Massive Meme Dump, Part 2
Oct. 6th, 2011 08:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lunasarielIt looks like the first half went up ok (some minor formatting issues notwithstanding), so now on to part deux before something crashes again.
Again, here be spoilers! (Also, yes, I know that the formatting for the Torchwood section is screwed up, but I think I've dealt with enough bugs for one day.)
Supernatural (written before the Season 7 premiere)
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
This is another one of those “me-at-my-best vs. me-at-my-worst” things. I’m woman enough to admit that I saw more than a bit of myself in Becky (although I’m definitely not a Wincest shipper, thankyouverymuch!), but in my finest moments I’ve also seen myself as a Bobby-like voice of reason.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
CAS. CASCASCASCASCAS. Cas. Whenever the patented Winchester Whine-fest gets too much, Cas is always a nice breath of fresh air (pun not intended). Of course, it also helps that he’s about seven different kinds of awesome/badass, and that he’s purdy (those eyes! that voice!). To top things off, I never get tired of “Cas-doesn’t-understand-humans” humor. There’s just something about the all-absorbing, laser-like focus that he turns on things that confuse him, from a particularly resilient demon to a cell phone, that never fails to crack me up. Srsly, I’ll take the Cas from “Free to Be You and Me” that held his fake FBI badge upside-down and got all stunned-bunny in the “den of iniquity” over Godstiel any day.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Ellen Harvelle. Dammit, Supernatural, why did you have to kill off the one female character who was both a badass and could actually be a badass while keeping her clothes on? Two things that I really don’t like about Supernatural are 1) the recent trend of replacing ass-kicking with whining and 2) the fact that any female character who appears more than once must be a damsel in distress or evil, and MUST be hot. Ellen took care of all of those problems perfectly! Whenever she showed up, she gave the boys a well-deserved kick in the pants to get them moving again, and she even out-badassed them on occasion. Even better, she wasn't overtly sexualized like pretty much every other character (especially every other female character) on this show. Ellen, I was sorry to see you go, and the show’s all the poorer for having lost you.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
Both Brothers Winchester have their moments, particularly in later seasons. That’s really the problem with Supernatural: restricting the focus almost entirely to these two characters and their relationship can get annoying at best, claustrophobic at worst. I started out loving them, but after six seasons of Dean’s self-inflicted martyrdom and Sam’s bitchiness, I could use some diversity.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
Crowley, perhaps? I don’t think I ever truly hated him, but I always gave a little mental cheer when he appeared onscreen.
But my favorite out-and-out villain would have to be Zachariah. He was just so slimy, and it was so much fun to watch him get his ass kicked, all the more because it happened so rarely!
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Dean/Cas. Yup, I’m a Destiel shipper. I don’t support Wincest in any way, shape, or form, but the producers really do have a dearth of badass regularly-occurring female characters who aren’t morons; what do they think is going to happen? But really, D/C isn’t canon (probably; we all know how Kripke loves to tease us!), but it makes a damn plausible alternative. Aside from the fact that it’s frickin’ hawt, these two have some real chemistry. And, of course, there’s all the aforementioned teasing. I mean, they spend half their screentime together talking about their “profound bond” and vowing to sacrifice their lives for each other. What’s not to like?
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Like I said, Wincest. As someone much smarter than me has pointed out, it’s obvious that anybody who ships any kind of sibling-cest has either no siblings or some serious issues in real life, because just no. With fuck no topping and hell no sprinkles, served in a no way José cone.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
I heard that Cas was originally supposed to be John Constantine, so it’d be kinda funny to see them meet.
Otherwise, see above re: massive crossover, especially the Good Omens bit. Seriously, don’t tell me that Crowley and…well, Crowley aren’t BFFs.
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
Team Free Will, who else (understanding, of course, that fanon has Bobby and possibly Gabriel, the Angel of Snark, on the team as well)? Some of my favorite moments on this show were just the gang doing what they do best: kicking ass and taking names. When they’re not being idiots (read: betraying and/or whining at each other), they’re actually pretty good candidates to save the world from the Forces of Evil.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
It is now my personal headcanon that either the souls that Castiel consumed were somehow “poisoned” to make him go nuts, or that he simply went mad with the power (ideally, some other Big Bad would have known that this would happen, and would have been nudging him towards soul-consumption in order to drive him crazy and then gain control of him). Either way, the result of this little reshuffling is that Cas is barely, if at all, in control of himself, and will go back to being everybody’s favorite Nerd Angel once the source of his corruption, the souls, is cut off/removed. It’d be cool if this actually turned out to be canon, but there’s a 99.8% chance of this getting Jossed all to hell.
(EDIT: Called it!)
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
Really, I’m pretty happy with the way things stand right now. Misha Collins, you are a sexy beast. ^.^
Young Avengers
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Eh, probably Cassie. I care quite a bit about what others, particularly my family, think of me. I would say Billy, since he’s the designated awkward geek of the team, but I don’t think I’m as snarky orangst-ridden dramatic as he is, so I’m going with Cassie, although, when it comes right down to it, I hope that I’ll stand by my friends instead of going to work for the enemy.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Billy, to the surprise of none (again). There’s the whole “lovably awkward geek” thing I mentioned above, but he’s also a badass (while still staying out of God-Mod Sue territory) as well as a good friend, awesome boyfriend, and all-around decent guy. He’s got this Angie Spica-like irrepressible fanboyish glee, where, yeah, his life may be in constant danger and stuff like that, but you can tell that, way in the back of his mind, he’s thinking, “OMG my life is amazing. I hang out with Captain America and Iron Man and I can fly and shoot lighting and I have a costume and SQUEEEEEE!!!” I also like how the writers have handled his powers: he’s versatile and powerful, but not a game-breaker. I know there’s a real temptation to have Billy develop new powers as the plot demands (since his abilities are already so vague) or just want away the villain of the week, so I’m really proud of the writers for handling things so well. For example, when he actually does just want away the VOTW, A) it takes a huge toll on him, and B) it is seen as a very, very bad thing, because, hello, seventeen-year-old (eighteen, by this point? idk) who can warp reality to fit his every whim? Not such a good idea.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Probably Rebecca Kaplan. We see so little of her directly, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Billy got his BAMF-ness from her. I could totally see her verbally pwning the Avengers, the VOTW, you name it! Actually, I’ve got this little scene in my head where Billy is in the hospital for one reason or another, and can only have two guests at a time (of course, Teddy’s already in there). Wanda would be all “I AM THE SCARLET WITCH AND HE IS THE CHILD OF MY SOOOOOUUUUULLL!!!11!” and then Rebecca is all like “Bitch, please.” Basically, she says something cutting and snarky and amazing and she gets to go in and see him.
Alternately, she verbally bitchslaps the Avengers (idk why), and Cap is all, “Yes, ma’am. Of course, ma’am. I’m sorry, ma’am,” and Tony being all “I like a girl with some spirit! ;D” (and then Rebecca being all “Yeah, no. Not a snowball’s chance in hell, buddy. >XP”), and Peter Parker being all “…BILLY! YOUR MOM IS AWESOME!” (and Billy going “YEAH, I KNOW!”).
