(no subject)
Happy Easter to all of you that celebrate it. I don't celebrate it religiously (that is, as a religious event), but I do enjoy the familyness... however, for me, Easter is _next_ weekend, the awesomeness that is Greek Easter, and so this weekend I didn't do much different than what I normally do, and so this is a fairly normal update.
So, today I finished Fallout 3. Mildly fun, althoguh I was somehow expecting more from the reviews I'd heard and hype about it being the best game of the year. (minor spoilers behind the cut, but mostly just discussions of specific issues, and good points)
I should say that I did play mostly without cheating, except the occasional looking up of something if I couldn't find out where I needed to go to find something, making my dog unkillable (since he tended to rush into combat), and towards the end collecting the bobbleheads I hadn't already found or planned to.
Plotwise it was fairly entertaining for the most part. The problem was it felt very railroaded. Yeah, you could do quests in any order, and a couple different things on each quest (usually one evil option and one good one), but every quest seemed to be 'go here, do this, then this, then this' without much opportunity for the player to actually figure things out. Except for the combat, you mostly just sat back and watched the plots happen. The dialog choices were pretty easy to figure out what you had to do to get a specific result, and a lot of repeated dialog. I mean, except for the graphics, this is the same level of _story_ gameplay I could have played 10 years ago. In fact, it's pretty well exactly the same type as Planescape Torment had, and they did it better. I realize that each choice you add dramatically increases the amount of work you have to do, but still, after all the hype, I wanted more. Also, the ending of the game lacked a little something, where the character seemed like he was forced into one of two choices and a guaranteed result from them, despite the fact that according to the game world as its layed out there should be multiple options that could get around it. The 'time doesn't matter' aspect of it I mentioned last time so I won't get into it again.
On a pure mechanical gameplay level it wasn't bad. The enemies are a bit limited in variety and get tiring after a while, but the ones there are fun there. The VATS system that lets you target specific body parts in slow motion seems to unfortunately be the only way to fight effectively because non-VATS fighting is incredibly hard, what with the badguys moving around too quickly to get a lock on them (while they never seem to have a problem locking on you), and annoying when sometimes you end up sinking 6 VATS shots into a wall you that shouldn't have been blocking your shot to your enemy. You could also tell that the enemies aren't playing by the same rules as you are sometimes which is always annoying (they have infinite ammo until they die and then you find a tiny amount on their corpse).
A lot of exploring and very nice visuals, although the interiors felt like they got repeated a lot. Humans didn't look great, but then they never do and far better than they were years ago. Voice acting was okay, could have done with a bit more variety.
Overall, fun, but it did start to wear on me. I suppose on one level it's perfectly designed, because I finished it at just about the time I got tired of playing it, and I'd exhausted almost all the quests there were in that time. I won't bother looking into the official expansions, Operation Anchorage and The Pitt.
I might play it again, so I'm not uninstalling it. Actually, I'm going around looking at some of the (many, many) mods available and installing the cool-sounding ones so that, if I do play again some day, NPCs and new quests will be added and things'll be changed and it'll be a slightly different experience. The only mod I used in-game was one that greatly expanded the song selections on the in-game radio. I liked listening it for the atmosphere and the updates on what my character had done that the DJ mentions, but there were only so many songs and they were driving me crazy. There was a mod that let you download up to 100 songs of the same general style (30s-50s songs that were either haunting or incongrously cheerful), so I got that, and then went in and added a few of my own songs, despite them breaking the theme of the rest of the music, to replace songs that particularly irritated me (For those wondering what someone like me who doesn't listen to music on my own, chose to add, Gary Jules cover of Mad World, A Horse with No Name, Eve of Destruction, Fever (about the only themely choice I had), Imagine, Dust in the Wind, Superman's Song, and Johnny Cash's "When the Man Comes Around". Mostly because they either felt someway post apocalyptic. And I kinda pretended that Three Dog was playing Superman's Song for me, since I was playing a super good noble post-apocalyptic drifter who helped out everybody without asking for rewards). Anyway, it lead to some nice effects, like when When the Man Comes Around while I was blasting feral ghouls (since the first time I heard the song was in Dawn of the Dead), or "Eve of Destruction" played during the big final quest battle scene involving lots of nukes being thrown around, and, oddly, "Fever" in the game-ending scene.
