Teeny bit o' life, History of Middle-Earth awesomeness, and the long-awaited meme

[lunasariel]

First off, thanks muchly for everyone's hugs and well-wishes from last time! It really warmed the cockles of my heart, and was exactly what I need, exactly when I needed it, and I can now provide references if any of y'all need to prove that you're awesome people (not as though I couldn't before, but doubly so now). The phone counselor thing went well, and now I have a face-to-face appointment in two weeks. In the meantime, things are going...okay. Some good days, some not-so-good ones, but none of that black despair that had me worried last week, and, on the whole, more good than bad. I'm making it a point to avoid lugubriousness (an excellent word, btw, and very onomatopoeic) or wallowing in self-pity. 'Course, it helps that I've been getting things back with decent grades: A- on that Early American Lit midterm for which I flubbed the practice session and was publically humiliated received constructive criticism, and B+ on the ENGL 45C paper on Dorian Gray (note to self: contractions apparently killed this GSI's family or something) with the unorthodox thesis that I was worried about. Still haven't gotten my 45C midterm back yet, about which I'm quite worried...*cower*



Sorry I forgot to post about HoME last week - not a lot went on, except for some amusing and/or insightful comments in our hour-long chicken/egg discussion of how much Túrin's hilariously bad luck was due to the evil influence of Morgoth, and how much was his own damn fault (same goes for Morwen and Nienor, albeit to lesser degrees). We even made a chart! I kinda wish I'd taken a picture of this one, because one side said "Turin's Fault" and the other side said "Not," and the first one under "Not" was "DRAGONS!!!" underlined three times, which was my suggestion (ok, my exact suggestion was "everything involving dragons," but same difference), and the first one under "Túrin's Fault" was "any & all ragekills," followed by "bad table manners" and "ELVES DO NOT LOOK LIKE ORCS!" (although a strong argument was made by some, myself included, that this was at least partially the sword's sentient malice flaring up) The last one, if anybody was wondering, was "Goddammit, Túrin."

This week, though... hot damn. First, Memo (pronounced MEE-mo, not MEH-mo), one of our instructors, got REALLY REALLY EXCITED about this week's reading, the Fall of Gondolin, and did, among other things, a dramatic one-man reenactment of Maeglin's death. But mostly, we all found out that he's the world's biggest Ecthelion fan, because the crux of his excitement was describing the exact magnitude of his badassery. Which, admittedly, is kind of extreme - he threw his sword to get the attention of Gothmog, lord of Balrogs, then headbutted him in the chest, impaling him on the spike of his helmet, then did some sort of crazy suplex thing where he strangled Gothmog with his thighs, and then somehow managed to fling them both into the Fountain, where they both died. As Memo said, that guy must have had some crazy core strength. Oh, and we also did Elven Art Therapy - acting as seven-year-old Eärendil, we drew out what we thought was/were the most traumatic thing(s) he'd seen...let's just say that, out of the colored pencils we were told to bring, the red one got used up the fastest. One of the guys in my group actually did a really good drawing of a castle on fire, with shading and individual stones and everything! I did stick figures (big and scribbled-on for Balrogs, horizontal for dead elves, green for orcs), a house on fire, and a green squiggly thing that's either a dragon or a very angry hill.

But the big news is that Warner Brothers contacted the class and wants us to throw a Hobbit promo party. They're giving us lots of swag, and asked us to send in pictures of both the party and our final projects and any costumes we can scrape together, which they say will be used in promotional materials! The best part, though, is that there's going to be a raffle for advanced-screening tickets (only open to members of the class, although I'm pretty sure the party itself is going to be open to all comers). Holy. Crap. As may be expected, we're all pretty much freaking out.

Obviously, visually-oriented final projects will be emphasized, so I'm definitely not regretting my calligraphy decision. I'm thinking that the poem will be "A! Elbereth." I really wanted to do Yeats' "Easter 1916," which seemed *very* Fëanor-y, but A) it'd definitely too long to fit onto one sheet, and B) no one stanza would fit - the "a terrible beauty is born" stanzas ("a terrible beauty is born" is the line that first suggested the poem to me, and the line I would absolutely have to fit in somehow) are too specific to be able to fit, and the non-"a terrible beauty is born" stanzas, um, don't have the line "a terrible beauty is born." I also considered Fëanor's speech that convinced the Noldor to rebel (nixed because it loses its power if you, y'know, can't understand the words) and a family tree (nixed because I wanted to add little embellishments and symbols to the characters' names - a hand or a for Maedhros, a bow and arrow for Fingon, a harp or musical notes for Maglor, etc. - but that's way, way beyond my small artistic powers), but none of these panned out. So, yeah, a wee bit excited for this, you might say.