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
I know that she’s from the Runaways, not the Young Avengers (hey, they've crossed over enough so that she's practically one of the team), but Nico. Just fucking Nico. I know she has “a pathological urge to insert herself into other people’s relationships,” but in practice, she’s just a giant steaming pile of bitch. I think she’s made out with every member of the team (except for Molly, who’s twelve, and Old Lace, who’s a dinosaur. Oh, and Gert, but I’ll get to her in a second), and she sometimes seems to do so specifically to make her friends unhappy. For example, she kissed Chase when she didn’t even really like him, lied about it, and thus directly caused him and Gert to fight; a fight which they had yet to resolve at the time of Gert’s death. Yes, Gert’s tragic death in Chase’s arms was brought from “sad” up to “heartwrenching” because Nico couldn’t keep her mitts to herself for five minutes. And what makes it worse, everyone in the fandom seems to love her! The fact that she’s a sexy angsty Goth magic chick doesn’t excuse her from all the bullshit she pulls. Basically, I don’t see why everyone thinks she’s so awesome.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
The Warden, probably. Holy shit, but that dude was creepy! One thing that I’ll always be a little disappointed about is that we never really got to explore the team’s reactions to Billy and Teddy being kidnapped and extensively tortured by a government-funded sicko. Also, and maybe this was just me, but it seemed like the Warden hinted at using sexual abuse to control Noh-Varr, and was intending to do the same to Billy before the cavalry arrived, which just adds a whole new level of squick. But, all in all, he was a great original villain, and I certainly wouldn’t say no to seeing him (or someone like him) again.
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Billy/Teddy (standard fandom answer). Aside from the almost unlimited d’awww potential, they both have a pretty high badassitutde quotient, which thankfully removes the whole “seme/uke” dynamic that I was afraid of them falling into. Billy’s no squishy wizard, Teddy’s no dumb bruiser, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Um…let’s go with Billy/Tommy for the lulz, because it’s the biggest fan-pairing that I just cannot support (see my Supernatural answers re: incestuous pairings in general), and I like pretty much all of the canon pairings. I do think that Kate will end up with Eli rather than Tommy, though.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
Harry Potter, which is turning out to be a surprisingly popular answer. Because you KNOW that Billy would have an aneurism of geeky joy, they would all argue about which houses they got sorted into and whether or not the Sorting Hat was right, Kate would hang out with the centaurs, Eli basically *is* a younger Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Jonas would glitch all to hell in the presence of so much magic.
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
Is the Young Avengers themselves too much of an obvious answer? If not, then them, but if so, then the Kaplan family, because Rebecca is terrifying and Jeff is adorkable and they both passed these traits on to Billy and Aaron and Isaac (Billy’s little brothers, who I have decided are also identical twins), who are basically Fred and George Weasley.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
Cassie staying with her teammates instead of defecting to the Initiative during the Civil War is the only thing that comes to mind, but I can see why she made the decision she did. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
I honestly don’t know. My first instinct was Jesse Eisenberg or Michael Cerra as Billy, because of the whole “awkward, spaztastic, yet somehow sweet, nerd” thing, but I don’t know if either of them would be able to dial down the spaz and dial up the badass enough.
Firefly
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Simon, duh. Heavily-repressed, fish-out-of-water nerd whose constant background usefulness can either dip into headdesk-inducing stupidity or peak into occasional flashes of brilliance? Sounds like me, if I do say so myself! XD
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Split between Simon and Kaylee. Simon was the one I immediately declared my favorite upon first finishing the show, but that might have something to do with the whole “sexy nerd” thing. As I re-watch and re-re-watch the show (and the movie, of course), though, I find myself more and more drawn to Kaylee. There’s just something so eternally hopeful about her! It’s almost painfully obvious that she loves her job, loves her environment, and loves the people around her. It’s an echo of that thing I mentioned with Angie Spica and Billy Kaplan, where they’re so obviously living the dream (although, as we saw in one of the graphic novels, Kaylee’s dream involves a lot more nekkid Simon [not that I blame her in the slightest] and a lot less space piracy).
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Probably YoSaffBridge. Who was she? Where did she come from? What was her real name? Why was she so obsessed with conning people, especially people who seemed to truly care about her? For that matter, why was she so damned intent on alienating anybody who showed even the slightest glimmer of affection for her? We’ll never know, and that’s just part of her charm.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
Probably the bad guy from “Heart of Gold,” because there was all this vitally important team dynamic stuff going on all episode, and then he had to show up and throw everything all to hell. Not gonna lie, I wasn’t too sorry to see him get shot, especially after he killed Inara’s friend.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
Um…Badger, maybe? Like Crowley (not a coincidence that they were both played by Mark Shepperd), I always gave a teensy mental cheer when he showed up, even when it was to be a colossal dick.
But as far as characters that I considered full-on villains (because, like I said, I like Mark Shepperd too much to truly despise him) go, those Hands of Blue guys were creepy! Damn you, FOX, there was obviously so much more that Joss and Co. had planned for them! We’d barely even scratched the surface of the mystery that they represented! Ah, what could have been…
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
I really can’t choose! Mal/Inara ended up being so triumphantly confirmed in the movie, so I can’t discount that one (I mean, really. Exploding incense? It must be love!). But then there’s Wash/Zoe, which was one of those Joss Whedon Specials that you don’t even notice has stolen your heart and wrapped it up in a warm, fuzzy blanket of love and security and happiness until, BAM! It tears the blanket away from you, rips it into shreds, and sets it on fire. And then gives you back the ashes and a few charred threads so that you’ll always remember how wonderful it was, and how terribly and completely it was destroyed. And then, of course, there’s Simon/Kaylee, which A) involves both of my favorite characters, and B) gives hope to lonely, awkward geeks everywhere!
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
It seems that Firefly is on par with Harry Potter for producing the most unrealistic pairings. I mean, I can see the basis for ships like Mal/Simon (even though no) and Jayne/Kaylee (even though hell no), but I think I’ve seen every pairing possible, which, given nine main characters, a couple of side characters, and a spaceship (yes, I’m pretty sure that people actually ship the actual, literal ship), is A LOT.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
I know that inter-Jossverse crossovers (Buffy/Firefly, for example) are too cliché, so I’ll avoid the obvious answer, and instead go with Doctor Who. You know that River Song would make a totally awesome space pirate cowgirl.
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
The crew of the good ship Serenity, of course!
