Vids: Come up and See Me (Make Me Smile)

[thefourthvine]

I have a fan fiction set nearly ready to go, but I'm hoping I'll, um, develop the ability to be coherent before I actually post it. (Sleep would help. A lot.) So I asked myself what I could do in my current state of incoherence (hints: nothing involving heavy machinery, sharp implements, explosives, or complete sentences), and it came to me in a flash: I could practice what I preached.

See, two weeks ago, I was whining at all y'all to recommend some vids. To my incredible delight, a lot of you did. (And if you did and I haven't remarked upon it yet, I probably missed it; see, the thing is, I do my comments before I read my friends list, so I spent the entire week of that post insanely behind on the ol' list. I missed a lot. So I would be eternally grateful if you would drop me a link and let me know where I can behold you in your glorious recommending plumage.)

Anyway. You recommended vids. Seems like I should do the same. So, without further ado, I present to you: Vids That Make Me Smile (or, in Some Cases, Shriek with Laughter).

Boy in the Bubble, by jmtorres. Star Wars (original trilogy).

This vid made me stupidly happy. I just need to say that right up front, so that you know that I am biased.

And, you know, I didn't think it would. When I recognized the source and the song (I download in a way that makes it difficult for me to associate filenames with content; I love spoilers for anything, except, for some reason, vids, which I want to come to with as few preconceptions as possible.), I started making the Face of Vid-Watching Uncertainty. You know what I mean. It's the same face people make the first time they taste goat cheese. Because, see, in the first few seconds of the vid, the song seemed all wrong and I had no idea where the vid was going. And, you know, I'm already regretting the goat cheese analogy, but I just have to say - like goat cheese, this vid turned out to be an unanticipated comfort food. (Wow. Now I'm really regretting the goat cheese analogy. Memo to me: in the future, avoid dairy-based metaphors in vid recommendations posts. Further memo to me: explore the use of dairy-based metaphors in other settings, but with caution. Don't go charging headlong into, for example, an explanation of the Dewey decimal system via butter making.)

So. There I was, being suspicious and wary. And then I got to one specific line, and my heart clenched, and I was just swamped with this wave of nostalgia, this incredibly intense memory of the uncomplicated love I once had for Star Wars. (The love lasted all the way up until the first half-hour of The Phantom Menace, which was not one of the happier movie-going experiences of my life, let me tell you. And not just, or even mostly, because I was attending with someone who had taken a lot of codeine and could thus be happily entertained by pretty lights, or by dust motes, or even by romantic dialog written by George Lucas.)

This vid brought that old love back to me, let me re-experience it for three minutes, and is a gift beyond price. I can't comment on the technical side of this, or the beauty of the cuts, or anything else at all, because I watched this not as a vidfan but as just a plain old fan.

This is highly recommended for people who loved the original trilogy. And for people who buy DVD sets of TV shows they watched in their youth. And for anyone whose life has been, of late, maybe a little lacking in miracle and wonder.

After Rain, by gwyn_r. Band of Brothers. Pairing? Um, maybe; you could read this as slash (which is, yes, totally my choice; I take pride in my predictability) or as gen. In either case, I have no idea who these guys are. (ETA: deepsix tells me they are Nixon and Winters. In which case, Nixon/Winters is totally my new OTP.)

So. Realistic war fandom with which I am completely unfamiliar. (For the very good reason that realistic war sequences - if I can even understand them - generally make me want to retire to my room. Or resign my membership in the human race. In either case - well, let's put it this way: I watched Saving Private Ryan, yes, but I'm not sure I actually managed to see anything at all after those first however many eternal minutes they were.) And a pairing (or maybe a friendship) that I'm totally not invested in, to the degree that I've never even heard of it. This is a sure-fire recipe for a truly happy-making vid, yes?

No, actually. (I know, you're shocked.) Except it so totally is. This vid makes me happy because - okay. If I ever did a list of Things Fandom Taught Me About Myself, the first thing on that list would have to be the extremely unexpected and totally unwelcome news that I am a closet optimist.

See, for years I thought I was a pessimist, because I made contingency plans and anticipated worst-case scenarios and just generally planned for the universe to fuck my shit up. But it turns out that under that carefully cultivated layer of caution and low expectations, I - I believe in happy endings.

I'm sorry. I know this makes me the most naive person on the planet. I can't help it. My brain understands that it doesn't work that way, but my subconscious is just not having any of the brain's pseudo-intellectual bullshit; it believes that things will end happily.