That was definitely the big news for this week. Otherwise, it was more of the usual: reading. reading, and more reading (finally done with Ulysses, hurrah!). There was a Chernin meeting on Wednesday, which ran long and wasn't very useful, but at least there was food. I worked my butt off this week, with the result of this weekend being just about the most free I've been all semester. I plan to use it to read ALL THE THINGS that I've had to put on the back burner. I'm hopeful of finishing Babylon 5 s3, The Vor Game, The Phoenix Guards, Post-Captain, Mansfield Park, or any combination thereof. But mostly, I'll just be luxuriating in the knowledge that I don't have a set number of pages to force my way through, and nobody is going to demand that I write 3000 words on Modernist elements and their effect on the depiction of the bourgeois in any of them for 20% of my final grade.

For this week's meme, it's finally time for the conclusion of that randomized character one from forever ago! Just as a reminder, our lovely and talented contestants are:

1. Robb Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire)
2. Lara Raith (Dresden Files)
3. Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)
4. Delenn (Babylon 5)
5. William Laurence (Temeraire)
6. Galadriel (Lord of the Rings/The Silmarillion)
7. Steven “Captain America” Rodgers (The Avengers)
8. Lady Teldra (Dragaera)
9. Aral Vorkosigan (Vorkosigan Saga)
10. Kaylee Frye (Firefly)
11. Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)
12. Amy Pond (Doctor Who)
13. Charles Xavier (X-Men: First Class)
14. Alanna the Lioness (Song of the Lioness)
15. Nobby Nobbes (Discworld)


22) 5 (Laurence) fails to look both ways before crossing the street, and would have been hit by a bus had 3 (Ron) not knocked them out of the way. How does 5 express their gratitude?
I can’t see Laurence as one for big, showy gestures of gratitude, so he would probably thank him handsomely, if formally, and be on his way. That is, if Ron saved him the, er, Muggle way. But he would be much more likely to just use his wand, which would require a slightly more protracted conversation and some explanations, if Ron didn’t want to Obliviate him.

23) 14 (Alanna), 12 (Amy), 11 (Sherlock), and 1 (Robb) go to the playground! What are their respective favorite pieces of playground equipment? Do they play together, or avoid one another?
Alanna, Amy, and Robb immediately become BFFs. They’re initially drawn to each other because they’re all redheads, but discover that they all have certain, er, similarities of personality. They play something loud, shouty, and that requires a lot of running around and roughhousing, maybe some sort of King of the Hill-esque game on the playstructure. Robb is initially a little miffed that Alanna kicks his butt so handily and that Amy refuses to be the beautiful princess locked in a tower, but, hey, he’s Arya’s brother, so he gets used to it pretty quickly.
Sherlock pointedly avoids them all, glares when they get woodchips or sand on him, and amuses himself on his phone or by deducing things about the other three until he’s allowed to leave, because Sherlock has never, ever played at a playground.

24) If someone wrote a musical about the epic love story of 8 (Teldra) and 9 (Aral), what would be the name of the famous, show-stopping number at the end of Act One? (For bonus points: write the chorus!)
This would be less of a musical and more of an opera, as it would be quite literally epic in tone – a young, dissolute, and very angry Aral visits Castle Black on some sort of diplomatic mission as Ezar and his dad try to keep him out of the public eye, falls in love with the beautiful hostess, and they carry on a secret liaison while he tries to get over his first wife and she wrestles with her love vs. her duty/loyalty to Morrolan. But it ends tragically, as operas always do. Maybe Ges Vorrutyer saw her increasing hold over him and couldn’t bear the thought of losing him to her, or the Cetagandans and Jenoine joined forces and one or both of them are killed in the ensuing battle.
As for the apparently famous show-stopping number at the end of Act One…lessee here…Aral would have decided that he’s really a better person than the monster Ges was turning him into and, subsequently, he and Teldra would have just gotten together, so probably something like “Redemption” (sorry, I’m not feeling particularly creative tonight).

25) 6 (Galadriel) accidentally travels through time and finds themselves in 2 (Lara)'s childhood, where they have a profound effect. How does 6's behavior shape who 2 is today? How would 2 have turned out if 6 hadn't been there?
It wouldn't take Galadriel long to find out about what Papa Raith was doing to his daughters, and then she’d quite handily kill his ass (niece of Fëanor, remember!) and run the family business until Lara was old enough to take over herself, grooming Lara to be a slightly better model of vampire all the while.
The end result of this is that Lara is a little stranger, but much nicer (although not necessarily less scary) and inherits a business known for excellent environmental practices and the making of fine jewelry (with maybe a defense contract or two on the side). If Galadriel hadn’t been there Lara would be, um, exactly like she is in canon?

