some interests of mine: meme

[wisdomeagle]

From glimmergirl:
Look at your LJ "interests" list. If you have less than 50 interests, pick every fifth one. If you have between 50 and 75 interests, pick every seventh one. If you have over 75 interests, pick every tenth one. If you have fewer than ten, pick all of 'em. List them on your LJ, and tell everyone exactly what it is about these things that interests you so much:

[I might've miscounted somewhere along the way... Oops?]

Anthropology: Academically, I keep saying religion is my area of study, and everything else is a tool to poke at it. Anthro is an exceptionally sharp stick for poking religion with, and I enjoy it quite a lot. Plus it's fun to have something to fangirl with cheese_munkey.

Braca/Scorpius: *cough* omgkink *cough*. I'm supposed to be writing a long essay about this that's way overdue because I suck like whoa and for some reason seem unable to meta about Farscape. But mostly because Scorpius is dom like whoa and Braca is this adorable uke bitch and I like my boyslash traditional, with tops and bottoms and kink and a side of non-con and I've overshared, haven't I?

Critique: I just ♥ digging in with the sharp stick and really examining arguments and defining terms and logic and stuff like that? Eh? I like pointy sticks, mostly.

Exile: Especially when I was in college, but even still to some extent now, the image of exile, the image of being away from my homeland and trying to worship the old God in an unfamiliar place, is very strong and helpful and encouraging; I have the female ministerperson to thank for imagining my life like this. It's also a literary image I find deeply compelling, though it generally shows up as a quest in literary terms (see, also, LotR) -- but people out-of-their-element, people running away or going away or being sent away -- God. Total resonance. See also, Farscape. <3<3<3

Fishing as metaphor: *cough* Stargate inside joke that might be so far inside that I'm the only one who gets it? But, you know, "Nemesis" -- "can I see your scar?" and he asks Daniel, and Sam, and Thor, and that random guy he meets in "The Fifth Man"... plus really, "Threads"? "Moebius"? Fishing as metaphor is a major motif in 'Gate!

Harold and Maude: I love them. OTP forever. Age differential, mother-figure-kink, love Maude like whoa, Harold is great, Cat Stevens songs, and the end. Oh God, the end. "So I'll always know where I put it." Sunflowers. "You, apparently, want to sleep with your grandmother." So frelling pretty.

Kaylee: Do I need to explain to the flist why I adore Kaylee? I do? Well, she's so innocent and earthy and non-cerebral and shiny and pretty and good and hopeful and sunshiny and God, she's just *gah*. Instantaneous love the moment I saw her.

Marscest: Wow. This randomization technique seems to want to hit all my embarassing kinks. I mean, it's obvious why I love the good daddy-loyal daughter combo, of course, but why I, you know, perv like whoa? Is probably far more intimate and embarassing than I want to get into in a public post. Also, I'm not really entirely sure. Unless it's one of those "the most intimate relationships in our lives must be sexualized" philosophy that sort of pervades in fandom. (Which I am behind, 100%, as far as fandom goes.) Anyhow. Moving on...

Meta: Because I like looking beyond the squee and seeing the reasons. Because I love the trees beyond the trees. Metaphysics, metapuzzles, the metaverse, metacommentary, etc, etc. "Storyteller" and crazy, self-reflective crossover fic -- yumm.

PEG: PEG is the reason I went to college three years early. It almost certainly saved my life. The end.

Purple plastic watches: They're purple. They're shiny. They cost six bucks at WalMart. What's not to love?

Rodney McKay: smart, snarky, vulnerable, loving, witty, heart-on-sleeve adorable. McKay is love.

Slash: Cos it's got pretty boys angsting all over each other. Teh_end.

UCC: The UCC is my denomination. Mostly I heart it because it's pro-queer and liberal, though as teh_father and I were discussing on Sunday, it has some severe identity issues when it comes to the question of what it means to be a Christian.

Women: They're pretty? And vulnerable and gorgeous and hot and funny and sarcastic and broken and healing and loving and loved and soft, curves and swirls and hips and breasts, soft and hard, butch and femme, old and young... gah. Okay. *is very gay*


Okay, *surrenders without a fight*
[from cadence_k:]
ASK ME SIX QUESTIONS::
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

No matter how random or pointless.

Comments

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

I like my boyslash traditional, with tops and bottoms and kink and a side of non-con and I've overshared, haven't I?

