Look, Ma! Meta!

[lls_mutant]

So. With the disclaimer out of the way- because it really sucks to be spoiled about something you don't want to know- let's talk Gaeta and Hoshi. I'm probably preaching to the choir in everything I say in this, but we'll go ahead anyway, because I feel like it.

Of course, my f-list has been ecstatic about the idea of Gaeta/Hoshi. Most of my f-list consists of slashers, or at least people amenable to the idea, so come on, this is no shock. But naturally I've been surfing the net checking out reactions, and a few have come up that I just want to talk about, just because hey- this is a LiveJournal and that's what they're for, right? If you can't monologue in your own LJ, something is wrong.

Of course, there have been the really homophobic remarks, like people not wanting the watch the show and the ever mature "ewww, gross!" type of things. I'm not even going there, because it doesn't deserve my attention and most of the people who are saying that aren't going to be convinced by anything I say, and probably didn't click on the link or back-clicked the minute it became apparent that I like Gaeta/Hoshi. But some of the other things I've seen:

"How pointless/Who cares?/Why are they putting it in?"

There are really two trains of thought in that comment, aren't there? One is "who cares? I want to know who the Final Cylon is, damn it!" The other is "why put a gay relationship in? What does it add to the plot?"

The first, well, I agree in a lot of ways. Gaeta/Hoshi is a very minor development in terms of plot, which is probably exactly why it was leaked. It's sensational enough that it gives people something to talk about, but it doesn't give away anything that is a really big deal. It's actually a fairly clever thing to release, I think. Me, I'm delighted, because the one thing I wanted to know going into 4.5 was if they were going to do Gaeta/Dee (and frankly, hoping they weren't), so I got my question answered and can stop clicking on spoiler links before the really big ones come out.

The second, well, what the heck did the Quadrangle of Doom add to the plot? And although I adore them and they're my OTP on the show, what does Adama/Roslin add to the plot? The answer isn't nothing, by the way. The sex adds very little to the plot. Their feelings for each other, however, are very relevant. When someone is in love, that dictates a lot of their actions. Certainly not every one, but definitely some of them. Adama/Roslin is absolute proof of that. Plus, people fall in love. It happens. So media reflects that, and we lap it up. Depending on how they handle it, Gaeta/Hoshi will add as much to those characters as the het relationships do. In Hoshi's case it will add more, because we know pretty much nothing about him ;)

But wait! There's more! Yes, we've found out that Gaeta and Hoshi are together. But that really does something much bigger: it confirms that Gaeta is gay, leading to the thought that they have had a gay storyline all along, and that's the relationship between Gaeta and Baltar.

Did Gaeta and Baltar ever sleep together? Honestly, neither answer would surprise me. I have to agree with falafel_musings that Baltar is a sex addict. The man has sex with people who aren't even there. He's slept with at least five canon characters (Caprica Six, D'Anna, Starbuck, Tory, and Playa), plus a few interns and cult members. He's been caught publicly masturbating (or about to) several times. He has his own harem, for crying out loud. The guy is a total slut. It is not at all unbelievable to me that he might have had some sort of sex with Gaeta, especially on New Caprica. (See Youth's Final Luxury for that one.) It's also not at all unbelievable to me that he didn't. But what I do believe is that Gaeta was in love with Baltar, and Baltar knew that and somehow used that knowledge. And that eventually led to the intense, bitter anger that we see from Gaeta in Season 3. Like I said, it's not so much the sex, but the love- or in this case love betrayed- that influences what a person does and adds to the plot. Unrequited Gaeta/Baltar has already been a plot, if you chose to see it that way. It's there, to the point where Alessandro Juliani has flat out said he played Gaeta as being in love with Baltar. It's just never been confirmed.

Why are they confirming it now/left it off so long?/They should have done it earlier.

I'm going to have a little faith here, and give you my reasoning.

See, the thing about the timing is yeah, they are doing it after they know the show is over. But they're also doing it after something else very important: the reveal of four of the final five.

Gaeta has long been suspected of being two things: gay, and a Cylon. My writer's instinct tells me that you can really do one or the other. Gaeta's too minor of a character to have both heaped on him, and they're already going the Baltar-broke-a-Cylon's-heart route with Caprica Six. Gaeta being in love with Baltar AND a Cylon probably wouldn't add anything to the plot, where as one or the other works fine.