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
Do I even need to say it? Okay, maybe. WAAAASSSSHHHH!! Also, BOOOOOKKKK!! *sob*
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
Again, this seems like kind of a silly question, now that I’m doing TV shows. One thing I’ve always loved about Joss the Boss is that he’s so good at getting people to play roles so radically different from their real personalities. For example, Jayne, the foul-mouthed, gun-toting, misogynistic, bloodthirsty, practically Cro-Magnon mercenary is played by Adam Baldwin, one of the sweetest guys on TV. Adam is erudite, sweet, soft-spoken, respectful of women, and always has a good word to say about everybody. On the other hand, the lovably wacky ace pilot Wash, always ready with a smartass remark, a quick save, and a dorky smile for his beloved wife, is played by the somewhat cold, reserved, and, from what I can tell, kinda dickish Alan Tudyk. But it gets better: bubbly tomboy Kaylee is played by soulful poet/singer/songwriter Jewel Staite, and the twitching psychological (and often psychopathic) wreck that is River is played by the genuinely cheerful and upbeat Summer Glau. Joss, as has been mentioned previously, thou art the Boss!
Doctor Who
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Oh, probably Donna Noble. Although I share a (first) name with the dauntless Rose Tyler, I really identify with the two sides of Donna: one believes, down to her very core, that she’s just a temp from Chiswick, and that men don’t just fall out of the sky to take her away on fantastic adventures, but the other is constantly waiting and hoping for that man to pop up.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Who but the Doctor himself? I find it both endlessly endearing and endlessly tragic that he invites people into his lonely life and loves them with both of his hearts, knowing that they will inevitably die and/or leave him, and loving them all the same.
But OMGSRS musings aside, I love how the Doctor is such a…geek! And I don’t just mean in the “bowties/fezzes/Stetsons are cool” kind of way; I mean that he is fascinated by everything. His enthusiasm for life, the universe, and everything just pours off of him until we can’t help but share in his glee, even if it is over, say, bowties. And this goes for any incarnation, not just 11.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Probably old-school Captain Jack. There’s so much mystery surrounding him! Where does he come from? What happened during those missing years? What was he being executed for? What the hell is the Time Agency? But now, because Certain People have hijacked him (no pun intended), not only is he now Captain Grimsby McAngstyTightPants instead of the Captain Awesome we first met and fell in love with, but we’ll never know what the Grand Moff really intended for him. Sure, we’ve seen RTD’s version, but when you get right down to it, Steven Moffat is a much better writer, and I think he would’ve handled Jack’s story a lot better.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
Jenny. Holy crap, Jenny. The instant I saw her, I immediately knew that she was just a Redshirt-Sue, created only to tug at our heartstrings before dying tragically. Knowing that, I couldn’t get invested in the character the way I was obviously supposed to, and that just made her fall all the flatter. Most episodes manage to work in some surprising twist to the character who’s obviously supposed to die, but this was so straightforward, so boring, so unimaginative. And this is a series that is nothing if it isn’t imaginative.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
Possibly the Master, just for being so delightfully, unreservedly, flamboyantly bad, while still maintaining that element of ghoulish wackiness. He sewed the hyper-aged Doctor a tiny suit, fergawdssakes! Everybody together now: “Here come the drums, here come the drums…”
But then, the bombastic, grandiose Sontarans are always a treat, too, especially with the Sontaran Nurse we saw recently.
Then again, how can you do better than the Daleks? They’ve been terrifying and enthralling us since 1963, and don’t show any sign of stopping. Be honest, now, how many of you feel your blood run cold when you hear that blank metallic voice say, “EXTERMINATE!”?
But then again, I don’t think I’ve ever been as creeped out as I was by the Weeping Angels. They personify everything we’ve ever feared about the dark and the unknown, and add a dash of everything we’ve ever feared about evil lurking behind beauty for spice.
Gaaaah, Doctor Who just has so many great villains, I can’t choose just one!
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Probably Amy/Rory. I don’t ship the Doctor with anybody (except perhaps Rose, but the massive fandom surrounding that pairing has sort of turned me off of it), and other pairings have been few and far between (and I like Jack waaaay better with Ianto than with any Doctor, anyway).
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
I’ve never really liked Martha/Mickey. It’s not that Rose was the one true love of Mickey’s life or anything like that; I just liked Martha with Dr. Milligan better. I really would have liked to see their relationship develop from The Year That Never Was into something more real, with them still having to deal with Martha’s memories and Tom’s lack of same. The way things ended up, it sounds a little bit too much like “You’re black? Hey, I’m black, too! We should totally get married!”
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
All of them, of course, since Doctor Who is practically built for crossovers, but for some reason, I could really see a crossover with the Aubrey-Maturin series. I dunno, I guess I could just see the current Doctor and Stephen being oddball geniuses together, while all the sailors are like “OMG A GIRL” and Amy is all “lol no” and Rory is all “hey, that’s my wife you’re talking about, you big, dumb…very big…combat-trained…um…But still, hell no!”
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
The Children of Time, who else? And by Children of Time, I mean everyone who’s ever travelled in the TARDIS, not just those who showed up for the series 4 finale.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
I don’t know if this counts, but I wish I could just call mulligan on most of the 3rd series. The unceasing “OMG remember how great Rose was?! CUZ SHE WAS TOTALLY OSSUM!!! And everyone else sucks. THIS MEANS YOU, MARTHA. You suck, you’ll never be as good as Saint Rose, and you should just accept your sub-par-ness before you embarrass yourself any further,” kinda got on my nerves, and for a couple of reasons. First, it didn’t give Martha a fair chance. She was a competent, likeable Companion, and the first one of the new series to have any medical training, which you think would come in really handy when you run with the Oncoming Storm, but she was mostly relegated to mooning over the Doctor. She could have been a really great character, but she was mostly portrayed as just “not Rose.” Speaking of which, yes. Rose left. Yes, it was sad. Yes, she was a cool character and we’re going to miss her. But the waythe Doctor everyone talks about her, you’d think she was the single greatest, kindest, most perfect being in the universe. The writers just tried to hammer her all-around greatness into our heads so much that we started to dislike her just because of the constant shilling of the Wesley, which is kind of sad, because like I said, yes, she was awesome. Just not as awesome as Certain People would like us to think. Basically, what ended up happening was that they tried to fix something that wasn’t broken, and ended up actually breaking it in the process.
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
Again, no complaints here! Although I did hear that Benedict Cumberbatch tried out for the Eleventh Doctor; it would have been interesting to see him in that role (with Martin Freeman as his long-suffering Companion, of course).
X-Men First Class
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Probably Hank. We both want desperately to be liked and accepted, and have proven ourselves willing to conceal what we see as aberrant or undesirable qualities to gain that acceptance, but we both have found a supportive, small-but-loyal cadre of other freaks and geeks to love us for who we are.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Charles Francis Xavier (silly middle name notwithstanding), hands down. It’s incredibly endearing to see him back when he was fallible and unsure of himself, before he became the great and powerfulOz Professor X. Like Hank, he just wants to be accepted for who he is, but more than that, he wants everybody to be accepted for who they are. Of course, he also pushes my “hawt British nerd” button, but that’s just icing on the cake.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Does Moira count? I get the feeling that she’s supposed to be a major character, but we actually see so little of her. What little we saw, however, made her awesome. She was able to hold her own against mutant geniuses, mutant Nazi-hunters, mutants in general, and the entire CIA, all while being a non-powered female, which put her at a severe disadvantage any way you cut it.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
I’d have to say Emma Frost, but that’s just because I know she has the potential to be so much more than what we saw her as.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
Sebastian Shaw (for some reason, whenever I think of his name, I imagine Erik doing a Shatner-esque “SHHAAAAAWWW”). I mean, the man was a Nazi eugenicist who planned to eradicate humanity by torturing little kids, shooting their parents, and starting a nuclear war; what’s not to hate?