You know of course I practically don't *have* an overshare definition ;)

But Kaylee isn't innocent. I mean, she is, but she's also sexual and she grew up on some sort of dirt world -- this is kind of a pet peeve for me, the treatment of Kaylee as if she's 12 or something, and I know you don't do that but yeah, I have issues. And now that I'm thinking about what you said, I think possibly the innocence is why I don't have the mad love for her. (Though I am not unfond.) Because I like my characters darker (I wanna say, "and more complex," but I feel like that's being unfair to Kaylee and conflating darkness with complexity and so on). Which is kinda ironic as I don't have the mad Faith love either.

And of course my bisexual self has the urge to fight with you re: the whole women thing 'cause certain bodyparts aside, guys can totally have it all, too. Except that I sort of guy level get the appeal of women and the appeal of men and it's different and part of me is all "But love people for people, and there's all sorts of hotness" and part me of me is very zen. Hey look, I've grown. (I tend to have to restrain myself from being militantly bisexual.)

Oh, and I'm a dork who tried to count through your interests via meme rules to see what your interests should have been by rules of the meme, but my count was off (*shame*) and I decided trying it once was really more than enough.

My LJ interests list isn't so much "interests" per se as stuff that I can actually commit to liking and/or finding interesting/important. I think it comes across as a pretty accurate capsule definition of who I am, though.

[wisdomeagle]

I mean, she is, but she's also sexual and she grew up on some sort of dirt world -- this is kind of a pet peeve for me, the treatment of Kaylee as if she's 12 or something, and I know you don't do that but yeah, I have issues.

And I don't think that sexual experience neccessarily negates innocence. And now I'm sort of fumbling around for a definition of innocent that would encapsulate the ways in which it is a character kink for me, and not really succeeding, but I think with Kaylee it's the idea of her as a small-town girl and not wise in the ways of the big world outside. And I think in a way her sexual frankness, the way she doesn't use sexuality so much as just exists sexually, makes her more innocent than, oh say, Inara (I was going to say Lilah, but then realized that was more extreme than I needed), whose sexuality is more... thoughtful? And maybe in some ways it's the idea that Kaylee isn't thoughtful in that sense, that she exists without thinking about and conceptualizing her existence, that appeals.

And of course my bisexual self has the urge to fight with you re: the whole women thing 'cause certain bodyparts aside, guys can totally have it all, too.

I know! But since "men" isn't in my interests and "anything that moves" didn't show come up on the pseudo-random-interest-chooser, I didn't get to talk about the things that appeal about boys/men.

"But love people for people, and there's all sorts of hotness" and part me of me is very zen. Hey look, I've grown. (I tend to have to restrain myself from being militantly bisexual.)

Heh. I define as gay, queer, lesbian, sekritly bisexual, or occassionally and bumper-sticker-ly "theoretically bisexual," and in actuality most of my love interests have been female mostly because a) in middle and high school, most of the people my own age repulsed me, and most of the adult people were female, hence, queerness and b) I went to a women's college and met people my age who were not repulisve, but they were all female.

In my long list of "non-fictional people I've found exceptionally attractive," there are two male people and a dozen or so female people, so I'm percentage-wise mostly gay, but a lot less Kinsey 6 than I thought I was four years ago.

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

No, your comments about Kaylee make sense. I think mainly it comes down to the fact that that kind of innocence isn't exceptionally appealling to me. (Not neceessarily UNappealing, just doesn't strike me.)

But since "men" isn't in my interests and "anything that moves" didn't show come up on the pseudo-random-interest-chooser, I didn't get to talk about the things that appeal about boys/men

True. (And I can't even poke you with the innacurate list I came up with from your interests -- though "het" and "queerness" were on there.) And I almost commented on how you kinda negated the "so very gay" with your "pretty boys" comment re: slash.

I self-identify as "queer" but more frequently voice "bisexual" because people get it better. I like the umbrella-ness of queer, that it can include kink and fantasy and slash and all that, plus primarily I dislike "bisexual" for the implied dichotomy, but when I say "bi(sexual)" rather than "queer" that leaves no room for people not grasping that I like males as well (which going to a women's college I found particularly important).

I totally get the whole "my peer group = le suck" (see previous conversation about identifying largely as "asexual" throughout adolescence). I've encountered enough males to have serious realperson crushes on both males and females, though. (The fact that my all women's college employed male professors helped with this, of course. Though mostly I was creating fictional people slash with them.) Plus the more general watching TV/movies and lusting after assorted personages. My time at HBS so far has made me feel so het 'cause I keep being like, "Mmm, you're attractive" around males but not so much the females, but I'm more into the females on the T than the males so really it's a wash. And hey, sexuality is fluid.

