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przedSean Bean has taken up residence in my head.
Well, actually, he's been there for quite a while, ever since I skipped an 18th century lit. course at U of T to see a matinee of Stormy Monday. I went for Sting, being a Police fan; I left the theatre thinking about the working class bloke who played the romantic lead. I kept an eye out for Bean's performances for years, though never in an obsessive way. He stayed in my head, but usually rambling around in the attic, a polite house guest.
Then came The Lord of the Rings.
Let me explain. I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was ten years old, and my favourite character, even then, was Boromir. Even at that age, I was a sucker for men of noble intention who do the wrong thing for the right reason. Even then, I melted when faced with characters who sacrifice themselves for friendship and honour. For me, the most powerful scene in the books was, and still is, Boromir's death at Amon Hen.
And Sean Bean played Boromir. Perfectly.
Now, Bean has moved down from the attic of my psyche and taken up residence in the living room, with feet on the furniture and lager cans leaving rings on the coffee table. And he's brought Richard Sharpe with him. (How I ever managed to not get obsessed with Sharpe before this, I'll never know. But that's a topic for another day.)
Which brings me to fannish crack.
One of the many differences between my ten year old self and the thirty-something I am today, is that now I know about slash. Back then, I knew that I adored the crackling friendship between Boromir and Aragorn. Now, I know it can be read as a heck of a lot more than friendship. (I've even corrupted my partner; after we saw Fellowship, the very first thing he said to me was "Is there any Aragorn/Boromir slash?") A/B slash is the good crack.
Bad crack, now that would be RPS. (That would be Real Person Slash, for those whose fandoms do not include this kink.) My thinking on RPS used to range from "eww" to merely "no thanks." The one time I tried reading a couple of LotR RPS stories, well, let's just say they weren't very good and leave it at that. Then, whilst innocently following a link to what I thought would be more A/B slash, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of RPS that was well written and angsty and sweet and oh so good. The bad crack. Except it's good bad crack. My life, or at least my reading habits will never be the same.
Well, actually, he's been there for quite a while, ever since I skipped an 18th century lit. course at U of T to see a matinee of Stormy Monday. I went for Sting, being a Police fan; I left the theatre thinking about the working class bloke who played the romantic lead. I kept an eye out for Bean's performances for years, though never in an obsessive way. He stayed in my head, but usually rambling around in the attic, a polite house guest.
Then came The Lord of the Rings.
Let me explain. I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was ten years old, and my favourite character, even then, was Boromir. Even at that age, I was a sucker for men of noble intention who do the wrong thing for the right reason. Even then, I melted when faced with characters who sacrifice themselves for friendship and honour. For me, the most powerful scene in the books was, and still is, Boromir's death at Amon Hen.
And Sean Bean played Boromir. Perfectly.
Now, Bean has moved down from the attic of my psyche and taken up residence in the living room, with feet on the furniture and lager cans leaving rings on the coffee table. And he's brought Richard Sharpe with him. (How I ever managed to not get obsessed with Sharpe before this, I'll never know. But that's a topic for another day.)
Which brings me to fannish crack.
One of the many differences between my ten year old self and the thirty-something I am today, is that now I know about slash. Back then, I knew that I adored the crackling friendship between Boromir and Aragorn. Now, I know it can be read as a heck of a lot more than friendship. (I've even corrupted my partner; after we saw Fellowship, the very first thing he said to me was "Is there any Aragorn/Boromir slash?") A/B slash is the good crack.
Bad crack, now that would be RPS. (That would be Real Person Slash, for those whose fandoms do not include this kink.) My thinking on RPS used to range from "eww" to merely "no thanks." The one time I tried reading a couple of LotR RPS stories, well, let's just say they weren't very good and leave it at that. Then, whilst innocently following a link to what I thought would be more A/B slash, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of RPS that was well written and angsty and sweet and oh so good. The bad crack. Except it's good bad crack. My life, or at least my reading habits will never be the same.
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Date: 2003-04-24 04:08 pm (UTC)Confusion sets in.
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Date: 2003-04-24 06:13 pm (UTC)Second: Andy McNab! I actually read Bravo Two Zero long before the movie was made came out--I was doing SAS research for a Pros story I was writing--but when I found out Sean had starred in the movie I was a very happy camper. (I may even have lost dignity for a moment and squealed. I certainly gasped.) And yes, he does suffer beautifully.
Andy McNab fanfic, hmmm. I hadn't considered. Until now.