Five things meeeeme
lonemagpie asked me about these. And I apologise if I sound lame if I bring in stereotypes to do with... whatever. It's hard to discuss some things without them, though, even though I'm not very keen on shoving people or animals into neat little categories. But anyway. Blather follows.
The 17th Century
There's just something about the 17th century that appeals to me. I don't know if it was some childhood indoctrination through Musketeery stuff or whatever. It was when Europe was finally coming out of the Middle Ages, yet there was still a crazy amount of superstition going on what with witch hunts and religious wars and everything. In a way, much less happened during the 17th century in comparison to the bloom of the Renaissance in the preceding centuries and the industrial and other revolutions in the following century--but there's something about the "feel" of the 17th century that I love. It may be shallow, but I really love the fashions of the era, the cut of the clothes, the hairstyles--especially on men. Not that I'm complaining about the boobs-on-a-platter corsets on the women either. And there are other aesthetic things that just make me unf. Swept-hilt rapiers. The colours in Baroque paintings and the energy and the movement in the art of the era (Bernini's sculptures are a good example). And the cultural stuff that emerged during the 17th century--that's when the printing press really exploded. I was just watching a docu about the English Civil War where they were discussing how it was really the first propaganda war, at least when it came to printed propaganda. And, of course, it's in the 17th century where the roots of the Enlightenment lie, really. And and and and Baroque music makes me wibble happily and and and there's just something about the era that I find fascinating. I, uh, blame Dumas or something. And and and there isn't enough telly or cinema about the 17th century, damn it, unless it's some French stuff that you can't find anywhere with subtitles. I don't mind my Musketeer stuff--fuck, I love it to bits, but there should be more Baroque drama that's not shit. I know I shouldn't complain, because we've just had The Devil's Whore and stuff, but it isn't enough. They don't really make telly like By The Sword Divided any more.
Cats
Meaow. I've inherited a huge love of cats from my dad. It's difficult to explain why you are a cat person or a dog person, isn't it? It's just what you are. I'd say that I like cats because they are less active and less noisy than dogs, but then I think of the batshit insane, bouncy, yowling cats some of my friends have, so it's not like all cats are like that. Hm. And I don't want to slag off dogs by describing why I like cats, either, because dogs can be perfectly lovely, even if they aren't the kind of pet I could personally live with 24/7. And I don't know if there's such a thing as an essential cat personality, because they can range from right hostile bastards to incredibly cuddly and affectionate fluffballs. So, I don't know. I like purring. I like fluffy things that slump. I love Noki because she's as lethargic as I am. And because she talks bollocks. And it's probably sexist and lame of me to say that I find cats quite... feminine, which I tend to prefer to the masculinity I see in dogs. As a child, I used to think all dogs were boys and all cats were girls. It still gives me a weird moment of cognitive dissonance sometimes when I encounter male cats and female dogs. I know, it's odd, but apparently that's something several people have imagined when they were little. I guess it says more about our culture and our concepts of female/male more than anything else. I like things that are soft and fluffy and not loud and physically intimidating/aggressive--and yes, that's simplifying things terribly because it's not like cats/dogs or females/males are all like that, but I don't know how else to explain it. Cats are less "butch", IMHO? I guess that'd be it. But now you'll all think I'm being a terrible sexist and anti-dog or something and *flail*. Because I don't really susbscribe to those stereotypes, but I don't know how else to describe it. D:
How rare is it to be a female Dr Who fan
It's not rare any more, but boy, was it weird to be a female fan before NuWho. Nowadays, if you look at female Who fans, most of them will be into Who for exactly the sort of reasons that turn me off about the new series, so it is weird. I tend to get along better with the chicks who are into the show for the more... oldskool-y reasons (whether they came into it through old or new Who). I know that it's a cliche that female fans get into shows because of the characters, but it's true for me at least--although those characterisations are wildly different between the old and new series. I really am not into Who for the romance, and I *liked* the old series because the companions weren't there just because they fancied the Doctor. I'm not a complete asexualist, but I *always* like a series where ships aren't pushed down my throat and where I can imagine whatever ships I want in there. I really don't want to be told that the Doctor only loves character X or whatever (yes, even if X would be the Master) because it limits the characters and the scope of the stories so much. I love Who because time and space are limitless and because he can always regenerate, and you can pretty much have an infinite amount of stories with those concepts. It's as vast as you want it to be (and as intimate as you want it to be). I like Who because it *isn't* domestic and it *isn't* soapy, that it is about adventure. I've heard various female fans complaining that oldskool Who doesn't have enough interesting characterisation in there, and I find that's simply not true. True, it isn't as character-focused as, say, Blake's 7, but if it was all plot and monsters and no character at all, I wouldn't be watching it. I must say I found it really difficult to even try and write the Doctor pre-2005 because I couldn't get inside his head--he was such a mystery, and I found it easier to write about, say, the Master or Turlough or Tegan. But I still liked it in comparison to him being... a twat. I don't know. I still feel that being an oldskool female fan often puts you in a weird sort of intermediate position between (horrible reductionist stereotypes ahoy) the oldskool fanboy types and the squeey new series shipper fangirls. I'm, um... autistic in the head about certain canon things and the adventure aspect and yet ship Doctor/Master like *burning*? I'm sure, but what I know is that I like quirky, funny, interesting crack sci-fi that doesn't talk down to me, especially about the characters. Nimons may be completely ridiculous, but they aren't as facepalm-worthy as Tinkerbell Jesus WHOM WE SHOULD ALL WORSHIP.