Actually, that was something that I always found a little jarring about Shaw and the Hellfire Club (in the movieverse, at least). Villains like Magneto and Mystique had legitimate grievances, but Shaw was just a nutball. He had no sympathetic past to endear them to the audience, no righteous cause to get overzealous over, and no good points that would actually make us stop and think. Magneto wanted to destroy the world because he didn’t want to get bashed in the head with a rock just for being born different. Shaw wanted to destroy the world…because he was bored, I guess.
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Personally, I think it’s funny as hell that the entire movie was basically the story of the romance between Charles and Erik, but Charles and Moira, and Erik and Raven, the canon couples, got little to no attention. I mean, Charles and Erik entwine their minds on a regular basis, have long, involved conversations about their feelings, and socialize pretty much only with each other. Charles/Moira and Erik/Raven each get only one scene apiece, and in both of those, their minds are obviously…elsewhere. Was I the only one who saw the scene where Raven surprises Erik by showing up, naked, in his bed, and immediately read Erik's expression as "Damn. Wrong Xavier"?
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Alex/Hank. It seems incredibly popular within the fandom, but the only things I can find in canon to support it are that they appear mildly antagonistic towards each other and they’re both hot. Hank/Raven and Alex/Armando (don’t tell me you didn’t see the subtext there) are plausible pairings, but Alex/Hank definitely isn’t.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
Does Young Avengers count, since they technically take place in the same universe, just in different times? Because I want to see Billy turn towards Erik and go "You and Charles are perfect together! Why have you not married this man?! Oh, wait, if you did, then I probably wouldn't exist. Dammit."
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
The proto-X-Men, of course! I just love any scene where the team is being all family-like and teamy, even if the kids do destroy things on occasion.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
I’ve already ranted enough about how little sense the ending makes, so I have two alternatives: Charles’ injury makes Erik realize where the dark path he’s begun on will lead him (namely, the death and destruction of all he holds dear) and he returns to the mansion with the rest of them, or Charles is not injured but is still unable to prevent Erik from leaving. Although, to fit in with the timeline laid down by the trilogy proper, both of them would have to walk away from Cuba intact, because we see an older Charles walking, and working closely with an older Magneto. Basically, Charles can’t be paralyzed and Magneto can’t be (officially) evil until sometime in the 80s.
Also, I'd like for Darwin not to have died, because it's kind of the point of his mutation that he can take whatever you can throw at him.
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
I think I’m good with the decisions made in the movie. I’m not exactly proficient when it comes to knowledge of the comics themselves, but all the actors did a damn decent job (and when they didn’t it was mostly due to poor writing, not acting *cough*Emma*cough*.
Torchwood
In my grand tradition of utterly implausible AUs, my headcanon is that Ianto has two sisters: the stubbornly normal and aggressively middle-class Rhiannon, and her direct opposite, the wonderfully weird Kelly, of St. Trinian’s fame. Ianto really did try to fit into the mold: he got a respectable, if comparatively low-level, job at a research institute, started dating a nice girl, and bought a flat. But then Canary Warf happened, and the rest is history. Now, a good portion of his very, very good Torchwood pay goes to funding Kelly’s education at St. Trinian’s, and to settling the damages caused thereby.
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Jack/Gwen. Yeargh. It’s just so…forced! It’s like the writers have to work doubly hard to shoehorn in moments between them, and it shows. For example, think of the big Janto moment from “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” and the Gwack moment from the same. Which felt more real to you: confident, devil-may-care, sex-on-legs-and-he-damn-well-knows-it Jack finally, nervously asking Ianto out on an official date, or Gwen telling Jack that she’s engaged, and then Jack going, “Huh. That’s nice. I mean…HE’S NOT WORTHY OF YOU!!!!”?
The Authority
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Either Jeoren, in the way he's always all "WTF am I doing?!" in private and "WTF? Of course I know what I'm doing, foolish mortals!" in public, or Angie, with her simple joy at being able to live out her life-long fangirl-dream of being a superhero.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Apollo, definitely. He's seen a lot of bad stuff, but he can still find it within him to have a cheerful outlook on life. Even after having his memories wiped, used as a suicide bomber/patsy by an evil genius, and living on the lam for five years, he can still be hopeful, while remaining realistic and badass, which is amazing as hell. Also, seeing him putter around as Jenny's daddy was adorable (and quietly heartbreaking, once the Midnighter left). And no, I'm still not happy with the reboot for taking away his husband, daughter, friends, memories, and personality.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Probably Christine Trelane. I always loved her blasé, pragmatic, totally unimpressed reactions to all of the amazing super-heroics going on all around her. Every time I see her, her "you realize that punching Doctor Destructo or whoever through that wall means about an hour's worth of paperwork for me, right?" expression cracks me up.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
Oddly enough, Millar/Morrison-era Apollo. He became such a weak, mewly damsel in distress for the Midnighter to rescue every time a new Big Bad rolled into town. I know they were trying to subvert the standard Superman trope, but they turned him from a strong, confident, capable, snarky badass into the universe's punching bag.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
That guy from Godhead was fun, and those pastiches of the Avengers from Nativity definitely fell into the "love-to-hate" category, but I think I'd have to go with Henry Bendix for overall Magnificent Bastard-ness.
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Midnighter/Apollo. Aside from being the only stable couple in the series, they had a very believable relationship. Yes, they fought sometimes, but they always made up. They were always there for each other, they clearly trusted each other, and it was just awesome to see this kickass battle couple being daddies to Jenny.
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Out of the couples that we were actually supposed to like, I never went for that "Angie is a complete ho" subplot that kept popping up. It seemed really inconsistent with her original characterization, and there hadn't really been any impetus for her to go from "shy-but-gleeful geek" to "slutbag" in the space of a few months.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
I would have loved to see them cross over with the DCU properly, not be integrated into it. There's a lot of potential, both dramatic and comedic, in scenes like A&M meeting the JLA, and then going, "holy crap, that's us!"
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
The Ellis-era team, beyond a doubt. Aside from the obvious factors of the series really starting to suck once it'd lost Jenny Sparks and Jeoren, all of the characters just felt so much more real and natural than the postures they were forced into by subsequent writers. It seems like Ellis was interested in getting to know these characters, really seeing what makes them tick and how they work with each other, but Certain People just wanted a mouthpiece for their own political beliefs and/or a chance to shoehorn in yet more shock value.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
Aside from the whole DCU thing, getting someone a little more talented to re-draw the Nativity arc would be great. As it stands, I had a hard time taking these OMGSUPERDUPERSRS events seriously when everybody looked like a cross between a caveman and a Puggle.
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
*shrug* I don't think a movie adaptation would go over all that well, no matter who was cast or who was writing or directing.