Now, I don't know for sure that Gaeta's not a Cylon. The rest here is pure speculation, but I have now done a complete 180 and am pretty convinced that Gaeta is human. So, onward.

There was a comment somewhere that made it sound like they were debating between Anders and Gaeta as a Cylon- a debate which really makes sense, given that both characters get some interesting reactions for being a Cylon and both have some good implications. But the way I'm reading it, for a long time the writers were leaving themselves some room. Gaeta could have been a Cylon or not. But beyond that, you couldn't confirm it before the end of Season 3 because Gaeta was such a strong contender in the viewer's eyes for Cylonhood. Giving a strong indication of his humanity (and, given the Cylon's obsession with reproduction, Gaeta being gay would be a bright arrow towards the human side) takes Gaeta out of the running. With only so many recognizable characters, you don't want to do that. So, revealing Gaeta as gay before revealing the Final Five wasn't a great idea.

Of course, since they're putting it in the webisodes, they're doing it before the Final Cylon reveal. But D'Anna's statement in Revelations changed a lot, and I think post-Revelations Gaeta lost most of his "I'm a Cylon" steam, and people began shifting to other characters. Plus, it sounds like we're going to find out who the Final Cylon is pretty early in 4.5, which I'd figured because you have to deal with the fall-out from that.

In Season 4, the whole fact that Gaeta was gay really didn't have an opportunity to come up. Again, you want to hold off on any indicators of his humanity as long as possible, especially since the singing in Guess What's Coming to Dinner is a GIANT red herring. (Erm, I assume it's a red herring, anyway. I have to admit I still like my Cavil-is-the-fifth-and-he-created-two-through-eight-and-boxed-the-sevens idea, but I don't think that's going to work.) But they were obviously still wanting you to think that in Season 4. Plus, that loneliness and isolation of GWCTD just doesn't work if you know Gaeta's actually got a boyfriend standing off to the side. (If they were even together at that point.) After GWCTD, we don't see Gaeta again until Revelations, and that IS when we see that hug between him and Hoshi. And I'd like to point out that Hoshi isn't exactly standing near Gaeta to just randomly hug him- he deliberately crosses the CIC to specifically hug Gaeta.

It comes out of nowhere.

Not really. Hoshi it can't- we know nothing about Hoshi. Gaeta, well... I mean, I've seen tons of comments about Gaeta's name, and reasons people think he's gay. But I'd like to think the real reason people think that is because of how Gaeta acted around Baltar. I mean, the character is anything but a stereotype. Okay, maybe he is a little, but that stereotype screams engineer to me more than gay. (Come on. Gaeta is a total dork, and one day I WILL finish the Dork-squad fic I started with him and Billy and Baltar and Cottle and Cavil and Tigh and Ellen. But you know he spent his free time playing the Colonial equivalent of WoW.) But as I said earlier, the idea that Gaeta loved Baltar has been there from the beginning- at least in the actor's portrayal.

Plus, Gaeta has been presented as a very private person, very focused on work. Has he really been "in the closet"? Or just not talking about it? I think it's perfectly in character for the second to be true.

It will be confined to the webisodes.

I'm going to give the writers the benefit of the doubt here.

See, right now, we have what- 10? 11? episodes left. And there's a LOT of story to be told in those few episodes. The relationship between Gaeta and Hoshi... well, it's minor, just like any new het relationship would be at this point. I am guessing we might get the background (if there's any that's relevant- it could just be they hooked up and who cares how, because it's normal and boring- it's not like we got to see Cally and Chief really get together) in the webisodes, and then we'll still get some of the relationship in the series. We might not see them do much, but frankly, BSG steps over the "how much sex I want to see" line sometimes anyway. I adore Adama/Roslin, but I don't need a porno of them, either.

Anyway, Juliani said that Gaeta's headed to a dark place. I have two theories: 1.) either Hoshi's death (because yeah, you hook up with a bigger character and you get background in the webisodes? RED SHIRT!) will push him over the edge, or 2.) Hoshi will be the one to pull him back. I think the first is more likely, but really wouldn't mind either. But I really, really think that's why this is going to matter, and that's how it will be related to the plot (because I think Gaeta's going to consider doing something very dark, like killing someone that's not Baltar or piloting Colonial One into a basestar or something), and therefore the relationship will be seen in the series, even if we don't get much background out of it. After all, I STILL haven't watched the Season 3 webisodes (I know! I know!), and I get what Jammer and Duck were up to just fine, y'know? The webisodes supplement, but they don't replace.

