Ramblings and Musings of the Insane, Philosophical Ladybug

Patty Duke is dead at age 69. And from something apparently unexpected and sudden. That makes it even worse than ever. It's so sad to think of her being gone and so sad to think of her loved ones grieving. I was thinking how sad William Schallert must be, since he really ended up like a father figure to her, and then of course Sean Astin and her other kids must be so sad.... I should do some kind of a Tumblr tribute.... I wonder if I have any pictures of her already taken from my DVD sets.

I spent the afternoon filling out our Netflix queue.... I added a lot of Hawaii 5-O, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and Hart to Hart, although Mom's probably already seen most of the latter episodes. They come on Monday evenings on Cozi and she watches them while Dad and I are getting groceries. I wish I could see the show more often because it's adorable and generally clean. I love cute 1980's series. I think that was the last decade when we really had a lot of nice and safe live-action TV shows, and of course even then, some of them were starting to get kind of bad sometimes.

Among the Scarecrow discs I added was the one with Luke. It's been years since I've seen it and since he was the main guest-star, I wanna see it again. I was thinking the other day about when I got my first Equestria Girls dolls, the original two-pack with Twilight and the Sunset with incorrect hair. That was in November of 2013. I had a big, fun de-boxing session that night and then set them on my desk while I watched that Scarecrow episode. Then I made a silly Tumblr post commenting that I was playing with dolls of Ponies as people and watching old shows with middle-aged men ... and loving it.

PAX TV used to air Scarecrow around 2000, right before Remington Steele. I hardly ever got to catch it, but weirdly enough, the one with Luke was one that I saw at least part of. I distinctly remember the epilogue. And that means I at least was introduced to Luke's name in the credits, even if I didn't see any of his scenes. Kind of eerie.

Wal-Mart currently has season 1 of Remington Steele available for $10 and I've been debating getting it. I loved that show back in the day and saw almost all of them repeatedly, but I wonder if I would still love it today. My only semi-recent experience with it was when I caught one episode on Halloween night on MeTV several years ago, the one about the stolen dog with Tom Baker guest-starring, and I loved it just as I had before. That was season 2, though (I think). I'm wondering if I'd like season 1 as much as the other seasons. Season 1 didn't have Doris Roberts, and one of the things I loved the most was her interaction with the others. Still, after reading over the season 1 episode summaries, it still sounds like a blast.

Among the stuff I added to the queue today were several things with Don Knight. I tried to weed out a few where he either might not be playing bad guys or where he at least wasn't playing the Big Bads. I'll get around to seeing everything I can with him eventually, but when possible I like to start with things where the actor plays nicer people. I didn't add the Little House disc, though, or even see if Netflix has it. I'm still displeased by the sound of his character's needless death. Anyway, I probably have the Little House thing around here somewhere, as I think my sister gave us all of her Little House tapes when she graduated to DVDs. Ten to one I actually saw that episode years and years ago, as I grew up often watching the show on our local PBS station (which lost the rights to it only a couple of years ago or so, after airing it for decades, gah). I liked it okay, especially as a kid, but I don't know if it would have the same appeal for me now since I really prefer shows with more action. I remember being surprised one time when I saw a Little House episode with bad guys invading the town and holding people hostage and somebody (Laura, I think) bonked one of them with a frying pan. Buwahaha.

I also tried adding The Apple Dumpling Gang and was told it's on Very Long Wait. **rolls eyes.** Not encouraging; that usually means it will end up lost. I wonder if the library might have it....

Also, this morning I decided to look for cheap copies of Interrupted Melody, a movie I want to see with Roger in it. I've been trying to get it for a couple of months and finally just decided to wait and get it with my next Amazon splurge. Only problem is, the survey company is taking forever about giving me my gift card. Uggggh. It's been almost two months now. That occasionally happens with them and it's really frustrating when it does. A while back I got Gold of the Seven Saints on eBay when its price came down, so now I decided that if I could find a cheap copy of Interrupted Melody I'd do the same with it.

I ended up finding a sealed VHS for only $6 and free shipping! I had really wanted a DVD copy, but oh man, it is hard to beat a price like that! I opted to grab it up. At the time I was stressed about stuff and worried that maybe getting a VHS wasn't a good idea, since that means I can only watch it in the living room. But after a good sleep and a dream involving the actors in it, I woke up ecstatic to have finally got a copy. I can hardly wait for it to get here. Also, I love the picture on the VHS copy, as it looks like it's probably Roger's character bending down to the leading lady. He plays her brother, so now I am hoping there will be some sibling squee.