26) What kind of candy would 13 (Charles) get 4 (Delenn) for Valentine's Day?
Something expensive, of course. My first instinct was to say liqueur-filled chocolates, but he would know about the famous Minbari reaction to alcohol, so it would be an assortment of unusual but very tasty, and, of course, gourmet, chocolates – maybe something like this? (Of course Charles, ever the gentleman, would take care of the liqueur ones.)
But I see both of them as leaning more towards flowers than chocolate, and Charles could probably put together (or have put together) a very nice mix of Minbari and Earth flowers (mainly orchids, maybe some rosebuds and snowdrops for garnishes).

27) 7 (Steve) and 9 (Aral) decide to play beer pong. Who gets sloshed first?
OMG, this would be hilarious! Aral would be the first one to get sloshed, since Steve canonically metabolizes alcohol too fast to get drunk. But they’re both military dudes, so they both knew A) the rules and B) what they were getting into.
Actually, on second thought, this could be either hilarious or really depressing, depending on where Aral is emotionally at the time – he might just be drunk off his ass anyway, and if he’s already married Cordelia, he might be too afraid of a relapse to play at all.

28) Where does 15 (Nobby) have a secret assignation with 12 (Amy)? Why? Does 10 (Kaylee) tell 4 (Delenn) about seeing them?
By “assignation,” I assume this means “secret undercover agent meeting,” because Amy may like her guys a bit nebbish, but Amy/Nobby? Um, let’s not think about that one too hard. Let’s say that Nobby is working undercover to infiltrate some organization o’ evil or other, and Amy is his contact for the Watch, which is working in conjunction with the Doctor (idk, maybe the first time they all met she happened to be in her police kissogram outfit?). Kaylee, being the good soul that she is, thinks that hanky-panky is going on (unlikely), or that Nobby actually has turned, and Amy is *his* double agent on the inside (less unlikely, which says something), and immediately rushes off to tell the first person she finds with any hope of averting what Kaylee sees as the oncoming catastrophe. It’s been commented upon before that Sam Vimes and Michael Garibaldi would be great friends, so I guess Kaylee thought that Delenn could tell Garibaldi, who could then tell Sam, who could then tell the Doctor and/or take what steps he saw fit. Of course, Garibaldi would be in on the whole thing, and thus Delenn would be, too, so Delenn disabuses Kaylee of her rather apocalyptic notions.

29) 1 (Robb), 13 (Charles), and 8 (Teldra) are in a relationship. 14 (Alanna) is pregnant with 5 (Laurence)’s child and wants to become part of the family. How does that happen and what becomes of 14?
First off, this would have to occur in some ‘verse where Robb actually survived to adulthood, because I really can’t see Charles the teacher being comfortable with sleeping with anyone even vaguely student-aged. Other than that, though, this three-way could actually work – we know that Charles is up for pretty much anything, Teldra probably wouldn’t be uninterested, and Robb would, of course, find the Elf princess (or so he thinks) hawt, and would probably come to appreciate Charles, too, in time.
Lol, poor Laurence! Clearly, warrior women are his type, but warrior women aren’t much for settling down and raising a brace of little Laurences. And Alanna is of a more, er, explosive temperament than Jane, so Laurence probably started making noises about them getting married, which became quite loud and alarmed noises when she told him she was pregnant (I guess she forgot to put that amulet of hers on once? I can’t see her choosing to conceive a child with him, anyway), so she started feeling trapped and pushed around, which she does not like, and took off. Maybe she hopes that the Robb/Charles/Teldra household would be a little less conservative, and certainly nobody would get all pushy about marrying her.
They would all certainly welcome her, but maybe not in a romantic sense – a dude and a non-human lady are unusual enough for Robb, an unmarried and very opinionated lady knight with magical powers and bearing another man’s son might be a little too much for him. Similarly, I just don’t think that Teldra or Charles would have the time to make their threesome a foursome. They both have more than enough duties and responsibilities as it is, without adding to their total number of lovers to be kept happy and generally dealt with. That’s not to say they would turn her away, though – all three are the type to welcome people in, especially pregnant women (or people in need of help in general), and would happily support her through her pregnancy.
Meanwhile, Laurence is just weirded out by the whole thing and doesn’t really know what to do with himself (or anyone else, for that matter).

