Where Was I?

Oh, yeah, talking about the story. Aren’t RA’s characters great?! They really do get me thinking about all sorts of things about myself and others, and for anyone thinking I’m a hypocrite, if you’re thinking about these characters and how RA talks about these characters, how can you not wonder about the person behind them? But again, perhaps it’s just Servetus and I, and of course some German fans, who come to this conclusion. I wish you could see my eyes rolling. Good thing I can touch type.

Let out that breath you’re holding and realize we won’t be too hard on RA, and always remember that this is not serious. At least I’m not serious. If I ever get too serious, I’ll stop. Yes, I’m going to keep throwing a little serious into this fluff — I have to keep in touch with reality somehow. But it will mostly be about me and SO and the little SOs and whoever else is near and dear to me that I care to wax on about. But never forget the beauty of all this is that you don’t have to read any of it. LOL! Damn lol. At one time I looked down on people who used LOL and now I can’t seem to stop using it. I blame it on my poor writing. I have to use the LOL as a crutch to make sure that you know beyond question that I’m not serious. LOL! Sorry, it’s hard to stop once I get started.

A gratuitous pic so this post won’t be a total waste of your time, and I’m making it one of the best so it’s really not a waste of your time:

and since I’m really feeling guilty about this post which is me with hat in hand hoping that someone somewhere won’t be offended (man, that need to be understood is hell), I’ll throw in a video I recently saw for the first time and really love and think you will too (unless you’re squeamish about guns; yeah, I didn’t think that would be a problem):

Screencap courtesy of my stash.

June 20, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

RA’s Diary — Pondering Fan Love

RA’s Diary

Entry — sometime during the filming of Strike Back.

It is so hot here in South Africa! I could use a drink — especially after that snake scare. Thankfully, I got another box of insect repellent from a fan. It’s been helpful. I don’t get enough practical gifts, but the fans make some really lovely gestures. It’s humbling. I just wish they would give to people who need more than I do.

If they’re determined to send me something, they need to take note — I like vodka and not underwear! Plus, Mum doesn’t need to see those things.

Hmmm. If they send me enough vodka perhaps I’ll start liking their underwear. There was that one beach picture… maybe vodka isn’t a good idea.

note from RA Addict: YES, this is a fake entry dictated by my control freak, who is not satisfied speaking for myself; it must speak for others too. ;-)

Disclaimer:

At no time in the writing of this entry did I imagine I was really speaking for Richard Armitage nor did I deceive myself into thinking I really know his thoughts. Therefore, there is no need to involve his agent or publicist in what is supposed to be humorous. Of course I realize tone on the net is not always properly conveyed, and hey, I’m not a writer (I just have lots of crap I want to say), so I’m not taking the chance of being misconstrued. You do know this is supposed to be humorous? LOL! If not or if you are action fans RA picked up during the Strike Back airing, I put in LOL to make that clear.

Have a nice day. :D

Additional note:

I would say I’m inspired by the realfiction from the German fans, but I had already written this fake diary entry and several others before I discovered that wonderful place. As it is, I have to depend on someone to translate for me. Thank you, Servetus. But I just want to say to those German fans, I LOVE YOU! and we are so on the same page.

June 19, 2010
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

Welcome to My World

Oh, Servetus, perhaps blogging is not an antidote for RA addiction, which isn’t really a problem in my opinion, but it is a lot of fun. Especially when I can say whatever the hell I want and don’t have to worry about sentences that uh, really aren’t sentences. I wonder if RA has an anonymous blog. If not, he might enjoy one too. My words in real life (as if this isn’t real! LOL!) are weighed so heavily most of the time (yeah, can you believe there are people who actually hang on the words of someone like me? what a joke) that it’s a relief not to be taken seriously, and I’m sure that what I’ve experienced is not a scintilla of the scrutiny Richard Armitage has endured. Poor guy. Okay, maybe I’m feeling a little convicted about this. LOL! Here he has all these people of which some are nuts, and damn, I’m probably chief among those, poring over his every word and move. Sheesh.

Rich,

I hope you can disappear but good when you’re not being filmed. Oh, and if you ever need someone to help you with an anonymous blog, let me know. But don’t make the mistake I have of talking about some of your issues as the real you. For instance, don’t go on and on about orange trousers you bought but never wore or about underwear with your picture on them or about that time in the tent when you were 17. Well, I think you get the idea.