English as a foreign language
You know, it doesn't feel all that foreign to me, funnily enough. I first learned English through watching non -subtitled/non-dubbed cartoons on cable channels when I was about eight, and started reading novels in English a couple of years later because they weren't translating my favourite fantasy series fast enough. (It was a bit unusual for a kid to do that in the late Eighties/early Nineties, but a common phenomenon amongst non-native speakers now with Harry Potter.) But, um, yeah, I've basically been fluent in English since I was quite young, so I tend to consider myself bilingual. Hell, I think in English most of the time and communicate in English since I spend so much time on the interwebz and don't, generally, have a life. I know I still think and write and form sentences with a Finnish "accent" and so on, but English is my primary language at the moment and has been for several years. Which feels a bit odd at times (especially when I find that my Finnish has become clumsier), but there you go.
Favourite music
I'm crap with music in general, and rather limited when it comes to the range of artists and bands I like. It's a bit sad, really. But I like my music dark and interesting, and very often I like really simple melodies and riffs and things, good rollicking tunes rather than complicated orchestral pieces. If a song doesn't seem to ever start properly or if it keeps wandering off into all sorts of directions, I probably won't like it very much. And I know that's odd, because I dig Muse and CMX and they can be pretty prog at times--yet I don't really like the proggy stuff, but the catchier tunes. And my taste in music is often quite dark instead of cheery (unless it's an ironic sort of campy cheery). Basic love songs don't really interest me, but if there's real deep poetry and an unusual touch to them, and/or a sense of unfitude and/or true dark melancholy, then I'm interested. And I like dark and powerful soundtrack/ambient music, too, which is why Dead Can Dance's Within The Realm of a Dying Sun is one of, if not my favourite album of all time. And why Clint Mansell's music can reduce me to a sobbing *wreck* (Lux Aeterna and Death is the Road to Awe fucking kill me). And I like dark quirkiness and Romanticism and sensuality and exoticism and twistedness, which is why Siouxsie rocks my socks.
The 17th Century
There's just something about the 17th century that appeals to me. I don't know if it was some childhood indoctrination through Musketeery stuff or whatever. It was when Europe was finally coming out of the Middle Ages, yet there was still a crazy amount of superstition going on what with witch hunts and religious wars and everything. In a way, much less happened during the 17th century in comparison to the bloom of the Renaissance in the preceding centuries and the industrial and other revolutions in the following century--but there's something about the "feel" of the 17th century that I love. It may be shallow, but I really love the fashions of the era, the cut of the clothes, the hairstyles--especially on men. Not that I'm complaining about the boobs-on-a-platter corsets on the women either. And there are other aesthetic things that just make me unf. Swept-hilt rapiers. The colours in Baroque paintings and the energy and the movement in the art of the era (Bernini's sculptures are a good example). And the cultural stuff that emerged during the 17th century--that's when the printing press really exploded. I was just watching a docu about the English Civil War where they were discussing how it was really the first propaganda war, at least when it came to printed propaganda. And, of course, it's in the 17th century where the roots of the Enlightenment lie, really. And and and and Baroque music makes me wibble happily and and and there's just something about the era that I find fascinating. I, uh, blame Dumas or something. And and and there isn't enough telly or cinema about the 17th century, damn it, unless it's some French stuff that you can't find anywhere with subtitles. I don't mind my Musketeer stuff--fuck, I love it to bits, but there should be more Baroque drama that's not shit. I know I shouldn't complain, because we've just had The Devil's Whore and stuff, but it isn't enough. They don't really make telly like By The Sword Divided any more.