30) 6 (Galadriel) and 11 (Sherlock) are about to enter an arranged marriage, but one (or both) are madly in love with 3 (Ron), who is obsessed with 2 (Lara) and is carrying 7 (Steve)'s child.
Putting aside, for the moment, that Elves don't have arranged marriages and this would hardly be Mycroft’s first line of recourse, Galadriel and Sherlock have apparently been set up to ensure peace between the Noldor and the UK.
And it would have to be Galadriel falling in love with Ron, because A) “madly in love” and “Sherlock” do not belong in the same sentence, and B) I guess I could kind of see her going for his quiet strength, loyalty, and non-craziness, and maybe secretly kind of charmed by his earthiness/pragmatism/sense of humor/the fact that he would be utterly smitten with her?
I could totally see Ron being obsessed with Lara, though. It’s kind of her job to engender that reaction anyway, and we’ve seen that Ron is particularly susceptible to this kind of thing. And once Lara finds out that the awkward ginger kid is besties with an incredibly powerful magical (also incidentally dark-haired, doesn’t know what the hell to do with women, orphaned, and named Harry) messiah, she would definitely go out of her way to, er, cultivate his acquaintance.
The fact that Ron is a wizard and Steve’s super-soldier serum sometimes seems to function the same way radiation did back in the Silver Age (i.e. magical do-anything goo), I could also kinda see how the Ron/Steve mpreg would come about. Steve, of course, would be all set to Do The Right Thing and marry Ron, and would have a not-so-secret horror of being a deadbeat dad.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley, while slightly nonplussed that Ginny isn’t the first of her children to get pregnant, is supportive nonetheless, and is in Maximum Pre-Grandmother mode – she’s already produced enough cute little knitted baby clothes for octuplets (which, given Steve’s serum + Ron’s magic, actually isn’t outside of the realm of possibility), and is keeping both Lara and Galadriel away, because if they got into a catfight (or their version of a catfight, which would be much more dignified and also possibly level small buildings) over Ron, not only would the Burrow pretty much be toast, but it wouldn’t at all be good for the baby (babies?) for Ron to get all excited. Steve she lets in, because she Approves of him, even though he’s a Muggle.

31) What's the best scam 2 (Lara), 9 (Aral), 5 (Laurence), 4 (Delenn) have ever pulled? Who comes up with the plan? Who organizes it? What do they tell 7 (Steve) when they come home?
Wow, this team would be kind of scarily effective. My first thought was some sort of heist, jewel or otherwise, because these guys plugged into Ocean’s Eleven or similar would just be beyond awesome, but upon further thought, it doesn’t really work – Laurence is far, far too Lawful Good, Aral would find it depressingly underhanded and sneaky, and while I have a feeling Delenn would exhibit some hidden depths in this regard, I can’t see her doing something like this unless there was absolutely no other choice.
The scam would have to be for a very, very good reason, though, because while Aral, Laurence, and Delenn have all shown signs of being Chaotic Good for the greater good, they do seem to default to Lawful Good. Lara would come up with the idea, of course, because she’s by far the most Chaotic of any of them. Let’s say that it’s a scam pulled on EarthForce to destabilize them from the inside, so the Lawful Good can soothe their consciences with the knowledge that they’re fighting a fascist Evil Empire to help Babylon 5 maintain its freedom from oppression. Aral would be their guy on the inside, of course – he certainly knows a thing or two about living a big lie and blending in with slimy types, even though he might not particularly like it. Lara would be the brains of the outfit (combined with Delenn’s actual knowledge, of course), and the, if you’ll excuse the pun, vamp – she can distract and/or scramble even the PsiCorps with her succubus powers, and getting information from Clark’s top people would be a piece of cake, given the right situation. Delenn would be providing everyone with what they need, both in terms of actual supplies (access codes, blueprints/schematics, uniforms, etc. Don’t tell me the Minbari don’t already have [human] agents in place on Earth) and in terms of general information, for those not native to the B5 ‘verse. And Laurence would be the getaway driver. Getaway rider? Anyway, he would be in charge of getting them the hell out of there.
They only tell Steve the bare minimum. He’s probably still working for EarthForce, hoping to effect some change from within, so he asked them to not tell him anything that EarthForce might want to know, in case they question him. This was also the only reason he didn’t go with them, as this is right up his alley (especially when things go to hell in a handbasket, as they’re so wont to do).

32) 10 (Kaylee) is bringing 14 (Alanna) flowers. Why, and what happens next?
Um, she probably saw some flowers, thought they were pretty, and happened to be thinking that Alanna could use some cheering-up (maybe this was just after the end of Lioness Rampant or something). Either way, spontaneous distribution of flowers is totally a Kaylee thing to do.
At first Alanna rather misinterprets Kaylee’s gesture, because I don't think she’s ever gotten flowers from someone not trying to get into her pants before, but once it’s explained to her that Kaylee is just that kind of person, she accepts them kind of awkwardly, but still genuinely touched.

33) 8 (Teldra) and 13 (Charles) unexpectedly run into one another in a crowded locale, making a scene, much to their embarrassment. What is so dubious about this event?
Um, everything? “Making a scene” and “Teldra” do *not* belong in the same sentence, and Charles is far more likely to be icily polite to someone who has wronged him than to yell at them, especially publically.
So clearly it was all set up on purpose. Maybe they were acting as a distraction or something? An omega-class telepath and an Elf Dragaeran lady getting into a very public screaming match would be quite a sight to see, it’s true. I guess Vlad and/or the X-Men were getting up to something they’d rather not be caught at in the background.
And they would apologize profusely to each other afterward, of course. Teldra would be hideously uncomfortable with the whole thing, and would have sat down beforehand to try and think of insults and cutting remarks, as that is so very not her usual mindset. Charles is a little more used to being stared at and whispered about, so it would bother him less, but he would also make sure that Teldra knew that everything he said was just for form’s sake, and he considers her to be a lovely person and a good friend.

