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lunasarielNothing much to report this week, RL-wise. Reading continues intense, but this week it was more the heavy subject matter than volume. Genocide via the judicious combination of smallpox and axes in Early American Lit, prison rape, internalized racism, the Holocaust, and dead babies in American Cultures, WWI and the ensuing loss of idealism in BritLit and, um, Yeats in 45C. So Yeats was okay, but everything else made for a distinct lack of cheeriness.
Oh, wait, one thing did happen! I had my first meeting with my Chernin mentor, which was very constructive. I'm afraid I may have snapped at him a little, because the only time he was available was noon, and I had a class that was supposed to get out at noon but ended up running a little late (it's the GSI's first semester teaching, poor dear. He was so shiny and "OMG you guys this is going to be so much fun! We're going to analyze Yeats' influences on this handout and then close-read a few of his poems and discuss the questions you guys posted online this week"... and we barely got done with the handout. A for effort, new guy!), and being late tends to make me irritable, but then Ian, my mentor, was running late, too... Aside from the initial :\-ness, though, I got some really good advice. I'll be applying to UCLA for grad school this December, but the instructions they've posted online are unexpectedly vague in several areas, so I basically bleated at Ian for help, and since he's been through a very similar process himself, he's been a big help. He advised me to ask for letters of recommendation right away (I know I'm going to ask Professor McCulloch from the JC, who taught in London and helped me with my UC admissions, and Professor Sorensen from last semester, who said some very nice things about my Jane Austen paper, and for the third, possibly the Beowulf-loving Professor Nolan from my first semester at Cal, who I thought was awesome, but I hear that she's extremely popular, so idk), call/email UCLA about all the rest of it, and check back with him at his next office hour in two weeks.
That was just the week, though. My weekend has been a lot of fun: I've been extra-productive in terms of getting reading done, thus allowing myself to pick up some leisure reading for the first time in rather too long, and it turned out that The Vor Game was just the pick-me-up I needed. I've still got another 200-odd pages to go, but he's back in Vorbarr Sultana now, following yet another of the Incidents that seem to follow him around. I'll have to wait and see how it fits into the structure of the novel overall, but right now it strikes me that The Kyril(?) Incident might have worked better as a short story/novella. LMB had all the elements of a really good horror story: incomplete information, mysterious and dire hints of a terrible past, equally mysterious deaths, internal tension, isolated location, inhospitable landscape, sense of time not flowing quite right, etc. From what we got to see, LMB is a dab hand at the slow, claustrophobic buildup of tension, and I would have really enjoyed a little stand-alone piece, with more time to focus on Miles' creeping realization that he's serving under a Complete Monster, and with no escape from him, and how he deals with that. As it is, it was all over rather quickly.
I also spent a good portion of the weekend with M: we took another constitutional down College Ave., where it was unexpectedly chilly, so we didn't get ice cream at Ici again, but we did stop in so that I could get my candied orange peels, which, OMNOMNOMNOM! I've taken to rewarding myself with a piece after every 50 pages of reading or so. We also stopped in at a pet store so that we could both get our animal fix (they had kittens! and parrots! and finches!) for the week, and at a hat shop, because hats are cool. It was kind of unfortunate that we stopped there, though, because we found My Hat. I've never been much of a hat person, but ever since I went to England, I've been lusting after the perfect grey or russet/warm brown cloche hat that frames my face nicely, doesn't fall down over my ears (my head is apparently weirdly small), and doesn't give me crazy hat hair, and I found it in this little hat shop...for $125. This was more of a struggle than it should have been, but there's no way I can justify paying $125 for a hat. Ach, well, Berkeley has a multitude of vintage shops; I'm sure I'll find another one somewhere, and for the time being I'm still rather attached to my loyal fuzzy brown hat.
M and I also saw the Elementary pilot on Friday, and: hmm... The Sherlock fandom has, sadly, gained the reputation of a bunch of unpleasable, whiny asshats who slam Elementary before even seeing it, and in the process make a bunch of (unintentionally, I hope) racist/sexist comments, and I don't want to be one of Those Fans, but...I can't say it set me on fire like the Sherlock pilot did (and I mean "A Study in Pink," not the 60-minute pilot, which was just silly). Like, there were some elements (har!) that really worked, and that are definitely going to bring me back for the next episode, but a lot that I was very "meh" about.
First, the good stuff: Lucy Liu as Joan Watson was unmitigated awesome. She had a tough job, as Watson may have been a robot, but never a woman, and certainly never an Asian woman, and *definitely* never an Asian-American woman, but she pulled it off with aplomb. Like any good Watson, she's approachable, relatable, and nice enough to not just roll her eyes and wander away from Sherlock's antics, but badass enough to keep up with him and have his back on cases (although I could have done with a little more badassery from her). Also, I really like that the showrunners are empathetic about keeping Holmes' and Watson's relationship a platonic one, which I really respect them for. One reason I stopped watching Bones-type or Castle-type forensic cop shows is that it's *always* the same formula: quirky civilian specialist is partnered with straight-laced cop, four or five seasons of blindingly obvious UST, "He/She's not my boyfriend/girlfriend!" at least once per episode, plenty of bickering, and at least one temporary love interest apiece, and then they get together. This got old really fast, since you could see it coming a mile away, so I applaud the Elementary people for resolving to break the mold.
Now, the bad stuff. I have to say, I didn't much care for Johnny Lee Miller's Sherlock. He and his Watson didn't have the chemistry that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have, or even RDJ and Jude Law, and chemistry (not necessarily sexy chemistry, even, but that spark of "I find you interesting/want to be around you") between Holmes and Watson is absolutely essential. One of the big questions that every Sherlock Holmes adaption has to answer is, "Why does Watson put up with Holmes?" Any Holmes isn't an easy guy to live with, and this version certainly gets that aspect of the character down pat. But Jude!Watson and RDJ!Holmes had been friends for years, so there was no need to show the beginning of their relationship; all the heavy lifting is done by implication and doesn't need to be explicit. Sherlock shows the beginning of their relationship, but it's made clear that Freeman!Watson needs the danger, the thrill that Cumberbatch!Holmes provides, as well as finds him so utterly different from the schlubs he sees every day, and is fascinated by him. I didn't get any particular reason why Liu!Watson stays with Miller!Holmes, and he's pretty horrible to her. As in, actively malicious, (kind of) stealing and (definitely) crashing her car and basically mocking her about letting a patient die, aside from all the normal screwing around that any Holmes pulls on any Watson. But then he gives her puppy-dog eyes, tells her she smells nice (not kidding here), and gives her the old "I am a Tormented Soul, I push away everyone who gets close to me, I need you" speech, and she either falls for this stunningly obvious piece of manipulation or just lets it slide, and all of a sudden they're the best of friends again.
Also, some things about this Sherlock just don't add up. I didn't particularly like him going "I solved the case! I'm so clever. TELL ME I'M CLEVER! PAY ATTENTION TO MEEEEE!" at the villain without any evidence to back it up, because it was dumb, but it was in character for him to do so, to crave recognition from his adversary (and everyone else) regardless of the consequences. That was good. But sometimes they played him as the high-functioning sociopath type, where he *very* bluntly questioned a woman who had been attacked by a serial killer (and, it's implied, raped), and made her cry by pretty much being a dick to her and telling her that she was lying about her story, that she knew her attacker (who turned out to be her brother's best friend, and thus someone she didn't want to get in trouble, natch), that by not turning him in she had caused the homicide he was investigating, that kind of stuff. This would be fine, from a storytelling perspective, if they kept up with the "cold-hearted bastard who doesn't know and/or doesn't care that he's causing people pain" characterization, but later on he seems genuinely remorseful of hurting Joan's feelings (separate from the above "I am a Tormented Soul, etc." speech) and goes out of his way to make her happy, which doesn't at all jive with his earlier portrayal.
And now for something completely different! Augh, I wish that the Temeraire and Hornblower fandoms would, like, merge into one, or at least trade a couple of qualities. As the careful reader of this blog may have noted, I kinda like Temeraire, whereas I'm in the Hornblower fandom mainly for the truly astounding slashiness and, yes, the fandom. This is the first time I've been drawn to a fandom not by the work itself, but by the people in it, and it's the people in it who stop me from leaving when my interest in the work itself is admittedly not major. It's basically my perfect fandom: there's a surprising amount of fanworks out there, some of them truly amazing in quality; it's small enough so that everybody knows everybody but large enough that it, y'know, exists; it's active (surprisingly so for something that received so little mainstream attention and comes from the late 90s/early 00s); the people themselves are loud and fun and bantery and place a high premium on knowing more about the era than "Pride and Prejudice, right?"; the various ships co-exist peacefully (hell, the main three even break down the same way: a DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR! main character who can go with either his long-standing danger-prone BFF or the reserved snarky newcomer, or both); but most of all, it's active (again). I mean, Temeraire is an awesome series, and I know there are at least a few fans out there, I just wish that they would stir the waters a little, now and again (she says, glancing uneasily at the proto-fanmix and huge enormous tangle of a fanfic in the works). Oh, and I want more discussion on how the aforementioned DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR! main character is totally the fandom bicycle. (HEADCANON BREAK: We've already seen that Laurence has been shipped with Rankin, for god's sake, was canonically with Jane, has loads and loads of shippy subtext with his fellow Power Trio members and would unquestionably have massive amounts of UST with Temeraire if Temeraire weren't a 20-ton dragon, but, conversely I also want to see the same thing going for Horatio. Pretty much all the fandom accepts that he's ungodly pretty, but I want to see more "lol everyone thinks Horatio is hot" fic. Like, Archie would be all "I'm so tapping that ;)" and smug, while Bush would be all "crap, Archie's going to kill me" and pines for oh-so-unattainable/taken Horatio, while Kitty flirts with him because he's a pretty little thing, especially when he blushes, but she doesn't mean anything serious by it, Simpson gets all creepy, Pellew has a sort of academic/paternal/aesthetic appreciation for Horatio's beauty, in a "you're going to be a ladykiller one of these days" kind of way, and all the middies have hero-worship crushes on the great and powerful Captain Hornblower [except for Wellard, whose hero-worship crush is reserved purely for Archie].) </whine> </ramble>
Finally, it's the Return of the Randomized Character Meme! Wow's it's been a while since I've done one of these; I have quite a backlog to work through. And this is only the first half (it's become my policy to split up anything longer than, say, 35 or 40 questions).