In any case, I hope I will like this film way better than Gold of the Seven Saints. That was ... probably one of the stupidest things I have ever seen. I knew I shouldn't expect too much from it, but I was expecting a little more than I got. Still, Roger was cute and there was hurt/comfort and friendshippiness, so it was worth watching.

So we're watching a cheesy family movie and there's this retired sailor who's dying. He makes friends with a young kid and the scene right before he falls into a coma has them talking and he tells the kid not to feel bad for him; that he's had a good life.

And I promptly have to melt down. Not because of the scene itself, per se (even though I am prone to crying while watching death scenes in movies), but because of what it made me think of. Retired sailors make me think of Captain Scofield, naturally, and that makes me think of Chrissy, naturally. I melted down sort of wondering if that's what he and Luke might tell me to try to comfort me when I'm feeling sad thinking that they died too young. I could imagine Chrissy saying it, from what I know about him. I hope they're both happy where they are.

I wonder sometimes what prompts these meltdowns. They don't happen over every actor I like who's dead and they didn't used to happen at all. I don't even remember it happening over Simon, and I adore him. I remember it happening for certain over William Talman, Wesley Lau, and now Chrissy and Luke. Maybe it has happened over Simon too, though. I have a hard time believing it wouldn't have.

It's rather awkward when it happens around other people, since I then feel compelled to try to hide that it's happening. I managed to hold off on utterly bawling until I was alone, thankfully.

And my original idea for the Mainsail Pony was that she would represent Giovanna, another character in that Riptide episode, instead of a made-up daughter. I think I finally have that out of my system and now I can't imagine myself writing a story like that. Only problem is, now I'm back to kind of wanting to write a story where Giovanna has some possibly romantic attachment to Captain Scofield. I'm not sure I can picture her being into May-December romance, though. Maybe I could write it as them coming to form a close platonic bond and Nick keeps worrying that it's romantic and feeling bad for Cody, who has a crush on her according to Nick.

So Livejournal has been a pain for the last 24 hours or so. They're not delivering some of the notifications they should be delivering, and many of the pictures on the Friends page will not load. UGH!

And on to more pleasant matters. **cuddles Captain Scofield.** 56 and still perfectly adorable. And I love how the hair curls up below the hat. It's so thick and gorgeous....

I also love how well Chrissy aged. He was always recognizable. And his voice was always beautiful. Oh wow, I was just amazed at the strength and depth of his voice in the very last project he did. He was sick from cancer when he did that, but you'd never know it to hear that voice.

Another reason why I especially find Scofield a memorable Chrissy character: the episode came out the year I was born. Although it may have been filmed before the turn of the year, not sure on that.

I'm really enjoying the Riptide DVD set. I've been watching some of the other episodes and loving them all. There is great camaraderie between the three detectives. I wrote a oneshot fic to wrap up loose ends in Chrissy's episode; it probably won't be long and I'll start a multi-chapter sequel to the episode. More on that in a bit.

So I mentioned recently wanting more of the boy Ponies to represent darlings. Well, of course, right after I posted that, I discovered Captain Scofield. So the Pony named Salty, a ship's captain, must of course represent him/Chrissy. I've been trying to get one for the last several days, but the boy Ponies always have flaws and it's a debate between which flaws are the least troubling. Plus, it's a struggle getting a decent price and pouncing before someone else does. The boy Ponies are popular.

I thought maybe the pirate Pony could represent Grey Holden/Darren, since pirates have ships too (and that Pony has red hair, like Darren), but I'm iffy on a pirate Pony representing any of the darlings. I assume a pirate Pony is probably more of an adventurer that doesn't steal from people, along the lines of One Piece's crew or Jake and the Neverland Pirates, but since that is completely opposite to what a real pirate does and I'd always be thinking about real pirates and wondering what the pirate Pony is considered to be "up to" in canon, I just don't know.

It's difficult figuring out Ponies to represent the darlings, since they must somehow relate to a darling by occupation/interest. 4-Speed, the truck driver, will represent Luke due to Luke playing a trucker at least once. (I want him right after I get Salty. Although I might have to try to get him first, if I can't find a decent Salty soon. I know where there's a 4-Speed or two that's pretty good.) There's a train engineer Pony too, but I'm not sure who he'd represent. I think Jim West is the only character of interest associated with trains, but I could just get the actual Jim West figure to represent him. (Something I still want to do sometime.) Artemus Gordon is honestly not one of my "darlings" on any tier (and Jim is actually only a casual crush, not a dead serious one like Chrissy), although I do like and respect Ross Martin's acting talents and think he has a lovely smile.