TV. Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead was on last night, and... ehh, it was okay. Felt like an average episode (and really, with normal episodes being something like 50 minutes, and this one being a whopping 58, lets stop calling these 'extra long specials'. It barely qualifies. When they said instead of a full season we were getting 4 extra long specials I would have hoped that they were at least 1.5 times a regular ep), and nothing really all that special. On the other hand, it didn't make me want to throw things at the screen, so for a RTD-written episode, that's a success. (Minor spoilery comments behind cut) The companion girl I didn't mind as a concept, although she was a bit over the top. I would have almost liked her to tag along to provide some continuity with the next special. However, I didn't much care for the actress. I thought maybe when she was in Bionic Woman she was hampered by having to pretend she was American but nope, I just don't care for her acting even in her own accent).
And the other big TV is the last 2nd season episode of Terminator, the Sarah Connor Chronciles, and possibly the end of the series entirely. And if the last part is true, then DAMN YOU. DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL. I so want to see where they go from here. Good ep, and giving me a lot of what I wanted to see when the series was announced. (spoilers) I mean, nice way to mess with us thinking you killed off Derek Reese in a useless, pointless way, and then have a way to have him be in the next season even awesomer (and perhaps even come back). Plus the T-1000 having ambiguous motives = awesome. And that John/Cameron 'check to see if I'm leaking radiation' scene was disturbingly hot.
Dollhouse was also pretty good. Only other thing I've been watching lately besides Heroes (which is still lame, but getting a _tiny_ bit better at least in the general writing category) and a few "whatever's on" shows is Lost, and it's pretty good this season but I don't find myself with a need to talk about episodes in my updates. I dunno why. *shrug*. So that's it for TV.
Finally, a meme, several installments worth. I've put off these for a long time, usually because I didn't want to post _just_ them, or a post I was already posting just got too long. But, it's about time, so here we go...
Interview Me Meme
1) Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me!"
2) I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3) You will post the answers to the questions (and the questions themselves) on your blog or journal.
4) You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5) When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. And thus the endless cycle of the meme goes on and on and on and on...
Btw, if I asked for questions from you and you gave them but they're not here, it might have been one of those instances where LJ didn't send me the comment notification. If you're really interested you'll have to reply to this and either ask them again or link to them. So, here we go...
From thebitterguy...
1. Were there any comics of note in the '90s? I mean, was the entire decade not a wasteland of graphic novel mediocrity?
I skipped most of the 90s myself. I'm sure, just by sheer statistical improbability, it's unlikely that there weren't any great comics, but I'm not especially aware of them, and they're buried under tons of crap. I've read a handful of individual issues/stories from that era I liked, but none that were especially memorable. Even the stuff I liked before that I was reading in the beginning of the 90s suddenly started to go bad.
So I'll say yes, the decade was a wasteland for comics, although there were probably a few exceptions I'm not aware of. Who wants to delve into a wasteland looking for possible oases?
2. If I shot Ben Browder in the face, would you cry?
Cry? Probably not, because I am manly and never ever cry. But I'd be very disappointed and probably want to kick you in the nuts. I quite like Browder.
3. Do you consciously not use tags on your LJ? Or is it just something you never got around to doing?
This is an odd question because I do use tags, fairly regularly. Maybe I was being confused with somebody else, or maybe it's meant to be some comment that I'm not using tags that are varied enough. I'll answer the question as though it was a general 'how do you use tags'.
I don't really like tag overload, so I usually stick to things that I think I'll be talking about again and again, or things that are on a specific topic that I personally might like to read again (like my What I'd Do With... series of stuff). One of the problems is that for me it seems there's no really _easy_ way to check all of the tags I have in use, while I'm updating, except through the (somewhat unuseful) tag autocomplete. I have to open up another page (and it's usually pretty slow, too).
So there are times when things fall through the gaps because I forget that I do already have an appropriate tag for the category.