About time Gaeta finally got laid/got happy/had SOMETHING good happen to him!

One of the things that pleases me is that this seems to be the predominant feeling in the places I've happened to look, and all I can say to this one is AMEN. I really like the character (if you couldn't tell), and would really like something nice to happen to him, even if it's just for a few minutes. Plus, more screen time for him is a very good thing.

But it's really nice to see this. I mean, I was okay with the relationship in Razor, because this is BSG, and if you REALLY think any of the het relationships are going to end happy, you and I need to discuss what shows we're talking about. So I don't expect the gay ones not to go up in flames, either. But Cain and Gina were pretty minor characters, and they did pussyfoot around it a bit more. (Although I don't think Baltar "healed" Gina in any way. I mean, she blew herself and Cloud 9 up with a nuke right after sleeping with him. NOT healthy. I think he thought he did.) But the thing is- and this was always why I liked Remus/Sirius- it's nice to see them make a character gay who is important to the story line, isn't a stereotype (because I really don't think Gaeta is), and whose sexuality does not completely define him, but is still important. With Dumbledore, it got regulated to fairly unimportant by the way JKR revealed it, and the fact she made him celibate afterwards. With Gaeta, he's first and foremost Officer of the Watch, ambitious military boy, idealist, scientist/computer geek, and Pretty Boy Not Allowed to Have Nice Things. :) The sexuality is certainly going to be important enough to dictate some of what he does (and I think it has already), but not his entire purpose or personality on the show.

So, yay! Now all I need is for Tom to ruffle Gaeta's curls in a fatherly manner, and I'm over the moon. (Note to self: write Gaeta introducing Tom and Hoshi.) And I've rambled for far too long already. My icon is exceedingly appropriate. :) Does meta count towards my wordcount for NaNoWriMo? :)

Comments

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

I don't remember anyone named Hoshi. Who is he? Have we met him yet?

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

He's here (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Hoshi). He's the Communications officer that was on the Pegasus, and he did Gaeta's job while Gaeta was off on the Demetrius. He has very few lines, most of which are along the lines of "yes sir" and "Dradis contact, sir". :P He gets to say a little bit more in Razor. But during the big celebration in Revelations, he's the one that hugs Gaeta. (Pic here (http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showtopic=2319139))

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay. I remember the hug, but that's about it. (Haven't seen all of Razor yet; it's next in my Netflix queue.) Wow, you weren't wrong about some of the comments on that board being icky. What is it with people? I'm glad Gaeta's getting some loving. It's about time!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

It is! (I still agree that they should have given him Jake as well.) The boy needs someone to actually be nice to him for a change, without just pitying him. Of course, I'm half expecting Hoshi to die now, but hey.

Some of the comments just amaze me. I can sort of shake my head, but it drives me nuts. we were actually at my parents this weekend, and they watch Brothers and Sisters, which has a married gay couple. They're major characters. And every time they kissed (closed mouth, incidentally), my parents would express their disgust loudly. I finally said something like, "if you can't stand it, why do you watch the show? You KNOW they're there." My stepfather never did answer, except to say you couldn't pay him to kiss a man. Because, y'know, I'm sure ALL actors like kissing ALL actresses.

People can be stupid.

[thistlerose.livejournal.com]

Seriously! Don't you just want to shake them and yell "IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!" I have friends and relatives who says things like that too and I sometimes wonder if they think their heterosexuality will somehow be in doubt if they don't say stupid things every time a gay character comes on screen or someone says something about gay rights.

Anyway, back to Gaeta. In my personal canon, Jake leaves whatsisname and Gaeta adopts him.

I rewatched the miniseries the other day, and Gaeta's interest in Baltar is pretty evident. I'd forgotten they'd talked as long ago as that.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

It really, really baffles me. I don't get it. I guess I should just be pleased they watched the show anyway. ::Sigh::

I like your personal canon. In mine, Tom Zarek's pretty much decided that Gaeta's the son he never had and came to visit after Adama's coup. So now I want to write Gaeta introducing Hoshi and Tom :)

Yeah, when I did the rewatch, I wondered how in the hell I'd ever missed the Gaeta/Baltar stuff the first time around. I'm sorry, but you don't say "I knew you could never be involved in that attack. You're not that kind of man" (complete with batting your long pretty eyelashes) to someone unless you are majorly crushing on them. I guess I just didn't notice it because I didn't really notice Gaeta until he pulled the gun on Baltar. Then when I went back and did the rewatch, I paid more attention to the minor characters.