1. Simon Tam (Firefly)
2. Gertrude Yorkes (Runaways)
3. Stannis Baratheon (A Song of Ice and Fire)
4. Jane Roland (Temeraire)
5. Sam Vimes (Discworld)
6. Molly Carpenter (Dresden Files)
7. Miles Vorkosigan (Vorkosigan Saga)
8. Donna Noble (Doctor Who)
9. Billy Kaplan (Young Avengers)
10. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
11. Lennier (Babylon 5)
12. Angela Spica (The Authority)
13. Sam Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings)
14. Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
15. Lord Wyldon of Cavall (Protector of the Small)
1) 5 (Sam Vimes) and 10 (Hermione) are both in the Metropolitan Museum of Art after closing hours. Which one is there for nefarious purposes, which one is there to thwart the other, and who succeeds? (3 [Stannis], meanwhile, is lurking in the shadows across the street. What is he/she doing there, anyway?)
I wouldn’t call her intentions exactly “nefarious,” but Hermione is definitely there without permission. Either she just didn’t get enough time to geek out during the day and snuck back in after hours, or this is adult!Hermione working for the Ministry of Magic, on loan to the States, tracking down a magical, possibly cursed, work of art that accidentally ended up there.
Sam is there to stop her, of course, because he’s a copper, and attractive young ladies who break into museums at night are generally after something the museum owners would rather not be removed.
As to who wins: this is actually a pretty even toss-up. Hermione has magic (and probably Harry and Ron) on her side, of course, and I’d say that she has Sam beat when it comes to sheer twistiness of thinking, but Sam has probably very sensibly stationed a variety of officers around, since he knows better than to try and apprehend a witch by himself, and he certainly has experience in stopping crimes. But it might not even come to that: if neither side gets trigger-happy (or wand-happy) and precipitates a firefight, Hermione would be all for explaining the situation to Vimes. In this case, Vimes would happily let her take it off his hands, since he may not exactly be a wizard himself, but he’s been around enough magic to know that anything once owned by a guy called “Voldemort” or one who referred to himself as The Dark Lord is something he doesn’t want in his city.
In this ‘verse, Stannis would so totally be the humorless IA guy sent to watch over Vimes after Vimes pissed the wrong people off one too many times, and is tailing him to make sure that he toes the line. He’s unaware of and/or unwilling to admit the existence of magic, though, and thinks that Sam and his coppers are somehow colluding with Hermione and her boys to pull off some sort of heist. He’s hoping to catch them in the act, and has an “aha!” moment when Vimes mysteriously fails to either apprehend the burglars or protect the threatened artwork. His whistleblowing doesn’t get too far, though, as Hermione has a quiet word with the American version of the Ministry of Magic with regards to Sam being worth keeping around.
2) 11 (Lennier) and 15 (Wyldon) must enter a dance contest together. What do they dance, to what song, and do they win?
…Actually, am I a terrible person for thinking that they would make an awesome ballroom dancing couple? Minbari dances are probably languid, symmetrical, highly symbolic, and just all-around graceful, and while Lennier is probably coordinated enough to not botch it too badly, I can’t imagine he would have had a lot of opportunities to practice, so he would be a very timid dancer, and thus not as skilled as he might otherwise be. Wyldon was probably a fan of some of the more energetic country dances in his youth (especially if they involved a lot of stomping and galloping around), he probably now only dances when he and his wife have to open a ball, or he’s required to for some court function (although somehow I can’t imagine the pages’ training master at some jewel-bedecked soiree, unless it’s to exchange the occasional sympathetic glance with Raoul). So they would have at least theoretically similar experiences and a similar aversion to, but not abhorrence of, dancing. Given all this, I imagine they would cobble something together alright. Wyldon would take a strong lead, Lennier would follow meekly, and they would both come away liking each other slightly better than they did before. And, yes, they stand a good chance of winning, depending on how many judges started writing slashfic of them in their heads while watching them dance, as my headcanon is that Wyldon’s “shut up, I’m concentrating” face, which he definitely would wear while trying to forget about the audience and simultaneously not trip over his and Lennier’s feet, is indistinguishable from a regular ol’ smoulder, and Lennier certainly does take well to being directed.
Ok, maybe I just find the image of Wyldon dipping Lennier hilarious. Roses may or may not be involved in this scene in some capacity.
3) 8 (Donna) is teaching 7 (Miles) how to make loose tea in a proper pot, which 7 has never had nor seen.
Donna has probably never made loose-leaf tea, either, so this is going to be interesting. Both of their strategies, with regards to tea as well as life in general, seems to be to fling everything together and see what comes up, so I can’t see their first attempt going very well at all. But Miles would probably figure out how to use the strainer and the correct amount of tea to add after not too terribly long, and Donna, who is British and thus practically a professional tea-drinker, would certainly be able to taste-test and help calibrate steeping times. So this ends up really being Miles teaching Donna how to make tea while they regale each other with “that one time I…” stories, which Miles enjoys supremely, as Donna is basically the Whoniverse equivalent of Cordelia –red-headed, enjoys space travel, brassy/pragmatic, takes absolutely zero crap from anyone, and will kick your ass (or at least blister your ears) if you try anything. Donna also enjoys Miles’ company, although he certainly wouldn’t tell her about her similarity to his mother, as her reminds her of a certain other cheerfully eccentric space traveller with a big mouth, a seemingly inexhaustible supply of Zany Schemes and luck, a strong sense of justice, and a perchance for getting himself wrapped up in scrapes that really ought to have gotten him killed by now.
4) 4 (Jane) is trapped in a cave-in with 6 (Molly). How do they survive?
Molly is all for sitting tight until Harry comes to the rescue, but it’s not in Jane’s nature to sit on her butt when she could be facilitating her own escape, so she wants to explore a short distance into the cave, to see if there are any branching tunnels that might lead to a way out, or, failing that, see if she can’t shift some of the rocks blocking their way out. It takes a while for Molly to explain things like locator spells and the Nevernever to Jane, but once she does, Jane is marginally more okay with awaiting rescue. Although, after hearing a few stories about Harry, she’s all for Molly using her magic to remove the rocks, and it takes yet more explaining and a few analogies for Molly to convince her that her magic doesn’t work like that.
Of course, realistically, if Jane is there, then Excidium will probably be somewhere nearby, and a motivated, 20-ton acid-spitting dragon trying to free his trapped captain would be a material help in removing fallen rocks.
5) 14 (Willow) and 9 (Billy) are spending the day at a large amusement park where 2 (Gert) is working. What rides/games/etc. do they indulge in, and what kind of job does 2 have?
This could go a few different ways (assuming that Tara and/or Teddy aren’t along, so this can’t be a double date or a witches’ [and alien’s] night out): it could be a fake date where one or both of then needed to convince someone of their heterosexuality and the other decided to do a fellow witch a favor, but this seems unlikely, as they’re both out of the closet and fairly comfortable with being so. I could more clearly see them there on professional matters –maybe this is suspected to be a Bradbury-esque haunted carnival that’s come to Sunnydale, and the Scoobies have decided to put a stop to it. Sending their resident witch to check things out was probably deemed a good idea, and Willow called Billy in for backup (as well as give them both a perfect opportunity to swap gossip as they combat the forces of darkness). Yeah, let’s go with that one.
They would probably scope out all the obvious deathtraps first –the haunted house, the tunnel of love, the roller coaster, the sideshow attractions. After several hours’ worth of investigation, though, they find out that it really is just a normal amusement park/carnival. Feeling extremely sheepish, they decide to not go back just yet, but have fun showing off their differing types of magic to each other, using them to win the ring toss and stuff like that. They also get cotton candy and caramel apples, as I believe one is legally required to do, which is where they run into Gert.
