space is weird

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:10:29 GMT

I have the strongest desire to call in and sit on my couch all day and watch Futurama until my various appointments this afternoon, all of which will no doubt result in me being fucking PISSED AS HELL.

Unfortunately, I already know that everyone else is out due to off-site training. So I can't.

WHY IS IT NEVER CONVENIENT FOR ME TO USE MY 80+ HOURS OF SICK TIME?

...I'll take my iPad to work. Work on deeply_spaced's prompt at lunch.

*/bottled up rage*

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Prompts, please?

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:10:48 GMT

It seems like I don't have a lot in the way of possessions until the Spring Cleaning bug hits me, and suddenly, I have lots of stuff.

(This year's Spring cleaning brought to you by the cat getting into the smoked salmon cream cheese, a 3am run to WalMart to get Resolve, and helpless laughter for hours on end.)

That said, while I need to clean, I also want to write, I just have no direction. So. Feel free to leave some sort of prompt if you'd like. It can be along the lines as "an old piece of lace" or as specific as "Data and Cloud Strife talk Chocobos over tea."

If you are going for specific people, check out my sticky post or my icons to see which fandoms I'm active in. Or if you know my original stuff, I'll write that too. :)

Thank'ye kindly.

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Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:32:50 GMT

I FINISHED A STITCH IN TIME.

Okay, now I really can work on Physician, Heal Thyself. More, anyway. Maybe working on that will help me hammer out more details on Dragon's Backbone since P,HT takes place in the DB universe.

But I also know that I really won't be doing much on DB for a while. Must continue marathoning with larathia. Our talks are most conducive to me hammering out the details for DB.

Physician, Heal Thyself will probably get stashed on my AO3 account once I have more parts to it.

Back to "Life Support!"

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Today will not be productive either.

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 18:14:17 GMT

darthbetta: *makes an inhuman noise that's supposed to be a squee* YOU HAVE MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 ON YOUR PS3.

Me: *attempting to read A Stitch In Time for research purposes so he can write later* ...yes. Yes, I do.

*eyes WIP folder*

You know what? After a week of almost no sleep and super stressy shit at work, I think I can justify not being productive this weekend.

Vidja gamin' time.

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 29

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:33:15 GMT

Goddamn it, brain. I was asleep too.

AHEM!

Last question.

If you could tell Gene Roddenberry one thing, Star Trek related or not, what would it be?

Thank you. Thank you for having an optimistic vision of the future. For giving us hope about the things to come.

I appreciate it more than you can possibly realize.

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 28

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:02:45 GMT

If you could change one thing about Star Trek, what would it be?

Again, this goes back to the whole homosexuality in Star Trek thing. That's it. I loved how in The Offspring (TNG) that when Guinan was explaining the intimate acts of humanoids, she didn't specify gender. I also found that Whoopi Goldberg changed the script for this purpose, and I adore her for it. Taken from the Memory Alpha article on episode:

In one of the scenes with Guinan tutoring Lal about human sexuality, Whoopi Goldberg altered one of her script lines in order to turn a strictly heterosexual explanation into a gender-neutral version: "According to the script, Guinan was supposed to start telling Lal, 'When a man and a woman are in love ...' and in the background, there would be men and women sitting at tables, holding hands[...] But Whoopi refused to say that. She said, 'This show is beyond that. It should be 'When two people are in love.'" It was also decided on set that the background of the scene show a same-sex couple holding hands, but "someone ran to a phone and made a call to the production office and that was nixed. [Producer] David Livingston came down and made sure that didn't happen." (TNG research assistant Richard Arnold)

While I don't expect it to be the main focus for the show, since relationships in general aren't the main focus of the show, just to have it be okay would be nice. We're supposedly depicting a Utopia on Earth here. Shouldn't everyone be allowed to experience it?

Meh.

( One more to go! )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 27

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:09:12 GMT

What would you cross over with Star Trek?

They say a picture's worth a thousand words, right? I whipped something up for today. Man, if I'd known, I would've started it a few days ago. Ah well.

( TRON! )

This courtesy of finding out that David Warner played Gul Madred in TNG. He also played Sark in the original Tron.