[trovia.livejournal.com]

There can never be enough meta about Gaeta's sexuality... ;)

But the thing is- and this was always why I liked Remus/Sirius- it's nice to see them make a character gay who is important to the story line, isn't a stereotype (because I really don't think Gaeta is)

This is interesting - all the people saying Gaeta would be too much of a stereotype (except for that nonsense with the name... really, it's a beautiful name, no matter how it rhymes). People seem to confuse authenticity and stereotyping. If you focus your attention on men instead of women, that results in different behaviour patterns. And if coming out requires you to talk to strangers about what you like to do in bed, that gives you a different attitude towards talking about these things (like asking about porn casually ;)). That doesn't make it a stereotype, it's just a way things are (if Dee drools at the sight of Lee's pecs, we don't call that a stereotype either, after all). I love that AJ seems to be conscious of this, of course. I'm ready to take Gaeta with any sexual orientation. But it's much more consistent to have him be gay. I'm glad they're doing it, for consistency's sake at least. If he were (exclusively) straight, it wouldn't quite fit with what we've seen. Also, I'm falling in love with writing Gaeta as a gold star.

So, it's absolutely not coming out of nowhere. Also, when ever did we start needing exposition for sexual orientation? I can't remember anybody pointing out on the show that Tory is straight before she hooked up with Baltar.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Also, when ever did we start needing exposition for sexual orientation? I can't remember anybody pointing out on the show that Tory is straight before she hooked up with Baltar.

Yeah. What you said :)

I'm not sure how much I think he's a gay stereotype. What amuses me is that the little we've seen of Hoshi, they seem to have certain traits in common. (They're both almost always perfectly groomed, and Hoshi strikes me as very responsible and punctual.) But those seem like they're traits that would be associated more with the position Gaeta is in. (One thing that's always struck me about him- he always, always, always has a watch on.) But regardless, he's not doing the limp-wristed, lisping, flamboyant thing, even off duty. But I do like the pissy, bitchy sarcasm we see. :)

Out of curiosity- what's a gold star?

[trovia.livejournal.com]

(One thing that's always struck me about him- he always, always, always has a watch on.)

Well, he is the watch officer... :) (sorry, that one was irresistable). But that's interesting! I never noticed that.

Out of curiosity- what's a gold star?

Means he's never slept with a woman. If he was born by way of c-section, that would make him a double gold star (never got out, never got in ;)). Some people take some mock pride in being a gold star. Sorry, I thought it was a more commonly known expression. :)

[falafel-musings.livejournal.com]

Great meta! I share so many of your views here, even though I'm still sitting firmly in the 'Hoshi will live!' camp and refusing to budge. I'm relieved at no-Gaeta/Dee too. Not just because I wanted Felix to be gay for my Baltar/Gaeta shipping purposes, but I also really want to see Dee getting a solo-story in 4.5, not being a love interest for the third time in a row. And cos I love Gaeta/Dee as girly friends!

"How pointless/Who cares?/Why are they putting it in?"

This comment bugs me too. For starters it's funny how these people have decided this story is irrelevant before they've even seen it. And you are absolutely right that nobody questions the inclusion of het romances. Yet when a gay one comes along it has to justify its relevance. Can't a gay relationship just be there as an example of the characters personal lives - same as all of the het ships? Jeez. But Gaeta/Hoshi will add to the story. IMO, Gaeta's orientation is extremely relevant to the Baltar/Gaeta plot that has been part of the show since S1. So there.

Why are they confirming it now/left it off so long?/They should have done it earlier.

I'm going to add another thought to this - how long did it take to "confirm" other characters as straight? Why didn't they let us know that Lee was straight right away? Why did we have to wait until he slept with that hooker? This way of thinking suggests that everyone assumed straight until they are revealled as gay. Well, personally I always thought (erm, knew ) that Felix was gay, without needing any hard confirmation. Most fans knew he was gay. You don't need to be told, you just need to observe his epic crush on Baltar, his minor crush on Helo and his nonchalance towards attractive young women in the fleet. That and his campy little tiger tattoo *ruffles curls*

But I don't think Gaeta is a stereotype either. I would say he is similar to gay guys I know in real life. Even if gay men aren't overtly camp they often have a certain sass to their manners and I think AJ puts that into Gaeta oh so subtlely. It doesn't mean AJ is making Gaeta a stereotype but I think he is mindfully playing his character as gay in a realistic and observant way. I think he's got it spot on.

