I haven't posted in ages and I'll apologise for that. I start a month-long course tomorrow, learning how to teach English so I've been prepping for that over the last week.
Geeky loveliness has had to take a bit of back seat over the last few weeks unfortunately. I managed to watch Prometheus and I've watched the entirety of Avatar: The Last Airbender which was fun. But more on that in a bit. The time travel fic is not going so well. There is a definite sense of writer's block when it comes to that fic and I'm not sure if it's to do with the time travel bit or whether it's a general inability to write with everything that's going on IRL at the moment. I posted another fic that I wrote in the space of a couple of days and has been floating around on my computer with nowhere to go. Here's a link if you fancy a read. It's SG-1 S/J of course.
In other news, all I seem to have heard about over the last couple of weeks is 50 Shades of Grey. Now this is an interesting story (not the book but the story behind the book). As you may know, this started off as Twilight (bleurgh) fan fiction and then got picked up by a publisher and with a few changes to the names of characters it was turned into a book - nay a TRILOGY. I have what can only be described as mixed feelings about the whole thing. After reading a synopsis of the book I decided that it would most definitely not be my kind of thing. I really don't mind a bit of smut but this just sounded horrifying to me. I'm all for expressing sexuality etc. but that amount of it and the story between the two main characters just didn't appeal to me. My flatmate read a sample of it and also mentioned that it was about the most badly written thing she'd ever read. This is unfortunate because I feel it's going to reflect badly on fanfic writers. Not only is the book mostly sex, feeding into the myth that all fanfic is sexualised slash!fic, it is terribly written, also feeding into the idea that all fanfic is badly written tripe. Neither of these things are remotely true about fanfic. A huge amount of fanfic is beautifully written and wonderfully creative, allowing people (as I have said before) to explore a universe and set of characters in a way that is very personal and expansive. We are the ones who are lucky enough to be allowed a glimpse into that person's view of a universe we all love. I think I may be a little spoiled by the Stargate fic universe because it does seem to be populated by a very high proportion of very good writers. Why aren't these people being published? Why is it the rubbish ones that are? I have read a couple of snippets from some interesting articles about the book and people seem to think that it could be good for feminism. Having been brandished as "mummy-porn", it seems to have opened a world of sexuality to some women so that they are far more comfortable talking about their own sexuality with other people. Nothing seems to be taboo after this book. Which is great. The more open people can be about that kind of stuff the better, I think. Although, I still have serious concerns about the level of writing and also what it means for the fanfic universe.
Moving on from that, I started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender last week and I've finished it already and moved on to The Legend of Korra! I have enjoyed both series enormously, particularly Avatar. As I wrote on my Twitter feed, I immediately became a Aang and Katara shipper (SPOILER) and thank goodness there was confirmation at the end of the series because I might have cried if I'd found another series sans-confirmation. I even went so far as reading some Kataang (as it's called I think) fanfic this morning and was surprised to find some rather touching little stories. Obviously with the continuity of their story in Korra, I am even happier. I did feel slightly sorry for my friend, who was watching some of Avatar with me, as he bore the full brunt of a fangirl attack at various points (SPOILER ENDS). I would recommend both series to people whole-heartedly; they are thoughtful, clever and - as all good entertainment should - deal with some of life's big issues. Even though they are aimed at children, the series don't talk down to their audiences - the issues are dealt with in a mature manner. Korra deals with issues as modern as terrorism as well, something I found very interesting.
I'm not sure when I will get to post next. I'm sure something will spark off some ideas and I'll find time to rant about something else. Hopefully the time travel fic will have progressed. I really really hope it does. Anyway, leave a comment if you have an opinion about 50 Shades, it's nothing if not provocative.
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Friday, 1 June 2012
Why is it so hard to get time travel right?