I first saw "After Rain" at a bad, hard time in my life - two months almost to the day after my father died. I missed him horribly and just couldn't believe that the world could work that way; I was still waiting for the happy ending and starting to be afraid that it wouldn't come. But this vid - it basically was the happy ending. Because it says what I had already hoped was true but really, really needed to hear right then: that things will be good again, that no matter how bad things are, all you have to do is survive and eventually happiness will take care of itself.

The thing is, I've watched this enough to see a lot of what Gwyn did with this vid - the contrast in tones and colors, the gorgeous use of each part of the song, the subtle effects that carry even a totally clueless viewer through distinct switches in time and place. And I appreciate it, just as I appreciate all the slashy adorableness and lovely uniforms. But this will always be, for me, the vid that said that the bad doesn't eliminate the potential for good, and that good times come to all of us in the end.

Goody Two Shoes, by pipsqueaky and laurashapiro. Due South. Fraser and his Rays.

I made a lot of truly undignified noises when I first watched this, including several outright shrieks of laughter. Because, seriously, has there ever been a better song choice for Fraser than "Goody Two Shoes"? Has there ever been less subtle innuendo?

(Answers, in order: No and no. I can think of some equally unsubtle innuendo, like the clip I saw on YouTube a few weeks ago of the one reporter guy eating a banana, but to get any less subtle, there would have to be explicit sexual acts. That would of course be fine with me- Totally fine! Amazingly fine! Redefining fine by reaching entirely new levels of fineness! - but would kind of take it out of the category of "innuendo." Also, this song is so clearly perfect that I actually squealed with joy when the first shot showed what were, unmistakably, Fraser's boots. Now do you see why I like to watch vids unspoiled? It's so that I can think, "Hmmm. 'Goody Two Shoes.' If I'm lucky, it's about Angel; if I'm unlucky, it's about Lana Lang. Ooo, nice title sequence! And - OMG FRASER'S BOOTS EEEEE YES!")

The unwritten subtitle of this vid is, "Come on down to due South and play with our Mountie, who is pure fun in boots." Or, okay, that's not actually the subtitle, but in my head it is, because this vid is three minutes of Fraser demonstrating his fixation on heights, licking, and Rays.

And, okay. Every fandom has its frequently used clips, and I tend to keep a list of those in my head, along with vids that I have awarded various totally imaginary prizes to for the most effective use of those clips. This vid wins two such prizes. (Which is impressive, considering it mostly does not use the really popular clips.) First, for the best use ever of buddy breathing, in that I can actually, for once in my life, see what's going on. Usually it just looks like a fishtank. With bubbles. In the dark. And, second, for the final shot, which - okay. Maybe it's just me, but in this context it suddenly became very, very obvious to me that what Fraser is thinking in that shot is: "Yay! Threesome!"

Atlantis!, by sherrold and wickedwords. Stargate: Atlantis.

(Note: this vid was made for the Vividcon remix challenge, and was inspired by astolat and cesperanza's Rumble, which - well. If you haven't seen it, I don't know how you find the strength to carry on.)

When I was making up this set, says I to myself, says I, "Everyone has seen Atlantis!, surely. There is no point in recommending Atlantis!" And then I remembered that I myself was arguing against that sort of reasoning just two weeks ago. So I did my best to think of the fangirls. Specifically, I thought of a (hypothetical) fangirl who has not seen this vid. And, you know, I can pretty clearly picture her in my head. She's probably feeling a strong urge to lie down with a cold cloth, a Victorian hair ring, and the complete works of Thomas Hardy. (Or, if she's really tragic, Ethan Frome. But I have to hope no one would let it get that far.) She probably weeps, but knows not why she is so emo.

It's because this vid is missing from her life.

And I can relate, because this vid is an example of something that has been missing from my life for rather a long time. See, I am a frequent visitor to anime music video land. (To get there, just take a left at the sign of the one half pandaman, turn another 40 degrees when you see the giant robot, and head straight on toward the totally androgynous boys who hold each others' hands a lot for reasons never entirely made clear. Or, you know, you could just click this link.) And over there, they have a lot of humor vids that consist of many short song snippets. I love these; each snippet is a single joke and lasts precisely as long as it takes to get the joke. Then, before you're done laughing, BAM! and you cut to another joke. Some of the snippets maybe wouldn't even be funny on their own (and, anyway, watching a, like, 17-second vid is weird), but when they are put together and watched as a whole, it gets funnier and funnier until eventually, in the fullness of time, you reach the Linkin Park joke, at which point you are laughing so hard you are weeping into your keyboard. (And if you don't understand why Linkin Park jokes are funny, obviously you have not yet spent much time in anime music video land.)