34) Will 3 (Ron) unleash a secret weapon against 15 (Nobby)? Why and what happens?
Hmm, depends on the secret weapon. In the Potterverse, the things that come to mind when I think “secret weapon” are any of the Unforgiveable Curses (which, no), the Elder Wand (really can’t see Ron asking Harry to use it against someone like Nobby), or the Invisibility Cloak (very much yes, especially if he took Galadriel’s side in the prank war from #4). Or maybe just Harry himself, who was pretty much the Order’s ace in the hole for years.
Ron asked, Harry would happily volunteer himself and his cloak to help in the prank war. I’m sure the Watch would be on the lookout for invisibility, and would have put up tripwires, strewn flour or sand to catch footprints, etc., so I don’t know how effective it would be, and I have a feeling that someone is going to end up doused in paint.

35) 1 (Robb) turns up in newspaper headlines because of their interactions with 12 (Amy) and 6 (Galadriel). What is the headline?
This is Robb we’re talking about here, so quite possibly something along the lines of STARK HEIR CAUGHT STARK NAKED WITH REDHEAD AND BLONDE – FREYS FURIOUS!
But this is also Amy and Galadriel (both quite happily married, both far too old, and one of an entirely different species), so, yeah, probably not. It would probably be something more along the lines of them all getting involved in a battle, so the headline would be more like NOLDOR-STARK ALLIANCE SMASHES FREY FORCES AT TWINS – TARDIS SIGHTED LEAVING SCENE. And the under-headline would read “Lothlórien breaks isolationist foreign policy – White Lady claims foresight averted international disaster.” OK, this is kind of awesome.

36) 11 (Sherlock) and 4 (Delenn) are waiting for a spanking from 15 (Nobby) and are arguing about whose fault it is that they're in this mess.
Huh, Sam must have been on vacation for a good long time if the Watch is spanking people instead of arresting them. And whatever they’re in for, it’s almost certainly Sherlock’s fault; Delenn would have tried to defuse the situation if at all possible, but sometimes there’s just no defusing people once Sherlock starts deducing at them. So they’re not arguing so much as Delenn is sort of subtly haranguing him for being infuriating, and Sherlock keeps insisting that the Watch just hates being wrong.

37) 2 (Lara) and 5 (Laurence) cross paths in a foreign country. Why are they there and do they cooperate with each other or are they at odds?
If it’s foreign to both of them, let’s say China. Laurence is there with Temeraire for some royal to-do and is hideously uncomfortable with his fancy robes, and Lara is there to cut a business deal with the Chinese (whether Temeraire-‘verse 19^th century or Dresdenverse modern-day, they’re nothing to sneeze at), and think that Laurence doesn’t look half bad. So she might get invited to whatever the royal ceremony is, if anyone in the Chinese court has supernatural connections and knows how important she is, and amuses herself by slowly winding Laurence up all evening. Well, at least neither of them are bored.

38) 14 (Alanna) and 13 (Charles) are held at gunpoint by 11 (Sherlock) and in a "fuck or die" scenario.
…The scary thing is, I could imagine Sherlock doing this, and it not being entirely out of character. If there were no John or Mycroft around, no Lestrade or Mrs. Hudson to keep him honest, he would basically be Moriarty, and so completely into experiments like this.
Charles is relatively okay with it (assuming that his telepathy is somehow being blocked, otherwise this wouldn’t even be a problem in the first place), but Alanna definitely is *not*. Mostly, it would be a matter of principle; Charles would be physically appealing enough (Jon shows that she likes ‘em blue-eyed and earnest, and George shows that she likes ‘em smart, cocky, and maybe a little amoral), but she does have kind of a thing about being told what to do, so to her, regardless of her actual feelings about her partner, a fuck-or-die situation is non-consensual no matter what. I imagine Sherlock would have a more difficult time blocking her magic, especially since it would futz with his tech like no tomorrow, so they might have that way out. But even if Sherlock did find a way to block it (and if anybody could, it would be him), she’s got a god or two looking out for her, and Charles has a bunch of mutants and an ex-boyfriend with staggeringly severe anger management and abandonment issues, so it should work out one way or another.

39) 10 (Kaylee) and 3 (Ron) are confronted by a mutual ghost from their past.
If the Potterverse is involved, it might very well be a literal ghost. Maybe Shepherd Book took to haunting Hogwarts, because it’s a nice, relaxing place (well, usually) that wants protecting, and Haven would just be depressing to hang around for all eternity.

