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.

And so after a month we come full-circle. I went to F.Y.E. at the end of January looking for some type of James Bond figure in Roger's image. That wasn't the only reason I was there, and I would have likely gone anyway even if it hadn't been a reason at all, but I was still very upset when I got sick after that excursion and got everybody else in the house sick. I can't prove it came from there, but it must have been either there or Wal-Mart, since I got sick before anybody else and therefore most likely did not pick it up at my aunt's. It had to be a place where I was the only one going around and coming into contact with people. But it was highly aggravating and upsetting that it happened, especially when the shopping was fruitless.

I was upset for weeks feeling like I should have gone to Build-a-Bear instead and got the other doll I wanted. Then I probably wouldn't have got sick/got everybody sick. And I was frustrated that I didn't get to go last week because of the lingering cough problems. Now, however, I'm grateful I didn't make it. Hopefully I'll get another chance for the doll, but meanwhile ...

I finally found a figure online for a decent price. Not one of the 12-inch figures, sadly, but about half that size. I spent days debating whether to get it and trying to see if it really looked enough like Roger to make a purchase worth it. There were four people watching it besides me; it was a Buy It Now listing. I felt a little bad to suddenly pull it out from underneath them, but any of them could have bought it at any time if they had felt so inclined, and apparently they didn't by the time I made up my mind, so no regrets. These figures usually seem to go for much more than I got mine for, so I'm doubly thrilled.

I did immediately feel guilty to purchase something James Bond, since neither Dad nor Mom like that franchise (and I'd be all over it if it wasn't for the bed times; I loved Moonraker except for what amounted to two minutes or less of bed times/implications of bed times ... and I still kind of want to see more films, too ...), but of course it was more for the actor than the character, and my idea was that it could be whatever character I wanted it to be at any given time. I stayed in that more excited mindset and didn't feel any more guilt.

Ohmygoshsquee, it shipped Monday and came this past day! And, as I determined before taking the plunge and purchasing, it does look sufficiently like Roger to be worth it! And it's so nice with fabric clothing.... I adore fabric clothing! It shows real thought and attention went into the crafting, instead of just putting molded clothes on. (Not that some molded clothing can't be amazingly detailed too, of course. But it upsets me that fabric clothing is not really a thing like it used to be.) The card is also very nice, with many pictures of Roger all over it. I have it sitting next to the card from my Oscar Goldman figure so I can see the pictures. The figures themselves are on my desk.

So I have what I set out to find a month ago and I am very pleased.

I've also been reading that Saint book I got with my last Amazon order. I've got to say, I like this one way more than that short story collection I tried a couple of years ago. Even though that was written after this novel, I like Simon's characterization in the novel far more. It's one of the books written around the WWII era, The Saint Sees It Through, and Simon is serious like his television counterpart. I haven't seen one aggravating, dirty-minded crack in here like there was in the short story collection. I also haven't seen any instances of Simon taking the law into his hands more than I find comfortable (no burying bodies in gardens to keep the people involved from going to jail, oy vey). I may want to try some other books from this time period. And if I like them too, I will be highly amused, as of course the WWII era books are largely hated among the book purists. They usually prefer their Saint much more playful and mischievous and naughty, as he is in the earlier books. I prefer him more like the character in the TV show. Which of course immediately makes me a bizarre wild card in the fandom, as I am almost everywhere. Can't break with tradition, after all.

I'm also writing a sci-fi Maverick fic, as of course the fic where Snakes reveals himself to be alive has to include some sci-fi elements. And with encouragement, I'm continuing it to show Snakes taking Beau through the portal to visit the present-day. It's mostly a character study, though, as both Snakes and Beau have issues to work through at this point. It probably won't be more than a two-shot, but who knows.

I am vaguely considering that maybe Beau could be visiting in the Count Manzeppi fic I wanted to write, and that might give me a little more motivation to go ahead with it, but I'm not sure. I was just burned so seriously with The Deadly Codename that I'm honestly afraid to start a new WWW fic. I don't want to be involved in any more drama in that fandom. Beau around would just be one more thing for that person to complain about, should he decide to complain again. I might actually have more luck writing that fic for the Maverick fandom instead. **headdesk.**

In any case, there is the problem that by playing so much in Snakes' past, it kind of turned a few things in my original timeline for him on their heads, as I knew would happen if I kept playing. But I really liked the things I was coming up with and didn't want to let them go. Now I do have to wonder how to re-align things again, since Snakes wasn't supposed to have any friends before going to the present-day and now with the Maverick branch of the timeline he has Beau. I'm trying to rationalize it by him saying that Pinto broke him so much over three years of torture that he wasn't sure Beau really would still care and want to be his friend, since they didn't even really know each other that well. But I'm not sure that's a good enough fix.

