From poto_heart, because...why not? :)

[ladyofleithian]

Comment to this post with the phrase EPIC FORESHADOWING, and I will list seven things I want you to talk about. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.

1. What's your favorite stage musical?

Wicked and The Lion King. Also into the musical version of Beauty and the Beast (although sadly, I haven't seen it on Broadway yet, which bites. :() as well as Les Miserables (thanks, Nostalgia Chick. :).

2. What does your username mean?

Based off Arwen's sword from the Lord of the Rings movies (sadly, as far as I can tell, she only wields it for one movie, but still...it's a kickass sword. :3).

3. Do you have any pets? If not, what would you like to have?

I have a dog. :)

4. What are your favorite things about Star Wars?

The characters, the humor, the action, the plot, the special effects -- I could go on and on. Hell, I think even the EU, flawed as it may be, does have its redeeming moments -- it can just get really...frustrating to say the least.

5. Any opinions on Disney (as a company, on the works they've produced, whatever you think about most when you think of Disney)?

The Disney animated movies are made of awesome. Seriously. :3 (As are some of their recent ones, such as ENCHANTED, TANGLED -- sadly, I haven't seen TANGLED, but I heard it's very good -- etc.)

6. What things does a story definitely have to have for you to be interested? Do those things change based on the medium (like book vs movie)?

Great characters, an intriguing plot, great visual effects (movies), humor, emotion -- honestly, as long as you have the basics and make them engaging, I'm in. :)

7. What's the most outdoorsy thing you like to do?

Swimming, horseback riding, etc.

Comments

[theonlymeyouget.livejournal.com]

The foreshadowing. It is epic.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

All right then...

1. Scariest horror movies/books/what-have-you you ever read/saw/etc.?

2. Things everyone else loves that you don't get?

3. Biggest RL pet peeves?

4. Things you love that should get more recognition?

5. What inspires you most?

I may never catch up with all the memes, but I don't care

[elizabeth-hoot.livejournal.com]

EPIC FORESHADOWING

(best "o hai meme me" phrase ever.)

Re: I may never catch up with all the memes, but I don't care

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

1. Any movies you're currently looking forward to?

2. What would you say are the best things about the HARRY POTTER books?

3. Things everyone else seems to love that you just don't get?

4. Biggest RL pet peeves?

5. What writer(s) influence you most?

[treenahasthaal.livejournal.com]

EPIC FORESHADOWING!

Lets have fun with this one! : )

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

1. Favorite and least favorite STAR WARS movies?

2. Favorite and least favorite STAR WARS characters?

3. What are your favorite and least favorite movies of all time?

4. Any movies/books/what-have-you you're looking forward to?

5. Favorite and least favorite books of all time?

[treenahasthaal.livejournal.com]

I have answered on my journal. That was fun!

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

You know I'll answer here, but half the fun is seeing what questions you come up with. EPIC FORESHADOWING!

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

1. Favorite and least favorite STAR WARS characters?

2. Biggest RL pet peeves?

3. Things that irritate you most about the STAR WARS EU, from what you heard or otherwise?

4. What bothers you most in fan fic?

5. What annoys you the most about the recent reboots of Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.?

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Ok, here goes...

1. Favorite and least favorite STAR WARS characters?

Favorites - Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda, R2-D2, Chewie, Leia, Shaak Ti, Ahsoka, Tarkin, and, of course, Darth Vader. (This list does not diminish the coolness of most every other character out there.)

Least favorites - the Oooo-Ba delivery droids, that bird-lizard thing that Obi-Wan rides in ROTS, and the intolerable Joe Yowza. How dare somebody step on Sy Snootles' thunder?!

2. Biggest RL pet peeves?

Stupidity, obnoxious/loud noise, Star Wars haters who claim to be "fans," and wasting my life in the attempt to "make a living." Also, I hate wet shoe.

3. Things that irritate you most about the STAR WARS EU, from what you heard or otherwise?

Luke turning to the Dark Side in the 90s, the Thrawn trilogy (except for Thrawn himself), and, well, most everything that deals with anything after ROTJ due to a lack of cohesive storytelling and understanding of the characters involved. But hey, if it buys us REAL Star Wars, so be it. I can use more Clone Wars!

4. What bothers you most in fan fic?

When people take liberties with characters, trying to redefine them into something they're not. Try instead to see what the creator is trying to say. These characters are created a certain way for a purpose, with specific character flaws that define who they are. You want something different? Make new characters! Otherwise, explore the unwritten opportunities. There are plenty, and the rest of us would love to read them!

5. What annoys you the most about the recent reboots of Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.?

See my answer to #4. DC Comics is off the rails, and the inmates are running the asylum. It's bad fan fic by any standard at this point, all in the name of making a fast buck. There's no inspiration there anymore. For example, there's nothing professional (or any excuse) for using Wonder Woman's lasso as a noose. Just sayin'.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Pretty much agreed with all of it.