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

And maybe in some ways it's the idea that Kaylee isn't thoughtful in that sense, that she exists without thinking about and conceptualizing her existence, that appeals.

Heh. This is exactly why I have issues with Willow. And why I think, if Joss had been given seven years with Kaylee, I probably would've had issues with her as well. Not that I don't still love them both, because I do.

But give me Inara, with her studied and self-contained behaviour. Give me Zoe and her unflinching acknowledgment of the things she's done, the experiences that have formed her. Give me Faith, who is Id girl, but had to face up to that Id so she could get past her own darkness. Give me Darla, who cries, "Am I that girl whose name I can't remember?" Even Buffy and all the times she's delved into her own psyche.

I dunno, I just like introspection. I guess you could call it a kink of mine ;)

[wisdomeagle]

Hmmmm! Because you totally know I am introspection girl, myself, and perhaps part of why the lack of introspection in Kaylee is so attractive is because it's different from, um, what I'm living with in my head all the time? Not that any of my introspection tends to lead to actual "controlled action;" mostly it just paralyzes me. I guess what you're talking about is both the ability for self-reflection and then the ability for appropriate action? Or something?

[scrollgirl.livejournal.com]

I guess what you're talking about is both the ability for self-reflection and then the ability for appropriate action?

Hmm, I think you may be on to something here. I don't think I'm particularly introspective myself. Or if I ever dig inside my own head, it's never really reflected in my outward behaviour. (Mostly because I'm lazy and I don't want to change my habits.)

But I don't know that it's just a preference for characters who change, for the better or otherwise. I like what you say about "appropriate action", but that is very dependent on context, I think. Zoe doesn't seem to change much, and Lilah doesn't feel the need to change. Inara didn't seem like she was changing her mind about her lifestyle, and in fact was leaving Serenity because her lifestyle was conflicting with her heart.

See, I think it's that conflict that I find most interesting. The id, ego, superego thing. What the character wants versus what they'll allow themselves to have. Even if they decide that what they want is what they'll go out and get (Lilah) or it's just a matter of understanding/internalising someone else's expectations of them (Zoe with Wash), I prefer characters who grok that conflict of interests.

Because if the decision is difficult, the resulting course of action is that much more meaningful. It deepens the character, leaves us with a clearer understanding or at least a stronger impression of just who this person is.

This is why, actually, I think Daniel has become complacent and a bit Willow-like in the past couple of seasons. After his descension, maybe around mid-season 7, when he seemed to have finally settled and accepted that the SGC was where he wanted to be, it seems like he's stopped questioning himself. I liked "Reckoning" and "Threads" because we got to see some of that questioning again, however indirectly. But I think that study of self is why I love the ascension/descension arc so much. (I just watched "Meridian" last night. Didn't cry, but I now have the jones for fic.)

[wisdomeagle]

My LJ interests list isn't so much "interests" per se as stuff that I can actually commit to liking and/or finding interesting/important. I think it comes across as a pretty accurate capsule definition of who I am, though.

*reads* *hearts* I do love that number one on the list is "accurate spelling." :)

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

*grins*

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Six Questions:

1. Other than LiveJournaling and fanficcing, what is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you visit?
3. In your opinion, who should be president of the United States (Fictional or non-fictional peoples are acceptable)?
4. Snark Contest: House vs. Veronica Mars, who would win?
5. Who is your role model?
6. Peace. Acceptance. Tolerance. Are all these things capable to be achieved in the near future?

[wisdomeagle]

1. Reading, sleeping, watching fannish shows, writing letters, talking on the phone to my (ex)girl(s) and friends, and procrastinating. I realize this is not one thing I like to do with my spare time, but I do enjoy all of them. :)

2. Ohio, as that is where my girl is at the moment. If I could fetch my girl and then go somewhere, I would like to go to Vancouver to stalk actors.

3. Oh, fictional people are okay? In that case, Jed Bartlet. :)

4. Hmm! This is a very interesting question. My first inclination is to say House, because he is so much more snarky on a minute-to-minute basis, but I'm wondering whether he'd be able to deal a death blow, so to speak -- to find Veronica's vulnerable spot. OTOH, I think House's vulnerable spot is his disability and thus is visible and Veronica could very easily penetrate it, but I'm not sure if either of them would be all that affected by the snark the other brought b/c they don't have a personal investment in each other. (I think Wilson is probably most able to really wound House, and Duncan to wound Veronica, and I don't think the parallelism escapes me.)

