I'm not new to Whedonverse fandom. I've revisited Sunnydale and L.A. many times over the years, starting with the original film in '92. I'm dating myself terribly, aren't I?
I am a new face here, though. I haven't been active in fandom spaces for awhile, but when I was, I'd never heard of this place. I was hanging out in places like Yahoo! Chat, the Buffy & Angel Forum, and the Buffy Bulletin Board (before the BuffyBB Holocaust of 2005.) Here I am now, though. Lucky for all of you, I'm sure you're thinking.
I'm sure you've noticed I tend towards a high word count per minute, but other random things about me include being a bookworm, a lifelong comic nerd, a lover of classic films, a general Sci-Fi / Supernatural enthusiast (Dark Angel, Firefly, Star Trek, Farscape, The X-Files, Freaky Links, and many more), and an enjoyer of video games.
My favorite Buffy characters are Xander, (early) Willow, Giles, Tara, and Spike (honorable mentions Oz, Jonathan, and Jenny Calendar.) My favorite Angel characters are Doyle, Wesley, and Fred (honorable mention Lorne, aka the Host.) Firefly is, in my opinion, the best non-Buffyverse project Joss created (favorite characters Mal, Kaylee, Wash, & Simon), though I also enjoyed Dollhouse quite a lot, at least until the latter half of the second season (favorite characters Topher, Boyd, and Victor.)
Anyway, I guess that's enough talking your ears off. Thanks for having me. Talk soon maybe (that's really up to you guys.)
Welcome to the forum! I joined 13 years ago and stayed because it is more intelligent and civil than most forums. I hope you enjoy a long stay here. Feel free to jump right in and post about any of the Joss shows, they all have some of the best dialogue in television.
Welcome! I'm not sure I'm as old in the fandom as you... Started watching Angel, b/c after seeing ads for the movie, I ignored the launch of the Buffy TV show.. but fortunately, Angel was my gateway drug... and I asked hubby for season 1 for Christmas, and as soon as the special box set came out, i watched all of it in what felt like one sitting... and I've been addicted ever since. I love Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Hated Dollhouse. Really angry that Serenity decided to destroy the best love story in any of the verses, but that's the way Joss rolls. Oh and I pretty much hate Joss whedon in spite of admitting he was a genius at world building and character building even though he's a hot mess of a human doing.
Welcome.
Yes I love Xander, thought that's not popular, i think he's heroic because of what he's got as starter material. If i had his parents, i'd be a mess too. Loved early Tillow, came to despise Wiillow b/c rapist mind #$% is not my type. And I LOVE BUFFY. Also love Dru and writing Dru especially. She is so interesting. Loved seasons 1-3 of Angel, hated everything that came from the time they decided to use season 4 to destroy Charisma Carpenter. Before that, it actually was about to be their best season ever. Season 5 was bearable b/c of Spike... but Spike did NOT belong in Angel... He just made season 5 funny enough to forget what a hash had been done to my second fav series (at the time). Both he and Angel regressed to 12 year olds and that could never have sustained the show so of course it was done, particularly after the abortion of Cornor or whatever you're calling that nasty mess, the series pretty much was destroyed along with one of my fav characters. And taking apart the only couple that really worked -- Gunn and Fred were so warm and funny and loving -- to reward obsessive compulsive stalker Wesley who locked women in his closet with buckets -- with a relationship that actually never went anywhere b/c they had zero chemistry and it was hella awkward-city. i lost total respect for the show after those two bonkers choices.
Yes, I loved Doyle too. If only Glenn Quinn could have stayed clean. I would have loved a show with both him and Wes.
I'm also a bookworm, and was a library volunteer for years. I have a fondness for scifi and supernatural anthologies and series myself.
I avoided Buffy at first, but I eventually rented the first season from the video store and liked it much more than I thought I would. Season 2 hooked me and I bought the rest of the seasons. I thus came to love the series a little behind everyone else (a few short years after it was finished). I did participate in Buffy fandom for a short while, though I can't remember any of the names of boards other than IMDB back when they had discussion boards. I didn't participate much in fandoms back then unless there was fanfic I was into.
I can't say if I prefer Buffy to Angel. It depends on my mood. I did not care for Angel much on Buffy, but I loved him in his own show.
Thanks, November. I hope so too. I haven't had the chance to get around too much today. I had some appointments, then I had to run to the store. One cannot live on Joss alone. So the doctors tell me. But I'll definitely dive in tomorrow. Well, today. It is 12:06 A.M. here. But if I haven't slept yet, it's still tomorrow. I don't care how much the Earth wants to rotate. 😛
Is your name a reference to "Dollhouse" or just a coincidence?