P.S. RIP, Mr. Jobs. I’m typing this on my MacBook Pro while updating Twitter on my iPhone, after listening to my iPod on my way back from class. You will be missed, and those Westboro Baptist Church assholes planning on picketing your funeral need to use your tech to do so, which I hope would at least give you a chuckle.
Again, here be spoilers! (Also, yes, I know that the formatting for the Torchwood section is screwed up, but I think I've dealt with enough bugs for one day.)
Supernatural (written before the Season 7 premiere)
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
This is another one of those “me-at-my-best vs. me-at-my-worst” things. I’m woman enough to admit that I saw more than a bit of myself in Becky (although I’m definitely not a Wincest shipper, thankyouverymuch!), but in my finest moments I’ve also seen myself as a Bobby-like voice of reason.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
CAS. CASCASCASCASCAS. Cas. Whenever the patented Winchester Whine-fest gets too much, Cas is always a nice breath of fresh air (pun not intended). Of course, it also helps that he’s about seven different kinds of awesome/badass, and that he’s purdy (those eyes! that voice!). To top things off, I never get tired of “Cas-doesn’t-understand-humans” humor. There’s just something about the all-absorbing, laser-like focus that he turns on things that confuse him, from a particularly resilient demon to a cell phone, that never fails to crack me up. Srsly, I’ll take the Cas from “Free to Be You and Me” that held his fake FBI badge upside-down and got all stunned-bunny in the “den of iniquity” over Godstiel any day.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Ellen Harvelle. Dammit, Supernatural, why did you have to kill off the one female character who was both a badass and could actually be a badass while keeping her clothes on? Two things that I really don’t like about Supernatural are 1) the recent trend of replacing ass-kicking with whining and 2) the fact that any female character who appears more than once must be a damsel in distress or evil, and MUST be hot. Ellen took care of all of those problems perfectly! Whenever she showed up, she gave the boys a well-deserved kick in the pants to get them moving again, and she even out-badassed them on occasion. Even better, she wasn't overtly sexualized like pretty much every other character (especially every other female character) on this show. Ellen, I was sorry to see you go, and the show’s all the poorer for having lost you.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
Both Brothers Winchester have their moments, particularly in later seasons. That’s really the problem with Supernatural: restricting the focus almost entirely to these two characters and their relationship can get annoying at best, claustrophobic at worst. I started out loving them, but after six seasons of Dean’s self-inflicted martyrdom and Sam’s bitchiness, I could use some diversity.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
Crowley, perhaps? I don’t think I ever truly hated him, but I always gave a little mental cheer when he appeared onscreen.
But my favorite out-and-out villain would have to be Zachariah. He was just so slimy, and it was so much fun to watch him get his ass kicked, all the more because it happened so rarely!
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Dean/Cas. Yup, I’m a Destiel shipper. I don’t support Wincest in any way, shape, or form, but the producers really do have a dearth of badass regularly-occurring female characters who aren’t morons; what do they think is going to happen? But really, D/C isn’t canon (probably; we all know how Kripke loves to tease us!), but it makes a damn plausible alternative. Aside from the fact that it’s frickin’ hawt, these two have some real chemistry. And, of course, there’s all the aforementioned teasing. I mean, they spend half their screentime together talking about their “profound bond” and vowing to sacrifice their lives for each other. What’s not to like?
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Like I said, Wincest. As someone much smarter than me has pointed out, it’s obvious that anybody who ships any kind of sibling-cest has either no siblings or some serious issues in real life, because just no. With fuck no topping and hell no sprinkles, served in a no way José cone.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
I heard that Cas was originally supposed to be John Constantine, so it’d be kinda funny to see them meet.
Otherwise, see above re: massive crossover, especially the Good Omens bit. Seriously, don’t tell me that Crowley and…well, Crowley aren’t BFFs.
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
Team Free Will, who else (understanding, of course, that fanon has Bobby and possibly Gabriel, the Angel of Snark, on the team as well)? Some of my favorite moments on this show were just the gang doing what they do best: kicking ass and taking names. When they’re not being idiots (read: betraying and/or whining at each other), they’re actually pretty good candidates to save the world from the Forces of Evil.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
It is now my personal headcanon that either the souls that Castiel consumed were somehow “poisoned” to make him go nuts, or that he simply went mad with the power (ideally, some other Big Bad would have known that this would happen, and would have been nudging him towards soul-consumption in order to drive him crazy and then gain control of him). Either way, the result of this little reshuffling is that Cas is barely, if at all, in control of himself, and will go back to being everybody’s favorite Nerd Angel once the source of his corruption, the souls, is cut off/removed. It’d be cool if this actually turned out to be canon, but there’s a 99.8% chance of this getting Jossed all to hell.
(EDIT: Called it!)
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
Really, I’m pretty happy with the way things stand right now. Misha Collins, you are a sexy beast. ^.^
Young Avengers
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Eh, probably Cassie. I care quite a bit about what others, particularly my family, think of me. I would say Billy, since he’s the designated awkward geek of the team, but I don’t think I’m as snarky or
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Billy, to the surprise of none (again). There’s the whole “lovably awkward geek” thing I mentioned above, but he’s also a badass (while still staying out of God-Mod Sue territory) as well as a good friend, awesome boyfriend, and all-around decent guy. He’s got this Angie Spica-like irrepressible fanboyish glee, where, yeah, his life may be in constant danger and stuff like that, but you can tell that, way in the back of his mind, he’s thinking, “OMG my life is amazing. I hang out with Captain America and Iron Man and I can fly and shoot lighting and I have a costume and SQUEEEEEE!!!” I also like how the writers have handled his powers: he’s versatile and powerful, but not a game-breaker. I know there’s a real temptation to have Billy develop new powers as the plot demands (since his abilities are already so vague) or just want away the villain of the week, so I’m really proud of the writers for handling things so well. For example, when he actually does just want away the VOTW, A) it takes a huge toll on him, and B) it is seen as a very, very bad thing, because, hello, seventeen-year-old (eighteen, by this point? idk) who can warp reality to fit his every whim? Not such a good idea.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Probably Rebecca Kaplan. We see so little of her directly, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Billy got his BAMF-ness from her. I could totally see her verbally pwning the Avengers, the VOTW, you name it! Actually, I’ve got this little scene in my head where Billy is in the hospital for one reason or another, and can only have two guests at a time (of course, Teddy’s already in there). Wanda would be all “I AM THE SCARLET WITCH AND HE IS THE CHILD OF MY SOOOOOUUUUULLL!!!11!” and then Rebecca is all like “Bitch, please.” Basically, she says something cutting and snarky and amazing and she gets to go in and see him.
Alternately, she verbally bitchslaps the Avengers (idk why), and Cap is all, “Yes, ma’am. Of course, ma’am. I’m sorry, ma’am,” and Tony being all “I like a girl with some spirit! ;D” (and then Rebecca being all “Yeah, no. Not a snowball’s chance in hell, buddy. >XP”), and Peter Parker being all “…BILLY! YOUR MOM IS AWESOME!” (and Billy going “YEAH, I KNOW!”).