There's also the issue that in Airship it's a plot point that Snakes hasn't been back to the past before and goes back only to find Jim and Arte. After I brought in the idea of Snakes and Beau, I knew Snakes wouldn't want to leave Beau hanging, so in the Maverick timeline, the first time he goes back is to find Beau and let him know he's okay. I don't know whether to leave things as they are, apparently two similar but different timelines, to try to reconnect them by explanations from Snakes, or to reconnect them by tweaking some things in the older stories.

Another idea I had was that maybe the time re-set Duke caused in the YGO branch of the timeline screwed a few things up that he hadn't intended on, including Snakes and Beau, and that perhaps when it's said that Snakes didn't have anyone, that's because he doesn't remember Beau with the time re-set. That gets fixed at the end of the story, so if there was any trouble, Snakes remembers the truth now. But that gets sticky too, as it would mean that the original WWW time-travel fics were written with the time re-set in mind and they're Snakes' incorrect memories of how things happened.

Confusion, thy name is time-travel. Confusion, thy name is also retcon.

I've gotta say, I have to sympathize with George Lucas in a situation like this. When you start playing in the past, you find new ways of telling things that you like better than the original way. And then naturally you want to tweak the originals to fit the new ideas. But that's an unpopular thing to do. And I still don't agree with him booting out the original actors for Boba Fett and Anakin Skywalker in the original trilogy DVDs. But still, I can understand why it happened.

What am I gonna do?

So our dryer has been acting up for a while and Dad finally decided that so many things needed fixing, it would be better to get a new dryer. K-Mart had a Kenmore on sale for $299, so on Friday we went and looked at it and decided to get it. Dad then had to return the dryer parts he'd bought, so that took us up near Build-a-Bear and I got the Lalaloopsy doll/plush I wanted, Mittens Fluff N Stuff. I think I will get the other Honey Girls plushies sometime, but I figured they'd be around longer since they're the house brand and not one of the licensed brands that floats in and out. I saw all four Lalaloopsy dolls they've made, and I kind of want Crumbs Sugar Cookie too, so we'll see how that goes in the future.

I also managed to snag both Saint DVD sets and The Persuaders! online. I lost two auctions trying to get the seasons 3 and 4 set and then finally went to a Buy It Now listing that was still cheaper than the going retail price. I've been watching the Saint episodes I missed on MeTV's website and then plan to re-watch the others. And I've been gobbling up The Persuaders!. Oh my gosh, it is seriously adorable, gah. This show is just overflowing with friendship squee! It is paradise. Words cannot fully describe how much I am in love with this series.

I wrote that Saint fic that I had the idea for a year and a half ago. It absolutely flowed and ended up clocking in at 11,400+ words. And I posted it on AO3 in one chunk without checking word count first. Ooops. But some people have looked at it anyway. I hope they liked it. As usual, no one comments on AO3. I've posted 42 things there, and I think only five or less have comments. Part of me doesn't know why I bother. But at least I see people are reading, and sometimes I get Kudos, so that's nice. And there's no Saint category at FF.net. I requested one, but nothing's happened. I also wrote another Persuaders! fic, a follow-up to the angsty Angie ... Angie episode. I want to write a follow-up to Read and Destroy too, and then I want to move on to an amnesia fic. I originally figured Brett as the victim again, but then I decided it should be Danny and we'll see how poor Brett with all his British resolve reacts to that. (I think I'll have some Brett hurt/comfort in the climax, though. And poor Danny will feel horrible about not remembering Brett. Amnesia fics are cliche, but they're so interesting for exploring character reactions. Anyway, The Persuaders! takes some cliches and puts their own spins on them, making them all seem new.)

The Scott plushie I ordered came too, and he is also adorable! Very well-made, as they generally are, and he fits well with Elliott's size. I finally gave up on having the hair I really wanted for Barry and rushed to get him semi-presentable once I knew Scott had shipped. I wanted Barry to be part of the welcoming committee. I got brown fleece at Wal-Mart to do the hair and it doesn't look too bad. Making a ponytail out of that looks a bit odd, but I just decided Screw it, I can't find hair extensions anywhere and they probably wouldn't match the fleece anyway, so I'll just totally wing it. I think when I finish Barry, I want to make a Snakes plushie. I need to make Barry's shirt, tie, suspenders, and hat. I may just stop for a while after the shirt or tie, though.

And then I got around to finding out if I could find any Ivanhoe episodes. I could, and watched one. My reaction during it was basically, "... Oh my gosh. Soft, thick, fluffy hair. I didn't know he grew it that thick back then. Help." Mixed in with, "... Such a lovely voice to listen to. Help." And, "This character is awesome! Help." Also mixed in with amused/embarrassed giggling due to my shameless fangirling and thinking, "Oh brother, I am acting ridiculous. I shouldn't be fangirling over him." And, "Oh dear, wouldn't it be amusing if I end up saying offline what I'm watching and why I've got the giggles." And the American distributor was Screen Gems. I'm trying to remember if Antenna TV has ever aired this series. If they haven't, I wonder if they'd consider it. It would make a nice addition to their oldies block for children on weekends. (If they still do that....)