Plus, Gaeta has been presented as a very private person, very focused on work. Has he really been "in the closet"? Or just not talking about it? I think it's perfectly in character for the second to be true.

I agree and Gaeta is not the only one. Let's not forget that Adama and Roslin - the two main characters - have also not had any sex this entire trip. It's taken 4 whole seasons for them to get it together. Before that we just had Bill's private anniversaries with his ex-wife's photograph. Gaeta isn't the only one who keeps these things behind closed doors.

And yeah, the best part is Gaeta isn't just 'the gay guy'. In different moments we have seen him as the sciencey brainbox, the broken idealist, the quiet lonely hero, the ship gossip, the tragic embittered victim, etc. In S4 he had also gained a disability and revealed he has a lovely singing voice, so Gaeta's sexuality is just one of a dozen things going on with this guy - all of which makes him very ficcable!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I don't often meta, but some of the comments I'd been seeing compelled me to on this one.

Not just because I wanted Felix to be gay for my Baltar/Gaeta shipping purposes, but I also really want to see Dee getting a solo-story in 4.5, not being a love interest for the third time in a row.

AMEN! I want Season 1 Dee back. (Although I did always love Dee/Billy.) I think I prefer Dee and Gaeta as brother and sister in a way, which is how I tend to think of them. But I'm grateful they didn't go there.

I'm going to add another thought to this - how long did it take to "confirm" other characters as straight? Why didn't they let us know that Lee was straight right away?

This is an excellent point. And even then, why does the word "bi" never come up? (And why is it snowing outside? It's too early to snow! Sorry.) Heck, I don't even think it often- look how I automatically assumed Zarek was completely straight! (Although I still prefer it that way because I didn't want a mentor figure to a gay man to have to be another gay man.) And we still have no real confirmation on people like Racetrack or Skulls.

The other thing is that people believed and came to the conclusion that Gaeta was gay for a REASON. Like we've both said, it's been there. When the actor plays him as gay, and with the whole Baltar crush... he could be the "manliest" man on the show, and I'd still think it. (Although I confess to totally missing it the first time through, but that's only because I kind of ignored Gaeta until he pulled out that gun.)

Gaeta isn't the only one who keeps these things behind closed doors.

Most of the characters are, actually. Lee doesn't go around talking about his past. Tigh doesn't even say much about Ellen, except to Adama. No one (in the crew) is really aware of how much Anders knows about Kara cheating on him until he blurts it out to Lee. And damn it, if people can't even be bothered to come visit Gaeta in sickbay, then why should he be talking to them about his lovelife????

all of which makes him very ficcable

Exactly :)

[falafel-musings.livejournal.com]

I see Gaeta/Dee as brother/sisterish too, especially since Tigh said the CIC team were like family. I like to imagine Helo being like a big brother to them both too *huggles*.

Well, I don't get the impression that the Colonials use terms like gay and bi to differenciate between sexual orentations (part of the reason I don't think his name counts as a clue). Same as they don't acknowledge gender difference (anyone on BSG can be called 'sir') If they are gender-blind, I guess they are also fairly blind to alternative sexualities.

Yeah, it was the Exodus-II scene when I first really clicked over Gaeta's sexuality and feelings for Baltar. Before that the character was very asexual and just fanboyish around Gaius. It got a bit more serious in S3.

BTW - did you see my Christmas Stocking Post? Feel free to request a gift or double with somebody elses - http://falafel-musings.livejournal.com/13665.html - also would you be okay to beta? Maybe sometime this weekend?

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Cool Christmas idea! Thanks! And yes- send that baby over this way and I will beta!

I like the idea of Helo being big brother to them. That's sweet! Another fic I still want to write is the one where Helo and Gaeta went to high school together and Helo used to shove Gaeta in his locker, and then when they were both on Galactica Helo had grown up and didn't even recognize Gaeta, and they actually became friends.

If they are gender-blind, I guess they are also fairly blind to alternative sexualities.

I don't think they're completely gender blind. I mean, women wear dresses and men don't, for example. I think the military is and the competence of a woman is rarely in question because she's a woman.