Sincerely,
One of your crazy fans

Man, I never know when those fake fan letters are going to strike.

June 17, 2010
Categories: Fandom . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 41 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 13 Now What?

See Diary Part 12 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a couple of years ago shy a couple of months and a few days:

I’m over being hacked at the ending of Robin Hood Season 2. Well, I think I am. But if I ponder it long enough, I get irritated again. I just need something really good to watch, and I’m mad at myself for caring so much about something as lame as Robin Hood, which I didn’t even like to begin with! I just want to get lost in a character. I need to get lost in a really good story, but I’m too numb to read. Need something passive.

Right now I get up early in the morning, fix Mom and myself some coffee and toast or whatever she is able to eat, and then we head out for the bowels of the hospital. Usually we get there by 7:45am, and she is prepped for her radiation treatment by 8:00am. All told we’re there about an hour and a half each weekday morning. This is our third week of six weeks, and I feel that I’m getting to really know some of the people who come in for treatments. It’s a wonderful and terrible experience. I have never been a great crier, but I’ve had to forestall tears on several occasions. One day last week I couldn’t keep from it and had to retreat to a restroom to sob when a young child was wheeled in. The mother of the child was in a daze. The child is terminal and yet they are giving treatment to ease some pain. I have nothing to say. I can only cry.

The upside is that I have now spent a month of uninterrupted time with Mom, and that has not happened since I was a kid living at home. We have laughed and cried and made big plans. She’s dreaming of the day we can travel together. She wants to go to England and has begged me to go with her. I don’t know if I can do that, but I dare not tell her. I can’t ruin the dream. It’s something for her to hang onto. I did tell her that if she were feeling better in a year, we would do it! Not sure how I’m going to pull that off. But she got carried away after we watched North and South, and I got caught up in it and said, “We can be like Val and Gil in ‘The World of Henry Orient’ and stalk Richard Armitage!” She belly laughed and said she would be sure to wear one of her capes, and take a good collection of her hats or acquire more there. I would love it if I could arrange for her to meet him. She would be like a kid about that and get so much out of it. But really, he would love meeting her!

I was dreading this trip, but the truth is I love reverting to childhood with Mom. She was always able to be a child with me to the point of lying in the floor and coloring with me when I was little. She sang songs with me and had the uncanny ability to know the lyrics to every song whether old or new. Then there were the “shows” we put on. I remember one summer she had all the neighborhood kids in a backyard show that ran once a week for almost the whole summer. To cap it off Mom made the best treats. People loved coming to the “shows” just to consume her latest creation. And the costumes! which she made on a treadle sewing machine. Oh, there was nothing she couldn’t do. Truly an amazing person. I’m blessed.

And her dramatic flair that parenthood was never going to dim. A country could never contain her much less a mere room. My flair on the other hand was not nearly as pronounced, and I did let parenthood and life in general almost snuff it out! This time with her is reviving that and SO considers it an answer to his prayers. He had been mourning the loss of it and blaming himself. It wasn’t him. It was me. I put too much on myself. I’ve always put too much on myself because I’ve given myself too much credit for how things go down. I’m not that in control — only of my reactions. I’ve just deceived myself into thinking I am and let my joy be completely taken by the cares of the world. But I don’t want to come to the end and realize I have not let myself really live.

For now Mom and I are loving this time of watching movies together, and she is such a fiend for drama that it’s a joy to watch her in her element. It’s no wonder she loved being a trial lawyer. That’s half the job — the dramatics. How many conversations in my lifetime have we had about dramatics — the pacing of a movie, dialogue, camera angles, close-ups, an actor’s diction and demeanor? I have no clue. It’s been a blast to revisit that, and North and South is perfect for mining details. It really is a little gem of a piece.

In a few weeks I have to go back to my reality, to SO and the little SOs. Hopefully, it won’t be that dismal world I’d created for myself, and maybe Mom and I will make it to England.

edit: a little taste of ‘Henry Orient’

See Diary Part 14 here.

Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com and my stash.