A fellow bookworm. Always a welcome sight. Or ... well, I guess I am still seeing your text. That makes the figure of speech still work, right?
As a lover of books, I obviously support libraries, librarians, and volunteers of all kinds. They're important institutions that I think get overlooked far too often in the modern age. But, as Giles tells us, knowledge should be smelly. Actually, I think one of my earliest crushes was on a librarian. Wait. Was that out loud? Nothing to see here. Move along. 😉
What are some of your favorites (books, television, whatever)? If you don't mind me asking.
I avoided Buffy at first, but I eventually rented the first season from the video store and liked it much more than I thought I would. Season 2 hooked me and I bought the rest of the seasons. I thus came to love the series a little behind everyone else (a few short years after it was finished). I did participate in Buffy fandom for a short while, though I can't remember any of the names of boards other than IMDB back when they had discussion boards. I didn't participate much in fandoms back then unless there was fanfic I was into.
I actually came to the series a little late myself, though I had seen the film a few times prior to that. My first episode of Buffy was "Fear Itself," from season four. I caught it on when my regular show at that time, JAG, was on a rerun. I liked it (it remains one of my favorite episodes), but I was already devoted to JAG, and they were in the same timeslot, so I didn't continue watching it. Then, post season five, FX started airing reruns of Buffy, which I caught from the pilot, and I just absolutely fell in love with series. I kept watching it on FX and tuned in to season six when it started airing on UPN, as well as Angel season three (which was a bit of a mess to jump into), and I've been watching ever since. Though I had to wait for TNT to start airing Angel reruns to catch up there and find out what a brilliant character Doyle was.
I prefer Angel overall, especially the peak of the first two seasons, when it was a very supernatural noir style series. That isn't to diminish Buffy at all, though, which is a fantastic show, and has some of my favorite characters in the Buffyverse. I liked Angel on Buffy, but I can agree that he's much better on his own series, especially when playing off Doyle, Wesley, and Cordelia.
Thank you, Deep. Hm. I'm not sure that's right. Unless you're secretly a fish-person. Blue? Joy? Let me know how to address you that won't get me slapped. 😛
I'm not sure I'm as old in the fandom as you... Started watching Angel, b/c after seeing ads for the movie, I ignored the launch of the Buffy TV show.. but fortunately, Angel was my gateway drug... and I asked hubby for season 1 for Christmas, and as soon as the special box set came out, i watched all of it in what felt like one sitting... and I've been addicted ever since.
Although I watched the film, as I mentioned above to Thrasher, I was a bit late to the scene myself. I can understand the movie might not have made you want to watch a series adaption. It's a fun, cheesy little film, but I can see it not appealing. As you found out, though, the series is not to be judged by its theatrical predecessor. 🙂
I love Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Hated Dollhouse. Really angry that Serenity decided to destroy the best love story in any of the verses, but that's the way Joss rolls.
It might be blasphemy around here, so please don't tar and feather me, but I might actually love Firefly the most out of all of Joss' projects.
You hated Dollhouse? If you don't mind me asking, what is it that didn't appeal to you? I mean, if you can put your finger on it. I know sometimes it's not easy to explain why something doesn't click for you. I thought it was pretty great in season one, but season two went off the rails for me.
Joss does like to upset us, doesn't he? It started with Jenny, and he's never stopped hurting me since. But he is a damn good writer. It's hard not to forgive it.
I pretty much hate Joss whedon in spite of admitting he was a genius at world building and character building even though he's a hot mess of a human doing.
That just shows you're a reasonable person. A lot of people will denigrate someone's talents just because they don't like who a person is or the things that they do. You acknowledge his strengths while hating his flaws. That's fair. No one's going to get mad at you for that. Well. I'm not going to. This is the internet. There are crazy people out there.
Yes I love Xander, thought that's not popular, i think he's heroic because of what he's got as starter material. If i had his parents, i'd be a mess too.
I can definitely relate to Xander in a lot of ways, as you might have guessed from my screenname. 'Cause you're clever. 🙂 He's not perfect, but he overcame a lot in his life to become a person who always tries to do the right thing, and he does it despite being at greater risk and getting less recognition for his actions. "The Zeppo" is one of my all-time favorite episodes.
I love Tara and Willow together, but I agree, what she does to her is unforgivable. Whereas in seasons one to three, Willow is my girl, I definitely prefer Tara to Miss Rosenberg later in the series. Speaking of which, "Family" is definitely one of my favorite episodes.
I love Buffy, but she can definitely be a handful at times. I know that she deals with a lot, but it can sometimes push her to forget that she doesn't have to do everything alone, that the Scooby Gang aren't soldiers in her army, but rather her friends. I know she doesn't mean to, of course, but sometimes she does.