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
I know that she’s from the Runaways, not the Young Avengers (hey, they've crossed over enough so that she's practically one of the team), but Nico. Just fucking Nico. I know she has “a pathological urge to insert herself into other people’s relationships,” but in practice, she’s just a giant steaming pile of bitch. I think she’s made out with every member of the team (except for Molly, who’s twelve, and Old Lace, who’s a dinosaur. Oh, and Gert, but I’ll get to her in a second), and she sometimes seems to do so specifically to make her friends unhappy. For example, she kissed Chase when she didn’t even really like him, lied about it, and thus directly caused him and Gert to fight; a fight which they had yet to resolve at the time of Gert’s death. Yes, Gert’s tragic death in Chase’s arms was brought from “sad” up to “heartwrenching” because Nico couldn’t keep her mitts to herself for five minutes. And what makes it worse, everyone in the fandom seems to love her! The fact that she’s a sexy angsty Goth magic chick doesn’t excuse her from all the bullshit she pulls. Basically, I don’t see why everyone thinks she’s so awesome.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
The Warden, probably. Holy shit, but that dude was creepy! One thing that I’ll always be a little disappointed about is that we never really got to explore the team’s reactions to Billy and Teddy being kidnapped and extensively tortured by a government-funded sicko. Also, and maybe this was just me, but it seemed like the Warden hinted at using sexual abuse to control Noh-Varr, and was intending to do the same to Billy before the cavalry arrived, which just adds a whole new level of squick. But, all in all, he was a great original villain, and I certainly wouldn’t say no to seeing him (or someone like him) again.
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Billy/Teddy (standard fandom answer). Aside from the almost unlimited d’awww potential, they both have a pretty high badassitutde quotient, which thankfully removes the whole “seme/uke” dynamic that I was afraid of them falling into. Billy’s no squishy wizard, Teddy’s no dumb bruiser, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Um…let’s go with Billy/Tommy for the lulz, because it’s the biggest fan-pairing that I just cannot support (see my Supernatural answers re: incestuous pairings in general), and I like pretty much all of the canon pairings. I do think that Kate will end up with Eli rather than Tommy, though.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
Harry Potter, which is turning out to be a surprisingly popular answer. Because you KNOW that Billy would have an aneurism of geeky joy, they would all argue about which houses they got sorted into and whether or not the Sorting Hat was right, Kate would hang out with the centaurs, Eli basically *is* a younger Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Jonas would glitch all to hell in the presence of so much magic.
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
Is the Young Avengers themselves too much of an obvious answer? If not, then them, but if so, then the Kaplan family, because Rebecca is terrifying and Jeff is adorkable and they both passed these traits on to Billy and Aaron and Isaac (Billy’s little brothers, who I have decided are also identical twins), who are basically Fred and George Weasley.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
Cassie staying with her teammates instead of defecting to the Initiative during the Civil War is the only thing that comes to mind, but I can see why she made the decision she did. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
I honestly don’t know. My first instinct was Jesse Eisenberg or Michael Cerra as Billy, because of the whole “awkward, spaztastic, yet somehow sweet, nerd” thing, but I don’t know if either of them would be able to dial down the spaz and dial up the badass enough.
Firefly
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Simon, duh. Heavily-repressed, fish-out-of-water nerd whose constant background usefulness can either dip into headdesk-inducing stupidity or peak into occasional flashes of brilliance? Sounds like me, if I do say so myself! XD
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Split between Simon and Kaylee. Simon was the one I immediately declared my favorite upon first finishing the show, but that might have something to do with the whole “sexy nerd” thing. As I re-watch and re-re-watch the show (and the movie, of course), though, I find myself more and more drawn to Kaylee. There’s just something so eternally hopeful about her! It’s almost painfully obvious that she loves her job, loves her environment, and loves the people around her. It’s an echo of that thing I mentioned with Angie Spica and Billy Kaplan, where they’re so obviously living the dream (although, as we saw in one of the graphic novels, Kaylee’s dream involves a lot more nekkid Simon [not that I blame her in the slightest] and a lot less space piracy).
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Probably YoSaffBridge. Who was she? Where did she come from? What was her real name? Why was she so obsessed with conning people, especially people who seemed to truly care about her? For that matter, why was she so damned intent on alienating anybody who showed even the slightest glimmer of affection for her? We’ll never know, and that’s just part of her charm.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
Probably the bad guy from “Heart of Gold,” because there was all this vitally important team dynamic stuff going on all episode, and then he had to show up and throw everything all to hell. Not gonna lie, I wasn’t too sorry to see him get shot, especially after he killed Inara’s friend.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
Um…Badger, maybe? Like Crowley (not a coincidence that they were both played by Mark Shepperd), I always gave a teensy mental cheer when he showed up, even when it was to be a colossal dick.
But as far as characters that I considered full-on villains (because, like I said, I like Mark Shepperd too much to truly despise him) go, those Hands of Blue guys were creepy! Damn you, FOX, there was obviously so much more that Joss and Co. had planned for them! We’d barely even scratched the surface of the mystery that they represented! Ah, what could have been…
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
I really can’t choose! Mal/Inara ended up being so triumphantly confirmed in the movie, so I can’t discount that one (I mean, really. Exploding incense? It must be love!). But then there’s Wash/Zoe, which was one of those Joss Whedon Specials that you don’t even notice has stolen your heart and wrapped it up in a warm, fuzzy blanket of love and security and happiness until, BAM! It tears the blanket away from you, rips it into shreds, and sets it on fire. And then gives you back the ashes and a few charred threads so that you’ll always remember how wonderful it was, and how terribly and completely it was destroyed. And then, of course, there’s Simon/Kaylee, which A) involves both of my favorite characters, and B) gives hope to lonely, awkward geeks everywhere!
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
It seems that Firefly is on par with Harry Potter for producing the most unrealistic pairings. I mean, I can see the basis for ships like Mal/Simon (even though no) and Jayne/Kaylee (even though hell no), but I think I’ve seen every pairing possible, which, given nine main characters, a couple of side characters, and a spaceship (yes, I’m pretty sure that people actually ship the actual, literal ship), is A LOT.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
I know that inter-Jossverse crossovers (Buffy/Firefly, for example) are too cliché, so I’ll avoid the obvious answer, and instead go with Doctor Who. You know that River Song would make a totally awesome space pirate cowgirl.
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
The crew of the good ship Serenity, of course!
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
Do I even need to say it? Okay, maybe. WAAAASSSSHHHH!! Also, BOOOOOKKKK!! *sob*
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
Again, this seems like kind of a silly question, now that I’m doing TV shows. One thing I’ve always loved about Joss the Boss is that he’s so good at getting people to play roles so radically different from their real personalities. For example, Jayne, the foul-mouthed, gun-toting, misogynistic, bloodthirsty, practically Cro-Magnon mercenary is played by Adam Baldwin, one of the sweetest guys on TV. Adam is erudite, sweet, soft-spoken, respectful of women, and always has a good word to say about everybody. On the other hand, the lovably wacky ace pilot Wash, always ready with a smartass remark, a quick save, and a dorky smile for his beloved wife, is played by the somewhat cold, reserved, and, from what I can tell, kinda dickish Alan Tudyk. But it gets better: bubbly tomboy Kaylee is played by soulful poet/singer/songwriter Jewel Staite, and the twitching psychological (and often psychopathic) wreck that is River is played by the genuinely cheerful and upbeat Summer Glau. Joss, as has been mentioned previously, thou art the Boss!