So I went to see Men in Black 3 with my mum last night. It's kind of a family thing as we've always watched these films together since the first one came out when I was little. Anyway, I enjoyed the film quite a lot. It was good fun, the pace was kept up all the way through and I swear Josh Brolin is some reincarnation of Tommy Lee Jones (can you have a reincarnation if you're not dead? Probably not.). There was humour in the right parts and enough touching scenes for Will Smith to show that he can make himself cry like a real actor. All of these things I appreciated. Apart from the time travel.
I have always been a little skeptical of films and shows when they start using time travel. Men in Black films are not particularly known for their complicated and intricate plots so when I saw that time travel was going to be a major plot point, I was concerned to say the least. Because time travel takes a lot of explanation and exhibition. There are rules that need to be discussed, some sort of technology that needs to be explained yadda yadda yadda. It all gets a little tiresome. But it all started off well in MIB 3, the idea was simple enough - beware of spoilers from now on by the way - Boris the Animal went back in time and killed K before he could arrest the earlier version of Boris. So J has to go back and stop future Boris from killing past K. Ok, maybe not so simple but it seems like that in the film. And this is where things start going a little... wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey. The more I think about it the more annoyed I get with the plot. I know I probably shouldn't think too deeply about such a film but I say if you're going to use time travel try and do it in some sort of logical way. The main point that really got me ranting (much to my poor mum's annoyance) was a point in the final couple of scenes where J uses the time jump device to jump back 30 seconds in order to outsmart Boris and win a fight. A simple enough - and well-used - trick you might say. Well, yes, BUT in the scene, J jumps back with Boris and they find themselves in exactly the same positions as they were 30 seconds before except J now knows what Boris is going to do so he can beat him. But he's in the same body, as is Boris. Yet earlier in the film it's been shown that when one time jumps they don't re-inhabit their own body, they appear as a separate entity. So how can J just rewind time and re-inhabit his own body? The rules have already been set earlier in the film and this is a giant flout of those rules.
I probably didn't explain that very well but I doubt that I'm the only one who has noticed this. There were other issues, like why doesn't J remember K's face during his life after he meets him on the beach as a boy? Why doesn't Boris just use his own time-jump device to jump back again before he's killed? NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE EXPLAINED! And a child would notice them.
But this was really just an example I wanted to use. For me, there are very few programs or films that 'do' time travel well. There tend to be holes in the logic in just about every plot that you look at. The example that really comes to mind is SG-1's 'Moebius' episodes at the end of season 8. At the end of those episodes, it appeared that we had 3 different timelines. Do the original team end up dying back in Egypt 3000 years ago? Or is the team that we see at the end of the two episodes the one that continues in the show? If we go by the fact that they have the ZPM then it must be. But isn't that rather sad that we've lost the original team in Egypt somewhere? In their timeline at least. There were so many questions surrounding those episodes that we never got answers to. I get that they were a bit of fun and we got to see the actors stretching their legs a bit but I wouldn't be much of a nerd if I didn't ask these questions would I?
As writers seem to have less fear about using time travel is it necessary for them to set out the general rules that they're going to use with the time travel technology? Does the person using it go back or forwards in time as an entire entity or do they simply re-inhabit their own body? Obviously if they're going far enough back they can't inhabit their own body. But what then? Are there moral issues involved when you're changing someone else's reality? This was broached in Stargate: Continuum and it wasn't something I'd really considered before, but was interesting nonetheless. We obviously have the comical side of it as we see in Back to the Future with Marty and his mum. There was a nice little nod to that film in MIB 3 by the way.
I think as people become more stringent about what they expect from shows, writers are going to have to become more intelligent about using time travel and the set of rules they use with it. I realise that the exhibition and explanation of these rules wouldn't make for captivating viewing but I think they're necessary for a satisfying experience. You want to come away from seeing something saying "that was really clever" not "why did he do that?" or "he could have just done that instead".
I will give it the writers of MIB 3, there were a couple of lovely touches, such as the alien "Griffin" who could see all the possible timelines and their outcomes at once. He was a wonderful character and a really interesting addition to the story.
