Trabia Garden

At the moment, I am re-reading Emma for my Jane Austen course, and I think 'Mr Knightley seemed to be trying not to smile, and succeeded without difficulty upon Mrs Elton's beginning to talk to him' has to be one of my favourite lines ever. You are awesome, Jane Austen. I wish you had a Livejournal.

You know who would be great in Silent Hill? Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey. On some strange level, she'd love it. (On most levels, of course, she'd be absolutely terrified.)


( Thoughts on sibling relationships in Revolutionary Girl Utena. Spoilers up to the fifteenth episode, 'The Landscape Framed by Kozue'. )


My housemate invited me to watch an episode of Spooks last night. This somehow led to the following exchange:

Riona: Do you find the idea of Richard Armitage being waterboarded strangely erotic?
Riona's Housemate: ...I'm not going to answer that.

I enjoy this household.

In more Tales of Riona's Housemate: a couple of weeks ago, a Facebook matchmaking application recommended a rather alarming-looking man named 'Steven' to her.

(Riona and Riona's Housemate are at the computer, looking at Steven's picture.)
Riona's Housemate: He looks like the sort of bloke I'd run away with.
Riona: ...
Riona's Housemate: ...RUN AWAY FROM.
Riona: (never quite stops laughing)

MAKE MY DECISIONS FOR ME, FLIST: should I be watching The Mentalist? From the admittedly little I have heard of it, it sounds as if it is about the crime-solving adventures of a complete Derren Brown ripoff, and, y'know, I'm in favour of that. Also, it features the actress of Veronica from Prison Break, so ridiculous crossovers are built right in, and I am feeling extremely ready to embrace a new fandom right now. On the other hand, I don't think many of you watch it (do any of you watch it?), and if I love it and post fifty million entries about it and nobody cares I shall be sad.

I'm probably going to end up watching at least a couple of episodes. I can cut out a picture of Derren Brown's face, hold it in front of this Patrick Jane fellow's head and pretend I'm watching a detective AU. It is certainly a tempting prospect. (Also, if Patrick Jane really is as similar to Derren Brown as he sounds, Derren/himself fanfiction will suddenly become so easy.)


In what is perhaps evidence for my need of a new fandom, I can think of nothing to say to make this entry more interesting. Hmmm. Can I really post an entry that says 'should I watch this?' and nothing but?

Oh! A few weeks ago, when I was reading Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, I found myself taking rather a liking to Henry Tilney. It took me some time to realise that this was largely because he inexplicably reminded me of Balthier of Final Fantasy XII.

Please take the time to imagine Balthier Bunansa as the romantic lead of a Jane Austen novel. It would be amazing.

I'm not sure Fran would be the heroine, sadly; whilst I can envision Balthier in an Austen novel, I am having difficulty believing that Austen would write an interspecies romance, and my brain shies away from the idea of Fran in a ballgown. Perhaps Ashe? An Ashe-and-Balthier romance, with less swordfighting and mortal peril and more balls and issues of social rank? I can see it.

Actually, I think Penelo seems the most likely Final Fantasy XII female to be the heroine of a Jane Austen novel. I don't really 'ship Balthier/Penelo in the game (they don't interact much, do they? The only scene I can think of off the top of my head is the one in which he gives her his handkerchief), but I am sure I would be fully prepared to support it in Quickness and Quickenings.

(And now, of course, I find myself unable to resist comparing Squall and Rinoa's relationship to that of Elizabeth and Darcy. Oh, dear.)