Remember when "birds-as-dinosaurs" was new and controversal? No, neither do I.
Good afternoon, Livejournal! How are you today? What's that, you say? Xenophobic? Oh dear. Luckily I can't report you for hate speech, because LJ's policy only lets me report for hatred of a particular ethnic, religious or ethnic group, so you're safe there.*
OK, OK, I'll stop being facetious and give you the answers to the question meme. Still taking questions there, BTW.
What obscure canon should everyone know?
When I first read this, I'd spent the day watching Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds, so was tempted to say that, but y'know, despite what husketeer says, I don't think that show really stands up to repeat viewing through adult eyes. So I'm going to elect for the canon i'm sure you've all heard me rave about this year at some point or another: Press Gang.
Die Schwester bought me the DVDs for this last Hogswatch, and it was the first time I'd watched it since I was 12 and watched it live on TV. I still had vivid memories of The Last Word (my first run in with the Tonight Someone Dies! trope, and sweet Bob it was effective) and A Quarter to Midnight, which equally had me excited and on the edge of my seat. Press Gang was by far my favourite show when I was young, and is the reason I decided I wanted to go into communication.
Watching it again fourteen years later, it stood up better than most programmes I remember from that time: funny, moving, and refreshingly original. The debut of writer Steven Moffat (Coupling, Jekyll, the Dr. Who episode "Blink"), it starred Julia Sawalha (Saffy in Absolutely Fabulous) and Dexter Fletcher (Soap in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, John Martin in Band of Brothers), and I, naturally, developed a massive crush on the second, while wanting to be the first. Not that I'm sure why - Sawalha's character Lynda is distinctly unpersonable, but the charm of Moffat's writing is such that you can't help liking her.
The show itself tackles a thousand different issues affecting young people, and it does so well, with sensitivity and realism, and because it's realistic, with humour. Lots of kids shows tackle suicide and drug addiction, but Press Gang did it well. Death, sexual abuse, self-blame and responsibility were dealt with alongside exam stress, career choices and the romance which formed the centrepiece of the plot. And it did so many things right: gender relations is the big one, but the (yes, the, unfortunately) minority character is a full character with no signs of tokenism or stereotypes that I recognise. Not to mention the tetraplegic actor who recurred in several epsiodes. Sure, there are no gay characters, and one character spends at episode with a tea towel on his head, blacked up and talking about camels, but all this is remarkably forgivable.
Mostly, though, it's funny. Witty, sympathetic and enjoyable. I really cared about those characters, Bob bless them to bits.
(If anyone tracks down this show and wants to play a Spike, SEE ME)
What was your inspiration for Jack Hollins?
Jack Hollins, for those of you just tuning in, is the supporting character from my original-fic-in-progress Ship of Secrets, (now with extra backstory), and as ineveryport , is my original character in shatterverse.
Jack wasn't so much inspired as constructed around what I wanted to write about. The 'truth' concept of magic just came to me randomly one day when my mind was wandering. The concept was incredibly simple: magic is based on the Truth (which isn't objective fact, and isn't subjective thoughts, but that interface at which they meet). Some people can see the truth (Readers) some people can change it (Casters- though I dislike this word and hope to change it). The hero Richard, was born on that world and grew up on ours (those blasted faeries), and as a side effect can do both (blah blah typical fantasy thing: closer than I'd like to that disgusting bigot Terry Goodkind, but what can you do?) Jack was to be the lovable rogue to Richard's reactionary hero: the Jack (!) to his Will, the Han to his Luke. I, uh, haven't figured out what to do about an Idealistic Princess, but I think it's a male character from the Brythonic upper class. Anyway, for once I wanted the lovable rogue character to be female, and also to not have a love story between any of the three main characters. Hence them all liking women.
Originally it was supposed to be a war story - what has become the Alethea started off life in my head as a regiment of people selected for their secrets. Fantasy world, but it was supposed to be Napoleonic level of technology (with magic). Richard was little more than a weapon given to the regiment to be protected and delivered into the hands of their king. Then I realised that a) I knew nothing about Napoleonic warfare, and b) I couldn't write a realistic war in terms of motivations of each side. I wanted the 'good' side to be good without resorting to making the bad side distastefully evil.
So I thought, 'y'know what? I can write pirates', and decided the regiment should become a ship. That made it easier to write 'us' and 'them', because all governments became 'bad', and the pirates became near-anarchists (inspired by my reading of Captain Johnson) who were out to create havoc for the three Empires (based roughly but obviously on Britain, France and Spain), and to protect Richard from being used as a tool by them. Not that the pirates' motivations are good or noble or anything, but I hope it's easier to be sympathetic with people who value 'freedom' in today's environment.