Oh, wait a minute! Squeeee, the train Pony will represent Simon, because I remember Simon played a railroad detective on The Virginian! Yay! I'm so happy there will be a Simon Pony. I was wondering who could represent him. I was previously thinking Salty would have to represent Simon as well as Chrissy, as Simon played some wonderful sailors too. But I'd much rather have each Pony represent one single darling.

The two sports-related Ponies, for baseball and football, I'm at a loss about. I don't think any of my darlings have played sports figures. I do know that Wesley played football in real-life, so I thought possibly the football Pony could represent him in a pinch.

Then there's the Mountain Boys, Ponies representing various weather phenomenon. I don't know what darlings they could represent, but a bigger problem is that they're U.K. releases only and very rare and expensive. I'd be lucky just to get the U.S. boy Ponies I want!

I want Chief, the fireman Pony, to represent William Boyett and also be the husband for my Pony Bride. Unfortunately, of the U.S. Ponies, he's one of the most difficult to get in decent condition and at a decent price. But the other U.S. boy Ponies I either planned to keep single or else are otherwise not what I wanted as a match for Pony Bride. Maybe the train/Simon Pony could be the husband, if I can get him easier than Chief.

Then I learned of a girl Pony with a boat theme: Mainsail. She's a beautiful blue and has sailboat symbols all over her. I immediately fell in love with her and she is a big want too. I also decided I wanted her to be connected with Salty, but not by marriage, so either a sister or a daughter. (Or a friend.) That then developed into an idea of considering giving Captain Scofield a daughter in a fic, since Salty is to represent him.

I've been toying with assorted backstories; it would make Scofield another of the few characters I write who had a failed marriage. But since I really don't like the tired cliche of inventing family members for canon characters (other than a mother and a father, which of course they'd have to have), I don't know whether I really want to go through with the idea of a daughter. She could be a liar, someone just pretending to be a daughter, but that would be sad and I wouldn't want the Mainsail Pony to represent a crook just out to get Salty's/Scofield's money (or whatever she'd want from him).

However, the daughter idea was the only idea I had for a Riptide multi-chapter. Maybe, since I want to write more for Scofield, I'll try writing a Sea Hunt story with him in it while I try to figure out the daughter problem for a Riptide fic. I realized Scofield would fit perfectly into a Sea Hunt fic. And I'd love to write Mike Nelson being suspicious of him at first and then realizing, as did the Riptide crew, that he is an honorable man.

But regardless of what I decide story-wise, I want the Mainsail Pony just because she's gorgeous. I'm debating whether to get a really nice one that's available now or if I should keep trying to get Salty first, since he is my first want at the moment. Since it could be a while before I find a Salty that's just right for me, I don't know if I should let the Mainsail sail by in the meantime. I rarely ever see her at the Arena, where I buy most of my Ponies, so I figured I'd just be getting the one I see on eBay. It's possible she's on eBay a lot, though, even if she's not generally on the Arena. Since I just became aware of her, I just started doing eBay searches for her the other day. And now that I want the train Pony to represent Simon, I'd better go back and see the prices for him.

Decisions, decisions....

So after reading the Sailor V manga, it seems really sad to see Venus so flat-out serious and sad in the Crystal anime. I really like her to know when to be serious, and the idea that she's a little more grown-up than the other Senshi, since she's been fighting longer, but for her to lose all of her fun-loving attitude is too sad. Suddenly she just seemed so bland in Crystal.

I ended up ordering the plushie tonight. I have two gift cards I'm waiting to get for Amazon, but those might not come until towards the end of the month and I really didn't think this plush would hang around that long, since there was only one left at the price I wanted. I wibbled a bit over whether I'd made the right choice anyway, but I've calmed down now and I think I'm pretty happy with my decision. I'm glad I got to see the plushie in F.Y.E. this week. I like to see in person what I'm getting, and it was the seeing that made me decide I definitely wanted that plush.

Also, I really like that by buying the plush from this person, I'll still have some money left over to put towards more stuff. If I'd bought the DVDs, with tax it probably would have drained every bit of the fun money for this month.