So, when I saw this, I realized that, yes, this was a live-action snippet vid. And the fact that the snippets were all related just makes it even better. And - and - look. If I talk about this for one second more, I'm going to spoil you (assuming you live on the planet Jupiter and have thus not already been spoiled for it), so just go download, okay? It will take those naughty emo blues away, I promise you.

Comments

Yay! Threesome!

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

He is *so* thinking that. ::beam::

Thank you for the rec! I'm delighted that we were able to make you so squeeful.

Re song choice: when I got the idea, my first thought was "Somebody *must* have done this already." Because DUH. But shockingly, I think we were first.

Re: Yay! Threesome!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

I think this song choice is like the theory of gravity: once someone has had the idea, it's incredibly obvious and intuitively right, but you have to be the right kind of genius to have the idea in the first place.

Because, you know, it never occurred to me (and I was in a good place for it to have, given that my older sister spent her early years as an Adam Ant fangirl). And I've never seen it used, even though I'm a total dS vid collector and have made excellent and extensive use of taverymate's dS vid resource list.

But once I saw Fraser's boots, I realized that this was Fraser's theme song.

And I'll never be able to see that last shot any other way, now. I might just as well start hunting for "Yay! Threesome!" icons.

[brooklinegirl.livejournal.com]

this context it suddenly became very, very obvious to me that what Fraser is thinking in that shot is: "Yay! Threesome!"

yes, yes, YES. and I had that same sort of visceral reaction to the BOOTS, b/c OMG FRASER. It's just so entirely awesome, and man, how they pulled the moments from the different Rays together, just made me see them in a whole new light, how VERY FUCKING MUCH the Rays have in common, how Fraser just doesn't fucking change, and how much they LOVE him, and my heart, she is full.

favorite, FAVORITE vid. Or very close, at least. YAY.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

And here's the thing: I don't even like Ray/Ray. I mean, I read it, but I am an F/K girl all the way. But it's impossible to watch that vid and not immediately go to a happy threesome place.

just made me see them in a whole new light, how VERY FUCKING MUCH the Rays have in common, how Fraser just doesn't fucking change, and how much they LOVE him, and my heart, she is full.

Yes! Precisely! It's just - oh, Ray, and also Ray, and FRASER.

Wow. I reach new heights of inarticulate glee when talking about this. Well, I mean, who wouldn't? FRASER OMG YAY. (Threesome!)

[deepsix.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the Band of Brothers vid yet (waiting on the password) but the very fact that it exists is making me squee uncontrollably, so, really, thanks for the link. Whee!

[deepsix.livejournal.com]

Also, now that I've seen it, I have to say that it probably is meant to be slashy, because Nixon/Winters is the Band of Brothers OTP. *loves them so*

[brownbetty]

Hah! You saw that banana thing too? Or wait, maybe it was a different banana thing. Because the banana thing I'm thinking of was awesome because the innuendo was completely unintended.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Hee. No, I saw that banana thing - and, yes, totally awesome - but this was a whole different banana thing.

And, hey, here it is (http://youtube.com/watch?v=0M6VTB0_5-8). (Wow. The things you can find on YouTube searching for "banana.") I think we can safely say that the innuendo here was a) totally intended and b) amazingly unsubtle.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

Do not insult the people of Jupiter! You don't see us going around insulting you Earthlings do you? I knew we should've stayed on Pluto where they'd figured out how to cloak themselves properly and avoid the meddling!

p.s. That Atlantis video was sheer brilliance. And yes, mom, I told the makers so.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Hey. Who are you calling an earthling? I will have you know I'm 100% alien and damned proud of it.

But, wow. Stay away from the Plutonians, dude. Yeah, sure, they have a way with cloaking, but have you ever seen duller people? Their favorite sport is watching Pluto orbit the sun. And they like poutine. *rolls eyes*

That Atlantis video was sheer brilliance. And yes, mom, I told the makers so.

Wasn't it? I just - wow. Everything I love about the show, right there on the screen.