40) When their car breaks down, 1 (Robb) and 12 (Amy) are left stranded at a gas station. 7 (Steve) offers to give them a ride.
This is exactly the sort of thing Steve would do, good Samaritan that he is. The revelation that their car didn’t break down so much as crash (since Robb is still getting used to vehicles that don’t involve horses in some capacity and I’m pretty sure Amy doesn’t have a license) might faze him a little, but, hey, he’s still getting used to a few things himself, and they seem like nice kids. The en-route conversation would be the best part though, as Steve may or may not promise Robb to send in the Avengers to help the Stark cause (hey, at least they’d literally be avenging someone), they would have a very mutually satisfying conversation about honor and duty and kicking ass (as has been mentioned, Steve is totally a Stark, or possibly an Arryn), and Amy would quite happily, if harmlessly, flirt with all and sundry (assuming, of course, this is HBO!Robb, who I think is about 17, and not book!Robb, who’s 15).

41) 6 (Galadriel) and 9 (Aral) are arguing over what to do about dinner; how does 8 (Teldra) settle the matter?
Maybe they’ve been tasked with setting up some big state function, and are arguing what they ought to serve. Aral, who I see as a very meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, wants a lot of thick, filling Barrayaran food, while Galadriel opts for lighter, more Elvish fare. Eventually they just give up and let Teldra organize everything, because that’s literally her job anyway.

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

Congratulations on finally getting a free(is) weekend! You are definitely due for one, after the last couple of weeks. (And, of course, eager to hear your thoughts on B5 s3, TPG, and/or The Vor Game, whatever you manage to finish :)

And I'm glad you've been feeling better this week, too, and that the call with the counselor went well. Hope the in-person conversation helps even more.

note to self: contractions apparently killed this GSI's family or something

I've noticed that the English department GSIs' grades are sometimes a bit... idiosyncratic. Like, my Milton GSI would just make pretentious little notes in the margins (including once mis-writing "rein" as "reign"), and I once got a B+ on my Folklore paper which I definitely didn't think was deserved. I was still getting an A in the class so I didn't complain, but I later took another class from the prof and we hung out in friendly fashion, so I showed him thepaper (because that B+ was still stuck in my craw), and he agreed that the paper had been mis-graded.

I hope you get your midterm back soon, with a good grade! (I'm sure you did just fine!)

I'd been wondering about HoME's absence from last week's post, so good to have the catch-up. The Turin fault/not matrix sounds hilarious, especially the "DRAGONS!!!" bit. Elven Art Therapy sounds pretty fun, too.

Warner Brothers contacted the class and wants us to throw a Hobbit promo party

OMG! Super jealous! I hope you will be able to share pictures and stuff! *seriously tempted to crash party*

Alanna, Amy, and Robb immediately become BFFs. They’re initially drawn to each other because they’re all redheads

Heh, that was my first thought, too. (As well as Sherlock's reaction to the rest of them.)

Teldra would be very good for Aral! I don't know that I could see them as a love for the ages, but she has that gentle, understanding, open-minded core that I think he needs. And she's used to dealing with people with a rather crazy sense of honor, heh.

Lara Raith nurtured by Galadriel is a very interesting notion! Definitely agreed that she'd be no less scary though! :)

Yeah, I think probably a fancy flower arrangement rather than candy for Delenn. I, on the other hand, love those chocolate mice in your link XD

Aral and Steve playing beer pong is something I would like to see (though, as you say, preferrably with a pre-self-destruction Aral).

I could totally see Ron being obsessed with Lara, though. It’s kind of her job to engender that reaction anyway, and we’ve seen that Ron is particularly susceptible to this kind of thing

Definitely the most believable part of that scenario, heh XD

Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley, while slightly nonplussed that Ginny isn’t the first of her children to get pregnant

I think it's very true to the HP-verse that you said "first" and not "only", lolz XD

Also lol at "magical do-anything goo" XD XD XD

she can distract and/or scramble even the PsiCorps with her succubus powers, and getting information from Clark’s top people would be a piece of cake

Yep, Lara would be scarily effective in this sort of role.

Loved your Robb / Galadriel / Amy newspaper headlines (you are much better at this headlining thing than me) XP

Lara playing with Laurence would be priceless -- totally want to read that fic!

I'm also wondering, in the Steve picking up Robb at a gas station scenario, whether Robb would share his full name, and whether Steve would then spend time puzzling out if Robb and Tony could possibly be related, and how.

Your meme also made me reflect, generally, that Teldra and Charles would probably get along really, really well.