4. I see you just re-read the Wild Cards books. Have they aged well?
I still think they're not bad. They're not as good on a reread as they were on a first read, but they're still enjoyable. I always like it more for the whole world they've created and some of the characters than for a particular plot. That's one of the reasons I keep saying that Heroes should take some lessons on it.
5. Is runaways readable in floppies? I've only read the first run as hardcovers, and got the Whedon series as floppies. I found the Whedon's not very engaging until I read them as a single story.
I read them the first time as floppies. I'd say it's much like other comic stories... the individual issues in an arc can occasionally be weak and read better as a whole. I'd say up until about issue 12 or so of the first volume, the individual issues are nothing special compared to anything else and it's better to read the collections. After that it's very readable in floppies through the rest of Vaughan's run (though probably still better once collected, he does a good job of setting up tension that can hold for months).
After Vaughan, so far I'd say it's not especially readable in floppies.
From soleta_nf...
1. What do you love about Toronto?
I don't love it in particular. I don't think I love places in general, they either work for me, or they don't. Toronto does, both because most of my family lives here, and it's near enough to comic and book stores, and I have internet access. Since the other things apply to probably a great number of places, I'd say it's mostly family. Oh, and my familiarity with it. And that we have a Science Fiction bookstore, even if I never go to it anymore because it moved outside of my walking area.
2. What do you dislike about Toronto?
Nothing specific comes to mind. I guess sometimes it gets too extreme, temperature wise - too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. But I kinda like braving myself against the cold, so it's mostly just the heat.
3. Is the current economic situation affecting you personally very much?
Not directly, no. I already live very very poor, but pretty much all I pay for is food, rent, Internet, and books (including comics), so as long as I keep my job I should be fine. My Dad was unemployed at around the time the situation got bad, but has since found a much better and higher paying job with one of the few companies that are still hiring. My brother's workplace has cut people's hours, that's the biggest effect on me, even if it is indirect - if he makes less money, that means more of the rent and such that I might have to pay if he can't make ends meet (which unfortunately is not uncommon even before the hours were cut).
4. What's your favourite comic book movie?
Hmmm... Keeping in mind I haven't seen all of them, of course, I think right now I'd have to go with X-Men 2. Improved on the original (film that is), and although it wasn't perfect, it was a pretty entertaining film.
5. Who is the next Canadian Barack Obama?
Barack Obama! We'll kidnap him and force citizenship. Seriously though, I'm not involved in politics at the moment to be aware of one. All I know is he (or she) is not among the politicians I see around at present. We maybe need somebody outside politics. I can't think of any who would attract the same sort of appeal, though. Maybe we can get Cory Doctorow to move out of England and harness the power of BoingBoing to get elected. At least then he'd convert Canada to the first Steampunk country and try and force copyright reform (and regardless of your feelings on the latter, you have to agree, a Steampunk Canada would be pretty cool).
From calliopes_pen...
1. If you had the chance to travel with the Doctor, which Doctor would you want to travel with? And where would you want to go first?
Hmmm... I've only seen the first four, and the modern ones, really. Ten's a bit too full of himself and kinda a jerk, even if he is geeky, so not him. One's a bit too crotchety. Two's a contender, although mostly I'd want to hang with him if he was with Jamie and Zoe. Still he reminds me a bit of my father and it'd be like travelling with him (but I get along well with my Dad). Three's right out. Four's a possibility. Nine I could see perhaps actually hanging out with as a friend.
I think it has to be Two, Four, or Nine. Let's cut out Two. Four could be a friend type too, but a bit more of a 'weird' friend. That's not a negative or a positive, particularly. I think it depends on the Companion. If Rose has to tag along with 9, I'd go with Four (whether or not companions were included there). If not, Nine.
As to the where. Time travel's fun, but I want to walk on alien worlds and see sights that I could never see on Earth. An alien world is my first destination, and I don't really care which one, although I want one that has aliens on it (and hopefully not killer ones).