Doctor Who
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Oh, probably Donna Noble. Although I share a (first) name with the dauntless Rose Tyler, I really identify with the two sides of Donna: one believes, down to her very core, that she’s just a temp from Chiswick, and that men don’t just fall out of the sky to take her away on fantastic adventures, but the other is constantly waiting and hoping for that man to pop up.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Who but the Doctor himself? I find it both endlessly endearing and endlessly tragic that he invites people into his lonely life and loves them with both of his hearts, knowing that they will inevitably die and/or leave him, and loving them all the same.
But OMGSRS musings aside, I love how the Doctor is such a…geek! And I don’t just mean in the “bowties/fezzes/Stetsons are cool” kind of way; I mean that he is fascinated by everything. His enthusiasm for life, the universe, and everything just pours off of him until we can’t help but share in his glee, even if it is over, say, bowties. And this goes for any incarnation, not just 11.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Probably old-school Captain Jack. There’s so much mystery surrounding him! Where does he come from? What happened during those missing years? What was he being executed for? What the hell is the Time Agency? But now, because Certain People have hijacked him (no pun intended), not only is he now Captain Grimsby McAngsty
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
Jenny. Holy crap, Jenny. The instant I saw her, I immediately knew that she was just a Redshirt-Sue, created only to tug at our heartstrings before dying tragically. Knowing that, I couldn’t get invested in the character the way I was obviously supposed to, and that just made her fall all the flatter. Most episodes manage to work in some surprising twist to the character who’s obviously supposed to die, but this was so straightforward, so boring, so unimaginative. And this is a series that is nothing if it isn’t imaginative.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
Possibly the Master, just for being so delightfully, unreservedly, flamboyantly bad, while still maintaining that element of ghoulish wackiness. He sewed the hyper-aged Doctor a tiny suit, fergawdssakes! Everybody together now: “Here come the drums, here come the drums…”
But then, the bombastic, grandiose Sontarans are always a treat, too, especially with the Sontaran Nurse we saw recently.
Then again, how can you do better than the Daleks? They’ve been terrifying and enthralling us since 1963, and don’t show any sign of stopping. Be honest, now, how many of you feel your blood run cold when you hear that blank metallic voice say, “EXTERMINATE!”?
But then again, I don’t think I’ve ever been as creeped out as I was by the Weeping Angels. They personify everything we’ve ever feared about the dark and the unknown, and add a dash of everything we’ve ever feared about evil lurking behind beauty for spice.
Gaaaah, Doctor Who just has so many great villains, I can’t choose just one!
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Probably Amy/Rory. I don’t ship the Doctor with anybody (except perhaps Rose, but the massive fandom surrounding that pairing has sort of turned me off of it), and other pairings have been few and far between (and I like Jack waaaay better with Ianto than with any Doctor, anyway).
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
I’ve never really liked Martha/Mickey. It’s not that Rose was the one true love of Mickey’s life or anything like that; I just liked Martha with Dr. Milligan better. I really would have liked to see their relationship develop from The Year That Never Was into something more real, with them still having to deal with Martha’s memories and Tom’s lack of same. The way things ended up, it sounds a little bit too much like “You’re black? Hey, I’m black, too! We should totally get married!”
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
All of them, of course, since Doctor Who is practically built for crossovers, but for some reason, I could really see a crossover with the Aubrey-Maturin series. I dunno, I guess I could just see the current Doctor and Stephen being oddball geniuses together, while all the sailors are like “OMG A GIRL” and Amy is all “lol no” and Rory is all “hey, that’s my wife you’re talking about, you big, dumb…very big…combat-trained…um…But still, hell no!”
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
The Children of Time, who else? And by Children of Time, I mean everyone who’s ever travelled in the TARDIS, not just those who showed up for the series 4 finale.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
I don’t know if this counts, but I wish I could just call mulligan on most of the 3rd series. The unceasing “OMG remember how great Rose was?! CUZ SHE WAS TOTALLY OSSUM!!! And everyone else sucks. THIS MEANS YOU, MARTHA. You suck, you’ll never be as good as Saint Rose, and you should just accept your sub-par-ness before you embarrass yourself any further,” kinda got on my nerves, and for a couple of reasons. First, it didn’t give Martha a fair chance. She was a competent, likeable Companion, and the first one of the new series to have any medical training, which you think would come in really handy when you run with the Oncoming Storm, but she was mostly relegated to mooning over the Doctor. She could have been a really great character, but she was mostly portrayed as just “not Rose.” Speaking of which, yes. Rose left. Yes, it was sad. Yes, she was a cool character and we’re going to miss her. But the way
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
Again, no complaints here! Although I did hear that Benedict Cumberbatch tried out for the Eleventh Doctor; it would have been interesting to see him in that role (with Martin Freeman as his long-suffering Companion, of course).
X-Men First Class
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Probably Hank. We both want desperately to be liked and accepted, and have proven ourselves willing to conceal what we see as aberrant or undesirable qualities to gain that acceptance, but we both have found a supportive, small-but-loyal cadre of other freaks and geeks to love us for who we are.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Charles Francis Xavier (silly middle name notwithstanding), hands down. It’s incredibly endearing to see him back when he was fallible and unsure of himself, before he became the great and powerful
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Does Moira count? I get the feeling that she’s supposed to be a major character, but we actually see so little of her. What little we saw, however, made her awesome. She was able to hold her own against mutant geniuses, mutant Nazi-hunters, mutants in general, and the entire CIA, all while being a non-powered female, which put her at a severe disadvantage any way you cut it.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
I’d have to say Emma Frost, but that’s just because I know she has the potential to be so much more than what we saw her as.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
Sebastian Shaw (for some reason, whenever I think of his name, I imagine Erik doing a Shatner-esque “SHHAAAAAWWW”). I mean, the man was a Nazi eugenicist who planned to eradicate humanity by torturing little kids, shooting their parents, and starting a nuclear war; what’s not to hate?
Actually, that was something that I always found a little jarring about Shaw and the Hellfire Club (in the movieverse, at least). Villains like Magneto and Mystique had legitimate grievances, but Shaw was just a nutball. He had no sympathetic past to endear them to the audience, no righteous cause to get overzealous over, and no good points that would actually make us stop and think. Magneto wanted to destroy the world because he didn’t want to get bashed in the head with a rock just for being born different. Shaw wanted to destroy the world…because he was bored, I guess.
