Return of the memes

[hamsterwoman]

I was meaning to post this along with a write up of Wonder Woman, but, honestly, we stopped at the halfway mark over a week ago and haven't picked it up since, so I'm not sure when/if such a write-up will happen. (I'm enjoying it more than all the OTHER DC movies! Just... not enough to actually finish watching it, apparently. :P)

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Remember the Kairos 30 Days Meme (stolen from its creator, perpetual), which I started a million years ago? Well, I am now up to day 3, woo! (At this rate, I should finish it in something like five years :P)

Three actresses

I actually don't have very strong feelings about actresses or actors. With actors (coming up in a few days - well, meme-days, anybody's guess as to what it will be in calendar days) there hae been a couple I've been mildless obsessed with, but actresses I just tend to admire for their work without any sort of personal obsession. With these two categories, I went with people who would, single-handedly, make me more likely to watch a movie (or check out a TV show) regardless of plot or co-stars. And there are three actresses like that:





3. Sandra Bullock -- I've seen her in other things, and always enjoyed her performance, but my great fondness for Sandra Bullock rests on two movies: While You Were Sleeping (which also introduced me to Peter Gallagher and his eyebrows) and the Miss Congeniality franchise. But she is just so adorable in both of those, they've made her one of those actresses who would automatically make me at least consider seeing a movie, and probably be willing to sit even through a pretty bad one.




2. Jennifer Aniston -- Like probably everybody in my generation, I know Jennifer Aniston first and foremost as Rachel from Friends. And Rachel isn't the type of character I normally like at all -- that would be Ross or Chandler or Phoebe -- but Aniston was just so CHARMING, she ended up being my favorite to watch. Afterwards, I watched lots and lots of middling-to-good-to-utterly-forgettable rom-coms and comedies and comedy-dramas pretty much just because she was in them. I couldn't even tell you which ones they were, but I enjoyed watching her roles in them anyway. And while I tend to be utterly indifferent to celebrity gossip in general (despite enjoying other types of gossip), whenever Jennifer Aniston was in the news -- which was a lot, of course -- I was always rooting for her.




1. Helen Mirren -- so the thing with Helen Mirren is, I'm really bad at people's faces. Especially women's faces, because I tend to mostly recognize people by things like facial hair, and hair color/length, and women tend to change their hair styles a lot, especially for roles. So I would watch random movies and be like, "I really liked that one older actress playing X!" -- and eventually it turned out that the awesome Eleanor in Inkheart, that housekeeper in Gosford Park, the guy's mother on National Treasure 2 -- were all one person. Imagine that! And then I saw R.E.D., and ended up liking Victoria best when she was playing against several actors I already liked a whole lot. And after that I actually knew who Helen Mirren was, and even read up on her (I'd had no idea that she was of Russian extraction!) and the more I learned about her, the more I admired her really. Also, I hope I manage to look one tenth as good when I'm 72, because damn. And several years ago, I decided that Helen Mirren was my faceclaim for Olenna Tyrell, and even have her on my westerosorting Character Meme banner, which is just about the highest compliment I can pay :)

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It's the cycle of meme -- sysann> harvested and interspersed with original questions the 15-characters memes I'd been doing over the years, nd now I'm filling out a subset of them myself :) (It's been a year and a half since I've done a meme like this, and it would appear that I have three new this-meme-worthy fandoms, or at least characters :)

1. Cordelia Chase (BtVS)
2. Morrolan e'Drien (Dragaera)
3. Sherlock Holmes (BBC's Sherlock)
4. Azula (AtLA)
5. Elliot Schafer (In Othe Lands)
6. Vlad Taltos (Dragaera)
7. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
8. James Hathaway (Inspector Lewis)
9. Ivan Vorpatril (Vorkosigan Saga)
10. Susan Ivanova (Babylon 5)
11. Thomas Raith (Dresden Files)
12. Peter Grant (Rivers of London)
13. James T. Kirk (AOS)
14. Shuos Mikodez (Hexarchate/Machineries of Empire)
15. Zoe Washburne (Firefly)


1) What would happen if 6 (Vlad) & 5 (Elliot) were forced to raise a child together?

Nothing good, I think! Elliot has a singularly unhappy home life, and while much of Vlad's childhood unhappiness has more to do with growing up among Dragaerans, he was also motherless and his relationship with his father wasn't that great (but at least he had Noish-Pa). Anyway, Elliot, at least at the point where we see him, is definitely not good parenting material -- he browbeats people or puts them on a pedestal and plays favorites and all kinds of things. Vlad did successfully manage to rear baby Loiosh, at least, but I imagine baby jhereg are hardier than human babies, and certainly less time-intensive to raise to adulthood.

Add to this that, individual issues aside, Elliot and Vlad would clash over EVERYTHING. (It's interesting, actually, because both are smart-mouths who grew up bullied because they didn't have much of a support system at home, but Elliot became a hardcore pacifist who sees violence as a failure of communication, and Vlad, well, beats up people for fun and profit, though less so than when he was Elliot's age.) I really don't see them getting along enough to spend an afternoon together, let alone years raising a child.

So I think what would happen is, Elliot would abscond with the child -- not because he wants to raise a child (children are sticky and boring; he wouldn't even bother naming the child, or remembering its name if it already had one) -- by pressganging Luke into flying with him and the baby to the Sunborns' home, and there hand it over to Rachel, because Rachel is a nice person to be raised by.

2) 4 (Azula)’s been listening to Mika’s “Grace Kelly” once too often and desperately wants to change to better suit one of the other characters on the list. Who? And how does their intended react?

I doubt Azula changing herself to suit anyone is likely to last for long or to have a good effect... The only person on the list I could see being sufficiently interesting to catch her attention is Sherlock (there are a couple of others who could probably keep up with her, too, but she would dismiss them for various reasons. But Azula trying to appeal to Sherlock probably means headgames and increasingly elaborate and improbably puzzles, a la Moriarty but with less cackling crazy (one hopes). Sherlock *might* actually be fascinated back, 'cos there's a high-functioning sociopath for you -- a bit like he was with Irene, but less puzzled, because he and Azula would be more on the same page.

3) What is number 9 (Ivan)’s favorite novel?

Are there even books in the Vorkosiverse? Nobody seems to read much, although they do watch shows it would appear. And Ivan definitely strikes me as the sort of person who would rather tune into a pretty and mindless show where stuff goes bang and he can look at pretty actresses vs sitting down with a book. But going with real world books and assuming Ivan has a favorite one, hmm... something swashbuckling but good-natured, something like The Princess Bride, maybe? I was thinking something like Ivanhoe, but a lighter take on a swashbuckling romance, with fourth wall asides, would be a much better fit, come to think of it.

