my collected wit and wisdom, or something!

[pocochina]

I realized last night that while I've mostly stuck to my designation of Tumblr as being for bookmarking and sassy tagging of graphics while journaling is for thoughts. But sometimes those posts turn into short but substantive discussions, and I'd rather have them here.

one about why I hate the concept and the other about the Dove campaign

"It’s the

Comments

[local_max]

I love your Gaius post (and I read it when you posted it on tumblr! score). Selenak, I think, said that Baltar is the one and only (?) significant character in BSG who never hates anyone, and I think offhand that's true -- Laura sometimes *hates* Baltar and Zarek I think, Lee hates Lee, Bill hates everyone who's not Bill, etc

[pocochina]

Baltar is the one and only (?) significant character in BSG who never hates anyone, and I think offhand that's true

I've never thought of it that way, but that's a perfect encapsulation of Gaius. Which I think makes sense, given his personality in context of what we end up finding out about his upbringing? Kara learned survival meant going on the offensive, Lee built those big stone walls around himself, and Gaius learned that he should never, ever fight back. I think he would have ended up being readily gentle and nonconfrontational, because some people just seem to be inclined that way and I think he's one of them. But as it stands, his reaction to any and all interpersonal conflict is just to let things go and accept a huge level of mistreatment as a given. (Like how D'Anna brutally tortures him in one episode, and then in the next one they're literally in bed together and he seems fine with it?)

Laura sometimes *hates* Baltar and Zarek I thinkShe really does. Particularly Baltar, I think, because she just can't understand him.

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I've never thought of it that way, but that's a perfect encapsulation of Gaius. Which I think makes sense, given his personality in context of what we end up finding out about his upbringing? Kara learned survival meant going on the offensive, Lee built those big stone walls around himself, and Gaius learned that he should never, ever fight back. I think he would have ended up being readily gentle and nonconfrontational, because some people just seem to be inclined that way and I think he's one of them. But as it stands, his reaction to any and all interpersonal conflict is just to let things go and accept a huge level of mistreatment as a given. (Like how D'Anna brutally tortures him in one episode, and then in the next one they're literally in bed together and he seems fine with it?)Ha, right. And the D'Anna thing makes me think, too -- that makes sense with the man-ho stuff as well, because, to some degree, he actually genuinely has no brakes on certain interpersonal things in part because he has no defenses to other people,

[pocochina]

to some degree, he actually genuinely has no brakes on certain interpersonal things in part because he has no defenses to other people, maybe?

Oh, completely. I feel like it all adds up to a boundaries thing? If Gaius acknowledges that he gets to say no to anyone at all, then a whole lifetime of violations catches up to him and OH MY GOD he cannot deal with that. But if he keeps on this trajectory where he's okay with everything, it lets him repress. I didn't watch the miniseries first, and so I don't know how much what came later colored my interpretations, but looking back at that first scene when the bombs hit and Caprica's first impulse is to try to convince him that HE TOTALLY WANTED TO BE EXPLOITED. And that just in retrospect strikes me as...very telling. It's as personal a violation as Sharon's Stockholming of Helo, except the result is that instead of being a father he's implicated in genocide. I can...feel if not quite describe how that would support what we see from him throughout the series.

"Man, I can't believe I was

[pocochina]

(Separate Angel thread, so I can keep my thoughts organized.)

whether it's fair that Connor is the life that Angel won for Darla in "The Trial"I've seen that theory too and I've actually never been particularly bothered by it? I think it's because it was an intentionally selfless thing Angel did there, and so the idea of a life going to another person makes sense. Angel knew it wasn't about Angel, and The Universe knew it wasn't about Angel, and so it makes sense that The Universe would produce a life that wasn't about Angel. Whereas the Shanshu theory....kind of sucks another person into being All About Angel, which doesn't sit great with me

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For the record, the theory is stated in canon by Jasmine -- which is not to say it's necessarily *true* (Jasmine, not super-reliable) but I tend to believe her on this one, since it's the most explanation we ever get.

[pocochina]

I forgot about that, but I think that's fair. I don't think she has much reason to lie to them about this point, either, since she has them in thrall at that point anyway, and it's not really make-or-break for any of her schemes.