[brit-columbia.livejournal.com]

(note to self: contractions apparently killed this GSI's family or something)

That one's going to have me chuckling for days! I'm so against people who are against contractions, and I say that as a grammar Nazi! Maybe someday when time travel has been invented, all those contraction-haters can be shipped back to a point in history of their choosing where they will be sure to find anywhere from dozens to thousands of their kind, depending on their geographical location and the prevailing availability of education. They may discover that even back then shockingly large numbers of people people ranked the vilification of contractions about as disappointingly low on their List Of Things To Worry About as modern people do.

Glad you're feeling a bit better!

[lunasariel.livejournal.com]

I'm so against people who are against contractions, and I say that as a grammar Nazi!
I can kinda see where he's coming from, since we are supposed to be aiming for a more formal tone and all, but he literally hunted down every "it's" and "won't" in the paper, so I was a bit XP.

They may discover that even back then shockingly large numbers of people people ranked the vilification of contractions about as disappointingly low on their List Of Things To Worry About as modern people do.
Fun fact: OMG was first used in a 1917 letter from Admiral John Fisher to Winston Churchill (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2184777/O-M-G-old-Phrase-loved-todays-teenagers-used-100-years-ago-letter-Winston-Churchill-thought-LOL.html). A lot of this stuff is older/more common than we think!

[lunasariel.livejournal.com]

I showed him thepaper (because that B+ was still stuck in my craw), and he agreed that the paper had been mis-graded.
Blech! I'm finding that a lot of GSIs are, er, idiosyncratic like this: there's I Hate Contractions Guy, and another one who docked me points for not single-spacing an indented quote, lots of stuff like that. If it weren't, y'know, wildly impractical, I wish the professor would just grade them all him/herself, because I get the feeling that some GSIs are a little unsure of themselves (I'm pretty sure that it's this particular GSI's first semester), so inexperience and/or the desire to not go to easy can cause a lot of them to be harsher than necessary.

I hope you will be able to share pictures and stuff! *seriously tempted to crash party*
If you're not busy (the actual date is still TBA, but probably somewhere near the end of November), you should totally come!

I don't know that I could see them as a love for the ages, but she has that gentle, understanding, open-minded core that I think he needs.
My thoughts exactly. She would be good at curbing his more self-destructive tendancies without making him feel nagged or bullied, but she doesn't have Cordelia's brazeness and willing to snap Aral out of one of his funks.

I, on the other hand, love those chocolate mice in your link XD
I admit, I thought of you in choosing them. It turns out there's a fairly staggering array of gourmet chocolates to choose from, but c'mon, they're chocolate mice! (Sorry I couldn't find any chocolate hamsters, although not from lack of looking.)

Loved your Robb / Galadriel / Amy newspaper headlines
Thanks! I did feel kind of like I ought to be wearing suspenders, a fedora, and chewing on a cigar while I was writing them. XD

whether Robb would share his full name, and whether Steve would then spend time puzzling out if Robb and Tony could possibly be related, and how.
Ooh, good question. I do think that Robb would share his full name (after some initial reservations; Steve does look rather Lannister-y with all that blonde hair and muscle), which would lead to some serious weirding-out for both of them. Haha, Steve trying to fit Tony into the Stark schema would so not work (except in appearance - he does have the stocky build, dark hair, and brown eyes that Starks seem to favor), and I'm pretty sure Robb would be horrified to find out that *any* Stark was running around in Lannister colors, acquiring Lannister-level wealth, and displaying some pretty Lannister-like behavioral characteristics.

Teldra and Charles would probably get along really, really well.
Yup, they really would! They're both such people-pleasers, despite the relatively powerful positions they occupy, and I imagine they would find each other very restful: Charles is so very not interested in causing a scene, so Teldra wouldn't have to work at all at wrangling him the way she does Certain Other People, and she really is just that nice, so Charles would probably find the thought patterns, while somewhat alien, to be soothing.

[hamsterwoman]

I get the feeling that some GSIs are a little unsure of themselves [...] so inexperience and/or the desire to not go to easy can cause a lot of them to be harsher than necessary

That was my suspicion too. It's very annoying!

If you're not busy (the actual date is still TBA, but probably somewhere near the end of November), you should totally come!

Depending on the timing, I might totally take you up on that >.>

I admit, I thought of you in choosing them

Aww! :D They are adorable, and I am glad to know they exist! (I would probably feel bad eating one though...)

Robb would be horrified to find out that *any* Stark was running around in Lannister colors, acquiring Lannister-level wealth, and displaying some pretty Lannister-like behavioral characteristics

Haha, yes! Total cognitive dissonance for poor Robb (and a bit for Steve, too).

and she really is just that nice, so Charles would probably find the thought patterns, while somewhat alien, to be soothing

I hadn't thought of it quite that way, but totally!

And, hmm, thanks to the Issola icon, I'm thinking Charles is one, probably... *resists urge to sort X-Men into Dragaera houses... or ASOIAF ones, why not XP*

[lunasariel.livejournal.com]

Depending on the timing, I might totally take you up on that >.>
Do eeeeeet! (Costumes are highly encouraged, btw.)