4) Pick either a canon or made up situation that really, really upsets 10 (Ivanova). Which of the characters on your list is the first to offer their help? Is said character actually qualified? Does 10 accept their help?

Ivanova is not great about losing people, and seems to cope by drinking heavily and going off to brood on her own (as one does). I could see Hathaway being the kind to come over with a bottle of whisky and keep her silent company, Ivan to sort of sit around in low-key support, just keeping an eye on her to make sure things don't get too bad, and Zoe letting her know she's been there and they can sit together and not talk but understand each other. James is more private, so he probably wouldn't be the first to come by, and Ivan, I think, has hierarchies where you let family sort things out first and don't get in the way, so Zoe would probably be the first to approach. She's definitely qualified, and probably the best match for Susan. I don't really see Ivanova accepting help, but she does learn to accept support and sympathy from friends, so I do think she'd appreciate it.

5) What Hogwarts house would 3 (Sherlock) be in (if actual HP character then an ASOIAF house)?

Ravenclaw. Kinda a textbook example, IMO. (He'd do fine in Slytherin, too, and he certainly has ambitions, if not orthodox ones. But his brain is what he prides himself on, so, Ravenclaw for him for sure.)

6) 2 (Morrolan) has decided to recruit 12 (Peter) into their canon. (If 12 already belongs in their canon, pick 11, if 11 does, too, go further down till someone isn’t from 2’s canon.) How does their new recruit feel about this “honor”? Can they fit in? How do 2's canon peers feel about this addition?

Aww, I find this pretty plausible, actually! Maybe Peter stumbles into another interdimensional rift, and/or Morrolan encounters him on one of his necromantic window jaunts. Peter's first experience with the faeries has not been exactly fun, but he would still be open to contact, and I think the two of them would be quite curious about each other and each other's magic. Peter wouldn't mind visiting Dragaera and geeking out about the quantum effect or whatever of amorphia (though I suspect he would be skeptical of the gods and very much not on board with the whole Empire, Cycle, wars of conquest thing, not to mention the Easterners ghetto or the segregation between Houses -- it all disrupts the fabric of proper society. But, well, they both know how to get along with people who hold quite different views, and Peter, in particular, knows how to be diplomatic.

I don't see Peter getting along nearly as well with Morrolan's other friends. He'd let the various Easterner-directed insults roll off his back -- he's used to casual racism -- but I don't see him hitting it off with any of the other Dragaerans. And Vlad's, well, everything would also rub him the wrong way, starting with the part where he used to murder people for money. (He also mortally offends Vlad by adding more hot stuff to some Easterner dish prepared to Vlad's exacting recipe.)

But in general it would be an interesting jaunt, though I definitely don't see Peter wanting to stay in Dragaera. Collect some data for his comparative thaumaturgy studies, sure. But not much more than that.

(How long I've been doing these memes, and I don't think Peter in Dragaera has ever come up before. The worldbuilding crossover would be interesting! Adron's become the genius loci of the Lesser Sea of Chaos, hasn't he?)

7) 1 (Cordy) and 7 (Hermione) build a structure together. What is it?

Hmm. I don't see too many situations where Cordelia and Hermione would be working together willingly -- I think they'd rather despise each other when they were teenagers, and don't have much to say to each other beyond that, either. But maybe they're in the middle of nowhere, being chased by lots and lots of vampires and Hermione doesn't have her wand, so she hits on the idea of building a "home" that the vampires wouldn't be able to cross the threshold of? Just something with enough symbolism to qualify. And Cordy thinks it's probably a stupid idea, but she's willing to try it, if only to stop being nagged by the srangely bossy nerd person.

8) 13 (Kirk) and 11 (Thomas) go shopping for a birthday present for 14 (Mikodez). What do they buy, and why is it appropriate.

Mikodez is actually ridiculously easy to shop for. ALL the fidget spinners! No, but, like, virtually anything useless and with a lot of instructions and fiddly bits -- chia pet! E-Z Bake oven! Newton's cradle or Buckyball magnets (which you can buy again -- score! :D) I also feel like Mikodez would be the perfect target audience for stuff like the Avenging Unicorn playset, desktop catapults, etc. And of course yarn. And candy.

I feel like neither Kirk's nor Thomas's own aesthetics are anywhere close enough for them to be the best judge of what to get Mikodez, but fortunately they are both good enough judges of people to realize that. So they walk into a toy and novelty shop, and charm a bright seven-year-old into telling them what he thinks is cool, and then they buy all of that.

9) 8 (Hathaway) has been captured and imprisoned by 15 (Zoe)’s evil twin/doppelganger/alternative universe alter ego/... for at least a week. A rescue party consisting of various others from the list (including 3) has come to save 8 who is currently alone. How does 8 react to 3? Can they tell that 3 is not the evil double? If not, can any of the other rescuers vouch for 3?

Zoe's evil twin would be a scary lady. (Also, drat, this evil twin question reminded me that I really should have included Killjoys on my character set as well. Next time!)

Anyway, James is a detective, he should be able to tell someone's evil twin from the actual person. And as other would-be rescuers -- I figure at least Ivanova, Kirk, and maybe Peter, if he's hanging around them, would volunteer for a rescue mission -- would help convince him of it, too. If he doesn't believe the space folks, I think at least Peter could be convincing, since they're contemporaries and just about colleagues.

10) 10 (Ivanova), 8 (Hathaway), and 13 (Kirk) are in a polyamorus relationship. How did it start? Is it a GOOD relationship? Does it last for very long? Any kids? Details!

I could definitely see Kirk being in favor of a poly relationship (or open relationships in general), and can believe it of Ivanova, too. Hathaway... not so much, really -- he really feels too private for a relationship even with one person. So at most we're talking a V with Hathaway as one of the endpoints.

Now, is Ivanova or Kirk more his type? Neither strikes me as an especially good match, but I suppose I could see a woman like Susan catching his attention. (Kinda extrapolating from 'Zoe' maybe?) At any rate, I think Hathaway would *hate* Kirk, so let's go with Ivanova.

Ivanova and Kirk -- I don't see it as a serious thing, but they're both smart, stubborn people who are part of a rigid space-culture hierarchy -- I think they could definitely have fun together when they're both in the same place at the same time: going out for a drink or seven, breaking up a bar fight maybe (which it's probably Kirk's fault it started anyway), sharing funny stories of being shot at or bizarre alien misunderstandings (Kirk would *love* the story about Ivanova teaching that alien about human sex), and hooking up with no expectations or obligations. And I think Kirk's obstinate optimism would play nicely off Ivanova's "no boom today, boom tomorrow" gallows humour, and they'd just, you know, have fun with each other.

So, OK, Ivanova and Kirk have an open relationship thing, and then at some point she meets Hathaway, and... maybe they're both at a low point, or kind of at a crossroads, and the other person is there, and interesting, and one thing leads to another. I definitely see Ivanova/Hathaway as a short-term thing that they both realize is not what either of them needs, and sort of drift away from each other.