Gert has a summer job at the concession stand (her parents thought it would be a good experience for her to earn her own money, and the extra tuition for college won’t hurt), and she hates it with every fiber of her being. The uniform makes her look like a gumball (her own words), she can never get the smell of the fryer out of her hair, and she has to wear a stupid hat. Worst of all, once Billy sees her, then he’ll tell Teddy, who’ll mention it to Xavin, who will of course tell Karolina, who will inform Molly, who will tell every single human being (and mutant, and alien, and sentient robot) on the face of the earth about it, and then she’s going to have to sic Old Lace on an awful lot of people once her friends show up and start taking pictures.
6) 12 (Angie) and 13 (Sam Gamgee) are together in a casino/hotel/resort in Atlantic City. What do they do there?
Sam pretty much hides there, because the noise/light/technology/hordes of Big Folk/heat/lack of nature would be bewildering, disorienting, and not a little scary for him. I mean, he’s hardly a coward, but if he didn’t have a pressing reason to leave, he would just as soon stay put, especially if the casino/hotel/resort is one of those ones with a big garden-like space in the middle.
If Angie were part of a group, she would want to go out, have a few drinks and a lot of fun, maybe find someone cute to take back to her room and do something illegal in seven states with, but with Sam there, she would make it her mission to show him that Atlantic City isn’t all that bad. I’m sure they have a zoo or some other animal-centric attraction, so she would start by showing him that (and would take plenty of pictures, so that he could indeed prove to people back home that he really has seen an oliphaunt, or something very like), and then maybe a turn down the boardwalk. All the noise and activity would detract from the “Elvishness” of the sea, but (assuming this takes place before the Grey Havens) this would be his first time seeing it, and thus probably the highlight of the trip. She would also give him a variety of local food to sample, which would be very hit-or-miss. He wouldn’t like all the artificial flavors and colors in most boardwalk food, and would scoff at the over-elaborateness of the ritzy restaurants, but would probably like pub and/or diner food. Of course, it there’s a farmer’s market or anything like one nearby, she could just let him loose there, cart home the spoils, and let him cook something himself, which would be the best possible outcome.
7) 1 (Simon) and 6 (Molly) were kidnapped, blindfolded and transported by forces unknown. Sometime later and with confusion, they are unceremoniously dumped onto an unfamiliar city. Turns out they are in your city. Do they sightsee? Goof off? Plan world takeover? Take a nap?
(Assuming that, for the moment, “my city” is Berkeley:) Simon would be freaking out, since, in his experience, people who kidnap and blindfold him generally don’t do so for his health. But he would certainly get along with Molly, who has been coming to resemble River more and more, especially post-Ghost Story. And she would like him, too, since his naïveté would be endearing and his odd courtliness would remind her of several people in her own life. Oh, and he’s easy on the eyes, which wouldn’t count for nothing. ;)
Their first priority would be to get back to their various places of origin, of course, but after Harry pops through the Nevernever to tell Molly that there’s no pressing apocalypses (apocalypsi?) going on that day, she’s earned a break, so she might as well enjoy a day off. Simon would be a bit harder to convince, but Molly could probably get him in the end, since one of her friends could probably whip up something to get him home, so he might as well enjoy her day off with her. Of course, once he figured out that he’s on Earth-That-Was, he would totally take advantage of the opportunity to see the way things were, and so end up wit an attitude somewhere between that of an anthropologist/archeologist and that of a fanboy.
They start out by wandering around the university, of course. Molly can’t get too close to any buildings containing sensitive tech, which is most of them, so Simon would probably leave her in the faculty glade or somewhere along the stream while he dropped in on the med students/hospital to see what medicine looked like back on Earth-That-Was, but end up ranting about “the goddamn Spanish Inquisition” (spot that Star Trek reference!) until he gets kicked out, much to Molly’s amusement. After that, Molly would want to head into San Francisco, where all the real action is, but I so do not trust the combination of her magic and BART, so they would have to content themselves with Berkeley for the rest of the day. Not like this is a huge hardship, though; all the Asian food (especially in the Asian Ghetto) would be familiar, and thus calming, to the still-wound-up Simon, and Rasputin Music would send Molly into transports of delight.
They would probably just wander around for the rest of the day. Molly would help Simon pick out gifts for River and/or Kaylee (and convince him to bring the rest of the crew something while he’s at it) and give him a crash course on early 21st-century life. Meanwhile, she would insist on visiting the cupcake place and ducking into any and all neat little secondhand bookstores they come across. All in all, it would be both a much-needed break and an eminently enjoyable day for both of them, and they would remember each other fondly when Molly contacts the Archive or somebody to send Simon back to his ‘verse.
8) 8 (Donna) and 13 (Sam Gamgee) write letters/emails to each other. How did the correspondence start, and what do they like to talk about?
The correspondence obviously starts when the TARDIS lands in the Shire for a little vacation, and, as per usual, things don’t go according to plan. After the Monster of the Week has been fought off, Frodo would invite the Doctor and Donna back to Bag End for a post-battle snack, of course, and naturally Sam would be there, too. Donna would like Sam’s mixture of gentleness and bone-deep stubbornness, and he would find her fascinating and mysterious (an unfamiliar but not unwelcome sensation for her). Oh, and she’s always appreciative of good cooking, which automatically endears her to him. When they leave, she asks him to shoot her some recipes she particularly enjoys, on the basis that A) the Doctor needs feeding up, long streak of nothing that he is, B) she wouldn’t say no to some more rabbit stew and mashed taters either, and C) she suspects the TARDIS is sentient, and has been trying to teach it to cook, or at least develop Star Trek-style replicators (no luck so far, but she suspects this is out of sheer obstinacy). The Doctor sonics a mailbox to link up to the TARDIS, and before long letters start popping out of a heretofore-mysterious slot on the TARDIS console.
The cooking experiment is ultimately a failure, as neither the Doctor nor Donna can cook and the TARDIS is still being stubborn, but Sam, unable to resist a hobbit’s natural urge to gossip, starts including bits of news about what everyone Donna met in the Shire is up to these days. Donna, who also likes a big of chatter now and again, writes back with tales of what she and the Doctor have been up to, which provide a great deal of entertainment to those who believe him about the Elf lord and warrior princess who fell out of the sky. Before you know it, Donna and Sam are swapping gossip like old friends, and Sam is eventually very distressed when Donna’s letters indicate that things might be getting a little *too* interesting, and then stop altogether.
9) 1's (Simon’s) memoirs are found by 3 (Stannis). What does 3 think of the memoir?
I would imagine that Stannis would be rather conflicted. On one hand, he would very much applauds Simon’s sense of familial loyalty and self-sacrifice in giving up everything to rescue his sister, but then again, it definitely wasn’t his place to go mucking with his lawful government’s plan, and he broke quite a few laws, major and minor, and most definitely rebelled, which Stannis would not approve of. And then, once they got onto Serenity, there would be a lot of funny anecdotes about various heists, interspersed with Simon meditating on camaraderie and a few honest-but-emotionally-inept thoughts on how touched he was at the crew’s acceptance and willingness to defend him. Stannis would have no use for this bit, though, and would come away honoring Simon’s courage, but still feeling that, if they had met, he would have turned both of them in, as they had no right to go bucking authority like that. He would also very pointedly utilize a few of Simon’s more pompous quotes (he would have a tendency to wax pedantic when he gets to moralizing) about family within Renly’s hearing, at which Renly would undoubtedly laugh.
10) How long would it take 12 (Angie) and 9 (Billy) to screw in a light bulb?
Billy would probably just screw it in and then get on with his life (if he could even be bothered; magic would do just as well and be less work), but it would take Angie forever, as she would not only want to design a more efficient, environmentally friendly light bulb, but do the same for the building’s entire electrical system, and before you know it she’s completely re-wiring the whole thing and everyone else can just use flashlights until she’s done (which, admittedly, won’t take long, but still).
11) 7 (Miles) and 14 (Willow) unexpectedly meet up at a speed-dating event.
Willow is gently uninterested on a romantic level (which Miles would accept without self-pity or offense, given the attitudes his very Betan mother instilled him with), but intrigued on an interpersonal level. He has the wry, self-deprecating wit that she and her friends have, and they’re both interested in the weird and uncanny. I imagine magic would take some explaining, but once she trotted out the “insufficiently understood science” quote, he would be cool with it, and intrigued in a practical demonstration. This is only a speed-dating event, though, so they exchange contact information and plan to meet up later. (Miles is already mentally drawing up a proposal to include witches in a few sample military units, just to see how things would work out.)
12) 2 (Gert) and 4 (Jane) have siblings (or other family members) that are dating.
LOL, Old Lace and Excidium! One’s a telepathic velociraptor from the 87th century, one’s an acid-spitting dragon: it’s love at first sight. Gert is externally all “*eyebrow* Really? Dragons?” but inwardly squeeing (of course she’s a Temeraire fan!) while Jane would blink a couple of times and then get on with things, as her dragon being in love with a dinosaur from the future is actually not the weirdest thing she’s ever had to deal with. As Gert and Old Lace are linked on a telepathic level, and thus feel whatever the other feels, things might get a bit awkward when she (Old Lace, that is) and Excidium try for an egg, but whatever. And the egg may even be viable, since it’s been hinted that Old Lace may be warm-blooded, and thus of a similar kinda-reptile type to Temeraire-verse dragons. It would certainly be an odd little creature, with underdeveloped wings but wicked intelligence and some pretty impressive claws, but it might work all the same.