In future (no pun intended), I would love to see a well-thought out story that makes it clear what is and isn't possible with time-travel in that universe. But I think I might have to put my money where my mouth is when it comes to this. So... I will attempt to write a short(ish) fic for SG-1 that includes an element of time travel and see just how difficult it is to do and to do right. I will keep you posted. This could take a while...
I have always been a little skeptical of films and shows when they start using time travel. Men in Black films are not particularly known for their complicated and intricate plots so when I saw that time travel was going to be a major plot point, I was concerned to say the least. Because time travel takes a lot of explanation and exhibition. There are rules that need to be discussed, some sort of technology that needs to be explained yadda yadda yadda. It all gets a little tiresome. But it all started off well in MIB 3, the idea was simple enough - beware of spoilers from now on by the way - Boris the Animal went back in time and killed K before he could arrest the earlier version of Boris. So J has to go back and stop future Boris from killing past K. Ok, maybe not so simple but it seems like that in the film. And this is where things start going a little... wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey. The more I think about it the more annoyed I get with the plot. I know I probably shouldn't think too deeply about such a film but I say if you're going to use time travel try and do it in some sort of logical way. The main point that really got me ranting (much to my poor mum's annoyance) was a point in the final couple of scenes where J uses the time jump device to jump back 30 seconds in order to outsmart Boris and win a fight. A simple enough - and well-used - trick you might say. Well, yes, BUT in the scene, J jumps back with Boris and they find themselves in exactly the same positions as they were 30 seconds before except J now knows what Boris is going to do so he can beat him. But he's in the same body, as is Boris. Yet earlier in the film it's been shown that when one time jumps they don't re-inhabit their own body, they appear as a separate entity. So how can J just rewind time and re-inhabit his own body? The rules have already been set earlier in the film and this is a giant flout of those rules.
I probably didn't explain that very well but I doubt that I'm the only one who has noticed this. There were other issues, like why doesn't J remember K's face during his life after he meets him on the beach as a boy? Why doesn't Boris just use his own time-jump device to jump back again before he's killed? NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE EXPLAINED! And a child would notice them.
But this was really just an example I wanted to use. For me, there are very few programs or films that 'do' time travel well. There tend to be holes in the logic in just about every plot that you look at. The example that really comes to mind is SG-1's 'Moebius' episodes at the end of season 8. At the end of those episodes, it appeared that we had 3 different timelines. Do the original team end up dying back in Egypt 3000 years ago? Or is the team that we see at the end of the two episodes the one that continues in the show? If we go by the fact that they have the ZPM then it must be. But isn't that rather sad that we've lost the original team in Egypt somewhere? In their timeline at least. There were so many questions surrounding those episodes that we never got answers to. I get that they were a bit of fun and we got to see the actors stretching their legs a bit but I wouldn't be much of a nerd if I didn't ask these questions would I?
As writers seem to have less fear about using time travel is it necessary for them to set out the general rules that they're going to use with the time travel technology? Does the person using it go back or forwards in time as an entire entity or do they simply re-inhabit their own body? Obviously if they're going far enough back they can't inhabit their own body. But what then? Are there moral issues involved when you're changing someone else's reality? This was broached in Stargate: Continuum and it wasn't something I'd really considered before, but was interesting nonetheless. We obviously have the comical side of it as we see in Back to the Future with Marty and his mum. There was a nice little nod to that film in MIB 3 by the way.
I think as people become more stringent about what they expect from shows, writers are going to have to become more intelligent about using time travel and the set of rules they use with it. I realise that the exhibition and explanation of these rules wouldn't make for captivating viewing but I think they're necessary for a satisfying experience. You want to come away from seeing something saying "that was really clever" not "why did he do that?" or "he could have just done that instead".
I will give it the writers of MIB 3, there were a couple of lovely touches, such as the alien "Griffin" who could see all the possible timelines and their outcomes at once. He was a wonderful character and a really interesting addition to the story.