So, not a good poly relationship as such, no. I'm not sure Ivanova would even feel the need to mention Kirk to Hathaway, and the Hathaway thing would be over before she saw Kirk again, so there would be no point in mentioning him either. She does briefly reflect on whether or not her recent choices reveal an unnatural predilection for men named James :P

11) 15 (Zoe) and 5 (Elliot) are accidentally turned into toddlers by 4 (Azula). 12 (Peter) has to babysit while 2 (Morrolan) and 1 (Cordy) try to find the solution.

I'm not sure what de-aging thingamajig Azula got ahold of, but she might think something like that is pretty funny. Peter is not a bad choice to babysit -- he has those tons of cousins. Granted, he would probably tell baby Zoe and baby Elliot way more about magic than he was supposed to, but Zoe probably wouldn't care (she'd just want to, like, run around and climb stuff, I think), and Elliot -- actually, Elliot would take to it like a duck to water (when a bit older), if there was a way to learn actual, real magic that was accessible to him. (Elliot with magic is maybe not the most comforting thought, but...)

Meanwhile, Morrolan is probably a decent person to have in charge of finding a solution to a de-aging spell or potion. I'm not sure what help Cordy would be -- she didn't seem to contribute very much when Giles and the Scoobies had her looking over the library books. Maybe Peter deputized her to go hang out with Azula to try to get out of her what she used to turn them into babies in the first place? Not that it would work, but that's the only way her involvement would make any sense. Otherwise she'd just sit in Morrolan's library, complaining about stupid boring books, and you know that's not going to end well.

12) If 3 (Sherlock) has to take care of 7's (Hermione)'s pets and things get out of hand, does 14 (Mikodez) help or hinder the situation?

Oh god, this would be such a clusterfuck on all levels XD So for some reason Sherlock is left looking after Crookshanks... Best case, he completely forgets to feed the cat, or frightens it by discharging a gun into the wall, etc. etc., and Crookshank runs off. (Worst case is Sherlock uses him as a test subject for something (hopefully either John or Mrs Hudson or Molly catch him in time and liberate the cat. Any one of them would be a much more responsible cat-sitter.

But say they didn't, and Crookshanks ran away. Mikodez himself would not be much help, but it's a good thing he's got a direct line to Zehun, who can use their extensive cat experience to lure Crookshanks back and restore order. (Zehun definitely does not get paid enough for this shit.)

13) 11 (Thomas) turns up on 9 (Ivan)’s doorstep at night. What does 11 want? Does 9 let them in? What happens next?

Thomas wants a snack, probably. Ivan would definitely prefer a succubus to an incubus, but... well, Miles's galactic buddies and exposure to Byerly have sufficiently broadened his horizons. And, like, some people are too pretty NOT to consider as potential romantic partners, regardless of gender.

14) On your list, pick two characters who might enjoy a) a seaside vacation together? b) A climbing expedition in the mountains? c) The solitude and simple life of a cabin in the woods? d) A sci-fi or fantasy adventure? e) A trip back (or forward?) to either Elizabethan or Victorian England? Please note that all options are mutually exclusive, your characters can only join one of them..

a) seaside vacation together -- Cordy and Ivan. Relaxing and low-key, they get to laze about, watch scantily clad pretty people, and sip fruity drinks. Perfect! (I also think Cordy and Ivan would get along very well with each other. He's handsome and fairly pliant -- would maybe even remind her of Xander a little, only with better self-confidence and a noble title -- she's decorative but with a core of steel, which should appeal to a Vor lad. They wouldn't bring out the best in each other or anything, but they'd have a good time.)

b) climbing expedition in the mountains -- Vlad and Morrolan No, that's more for my enjoyment rather than theirs :P For real, maybe Zoe and Susan? This was the toughest one for me, because the thrill-seekers would want something more than just mountain-climbing -- it's gotta be FOR something, and everybody else would rather be doing something else. But I think both Zoe and Susan could enjoy the relative solitude, counting on just themselves and each other, and also wouldn't be averse to roughing it.

c) cabin in the woods -- let's say Morrolan and Hermione. Make sure they have some books and provisions, and I bet they'd be fine just talking about nerdy things the entire time.

d) sci-fi or fantasy adventure -- almost all of the characters are from sci-fi/fantasy adventure canons, but the ones who would opt for EVEN MORE adventure are Kirk (he's kind of an adrenaline junkie) and Elliot (even more species to meet and talk to!) I don't know that Kirk and Elliot are soulmates or anything, but I do think Kirk could appreciate a mouthy kid and respect such incadescent ideals, and would be happy to point Elliot at problems well-suited to Elliot's problem-solving style, and watch stuff happen in glee). They would need someone sensible along to, like, keep them from getting themselves killed in the first 12 hours, but we'll leave that for the next question.

e) trip to Elizabethan or Victorian England -- I could see Hathaway being potentially interested in this, but not sure who else. I mean, Sherlock would be a funny answer, but I don't think he'd actually enjoy it. Peter, maybe? He'd get to see London as it was back then, at least -- I think that would be enough of a draw. I definitely think James and Peter would get along pretty well. Peter would rib him about Oxford being stuffy and not having any proper crimes, and be secretly envious of Hathaway's Latin, but I think they'd have a very fun dynamic actually, and totally want to read this crossovr, set in Victorian England or in their proper time.

15) Continuing the above: Have each of your five leftover characters join one of these groups. Are they welcomed? Shunned? How do they feel about intruding on the duo they meet? And the time/place they’re now stuck in as well?

a) Cordy and Ivan at the seaside get -- Azula! :D (No, Azula playing volleyball in "The Beach" will never be not funny to me :D) Cordelia is reluctantly filled with admiration -- she's an actual princess! and she is so in charge of everything! Ivan is low-key terrified and hoping his cousin never meets this person. But Azula's personality is such, I can definitely see her taking over Cordy and Ivan's low-key vacation, and then attempting to have the normal kind of fun and failing at it, while the two of them look on helplessly.

b) Zoe and Susan in the mountains get -- Thomas, I guess? It's him, Vlad, and Mikodez left the order I'm doing this in, and Thomas would be wasted in the cabin of magic nerdery and wouldn't really contribute much to a space adventure. While he would be able to keep up with Zoe and Susan in the mountains.

c) Hermione and Morrolan in the cabin get -- Vlad, I guess? Pretty much by default, but I'm not complaining. this would no longer be a peaceful cabin stay, because Vlad and Morrolan would of course snipe at each other as usual, and Vlad and Hermione would get into lots of moral arguments, I bet.

d) Kirk and Elliot on their sci-fi adventure get -- Mikodez. Not just because he's the last remaining sci-fi type, but also because he'd drive everyone else nuts in all other conditions, so it seems the most reasonable place to stash him. This is definitely not the reasonable third person they needed to keep them from getting killed, but at least their fraught adventures have just gotten even zanier? (You know it's bad when Kirk's the one in a babysitter role...)

e) Peter and Hathaway in Victorian (or Elizabethan, whichever) England get -- Sherlock. It does not occur to Sherlock that he is intruding on anyone; he is enlightening the whole enterprise with his presence. He is very eager to solve whatever interesting crimes may be going on, and in general to explain to the locals how stupid they all are. He bosses both modern policemen around the way he does with his own Scotland Yard folks. Roughly five minutes in, both Peter and James want to strangle him, though they do recognize his brilliance. They're really tempted to just ditch him and make him somebody else's problem, but realize this is irresponsible and so, like, take turns doing Sherlock duty to keep him out of trouble as much as possible while the other person actually enjoys himself. It does bring them closer together as friends, though. Adversity will do that.