And yay you for telling the makers you loved it. (I haven't yet, actually. Um. I should probably drop them a line.) We must encourage this sort of vid-making, and if that means abducting these earthlings and holding them hostage until they have produced more vids to entertain us - well, I hope the fine people of Jupiter would support this endeavor.

[fanofall.livejournal.com]

There are Band of Brothers vids? Oh, WOW. And also, YAY.

As I am sure you will be surprised to find out, I saw it. (Sarcasm is AWESOME. :-D) I thought it was amazing, although I can completely understand why you personally might be less than eager to watch it -- there are a lot of the jumpy cameras like in Saving Private Ryan and the exploding ... things that would be icky. But the story is amazing.

Plus Atlantis and due South and Star Wars. EXCELLENT!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

There are Band of Brothers vids? Oh, WOW. And also, YAY.

There are indeed. I've actually seen a few others, but this is my favorite, no question.

As I am sure you will be surprised to find out, I saw it.

The thing is, I am surprised, although I'm not sure why. I mean, I automatically assume you know everything there is to know about television, but somehow it had not occurred to me that this would include Band of Brothers.

I thought it was amazing, although I can completely understand why you personally might be less than eager to watch it -- there are a lot of the jumpy cameras like in Saving Private Ryan and the exploding ... things that would be icky.

I'm afraid. I mean, apart from everything else, they are all wearing uniforms, which means I mostly can't tell anyone from anyone else. (Yes, I understand that the point of a uniform is to make everyone look the same. But it's hard on those of us who really, really need sartorial clues in our entertainment.)

But the story is amazing.

What is the story?

Plus Atlantis and due South and Star Wars. EXCELLENT!

*nods*

It is indeed excellent. I should totally have called this set "How to Achieve Happiness in 16 Minutes."

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

I did some vid recs here (http://rivkat.livejournal.com/134992.html).

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thanks for telling me. And a lot of those I haven't seen before, which is definitely good.

...OMG. Someone made a Mr. Roboto vid? I must download this instantly.

I am SO easy....

[cold-poet.livejournal.com]

You and Estrella man, just boss me right the hell around and watch me say "omgyay!" ;)

Poet? Takes direction well (http://cold-poet.livejournal.com/108031.html) *g*

Re: I am SO easy....

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm worried for you now. Because if you're being mislead by both estrella30 and me - well, I don't even want to imagine where you'll end up.

It will be a bad place, though. I know that much. (Although, bonus: there will certainly be porn there.)

Possibly we should start soliciting donations for the Save cold_poet from Herself Fund now. That way, we'll be able to put you in a really nice facility when the time comes.

Don't worry. We will treat you with love and kindess.

*begins pricing restraints*

[zebra363.livejournal.com]

I did mine, too. (http://zebra363.livejournal.com/42730.html) Send cookies!

Also, I love what you wrote about what After Rain meant to you.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Okay, see, now that is very weird. Because I remember commenting on that post, and yet - clearly I didn't. (Unless I did comment, and we're in an AU, and this is our Sole Clue, in which case - sorry, but we're going to have to stay here. I'm no SF hero.)

*offers cookies*

Wait, wait, I don't actually have any cookies right now. Um. I'm making lemon bars tomorrow, though, so I can proactively offer you cookies. Want some cookie futures?

Also, I love what you wrote about what After Rain meant to you.

Thank you. You know how weird it is for me to say something that personal in a post like this - I feel vaguely exposed even though it's really not that personal or that revealing - but it's inextricably wrapped up in my feelings about the vid, and I couldn't rec it without talking about that.

Of all the "right place, right time, right vid" vids I've ever loved, this one leads that category. I would have loved it no matter when I first watched it - it's gorgeous, perfectly and subtly done, and it totally jibes with my super secret belief system - but at that time? Wow.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

TFV, tell me you've seen newkidfan's Dreams (http://newkidfan.livejournal.com/143859.html) vid. It's SGA, but is like nothing I've seen before. It uses minimal footage from the show and not even a lyrical song, but is like a punch in the chest, either way. One of the most emotional vids I've ever seen.

*coughs* *goes back to lurking*

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Oh my god yes. And I just - it's gorgeous, and I love what's been happening with vids lately in SGA - newkidfan and lim are both, in my opinion, pushing the envelope on what vids can be and do, and I just. I love it so much.

One of the most emotional vids I've ever seen.

The - um, I think it's BHD footage - is, in particular, incredibly moving for me. Because it totally brings home what Sheppard's life was like before Atlantis, in just a few seconds. Wow.