June 17, 2010
Categories: North and South, Robin Hood . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 14 Comments

It’s About the Story

One of the commenters on my Top Ten Fanvids indirectly highlighted what I look for in the fan videos and to a larger degree why I’m a fan of Richard Armitage. I only have one montage video of RA, and that one is listed because of its comic brilliance. Mostly I’m drawn to the videos that are about the characters he portrays and more importantly, their part in telling their stories rather than the videos that are just RA eye candy. The fact RA can portray so many different characters so well does make me curious about him, but initially and ultimately, it’s about his characters and their stories. The videos enhance that, and it’s nice indeed that the videos can redeem a poorly written script or a script I just don’t like. LOL! But I would be lying if I said I don’t watch some of the eye candy montages.

What it always boils down to for me is curiosity about someone who is very adept at portraying characters whether by writing them or dramatizing them. I want to know their story and how exactly they came to understand someone else’s story. So it’s impossible for me to refrain from examining RA the person as well as his characters. But I’d rather hear from him about his approach to characters and stories instead of watching montage videos. As much as they are fun to watch, they don’t usually highlight anything further about a character’s story or about RA. Again, that doesn’t mean I don’t watch some eye candy montages. Far from it. If you remember, I did say the 4 minutes video inspired this blog. Oh, yeah, I’ve watched it a time or two, and Sexy Back and some others, and yes, yes, his ass looks good when he walks. LOL!

But back to the story. One of the earliest North and South videos I watched and still consider a great favorite was posted by a commenter on that same blog entry. This one:

PoleStar00 is a great vidder, and I adore the music. I already liked Mike Oldfield, but this piece is one of my favorites. Too bad I didn’t buy it several years ago when it wasn’t considered collector’s item. The piece has all the elements that we find in North and South — contemplative introduction, a plaintiff tone, a slow building to the crescendo to the point it almost hurts physically, and finally a soothing coda. Now that I’m thinking about this, I wonder how much Martin Phipps may have been influenced by Mike Oldfield. No, I’m not going to chase that rabbit, but I do wonder.

I have several more North and South videos I love. Some I’ve put below, and the others I’m saving for a future post or two. These can border on the prosaic, but hey, I’m a prosaic kind of gal:

These last two are kind of quirky and aren’t for everyone, but I love ’em! See if you can spot an interesting manipulation in one of them.

Unfortunately, my all-time favorite North and South video is no longer on YouTube nor is it anywhere else I’m aware of. Dang it! It was a video to the Coldplay tune X & Y. That song is far from prosaic. I’m not sure much of what Coldplay has done could ever be considered prosaic. Chris Martin is a poet, and his background definitely shows in his writing. Yep, count me as another one who loves Coldplay! By the way, if anyone remembers who did that video, I would love to know. Maybe they’ll put up a download link if asked. ;-) Oh, and if I were ever to make a fanvid, I would definitely do it to a Coldplay song, and there is one in particular I would do. May have to break down and do that sometime soon.

June 16, 2010
Categories: Fanvids, North and South . Tags: , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 4 Comments

Top Ten Fanvids

Okay, I should say these are MY top ten fanvids.

For anyone who’s been following this blog, you already know I lamented the difficulty of making this post and mainly because there are so many RA videos out there. But I had such a good time trying to watch as many as I could to be fair. These things are almost like my children. I didn’t realize I had it in me to love so many. All the more to make it difficult to highlight only ten. But what a great problem to have! And I scrapped my in-depth criteria. The post would have been too long, and it may be already! Quite simply the ones selected are the videos I find myself going back to again and again.

I put them in an order, but hey, this order could change tomorrow or maybe later today. LOL!

I’ve embedded all of them below which shouldn’t be a problem, but if enough people experience problems, I may change how I’ve configured this post.

#10 — the ethereal quality of the song and the editing make me accept this AU (Alternate Universe) story as canon! Very soothing on a lot of levels. LOL!

#9 — considering it’s Thornton’s longing we mostly see in North and South, I love this take on Margaret pining.

edit: this video is no longer on YouTube, so the creator of the video, ATFrancis, has given me permission to upload here, and if you would like your own copy, you can download at FoolishPassion, one of Elvira’s sites.

#8 — this was one of my first Guy videos, and it captures his angst over Marian perfectly. At one point it disappeared from YouTube, but then it came back. Yea! I’ve never gotten tired of watching it. I love the editing, and it was my introduction to Shinedown.

#7 — too much to write about why I love this one; maybe it should move up. No, I’ve got to stop somewhere. Thank you, DB for editing MJ’s song. It was way too long. Your timing is perfect.