16) What/who does 6 (Vlad) write fanfic about?

Morrolan/Sethra :P (Nah, I'm just endlessly bzuh over that line in Issola where he wonders whether Morrolan and Sethra are/have ever been lovers, because whut. And where did that come from.)

Out of universe, I think Vlad would gravitate towards heist-y plots, darker shades of morality, and opportunity to write about food. So I'm thinking Gentlemen Bastards fanfic.

17) What/who does 2 (Morrolan) read fanfic about?

Weeell, Paarfi's stuff might as well be RPF, frankly, so, you know, himself and his closest friends. Also, Adron, with a lot of strong feelings about how the author is doing it wrong.

But out of universe, hm. Genre-wise, I could see Morrolan being drawn to competence porn in a military-content fandom, but I don't see him as someone who is very interested in fictional narratives, frankly. So maybe, like, historical RPF of people like Napoleon and Alexander the Great, written by people who know what they're writing about?

18) The prime numbered characters 2 (Morrolan), 3 (Sherlock), 5 (Elliot), 7 (Hermione), 11 (Thomas) and 13 (Kirk) have sworn a (holy?) oath / made a pact / entered a contract to keep one of the others on the list from harm. Any harm. How does their protégé feel about this? Do they try to escape the tender care? Put the primes to the test? Enjoy the attention?

That's quite a collection of people! They can take on just about any physical, magical, cerebral, or social challenge, I bet, between the lot of them. Now most of the rest of the list is not blushing violets either, so I'm not sure what would have engendered such protectiveness. Cordy, Ivan, and Hathaway could probably use it the most, being the most underpowered of the remaining set, but none of them would be particularly interesting to the protectors, or are particularly important to anything bigger than them. So maybe Mikodez? He seems to engender protectiveness in people around him, and he is actually kind of important.

(For the record, if that bunch were to find themselves in the hexarchate, Thomas would be an Andan like whoa, Morrolan would be Nirai for sure, Sherlock would make a good Shuos, and Hermione and Elliot would both be Liozh (even if Liozh is a heretical faction at this point. You know they would be!), and Kirk would be Kel, of course, having joined basically on a dare. I mean, he would obviously be a crashhawk, but he's got the suicidal tendencies down.)

Mikodez really doesn't think he needs any more people looking after him and trying to get him to eat vegetables and go to bed -- you know most of the harm Mikodez is subject to is self-inflicted, in the form of poor life choices -- but they're an entertaining bunch, and he would make them play games and feed them cookies and show off his latest craft/hobby/etc. to them.

19) 11 (Thomas) and 1 (Cordy) stumble into a mad scientist's lab and are accidentally body-swapped. How do they react?

Assuming Thomas's White Court vamp nature stays with him and not his body -- which seems likely, given how White Court vampirism seems to work, I think? it's not a purely physical thing if it can be 'broken' -- I don't think he'd terribly care to suddenly find himself a good-looking young woman instead of a good-looking young man. Like, close enough. And I think Cordy would find it a curious situation to be in. And if she has to be turned into a guy, at least she's a drop-dead gorgeous one? And can ogle said body in the mirror all she wants.

(Cordelia as a White Court vampire would be an interesting premise, too. I definitely think it would agree with her!)

20) 9 (Ivan) and 15 (Zoe) have a fight (verbal or physical up to you) - 13 (Kirk) is standing nearby. What does s/he do?

Verbal fight, I think. I really don't think Ivan would hit a woman, even one who looked like she could take care of herself. And even if he did, it would probably be a short fight, because Zoe would not hesitate to fight dirty and lay him out. So, Ivan and Zoe are having an argument -- probably this is early on in the Miles/River relationship (shut up, of course any crossover between these universes is going to have Miles/River in it), and both Ivan and Zoe think it's a bad idea, but for different reasons -- Zoe thinks Miles is taking advantage of a young, confused girl, and Ivan is worried this will be another heartbreak for Miles, and they're both being more protective than logical.

Since it's a verbal argument rather than a fight, and about a sensitive matter, too, I don't think Kirk would interfere. Maybe sort of smile sympathetically at Ivan -- women and their drama, am I right? Poooossibly, if it's getting too heavy, he might try to defuse the situation by coming up and trying to flirt with Zoe to distract her from the fight. But Zoe would give him one unimpressed look, and if that doesn't serve to make him go away, tell him flatly to butt out and piss off.

21) 8 (Hathaway) and 7 (Hermione) go camping. Why does 4 (Azula) wander into their campsite and how do they react?

Hathaway and Hermione are a pair I can see getting along very well -- both book-smart and kind of awkward naturally, both hyperprepared, workaholic perfectionists. Theirs would be a very well organized camping trip, with schedules and extensive color-coded and cross-checked packing lists, etc. But they'd enjoy themselves, too, probably talking about the history of the area, and James might even play his guitar at the campfire, which no doubt would be a treat. (I know I said Hermione has had enough of camping for one lifetime, but you know camping with James would be nothing like camping with Harry and Ron, where she had to be the practical one.)

Anyway, James and Hermione are enjoying their low-key precision camping trip when Azula wanders by. She probably just run off from Zuko et al around the time of The Search, and... well, I don't know really. Azula is good at people, but I don't think either Hermione or James are the type to fall for anything she might try. I do think they would believe she's in some genuine distress, because she actually is, but they would also know she's not lost and defenseless. I do think they'd invite her to share their campfire, but keep a close eye on her, and try to figure out if some authorities or family members are looking for her.

22) 6 (Vlad) and 12 (Peter) turn out to be the biological parents of one other character on the list. Which one is it, and how did the union happen?

Seems pretty unlikely, biologically speaking, but OK. By the process of eliminatin, maybe Elliot? Vlad's smart mouth and inability to leave well enough alone, and Peter's nerdery and desire to experiment and understand things and tendency towards crushing on people?