And then suddenly I had a desire to draw Cardassians in Light Suits. Well, Garak anyway. So I did. And Star Trek crossing over to Tron would be awesome. Going into the holodeck rather than into the holodeck, you know? :)

( The remaining days. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 26

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:00:02 GMT

Lots of Star Trek Parodies out there. Which do you dig?

Galaxy Quest.

(Sorry, no extended response today. Headachey and tired as hell.)

( The remaining days. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 25

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 17:34:13 GMT

How has Star Trek changed you?

How has anything changed me? Doesn't every thing that has an impact on your life change you? Didn't Star Trek teach us about quantum universes and the infinite possibilities?

*grin*

Seriously, I'd say it probably got the interest-in-science-bud inside me to bloom and go crazy. I always found the sciences interesting. Star Trek made it accessible. Mostly because they'd come up with some theory, and then explain it using a simple analogy.

I started doing this in classes back in school, when I was trying to understand something. And when my teachers were awesome, they'd either confirm my theory, or correct it, still using a simple analogy. Or they'd tell me to stop being a smart ass and threaten me with detention.

My grades were very, very skewed in school.

( The remaining days. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 23 and 24

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:08:43 GMT

Is there anything you'd want to change about Star Trek? Why?

Is there anything about Star Trek that has disappointed you?

I'm putting 23 and 24 together, because they both fall under the same thing. What I'd change, because it disappointed me.

At first, I wasn't too disappointed with Star Trek in general. Nothing really I'd change, maybe just add to it. And then, with the wonders of the internet, I Learned Things.

I was disappointed when I found out that initially, the writers were going to go with Garak and Bashir being Star Trek's first gay couple and then they scrapped the idea. Not because I'm a raving G/B fanboy or anything (though I am) but because they actually planned to do it and then decided not to because it might make people uncomfortable.

And the thing is, Robinson and Siddig (Garak and Bashir's actors, respectively) were behind it! And played them as such in Profit and Loss before the idea got scrapped. :|

Well, back in the 60s, don't you think that Uhura being on screen at all made some people uncomfortable? They still went with it, didn't they? Of course, Roddenberry died before DS9 came out. Maybe he would've said "go for it!" We'll never know.

As someone who has lived in discomfort because of who they are and who they love, to see a homosexual relationship portrayed in a positive light would have been awesome.

I think they tried later on with Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn, but that was one episode, and it didn't end particularly well. Of course, that has to do with Trill society and whatnot, but it still made me sort of sad that they depicted it as being a tragic type relationship.

I know they've done other episodes about similar things (TNG, The Outcast) but...just single episodes. To have it go throughout a whole series? Yeah. That would have been awesome.

( The remaining days. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 22

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:44:58 GMT

Which Star Trek world would you want to visit at least once?

There are so many. How do you choose just one?

I'd love to visit Vulcan. Ever since I saw the reboot and the architecture they depicted in it, I've wanted to see someone really do that. If it's impressive on the screen, it must be that much more impressive in person.

( The remaining days. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 21

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:37:42 GMT

Which Star Trek food would you want to try at least once?

It's not a food, but it is something you can ingest.

I would love to try a raktajino. I'm not a coffee fan by nature, but if it's Klingon coffee, there's gotta be something to it that really packs a punch. Maybe it'd keep me up for a week straight. That would be awesome. I mean, if I didn't suffer any ill side effects from being up all week. I'd get a lot done! Plus, it seems to be a popular drink, it's probably not as...err, Klingon as some of the Klingon food.

( The remaining days. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 20

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:34:06 GMT

Of the minor characters (one shots, not the recurring ones) who's your favorite?

Amanda Rogers. This would be a baby-Q. I think what I liked best about her was that they depicted her fairly realistically. Here, you are a teenage girl with all the powers of the universe. So what does she do with said powers? She summons up her puppies. She tries to get her crush's attention. She tries to hurry things along and messes up an experiment.

Granted, some of the things she did were due to Q's input, but that's also pretty realistic.

I wish she'd made more cameos. It would've been cool to see how her development as a Q was going.

( The remaining days. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 19

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:24:05 GMT

How did the Star Trek reboot affect you?

This is me being honest here. I refused to go see it at first. My roomie at the time (darthbetta) begged and pleaded with me to go with him, and after a week of bribes, I agreed. And I was good. I only took the free ticket bribe. :) I ended up paying for the food. *laughs* So I ended paying way more than I would have if I just bought the tickets.