[janet-carter.livejournal.com]

Hee, Boy in the Bubble is awesomely awesome (the non-fannish friend I just showed it to also approves and can't believe how well it works), and I'll check out the others when I'm a little less brain-dead - thank you!

(And I snuck a vid rec into this post (http://janet-carter.livejournal.com/15139.html), although it was more whispering about weasels in the corner at a party, not shouting about them on the street.)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Hee, Boy in the Bubble is awesomely awesome (the non-fannish friend I just showed it to also approves and can't believe how well it works)

Ha! My theory was that Boy in the Bubble was one of those vids that would work well for non-fan types, and this is evidence in its favor. This is good to know, and will contribute materially to my plans to conquer the world.

*attempts evil mad scientist laugh*

*has coughing fit instead*

Okay, obviously I need to work on certain aspects of this plan a bit longer.

more whispering about weasels in the corner at a party, not shouting about them on the street

Yay! Thank you! And, for the record, stealth weasel pushing is a totally valid lifestyle choice. I support your decision to sneak recs in where people least expect them. Soon, everyone will love weasels! Metaphorically speaking, I mean - it'd actually be kind of scary to live in a world where everyone truly loved weasels.

Okay. That kind of took me to a bad place, mental-image-wise. Still, I heartily second both your rec and your means of making it.

*applauds*

*departs to scrub brain vigorously for 10-15 minutes to remove all weasel-related imagery*

[par-avion.livejournal.com]

Your vid recs are adorable. I want to hug them. :)

If you like the vidlets format, can I point you to sockkpuppett's "Cheapshots" vids? I am sure you know Lum's work, but you may have overlooked these, when there are so many shiny things to choose from at her site:

http://www.slum.slashcity.com/lum/eyecandy/#multi

Cheapshots 1: FanFic Smackdown
Cheapshots 2 - Highlander

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Your vid recs are adorable. I want to hug them.

Thank you! They stand ready and willing to be hugged at any time.

Cheapshots 1: FanFic Smackdown
Cheapshots 2 - Highlander

Okay. I. How did I miss those? Because I swear I've downloaded everything ever on Lum's site.

Ah. She cleverly concealed them by not providing thumbnails. Curse her evil unthumbnailing ways!

Um. Maybe I need to get my vision checked.

But - yay! Vidlets! I can only think off-hand of one other true vidlet-style live-action vid - 21 Vidlets about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I love, because of course you could find the perfect footage for every part of "Fingertips" in BtVS - and even then, that vid is from one song. One song that has 21 pieces, yes, but the audio isn't edited the way Atlantis!'s audio is.

Perhaps audio editing is getting more possible, and so more people will be making vidlet sequences. I really hope so, because vidlets really work with humor, and lord knows we can never have too many funny vids.

*hopeful*

[stillane.livejournal.com]

I have, in fact, not seen Atlantis! just yet. God help me, I am the emo fangirl. This must be remedied very, very quickly, lest the Hardy set in. I still have Mayor of Casterbridge-shaped nightmares from high school. *shudder*

Thanks for heading the pain off at the pass.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

But wait. Is it the budding emo that enables you to write stuff like "The Ratio of Burning"? Because if so - well, I'm sorry, but you can't watch Atlantis! It's for the good of the fandom, really. I'm sure you understand.

And, hey, if it's any consolation - I have a hardcover copy of Jude the Obscure that you're more than welcome to borrow.

I still have Mayor of Casterbridge-shaped nightmares from high school.

*sympathizes*

My mandatory reading nightmares tend to come in the form of "Flight," a short story by John Steinbeck, which I was required to read in 8th grade and which totally destroyed everyone in the class. We were twitching wrecks by the time we were done, totally incapable of opening a short story without flinching. (We were extremely vulnerable; most of us already had short story induced PTSD from our required 7th grade reading of "The Cold Equations," which taught us that it's not just the universe that's unfair - it's also English teachers and short story writers.)

And immediately after the short story unit, come to think of it, we started the month-long unit on the Holocaust.

Hmmm. I really loved that teacher, but now I suspect her of wanting to destroy our psyches and our will to live before high school could.

And I just thank god for the slashy goodness (though I did not, at the time, know that it was slashy) that carried me through Moby Dick. We had to read the unedited version, and just the memory of some of the whale butchering scenes can still make me dizzy. Thank you, Melville, for totally losing control of your novel and subjecting us all to really excessive whale gore. It's just what I'd always wanted in my mandatory reading! But you came up with Queequeg. That makes up for a lot.