23) 10 (Ivanova) and 3 (Sherlock) go shopping together - for what?

I have NO idea what would possess Ivanova to put up with Sherlock long enough to buy anything. The only thing they could have in common would be weapons, but it's not even the same kind of weapons. Maybe there's an interdimensional medical conference that John and Franklin are both attending, and Ivanova and Sherlock are there too for some reason -- Sherlock tagged along for a possible case, or to avoid Mycroft, and Ivanova is Franklin's ride? -- and they both need some toiletries or something, and have asked Ivanova and Sherlock to go buy them some toothpaste while they're both attending a panel? At least that should be pretty quick.

24) 5 (Elliot) is so very depressed. How will 14 (Mikodez) cheer them up?

If offering him sugar overload in the form of many different candiies, cookies, and other sweets doesn't help, Mikodez might just have to devise some kind of puzzle/game thing -- which Elliot would not realize at first was not real -- to pull him into. Or maybe a treasure map to a hoard of rare books? And the thing is, it would actually work.

25) 12 (Peter) ended up in charge of their younger self at a time where they still need guidance. How does 12 react to this particular challenge? Try to run? Find someone else to raise the child? Actually raise their YS themselves? Do they get along?

Oh, interesting! Peter's one of the characters on the list who didn't have a particularly happy upbringing, and I think he'd feel really werid and self-conscious about trying to raise himself (and very tempted to turn young!Peter over to Nightingale for guidance).

I think one thing he would do for sure is tell young!Peter about magic and encourage him to stick with science, as well as learn some Latin earlier, so he doesn't have to feel quite as embarrassed in front of Abigail. (And speaking of Abigail, she would totally start bossing young!Peter around, enjoying the opportunity, but it would probably be good for him.) I think he'd also try to... let his younger self have a bit more fun, feel like his preferences are actually important, although I'm not sure how successful he'd be at that -- Peter is not the best at showing emotion, to put it mildly, and neither is anyone else at the Folly, really.

I do think they'd get along, in part because Peter would default to being a light touch. And young!Peter would think older, magic-knowing Peter is pretty cool, although not nearly as cool as Abigail or Nightingale. (You know young!Peter would hero-worship Nightingale to an even greater degree than regular Peter does.)

26) Between 5 (Elliot) and 7 (Hermione), which one would be more likely to prefer a magic mirror for communication?

Heh at the two 'Muggleborns' getting this question. Well, magic mirrors are canonical for HP-verse, so Hermione is used to them. Elliot would really like a cell phone with GPS tracking, so he can keep tabs on Luke and Serene while they're off fighting, but he would settle for a magic mirror, too, since cell phones keep exploding on him. In short, Elliot would prefer one, since Hermione does also have other magical options, while distance communication in the otherlands seems to be limited to letters.

27) 13 (Kirk) writes a novel. What is it about.

A dashing space captain heroically rescuing planets and stuff, with dubious help from his largely inept crew, breaking the hearts of a procession of beautiful alien women in the process, but, like, nobly-like. Featuring thinly veiled caricatures of commanding officers and teachers and Federation brass he doesn't like, and good-natured poking of fun at characters who bear a striking resemblance to his friends. The Vulcan science officer, Grock, is the eternal buttmonkey.

28) Who does 10 (Ivanova) think is cuter, 8 (Hathaway) or 1 (Cordy)? Do either of them think that 10 is cute?

Cordelia. (Susan is canonically bi, and while neither Cordy nor James look much like her canonical love interests, I think Cordy would be more her type physically.)

Ivanova and Hathaway came up on a previous question, and I do think he would think Susan is cute (though not be very likely to do much about it, being who he is). Cordelia might admire Ivanova's hair, but I don't think she swings that way, and even from an aesthetic perspective would probably find Ivanova's manner of dressing and carrying herself really boring.

29) 15 (Zoe) got caught cheating on 6 (Vlad) with 9 (Ivan). How do they react?

I really don't think Zoe is the type to cheat, so there's got to be some misunderstanding -- maybe she has amnesia and doesn't relize she was ever with Vlad? Or possibly she had amnesia WHILE she was with Vlad, because I don't know what would've brought them together. I mean, Vlad likes deadly women, sure, but I don't think Zoe is his type -- too career military, even if she did turn space smuggler at some point. And I definitely don't think Vlad is *her* type, since, other than an inability to shut up, he is raaather different than Wash.

Ivan being up for a fling with Zoe I do see -- judging by his fond memories of Lady Donna, he has no problem with take-charge women in that context. But I think Zoe needs somebody a bit zanier than Ivan; she would find him somewhat callow.

So the only way any of this makes sense is some kind of succession of sex pollen scenarios, probably. Zoe is annoyed (though, hey, at least the military lad is not bad looking); Ivan is fairly cheerful (could've been much worse!) but suspicious it's all Miles's fault in some fashion; and Vlad is furious about gods and/or the universe messing with him in this fashion, but what is he going to do besides bitching to Loiosh about it?

30) 2 (Morrolan) is secretly in love with 14 (Mikodez). For reasons only known to 2 they choose not to reveal these feelings to 14 but do tell 11 (Thomas) after swearing them to secrecy. Does 11 a) think there’s hope for this potential relationship? And b) ignore 2’s wish for secrecy to hear what 14 thinks?

As much as I like both characters individually, I don't think they'd get along particularly well, and definitely don't see much romantic potential. Thomas wouldn't either, I'm pretty sure (though if he did, I could see him as the type to give match-making a try). As it is, I think he'd just hear Morrolan out, nod blandly, and wait for whatever weird crush this is to blow over, while thinking it's a good idea that Morrolan isn't planning to actually tell Mikodez how he feels.

31) 4 (Azula), 3 (Sherlock), 2 (Morrolan), 13 (Kirk) and 6 (Vlad) get trapped in a computer game (up to you if they need to build up a civilization, succeed in some peaceful habitat à la Sims or need to fight to survive). Can they make it back out?

Almost certainly, as long as they can find a way to work together -- this is a strong group, full of people who just won't quit. And it pretty much doesn't matter what kind of game it is -- Sherlock could take care of any puzzles, Kirk and Azula would be good for strategy, and Vlad is not bad at solving mysteries, too (and skills in building up and upholding a territory, which Azula would definitely be able to help with also). And whether they needed to fight physically, magically, and/or dirty within the game, there are people who can take care of that.

The biggest problem is definitely going to be the five of them getting along -- Azula and Kirk are both the types that don't really know how not to be in charge, Vlad and Sherlock don't play well with others, and Morrolan tends to operate on personal loyalty and esoteric honor, which can be as much a liability as an asset. Anyway, *if* Azula and Kirk come to the conclusion that they will have to collaborate to make it out of the game and put their differences/pissing contests aside, I can see this working -- Azula could manipulate Sherlock, probably, and entice Vlad into collaborating, and then I think it would be fine.