Anyway, so Jack - I mean, Ruth. I can't just say 'women in drag are hot', can I? Thought not. Well, she wasn't created as a transvestite out of situational necessity: the situation was constructed to make her a transvestite. The Secret Keeper thing cropped up in the conception of the idea. One thing I wanted to do was inception was that she's not transgender - she identifies as a woman, but lives as a man due to necessity. I don't want to propagate the falsehood that lesbianism and transsexuality are somehow equivalent - an all too common misconception, I've found. However, this is in contrast to another girl-dressed-as-boy on the ship, who was raised as a boy despite being physically human. Jack finds it a lot easier to fill female roles when required to, but she wants to less.
Jack's objectifies attitude to women is a bit of a self insert, but again a result of a deliberate character-building decision. He is in an all male environment, and wants to fit in not just to keep his secret, but for the sake of companionship. So he adopted a rather stereotypical attitude. It's why he boasts so much, and fights to maintain his reputation as a womaniser.
So essentially - the inspiration for him came from a number of cold decisions. Um, oops?
Sex -- what is it good for?
You mean aside from orgasms, right?
Personally I'm faintly amused this question should be asked of me, famous proponent of 'sex is just something to do' and opponent of many of the consequences of treating sex as some sort of holy grail: like the cult of virginity: the idea that somehow inexperience and ignorance is somehow a good thing. The consequences of which I won't get into because the question was not 'why is sex overrated' but 'what is it good for'?
Aside from orgasms.
Although actually, I'm being blase there: it's entirely 100% possible to enjoy sex without having an orgasm. Trust me: it was a long long journey for me to experience my first, for all sorts of known and unknown reasons (among which I rank sexual assault very low). I enjoyed sex before I'd ever experienced an orgasm, and I don't need one from myself or my partner to enjoy sex now. Sex is fun. It brings endorphins and adrenaline from the exercise as well as special advantages of its own. It's close and intimate and demonstrative of a level of trust between you and the partner. I mean sure, it's fun to do recreationally, and YMMV, but I'm firmly of the opinion that it's best when you're in love. It is, for those of us that struggle with being and doing stages, the ultimate form of 'being' and great for stress relief. I've never achieved anything through meditation that can't be beaten hands down (pun not intended, but if I leave it there I can pretend it is) by a good masturbation / sex session. it calms me down and helps me get to sleep of a night. I've never felt quite as refreshed and energised after any physical exercise, from Body Combat to Tae Kwon Do as I have from a good long hour or so of energetic sweaty sex. Count it as my weight control activity of choice, definitely. It's also amazing at pain relief - for menstrual symptoms as well as for other ailments. I have it on good authority, which shall here remain nameless until she talks about it in my comments, that it's possible to have penile-vaginal penetrative sex while wearing a mooncup. I don't think I'll be trying it any time soon.
I should probably add of course, that when I say 'sex' I'm using it sensu lato to mean any sexual activity, because penile-vaginal penetration is a bit narrow if you sleep with women, as well as feeling rather arbitrary in definition.
It's fun. Good Bob, sex is fun. On your own or with other people. I don't like people who assign it special status, who make it the be all and end all and purpose of life and relationships and stuff, because that's unhealthy, but as a sign of affection and love with someone you trust enough to be completely intimate with? Can't be beat.
But back to the question- what is sex good for? (Good god, y'all, absolutely NOTHING - uh, sorry, forget that) A few things. But mostly, it's not what it's good for that's the point. Sex is good in itself. Yum.
I'll concede procreation, too, if I have to.
The discovery of a live dinosaur enclave:good/bad?
Apart from birds, clearly?
I'm- failing to see how it would be bad. DINOSAURS, yo. I mean, sure there might be all sorts of controversy and people trying to exploit them and a couple of lawyers might get eaten off the toilet, but we'd have real life DINOSAURS. Think of the live studies we could do! The ecological investigation! The safari opportunities!
So much win.
Who's your favorite Discworld character?
Ha, I left this question for ages and ages trying to think of one, and the truth is, I can't. I can't name a favourite character. I always used to identify with Angua, before Pterry reduced her to a series of (admittedly funny) jokes about dogs and living as a woman - although not misogynistic jokes. I'm fascinated by the Carrot-Vetinari-Vimes dynamic. I love Nanny and Granny, I adore Death and his relationship with Susan. I squee a little every time the Librarian turns up on a page. I want to see more Eska and more Jocasta.
But really my absolute favourite ever character has to be one which only turned up in one novel: the Last Continent. And I love him because he's a giant reference to JMS Haldane: the God of Evolution, who spent his entire appearance coming up with new designs for beetles: the God of Evolution.
This post today brought to you by Deepest Sender on matgb's recommedation. It seems funtionally similar to Semagic, but it's much slower, location doesn't auto fill in, you have to maunally type in lj users, tags are stored online and therefore take ages to load, and there's no scrapbook support. I'll be going back, I think.