Anyway. Saw it. Loved it. I adored the concept, I adored the cast, I loved how they made Spock/Uhura work. It affected me in a positive way, because as I mentioned in a previous post, they made an official AU. Which sort of freed my mind up to go crazy with my own AU. (I still don't understand how my brain works on that one, but. *shrug*)

I ended going to see it four more times. Twice with darthbetta, twice by myself. And got the DVD for a birthday present. :)

Yes, I quite like the reboot. I'd love to see more, actually.

( The remaining questions. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 18

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:46:29 GMT

If you could be any species in the Star Trek universe, what would you be?

I would be a Q. I would try to be a more responsible Q than Q. I dunno how well that would work, really, but I would try.

Just the idea of being able to realize anything you want is intriguing.

( The remaining questions. )

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Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:44:32 GMT

Sometimes I wonder why I bother putting so much time and effort into figuring out invisible people and what makes them tick.

I usually only wonder this when I'm severely sleep deprived though. Among other things. Like why do I have to ingest food and sleep. Why can't I just go into the ocean and absorb the sun's rays and recharge that way? Or why do I put up with a cat who wakes me up several times a night just to headbutt me and rub his face all over mine?

Rahh.

I did go to bed on time, by the way. I just woke up at 7am for whatever reason. I got my grocery run done for the weekend at least.

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 17

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:18:36 GMT

Have you read any of the books? If so, which ones?

I have, actually. I've read the Q Continuum (Q-Zone, Q-Space and Q-Strike) by Greg Cox and I've read A Stitch In Time by Andrew J. Robinson (the guy who played Garak.)

While I don't usually find the books are terribly applicable to the show's canon, the Q books provided interesting insight on an interpretation of Q's past, and why he goes out of his way to bother Picard. A Stitch In Time, as stated by the author himself, you don't actually know which bits are true and which are lies, but it was a fascinating read. It's told entirely from Garak's point of view.

I've read another one. I recall getting a TNG book at a used book store when I was in Florida once and reading it, but I have no clue what it was called. I do know that it was Geordi-centric, but that's all.

( The remaining questions. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 16

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:59:25 GMT

Are you involved with Star Trek fandom?

At this point in time, I am actively involved in the Star Trek fandom, yes. Specifically, Deep Space Nine and to a degree, The Next Generation.

I have a Giant Story Of Doom in progress entitled "Dragon's Backbone" which spans both shows. But this is what I do whenever I dabble in any fandom. Make my own giant AU before I even write the first piece.

I have been involved, if indirectly with Star Trek fandom since I had my own computer. (96? 97?) Having my own computer and being able to explore the internet at will meant Usenet lists and my poor little just-hit-puberty-brain exploding all over the place. In fact, Q/Picard was probably my first Star Trek slash. In that it's the first that I read. But I never really got around to writing Trek until after the reboot came out. I guess the OFFICIAL AU happening meant it was okay for me to make my own AU.

Yeah, that's how my brain works. I dunno either.

( The remaining questions. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 14 & 15

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:24:39 GMT

Seems I forgot about this yesterday. Ah well.

What's your favorite Star Trek quote?

Again, see icon. "This is up. Up is no." Of all the thousands, if not millions of wonderful quotes that span across the series, Data telling his cat What's What is my favorite.

How did you get into Star Trek?

Hmm. Lots of theories on this. I think the accurate answer is it was something we watched together as a family, and long after it was something we watched together, I still watched it. Maybe it was the Reading Rainbow episode with the Behind the Scenes that hooked me. Or maybe it was because it was show about the interaction with Alien Species and how baffling they are. Any of the above would work.

( The remaining questions. )

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He's heeeeeere.

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:08:38 GMT

I apologize ahead of time for any brain breaking this may have on you.

( SISKO ONNA PONY )

That's right. I did that. He's got a Keyblade. And he's riding a My Little Pony.

(Yes, I do have an original My Little Pony in my possession. :) I have several, actually. My Grandmother gave all of us grandkids My Little Ponies for Christmas that year. She did not discriminate in toy gifting. How awesome was that?)

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 13

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:49:45 GMT

What's your favorite dramatic moment?