2. Are you superstitious at all? If so, about what, in particular?
Not _really_ superstitious, but sometimes I'm play-superstitious. I do it while completely recognizing how foolish it is and can discard it as necessary (I also sometimes deliberately defy them, like walking under ladders). I tend to avoid walking on cracks (although that's more about 'something to keep my mind occupied while walking' like playing a video game). More often than following traditional ones, I tend to make up my own, but they change regularly and so I have no examples that come to mind (except wanting to, say, cross the street at certain specific intersections when there are others that would do just as well).
I tend to think superstitions are an evolutionary holdover. When you follow rules that are actually helpful (don't poke that lion with a stick!), it's a survival advantage. In order to encourage this, your brain gives you a little tiny bit of pleasure from following the rules, and by disregarding the rule, you get anxiety. But not every rule you learn is actually helpful, and that part of you can't really tell the difference. So you get rewarded/punished in the same way by following superstitions. So, there's nothing really wrong with following them in order to get the reward/avoid the punishment if you're aware that's what you're doing and why you're doing it and can avoid them if it ever really matters.
3. If vampires were real, what would you do?
Probably want to study the mechanics of them. I'm not a very supernatural minded person. Otherwise, probably ignore them on the theory that if they haven't troubled me now, they won't anytime soon. I might get a few protective elements, eat more garlic, but as far as I'm concerned, even if they need blood to live, they're still sentient beings with individual lives and personalities and right to live, so there's no reason to go hunting for them unless they're actively threatening the lives of others.
4. What is the one job you would never want to have?
Well, there's lots. Probably soldier, though. I don't want to be responsible for having to kill people I don't know, even in war. Public speaking is also up there.
5. If you were trapped on a deserted island, what one book would you want
to have with you?
A big inflatable book that has a built in radio and oars! (yeah, I stole that joke).
I don't know, hard to choose just one. Maybe a collection of short stories. A really long collection of short SF stories.
And that's it. See you all out there in Post-Apocalyptica, people.
Edit: Oh, and this seems to have exploded everywhere since I originally posted this post, but I figure it deserves spreading even more since I'm against censorship and bigotry and this has elements of both: Amazon.com is censoring it rankings and search results, specifically targetting non-pornographic GBLT books as 'adult' content (while leaving things like Playboy fully searchable).
So, today I finished Fallout 3. Mildly fun, althoguh I was somehow expecting more from the reviews I'd heard and hype about it being the best game of the year. (minor spoilers behind the cut, but mostly just discussions of specific issues, and good points)
I should say that I did play mostly without cheating, except the occasional looking up of something if I couldn't find out where I needed to go to find something, making my dog unkillable (since he tended to rush into combat), and towards the end collecting the bobbleheads I hadn't already found or planned to.
Plotwise it was fairly entertaining for the most part. The problem was it felt very railroaded. Yeah, you could do quests in any order, and a couple different things on each quest (usually one evil option and one good one), but every quest seemed to be 'go here, do this, then this, then this' without much opportunity for the player to actually figure things out. Except for the combat, you mostly just sat back and watched the plots happen. The dialog choices were pretty easy to figure out what you had to do to get a specific result, and a lot of repeated dialog. I mean, except for the graphics, this is the same level of _story_ gameplay I could have played 10 years ago. In fact, it's pretty well exactly the same type as Planescape Torment had, and they did it better. I realize that each choice you add dramatically increases the amount of work you have to do, but still, after all the hype, I wanted more. Also, the ending of the game lacked a little something, where the character seemed like he was forced into one of two choices and a guaranteed result from them, despite the fact that according to the game world as its layed out there should be multiple options that could get around it. The 'time doesn't matter' aspect of it I mentioned last time so I won't get into it again.
On a pure mechanical gameplay level it wasn't bad. The enemies are a bit limited in variety and get tiring after a while, but the ones there are fun there. The VATS system that lets you target specific body parts in slow motion seems to unfortunately be the only way to fight effectively because non-VATS fighting is incredibly hard, what with the badguys moving around too quickly to get a lock on them (while they never seem to have a problem locking on you), and annoying when sometimes you end up sinking 6 VATS shots into a wall you that shouldn't have been blocking your shot to your enemy. You could also tell that the enemies aren't playing by the same rules as you are sometimes which is always annoying (they have infinite ammo until they die and then you find a tiny amount on their corpse).