13) 10 (Hermione) has to choose between 5 (Sam Vimes) and 11 (Lennier). What happens?
Romantically? Lennier, duh. She would be charmed by his loyalty, empathetically open-minded enough to not mind the alien thing, and frankly turned on by his intelligence and studiousness. She’s also smart enough to realize that she’s too much of a romantic and Sam too much of a pragmatist for anything between them to end in anything other than irreconcilable yelling.
14) Where would 15 (Wyldon) take 12 (Angie) on a date?
Wyldon is definitely a traditionalist when it comes to this kind of thing, so his idea of a date is probably sitting in her solar and making awkward small talk with her chaperone. Which I guess she can still wrangle, but he’s going to be in for a hell of a surprise when her solar looks out onto the actual sun from a wide orbit around Mercury and is full of floaty glowy tactical displays, and her chaperone is a highly unimpressed petite Yamani woman with very few clothes on and a seven-foot wingspan. Also, she would probably, like, offer to fight him or something when his views on women in the military came out, so I can see this ending up mostly as a funny story for Angie’s friends to tell at parties.
15) What's 13's (Sam Gamgee’s) favorite drink?
The Green Dragon’s ale for special occasions, of course, but I can really see him being a milk kind of guy most of the time.
16) Who would win in a fight between 14 (Willow) and 2 (Gert)?
Hmm, Willow, I think. Gert has the whole “telepathic link with a velociraptor” thing going on, which wouldn’t count for nothing, but if she weren’t allowed to call on her fellow Runaways for backup, then Willow’s magic would prove far too big a stumbling-block. Also, Willow has proven that she’s willing to go to some pretty extreme lengths to win, and as magic has been proven to have an unbalancing effect on her at the best of times, she might even dip into Dark Willow territory a little, which wouldn’t end well for anyone involved.
17) 5 (Sam Vimes), 4 (Jane), and 6 (Molly) end up at the same bar. By the end of the night, all three are bodily evicted and told never to return. Why did they get thrown out? Would they ultimately leave, or would the UST and general level of inebriation result in a ménage et trois that everyone will regret in the morning?
Sam is obviously there undercover, as drinking is so very not his thing. Drinking probably wouldn’t be the best idea for Molly, either, so she’s probably there to make some sort of shady deal while Harry is out of commission, and Sam is tacitly there to see to it that magic doesn’t get slung around, which would be bad for the public in general, especially since magic as he’s familiar with it usually ends up in explosions, time travel, people getting turned into things, things getting turned into people, or all of the above. Jane is probably actually just there for a drink, though. (I imagine that she’s a scotch kind of lady.)
They get thrown out because Molly’s deal, predictably, went sideways, Sam went in to deal with it under the mistaken assumption that the threat of telling Vetinari and/or Ridcully would be enough to quiet things down, and Jane helped him fend off the ensuing Horrors From Beyond, since she was already armed and not unwilling to get into a fight. The bartender, of course, thought the three of them were the cause of the whole mess, and they had to skedaddle.
And, no, no ménage et trois, as Jane is the only one who had been drinking, and she was sober enough to very coolly perform some experiments regarding the effect of her sword on eldritch tentacles (results: inconclusive, but generally favorable; further testing required). She might be up for a threesome anyway, but Sam is so very, very taken and Molly is overtly crazy enough to be sending up all sorts of alarm bells in everyone’s heads, so, yeah, probably not going to happen.
18) 8 (Donna) stole something from 1 (Simon) and they want it back. What is it and what does 1 do?
Step 1: Ask politely.
Step 2: Ask peevishly.
Step 3:
Step 4: Wait for Mal and/or Jayne to stop laughing.
Step 5: Wait while Kaylee and/or Inara charms stolen object out of Doctor.
Step 6: Hide from ensuing wrath of Donna.
(Step 7: Covertly participate in ongoing Serenity-TARDIS prank war/reciprocal-stealing-of-things)
19) 3 (Stannis) and 10 (Hermione) are on a road trip when they see 11 (Lennier) hitchhiking. Do they stop to pick 11 up? Why/why not?
Stannis doesn’t want to, since why should they help out someone too dumb to provide for his own transportation, but Hermione, who probably actually knows how to drive a car, of course stops and picks him up, poor lost thing standing by the side of the road looking all forlorn and woobieish that he is. As I mentioned before, the two of them would get along really well, and she would have more than a bit of a crush on him, so the rest of the ride would probably consist of the two of them gaily chattering away and recommending books to each other, while Stannis, who has been relegated to the back seat, makes his characteristic >:| face and does not deign to participate, especially as S.P.E.W. confuses the hell out of him.
20) What is your OTP for 9 (Billy)?
In-cannon: Billy/Teddy, duh! Not only is it *actually canon*, but it’s just too unbelievably adorkable. And it’s not just that they’re both geeks and both superheroes and are phenomenally supportive of each other through their various crises and now they’re engaged and squeeeeee, but, unusually for a superhero couple, their relationship isn’t based on them being superheroes. I mean, it’s necessarily a huge part of it, of course, but with a lot of super-couples, one gets the hint that without the constant stream of adrenaline that alien invasions and death rays and whatnot, their relationship would be in trouble, but because Billy and Teddy don’t need that adrenaline to function (i.e. paper over cracks), but actually have a solid, pre-big times basis, and are friends as well as lovers, which counts for a lot. (Translation: they’re a pair of Badass Adorable Bookworms in a Battle Couple. What’s not to love?)
From this list: um, Simon maybe? Billy really isn’t much of a one for the ladies at all, but almost all of the guys on this list fall into the “mercurial genius” category, or at least the “startlingly emotionally constipated” category, and as Billy has shades of both categories himself, he needs someone a bit steadier to give him some ballast and respond to his crazier/nobler ideas with “no, you’re being an idiot, sit down before you hurt yourself” and not “CHARGE!”, and Simon is used to acting as a tempering influence, although it would be a challenge for him to not mommy Billy and actually recognize/back him up when he has a genuinely good-if-risky idea.
21) What is your *least* favorite thing about 7 (Miles)?
Hmm, tough question, actually! I admit that I get kind of exasperated when he’s being a soppy teenage boy in luuuurve, but, hey, he should be allowed to act like an actual teenager sometimes, instead of just an extremely short but brilliant experienced military commander, so this ends up more with me giving props to LMB for realistic writing than anything else. I guess he would be an annoying person to actually know, since he generates and/or gets embroiled in a little too much drama for my IRL tastes, but luckily all I have to do is sit back and watch him happen to people. So, yeah, actually, nothing comes to mind. Maybe some of his more, er, eccentric traits will start to bug me the more of him I read, but for now, I got nothing.
22) 15 (Wyldon) forms a league of super heroes made up of 7 (Miles), 6 (Molly), 10 (Hermione), and 1 (Simon). Their archenemies are a combination of 3 (Stannis), 4 (Jane), and 14 (Willow), led by 9 (Billy). Where is the battle fought, which side wins--and why?
Oh man, this is going to be awesome.
Molly (whose codename would be “Gloriana,” after Spenser’s Faerie Queene, since Queen Mab is taken and Titania doesn’t sound quite superheroic enough) and Hermione (“Circe,” “Morgana,” “Morgan Le Fay” [depending on how Molly feels about the whole Harry’s mom thing], or “Minerva” if Professor McGonagall would be okay with it) already come with powers. Miles would have gotten tired of breaking five bones every time he trips down the stairs and upgraded his leg braces into Iron Man-esque armor (he would probably choose a name from Barrayaran military history). Simon would be their Badass Normal medic –maybe he was Miles’ doctor, and designed the Iron Miles suit (with appropriate help from Kaylee, of course) (he would totally choose some ominous codename like The Grey Man or The Good Doctor or something, but everyone would frustrate him by just calling him Doc). It’s pretty much Wyldon’s canonical job to form leagues of superheroes (well, knights) anyway, and this shows, as he’s put together a pretty good team here. Aside from having a pretty good spread of powers (although a little straight-up telepathy might be useful, as Legilimency can be blocked), they’re a good balance of personalities: Miles is a born leader, of course, so none of the others will try to wrest power from him. Hermione would be a good Lancer, though, as she would be able to talk Miles out of his more harebrained ideas. Molly is used to following charismatic crazy people anyway, and would have a fun, bantery relationship with Simon, who in turn would prefer to stay out of combat (a decision Miles supports after seeing him in hand-to-hand) but would actually make a pretty good last line of defense.
As to the supervillains, again, great choices! This is ASOIAF we’re talking about, so there are multiple perspectives, but enough people already view Stannis as a supervillain, so maybe he is Azor Ahai after all, or just gained some Red God-induced “flame on!” superpowers (his code name would be either The Red King or just Azor Ahai, btw). Willow (Hemlock) and Billy (who already has a codename) both have shown a tendency to go darkside when those they love are harmed or killed, so they would easily join Stannis if he promised them vengeance. Jane is the only one I can’t easily see becoming a supervillain, but if, let’s say, the British government did go through the dragon plague idea and Excidium died, I could see her holding kind of a grudge, too. She would be the only one to not have a codename, though, since if she’s grief-crazed enough to turn against the Corps (or possibly even turn them into her own private army), I can’t really see her caring enough to protect her identity. And, again, the team dynamic would be set up very well. Jane might contest with Stannis for power initially, but he does have actual superpowers and Jane was okay with following Admiral Lenton and the Admiralty. As mentioned in previous questions, Willow and Billy would get along really well together, and would provide an interesting mirror for their opposite numbers, the good witches/wizards Molly and Hermione.