In future (no pun intended), I would love to see a well-thought out story that makes it clear what is and isn't possible with time-travel in that universe. But I think I might have to put my money where my mouth is when it comes to this. So... I will attempt to write a short(ish) fic for SG-1 that includes an element of time travel and see just how difficult it is to do and to do right. I will keep you posted. This could take a while...
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
What is too far when it comes to fan fiction?
I've seen a couple of posts on Gateworld today about people having their fics taken down on fanfic.net and even their whole accounts. As such, there doesn't appear to be a reason behind it so far and people are starting to wonder what the cause of this sudden purge is. Is it due to adult/mature content? Not enough disclaimers or something else?
Being fairly new to this whole world of fanfic, I haven't really seen one of these purges before. Apparently there was one a little while ago on ff.net to do with mature content in stories, but things have backed off a lot lately.
But how does the argument go when it comes to fanfic about what is acceptable and what is not?
I think the outside world sees it as a dark, seedy world of slash!fic and desperate teens writing scenes full of lust and sex. But I think the reality is quite different to that. My personal experience with it certainly is. I ventured into the world of fanfic (as I've already mentioned in a couple of posts) due to a lack of confirmation when it came to Sam and Jack at the end of season 8 of SG-1. I'd seen a couple of vids showing the moments between them but there was still a big question. So when I discovered hundreds of stories from different people around the world showing the possibilities of what could/might have been, I was blown away. There were some that were better written than others. In the end I wrote my own fics, finding it let me express my creativity in a way I hadn't been able to do since university. And I met some lovely people too. So in my eyes, fanfic is definitely not a bad thing. Most people just want to explore their favourite shows/books/films in a different or their own way.
There is a lot of mature stuff out there. A LOT. But there's a lot of it that is very well written, whether it be violence or sex. I think it could be seen as a little weird to people outside of the world but with the rise of graphic sex and violence on television and in films, is it really that surprising that it would pop up in fandoms as it has been, I suspect, for years? The internet is surely the one place where we should be able to express ourselves fully without fear of reprisal from anyone. There is of course the question of intellectual property when it comes to fanfic, but I think most studios are happy enough as long as people don't claim that characters are their own. Most people will put up a simple disclaimer at the beginning of their stories or on their profiles. However, there have been worrying cases of people writing stories about actors as opposed to characters that they portray. I say worrying as people seem to be unable to grasp the difference between reality and the imagination. Can we judge this though as taking things too far? For me the answer is yes. Fanfic is about putting characters in situations and seeing how they would react. It's pure imagination and taking a show/film's universe to places that probably aren't possible on TV or on film. The stories about the actors in reality include their families, friends and in this particular case, sex.
So how is this stuff monitored? How is it censored? Well, mostly it is down to the author to self-regulate. On ff.net, the author sets their own rating and this is the case on most, if not all, sites. On ff.net, M-rated stories don't appear in the normal lists unless you specifically search for them. So if adult-themed stories are the reason for this latest purge, surely it is up to the site administrators to set better guidelines or better safeguards when it comes to the very graphic content. Are they trying to protect kids? Because I think that whole idea is a bit of a fallacy. Kids, teenagers particularly, will find this stuff if they are really looking for it. It's curiosity and I think a lot of the time they will scare themselves with what they find and back off. If not, then maybe the parents should be keeping a closer eye on what their children are looking at online if they don't want them to have access to that kind of content. Having come to fanfic later than some, I think I've approached it with a level head and been able to judge for myself when something has been taken too far. But I would worry that some teenagers might not be able to see the subtle line between taking an obsession beyond that land of make-believe.