And after all that U.N.C.L.E. writing and coming up with three possibilities for the fanzine (the third of which I used for submission, as decided), I ended up with other ideas for online fics. I had to review the episode in order for any of the ideas to work, and while doing so, I discovered I'd completely forgotten that Mr. Wye just seems to completely lose it after he finds Mr. Ecks stabbed in the park. He flips out on the retired female agent working with U.N.C.L.E., even blaming her for what happened in the park despite knowing she was not the one who did the stabbing.

I hadn't even taken Mr. Wye into my equation when I wrote the drabbles with Ecks a couple of years ago, but after a review I did of the episode back then, I started thinking he needed to be involved. But I hadn't watched the episode straight through again at that point. Now that I have, I can't shake the idea that Mr. Wye and Mr. Ecks must be very close, and of course, that's the instant trigger for me to become fascinated.

The end result: I decided to do another month-long 31_days challenge of vignettes, focused around them. Right now I'm sticking to episode-based, fleshing out my ideas for them to both survive their ordeals. The piece I'm most proud of so far, I think, discusses their organization and its goals and how and why they decided to betray it with Mr. Zed. (Mr. Zed ... LOL. Why do the British hate saying Zee?)

At this point in the vignettes, they are separated and each is afraid the other is dead. And I successfully made myself sad with this past day's piece. (I also successfully grossed myself out by spending over an hour reading about the various possible consequences of being stabbed somewhere in the abdominal region.) I need to get to the reuniting vignette soon or I may burn out (especially since I honestly hate writing extended hospital stays). After I get to that point, I'm not sure where the rest of the pieces will go. Some may flash back to their time in the organization, while others may stick with the present. I may have them encounter Illya and/or Napoleon some more and exchange some unfriendly banter. Or I may just stick with fleshing out the interaction just between them. Naturally I will only post the pieces to 31_Days, unless there's one with Illya and/or Napoleon present as well. I wouldn't imagine anyone but me would be interested in reading/writing about these oneshot episodic characters.

I started the set on the 3rd, so I'll need to do the first two as make-up pieces on the 31st, when we're allowed to post pieces for any day. Hopefully I'll be able to get ahead enough in writing the vignettes that I won't be writing those pieces plus the 31st's prompt all on the same day. It takes me at least an hour to get a good vignette for this series. Currently I'm managing to write each piece on the day it's for. Usually when I do these theme sets I can write some pieces ahead of their time, so I want that to happen again, and it may, if I can get at least one other project done first. I'm thinking prompt #2, "eyes the color of water", will be at least partially about when they first meet. Chrissy has such beautiful blue eyes....

As I wailed on Tumblr, why can't I ever just stick with writing for the good guys for long?

I know the answer to that, really. It's because while friendships between good guys are squeeable, you'd expect good guys to have friendships. With bad guys, it's not always something you can expect. And when I see it, I'm intrigued. It's the same basic principle as to why I find certain antagonists endlessly fascinating, like Coley Rodman. If they show they still have some goodness despite unsavory things they're doing, I must know more about them and write about them and pick their minds apart.

And then sometimes my interest is a little more shallow, like if a favorite actor plays the character. But they still have to have some other reason to warrant me being interested enough to write about them. Being killed in the episode is often, but not always, one thing that will make me write about them, as I'm trying to fix the death. And I may not warm up to them fully for a while. It was that way with Snakes. After I wrote so many stories with him and let him develop as a character, however, I became very fond of him. That also started my crush on his actor. I have little doubt that before I'm done with this theme set, I will be quite fond of both Ecks and Wye.

Another thing I mused on is that while I have one list of my "darlings", then there's a list of "actors I like by association". If they play off of a darling especially well, or even repeatedly, I tend to become fond of them on some level. I'm fond of Pippa Scott because of her playing against H.M. Wynant on I Spy, for instance, and Allison Hayes for being with him on Perry Mason and Shotgun Slade. I started out being fond of Luke Andreas because of him playing off of Chrissy on The Rockford Files. Luke is a unique case, as I ended up loving him so much, he became a darling too. I'm fond of Joe E. Tata for his association with both of them. And I'm fond of Hedley Mattingly for his playing off of Chrissy ... twice. Apparently it was either a weird coincidence or somebody thought they worked well together. About four years after U.N.C.L.E., they're teamed up again on Mannix. Neither of them die that time. Actually, that episode (All Around the Money Tree) is the only really humorous episode of Mannix and is also only one of two episodes out of 194 where nobody dies. That's ... kind of a sad track record, actually.