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Not hardcore enough to be ultra nerdy, but it's not that shallow, either. |
I'm not super dedicated to science fiction. In fact, it's my escape from reality. However, even when escaping I have plenty to say on the subject. I'm not as devoted to it as some people I know. That said, it's not a shallow thing for me. I can overthink it like I overthink everything else under the sun (and moon and other planets). My ramblings will range from cerebral to silly and borrow random elements from seemingly nonsensical areas. Many have (and will) appear in my journals first. When they arrive here, there will be edits for language, typos and similar details. However, the 18+ rating will stay since sex, violence and similar topics will be addressed in this blog. After all, sci-fi includes these elements in various ways from time to time. To get an idea of my science fiction background, I recommend this primer "Preferences in a nutshell" ![]() TAG GUIDE!
Handy keywords for searching for specific topics. Copy and paste in the search box to your heart's content! ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hey, everyone! I've actually been consumed by a sprawling 10,000+ word story for another community that is finished in longhand but still needs to be typed. Hence I haven't been around much. That said, I would like to share a little snippet of some sci-fi stuff that I've been contemplating.![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I promise more entries as soon as I can get caught up on other stuff first. |
A James Doohan quote is currently up for remixing at the In and Out only most people get!
I highly recommend checking it out. ![]() |
Hello, everyone! I know I haven't updated this in a while. Between work and the Olympics, sci-fi has taken a backseat for a bit. I probably won't get caught up on things for at least another month, but I still have plans to get through some of my list. I'll probably get caught up on FlashForward next month, and I hope to watch a few movies over the course of spring and summer (since I won't be distracted by ski jumping). I still also want to talk about the Star Trek DVD, and it will be full of spoilers in regards to the extra features. In the meantime, I'll try to post some archived stuff, and if anyone has suggestions for sci-fi stuff to check out I'm all ears! |
Hello, everyone! At the moment, I'm a bit sidetracked by the inanity of Shani Davis, the melodrama of the weather and the sheer awesomeness of many of the lesser known (in America) Olympic moments. However, I thought you might enjoy a little silliness by way of the new Star Trek. (paraphrasing a conversation I'd been hoping to avoid: discussing the film with my co-workers) Ko: So who do you think is cute in the movie? me: [blushes] Um, I'll send you an e-mail. Sarah: [mentions something about having seen the movie and thinking about how various cast members are cute] me: [facepalms] Sarah: I don't know all their names, but...the guy who played Kirk is cute. me: I find his eyes to be disconcerting. Sarah: I think Spock is cute. me: His fans are crazy. Sarah: I liked him with [Uhura]. me: [thinking] So many people would eat you alive for that. (And for those of you who care, I don't mind it, but I don't think it was the strongest relationship in the movie.) Sarah: I didn't care for the doctor. me: [head almost explodes; grits teeth and says nothing] Sarah: I thought Scotty was cute. me: [under my breath] Really now. Sarah: But [Chekov] drove me nuts. me: [shrugs and wonders why Sulu wasn't mentioned] Ko: I'll have to watch it this weekend and let you know what I think on Monday . me: [e-mails Ko and owns up to favoring Bones, letting her figure out the rest] That reminds me. I still need to send a Karl 101 e-mail to some people. I think he's quite an underrated actor who actually does his best work when cast way against type (and that discussion will eventually take place in my regular journal). |
Hey, does anyone remember this story ![]() Yeah, I've been working on this much longer piece since that time but stopped to work on the story I did eventually post, and then I spent the holidays focusing on work, neighborhood involvement and other non-online aspects of my life. All the while I was bamboozled how to handle the Borg, as I had plans for the Enterprise to confront the Borg in this particular story. I had a lot of contrived ideas floating around but tossed them all out the window after "At Last" was posted. When I read that Denobulans possessed super strong immune systems that were caable of holding off Borg nanoprobes, I had a Eureka moment. Perhaps Starfleet would invest in the research and development of a vaccine of sorts to prevent assimilation using Denobulan physiology as a springboard. Granted, that type of project would take decades, so anything available at this time would be experimental at best. It would make for an interesting showdown. Since I thought this up...I want to go back to this story in the worst way even though I shouldn't. I'll probably end up doing it, though. I hate my brain, but every once in a while it amuses me. ![]() |
First off, I apologize for the unbelievable spelling fail in the title for the last entry. Anyway, so I've been mentioning FlashForward for a while now. It's a good show. It gets kind of addictive in marathon, but there's no need to worry about it replacing Trek in regards to obsession following. Even so, there are plenty of reasons to tune in and have a look. I'll share some of my thoughts after watching all except the last two episodes (just haven't gotten around to them).![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