The final battle would ultimately go to Our Heroes, since Miles as a military strategist just can’t be beat. Also, Dark!Willow and Dark!Billy would both be very open to emotional manipulation/BSODs, and the Aerial Corps are independent-minded enough to rebel and refuse to follow Jane once they figure out that she’s gone ‘round the bend. This just leaves Stannis and his red priest(esse)s and his army, which isn’t worth nothing, but I have faith in Miles’ and Hermione’s intellect, Molly’s power, and Simon’s ability to patch everyone up afterwards.
23) Favorite "book" "movie" and/or CD of 2 (Gert), 12 (Angie), and 13 (Sam Gamgee).
Gert’s favorite movie is canonically Arsenic and Old Lace, a black comedy from the 40s about dear little old ladies who keep murdering people who annoy them. Her favorite book is probably The Communist Manifesto (which, in the interest of full disclosure I know more or less nothing about), which she actually believed in before the shit started hitting the fan in earnest, and now likes mostly for what it could have been. Her favorite music is undoubtedly something classical, possibly Beethoven.
Angie’s favorite book is anything by Isaac Asimov or the old Green Lantern comics (she’s a bit Lantern-y herself, in that her power is tech-based, but requires imagination to be used properly, and it’s got that old-school flavor that she apparently loves), and her favorite movie is a three-way tie between the original Star Wars trilogy, Weird Science, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (hey, they really knew how to make sci-fi back in the 80s, okay?). Her favorite music is Daft Punk.
Sam’s literal favorite book is the Red Book of Westmarch, naturally, but he actually lived through most of that, which wasn’t a terrible lot of fun, so if we take “book” to mean “story,” he always loved Mr. Bilbo’s stories best of all, especially the ones that had elves in them. Bilbo clearly knew quite a bit of Elvish history, and so probably dusted off a few stories from the Silmarillion when his own needed a break, and Sam probably loved those best of all (the ones that didn't end too sadly). As for music, I can actually imagine him writing quite a few songs of his own. We got hints of his songs and poems in LotR but I imagine that, after getting back to the Shire, he started writing/singing with a much larger Elvish influence.
24) 11 (Lennier) and 5 (Sam Vimes) fall in love. Is this perfection, or a disaster in the making?
Pretty disastrous. Assuming this is pre-Sibyl Sam, he would still be a broken-down old drunk shunted off to the worst branch of the City Watch, and thus have some serious inadequacy issues when it comes to Mr. Sparkly Space Elf (also, Lennier would freak him out more than just a bit). Similarly, Lennier would find Sam disquieting and cynical, which would be fine, since Sam would be terribly cynical about Lennier’s idealism anyway.
25) 8 (Donna) and 15 (Wyldon) go on a holiday. Where would they go, and what would happen?
Wyldon would definitely not be having with anything like the TARDIS, so they basically go on lots of rides around Wyldon’s estate with his dogs. Donna is cool with this, and, assuming this is post-“all girls are weak!” Wyldon, so she wouldn’t have to kick his butt until he got the message, the two of them would make excellent bros. Donna’s sassy, snarky brand of wit would initially grate on Wyldon, as his chivalry would grate on her, but they’re both dog people, which would go a long way towards raising them in each other’s eyes, and, like I said, eventually be really good friends.
26) 6 (Molly), 2 (Gert), and 1 (Simon): The Road Movie.
The car would probably be something fairly old-school, since Molly’s magic would play hell with anything even remotely modern/complex/automated. Harry’s Blue Beetle would be my first choice, since it’s the car Molly probably learned to drive in (if she learned at all, which is actually doubtful), but I’m not sure all three of them plus their luggage would survive a cross-country trip in that thing (assuming that Gert and Simon somehow got dropped off in Chicago, and needs to get back to The Runaways in L.A., where they’re hiding a crashed Serenity in the Hostel), so Harry might ask Lara to procure something a little roomier, while still classic. Gert would be in telepathic communication with Old Lace, who wasn’t included in the teleport or whatever that got Gert and Simon to Chicago, so after reassuring their various friends that there’s no need to come riding to the rescue, they decide to take it easy.
If this is a continuation of #7, then Simon has at least a working knowledge of Earth, but would be eager to see more of it, and so of course they would have to stop at every major city and landmark between Chicago and Los Angeles. Gert would initially be pointedly unimpressed, but would eventually get into the spirit of things. Molly would enjoy the chance to sight-see, but I have a feeling that she and Gert share certain similar tastes in music, so there would be a lot of fiddling with the radio while Simon tries not to whine about it.
The one point of nervousness between them is when Gert and Simon get to talking, and they realize that their respective crushes/significant others will be working together *very* closely to repair Serenity and/or the Leapfrog, which, given that Kaylee is a bubbly, extremely hot chick who’s also a top-notch engineer and Chase is a strapping, extremely hot guy who’s also a decent mechanic, and both are known to, er, take opportunities as they come. So they might hurry just a little.
27) 12 (Angie) and 4 (Jane) are arrested. What are they in for? Do they go quietly? And will 8 (Donna) be willing to bail them out?
They were arrested for Disturbing the Peace, since there isn’t really a call number for Reckless Trans-Dimensional Travel. It’s unclear whether the War of 1812 happens in the Temeraire!verse, but relations between England and America still seem to be strained, so a bunch of American cops appearing seemingly from nowhere, getting in Jane’s face, and eventually trying to arrest her, probably wouldn’t go all that well. They could probably eventually subdue her, but fighting in the early 19th century meant business, so she could probably bust quite a few herds before someone managed to get out a Taser or tranquilizer gun. Angie has wreaked Avengers-style destruction on New York once or twice in the past, not to mention that the whole “Regency military heroine beating the crap out of the NYPD” mess is kind of her fault to begin with, goes more quietly, and tries to convince Jane to do the same.
So eventually they’re sitting in jail while Angie gets Jane caught up on what’s been going on, interspersed with frequent repetitions of “yes, really.” Jane would actually be really eager to see the new, comparatively equal future, and so would demand to talk to the British Consulate at once. Donna, with her usual aplomb, sweeps in as such (the Doctor found out about Angie’s unlicensed, very makeshift time machine, and decided it would be better if he and his Companion were on-site to clean up whatever happens), gives the cops a piece of her mind, collects Jane, and sweeps out again. (I’m pretty sure that Angie already has diplomatic immunity. If not, she can just door out, so no harm done either way.) Donna (and then the Doctor) does a rather better job of explaining time travel and the future to Jane, but after hearing all these wonderful things about women having equal suffrage and single mothers no longer being ~a scandal~ and serving openly in the military and all that (although she does wonder where the dragons got to), she demands a proper tour, which the Doctor is only too happy to provide. Adventures ensue, and being a time traveller and all, he can easily drop Jane off literally the moment she left.
So, all in all, everybody is left with a “you’ll never believe what happened to me today…” story, which, indeed, nobody believes.
28) 10 (Hermione) and 14 (Willow) have to work together to save the world from 11 (Lennier). What do they have to do and how doomed are we?
(Going to keep this kind of vague, since I know that Lennier does something unpleasant out of love for Delenn at some point, but I don’t know what that is yet, and I don’t want to embarrass myself when I look back on this.)
What with Hermione’s and Willow’s combined magic, they could probably physically overpower him fairly easily, but one gets the feeling that if Lennier set out to destroy the world, it would be a bit more complex than that. My guess would be that he needs a hug, a mug of hot tea/chocolate (or whatever the equivalent Minbari beverage is), and a long talk about his feelings, which both Hermione and Willow would be well able to provide. Willow would be especially good at this, as she certainly has experience with loving someone unattainable from afar. Hermione would probably handle the beverage end of things, although they could all have a good long commiseration over how dumb people can be when they refuse to see that they’ve got a perfectly good thing right in front of their eyes but still insist on chasing someone else.
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Date: 2012-09-10 06:45 am (UTC)Heh, well, at least there was Yeats? (I would probably name him my favorite poet, if pressed, so I'm curious -- what of his are you reading in 45C?)
but right now it strikes me that The Kyril(?) Incident might have worked better as a short story/novella
Funny you should say that :) It actually is a short story, called "Weatherman" (I haven't read the short story version, so not sure how much it departs, or doesn't, from the first part of The Vor Game. But, basically, well spotted! ;)
In any case, glad the Vor Game proved to be a pick-me-up, and I actually find the post-Kyril Island part of the novel more fun (even though "forensic plumbing" will never stop being funny).
I've taken to rewarding myself with a piece after every 50 pages of reading or so
Totally something I would do! Hope the reward system makes the heavy reading (content and volume-wise) more (heh) palatable.