Cats
Meaow. I've inherited a huge love of cats from my dad. It's difficult to explain why you are a cat person or a dog person, isn't it? It's just what you are. I'd say that I like cats because they are less active and less noisy than dogs, but then I think of the batshit insane, bouncy, yowling cats some of my friends have, so it's not like all cats are like that. Hm. And I don't want to slag off dogs by describing why I like cats, either, because dogs can be perfectly lovely, even if they aren't the kind of pet I could personally live with 24/7. And I don't know if there's such a thing as an essential cat personality, because they can range from right hostile bastards to incredibly cuddly and affectionate fluffballs. So, I don't know. I like purring. I like fluffy things that slump. I love Noki because she's as lethargic as I am. And because she talks bollocks. And it's probably sexist and lame of me to say that I find cats quite... feminine, which I tend to prefer to the masculinity I see in dogs. As a child, I used to think all dogs were boys and all cats were girls. It still gives me a weird moment of cognitive dissonance sometimes when I encounter male cats and female dogs. I know, it's odd, but apparently that's something several people have imagined when they were little. I guess it says more about our culture and our concepts of female/male more than anything else. I like things that are soft and fluffy and not loud and physically intimidating/aggressive--and yes, that's simplifying things terribly because it's not like cats/dogs or females/males are all like that, but I don't know how else to explain it. Cats are less "butch", IMHO? I guess that'd be it. But now you'll all think I'm being a terrible sexist and anti-dog or something and *flail*. Because I don't really susbscribe to those stereotypes, but I don't know how else to describe it. D:
How rare is it to be a female Dr Who fan
It's not rare any more, but boy, was it weird to be a female fan before NuWho. Nowadays, if you look at female Who fans, most of them will be into Who for exactly the sort of reasons that turn me off about the new series, so it is weird. I tend to get along better with the chicks who are into the show for the more... oldskool-y reasons (whether they came into it through old or new Who). I know that it's a cliche that female fans get into shows because of the characters, but it's true for me at least--although those characterisations are wildly different between the old and new series. I really am not into Who for the romance, and I *liked* the old series because the companions weren't there just because they fancied the Doctor. I'm not a complete asexualist, but I *always* like a series where ships aren't pushed down my throat and where I can imagine whatever ships I want in there. I really don't want to be told that the Doctor only loves character X or whatever (yes, even if X would be the Master) because it limits the characters and the scope of the stories so much. I love Who because time and space are limitless and because he can always regenerate, and you can pretty much have an infinite amount of stories with those concepts. It's as vast as you want it to be (and as intimate as you want it to be). I like Who because it *isn't* domestic and it *isn't* soapy, that it is about adventure. I've heard various female fans complaining that oldskool Who doesn't have enough interesting characterisation in there, and I find that's simply not true. True, it isn't as character-focused as, say, Blake's 7, but if it was all plot and monsters and no character at all, I wouldn't be watching it. I must say I found it really difficult to even try and write the Doctor pre-2005 because I couldn't get inside his head--he was such a mystery, and I found it easier to write about, say, the Master or Turlough or Tegan. But I still liked it in comparison to him being... a twat. I don't know. I still feel that being an oldskool female fan often puts you in a weird sort of intermediate position between (horrible reductionist stereotypes ahoy) the oldskool fanboy types and the squeey new series shipper fangirls. I'm, um... autistic in the head about certain canon things and the adventure aspect and yet ship Doctor/Master like *burning*? I'm sure, but what I know is that I like quirky, funny, interesting crack sci-fi that doesn't talk down to me, especially about the characters. Nimons may be completely ridiculous, but they aren't as facepalm-worthy as Tinkerbell Jesus WHOM WE SHOULD ALL WORSHIP.
English as a foreign language
You know, it doesn't feel all that foreign to me, funnily enough. I first learned English through watching non -subtitled/non-dubbed cartoons on cable channels when I was about eight, and started reading novels in English a couple of years later because they weren't translating my favourite fantasy series fast enough. (It was a bit unusual for a kid to do that in the late Eighties/early Nineties, but a common phenomenon amongst non-native speakers now with Harry Potter.) But, um, yeah, I've basically been fluent in English since I was quite young, so I tend to consider myself bilingual. Hell, I think in English most of the time and communicate in English since I spend so much time on the interwebz and don't, generally, have a life. I know I still think and write and form sentences with a Finnish "accent" and so on, but English is my primary language at the moment and has been for several years. Which feels a bit odd at times (especially when I find that my Finnish has become clumsier), but there you go.
Favourite music
I'm crap with music in general, and rather limited when it comes to the range of artists and bands I like. It's a bit sad, really. But I like my music dark and interesting, and very often I like really simple melodies and riffs and things, good rollicking tunes rather than complicated orchestral pieces. If a song doesn't seem to ever start properly or if it keeps wandering off into all sorts of directions, I probably won't like it very much. And I know that's odd, because I dig Muse and CMX and they can be pretty prog at times--yet I don't really like the proggy stuff, but the catchier tunes. And my taste in music is often quite dark instead of cheery (unless it's an ironic sort of campy cheery). Basic love songs don't really interest me, but if there's real deep poetry and an unusual touch to them, and/or a sense of unfitude and/or true dark melancholy, then I'm interested. And I like dark and powerful soundtrack/ambient music, too, which is why Dead Can Dance's Within The Realm of a Dying Sun is one of, if not my favourite album of all time. And why Clint Mansell's music can reduce me to a sobbing *wreck* (Lux Aeterna and Death is the Road to Awe fucking kill me). And I like dark quirkiness and Romanticism and sensuality and exoticism and twistedness, which is why Siouxsie rocks my socks.