*No, seriously, Flist, STFU with the kneejerk bigotry already.
OK, OK, I'll stop being facetious and give you the answers to the question meme. Still taking questions there, BTW.
What obscure canon should everyone know?
When I first read this, I'd spent the day watching Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds, so was tempted to say that, but y'know, despite what husketeer says, I don't think that show really stands up to repeat viewing through adult eyes. So I'm going to elect for the canon i'm sure you've all heard me rave about this year at some point or another: Press Gang.
Die Schwester bought me the DVDs for this last Hogswatch, and it was the first time I'd watched it since I was 12 and watched it live on TV. I still had vivid memories of The Last Word (my first run in with the Tonight Someone Dies! trope, and sweet Bob it was effective) and A Quarter to Midnight, which equally had me excited and on the edge of my seat. Press Gang was by far my favourite show when I was young, and is the reason I decided I wanted to go into communication.
Watching it again fourteen years later, it stood up better than most programmes I remember from that time: funny, moving, and refreshingly original. The debut of writer Steven Moffat (Coupling, Jekyll, the Dr. Who episode "Blink"), it starred Julia Sawalha (Saffy in Absolutely Fabulous) and Dexter Fletcher (Soap in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, John Martin in Band of Brothers), and I, naturally, developed a massive crush on the second, while wanting to be the first. Not that I'm sure why - Sawalha's character Lynda is distinctly unpersonable, but the charm of Moffat's writing is such that you can't help liking her.
The show itself tackles a thousand different issues affecting young people, and it does so well, with sensitivity and realism, and because it's realistic, with humour. Lots of kids shows tackle suicide and drug addiction, but Press Gang did it well. Death, sexual abuse, self-blame and responsibility were dealt with alongside exam stress, career choices and the romance which formed the centrepiece of the plot. And it did so many things right: gender relations is the big one, but the (yes, the, unfortunately) minority character is a full character with no signs of tokenism or stereotypes that I recognise. Not to mention the tetraplegic actor who recurred in several epsiodes. Sure, there are no gay characters, and one character spends at episode with a tea towel on his head, blacked up and talking about camels, but all this is remarkably forgivable.
Mostly, though, it's funny. Witty, sympathetic and enjoyable. I really cared about those characters, Bob bless them to bits.
(If anyone tracks down this show and wants to play a Spike, SEE ME)
What was your inspiration for Jack Hollins?
Jack Hollins, for those of you just tuning in, is the supporting character from my original-fic-in-progress Ship of Secrets, (now with extra backstory), and as ineveryport , is my original character in shatterverse.
Jack wasn't so much inspired as constructed around what I wanted to write about. The 'truth' concept of magic just came to me randomly one day when my mind was wandering. The concept was incredibly simple: magic is based on the Truth (which isn't objective fact, and isn't subjective thoughts, but that interface at which they meet). Some people can see the truth (Readers) some people can change it (Casters- though I dislike this word and hope to change it). The hero Richard, was born on that world and grew up on ours (those blasted faeries), and as a side effect can do both (blah blah typical fantasy thing: closer than I'd like to that disgusting bigot Terry Goodkind, but what can you do?) Jack was to be the lovable rogue to Richard's reactionary hero: the Jack (!) to his Will, the Han to his Luke. I, uh, haven't figured out what to do about an Idealistic Princess, but I think it's a male character from the Brythonic upper class. Anyway, for once I wanted the lovable rogue character to be female, and also to not have a love story between any of the three main characters. Hence them all liking women.
Originally it was supposed to be a war story - what has become the Alethea started off life in my head as a regiment of people selected for their secrets. Fantasy world, but it was supposed to be Napoleonic level of technology (with magic). Richard was little more than a weapon given to the regiment to be protected and delivered into the hands of their king. Then I realised that a) I knew nothing about Napoleonic warfare, and b) I couldn't write a realistic war in terms of motivations of each side. I wanted the 'good' side to be good without resorting to making the bad side distastefully evil.
So I thought, 'y'know what? I can write pirates', and decided the regiment should become a ship. That made it easier to write 'us' and 'them', because all governments became 'bad', and the pirates became near-anarchists (inspired by my reading of Captain Johnson) who were out to create havoc for the three Empires (based roughly but obviously on Britain, France and Spain), and to protect Richard from being used as a tool by them. Not that the pirates' motivations are good or noble or anything, but I hope it's easier to be sympathetic with people who value 'freedom' in today's environment.
