(no subject)

[rymenhild]

All right, I owe everyone a real update about my winter break, not to mention some replies to month-old memes.

That's why I'm starting a new meme instead, courtesy of half my friendslist. Please note - I don't guarantee I'll get around to all of the replies. I seem to be bad about that.

Name a series of books/TV show/fandom you know I know, and I'll tell you:

1. The first character I first fell in love with
2. The character I never expected to love as much as I do now
3. The character everyone else loves that I don't
4. The character I love that everyone else hates
5. The character I used to love but don't any longer
6. The character I would shag date anytime
7. The character I'd want to be like
8. The character I'd slap
9. A pairing that I love
10. A pairing that I despise

Edited to alter "shag", as that's just too strong of a word to use with these examples.

Comments

[tovaks.livejournal.com]

"Firefly" (and if you don't know it you should!)

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Of course I know Firefly.

1. River Tam. I actually adored River before I watched a single episode of Firefly, thanks to genarti's brilliantly mad portrayal of river_meimei at the RPG Milliways.

2. Jubal Early. I'm not usually a fan of the villains, but the way Jubal flirts with Serenity fascinates me.

3. I'm not sure there are characters everyone else loves that I don't. I found Book and Inara moderately disappointing, but as far as I can tell, a large proportion of fandom agrees with me.

4. I know some people who hate River, but I don't think there are nearly enough of them to qualify as "everyone else".

5. Inara was so much more interesting before she got all weepy over Mal.

6. ...It's a ship full of beautiful people. Kaylee?

7. Simon. He's voluntarily taken himself away from his own world just to do the right thing for his sister, and he resents it, but he'd do it again.

8. Inara. You're a talented, respected, honorable Companion, and you're behaving like a wet goose. Slap.

9. Zoe/Wash. She goes out to do the dirty work while he stays home to run the ship. The gender dynamics are wonderful.

10. River/anyone we've seen in canon doesn't work for me. She's just not ready.

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

In general I'm very happy with Firefly's dynamics, though I agree that Inara and Book are relative weak points.

I feel like the announcement of the show's cancellation about 2/3 of the way through its overall run may have had something to do with the former; Whedon had in mind an arc involving Inara and Mal, and seems to have jumped the gun in developing it at the expense of her strength of character. (The opposite might be said of Book's background arc, which simply never got developed.)

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

This may be why the movie neglected both of those characters. Although I believe that every mysterious aspect of Book's background would be explained by the theory that he was once an Operative, too. Though I admit I have trouble imagining the other Operative turning Shepherd, "believer" or no.

[deborah-judge.livejournal.com]

BSG, so far.

[bluesbell.livejournal.com]

Carnivàle (if you're familiar with it.)

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I am not.

[snowspinner.livejournal.com]

Patricia Wrede's books.

(Or Veronica Mars. Your choice.)

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I had an answer nearly complete, and then LJ swallowed it.

Short form: I love, would date, and want to be Cimorene of the Mountains of Morning, and I really want to slap Shiara and Daystar.

I'd date Morwen, too, if I weren't allergic to cats.

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

Shakespeare!

[muchabstracted.livejournal.com]

Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

1. I don't think I fell in love with any of the characters on the first reading. I hardly knew them. I was far too drunk on the words and descriptions to recognize the characters.

2. Deth. It probably took me three full readings of the trilogy to figure out what a haunting, haunted figure he is. Before that, I was just boggled by him.

3-4. I don't know who everyone else loves or hates in the Riddlemaster books.

5. I suppose I was fonder of Morgon before I realized what an ass he was to Raederle.

6. Now that I have to think about. *thinks through the vast list of characters* The Morgol of Herun, all fine robes and mysteries.

7. There's no specific character I'd want to be, but if I lived in that world, I'd want to be a Caithnard riddler, pursuing riddles inflexibly, like a miser searching for pennies in cracks in the floorboards.

8. I'd slap Tristan of Hed, stowing away on that ship with no idea what she was doing. Also, Heureu Ymris. Your wife's evil, Heureu. Duh.

9. I'd love to see more about Deth and the Morgol. I can't really make myself envision noncanonical pairings in that series. It just doesn't work in my head. Also, post-canon Morgon/Raederle would be nice. They ought to get some.

10. Other people have pairing preferences in the Riddlemaster books?

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

Someone beat me to the show *I* introduced you to (or at least facilitated your introduction)... all right, the obvious, The Dark is Rising, even if I suspect I know all the answers.

[muchabstracted.livejournal.com]

Ooh, let's do a "predict rymenhild's answers" version of the meme here, while she's waiting to respond. What do you think the answers are? I guess the following:

1. Will
2. Owen Davies. Or possibly Bran, despite the fact that Bran comes off as wonderful from the first read.
7. The obvious guess here is Bran, at the moment. Though I think I will offer a secondary guess of Gwion.
8. The Old Ones collectively, for the sake of the ending. Otherwise, I don't know; any guesses I come up with here are just characters I'd like to slap.
9. Bran/Paul
10. Merriman/Will (Or maybe that's me thinking it would be a horendous pairing.)

And I'm feeling stuck on the others. Possibly because it's 11 and I should go to bed.

[theravenboy]

You're obviously right on 1 and 2 -- and although I liked Bran better as time went on, I definitely never expected to love Owen as much as I do now. Re: 7, I like playing Bran but I wouldn't want to be him. Gwion's a much better guess, although I'm sort of in awe of Gwion.

Re: 9: Although I once thought Bran/Paul was a good idea, I've decided I don't like DiR pairings in principle. It's not that kind of series. If I had to think of a pairing, I'd go with something canon or near-canon: John/Blodwen, Owen/Guinevere. I also have another OTP that goes like this: Will Stanton/Eternal Celibacy.

Re: 10 -- eeewww. Where did your brain come up with that one?

[muchabstracted.livejournal.com]

1. and 2. were, in fact, the easy ones.

Isn't 10 a fabulous horrifying pairing?

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

Shakespeare obviously didn't inspire you (and I found it a bugger to answer myself). All right, how about the Canterbury Tales?

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I'll answer both of them -- but not until I'm finished with this pot of soup and the current pile of cleaning. Probably tomorrow. Tjey're good questions. :)

[elettaria.livejournal.com]

Happy new year, by the way. You sound like you're celebrating it about as much as I am. I'm just finishing off Henry V and then doing some drone work, probably reading those medieval mystery plays. I might make pancakes if I'm feeling daring, though I should actually make some proper food.