My flist so far has consisted of two vastly different opinions on Elementary --
part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-10 06:45 am (UTC)Ok, maybe I just find the image of Wyldon dipping Lennier hilarious
And for good reason, heh XP
Of course, realistically, if Jane is there, then Excidium will probably be somewhere nearby, and a motivated, 20-ton acid-spitting dragon trying to free his trapped captain would be a material help in removing fallen rocks
Yep -- I pretty much think that their biggest worry would be not getting squished by any secondary avalanches/cave-ins/rock-acid slurries Excidium might set off/produce while trying to rescue Jane.
I think Molly would really enjoy hanging out in Berkeley, with its quirky feel and population of geeks and weirdos.
but still feeling that, if they had met, he would have turned both of them in
Very true. (Also, Stannis would hate pretty much EVERYONE on Serenity's crew, and Mal first and foremost.)
One’s a telepathic velociraptor from the 87th century,
Wait, what? What canon is this that has a telepathic velociraptor from the 87th century named Old Lace? O.o
I can't recall if Jane Roland/Sam Vimes has ever come up in any of my memes, but I could actually see it pretty readily if not for Sybil. But, yeah, I don't see either of them going for a threesome with a witch/wizard young enough to be their kid, just about, and not too many cookies short of a gingerbread cottage to boot...
I guess he would be an annoying person to actually know
That's my feelings on Miles, too. I'd hate to have to deal with him in real life, but he makes for a truly delightful protagonist :)
Loved the league of superheroes/villains answer (even though I didn't know a couple of the characters beyond fandom osmosis). Miles in an Iron Man-esque suit designed by Simon and Kaylee would be unbelievably awesome, and Hermione would make a really good Lancer for him (back when I was putting together a Five Man Band, I noticed that Miles really seemed to work best with a female Lancer), and
he would totally choose some ominous codename like The Grey Man or The Good Doctor or something, but everyone would frustrate him by just calling him Doc
totally this!
My guess would be that he needs a hug, a mug of hot tea/chocolate (or whatever the equivalent Minbari beverage is), and a long talk about his feelings
Yes, I think that's about it. And, without spoiling anything (I hope), I think Hermione could talk to Lennier about redemption, which is kind of a big thing in the HP-verse (even though I still think JKR doesn't handle it particularly well), and getting to make better choices than the ones you've made before, which I think Lennier would be receptive to even at his personal rock bottom.
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-10 11:47 pm (UTC)A lot of scattered poems -The Second Coming, The Cap and Bells, The Hosting of the Sidhe, The Fisherman, A Prayer for My Daughter, Leda and the Swan, Lapis Lazuli, plus a whole slew of other assorted mythology and/or politics-related stuff, plus his long essay on Symbolism. So, yeah, Yeats is definitely the high point of my course reading now. My professor keeps calling him "the last Romantic," which he seems to use in a slightly pejorative way, but it's kinda why I like him.
It actually is a short story, called "Weatherman"
Eeeeexcellent, my psychic powers grow daily! *adds to to-read pile*
I guess I'll wait and see some more...
Heh, that's kind of my attitude, too. Sherlock really caught my eye the first time around and refused to let go, but Elementary didn't elicit anything more than a "meh, it's okay, I guess..." I am kind of eager to see what they're going to do with Mycroft, though, since at least Sherlock's dad is apparently alive (although we never see him onscreen). Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention: Gregson (looks like they're going with him instead of Lestrade) has a hilarious Brooklyn accent. Just so you know.
Also, I can definitely see the potential in Hermione/Lennier.
Yup, it's definitely there. It's not perfect, as she needs someone who will push back now and again, and I'm sure that his tendency to place his love on a pedestal and proclivity for courtly love would start to wear sooner or later, so I think they would make better study buddies who occasionally discuss their love lives than lovers themselves, but, as you say, there's definitely some potential there.
I think Molly would really enjoy hanging out in Berkeley, with its quirky feel and population of geeks and weirdos.
Very true! And given the way she dresses, espeically post-Ghost Story, she would blend right in visually, too.
Also, Stannis would hate pretty much EVERYONE on Serenity's crew, and Mal first and foremost.
Oh god, he so would! And they would all hate him right back, Mal especially. Each one is everything the other despises and thinks is wrong with society, so, yeah, their meeting would be interesting. And Jayne is basically an uppity sellsword who would have even less respect for Stannis' station than Mal, and Wash would be cuttingly sarcastic about everything, and he would just dismiss Zoë, Kaylee, and Inara as whores (which I'm sure would go over great ), and he and Book would get into a fairly epic shout-down about religion (well, Stannis would be doing the shouting, Book would just be infuriatingly reasonable), and then River would start screeching about the Red God coming to burn them all...yeah, it just wouldn't end well.
What canon is this that has a telepathic velociraptor from the 87th century named Old Lace?
Runaways, a fairly teen-centric comic book series that I rather like. The premise is that a bunch of kids discover that their parents are actually supervillains helping some Old Ones-like eldritch abominations set up the apocalypse, and it goes from there. Each pair of parents has a different specialty (mad science, black magic, regular ol' crime/drug-running, aliens, etc.), and one pair turns out to be a couple of time-travellers. Although they're generally pretty terrible people, they at least love their daughter, and when she was born they travelled forward to the 87th century, where dinosaurs have been brought back from extinction, and now can be genetically engineered to have what amounts to a soulbond with a specific person. They kept it in the garage (in a secret room, but still) until she was old enough to be told about the whole "Happy birthday! Here's your dinosaur" thing.
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-10 11:48 pm (UTC)I've actually seen some fanon/headcanon that Tony Stark designed the forerunners to the Vorkosiverse spacesuits, since the descriptions of them, especially in The Warrior's Apprentice, bear a striking similarity to the Iron Man suit. So I can't entirely take credit for this idea, but it's a cool one nonetheless.
I'd hate to have to deal with him in real life, but he makes for a truly delightful protagonist :)
Exactly! He's dramatic, impulsive, arrogant, smug, and show-offy, all of which I find grating IRL, but looooove in fictional characters.
totally this!
IKR? Simon is just one of those character who it's too much fun to pick on!
getting to make better choices than the ones you've made before
Ths sounds totally like something Hermione would say, and that Lennier would quite happily listen to. And I agree that JKR's attitude towards redemption is...odd. The last one was, of course, chock-full of redemption, and there were isolated incidents beforehand, but off the top of my head, redemption in the earlier books seems to mostly take the form of someone being mean to Harry, realizing their mistake, and then apologizing; pretty simple stuff.
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-11 02:58 am (UTC)Me too, in large part. Although his poetry, I find, is a lot more deceptively simple than the Romantics', or at least my favorite poems by him are (this would be "No Second Troy" and "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" especially, but many of the others I like, too.)
And given the way she dresses, espeically post-Ghost Story, she would blend right in visually, too.
Just so :P
And Jayne is basically an uppity sellsword who would have even less respect for Stannis' station than Mal, and Wash would be cuttingly sarcastic about everything
Upon reflection, Jayne would remind him of a baseborn Robert, I think, and Wash of Renly a bit (too flip and not nearly serious or severe enough), which would only further serve to endear them to him. And Mal, as you say, would pretty much be his antithesis, and he would dismiss all the women as whores and/or abominations. I hadn't thought through to Book, but you are very right there, too, and River would just freak out. It would be kind of spectacular, actually, and now I kind of want to see this trainwreck.
"Happy birthday! Here's your dinosaur"
XD That is so totally adorable! Way to go, evil time-traveller mom and dad! XD
I've actually seen some fanon/headcanon that Tony Stark designed the forerunners to the Vorkosiverse spacesuits,
Huh, there's Vorkosigan/Avengers crossover fanon? Well, I'll be!
(I don't think Miles and Tony have had reason to interact in my random memes yet, which is kind of a pity, because I rather wonder what that would be like. They are both hyperactive geniuses, albeit in different milieus, they have both dealt with the fragility of their natural bodies, and with their fathers' long shadows, and there's at least one other parallel that is spoilery for Miles that I'll not mention therefore. But in any case, it would be really interesting to watch them out-intense each other!)
And I agree that JKR's attitude towards redemption is...odd. The last one was, of course, chock-full of redemption,
The thing that always strikes me about JKR's redemption is how damn bleak it seems to be. Except for Ron, whose great crime was leaving under the burden of the locket and then choosing to come back and being welcomed after his trial, I can't think of another example that ends at all happily or even peacefully. Snape turns out to have been atoning for his role in Lily's death for 18 years; the redemption this purchases him is: getting to look into "Lily"'s eyes as he expires of a messy snake wound, while thinking he is sending off the child Lily loved enough to die for off to his own death, after being forced to murder the one man who trusted in him, thereby consigning himself to infamy. Now, I'm far from a Snape apologist, and I do think he was awful to children in his care (Neville, of course, but also the Trio), but, frankly, that redeptive arc blows. Peter Pettigrew, who seemed to have been set up for redemption via his debt to Harry from book 3 ends up hesitating for a momen of mercy (not much of a redemption) and ends up strangled by his own hand (O.o). The Malfoys come out the best, and they're basically just alive post the battle; not that I can say that the Malfoys get a proper redemption, which I actually kind of like -- basically, all of Draco's "rebellion" against Voldemort is of inaction, and Narcissa concealing that Harry is alive is not a redemptive act but a self-serving one, and I live her for it. But I digress. Even the good guys who had moments for which they ought to atone end up with pretty sucky resolutions -- Dumbledore, apparently forever alone after being forced to help jail the one man he loved, estranged from his brother, raising Harry for potential slaughter, dying slowly and horribly and enduring the potion in the cave; Sirius, falsely imprisoned in Azkaban for 12 years, killed by drapery. Bleak. :/
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-11 05:27 pm (UTC)We've done both of those! Forgot to mention them, oops. XD We spent almost the entire hour on "Irish Airman" yesterday.