I'd believe that they use gay and bi, just because it's shorthand. But I also believe it's not a big deal, and that except for maybe a few fundamentalists, no one really cares. I seriously don't think Gaeta is closeted- I think he's just private. And I don't think they'll be "coming out" to the ship- just to the fans.

I also need to learn that constantly hitting the search or whatever is NOT going to make the webisodes appear any sooner!

[falafel-musings.livejournal.com]

Awww! I don't know if I can imagine Helo as a school bully. He always loves the underdogs. But it's a cute idea.

I seriously don't think Gaeta is closeted- I think he's just private.

Also because he was celibate. Maybe Gaeta had a few one-night stands we never saw (with his frak-buddy Skulls, of course), but no boyfriend. Not that he's celibate because he's gay, but celibate, because a) he's a workaholic, and b) because he was so hopelessly in love with Gaius. I like the idea that there might have been rumors about Gaius/Felix going around the fleet. I always thought Connor's slur about Felix "hiding behind Baltar's skirt" had a gay-bashing implication.

Do we know what date the webisodes start??

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I can. Helo's got a dark streak. I also like the idea of him getting the shit kicked out of him in Academy, and that sort of changing him.


And yeah- celibate is dead on. I also like the idea that maybe sex has to mean SOMETHING to him. That you can't just walk up to him and say "want to frak?" and have him say, "um, okay." Not that it has to be love- just that he has to, y'know, like the person or something :) And yeah, I thought the same thing about Connor. I do think there were rumors going around.

No concrete date yet that I've heard. I can't wait.

[tin-o-biscuits.livejournal.com]

Mid-December, I think I heard. Or did I dream that...

I'll come back when it's not so late and try to come up with a better comment, but for now, thank you for saying all this. The comments I've seen are mostly negative, and it twists my stomach. I actually saw a lot of people bitching that it's two guys and not 'two hot chicks.' (then again, I was on Ain't It Cool News, so I guess I was in for mind-bending ignorance). I'm just glad they saw it fit to give his character a Nice Thing. :B

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Can it be mid-December now? Or can that be wrong? That would be nice. They could start tomorrow or Monday- I really wouldn't mind.

I saw the same comments about how two girls should be mandatory but two guys was gross. It baffles me, if nothing else for the shallow reason of hey- don't you think that maybe if a guy finds two girls kissing hot, some of us girls would find two guys kissing hot? Stupid, homophobic, AND sexist.

I must be looking in the right places. I was over at gaeta_squee, and while there were people that were disappointed because they were rooting for Gaeta/Dee, their comments were intelligent and mature, not "EWWW!" I can TOTALLY get people being bummed that their ship isn't happening, and I'm behind that 100%. But there's no need to be a dick about it. :P

I just hope they let his character KEEP his Nice Thing, instead of killing him off. But I am gleefully pessimistic about that.

[tin-o-biscuits.livejournal.com]

Found it: "Sitrep is also hearing that the webisodes will premiere online in mid-December." I wasn't being crazy for once, yay! XD

"don't you think that maybe if a guy finds two girls kissing hot, some of us girls would find two guys kissing hot?"
God, THIS. THIS all the way. People just can't wrap their grey matter around that. (and then you have the batshit loons from anime fandoms who think slash should be mandatory no matter the show or plot because 'omg theyre so hawt!11' Almost got me out of the Death Note fandom, that did. I like my slash with substance, darn it.)

I have a feeling that a bunch of people will die, but Hoshi won't because Gaeta's not one of the Top Ten charas, and you'd only torture a side-chara if they had some kinda super-important awesome arc comin' up. :| But then again I'm optimistic and just want Felix to have a not-all-that-angsty ending.

Kinda rambling here, but have you heard of the book "Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy"? I found it at Barnes and Noble today (woulda bought it had I an extra $20), looked through it a bit. Interesting stuff. :D

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I'm betting they do five webisodes (hopefully twice as long as the ten they did previously), or they just release two a week, and the webisodes start 5 weeks before January 16, whatever date that is. ::Sigh::

I like my slash with substance, darn it.