Anyway, so Jack - I mean, Ruth. I can't just say 'women in drag are hot', can I? Thought not. Well, she wasn't created as a transvestite out of situational necessity: the situation was constructed to make her a transvestite. The Secret Keeper thing cropped up in the conception of the idea. One thing I wanted to do was inception was that she's not transgender - she identifies as a woman, but lives as a man due to necessity. I don't want to propagate the falsehood that lesbianism and transsexuality are somehow equivalent - an all too common misconception, I've found. However, this is in contrast to another girl-dressed-as-boy on the ship, who was raised as a boy despite being physically human. Jack finds it a lot easier to fill female roles when required to, but she wants to less.
Jack's objectifies attitude to women is a bit of a self insert, but again a result of a deliberate character-building decision. He is in an all male environment, and wants to fit in not just to keep his secret, but for the sake of companionship. So he adopted a rather stereotypical attitude. It's why he boasts so much, and fights to maintain his reputation as a womaniser.
So essentially - the inspiration for him came from a number of cold decisions. Um, oops?
Sex -- what is it good for?
You mean aside from orgasms, right?
Personally I'm faintly amused this question should be asked of me, famous proponent of 'sex is just something to do' and opponent of many of the consequences of treating sex as some sort of holy grail: like the cult of virginity: the idea that somehow inexperience and ignorance is somehow a good thing. The consequences of which I won't get into because the question was not 'why is sex overrated' but 'what is it good for'?
Aside from orgasms.
Although actually, I'm being blase there: it's entirely 100% possible to enjoy sex without having an orgasm. Trust me: it was a long long journey for me to experience my first, for all sorts of known and unknown reasons (among which I rank sexual assault very low). I enjoyed sex before I'd ever experienced an orgasm, and I don't need one from myself or my partner to enjoy sex now. Sex is fun. It brings endorphins and adrenaline from the exercise as well as special advantages of its own. It's close and intimate and demonstrative of a level of trust between you and the partner. I mean sure, it's fun to do recreationally, and YMMV, but I'm firmly of the opinion that it's best when you're in love. It is, for those of us that struggle with being and doing stages, the ultimate form of 'being' and great for stress relief. I've never achieved anything through meditation that can't be beaten hands down (pun not intended, but if I leave it there I can pretend it is) by a good masturbation / sex session. it calms me down and helps me get to sleep of a night. I've never felt quite as refreshed and energised after any physical exercise, from Body Combat to Tae Kwon Do as I have from a good long hour or so of energetic sweaty sex. Count it as my weight control activity of choice, definitely. It's also amazing at pain relief - for menstrual symptoms as well as for other ailments. I have it on good authority, which shall here remain nameless until she talks about it in my comments, that it's possible to have penile-vaginal penetrative sex while wearing a mooncup. I don't think I'll be trying it any time soon.
I should probably add of course, that when I say 'sex' I'm using it sensu lato to mean any sexual activity, because penile-vaginal penetration is a bit narrow if you sleep with women, as well as feeling rather arbitrary in definition.
It's fun. Good Bob, sex is fun. On your own or with other people. I don't like people who assign it special status, who make it the be all and end all and purpose of life and relationships and stuff, because that's unhealthy, but as a sign of affection and love with someone you trust enough to be completely intimate with? Can't be beat.
But back to the question- what is sex good for? (Good god, y'all, absolutely NOTHING - uh, sorry, forget that) A few things. But mostly, it's not what it's good for that's the point. Sex is good in itself. Yum.
I'll concede procreation, too, if I have to.
The discovery of a live dinosaur enclave:good/bad?
Apart from birds, clearly?
I'm- failing to see how it would be bad. DINOSAURS, yo. I mean, sure there might be all sorts of controversy and people trying to exploit them and a couple of lawyers might get eaten off the toilet, but we'd have real life DINOSAURS. Think of the live studies we could do! The ecological investigation! The safari opportunities!
So much win.
Who's your favorite Discworld character?
Ha, I left this question for ages and ages trying to think of one, and the truth is, I can't. I can't name a favourite character. I always used to identify with Angua, before Pterry reduced her to a series of (admittedly funny) jokes about dogs and living as a woman - although not misogynistic jokes. I'm fascinated by the Carrot-Vetinari-Vimes dynamic. I love Nanny and Granny, I adore Death and his relationship with Susan. I squee a little every time the Librarian turns up on a page. I want to see more Eska and more Jocasta.
But really my absolute favourite ever character has to be one which only turned up in one novel: the Last Continent. And I love him because he's a giant reference to JMS Haldane: the God of Evolution, who spent his entire appearance coming up with new designs for beetles: the God of Evolution.
This post today brought to you by Deepest Sender on matgb's recommedation. It seems funtionally similar to Semagic, but it's much slower, location doesn't auto fill in, you have to maunally type in lj users, tags are stored online and therefore take ages to load, and there's no scrapbook support. I'll be going back, I think.
*No, seriously, Flist, STFU with the kneejerk bigotry already.