Dru is a delightful villain. She's amusing, attractive, and incredibly dangerous. As I said to one of my friends once, "Tempting, but I'd be worried she might pluck my eyes out in the middle of it." If you don't know what I mean by "it," you're too innocent to be on the internet. Get out of here. 😛
And taking apart the only couple that really worked -- Gunn and Fred were so warm and funny and loving -- to reward obsessive compulsive stalker Wesley who locked women in his closet with buckets -- with a relationship that actually never went anywhere b/c they had zero chemistry and it was hella awkward-city.
He and Wesley would have played well together, I agree. It would have been interesting to see. It's unfortunate that Glenn Quinn struggled with that the way he did. He was a talented guy. It seems a waste, not only because he was a human being but also because he could have done so much more in his career.
Yep, its a Dollhouse reference 🙂 I used to have a Mellie/November avatar until I did an Agents of Shield rewatch and decided May was my fave again. Have you seen Agents of Shield?
I liked Mellie / November, although she wasn't my favorite of the 'Dolls.' That honor goes to Victor, followed by Sierra, who I absolutely shipped together. I don't do a lot of shipping. But those two got to me.
Have I seen an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? I think about three times all the way through? I love that show. Melinda May is best girl, for sure. ❤️ Though I do love Jemma quite a lot as well. My favorites aside from May are Coulson, Fitz, Simmons, and Yo-Yo (in that order, probably.) It made my day when Natalie Cordova Buckley (Yo-Yo) liked a post of my on Twitter (which will always be Twitter, not 'X,' sorry people.) I don't use the Twit (see, I'm hip, shortening the name of things derogatorily) very often but one of the few times I did was to leave a comment about loving her character, and she liked my post, which was cool.
What was I talking about? Oh, Melinda May supremacy! I've been crushing on Ming-Na basically my whole life. Chun-Li from "Street Fighter," Mulan, Camille from "Stargate," Melinda May. I kept rediscovering her every couple of years and crushing on her all over again. 🙂
I actually just dropped a post in the Random Thread, replying to some of the chatting there. Maybe too much. I am prone to being wordy and verbose. Which you can tell because those words mean the same thing. 😛
Firefly was horribly sabotaged by the network. Poor marketing before and during the show, the only ads I remember seeing being during (wow, grammatically correct, but three 'ings' in a row sounds very strange coming out of your mouth) John Doe, which aired just before it. Still, against all odds, it turned into a classic, a masterclass in the genre, thanks to the writing and the chemistry of the actors. The only good thing about it being canceled early is that it never had a bad episode.
I got lazy with a new email and I hate adding numbers so I combined two childhood nicknames to get an original one.
The first was Thrasher which I was dubbed because I was once into skateboards and not bad with them (I'm no longer interested).
The second was Pix which was short for Pixie. My grandmother used to call me this for as long as I remember, referring to my playfully mischievous ways. It sounds close enough to "Becks" (short for Becky) that it rolled off the tongue the same. Sometimes I was called Becks and other times Pix, even as an adult.
My usual pattern when I join a fandom is to participate a few months and move on. I was sure I'd do that here so instead of coming up with an appropriate name I just lazily used my email name of Thrasherpix.
Years later I regret it. I sometimes still wonder if I should change my name here to something more Buffyesque but have a superstitious dread that if I do then I'll finally move on.
(I keep being tempted to return to family in Texas where I'd have room, board, and a job. It's a good deal so I keep being tempted, though there are other factors that keep me hesitating to embrace it. If I go I'm unlikely to remain on BB, at least much, as internet is sketchy even when it's available deep in rural Texas, far from the cosmopolitan cities of Texas.)
I could list many, but plenty are little known (I believe one game & book series would've been huge with TV and movies had corporate shenanigans not aborted the series just as it was getting started) while others I may like only the first few in the series and not like the rest, and I don't want to turn this into my list of things I don't like.
Some know Shadowrun, the fantasy cyberpunk, as it's a relatively popular game (both TT and video), though it also has many novels which are hit or miss to me. A few are my favorite. Examples of favorites include Choose Your Enemies Carefully and Changeling (both early on). There are others as well.
I am a fan of the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, especially Dead Beat which I've read several times.
I tend to like the works of Mercedes Lackey, though only rarely love. One of those I love are the first 3 Diana Tregarde novels, which is a Witch and Guardian similar in the vein to Buffy (she prefers magic to martial arts, but is no slouch in a fight). I mainly mention it for Jinx High as I strongly suspect that it may have inspired the season 1 Buffy ep Witch, but this novel is much darker with a disturbing ending.