You and me both! That's why I generally reject the label of slasher. It tends to be associated with people who see slash in EVERYTHING. My two "real" slash pairs (well, two and a half), are Remus/Sirius and Gaeta/Baltar (I guess that's the half), and unless they REALLY fuck it up Gaeta/Hoshi. I'm optimistic that however they write it, I'll probably be okay with it. While I liked Gaeta/Zarek, it was only after writing 80 gen pages of them ;) And hey- I can read slash where there isn't slash to be seen if the author does a good job of it, but then it needs to be more plot, less smut. I can handle smut only for something where the subtext (or text) is there.

I have a feeling that a bunch of people will die, but Hoshi won't because Gaeta's not one of the Top Ten charas, and you'd only torture a side-chara if they had some kinda super-important awesome arc comin' up. :| But then again I'm optimistic and just want Felix to have a not-all-that-angsty ending.

I hope you're right, although I'm honestly okay with it either way. I like the idea of Hoshi and Gaeta getting to be possibly alive and happy, but I just have a Bad Feeling. For one, if they ever do have someone on this show actually commit suicide (and lord knows enough people have thought of it!), my money is on Gaeta. But I think there are two reasons to introduce Gaeta/Hoshi: 1.) you kill Hoshi to send Gaeta way over the edge, or 2.) Gaeta's about to go over the edge and Hoshi pulls him back. Both equally valid, both good plots. But Felix is a good person (I don't even have half the issue with his perjury that most people seem to have), so I do hope he gets some bit of happiness.

I'll have to check out that book! :)

[tin-o-biscuits.livejournal.com]

(Frak you, Internet connection, for going out while I was trying to reply. Boo.)

"Gaeta's about to go over the edge and Hoshi pulls him back." <-- Like this one better, if only because I don't like the idea of Felix offing himself. I've said before I identify with Gaeta more than I should -the hald socially awkward kid/half cynical bitch, yeah, Felix and me got that goin' on (OH WOW, I just realised we both have fucked-up right legs. o_0), and I'm someone who's livin' more in her head than in her heart, so I figure he's the same (and Baltar's horribleness definitely pushed him further away from his heart, if that makes any sense?). Even if Hoshi's just the absolute bee's knees, I don't see Gaeta killing himself if he dies. Just seems OOC to me. :|

[nicole-anell.livejournal.com]

I agree with this entire post, but this:

Gaeta is a total dork, and one day I WILL finish the Dork-squad fic I started with him and Billy and Baltar and Cottle and Cavil and Tigh and Ellen. But you know he spent his free time playing the Colonial equivalent of WoW.

had to be quoted for sheer awesomeness.

[boot-the-grime.livejournal.com]

It's funny that people are making such a fuss over Gaeta/Hoshi, when, according to a spoiler from a very reliable source (i.e. a quote from Grace Park about the webisodes), there is another, much more surprising, and msot probably more important, revelation about Gaeta's love life (I don't know if you've heard it already, but it seems to be hinted at in the 1st webisode).

Which, BTW, would make Gaeta bisexual rather than gay... So, I'm afraid you're still not safe from Gaeta/Dee. :p

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Heh, true enough! But this post is from a while back- right when the whole news about Gaeta/Hoshi thing broke. Actually, it's funny, because they made such a hoopla over it, and I agree- I think that Gaeta/Sharon will be... possibly bigger. I'm not sure, since the webisodes mention that the guy playing Hoshi is actually starring. (And, okay, I've found more spoilers that indicate he's pretty hooked on Felix.)

I would venture I'm still safe from Gaeta/Dee, just because they're giving Gaeta enough lovers already for a minor character, but he's bi, and that's good enough for me. I can still believe he was in love with Baltar, unless they expressly say he wasn't :) (Not that Baltar in any way had to love him back ;) )

[boot-the-grime.livejournal.com]

He, I don't really think Gaeta/Dee will happen, either, not with this few episodes remaining. Dee is supposed to get a storyline in 4.5, but I think it's supposed to be something bigger than a relationship with another officer... Michael Taylor did promise that she would show her "darker" side!

I think that most people would agree that Gaeta was in love in Baltar... or at least it seemed so. How come people are so shocked over Gaeta/Hoshi now, when it always seemed like it was almost universally accepted, or at least majority opinion in the fandom, that Gaeta was gay?

[boot-the-grime.livejournal.com]

Just to avoid any misunderstanding, by "at least it always seemed so", I meant "it always seemed like it was a majority opinion among the fans that Gaeta was in love with Baltar".

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Heh- got me! People are very strange. Also, I think different factions of fandom are vocal at different times. It's hard to sort out individual voices and what each one is saying sometimes.