[from an old journal I re-stumbled upon; glad I put this down for posterity somewhere] I've been sitting in on a lot of discussions about how dependent the female characters are on men [on Heroes]. However, Robert Waltz ![]() Are any of the MALE characters really that independent? The answers might surprise you. Ribit doesn't think so, and he raised some good points. Nathan did rely a lot on his campaign staff, although that might have been a part of the running for office thing. Peter was generally very needy. Hiro relied on Ando a lot for much of season 1. Mohinder, well, I think his season 1 personality speaks for itself. And Sylar? Though he plays by his own rules and seems independent, he is not able to evolve as a character without help from the Suresh men. Likewise, in order to heal, he needs help from the Company. If you think about it, Sylar is less independent than we might think. I will say that at least for season 1 (and even season 2 in some respects), the most independent characters are Matt, HRG and the Haitian (in reverse order). I think the Haitian has the following he has because he's a real lone ranger in the show. He has shown flexible loyalties and can move among the groups quite easily. He has proven to be the wild card on multiple occassions. In HRG's case, his independence from others stems from his instinctive desire to protect Claire. Aside from that, he's among the more world-wise of the characters, and his lack of abilities is actually emancipating. Since he doesn't have a power, he has an easier time pursuing his agenda under the radar. As for Matt, it's a little harder to say, other than his season 1 career fluctuations did show him being put in a position in which he has to fend for himself, and between him and Ted, he was the voice of guidance and reason. Anyway, point is, the issue of character independence is very interesting. While it tends to focus on women more, I think we should look at independence for male and female characters. So discuss away! |
Or maybe it's a horrifying insight into my (lack of) writing capabilities. I found a fanfic writer quiz type item and took it for the hell of it. Here's what it says. Your result for The Fan Fiction Personality Test... The Mindgamer Everything is possible; nothing is ever really over. Fanfiction is a creative outlet for you. You don't intentionally write it, it just happens. You find inspiration in several fandoms, but are not obsessed with only one. You like to explore "what if" situations. What if this character had never made this very choice? What if this event had taken place sooner, never, elsewhere? What if these people had never met? You are likely to write Alternative Universes, fan seasons or sequels and just follow your (sometimes pretty strange) plot bunnies. The quiz can be taken here, for those that are curious. ![]() Granted, all three fanfic forays have ended up somewhat alternate universes in some way, but I do think in all kinds of writing choices make a big difference in how a story unfolds. I even devoted a newsletter to the subject: "Drama Newsletter (June 10, 2009)" ![]() |
In the great hope that this will the last season for Heroes, I go into the recent episodes with a light heart and a strange sense of serenity. Aside from Kring alienating much of the fanbase (and NBC's decision to fire Greg Beeman), I hope it wraps up soon so I can focus more on FlashForward (which I recommend, by the way, and I will be commenting on it soon). That said, here are my latest thoughts on the show.![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Coming up next: FlashForward, DVD jibber jabber, and eventually a quasi-tag guide! Yay! |
Comparative analysis+literary references=MY AREA OF EXPERTISE! Well, it does in some ways. After all, I have studied English hardcore for what amounts to at least a decade. So yeah, I'm going to connect stuff, look for literary/pop culture references in my entertainment and design some crackheaded theories when all is said and done. So where do I begin? Let's start with something I've been kicking around for a year or so now. I think Heroes will become the new Star Trek. Think about it. Both shows endured four tumultuous seasons. Yeah, even as a major Heroes fan, I am already making the prediction that the show will be canceled after this season. However, with that in mind, let's consider what happened to Star Trek. After it was canceled, it hummed beneath the surface of pop culture in convention halls across the country (globe, even). Then it came back to life in the movies and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Its many incarnations have been met with varied expectations, but it has endured. I think Heroes has the potential to do the same, although if it does it will take a much different route to get there. I think it will thrive primarily on the internet after it has left the TV airwaves, but that's not to say there won't be live gatherings and what not. But perhaps in that lull someone will decide that it deserves another chance, perhaps in a somewhat different form. Of course, the kicker is whether or not Tim Kring will have the same dedication to the show concept and the fan base that Gene Roddenberry exhibited. That will make all the difference, and Kring has a lot to prove. If I had pursued the entertainment business track I pined for back in high school (you still tracking clues here?) I wouldn't mind taking the reins (especially since I've been told I'm better at developing intriguing storylines than those who work on the show itself). Time would really have to tell on this one, especially since modern society is not focused on developing things that will endure through the ages (except Toyotas and Hondas, although the older ones I see these days are from the early 90s). Besides, given how much Heroes references Star Trek (and casts its actors say Kring, how 'bout a guest role for Karl Urban? Thanks!), it's begging for this comparison! Maybe we can all luck out and get a super awesome Heroes: The Next Generation. Hey, I'd show up for that! And since the Trek-a-thon is still going on here (can never be too sure about site drama these days), I gotta mention the conversation I had today with Ribit. We were talking about the acting on TOS when Ribit said it wasn't Shakespeare. We somehow got to talk about Shakespeare references in the Star Trek series, and I mentioned that if J.J. Abrahms even thinks about referencing Romeo and Juliet in future films I would have to choke him myself. I can't stand Romeo and Juliet. While Shakespeare is not my favorite, I prefer the much darker stuff (King Lear, anyone?). And hell, any play that can be twisted into something dark is worth my time. Remind to discuss my plans to adapt Midsummer Night's Dream in further detail later. Anyway, Romeo and Juliet makes me kind of queasy, so any references to it in Star Trek just...no. Just no. However, all of Shakespeare's other works are up for grabs in my book (although it'd be real damn interesting to see how anyone could possibly reference Taming of the Shrew). I don't go actively looking for these references in anything (except when it's an adaptation and is overtly stated as such). However, if it's so subtle it might go unnoticed, I'm game. Just no Romeo and Juliet. If anyone even tries to go that route (which I could kind of see happening with the whole Spock/Uhura relationship and what not), I will have choice words and a couple knuckle sandwiches ready for that witless bastard. I will. |