Jayne would remind him of a baseborn Robert, I think, and Wash of Renly a bit (too flip and not nearly serious or severe enough)
Oooh, interesting! I hadn't seen that parallel, but you're right, it totally fits. Heh, Renly and Wash would get along great; the combined snark would be glorious (although I do think that Zoë would get a little tired of Loras after a while). I'm actually surprised nobody has written this, or even a Firefly/ASOIAF crossover of any kind, since there seem to be quite a few people who are fans of both.
That is so totally adorable! Way to go, evil time-traveller mom and dad!
The perks of having supervillains for parents, I guess. Good chance that your house will get blown up by the Avengers, but on the other hand, best. Birthday presents. Ever!
Huh, there's Vorkosigan/Avengers crossover fanon?
It might have been in Vorkosigan's WMG section over on TVTropes, maybe? Somewhere like that, anyway.
But in any case, it would be really interesting to watch them out-intense each other!
It really would be! Each one would realize that they've finally come across someone as crazy and neurotic and brilliant as each other, and spend the whole time trying to one-up each other. And Coulson and Illyan would simultaneously facepalm. (Meanwhile, Cordelia, Natasha, and Pepper would have formed the BAMF Redheaded Ladies' Club and Aral and Nick Fury could comisserate over being too old for this shit.) ...And there's another crossover that needs to happen!
Dumbledore, apparently forever alone after being forced to help jail the one man he loved, estranged from his brother, raising Harry for potential slaughter, dying slowly and horribly and enduring the potion in the cave
Ouch. Yup, Dumbledore and Snape certainly don't end up very happy, do they? XP Although I've always kind of wondered about Sirius. I mean, the only thing he was actually atoning for was being kind of an ass while he was at school; I'm sure he would say that he's been atoing for his failure to effectively protect the Potters, but I've always seen Sirius as more of a Greek tragedy where his own personality flaws and regrets (warranted or not) contributed to him essentially going nuts and, at the end, literally thinking that Harry was James. So from his point of view, I'm sure he was atoning for quite a lot, but from mine, it was just capital-T Tragic.
Oh, and then there's Percy, who I don't know if we can count as having a happy end or not. Yeah, he's reconciled with his family and all, but his brother is dead and his faith in authority seems to have been pretty deeply shaken. So I guess about 60% happy, 40% sad, or something like that?
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-11 05:53 pm (UTC)although I do think that Zoë would get a little tired of Loras after a while
Haha, yes, she would. Eventually it would be, "Look, kid, can't you go swap hair care tips with Inara or something? Or consult Kaylee on party dresses?" She would respect his fighting prowess, of course, but the sparkling and melodrama would get a bit much :P
It might have been in Vorkosigan's WMG section over on TVTropes, maybe
Ah, I don't think I've ventured over there yet. I should rectify that, sometime when I have a couple of hours to kill :P
And Coulson and Illyan would simultaneously facepalm. (Meanwhile, Cordelia, Natasha, and Pepper would have formed the BAMF Redheaded Ladies' Club and Aral and Nick Fury could comisserate over being too old for this shit.)
Oh, goodness, this would also work really, really well! Illyan and Coulson would understand each other so, so well, bland functionaries who are actually incredibly dangerous underneath the placid exterior. Cordelia would love hanging out with both Pepper and Natasha (Miles would totally have a crush on Natasha for sure, and possibly Pepper, too, as he has a thing for redheads. Oedipal? Perhaps. But with a mother like Cordelia, can one blame him? :P) And Aral and Nick Fury would have a lot to commiserate about -- crazy whippersnappers who get into all sorts of trouble on the one hand and idiots in charge of the old guard on the other.
Also, Ivan would enjoy showing Thor around all of the seedier bars of Vorbarr Sultana. And I have a feeling Bruce might get along well with both Gregor and Galeni (whom I know you haven't met yet, but).
I also think that Sirius, realistically, has only his school years jerkitude to atone for (although, in fairness, that jerkitude could've easily gotten a fellow student killed or turned into a werewolf and all sort of bad things to happen to Remus as a result), but I do agree that he probably sees his failure to protect the Potters as his biggest "crime". He is certainly tragic, and I have a feeling that having him appear reunited with James, Lily, and Remus in the afterlife is supposed to be some sort of peaceful closure, but that doesn't really work for me... Not much about Sirius's death or Remus's works for me, tbh.
That is a good point about Percy. He is forgiven and reunited with family when he returns. Actually, that's pretty similar to what happens with Ron. I guess leaving and coming back is OK (because I don't think Percy was personally implicated in anything skeevy that the Ministry does, right?), but when actual redemption is required, things never seem to work out happy...
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-12 05:51 am (UTC)Now I'm kinda curious: what's your first?
She would respect his fighting prowess, of course, but the sparkling and melodrama would get a bit much :P
Yup. And she would scan as so very, very Dornish, which, as a Tyrell, he's pretty much obligated to dislike, so I can see them having a lot of competitive sparring matches, kinda similar to Jaime's and his vibe (only minus the sexual tension, of course), but avoiding each other as much as possible and/or getting into snippy fights otherwise.
And Aral and Nick Fury would have a lot to commiserate about -- crazy whippersnappers who get into all sorts of trouble on the one hand and idiots in charge of the old guard on the other.
I can totally see Aral being fully in agreement with Nick Fury's “I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it’s a stupid ass decision, I’ve elected to ignore it” sentiment, if not with the wording (which Cordelia would love, though).
Heh, Ivan and Thor would be a wonderful trainwreck in the making, especially if Miles and Tony got involved.
And Illyan and Coulson would share each other's pain via snarky comments over a secure channel and promise to have a Supernanny marathon when they get a spare minute.
I also think that Sirius, realistically, has only his school years jerkitude to atone for
Exactly. Most of Sirius' tragedy seems to come from Fate/his own personality, not him atoning for anything in particular. Well, not anything that was actually his fault, like Dumbledore and Snape do.
(because I don't think Percy was personally implicated in anything skeevy that the Ministry does, right?)
I don't think so, no. I remember there being some suspicion about him tipping the Ministry off about something or other in OotP or HBP, but I can't recall for sure, so this was probably just his brothers grumbling after he went over. And, yes, it seems that things work out okay when one's crime was one of inaction/influenced by outside Forces of Evil, but when the result from plain ol' human nature and require actual redemption, yeah, no.
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-12 06:08 am (UTC)Philip Larkin's "Aubade". I've "introduced" it to a couple of friends, both LJ and RL, and it garnered some very strong reactions. I still remember my high schoolf riend, TK, who was never much for non-funny poetry, reacting to it with "Wow, that's beautiful. And so fucking depressing." Which... about sums it up, really :P
Several years ago I did most of a poetry month thing, so I'm linking to the poem and my ramblings on it there: Aubade.
(Bonus ramblings from me on "Irish Airman" and No Second Troy, from the same set, though you're probably sick of them :P)
I can totally see Aral being fully in agreement with Nick Fury's “I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it’s a stupid ass decision, I’ve elected to ignore it” sentiment
Exactly :)
and promise to have a Supernanny marathon when they get a spare minute.
This is making me laugh really, really hard. Totally want fic of this now!
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-13 06:05 am (UTC)Wow, it kinda does. I mean, Arid interrogation: yet the dread/Of dying, and being dead,/Flashes afresh to hold and horrify....woah. The sounds themselves are lovely (I have a thing about reading poetry aloud, okay), and the way they interplay with one another is exactly the level of intricate-ness that I adore, but overall it really makes one think, in a terrifying kind of way.
Actually avoiding your "Irish Airman" and "No Second Troy" thoughts -I've got a mini-paper on Keats this week, and 17 years of academia have instilled in me a horror of anything even vaguely like plagarism. I'm going to have to take a look at them once the paper is done, though, because I loved your "Aubade" thoughs! :)
This is making me laugh really, really hard. Totally want fic of this now!
Seconded on both counts. Strongly.
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-13 04:54 pm (UTC)I think poetry should absolutely be read aloud! If a poem doesn't seem to cry out for it, I think less of it as a poem :P
And, yeah, I think the marriage of sound and content and the intricate interplay between the two is part of what makes "Aubade" so great, so striking.
17 years of academia have instilled in me a horror of anything even vaguely like plagarism
That makes perfect sense! I almost didn't link them for that reason, since I didn't know if you'd be writing any papers on Yeats, but the links will certainly still be there once you're done (though there's certainly no kind of plagiarism-worthy profundity in there, heh) ;)
BTW and OT, not sure if you saw these in my over-the-weekend post, but I came across some lovely LotR fanart a la stained glass that you might also enjoy :)
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-14 07:18 am (UTC)So much this!
the marriage of sound and content and the intricate interplay between the two is part of what makes "Aubade" so great, so striking.