While I'm not a big fan of Stephen King (though he's okay for me and I can usually read through any novel of his fast, and I find a few particularly good that I'm not listing here), two of my favorites are Firestarter and Salem's Lot. I mainly mention this because SL was my introduction to vampires. I saw the original movie when I was about 10 to 11 (it was in October when my birthday is, so one of them) and later read the novel when I was 12. (I've been reading adult material since I was 10. And now I celebrate that by sometimes reading material aimed at kids today!)
As a result, my first impression of vampires was them as relentlessly evil, bordering on evil spirits, rather than anything romantic, and I tend to still prefer vampires that way (though I can enjoy other types of vampires, and do love the first 3 vampire books by Anne Rice, though nothing after those 3). This helped me to like Buffy when I first tried it.
That aside, I like atmosphere horror, such as the movie Sleepy Hollow and the 1992 Dracula.
Speaking of which, I also like authors like Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. I'm also a fan of Isaac Asimov.
For what it's worth, I've only watched some seasons of American Horror Story with it being generally okay to me (and a bit disorienting from recycling so many of its actors), but I own the AHS season Coven, which I recently just saw again for I think the fourth time. And I mainly mention that because Tim Minear (of Angel) and Doug Petrie (mostly Buffy) helped to make and write it...though it's far grislier than Angel or Buffy and liking one doesn't mean you'll like the other.
I like so much scifi, but given how long I've gone on I'll just list Babylon 5 as arguably my favorite TV series. One of those that is a contender for me liking better is Firefly.
Just for variety I also had an intense liking for the cartoon Daria and the anime Angel Beats, both of which I've watched several times (and AB in both dub and sub, though AB is one of the exceptions in that i prefer dub to sub whereas I usually prefer sub for anime). (EDITED: for any mystified by the words, "dub" means dub, or English voice actors for me, whereas "sub" is subtitled, which is the original Japanese voice actors and the translation as text on the screen.)
I prefer Aliens to Alien but Terminator to Terminator 2 (but love all 4). I guess I should mention that I see the first movie of both as scifi horror and the sequel as scifi action. I'm finding it hard to find the words on why it's this way for me. (Though while I'm at it, I ignore any Alien movie after Aliens, instead going with a comic series.)
Harry Potter and even the Hunger Games are popular enough to be worth listing. I pretty much got into both due to a little girl who pushed them at me. I much prefer the novels to the movies (I haven't even seen all the HG movies). I'll say that I disagree strongly that HG is a ripoff of Battle Royale, though I can understand why one would think so if they only watched the movies.
And that's just the media that comes immediately to mind!
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NotASlayerDead Beat is the one I've reread the most.
It sounds close enough to "Becks" (short for Becky) that it rolled off the tongue the same. Sometimes I was called Becks and other times Pix, even as an adult.
Well, someday, if we get comfortable enough with one another, maybe I'll call you Becks. And then you can slap me and tell me we're not that comfortable with each other yet. It'll be great. 😛
Thrasher sounds like your superhero alter ego. 😉 Were you a tomboy growing up, or did you just happen to be into skateboarding? Oh, if I'm being too invasive, you can always just tell me to shut up. Don't worry. You wouldn't be the first. 😛
My usual pattern when I join a fandom is to participate a few months and move on. I was sure I'd do that here so instead of coming up with an appropriate name I just lazily used my email name of Thrasherpix.
Years later I regret it. I sometimes still wonder if I should change my name here to something more Buffyesque but have a superstitious dread that if I do then I'll finally move on.
Well, I guess none of those places were a good fit for you. Glad this one was. After all, if it hadn't been, I'd be here talking to myself. It's good to have someone for the sound to bounce off, you know? 🙂
Well, I doubt your superstitions would come to pass, but trust your gut and don't do anything you're not comfortable with. That's my general rule. That and don't put onions on hot dogs unless they're caramelized. That's very important.
(I keep being tempted to return to family in Texas where I'd have room, board, and a job. It's a good deal so I keep being tempted, though there are other factors that keep me hesitating to embrace it. If I go I'm unlikely to remain on BB, at least much, as internet is sketchy even when it's available deep in rural Texas, far from the cosmopolitan cities of Texas.)
I take it you're struggling where you are. I'm sorry to hear that. I know what it's like. And it's important to take care of yourself, to make sure you're safe. But it's also important to make sure you're taking care of yourself in ways other than the physical. And I infer that you have reason to think you might not be happy doing that. Not that I want to overstep my bounds. As always, feel free to tell me to mind my own business. But feel free to talk at me if you ever need to. I'm a pretty good listener. I've got references. 😛
Some know Shadowrun, the fantasy cyberpunk, as it's a relatively popular game (both TT and video), though it also has many novels which are hit or miss to me. A few are my favorite. Examples of favorites include Choose Your Enemies Carefully and Changeling (both early on). There are others as well.