Also, from what I can gather, doesn't Wonder Woman's lasso break brainwashing/compel people to tell the truth? Why is it being used as a noose then? I mean, FFS, writers!

And regarding number four -- what would you say is the line between exploring different facets of a character and, well, what you described? #Probably a dumb question/something I should already know. Sorry.

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

It depends on who's writing for WW. Traditionally, it's always been the lasso compels the truth. In the post-Crisis years (after 1985), the idea came up that the lasso is actually just a focus, and the ability to compel the truth actually comes from within her. This might have been a side effect of her having been ascended for a time as the Goddess of Truth, or it might have been there all along. The current version is an alternate-universe angry 20-something that is in serious need of parental discipline, combined with a new backstory where instead of a virgin birth, she's the product of a God so as to explain her bad temper. Bottom line, she's not the REAL Wonder Woman, by their own admission. I'm not interested in following an alternate version for more than a few issues, much less for a generation. Meanwhile, a lot of talented writers and their stories get sidelined while this kind of farce continues.

I'm sure I'll get some back-lash for this one, but remember... you asked. It's a loaded question, so I hope you prepared for a loaded and long-winded answer.

Exploring different facets of a character are fine. That's what fanfic does at its best, and it's a great way to understand who that character is. But changing the character at the fundamental level? For example, we'll use Anakin since that's everyone's favorite punching bag lately. PT fans love to see him play the swashbuckling romantic hero. That's who he is, no doubt. But PT fans seem to want to over-do that and ignore the idea that those darker flaws are in there. He is ultimately Darth Vader, by the will of the Force. That destiny is written, and unless you're telling an alternate universe version, those who claim otherwise are saying George is wrong. You want a perfect fairy tale, go watch a Disney movie or read some gothic horror if you want the darker version. Likewise, you can fill in this argument with any Jedi in the PT. They focused on the Order and the Republic first, not individuals, and it didn't work. This is why Kenobi didn't see Anakin fall when so many claim he should have been there for him, this is why Palpatine hid in plain and obvious sight, and this is why nobody seemed to notice Padme getting extra "bodyguard" attention. These slips are why the Order fell, why the Republic fell, and why Yoda became Qui-Gon's padawan for the next 20 years to learn a new path. To focus on the little things is like finding a masterwork of Renaissance art and focusing on a single brushstroke. It's... confusing.

Continuing in a second reply because this is so long LJ won't post it!

Part 2 of reply

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Sadly, and I know this will get me even more flak, the biggest offenders are shippers. Stargate, Xena, Supernatural, and pretty much any other geek franchise after the internet was created had the same problem - when you focus only on the romance (whether it's really there or not), you lose the bigger part of the story that makes the romance mean anything at all. If you're writing only one scene, you're not writing a story. But... there's nothing wrong with telling a story about the romance if you put it in context with the larger universe and the larger scope of what the universe is all about. Otherwise, it's probably just the writer projecting personal issues onto characters so as to see that magic unfold in their own lives. Twilight is a book that got popular because of that very idea. Likewise, there are whole libraries of books now on what happened after the Phantom of the Opera. It's the same thing. I've read some myself. Some are better than others, most are garbage. We know trash romance sells. Harlequin's been proving it for generations now. It doesn't make it right.

But, shipping isn't wrong either. It's simply been handled badly by the masses, and let's be honest - 95% of all fanfic is shipping at its worst, as I've already defined above. Many quality fanfics out there have received praise and have transformed those writers into professionals. There in lies the difference. In larger franchises, shipping is the side show, not the focus. Change that, you change the point of the story into something the creator never intended. As I said before, characters have a purpose within the context of the story. Who they are isn't always who people hope they'll be. It's like in sales, you can win people over with a drip method, or you can hose them down and offend them across the board. For this reason, there are many writers out there that don't like fanfic, such as George R. R. Martin. I completely get their reasons. If I'd created characters and somebody did things with them that just simply should not be (which is hard to do with his stuff!), I'd be offended too! Supernatural has had whole episodes dealing with the fanfic where the guys were in incestuous relationships, and the writers of that show had a great time tearing those shippers apart. Life imitates art imitates life.

Anyway, I hope that explains it. Sorry for the length, but it can't always be helped.

Re: Part 2 of reply

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Very well said. Pretty much...all of it. :)

[philstar22.livejournal.com]

Epic Foreshadowing.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

1. Favorite and least favorite SW characters?

2. Favorite and least favorite SW EU characters?

3. Best STAR WARS moments?

4. Any movies you're planning to see?

5. Biggest pet peeves in fiction, fan or otherwise?