I realise that it must be weird for actors to see characters they have brought to life being used in some of the ways they are in the world of fanfic. Books are obviously less of an issue as the characters are just that, characters. But what if that book is made into a film or TV series? The actors are then linked with these characters and it could be that that is how a fan would picture that character. Said fan then writes a really graphic sex scene involving that character. The actors face/body is then what the readers imagine in that scene. Wouldn't that be strange? But people have sexual fantasies about celebrities all the time. They are, mostly, seen as beautiful people and men and women alike will fantasise about them. So how is fanfic creepier or more sordid? If anything it's surely less creepy if the story uses the character as opposed to the actor in 'real-life'. And so we come back around to that story I heard about that was written about two real actors. At best it's slander and at worst it's behaviour indicative of someone who blurs that line between reality and imagination.
So, to sum up, I don't have an issue with fanfic that's graphic. Life is graphic, as are a lot of the films and TV shows we see at the moment. I do have a problem with fic that confuses reality with imagination. That could cause offence to people who are just working, trying to portray a character in the best way they can.
Sites shouldn't be censoring fic. Yes, there should be accurate and timely warnings about what is featured in a fic and in part this is up to the authors themselves. If a complaint is received by the site admins about a fic, then it should be followed up and the author should be included in the discussion. Not all fics are going to please everyone. But the wonderful thing is that people can also choose NOT to read something. And so although I find the "real-life" fics disgusting and degrading and it would be very interesting to speak to the author about their motivations, I realise that they are out there but choose to not read them or support them in any way. The internet is full of crazies. It doesn't mean you need to interact with them.
Being fairly new to this whole world of fanfic, I haven't really seen one of these purges before. Apparently there was one a little while ago on ff.net to do with mature content in stories, but things have backed off a lot lately.
But how does the argument go when it comes to fanfic about what is acceptable and what is not?
I think the outside world sees it as a dark, seedy world of slash!fic and desperate teens writing scenes full of lust and sex. But I think the reality is quite different to that. My personal experience with it certainly is. I ventured into the world of fanfic (as I've already mentioned in a couple of posts) due to a lack of confirmation when it came to Sam and Jack at the end of season 8 of SG-1. I'd seen a couple of vids showing the moments between them but there was still a big question. So when I discovered hundreds of stories from different people around the world showing the possibilities of what could/might have been, I was blown away. There were some that were better written than others. In the end I wrote my own fics, finding it let me express my creativity in a way I hadn't been able to do since university. And I met some lovely people too. So in my eyes, fanfic is definitely not a bad thing. Most people just want to explore their favourite shows/books/films in a different or their own way.
There is a lot of mature stuff out there. A LOT. But there's a lot of it that is very well written, whether it be violence or sex. I think it could be seen as a little weird to people outside of the world but with the rise of graphic sex and violence on television and in films, is it really that surprising that it would pop up in fandoms as it has been, I suspect, for years? The internet is surely the one place where we should be able to express ourselves fully without fear of reprisal from anyone. There is of course the question of intellectual property when it comes to fanfic, but I think most studios are happy enough as long as people don't claim that characters are their own. Most people will put up a simple disclaimer at the beginning of their stories or on their profiles. However, there have been worrying cases of people writing stories about actors as opposed to characters that they portray. I say worrying as people seem to be unable to grasp the difference between reality and the imagination. Can we judge this though as taking things too far? For me the answer is yes. Fanfic is about putting characters in situations and seeing how they would react. It's pure imagination and taking a show/film's universe to places that probably aren't possible on TV or on film. The stories about the actors in reality include their families, friends and in this particular case, sex.
So how is this stuff monitored? How is it censored? Well, mostly it is down to the author to self-regulate. On ff.net, the author sets their own rating and this is the case on most, if not all, sites. On ff.net, M-rated stories don't appear in the normal lists unless you specifically search for them. So if adult-themed stories are the reason for this latest purge, surely it is up to the site administrators to set better guidelines or better safeguards when it comes to the very graphic content. Are they trying to protect kids? Because I think that whole idea is a bit of a fallacy. Kids, teenagers particularly, will find this stuff if they are really looking for it. It's curiosity and I think a lot of the time they will scare themselves with what they find and back off. If not, then maybe the parents should be keeping a closer eye on what their children are looking at online if they don't want them to have access to that kind of content. Having come to fanfic later than some, I think I've approached it with a level head and been able to judge for myself when something has been taken too far. But I would worry that some teenagers might not be able to see the subtle line between taking an obsession beyond that land of make-believe.