Very well-put. I mean, I've read similar Big Idea poems that seem to be striving for this kind of lyricality, but just end up sounding pretentious, or that use jagged/choppy/harsh sounds on purpose, which is a literary choice, I guess, but one that never works quite as well for me.
not sure if you saw these in my over-the-weekend post
Augh, I missed this one! I think I got your Monday one, but this one seems to have gotten past me. 'pologies, it's been a bit of a hectic week so far. :P Off to remedy that!
I've seen the LotR stained glasses floating around here and there (aside: someplace like TOR.N needs to have a Spotlight On Awesome Fanart occasional feature for stuff like this), but I always love to ooh and aah over it when it comes up! I love, love, love artwork that needs to be looked at for a while, that can't be completely taken in at the first glance, and I love picking out all the little details in here, like yay! someone finally remembered Gildor, and Sam getting the seed from Galadriel, and Pippin's fallen brooch way down in the corner of the Argonath one, and all of it. :)
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-14 04:35 pm (UTC)'pologies, it's been a bit of a hectic week so far. :P
Oh, no worries and certainly no apologies necessary! Nobody is required to comment on my every entry, or any of them, or even read them :) I just figured you might not have seen the post and that you would have appreciated the LotR art if you hadn't seen it yet (which I should've figured you would have :)
I love, love, love artwork that needs to be looked at for a while
Me too!
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-15 07:34 am (UTC)Perfectionist/completist that I am, I like to get in my two cents' worth, so thanks for the link anyway. And, of course, purdy LotR art is always, always appreciated. :)
Have you seen this one?
Oooh, no, this one's new to me, and it's a doozy! I love the overall brooding atmosphere, as well as, of course, all the little details that really need to be looked at properly. Although, if Bloodraven gets in, then the Reeds should get a spot, too, since they're integral to the whole Children of the Forest/greenseeing/booga-booga-booga thing, and yet aren't actually Starks (unless there's a theory about Bloodraven and/or the Reeds being secret Starks that I've missed).
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-15 10:03 pm (UTC)I think I do remember some fanon about Bloodraven and the Starks getting their warg abilities through the same bloodline (drat, I forget the name, but Bloodraven's northern mother, and I think they've got a heart tree and ravens on their sigil).
I'm not sure I've correctly mapped everyone onto everyone, actually, but I'm not sure I see Bloodraven? I wasn't sure who the hooded figure at top right was, but decided it was Stoneheart (with Nymeria's silhouette behind her, because I couldn't find Nymeria close to Arya), and Bran being the face of the tree with Summer the big wolf in the foreground, but I could well be wrong (and also don't remember what color the wolves are supposed to be, except Shaggy and Ghost).
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-16 06:52 am (UTC)Aha, that's probably it. TBH, I'd forgotten that they had any connection at all, beyond the Stark talent for warging/greenseeing and Targaryen general weirdness happening to take the same form. XD
I wasn't sure who the hooded figure at top right was, but decided it was Stoneheart
Yeah, it's pretty ambiguous whether that's Stoneheart or Bloodraven. I admit I wasn't sure what to make of the wolf silouette behind him/her, but I initially thought that the only wolves shown were the ones still with their humans, thus Sansa and Arya without theirs. But then again, it's entirely possible that the dark shape behind Stoneheart/Bloodraven is Nymeria; this would also explain the wolf next to Ned, which could very well be Lady, since Ned didn't have of a wolf of his own. And if we're meant to take everyone underground as dead, then this makes even more sense! I just talked myself into a whole new interpretation, lol. (And I agree that the main face in the tree is Bran, and the big wolf beside it is definietly Summer.)
Re: part 2, as per usual
Date: 2012-09-16 07:05 am (UTC)But this is why I love art like this! :)
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Date: 2012-09-10 05:48 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, I was broke and in debt at the time. My credit card was had been pretty much maxed by the cost of my flight, and I had to reserve what meagre cash I had for paying an abysmally high big city rent, plus key money, plus food for the first month, plus train transport around Tokyo, all expenses that I knew would be coming up as soon as my plane touched down on the other side of the world. I just could not justify buying that hat, but I've regretted it ever since, and in general, I am a woman of few regrets.
Go back and try on that hat again. If, after further reflection, you really think it is Your Hat, then buy it!
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Date: 2012-09-10 11:54 pm (UTC)LOL, I've thought about just saying the hell with it and buying My Hat anyway but I'm afraid that, even if I did buy it now (which I soooo can't afford), I would end up kind of resenting it, where I would keep asking myself if it was worth $125 and coming up with all the ways it isn't and all the things I could have spent my money on otherwise. I'm seriously thinking of asking for it as a graduation present, since it looks like a fairly regularly-stocked item at the hat shop, though...
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Date: 2012-10-01 06:27 pm (UTC)My headcanon for him is fairly moderate, really; yes, he's had an active and varied past, but the only canon characters I put him with are Kitty, the unnamed French officer sitting next to him at the marquis' dinner (I have no other way to explain that bite mark on his neck in that episode), and, given that I can use my LKU to engineer a meeting, Lt. Bush. I think they're very well suited, really, and it stops that stupid "Bush pining unrequited for Horatio" trope that sometimes crops up. I don't see him with either Horatio or Archie (though I like how Edrington/Archie plays out in ATKM), because in my view, he thought they were both hot, but he could see how devoted they were and had more grace than to try to insinuate himself.
AND YES OUR FANDOM IS AWESOME. Nicest one I've ever been in.
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Date: 2012-10-01 11:34 pm (UTC)how they manage period LANGUAGE
GAAAAH, I know that feeling. I'm writing some Temeraire fanfic myself (which you may see referred to around here as Godzilla), and it's hard. Every time I go back to Jane Austen/Patrick O'Brian/Naomi Novik (I'm not sure whether you're familiar with her, but she's another AoS fanfic writer who eventually bridged the gap and became a published author, and I unreservedly adore her books) for inspiration, they make it seem so easy, but I'm still stuck at "guh...buh...wha?" XD
I don't see him with either Horatio or Archie (though I like how Edrington/Archie plays out in ATKM), because in my view, he thought they were both hot, but he could see how devoted they were and had more grace than to try to insinuate himself.
Yup, this is pretty much exactly my headcanon. Like, he sure wouldn't turn down either of them (or even both), if they're offering, but he's not a homewrecker (or should that be shipwrecker? ;P).
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Date: 2012-10-01 11:44 pm (UTC)Naomi Novik is total CRACK for me. Patrick O'Brian WITH DRAGONS, what could be better? And without the icky gender stuff that takes the shine off Pern. FUCK YEAH.
I have found that reading O'Brian will infect even my SPEAKING voice for weeks, so I just binge on him if I need to refresh the voices. Georgette Heyer's good for that too. But, OMG, Marna (
Edrington is a darling and I have fallen very much in love with my own version of him (and the character inspired by him) to the point where I'm going to be a HOPELESS idiot if I should ever meet Samuel West.
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Date: 2012-10-02 04:13 am (UTC)THIS. And it has badass lady captains, and Tragic First Lieutenants that don't die (yet *knock on wood*), and swashbuckling ADVENTURE, HO!, and oh so much snark. Temeraire was actually the series to re-interest me in AoS, after a brief and half-hearted flirtation with Aubrey-Maturin in high school.
I have found that reading O'Brian will infect even my SPEAKING voice for weeks
OMG, I thought I was the only one that did this! This past summer, I went to an amusement park with some friends, but loopy rides and I don't mix well, so I spent the latter half of our trip in the car, polishing off Master and Commander while they got their fill of vertigo. When they came back, we went off to dinner, and one of them mentioned that she'd lost some weight recently, and I, not really paying attention, said, and I quote, "Yes, my dear, you have certainly decreased in girth." XD
Edrington is a darling and I have fallen very much in love with my own version of him
I'll admit that I probably haven't taken the notice of him that I should have, but you won't hear me saying that he isn't a cuite, and, hmm, now I have to go and re-watch "Frogs & Lobsters" to find that bite mark! ;)
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Date: 2012-10-02 04:35 am (UTC)Edrington is a fine example of the Gentleman Snarker, and I have a weakness for those, PLUS he has a lovely sense of compassion under the snark.
I can show you a screencap of the bite mark. It's all buckbeakbabie's fault -- she pointed it out to me!
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Date: 2012-10-03 12:05 am (UTC)Gentleman Snarker with shades of Jerk With A Heart of Gold wins for ever and ever.
I can show you a screencap of the bite mark.
That would be lovely! I'm still planning on re-watching the episode, but it'll be nice to know what to look for, and where.
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Date: 2012-10-03 12:27 am (UTC)Gorgeous screencap courtesy of buckbeakbabie. Bite mark right where I'd want to bite him. :)
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Date: 2012-10-03 06:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-04 03:07 am (UTC)And then you add in that Gentleman Snarker voice, with its capacity to go all tender ("Just... look after him, won't you?") and forget it. I'm dead.