32) 3 (Sherlock) gets drunk and confesses something to 4 (Azula). what is it and how do they both react?

I think, most likely, Sherlock is just pretending to be drunk, and the "confession" is a way to elicit some reaction from Azula to help him solve a case -- she's either a suspect or has some information she isn't sharing. Azula doesn't fall for it, and probably tries to play him back. Which Sherlock realizes right away, and his drunk/fervent expression transforms into an actual smile, and they share a moment of preening at their own cleverness, and the pleasure of encountering someone almost (but not quite!) as clever to try and fool.

(It's actually a really interesting dynamic! I mean, Azula is a high-functining sociopath if ever there was one.)

33) 10 (Susan) and 11 (Thomas) have a child - what are they like?

I think Thomas would be the type of person to take having grown up in a terribly dysfunctional family and come out determined to do absolutely everything right for his child -- be fiercely protective *and* spoil them rotten. Thomas would be the epitome of the fun dad! Which is OK, because Susan can definitely be the pragmatic one, and the one who enforces the rules.

It's harder for me to say what a kid of theirs would be like, since they're a pretty rnadom couple. Stubborn, I'm sure. Clever. Willing to try catching flies with honey rather than vinegar first, but ruthless when the chips are down. But it's hard to say beyond that.

34) 8 (Hathaway), 9 (Ivan), 1 (Cordy), and 15 (Zoe) find themselves in a mysterious prison camp being forced to mine fuel for a nearby spaceport. What do they do?

Ivan is absolutely convinced this is somehow Miles's fault, and he is probably right. Also correctly, he is convinced that Miles will come rescue him, so he is not too terribly worried, although there are certainly better ways he could be passing his time.

Hathaway... honestly, I'm not sure how he would react, given that the situation would be pretty far out of his depth. I think he might just sort of... decide it was a trial he had to endure, a test of his faith, or something, and just hang around morosely, waiting for it to pass, since there isn't anything much he'd think he could do about it.

Cordy is outraged that she is being used for menial labor, and in the dirt, too! She tries to explain to the guards that this is all a mistake and she should be living in the nice clean house over there, away from all these gross people. When that doesn't work, she switches her ploy to seducing a guard who's been looking particularly susceptible, and that works better.

Zoe knows Mal et al are on their way to rescue her -- he doesn't leave crew behind. But she's also not the type to sit idly and wait to be rescued, so she wold definitely be planning an escape attempt. Probably involving blowing up the fuel storage tanks (or whatever) in a spectacular manner, using objects pilfered from the guards by Cordelia to construct a detonator. (Cordelia isn't thrilled to have to steal things she doesn't even understand, but Zoe looks like she knows what she's doing, and Cordy doesn't have much of a chance for getting off-planet without one of the sci-fi canon folks).

35) 5 (Elliot) runs into 14 (Mikodez) in a bar - what do they drink, and what do they find to talk about?

Elliot drinks, hmm. Even when he's of age, I see him staying away from alcohol because of his father, so probably something like a soda, if the bar has it (he misses soda as a sign of civilization).

Mikodez drinks, oh god, virgin pina colladas (alcohol interacts with his meds weirdly, and he doesn't like it clouding his brain anyway), or whatever is the drink with the highest sugar content on the menu, the more grotesquely colored the better. If they have this shampoo-like, iolently pink, intensely chemical "strawberry" thing that I tried once at L's behest, he would drink that.

This meme keeps throwing Elliot and Mikodes together, and I honestly love it, because they would get along so well, especially when it was just sitting together and talking in a bar -- they both do so enjoy talking! They'd talk about their shared conviction that the pen is mightier than the sword, and furthermore, a lot less dumb, and being surrounded by people without a basic sense of self-preservation, and Elliot would natter about all of his pen-pals and Mikodez about his latest hobby du jour -- and it would be wonderful, because I think both are the kind of people that would be willing to listen to the other's chatter as long as they're simpatico, and of course they are.

36) 7 (Hermione), 12 (Peter), 10 (Susan), and 9 (Ivan) find themselves involved in trying to save the world from an alien invasion - what do they contribute to the battle, and do they all survive?

Susan is used t dealing with aliens, as well as with planet-scale and space battles, so she brings the most military and psychological experience.

Ivan is at least aware of space battles as a thing, though ideally a thing to be viewed from far, far away, and preferably fictional. But Ivan is very good at handling complicated logistics and bureaucratic triage, so he can definitely be useful in an organizational role.

Peter would probably be most useful is he can get on board an alien spacecraft and do magic there -- hopefully frying all their electronics in the process. Maybe Hermione and he can Apparate there and use magic against the aliens, which might be humanity's best hope if the aliens have superior technology? Although both Hermione and Peter, I think, would want to be really sure that the aliens could not be reasoned with before everybody starts killing each other (I bet Peter, at least, has read Ender's Game).

If magic works aboard the alien spacecraft, then I think Peter and Hermione do survive. Ivan does too, because he's operating from behind the lines. Susan would be my pick to die gloriously in battle, if it had t be someone, but I hope they all make it.

37) 13 (Kirk) has decided that 6 (Vlad) needs someone in their life and sets to work. Who do they pick as 6’s new companion (can be someone from the list / any other person / a pet)? Does 6 agree that a) they actually need someone? And b) that 13's pick makes sense?

The correct answer is obviously "Morrolan", but I don't expect Kirk to figure that out :P

I think he would probably tap Cordelia for Vlad, from this list, because I think he'd expect his own tastes to be universal, and I think he'd find her the most conventionally attractive of the ladies (not that Kirk would turn down a romp with Zoe, a quickie with Susan (see above), an argument-devolving-into-sex(-hopefully) with Hermione, or possibly even something with Azula -- what?). Anyway, Vlad finds Cordelia too prissy and spoiled -- she is not at all like his usual type these days -- and Cordelia would find him way too rough and rude, and those things he carries around eat dead rodents, ew! So it definitely doesn't go anywhere.

Besides, even if it appears Vlad is coming to the conclusion that he might need someone in his life -- things are complicated, but he seems determined to settle down, so might as well -- I don't see him taking love advice from the likes of Kirk.

38) 14 (Mikodez) and 12 (Peter) write a song together about/for 4 (Azula). Who does the lyrics and who the music, and what's the song called?

Peter writes the music, with some advice from his dad, maybe. Mikodez writes the words -- rhyming song lyrics seems like something that would suit that ferret brain of his. He is also the one to title the song. Azula reminds him of Jedao a bit -- someone brilliant in a particular way, who wins and wins effortlessly against great odds, before crushing and burning in a way that strikes everyone else as sudden. So the song is called "Immolation Fugue".