Takes place during The Inner Light (TNG.) Picard and Eline are outside, and Picard is playing his flute. They talk a bit, and then Picard says he'd like permission to build something. Eline wants to know what it is. His answer is "a nursery."

There is just this moment where the two of them look at each other. And it speaks volumes. Picard, normally a very distant man, has this expression that is impossible for me to pin down, but it is anything but distant. And Eline looks elated.

That is my favorite dramatic moment right there.

( The remaining questions. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 12

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:57:49 GMT

What's your favorite funny moment?

My icon, if you'll notice the keywords for it, is it.

The keywords are "this is up. up is no."

In TNG, there's a scene between Spot, Data and Geordi. Data is attempting to teach Spot how to behave. I dunno about you, but I've found that teaching a cat anything unless said cat wants to learn the thing is an exercise in futility.

Data, of course, doesn't seem to grasp this. Allow me to share the transcript of the scene in question:

DATA: Spot. Spot. Spot, down. Spot, down. Down. Spot. (lifting the cat off the desk) Down. This is down. Down is good. This is up. Up is no.

(doorbell)

DATA: (to Spot) One moment. Come in.

LAFORGE: Data. I had another idea that might help boost the power conversion levels. Could you give me a hand?

DATA: I would be happy to.

LAFORGE: Don't tell me you're trying to teach the cat to use the console.

DATA: It is part of her training program. I am teaching Spot to jump down from the desk on my command.

LAFORGE: How's it going?

DATA: I have not been entirely successful.

(Spot meows, and Data goes to the replicator)

DATA: Feline supplement number two twenty one.

LAFORGE: Data, that cat definitely has a mind of her own. Maybe she's just not trainable.

DATA: I suppose I must accept that possibility. It may be that Spot lacks the intelligence necessary to learn the appropriate responses to my commands.

(Spot meows again and Data fetches her a toy)

LAFORGE: I don't know about Spot, but it seems to me your training is coming along just fine. Come on, let's go.

That? Cracks me up. Every. Single. Time.

( The Remaining Questions )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 11

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:35:58 GMT

What's your least favorite species? (See question 9 about species.)

I didn't much care for the Sheliak. It has nothing to do with them as a people and everything to do with the fact that I could see the seams on their costumes.

...that's the type of kid I was. I remember watching that episode and being distressed because I could SEE THE SEAM. And my poor Dad had no idea how to reassure me, but he did try. As a kid, my suspension of disbelief was pretty huge when it came to books and to Star Trek/Star Wars. This seam made my suspension of disbelief curl up in a corner. At least for that episode.

So yes. My dislike for the Sheliak is purely based off of the fact that it ruined an episode of TNG for me because I saw a seam on the costume. *laughs*

( The remaining days. )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 10

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:19:11 GMT

What's your favorite species? (Humans are a species as well.)

How do you choose? So many species to choose from! Lots of them I adore. Lots of them, I would probably throw things at them to make them shut up.

The Ba'ku. They showed up in Insurrection. Something struck a chord in me about them. Maybe it was the fact that they spent several decades dedicating themselves to learning a certain art or trade. Or maybe it was the fact that one of the kids taught Data to play. Or maybe it was Anij because I liked Anij a lot. Maybe it was the fact that they were presented as peaceful people. And forgiving people. They were truly alien to me, with a culture that I thought was fascinating.

Klingons are a close second. :)

( Read more... )

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[meme] 29 Days of Trek - 9

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:28:10 GMT

What's your favorite episode?

Darmok from TNG. I think this best illustrates that the Universal Translator is not perfect by any means, and that sometimes, you just have to say fuck the translator and try to work it out on your own. It also shows that unless you know the metaphors, it sounds like gobbledegook, which is probably how our language would sound to an alien species. We use metaphors all the time, and don't even think about it.

Example: you get thrown at the Cardassians and call Dukat a Casanova without the UT incorporating all the metaphors. It's like telling him he's Jalad at Kalenda's*. He's not gonna get that reference. Of course, I have my theories of Cardassian being pushed through the Universal Translator and how it must really lose a lot once it's been converted to Terran.

But back to the subject at hand. Yes. Darmok is my favorite episode.

*XKCD, not canon. I thought it was great.

( The remaining days. )

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