A lot of exploring and very nice visuals, although the interiors felt like they got repeated a lot. Humans didn't look great, but then they never do and far better than they were years ago. Voice acting was okay, could have done with a bit more variety.
Overall, fun, but it did start to wear on me. I suppose on one level it's perfectly designed, because I finished it at just about the time I got tired of playing it, and I'd exhausted almost all the quests there were in that time. I won't bother looking into the official expansions, Operation Anchorage and The Pitt.
I might play it again, so I'm not uninstalling it. Actually, I'm going around looking at some of the (many, many) mods available and installing the cool-sounding ones so that, if I do play again some day, NPCs and new quests will be added and things'll be changed and it'll be a slightly different experience. The only mod I used in-game was one that greatly expanded the song selections on the in-game radio. I liked listening it for the atmosphere and the updates on what my character had done that the DJ mentions, but there were only so many songs and they were driving me crazy. There was a mod that let you download up to 100 songs of the same general style (30s-50s songs that were either haunting or incongrously cheerful), so I got that, and then went in and added a few of my own songs, despite them breaking the theme of the rest of the music, to replace songs that particularly irritated me (For those wondering what someone like me who doesn't listen to music on my own, chose to add, Gary Jules cover of Mad World, A Horse with No Name, Eve of Destruction, Fever (about the only themely choice I had), Imagine, Dust in the Wind, Superman's Song, and Johnny Cash's "When the Man Comes Around". Mostly because they either felt someway post apocalyptic. And I kinda pretended that Three Dog was playing Superman's Song for me, since I was playing a super good noble post-apocalyptic drifter who helped out everybody without asking for rewards). Anyway, it lead to some nice effects, like when When the Man Comes Around while I was blasting feral ghouls (since the first time I heard the song was in Dawn of the Dead), or "Eve of Destruction" played during the big final quest battle scene involving lots of nukes being thrown around, and, oddly, "Fever" in the game-ending scene.
TV. Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead was on last night, and... ehh, it was okay. Felt like an average episode (and really, with normal episodes being something like 50 minutes, and this one being a whopping 58, lets stop calling these 'extra long specials'. It barely qualifies. When they said instead of a full season we were getting 4 extra long specials I would have hoped that they were at least 1.5 times a regular ep), and nothing really all that special. On the other hand, it didn't make me want to throw things at the screen, so for a RTD-written episode, that's a success. (Minor spoilery comments behind cut) The companion girl I didn't mind as a concept, although she was a bit over the top. I would have almost liked her to tag along to provide some continuity with the next special. However, I didn't much care for the actress. I thought maybe when she was in Bionic Woman she was hampered by having to pretend she was American but nope, I just don't care for her acting even in her own accent).
And the other big TV is the last 2nd season episode of Terminator, the Sarah Connor Chronciles, and possibly the end of the series entirely. And if the last part is true, then DAMN YOU. DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL. I so want to see where they go from here. Good ep, and giving me a lot of what I wanted to see when the series was announced. (spoilers) I mean, nice way to mess with us thinking you killed off Derek Reese in a useless, pointless way, and then have a way to have him be in the next season even awesomer (and perhaps even come back). Plus the T-1000 having ambiguous motives = awesome. And that John/Cameron 'check to see if I'm leaking radiation' scene was disturbingly hot.
Dollhouse was also pretty good. Only other thing I've been watching lately besides Heroes (which is still lame, but getting a _tiny_ bit better at least in the general writing category) and a few "whatever's on" shows is Lost, and it's pretty good this season but I don't find myself with a need to talk about episodes in my updates. I dunno why. *shrug*. So that's it for TV.
Finally, a meme, several installments worth. I've put off these for a long time, usually because I didn't want to post _just_ them, or a post I was already posting just got too long. But, it's about time, so here we go...
Interview Me Meme
1) Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me!"
2) I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3) You will post the answers to the questions (and the questions themselves) on your blog or journal.