39) Describe 1 (Cordy)’s family situation: a) growing up and b) as it is now. Would they be happier in 5 (Elliot)’s?

We don't see much of Cordy's family life on Buffy, but she seems happy enough until her father is caught for tax fraud and she finds herself suddenly having to live like a poor person. But from the way she acts, I feel like she might've been loved and spoiled as a child. Encouraged to be pretty rather than smart, maybe, but it must've been a pretty decent childhood anyway. I don't think anyone turns out with so few complexes if they didn't haveahappy childhood. (I haven't gotten to the family situation in the later parts of angel, so I'll just ignorethat part and assume "as it is now" means s2 of Angel, and single, living away from her parents, but not too far away, though she doesn't seem to go back to Sunnydale much, does she.)

Anyway, Elliot had a really crappy family situation growing up -- abandoned by his mother, emotionally absent father. Cordy definitely wouldn't be happier in that. Nor do I think she would be particularly happy in Elliot's current/future family situation, which is awash in Sunborns. I don't see Cordy getting along with Sunborns particularly well.

40) 3 (Sherlock) and 15 (Zoe) share a flat. Do they get along? Does anything interesting happen?

Do they get along? LOL, no -- it takes the patience of a saint to get along with Sherlock, and Zoe would for sure not put up with his shit. And the interesting thing that would happen, I think, is that she would shoot him some day not too long into their acquaintance. And no jury on earth would convict her.

41)
11/7 (Thomas/Hermione)
2/8 (Morrolan/Hathaway)
10/14 (Ivanova/Mikodez)
9/6 (Ivan/Vlad)
1/13 (Cordy/Kirk)
4/15 (Azula/Zoe)
...go on blind dates. What happens?

Thomas/Hermione: They meet for dinner at a small and exclusive restaurant, where Thomas somehow managed to get a reservation last minute. Hermione finds herself feeling oddly shallow, because, really, they don't have anything in common, and he is clearly just smiling and nodding politely as she talks about her passions and her research, and whenever she tries to ask about his life, he deflects the conversation back to her interests, but oh, he's so pretty! They sleep together, which she was definitely not planning to do on a first date with a total stranger, and feels really weird about it, but can't bring herself to regret it either, because, so pretty! (For his part, Thomas liked listening to her impassionately talking about all her causes. He likes wizards with strong opinions.)

Cordelia/Kirk: They have a good time at a crowded bar. Kirk is very amused by Cordelia's tendency to say right what on's her mind, without worrying about who she's offending, and he likes her attitude in general. She likes his big blue eyes, and likes it even more when he gets into a brawl when someone stumbles over her chair and spills a drink on her. She takes him back to her place to take care of him after the fight, and they continue to have a good time. (Dennis the ghost roommate objects at first, but Kirk isn't bothered by him, so he gives up after a while.)

Susan/Mikodez: Since Mikodez seems to have no interest in romance, this is probably an attempt to recruit Ivanova, or some other manner of covert ops. They meet at the Zocalo, and susan watches in mounting disbelief as Mikodez puts away three dessert courses and constructs origami out of the napkins, a four-story structure out of the salt and sugar packets, and arranges the cutlery into weird symbols. As for whether his attempt to recruit her is successful -- I do think it's likely that she would sympathize with whatever cause he is working for -- maybe using Babylon 5 as a transit station for secret Mwennin refugees? She wouldn't keep it a secret from Sheridan, but it seems like the sort of thing the rest of B5's brass would be sympathetic to, too.

Ivan/Vlad: There was probably some kind of misunderstanding, because while I could see both Ivan and Vlad in a relationship with a guy, it's far enough outside of their default that I really don't think either would go on a blind date with one. Maybe their real blind dates stood them up? Maybe whoever's been setting them up accidentally arranged for them to meet the same girl in the same time and the same place, and when the girl realized that, she decided not to come at all? Anyway, once it becomes clear to them both that their dates aren't coming, Ivan doesn't feel like just leaving when he had set out to have a good time, so he stops by the only other table with a solo occupant and asks Vlad if he has any objections to company, given that the girl he was waiting for is clearly not going to show. Vlad is angry rather than philosophical about being stood up, but Ivan has a soothing sort of presence -- he laughs easily at himself, and tells funny stories about his crazy cousin and various scrapes, and Vlad reluctantly finds himself actually kind of having a good time. Ivan finds the cloaked stranger kind of over intense, in that way that seems to be peculiar to the Jacksonians he's met, but Ivan likes his snark, and he's full of good advice on what to order off the menu, and turns out to know a good place down the street to get coffee and pastries at 2 in the morning, so it turns out not to be a wasted evening after all.

Azula/Zoe: Inara and Kaylee think Zoe really needs to get back in the saddle after Wash, and Zoe keeps comparing every guy they point out to her to her dead husband, which is clearly not going to go well, so Inara suggests setting her up with a woman, instead. Azula may be older, but has not gotten any better at flirting since "The Beach", and Zoe is seriously concerned. She presses a panic button, activating the signal she had pre-set with Mal for if she needed to be rescued from a bad date. Of course, this being Mal, the rescue is not a call and "Oh no, sorry, I need to go visit my grandma in the hospital" but an actual small-scale invasion of the restaurant, probably involving grenades, if Jayne has gotten his way. Still more fun than a blind date with Azula, though, so Zoe forgives the lot of them.

Morrolan/Hathaway: No spark there, alas. They meet at a slightly upscale pub. Both of them *can* be charming, but it seems to be something that takes concentrated effort from them, so... I think they just end up sitting there in a lot of awkward silence, making small talk about what they're drinking, until a sufficiently polite quantity of time has ellapsed and they can call it a night.

42) 7 (Hermione) and 2 (Morrolan) are trying to take over the world together. So do 8 (Hathaway) and 11 (Thomas), at the same time. Can 5 (Elliot) cooperate with 6 (Vlad) to stop them?

Well, the good news is, the more overpowered pairing would never agree on the proper way to take over the world -- Morrolan wants a military conquest, Hermione wants bureaucratic and ideally peaceful (though she's willing to fight for it if necessary) wide-sweeping reforms. So the "together" is not really going to happen. I don't see Hathaway and Thomas getting very far with world conquest plans, either, even if they were inclined in that direction, which neither is. Hathaway and Thomas would, on their own, decide that neither of them really wants the hassle or responsibility of running the world, and just go down to the pub instead, so there's no need to stop them.

Elliot and Vlad couldn't cooperate worth a damn on anything, but fortunately they don't really need to. Vlad distracts Morrolan by involving him in a conversation about witchcraft, or winding him up with teasing. Elliot starts talking to Hermione, and it turns out that while their ideas and methods are not fully compatible, they really respect each other's approaches and the strengths of each other's beliefs. So it's Hermione and Elliot who cooperate to take over the world, which is a fairly scary scenario. But at least there would be equal rights for all magical creatures (whether they want them or not), and a lot of emphasis on education.

