dad was like, "She's gone. We're not going to catch her." But I'm wilier than she is. Remember that. Victoria = Wily. Yeah. So there I am, 11 o'clock in the morning, walking [you don't think I *ran*, do you? Running for something less than being chased by knife-wielding psychos - or man-eating lions - is against my religion] quickly and trying to yell without actually, you know, *yelling*, through the quiet neighborhood my parents have moved into. Me, yelling, "Ella! Ella!" All I needed was the wifebeater. Jesus. But I caught her (she was entranced by someone's SUV) and dad followed with the leash, and she's now home, safe and sound. What was today's lesson, boys and girls? Victoria = Wily. Yeah. Over in the LJ, I've posted my Oscar picks. Ciao, belli. ~victoria, wily [current mood: ] [current music: ] [random quote: ] ~*~ previous - next DiaryLand Disclaimer: Reading this diary is not required by law. If you do not like or agree with the contents herein, or find them to be offensive on more than one occasion, please go elsewhere and don't come back. Management is not responsible for any adverse reactions to content within. The painting is "Boreas" by John William Waterhouse. 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