Shadowrun is something I'm familiar with through friends over the years, though I've never played it myself. I was on the verge of being in a tabletop roleplaying game set in the universe, but it whimpered out when some of the people drifted out of it due to life. I've never read any of the novels. Maybe I'll pick some of those up sometime. If I remember. Sometimes this brain of mine is about as reliable as a rusty tap. No, I don't really know what that means either.
I am a fan of the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, especially Dead Beat which I've read several times.
I tend to like the works of Mercedes Lackey, though only rarely love. One of those I love are the first 3 Diana Tregarde novels, which is a Witch and Guardian similar in the vein to Buffy (she prefers magic to martial arts, but is no slouch in a fight). I mainly mention it for Jinx High as I strongly suspect that it may have inspired the season 1 Buffy ep Witch, but this novel is much darker with a disturbing ending.
I've only read the first Dresden Files book, though I enjoyed it. I really loved the (very short) television series, though. I know there are some differences from the book series, but I thought it was great. Have you seen it?
I have never even heard of Mercedes Lackey. I'll have to do some searching on that and see if it's something I might like.
While I'm not a big fan of Stephen King (though he's okay for me and I can usually read through any novel of his fast, and I find a few particularly good that I'm not listing here), two of my favorites are Firestarter and Salem's Lot.
I've only read The Dead Zone, which I was inspired to pick up thanks to the television series with Anthony Michael Hall and Nicole Deboer. I really enjoyed the book, which is largely the plot of the first two episodes, but I've never been a fan of King's writing style. Nothing against him as a writer. He has a pretty great imagination. But a style either works for you or it doesn't. An author whose writing I find superior (for me anyway) is Dean Koontz, who has been my favorite author since 9th grade.
I mainly mention this because SL was my introduction to vampires. I saw the original movie when I was about 10 to 11 (it was in October when my birthday is, so one of them) and later read the novel when I was 12. (I've been reading adult material since I was 10. And now I celebrate that by sometimes reading material aimed at kids today!)
I get that. My first disciplinary action in school was for reading Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles in first grade, I read Moby Dick in the third grade, and I was in AP Literature in the fourth grade. Reading is the one thing I've always been good at. But I can still enjoy some kids' stuff like re-reading Hardy Boys books from when I was a kid. Nothing wrong with that. As the Doctor (Who) said, what's the point of being an adult if you can't be a kid sometimes? 😉
I definitely agree. I like a good slasher film from the eighties or nineties as much as the next person, but atmosphere is the essence of great horror, allowing it to really get in your head.and stay there. I actually never clicked with the '92 Dracula. I prefer the Frank Langella version from '79. and, of course, Bela Lugosi's original film is legendary. I love Sleepy Hollow, though.
I like so much scifi, but given how long I've gone on I'll just list Babylon 5 as arguably my favorite TV series. One of those that is a contender for me liking better is Firefly.
I can't blame you for loving Babylon 5. It's one of the masterpieces of sci-fi television. I know the swap-out of the station's commander wasn't the plan originally, rather forced on them by circumstance, but I have to admit I'm more partial to Sheridan than Sinclair. I don't know if that's blasphemy, but there it is. My other favorite characters are Ivanova and Delenn.
Just for variety I also had an intense liking for the cartoon Daria and the anime Angel Beats, both of which I've watched several times (and AB in both dub and sub, though AB is one of the exceptions in that i prefer dub to sub whereas I usually prefer sub for anime).
I remember Daria. I never watched it regularly, but I really liked it a lot. Angel Beats I've heard of but I can't say I've ever watched it. I take this to be a recommendation, though, so I'll see if I can track it down somewhere when I get the chance.
I would prefer sub, but I don't understand Japanese, and I find tracking the subtitles breaks my immersion too much, unfortunately. It takes me out of the scene, which is the opposite of the point.
I prefer Aliens to Alien but Terminator to Terminator 2 (but love all 4). I guess I should mention that I see the first movie of both as scifi horror and the sequel as scifi action. I'm finding it hard to find the words on why it's this way for me. (Though while I'm at it, I ignore any Alien movie after Aliens, instead going with a comic series.)
You don't have to find the words. Your interpretation is exactly the same as mine. 🙂 The sequels of both films leaned more into the action, which I think was a good choice that kept the franchises fresh. They kept the feel of the originals enough to respect them, but leaned into something new because it's hard to maintain that atmosphere long term without just repeating what you've already done.
Harry Potter and even the Hunger Games are popular enough to be worth listing. I pretty much got into both due to a little girl who pushed them at me. I much prefer the novels to the movies (I haven't even seen all the HG movies). I'll say that I disagree strongly that HG is a ripoff of Battle Royale, though I can understand why one would think so if they only watched the movies.