4) You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5) When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. And thus the endless cycle of the meme goes on and on and on and on...
Btw, if I asked for questions from you and you gave them but they're not here, it might have been one of those instances where LJ didn't send me the comment notification. If you're really interested you'll have to reply to this and either ask them again or link to them. So, here we go...
From thebitterguy...
1. Were there any comics of note in the '90s? I mean, was the entire decade not a wasteland of graphic novel mediocrity?
I skipped most of the 90s myself. I'm sure, just by sheer statistical improbability, it's unlikely that there weren't any great comics, but I'm not especially aware of them, and they're buried under tons of crap. I've read a handful of individual issues/stories from that era I liked, but none that were especially memorable. Even the stuff I liked before that I was reading in the beginning of the 90s suddenly started to go bad.
So I'll say yes, the decade was a wasteland for comics, although there were probably a few exceptions I'm not aware of. Who wants to delve into a wasteland looking for possible oases?
2. If I shot Ben Browder in the face, would you cry?
Cry? Probably not, because I am manly and never ever cry. But I'd be very disappointed and probably want to kick you in the nuts. I quite like Browder.
3. Do you consciously not use tags on your LJ? Or is it just something you never got around to doing?
This is an odd question because I do use tags, fairly regularly. Maybe I was being confused with somebody else, or maybe it's meant to be some comment that I'm not using tags that are varied enough. I'll answer the question as though it was a general 'how do you use tags'.
I don't really like tag overload, so I usually stick to things that I think I'll be talking about again and again, or things that are on a specific topic that I personally might like to read again (like my What I'd Do With... series of stuff). One of the problems is that for me it seems there's no really _easy_ way to check all of the tags I have in use, while I'm updating, except through the (somewhat unuseful) tag autocomplete. I have to open up another page (and it's usually pretty slow, too).
So there are times when things fall through the gaps because I forget that I do already have an appropriate tag for the category.
4. I see you just re-read the Wild Cards books. Have they aged well?
I still think they're not bad. They're not as good on a reread as they were on a first read, but they're still enjoyable. I always like it more for the whole world they've created and some of the characters than for a particular plot. That's one of the reasons I keep saying that Heroes should take some lessons on it.
5. Is runaways readable in floppies? I've only read the first run as hardcovers, and got the Whedon series as floppies. I found the Whedon's not very engaging until I read them as a single story.
I read them the first time as floppies. I'd say it's much like other comic stories... the individual issues in an arc can occasionally be weak and read better as a whole. I'd say up until about issue 12 or so of the first volume, the individual issues are nothing special compared to anything else and it's better to read the collections. After that it's very readable in floppies through the rest of Vaughan's run (though probably still better once collected, he does a good job of setting up tension that can hold for months).
After Vaughan, so far I'd say it's not especially readable in floppies.
From soleta_nf...
1. What do you love about Toronto?
I don't love it in particular. I don't think I love places in general, they either work for me, or they don't. Toronto does, both because most of my family lives here, and it's near enough to comic and book stores, and I have internet access. Since the other things apply to probably a great number of places, I'd say it's mostly family. Oh, and my familiarity with it. And that we have a Science Fiction bookstore, even if I never go to it anymore because it moved outside of my walking area.
2. What do you dislike about Toronto?
Nothing specific comes to mind. I guess sometimes it gets too extreme, temperature wise - too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. But I kinda like braving myself against the cold, so it's mostly just the heat.
3. Is the current economic situation affecting you personally very much?
Not directly, no. I already live very very poor, but pretty much all I pay for is food, rent, Internet, and books (including comics), so as long as I keep my job I should be fine. My Dad was unemployed at around the time the situation got bad, but has since found a much better and higher paying job with one of the few companies that are still hiring. My brother's workplace has cut people's hours, that's the biggest effect on me, even if it is indirect - if he makes less money, that means more of the rent and such that I might have to pay if he can't make ends meet (which unfortunately is not uncommon even before the hours were cut).