43) 5 (Elliot), 9 (Ivan), 1 (Cordy), and 12 (Peter) watch television, where when applicable the television show/ movie they're taken from is shown (or read a book about them). What are their reactions?

Let's do Cordy first, because she is from a TV show and an episode take a lot less time than reading even a short book. They watch "Homecoming". Cordelia complains about Buffy and the girl who actually won, and how anyone can see she should've been homecoming queen. It's really hard for her to watch all the Xander/Willow scenes, but that just makes her complain louder about the unfairness of the homecoming vote, because it's not like she cares about Xander, obviously. Peter and Ivan are slightly baffled by all these American high school social trappings, but know enough about women to smile and nod sympathetically, since it seems clear Cordelia expects them to. Ivan even reassures her that she definitely should've won "house empress" or whatever it is. Elliot, meanwhile, totally tunes out all the homecoming drama, but thinks it's a shame nobody seems to have tried asking the vampires what they really want and if there's a way to reach some sort of mutually acceptable compromise where they don't kill people and people don't kill them. Also, he realizes he's missing a lot of backstory there, and cheating on a partner is a very bad thing, but he's sort of wistful about how clearly close Xander and Willow are and have been for years; it makes him think of himself and Serene a bit.

Then they read "Wings in the Morning" (because it's shorte than In Other Lands). Plus it would be interesting to give Elliot a look into Luke's head and all the stuff Luke would never tell him otherwise, like how the whole thing with the harpies thinking Elliot is his boyfriend came about. Elliot is so cuted out, he's speechless for nearly a whole 15 seconds. Ivan thinks this Luke Sunborn fellow seems really nice, but honestly he's kind of with Dale on the freakiness of dating someone who's half-harpy, not that he would ever say it out loud, when it's clear how Elliot feels about that. Cordy, conversely, thinks Luke's wings are hot, and also that Trigon clearly needs a cheerleading squad -- no wonder it can't keep Elliot's attention otherwise. Peter is frowningly pondering how interbreeding with Dwarves and harpies is even possible, and how harpy genetics work, and that having wings would actually be pretty cool.

Then they can read Captain Vorpatril's Alliance. Ivan is OK with everyone laughing at his early misadventures and fake marriage and inability to annul it, but as things get close to the bunker scene, he sneaks off to the restroom until the claustrophobic bits are past. Elliot finds the whole thing hilarious, starting with the "kidnapped by two beautiful women" bit, and quickly develops a crush on Rish (or any of the other Jewels. Those are good too!) Cordy is most impressed by Lady Alys, and lectures Ivan on not being appreciatie enough of his awesome mother (which is fine; Ivan is used to getting lectured about his mother by abslutely everyone). Meanwhile, Peter is probably just geeking out at all the sci-fi things, but also voicing very strong feelings on the architectural ugliness of ImpSec HQ.

With Peter, there's a choice of books, but since they just read a longish one for Ivan, maybe they can leaf through one of the comics for him, for a change of pace. Let's go with Night Witch, maybe, since that's my favorite? Peter feels awkward about both the scenes in Beverley's bedroom *and* about how messy her house looks -- he feels like he has to justify that part to the others, where, really, they'd rather just turn the page. But the hardest parts for him are, of course, the Lesley-centric pages. Ivan frowns at the occasionally dodgy Cyrillic lettering. He also finds that Varvara's WWII flashbacks map quite handily onto the kind of stories General Piotr had told him and Miles about the Cetagandan occupation, and so finds himself really moved by the hints of her story. Cordelia wants to know where she can get the kind of magic that will let her mind-control other people into doing her chores for her. Elliot, I think, would just fixate on the idea that magic *is* something that can be learned by ordinary people, and then pester Peter to show him some basics (he'd be pretty good at it, too). I just feel like it's too small-scale a story for Elliot to get into. Now something like the main arc about the Faceless Man, that would be more to his taste.

44) Compare the matchups of 15 (Zoe) & 2 (Morrolan) and 13 (Kirk) & 11 (Thomas). (Ignore canon sexual preferences for the moment.) Which couple would be more compatible? Which couple would be more plausible to people from either principal's home culture?

More acceptable - Kirk/Thomas. Judging by Sulu's family in ST:B, gay marriage is legal in the future, and most people seem to think Thomas is gay anyway, so nobody would be surprised. And I think they'd be fairly compatible, too -- Thomas could keep up with Kirk's adrenaline junkie ways, Jim wouldn't find him boring, and I bet they'd find plenty of ways to keep life interesting.

Zoe/Morrolan is not terrible in terms of compatibility -- if she were a Dragaeran, she'd be a Dragonlord for sure, and Zoe has the right combination of battle prowess and snark that I think is Morrolan's type ;P (Also, Gina Torres is my headcanon of Tazendra, and as I'e mentioned before, I do ship Tazendra/Morrolan c. LoCB. But I don't think he's her type. And as far as being plausible/palatable to their home cultures -- well, Morrolan would be an alien as far as Firefly-verse is concerned, and while Easterner/Dragaeran relationships are not absolute taboo, there does seem to be some eyebrow-raising associated with it.

45) 7 (Hermione) finds him/her/itself inserted into 8 (Hathaway)'s continuity. As far as anyone other than 7 or 8 is concerned, they've always been there. What role would 7 be presumed to have had in 8's story, and could they fit in without going wonky?

They could actually coexist in the same continuity, given the Statute of Secrecy. Let's see, time-wise, Hermione graduates from Hogwarts in 1999. The Lewis episodes don't start until 2006... But I guess if Hermione were pursuing a mundane university degree while also doing some higher-level magical training -- which I suspect is what she should do, she'd hae to take a couple of years of classes to catch up on Muggle academics that she missed in Hogwarts, and so could overlap with Hathaway in Oxford. Maybe there's a magical murder in Oxford, and Harry and Ron get involved in the investigation from the Aurors side, but they need Hermione's help to navigate around, and in the course of this they run into Hathaway, who's pursuing the mundane investigation into the same death. I feel like he would find it not too difficult to integrate the existence of HP-verse magic into his worldview. And by the time the investigation is over, Harry and Ron should really Obliviate him, but he raises some ethical arguments about that to Hermione, and some practical ones, about it being easier to cooperate on future investigations, and they leave it at that.

(It would be more interesting the other way around, with Hathaway as a Muggleborn student in Hogwarts -- Ravenclaw, I think. But that's not what the question was asking.)

This is about 2/3 of the full meme, but anything more would max out the LJ comment limit, so cutting it off here. The rest will be in the next post.

This entry was originally posted at https://hamsterwoman.dreamwidth.org/1057208.html. Comment wherever you prefer (I prefer LJ).