I'm not a huge fan of Hunger Games, but I found the movies entertaining enough. Perhaps the books are better? Harry Potter, on the other hand, I enjoyed a great deal. I initially, as an outside observer barely aware of the franchise, figured it was more of a children's story, but after seeing the film with a friend who wanted to, I read all of the books up until that point (which was either Goblet of Fire or Order of the Phoenix, I can't remember which.) Hermione and Dumbledore are easily my favorite characters but there are so many to love -- Hagrid, McGonnagal, Lupin, Sirius, Luna, Tonks, and many more.
Don't worry, I get it. I am a lifelong Olympic Gold Medal winning media consumer. 😛
Thanks for taking the time to share. I know it must have taken a minute out of your life, and I appreciate the effort. Hopefully I didn't blow up your brain Scanners style by responding with just as much. 🙂
I was a tomboy, especially back then. When I lived with my grandmother (which I did off and on) there was an older cousin who lived with me from a very young age and I consider him an honorary brother. He dragged me into all sorts of adventures.
I think I was 6, then living with my parents on the outskirts of Houston, when the girls my age took to shunning me (not sure why but I strongly suspect a mother was involved). So, between then and age 10 I almost exclusively played with boys. (My grandmother did pay for me to go to Scouts to counter that, but I had very little to do with them outside scout activities, and I stopped going around age 10.) After this I had one foot in boy world and another in girl world from then on (age 10 and up).
Also encouraging me was "girl clothes" were more expensive and I could get into severe trouble for ripping or staining them. Not so much my "tomboy clothes."
Relevant to the skateboard, a friend (girl) included me in people going to see The Crow when I was 11. I related to the girl in it who had a skateboard, and it made me want one. This was considered ridiculous and too expensive and all that. But I continued to want one for years.
My grandmother didn't care for my tomboy ways and sometimes forced me to dress more femme. She had also dismissed the idea of me getting a skateboard. And yet when I was temporarily living with her as I turned 14, she arranged to secretly get me a board. This included driving to Tyler, Texas (the only real city nearby, though still a long drive) and she dropped me off at the Tyler Rose Festival while she "ran errands" and secretly got me a skateboard to give to me on my 14th birthday.
That meant so much to me, because it said that even though I wasn't as girly as she liked, she still loved me. I loved that board, and I got pretty good at it, though I got banged up doing so (and once crashed into a hornets nest). I think it had a positive effect on me that I learned perseverance and determination paid off as it was something I got better at slowly.
Over a year later I was back in Houston and accepted among the other skateboarders my age. Later I'd run with a different crowd who were impressed enough that they dubbed me Thrasher. Unfortunately, not long after my board was stolen. That broke my heart.
It took me a couple of years to get another, but it was just never the same. It didn't have the same symbolic value, and my interest in it dwindled until I gave it up completely.
XanderesqueMan said:
My first disciplinary action in school was for reading Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles in first grade
Though I'm well aware that schools can be ridiculous, but I'm curious what their rationale was.
XanderesqueMan said:
I've only read the first Dresden Files book, though I enjoyed it. I really loved the (very short) television series, though. I know there are some differences from the book series, but I thought it was great. Have you seen it?
I never saw the TV series. I'll give it a chance one day.
XanderesqueMan said:
I can't blame you for loving Babylon 5. It's one of the masterpieces of sci-fi television. I know the swap-out of the station's commander wasn't the plan originally, rather forced on them by circumstance, but I have to admit I'm more partial to Sheridan than Sinclair. I don't know if that's blasphemy, but there it is. My other favorite characters are Ivanova and Delenn.
I also liked Sheridan. Ivanova actually reminded me of a Russian American I knew who I was very fond of, and thus fond of Ivanova.
XanderesqueMan said:
Angel Beats I've heard of but I can't say I've ever watched it. I take this to be a recommendation, though, so I'll see if I can track it down somewhere when I get the chance.
I would prefer sub, but I don't understand Japanese, and I find tracking the subtitles breaks my immersion too much, unfortunately. It takes me out of the scene, which is the opposite of the point.
I think the dub to be superior for Angel Beats. It starts off silly and figured it was something to enjoy and forget, but it changes, and I was wondering how I got to care so much and then crying.
If you see it, watch the post end-credit scene at the end.
Unfortunately, it was cut short, at least most foreign versions. I've heard of what didn't make it into the American version as well as the manga and it answered many questions I had on why some of the characters were there and why they were the way they are (though not all of them).