(I would probably feel bad eating one though...)
Me, too; I always have a weirdly difficult time eating animal-shaped food (although I have no problem with, say, gingerbread men XD).

thanks to the Issola icon, I'm thinking Charles is one, probably... *resists urge to sort X-Men into Dragaera houses... or ASOIAF ones, why not XP*
Oh, Charles is totally an Issola/Tyrell! He's as charming and diffident as you please, right up until the point where you hurt his friends and/or students, and all of a sudden your brains are leaking out of your ears.

And Erik would be a Lannister (of the smart-but-crazy variety, with Jaime's tendancy towards berserker rages, Tyrion's genius, and something of Tywin's attitude towards his kids), Scott would be a Stark, Jean would be a Targaryen...I think you've just given me the idea for my next sorting! >:D

[hamsterwoman]

He's as charming and diffident as you please, right up until the point where you hurt his friends and/or students, and all of a sudden your brains are leaking out of your ears.

Yes, exactly! :P

Totally agreed on Erik as a Lannister -- that fierce focus on protecting his own and damn everybody else, even his beliefs being born out of trauma fits, and he's got just the right sort of intensity. Maybe a dash of Martell, too, but I think Lannister is a better fir overall. I don't know as much about Scott and Jean, but she certainly seems to be a Targaryen, with the whole light and dark thing (and, even more certainly, a Phoenix in Dragaera terms), and he seems goody-two-shoes enough for a Stark (and probably a, hmm, Lyorn). And Wolverine is a Greyjoy. Even the colors fit :)

But I'll leave my rambling for your next sorting post.

(for lack of an X-Men icon, have a Watchmen one)

[lunasariel.livejournal.com]

Jean, but she certainly seems to be a Targaryen, with the whole light and dark thing (and, even more certainly, a Phoenix in Dragaera terms)
LOL, perfect! And my sorting will be mostly restricted to the movieverse, because I hardly know anything about the comics, save that which I've picked up by fandom osmosis and/or reading some tangentially related series (serieses?).

And, just so you know, I'm totally going to be stealing your Erik Lannister-with-hints-of-Martell thoughts. ;)

[ikel89.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on having a free weekend! I hope you indulge yourself on all things deliciously fandom and non-gradeable, and charge up for the next week. I'm also very, very happy the counselling seems to go well (and my pompoms are always on me if you need cheering on, anytime XD). Keep up the good progress!

Hobbit promo news sound insanely exciting! (I'm tempted to write "!!!!!" to convey the Pratchettian notion of insanity here XD) Please promise us some pictures and a PARTEH for all:)) I mean, I sure hope you have a grand time with that!

Your crossover meme answers are brilliant! Love the humour and insightfullness - as far as I can judge, of course, because I'm not familiar with all the characters on the list. But my favourite by far is your Robb jokes. STARK HEIR CAUGHT STARK NAKED WITH REDHEAD AND BLONDE – FREYS FURIOUS - I think you should be given a medal for your headlines!<3

[lunasariel.livejournal.com]

I'm also very, very happy the counselling seems to go well (and my pompoms are always on me if you need cheering on, anytime XD).
Thanks! :) This is especially awesome coming from you, since you barely got here before getting a big pile o' crazy dumped on you. So, yeah, thanks for the continued pompom-ing!

I hope you indulge yourself on all things deliciously fandom and non-gradeable
Oh, believe me, I have been! ^.^ I haven't done a damn thing all day but read and nap. And it is *glorious*.

Please promise us some pictures and a PARTEH for all
Will do! The geeky joy of this event must be spread as far as possible. And my own initial reaction was very much along the !!!!! line (I almost didn't get into this class, so now I'm especially happy I'm taking it now), so you're not alone on that.

STARK HEIR CAUGHT STARK NAKED WITH REDHEAD AND BLONDE – FREYS FURIOUS - I think you should be given a medal for your headlines!
*bows* I actually am rather proud of that one! XD

[ikel89.livejournal.com]

You are just so nice and interesting and again nice some more that I want to cheer on you forever (and bemoan the fact that you are not anywhere within reaching distance, because I'd totally want to become rl-friends with you) :D

Approve of your weekend itinerary lots! *nodsnods* and you should totally cosplay with a fedora and suspenders some time, being the genius faux-journalist that you are :D

Lord of The Rings Lego

[brit-columbia.livejournal.com]

Hey check this out, you LOTR fan, you! http://www.howtogeek.com/127536/lego-a-hobbit-halloween-video/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=271012

It's silly, but funny.

Re: Lord of The Rings Lego

[lunasariel.livejournal.com]

LOL! Thanks for that; it sounds very much like something they'd do. Fool of a Brandybuck and a Took! XD