#6 — this is a masterpiece and probably should be #1. It’s the shortest video on the list, but the impact of it is enormous. I’ll stop there or this post will be so long it won’t load.

#5 — the quality of this video is stunning. Please, please, please if you like it, download it in the 1080 format. It’s RA like you’ve never seen him. Oh, and it’s Shinedown again. Love it!

#4 — whatever “it” is, Nat has it. I’ll sum up this video in a word: brilliant. Also, great thanks to Heather for her wonderful inspiration!

#3 — this is one slick video. DB just gets better and better and she’s already great. Oh, I would love to go back and completely rewrite the post I did on this one!

#2 — it’s scary how many times I’ve watched this and not just at the normal speed but slowed down as well. I notice something new every time, so I can’t seem to stop analyzing it. The video is a feast.

#1 This video may be a 10.

Most of these are available for download. Check their YouTube descriptions to find out how.

June 14, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, North and South, PHWOAR!, Robin Hood, Spoilers, Spooks, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 27 Comments

Crossing Over

And fanvids are just a part of it. More good stuff about being an RA fan coming up. See how far my public service extends. ;-)

If you are new to the RA fandom (gee I think I’ve said that a time or two, but really I don’t know if anyone new would be reading this blog), and you have not heard of crinkles, or if you have heard of them but haven’t had the unction to find out what they’re really about, you are so missing out.

There is a sort of magical place on the web called C19: The Crinkle Zone:

1) You must unlock the power of the Zone with the key of your imagination.

2) Beyond the entrance is another dimension. A dimension of sight. A dimension of mind.

3) It’s a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.

One more thing before you cross over into the Crinkle Zone:

It’s not okay to drink (alcohol or anything) while you’re in there — not if you want your computer’s keyboard to survive. Drink before you get there. Or better yet, just get high while you’re in there. :D If you’re blue or hacked or just about anything negative you can be, head there immediately.

Oh, and be sure to read “The Joy of Crinkles” thread before you really begin, and there’s a “Part Deux” thread as well. No, they’re not necessary, but they’re more than worth the price of admission (your time) and will help you understand. What exactly I’m not sure. That’s up to you. But remember no drinking!

Note: you must become a member of C19 to get in on this good thing!

And to get you started, one of the more famous crinkles:

Be sure to check out Nat’s blog, and the Cute Crinkles she has over there. That was the catalyst for this entry by the way. I just couldn’t help myself. :D

edit: If you do make your way over to the Crinkle Zone, be sure to say hello to Manda, who is the “high priestess” of the Fankles and head of The Cult of the Crinkle.

second edit: below is the interview from which the screencap was taken.

Screencap courtesy of the “Quaddy Waddy Do Da” thread, and before that probably courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com or TheArmitageArmy.co.uk.

I’m pretty sure I also got the video clip from RichardArmitageNet.com, but if I’m wrong about that, someone please correct me.

June 11, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Interviews . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 20 Comments

This is Hard

What was I saying about not wanting to wait to get at the writing? Well, I hit a bit of a wall. Not a huge one, but enough to slow me down and say to myself, “Hmmm, maybe that storage room downstairs really does need a thorough cleaning.” I’m staying on the job for all of you. See how good I am to you? Remember it’s my nutty behavior that makes a lot of the rest of you look sane. You know in case RA or any of “his people” happen to see our little enclaves of discussion, they can conclude, “Thank God most of those people aren’t like that RAFrenzy nut.” So again, this is really a public service. ;-)

All of that aside, I’m trying to draft this post about my top ten videos. Is it too late to make it my top 20 or 50? Phew! I had no idea this was going to be so difficult or that I would actually feel pressure. Yes, I read the notes from those of you who want me to post my list. Most of these posts I write by the seat of my pants, as it were of course, but this time I couldn’t. Ironically, I figured this would be nothing but fun since I love the videos, and for the most part it is fun. But as SO reminds me sometimes, I tend to make things much harder than they should be. I’m really trying not to do that.

One thing that’s made it so hard is trying to find out how many RA vids there are on YouTube or getting a pretty good idea and then watching the ones I’d missed or trying to watch as many as I could. Oh my gosh! Forget it. There are too many. Can I just tell you that there are loads of them? That you probably will never run out of something to watch? Yes, this is a good problem unless you have an anal streak. Suffice to say I’ve watched quite a few the last couple of weeks that have been on YT for a while, but I had never seen them. This is coming from someone who watches lots of videos. Should I admit I’m that addicted? I’ve already admitted this RA addiction, what’s another one?