4. What's your favourite comic book movie?
Hmmm... Keeping in mind I haven't seen all of them, of course, I think right now I'd have to go with X-Men 2. Improved on the original (film that is), and although it wasn't perfect, it was a pretty entertaining film.
5. Who is the next Canadian Barack Obama?
Barack Obama! We'll kidnap him and force citizenship. Seriously though, I'm not involved in politics at the moment to be aware of one. All I know is he (or she) is not among the politicians I see around at present. We maybe need somebody outside politics. I can't think of any who would attract the same sort of appeal, though. Maybe we can get Cory Doctorow to move out of England and harness the power of BoingBoing to get elected. At least then he'd convert Canada to the first Steampunk country and try and force copyright reform (and regardless of your feelings on the latter, you have to agree, a Steampunk Canada would be pretty cool).
From calliopes_pen...
1. If you had the chance to travel with the Doctor, which Doctor would you want to travel with? And where would you want to go first?
Hmmm... I've only seen the first four, and the modern ones, really. Ten's a bit too full of himself and kinda a jerk, even if he is geeky, so not him. One's a bit too crotchety. Two's a contender, although mostly I'd want to hang with him if he was with Jamie and Zoe. Still he reminds me a bit of my father and it'd be like travelling with him (but I get along well with my Dad). Three's right out. Four's a possibility. Nine I could see perhaps actually hanging out with as a friend.
I think it has to be Two, Four, or Nine. Let's cut out Two. Four could be a friend type too, but a bit more of a 'weird' friend. That's not a negative or a positive, particularly. I think it depends on the Companion. If Rose has to tag along with 9, I'd go with Four (whether or not companions were included there). If not, Nine.
As to the where. Time travel's fun, but I want to walk on alien worlds and see sights that I could never see on Earth. An alien world is my first destination, and I don't really care which one, although I want one that has aliens on it (and hopefully not killer ones).
2. Are you superstitious at all? If so, about what, in particular?
Not _really_ superstitious, but sometimes I'm play-superstitious. I do it while completely recognizing how foolish it is and can discard it as necessary (I also sometimes deliberately defy them, like walking under ladders). I tend to avoid walking on cracks (although that's more about 'something to keep my mind occupied while walking' like playing a video game). More often than following traditional ones, I tend to make up my own, but they change regularly and so I have no examples that come to mind (except wanting to, say, cross the street at certain specific intersections when there are others that would do just as well).
I tend to think superstitions are an evolutionary holdover. When you follow rules that are actually helpful (don't poke that lion with a stick!), it's a survival advantage. In order to encourage this, your brain gives you a little tiny bit of pleasure from following the rules, and by disregarding the rule, you get anxiety. But not every rule you learn is actually helpful, and that part of you can't really tell the difference. So you get rewarded/punished in the same way by following superstitions. So, there's nothing really wrong with following them in order to get the reward/avoid the punishment if you're aware that's what you're doing and why you're doing it and can avoid them if it ever really matters.
3. If vampires were real, what would you do?
Probably want to study the mechanics of them. I'm not a very supernatural minded person. Otherwise, probably ignore them on the theory that if they haven't troubled me now, they won't anytime soon. I might get a few protective elements, eat more garlic, but as far as I'm concerned, even if they need blood to live, they're still sentient beings with individual lives and personalities and right to live, so there's no reason to go hunting for them unless they're actively threatening the lives of others.
4. What is the one job you would never want to have?
Well, there's lots. Probably soldier, though. I don't want to be responsible for having to kill people I don't know, even in war. Public speaking is also up there.
5. If you were trapped on a deserted island, what one book would you want
to have with you?
A big inflatable book that has a built in radio and oars! (yeah, I stole that joke).
I don't know, hard to choose just one. Maybe a collection of short stories. A really long collection of short SF stories.
And that's it. See you all out there in Post-Apocalyptica, people.
Edit: Oh, and this seems to have exploded everywhere since I originally posted this post, but I figure it deserves spreading even more since I'm against censorship and bigotry and this has elements of both: Amazon.com is censoring it rankings and search results, specifically targetting non-pornographic GBLT books as 'adult' content (while leaving things like Playboy fully searchable).