If they were snarking at someone else, I think House would certainly win, as I think insightful though Veronica is, House is more so and knows more about a wider range of people.

5. Jeane.

6. Um. No, I don't really think so, for I am a cynical bitch.


Thanks for the questions!

[invisionary.livejournal.com]

1. How'd you get into fanfiction?
2. If you were going to write a work of original fiction (short story, novel, script, whatever) what would it be about?
3. Who's your favorite historical figure?
4. If you'd been in charge of BtVS/AtS, what would you have done differently?
5. What's your favorite soft drink?
6. Why Willow/Fred?

[wisdomeagle]

1. I first read fic after reading LotR for the first time, but I got heavily involved after my breakup with noreverchaste, when I started spending a lot of time with gvambat, who was my roommate at the time, and who watched a LOT of Stargate. I watched with her, and then read Jack/Daniel fic, as that was her OTP, and then that summer (summer '03, I guess) I pretty much wrote and read fanfiction all the damn time. Never turned back.

2. My novel-not-in-progress is about Christian and quasi-Christian lesbians. I also have vague plot bunnies for a YA novel about a debate team, and I'm constantly wanting to write a fictionalized account of life at PEG.

3. I'm not exactly a history buff, but Socrates is up there.

4. End of S6 BtVS would have been played straight, no twist -- Spike goes to Africa to get his soul. Then he gets it and absolutely nothing changes. All the bad impulses and all the good impulses and all the ambiguity still there.

5. Mr. Pibb, Dr. Pepper, Cherry Coke, Lime Pepsi. Mostly now I drink Diet Pepsi when we go out to eat.

6. The long answer is here. The short answer is pretty, geeky, resonates with me personally, and they get each other. They bring out the strength and joy in each other.

[invisionary.livejournal.com]

Whoops! I'd forgotten you wrote the Willow/Fred manifesto. *is embarassed*

[sk8eeyore.livejournal.com]

My novel-not-in-progress is about Christian and quasi-Christian lesbians. *is so intrigued*

I never answered the questions you & Elizabeth and others gave me some weeks...or months...back. *adds it to the list of Greek procrastination tactics*

[wisdomeagle]

Are you on the NaNo filter? Not that I've actually been doing any noveling most of the summer, but there's some stuff about that -- if you aren't on the filter and would like to be, just ask.


*misses school SO MUCH*

[sk8eeyore.livejournal.com]

No, I probably opted out of the filter because the whole concept of NaNo was so darn intimidating to me. I'd like to be added now, however.

[wisdomeagle]

NaNo is intimidating to me, too. O_o. I abruptly stopped working on it a couple months ago, but memoried all the NaNo entries here. Yay for Christian lesbians. :)

[thelastgoodname.livejournal.com]

What's your religion/anthropology angle? The dissertation that I wanted to do (but didn't, and can't, and won't ever) was to examine why people who identify themselves as fundamentalist Christian are homophobic. But I'm lesbian, and I can't ever make that strangeness familiar enough to understand it. I still want to know the answers, though.

[wisdomeagle]

My angle is, um, anthropology is a sharp stick and I can use it to poke religion? MY unwritten honors thesis was about how fundamentalist Christians and fans view text in the same way, and an examination of how those groups not only use text but worship it, how the text gets reused in liturgy, how it's memorized, both that it's analyzed and the ways in which it's analyzed... um...

I wrote a paper my sophomore year about the church I was attending at the time and the annual fall supper as a ritual and how that ritual recodified the values most important to the church community... that's kind of what I want to use anthropology for. Use those terms and those ideas and that kind of analytical perspective to describe religion, primarily the Protestant tradition I grew up in, and its rituals, its texts, its important meanings, etc.

[velvetandlace.livejournal.com]

1. Prettiest girl in the entire world?
2. Favourite BSC child? (For some reason, I'm thinking Charlotte, but I might have just made that up.)
3. What's the thought that gets you out of bed when you're depressed?
4. If you could only keep and read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
5. What never fails to make you laugh?
6. Best decision you ever made?

[wisdomeagle]

1. gvambat.
2. Yes, it's Charlotte. :)
3. I'm not sure I understand the question?
4. A long one. Possibly Lord of the Rings
5. Also gvambat. :)
6. Going away to school when I was 14.