A detail I missed on first viewing is that many bleed ones and zeroes (they're tiny) which reflects that so many powers and such are computer programs there. One of the mysteries is who the Programmer is (lots of fan theories), and more than one character learns to alter their abilities and such by creating programs for themselves.
I've been thinking of giving it another rewatch which is why I thought of it.
XanderesqueMan said:
You don't have to find the words. Your interpretation is exactly the same as mine. The sequels of both films leaned more into the action, which I think was a good choice that kept the franchises fresh. They kept the feel of the originals enough to respect them, but leaned into something new because it's hard to maintain that atmosphere long term without just repeating what you've already done.
But what I meant was for some reason I prefer the scifi action of the Alien franchise, but the scifi horror of the Terminator series. I'm not sure why I like one style in one and a different style in the other. I want to say that I connect to the characters better, though I'd be hard pressed as to say why.
XanderesqueMan said:
I'm not a huge fan of Hunger Games, but I found the movies entertaining enough. Perhaps the books are better?
I'd say so. I only saw the first movie at the cinema and all the way through, and it hits different from the book. In the book we get Katniss's thoughts which can't be done so well in a movie. There were a lot more personal dynamics and characters and even symbolism (that is it bordered on poetry at moments). And even when parallel it hit different because in the book Katniss is able to escape due to her size and speed that let her climb much higher in a tree and use it for cover where the same scene is lost in the movie because of the size of the actress (as just an example). The movie was okay, but I liked the book a lot better.
XanderesqueMan said:
Thanks for taking the time to share. I know it must have taken a minute out of your life, and I appreciate the effort. Hopefully I didn't blow up your brain Scanners style by responding with just as much
You're welcome. It was good I got off as it was long enough and I started thinking about the werewolf movies I liked and why which would've been several paragraphs. And then other book series and such came to mind. Still, I know you like the details so I'm generally happy to share. 🙂
I just read the first post XanderesqueMan, what you said confounds me, when you said that it was dating you. If it was dating you and the date was bad then I guess you have only yourself to blame . . as the person who was doing the date or the person who was being dated!
There, glad I didn't get that wrong!
I just read the first post XanderesqueMan, what you said confounds me, when you said that it was dating you. If it was dating you and the date was bad then I guess you have only yourself to blame . . as the person who was doing the date or the person who was being dated!
There, glad I didn't get that wrong!
I guess I should have planned the date better. Or maybe I just expected too much from myself. At least I didn't have to fight off my advances in the car afterwards.
I was a tomboy, especially back then. When I lived with my grandmother (which I did off and on) there was an older cousin who lived with me from a very young age and I consider him an honorary brother. He dragged me into all sorts of adventures.
I had a tomboy neighbor when I was pretty young. She was friends with my older brother, so I saw her over at the house all the time. I had the biggest crush on her. Obviously, I was always tagging along with them, though I remained pretty invisible. When's that going to stop by the way? I was promised girls would stop looking through me at some point. 😛
I think I was 6, then living with my parents on the outskirts of Houston, when the girls my age took to shunning me (not sure why but I strongly suspect a mother was involved)..
So, between then and age 10 I almost exclusively played with boys. ... After this I had one foot in boy world and another in girl world from then on (age 10 and up).
Also encouraging me was "girl clothes" were more expensive and I could get into severe trouble for ripping or staining them. Not so much my "tomboy clothes."
I imagine so (or not, depending on which part of that you read me as responding to.) I imagine the "girl clothes" were a bit more likely to be ripped as well. They tend to be built me for aesthetics than sturdiness, I reckon.
Relevant to the skateboard, a friend (girl) included me in people going to see The Crow when I was 11. I related to the girl in it who had a skateboard, and it made me want one.
The Crow. What a masterpiece. I didn't see it when it came out (I was ten), not until years later, whereupon I wondered why I hadn't watched it sooner. I guess we all have our gaps in cultural experiences. But that's not the point here. Sarah was pretty cool. If you don't mind me asking, what was it that made you relate to her? The non-traditional home life, the kind of tomboy-ness, or something else?
Albrecht: How do you ride that thing in the rain? Sarah: Pure talent.
It's a shame that, due to the tragic death of Brandon Lee, that girl never acted again. I thought she was really talented.
My grandmother didn't care for my tomboy ways and sometimes forced me to dress more femme. She had also dismissed the idea of me getting a skateboard. And yet when I was temporarily living with her as I turned 14, she arranged to secretly get me a board.
...
That meant so much to me, because it said that even though I wasn't as girly as she liked, she still loved me.