If I watch a few more episodes, I think I'll be ready to brave Mom's copy of Ivanhoe the book, which she gave to me. I want to read it (I loved the 1952 movie), but I'm worried the old language will go over my head. I don't read many classics because the language often confuses me. But now I have an indelible image of Ivanhoe looking like Roger Moore. I already got out the book and skimmed around in it today.

I also want to see the film The King's Thief. It's part of the Warner Archive collection. I'm trying to remember if my sister might have given us a VHS copy among some stuff she recorded, but I kind of think I'd remember a swashbuckler. Most of what she gave us is musicals, which I'm not so into. I think I remember everything she gave that was something else. It sounds like Roger has some good screentime and that he survives the film, so I'd probably be willing to spring for the DVD. It sounds like a pretty fun movie in general. And of course, everything is always better with a darling or two.

It also occurred to me that there is probably a figure of him as James Bond and I should have it, since so few darlings have figures of them. I thought maybe there'd be a little four-inch figure or something. Instead I only find listings for 12-inch figures, and there's one I particularly like that could perhaps double as a Simon Templar figure, but I can't seem to find it for less than $60. Oyyyy.... I cannot spend that much on a figure!

Sometimes I still want to bash my head against the desk for including him among my darlings. But I have accepted that that's the way it's going to be. He certainly has his faults, but there are lots of good things about him too, and I try to focus on that.

Season 5 Pony finale was today. I don't think I've been so nervous about a finale since season 3. In the end, I was rather underwhelmed with it as a season finale, although there were definitely things I liked (especially the first alternate timeline and seeing Zecora in the second one). I'm glad that the terrible things I was imagining didn't happen. And I hope we're not really going to be without new Pony content for a whole year. Maybe the next Equestria Girls movie will come in the summer or something.

I am apparently going through Roger Moore withdrawal; had a dream about one of his characters this past week. I think it was Simon Templar. I've seen most of the episodes of The Saint and I fell out of the habit of checking MeTV's videos when they went back to the color episodes, which I've seen the most of. If they even still have the videos, they've probably started over by now and I should be checking to see the few B&W episodes I've missed. I wish they hadn't changed how the videos work, though. They've never been quite right since the last time MeTV tinkered with them. They used to play almost perfectly, and then MeTV had to go and do something to make them take more memory. Ugh. Which makes me all the less enthusiastic about checking.

I also wish Cozi hadn't cut the Maverick airings to twice on Sunday. Then it takes forever to go a round! There were still some Beau episodes I wanted to have recorded. I can't buy season 4 right now; still too expensive. And I know Cozi's episodes are cut, too. Sigh.

I'll probably try to bring back that Simon Templar icon again soon. I referenced him in my newest U.N.C.L.E. chapter.

It's funny, but it seems like with almost every classic TV series that I try to move to the present-day, I try to not reveal in the stories that it's the present and just know that I'm thinking it in my mind. But then something invariably happens in the plot of a story that forces me to acknowledge the time period.

Case in point: my newest U.N.C.L.E. chapter. Illya tries to contact Napoleon and can't get through, so Ecks tries to get in touch with Wye. They use cellphones in the stories that only feature them, so here I basically described a Smartphone but called it a communication device, heh. But I'm sure anyone reading it realized I was describing a cellphone. But since I called it something else, I figure they can imagine it as some other kind of spy gear if they want. Now we'll see how long I can go without positively identifying something in this U.N.C.L.E. story or another one as being in the present-day without question.

On that note, I think my U.N.C.L.E. website is almost ready. I've been writing the present-day backstories for Napoleon and Illya in my verse and it was a ton of fun, even if I never do bring said present-day backstories into the actual fics. I would likely enjoy doing that sometime, though, if I thought the readers would like it even though it isn't what they're used to/prefer. I know I could write it just for myself, but if I'm including Napoleon and Illya in a fic, I kind of like to share it with the fanbase. With the ones that I figure no one will read anyway, like the Ecks and Wye-only pieces, I get a lot more bold about the time period. Although I still only do things with it when the plot calls for it.

So a couple of weeks ago, when I started writing the new Maverick fic, I was having a resurgence of Roger Moore crushing (which, oddly enough, resurfaced because I was reading my WWW RP partner's Maverick fic with Bart. Bart made me think about Beau, and cue squeesville). That remained, but faded a bit in favor of Chrissy crushing, since I always adore him more of the two and Snakes ended up so prominent in the fic and now I'm planning other Maverick fics involving him and Beau.

I was reading a very interesting and mostly factual article on Maverick an hour or so ago. Included was a picture of Roger Moore as Beau, staring at something in adorable wide-eyed wonder (and wearing what looks like a top hat, yesss). Cue another squee as I recall anew why I love Beau.

And now I want to do a Maverick h/c fic with Beau as the victim this time. It might be another fic with Snakes, or it might have Bart again. (Or both.) Or it might just be a blurb. Whatever, it's probably going to happen.