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Personally, I think it’s funny as hell that the entire movie was basically the story of the romance between Charles and Erik, but Charles and Moira, and Erik and Raven, the canon couples, got little to no attention. I mean, Charles and Erik entwine their minds on a regular basis, have long, involved conversations about their feelings, and socialize pretty much only with each other. Charles/Moira and Erik/Raven each get only one scene apiece, and in both of those, their minds are obviously…elsewhere. Was I the only one who saw the scene where Raven surprises Erik by showing up, naked, in his bed, and immediately read Erik's expression as "Damn. Wrong Xavier"?
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Alex/Hank. It seems incredibly popular within the fandom, but the only things I can find in canon to support it are that they appear mildly antagonistic towards each other and they’re both hot. Hank/Raven and Alex/Armando (don’t tell me you didn’t see the subtext there) are plausible pairings, but Alex/Hank definitely isn’t.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
Does Young Avengers count, since they technically take place in the same universe, just in different times? Because I want to see Billy turn towards Erik and go "You and Charles are perfect together! Why have you not married this man?! Oh, wait, if you did, then I probably wouldn't exist. Dammit."
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
The proto-X-Men, of course! I just love any scene where the team is being all family-like and teamy, even if the kids do destroy things on occasion.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
I’ve already ranted enough about how little sense the ending makes, so I have two alternatives: Charles’ injury makes Erik realize where the dark path he’s begun on will lead him (namely, the death and destruction of all he holds dear) and he returns to the mansion with the rest of them, or Charles is not injured but is still unable to prevent Erik from leaving. Although, to fit in with the timeline laid down by the trilogy proper, both of them would have to walk away from Cuba intact, because we see an older Charles walking, and working closely with an older Magneto. Basically, Charles can’t be paralyzed and Magneto can’t be (officially) evil until sometime in the 80s.
Also, I'd like for Darwin not to have died, because it's kind of the point of his mutation that he can take whatever you can throw at him.
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
I think I’m good with the decisions made in the movie. I’m not exactly proficient when it comes to knowledge of the comics themselves, but all the actors did a damn decent job (and when they didn’t it was mostly due to poor writing, not acting *cough*Emma*cough*.
Torchwood
- What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
- Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
In my grand tradition of utterly implausible AUs, my headcanon is that Ianto has two sisters: the stubbornly normal and aggressively middle-class Rhiannon, and her direct opposite, the wonderfully weird Kelly, of St. Trinian’s fame. Ianto really did try to fit into the mold: he got a respectable, if comparatively low-level, job at a research institute, started dating a nice girl, and bought a flat. But then Canary Warf happened, and the rest is history. Now, a good portion of his very, very good Torchwood pay goes to funding Kelly’s education at St. Trinian’s, and to settling the damages caused thereby.
- Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
- Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
- Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
- Who is your favourite romantic couple?
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Jack/Gwen. Yeargh. It’s just so…forced! It’s like the writers have to work doubly hard to shoehorn in moments between them, and it shows. For example, think of the big Janto moment from “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” and the Gwack moment from the same. Which felt more real to you: confident, devil-may-care, sex-on-legs-and-he-damn-well-knows-it Jack finally, nervously asking Ianto out on an official date, or Gwen telling Jack that she’s engaged, and then Jack going, “Huh. That’s nice. I mean…HE’S NOT WORTHY OF YOU!!!!”?
- Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
- What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
- What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
- If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
The Authority
1) What book character would you say is the closest to yourself?
Either Jeoren, in the way he's always all "WTF am I doing?!" in private and "WTF? Of course I know what I'm doing, foolish mortals!" in public, or Angie, with her simple joy at being able to live out her life-long fangirl-dream of being a superhero.
2) Who is your favourite protagonist of all time?
Apollo, definitely. He's seen a lot of bad stuff, but he can still find it within him to have a cheerful outlook on life. Even after having his memories wiped, used as a suicide bomber/patsy by an evil genius, and living on the lam for five years, he can still be hopeful, while remaining realistic and badass, which is amazing as hell. Also, seeing him putter around as Jenny's daddy was adorable (and quietly heartbreaking, once the Midnighter left). And no, I'm still not happy with the reboot for taking away his husband, daughter, friends, memories, and personality.
3) Who is your favourite secondary or minor character?
Probably Christine Trelane. I always loved her blasé, pragmatic, totally unimpressed reactions to all of the amazing super-heroics going on all around her. Every time I see her, her "you realize that punching Doctor Destructo or whoever through that wall means about an hour's worth of paperwork for me, right?" expression cracks me up.
4) Who is the most annoying character in any book you've ever read?
Oddly enough, Millar/Morrison-era Apollo. He became such a weak, mewly damsel in distress for the Midnighter to rescue every time a new Big Bad rolled into town. I know they were trying to subvert the standard Superman trope, but they turned him from a strong, confident, capable, snarky badass into the universe's punching bag.
5) Who is the best villain or love-to-hate character?
That guy from Godhead was fun, and those pastiches of the Avengers from Nativity definitely fell into the "love-to-hate" category, but I think I'd have to go with Henry Bendix for overall Magnificent Bastard-ness.
6) Who is your favourite romantic couple?
Midnighter/Apollo. Aside from being the only stable couple in the series, they had a very believable relationship. Yes, they fought sometimes, but they always made up. They were always there for each other, they clearly trusted each other, and it was just awesome to see this kickass battle couple being daddies to Jenny.
7) What is the most unbelievable romantic couple?
Out of the couples that we were actually supposed to like, I never went for that "Angie is a complete ho" subplot that kept popping up. It seemed really inconsistent with her original characterization, and there hadn't really been any impetus for her to go from "shy-but-gleeful geek" to "slutbag" in the space of a few months.
8) Which character would you love to see in another book, and what book is it?
I would have loved to see them cross over with the DCU properly, not be integrated into it. There's a lot of potential, both dramatic and comedic, in scenes like A&M meeting the JLA, and then going, "holy crap, that's us!"
9) What is your favourite ensemble cast of characters?
The Ellis-era team, beyond a doubt. Aside from the obvious factors of the series really starting to suck once it'd lost Jenny Sparks and Jeoren, all of the characters just felt so much more real and natural than the postures they were forced into by subsequent writers. It seems like Ellis was interested in getting to know these characters, really seeing what makes them tick and how they work with each other, but Certain People just wanted a mouthpiece for their own political beliefs and/or a chance to shoehorn in yet more shock value.
10) What ending do you wish had turned out better for a character, and how would you re-write it?
Aside from the whole DCU thing, getting someone a little more talented to re-draw the Nativity arc would be great. As it stands, I had a hard time taking these OMGSUPERDUPERSRS events seriously when everybody looked like a cross between a caveman and a Puggle.
11) If you were casting your favourite characters in a movie (whether it's been made or not), who would play them?
*shrug* I don't think a movie adaptation would go over all that well, no matter who was cast or who was writing or directing.
P.S. RIP, Mr. Jobs. I’m typing this on my MacBook Pro while updating Twitter on my iPhone, after listening to my iPod on my way back from class. You will be missed, and those Westboro Baptist Church assholes planning on picketing your funeral need to use your tech to do so, which I hope would at least give you a chuckle.
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