You took me on a whole journey there from "Hey, can't you just let Pix skateboard and wear what she wants?" to "Aww, that's really sweet." I mean, "Cool, that was nice of her." Oh, who am I kidding? I stop in the street to fawn over people's puppies. I'm not convincing anyone I'm a manly man. 😛
I loved that board, and I got pretty good at it, though I got banged up doing so (and once crashed into a hornets nest). I think it had a positive effect on me that I learned perseverance and determination paid off as it was something I got better at slowly.
I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, so I had the opportunity (that's a word for it) to ride my bicycle through a hornet's nest once when I was about 8 or 10. It was not pleasant. I know, what a surprise. You thought they'd pop out and invite me to tea, right? 😛
I think those are definitely important traits to learn when we're young. Most things in life don't come easy, at least for the vast majority of us, and perseverance and determination are the only way the things you want tend to get realized.
Over a year later I was back in Houston and accepted among the other skateboarders my age. Later I'd run with a different crowd who were impressed enough that they dubbed me Thrasher. Unfortunately, not long after my board was stolen. That broke my heart.
It took me a couple of years to get another, but it was just never the same. It didn't have the same symbolic value, and my interest in it dwindled until I gave it up completely.
I know it was a long time ago now (if you were eleven in 1994, you're only a year older than me), but I'm still sorry to hear that. I moved when I was eighteen, and I basically lost everything from my childhood through that, so I know what it's like to lose things that mean so much to you. I guess at least mine was incidental, life being life, not the product of theft.
I realize I wasn't actually clear enough in what I said. It wasn't just for reading The Hound of the Baskervilles. It was for reading The Hound of the Baskervilles in the middle of class. Understandably, they didn't appreciate that much. But I started my love of literature really young, and I found getting to the end of that story to be far more important than whatever they were trying to teach me at the time.
I do recommend it. I own the DVD set. I'd loan it to you, but I can't figure out how to make the computer digitize DVDs. I'm working on it. Give me time. 😉
I think the dub to be superior for Angel Beats. It starts off silly and figured it was something to enjoy and forget, but it changes, and I was wondering how I got to care so much and then crying.
If you see it, watch the post end-credit scene at the end.
Unfortunately, it was cut short, at least most foreign versions. I've heard of what didn't make it into the American version as well as the manga and it answered many questions I had on why some of the characters were there and why they were the way they are (though not all of them).
I'll try not to judge it too early then, since it evolves as it goes along.
If something's good, I almost never miss any post-credits scenes because I let them play and just enjoy the music while I settle back down into reality. It's like decompression for divers. You have to do it slowly or you'll get the bends. 😛
It's disappointing that it got cut short for the versions released here, but you seem to think it's still worth it, so I'll look into getting ahold of it when I can. I've actually only gotten into anime in recent years, and some of it is far too silly for my particular tastes, but I've discovered a ton of great shows and movies - anything Miyazaki (though favorites include Secret World of Arietty, The Cat Returns, and Whisper of the Heart), Moribito, Read or Die, Flying Witch, Dirty Pair (Original), You're Under Arrest! (OVA), and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, to give a few examples.
... what I meant was for some reason I prefer the scifi action of the Alien franchise, but the scifi horror of the Terminator series. I'm not sure why I like one style in one and a different style in the other. I want to say that I connect to the characters better, though I'd be hard pressed as to say why.
Oh, duh. I misattributed your "can't find the words to explain why" to the wrong part of the conversation. That makes sense. Well, I still think I agree with you, though all four movies are great. I do have to say, though, Miles Dyson's death scene always gets to me in Terminator 2. Joe Morton is great (but he always is.) I'm not really sure why either. I guess at least I'm not alone in that. Maybe we could form a club. I'm not sure what we'd do. But we could figure that out later. I'll bring snacks.
I only saw the first movie at the cinema and all the way through, and it hits different from the book. In the book we get Katniss's thoughts which can't be done so well in a movie. There were a lot more personal dynamics and characters and even symbolism (that is it bordered on poetry at moments). And even when parallel it hit different because in the book Katniss is able to escape due to her size and speed that let her climb much higher in a tree and use it for cover where the same scene is lost in the movie because of the size of the actress (as just an example). The movie was okay, but I liked the book a lot better.
The source material usually is better, though not always. I'll see about reading the first book sometime then. Based on the movie, I never had a really strong interest, but I'm curious now. Look what you did. 😛
You're welcome. It was good I got off as it was long enough and I started thinking about the werewolf movies I liked and why which would've been several paragraphs. And then other book series and such came to mind. Still, I know you like the details so I'm generally happy to share. 🙂
I do like the details. I'm a talker from way back. And I like to receive words as much as give them. If you're ever worried about bogging down a thread with lists of werewolf movies and book series, or really for any reason at all, you can feel free to DM me. I promise I've removed all the alligators from the moat, and the drawbridge is down. 😉
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