Still. Whale butchering. Eeeeesh.

*shudders*

[cardalia.livejournal.com]

Here's another resident of Jupiter that you made incredibly, incoherently HAPPY with the Atlantis! rec. I'm making all these noises here behind closed doors so the Boytoy doesn't wake up and strangle me and ... screw it. I'm waking him up and showing him ALL the vids because this is a love that must be shared. I'm sure he'll be grateful in the end. *grins*

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

I'm making all these noises here behind closed doors so the Boytoy doesn't wake up and strangle me

Is it not wonderful? It is just - OMG YES. (I'm struggling not to make noises myself, because the first time I saw it I squeaked with joy so loudly that our neighbor's dogs started howling.)

I'm waking him up and showing him ALL the vids because this is a love that must be shared.

I wholly support this course of action. It is an act of true love to ensure that he sees the vids as soon as possible. What is mere sleep when there are great vids to be watched?

*nods emphatically*

(Um. Do not tell him I said so, though. You will definitely want to take all the credit for that idea yourself. *further emphatic nods*)

[jmtorres.livejournal.com]

*blushing* I made goat cheese! *grins* Yay!

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Yes. Um. Sorry about the dairy metaphor - it just, sometimes these things get away from you. (I very nearly went to a macaroni and cheese place, so - really, it could have been worse.) But you definitely made a classic comfort food vid.

And I cannot thank you enough for the chance to revisit the time when I actually truly loved Star Wars.

*wistful*

[nailfile.livejournal.com]

Ok, as someone who has spent over a year in the SGA fandom, and has more than a GIGABYTE of vids saved on her hard-disk, how did i not know about this vid?

I don't have a Victorian hair ring, but a cold compress and the collection of Jane Austen (not Hardy) does sound like a nice idea right about now.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

how did i not know about this vid?

I'm just grateful the tragic oversight has been remedied before ol' Thomas came to stay. (Or, god help you, Wharton, who I suspect is responsible for 40% of the teen crime in the United States.)

I don't have a Victorian hair ring, but a cold compress and the collection of Jane Austen (not Hardy) does sound like a nice idea right about now.

Hah. Everyone knows you cannot be properly tragic and emo with Jane Austen. Her novels are fun! Entertaining! Well-written! Short! No, you can only mope in style with Thomas Hardy or one of his equally long-winded companions in WOE. (Basically, you need any writer who gets you to a place where you think, "You know, the best possible outcome for this character is death." And there are still 200 pages left. And the character does not die. Then you know you are being wretched with class.)

[delurker.livejournal.com]

Ooh, shiny!

Although I must confess that I have seen none of these. Uh. I had dial-up? And a tendency to get distracted by the music and so miss the shiny? Um.

Here, have a link to distract you: an old rec I did for a 'book trailer' that some people did. It's here (http://delurker.livejournal.com/14249.html). It's for Neil Gaiman's Coraline, and it's absolutely brilliant. Because the book is all text, and the vid is animated, but it's the kind of animation the book would be if it weren't text. And the music is perfect! Basically, this is the book in vid form, pimping-style. I have no words to express how awesome it is, but I encourage everyone to go check it out, and squee a lot.

(This is one of the few recs I've made that someone has commented on to squee about the vid. That's how good it is.)

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Although I must confess that I have seen none of these.

I'm very glad I posted this, then, because these are vids that everyone must see. *is firm*

Here, have a link to distract you: an old rec I did for a 'book trailer' that some people did.

Oooo, thank you. I cannot wait to see it. That sounds so very cool. And I loved the book, too, so that makes it even better.

*impatient now*

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I am so happy that I could make something that would help ease the pain of that kind of loss, just a little. I know how hard it is to find anything joyful or pleasant at a time like that, and it makes me incredibly glad that the vid meant something to you.

As usual, too, I've had a lot more requests for the password the past few hours because of your rec, so I thank you very much for that. You are a most excellent pimp. And if you ever want more info on Nix/Winters or the whole story of BoB, I am more than happy to pimpinform you about the series and the real life story.