As if the sheer number is not daunting enough, I’ve come up with a criteria to explain my selections, which I had never thought about let alone articulated since I just go with my gut most of the time. However, articulating a criteria is a must in the pursuit of not looking like I play favorites and not hurting anyone’s feelings. But hey, I’m not going to get around that anyway. What makes that laughable is who am I to hurt anyone’s feelings with my choices? I’m just one person, and for all anyone knows, I have really lousy taste. In fact, for those vidders I don’t acknowledge, please consider me to have lousy taste. It will not hurt my feelings. Wow. Who knew there was this much passion about fan videos?

So why this post before the post? I guess I really want to be understood. This whole blog is a big digression into being understood even if you and I will never meet. I’ve got a fixation on being understood. Oh yeah, it’s a blessing and a curse, and it bores the dog out of me but hopefully, it won’t bore you. At least not today.

Yes, I really do have a post on the videos. I’m just not ready to post it but felt like I had to post something, and I guess I need to remember that tired old adage (maybe it’s not really tired) that if it’s worth doing, it’s probably going to be hard (or something to that effect). So you hear that, Elvira, I realize that videos take some work to be done right, i.e., at the very least be willing to read a tutorial, and for the rest of you, writing about them takes some work too — if it’s to be done right.

I’m not only going to throw in a gratuitous pic but a video as well. This was a video I had never seen. Shocked me I tell you. That I had never seen it I mean, and yes, I like it or it wouldn’t be embedded here. See what I mean about being understood. Why do you think I haven’t written much until now — I can’t stop. LOL!

Love the expressions Elvira captured.

And the pic:

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

Top ten post hopefully coming up next week. Then after that I’ll get my top ten fan fics posted. Already started on it. LOL!

June 11, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, SO, Spooks . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 8 Comments

Two Months of Insanity?

I have a confession to make. This blog was my bright idea to burn myself out on all things RA. I wanted to have fun while I was doing that and hoped all of you would have fun as well. But I was pretty sure I wouldn’t want to do this after a few weeks and figured when I got into my third month, it would begin to lose its appeal. Usually things begin to bore me pretty quickly, and I detest being bored. I refuse to be bored. But there’s no sign of that for me. That’s one of the things that’s fascinating about RA. He has never bored me. But then he’s not all there is to this.

Thankfully, all of you, the fans, come with him, and you also keep me plugged into this wonderful madness. I know we’ve had fun fangurling for a few days, and hopefully, we’ll all do that again sometime. But if that’s all we ever did, I would have been gone a long time ago, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have started a blog. Maybe all fandoms (hate that word by the way; can we come up with another one?) are as interesting as this one. I’m having a hard time believing that. Do I sound proud?

Earlier I read a comment about aversion therapy on Servetus’ blog and had to chuckle. What started out as a little aversion therapy for me has turned into immersion therapy. How could it be aversion therapy? I was the kid at school who would have rather been beaten with a big stick than write something. Give me a page of math problems any day over writing even a couple of paragraphs. Once I started writing the blog, I knew I would have to keep it up a bit, which of course meant writing. I figured that alone would turn me off. But now I look forward to writing. I can’t wait to get at it, and the ideas just won’t stop. Don’t worry. I’m not going to bore you with everything I’ve written or plan to write. But this exercise has served to really get me writing, which SO has literally begged me to do for years and may come to regret. LOL!

For now I’ve decided this blog is one of the sanest things I’ve ever done.

Richard Armitage attends the Philips British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA) at London Palladium on June 6, 2010 in London, England.

Yeah, I sort of know how you feel, Rich.

Candid shot courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

June 8, 2010
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Tangent — I Can’t Let This Pass

This really shouldn’t be relegated to a tangent post, but I wasn’t sure how to label it.

I’ve been having a good time watching clips of RA and fan videos. But I cannot let this day pass without paying homage to those who made it possible for me to have this kind of freedom to be frivolous. May I never abuse that.

To all of those who sacrificed their lives and to those who put themselves in harm’s way but survived on this day 66 years ago, I say a hearty thank you for all you have done!

The picture is from this site. I hope they don’t mind me using it, and I hope you will go over there and see all the work they have done to preserve the significance of those events.

June 6, 2010
Categories: Tangents . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

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