It is definitely a tough series to watch in some respects, because it was about a company who had saw some of the worst combat conditions of WWII, and had one of the highest casualty rates. They don't stint on the violence or the hell they were in, at all. But things like Nixon and Winters's friendship, the brotherhood the men forged, the incredible acting in the series, really give you core emotional element to focus on. Also, it's only ten parts, so it has a finite space.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

I know how hard it is to find anything joyful or pleasant at a time like that, and it makes me incredibly glad that the vid meant something to you.

Although I left you feedback at the time, I was in no shape to articulate, even to myself, exactly what I felt about the vid, so I don't think I really conveyed it to you. Trust me when I say, though, that this vid means a lot to me.

As usual, too, I've had a lot more requests for the password the past few hours because of your rec, so I thank you very much for that.

That's fascinating, and it's both sad and very gratifying for my ego. I mean, there are people actually downloading vids I rec'd - how cool is that?

But it's sad because - well, I wouldn't have thought that a single rec could cause a noticeable spike in password requests. Maybe someone else rec'd it, too?

And if you ever want more info on Nix/Winters or the whole story of BoB, I am more than happy to pimpinform you about the series and the real life story.

Yes, please! Tell me more! I'm very curious, because - well, the vid has made me immensely fond of these characters (who even without dialog and etc. seem to have very distinct personalities), and also the show just sounds interesting. You know how well I do with actually watching canons, so I doubt I ever will watch this one, but I'd love to hear more about the characters and, well, whatever other details are suitable for pimping. Is there a good fandom summary out there anywhere hat you know about?

Did my bit for the cause

[anglopollyanna.livejournal.com]

Following gentle prompting, I did my one solitary rec for a Vanity Fair vid (http://anglopollyanna.livejournal.com/36044.html).

Every little helps!

Re: Did my bit for the cause

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Yay! And thank you for telling me. That was a wonderful rec for a wonderful but challenging vid. (As soon as you said "Vanity Fair," I hoped it would be that one, and it was. *delighted*)

Every little helps!

*beams*

Yup! Although, truly, posting a rec is not a little thing. It is a great big major thing. Thank you for doing it - I know it takes time, but it's so totally worth it, and it's really the only way to draw attention to a vid like that one, that doesn't have a fandom to match.

*happy*

[lastscorpion.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all these recs, and for doing a post where everybody else can link theirs! As soon as I'm downtown where the high speed connection is, I'll have a ton of stuff to download!

My vid rec post is here (http://lastscorpion.livejournal.com/192322.html).

[siegeofangels.livejournal.com]

I had to let you know that yes, I am that fangirl. Because with this dialup connection, a vid has to come very highly recommended indeed for me to spend two hours downloading it.

Atlantis!? SO WORTH IT. I just . . . thank you. It did actually cheer me up.

[elfiepike.livejournal.com]

i would like to recommend an AMV to you, if i may: a manly video (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=39016), series: fruits basket, song: "the creation of man" from the scarlet pimpernel.

it is easily one of my favorite AMVs of all time, because it has the character of Ayame just--perfectly. :D

lesson #1: don't scroll too far down, or your comments will be meaningless. le sigh.

[qe2.livejournal.com]

Am spending my Sunday morning dealing with my far-too-many Opera tabs, amongst which I found this treasure of an entry. Thus, more accurately, am now spending my Sunday morning downloading more of your delicious vid recs and anticipating watching the results as a reward tonight. Whee!

Also, this:

I'm sorry. I know this makes me the most naive person on the planet. I can't help it. My brain understands that it doesn't work that way, but my subconscious is just not having any of the brain's pseudo-intellectual bullshit; it believes that things will end happily.

is exactly how I feel. It's very frustrating. I think I'd be happier if I could just resign myself to life's relative lack of happy endings - but I can't seem to do it, and perhaps that's just as well, eh?

In conclusion: *snugs you*

[akussaset.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to thank you for your Band of Brothers "After Rain" recommendation. It's just as fabulous a vid as you said it was. Your recommendations are invariably on target, and I always turn here first when I'm investigating a new fandom to see if you've ever ventured into it. (Or, sometimes, it's the other way around. Sometimes I rush frantically to the library to take out a copy of The Sting so that I can watch it for the first time ever and revel in the extreme slashiness and then enjoy the heck out of Dorinda's fic.) So thanks!

And Band of Brothers itself really is just as amazing as the vid suggests, and if I'm not mistaken, much of the color in the vid is from the miniseries. It's gorgeously filmed and overall fantastic; I'd be happy to make the 10 episodes of the miniseries available to you if you'd like. It's seems the very least I can do for such amazing recommendations :)