I realise that it must be weird for actors to see characters they have brought to life being used in some of the ways they are in the world of fanfic. Books are obviously less of an issue as the characters are just that, characters. But what if that book is made into a film or TV series? The actors are then linked with these characters and it could be that that is how a fan would picture that character. Said fan then writes a really graphic sex scene involving that character. The actors face/body is then what the readers imagine in that scene. Wouldn't that be strange? But people have sexual fantasies about celebrities all the time. They are, mostly, seen as beautiful people and men and women alike will fantasise about them. So how is fanfic creepier or more sordid? If anything it's surely less creepy if the story uses the character as opposed to the actor in 'real-life'. And so we come back around to that story I heard about that was written about two real actors. At best it's slander and at worst it's behaviour indicative of someone who blurs that line between reality and imagination.
So, to sum up, I don't have an issue with fanfic that's graphic. Life is graphic, as are a lot of the films and TV shows we see at the moment. I do have a problem with fic that confuses reality with imagination. That could cause offence to people who are just working, trying to portray a character in the best way they can.
Sites shouldn't be censoring fic. Yes, there should be accurate and timely warnings about what is featured in a fic and in part this is up to the authors themselves. If a complaint is received by the site admins about a fic, then it should be followed up and the author should be included in the discussion. Not all fics are going to please everyone. But the wonderful thing is that people can also choose NOT to read something. And so although I find the "real-life" fics disgusting and degrading and it would be very interesting to speak to the author about their motivations, I realise that they are out there but choose to not read them or support them in any way. The internet is full of crazies. It doesn't mean you need to interact with them.
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
I think I learnt my morals from sci-fi...
The last few days haven't really been much fun. I've been wrestling with the unpleasant situation two of my closest friends have put me in and it's made me realise a lot of things not only about them but about myself too.
Friend one is my flatmate and closest friend. Friend two is a fairly new friend but also close. Friend one and friend two have hooked up on a couple of occasions now. Not a problem. Except friend two has a girlfriend already and friend one knows this. Yet she's let this continue knowing full well that friend two is unavailable. Not cool, I said. Not cool at all.
I don't want to bore you with any more detail (there's a lot of detail). My main problem with this is the cheating bit. Yep, it makes me pretty angry. Not "Hulk smash!" angry. But angry enough. And the reason for this? They don't really see too much of an issue with it. And don't really want to do much about it.
This all led to a big argument between me and friend one. I mean an hours-long argument. It sucked but did make me realise how different my morals are from other people's. Especially friend one's morals as it turned out. And I came to a conclusion as to why this might be. I seemed to have learnt my morals from sci-fi.
I tend to see things in a very black and white way. Right and wrong. If you doing something right - YAY, the Earth/universe is safe again! If you do something wrong, you need to fix it. If you've wronged someone, you need to fix things with them, either with the truth or by finding some way to right it. These are simple rules and if you look at a lot of sci-fi this is what you see. Even if the righting part isn't easy or means some sort of self-sacrifice. In Stargate, the main characters are forever sacrificing themselves so the world can stay saved. In Star Trek, Janeway enforces the Prime Directive even when her crew is thousands of light-years away from the Federation. In comics, superheroes stand for everything that is right and yes they get it wrong sometimes but they will always endeavour to right that wrong. In Doctor Who, the Doctor is always urging us to do the right thing.
So I guess my question is, why is it so wrong to think like this? Why can't we apply these kind of rules and morals to our real lives? People will say that things aren't as simple as that, that you can't be that naive but I say why not? If you do something to hurt someone, make it up to them. Be honest as much as possible. Don't intentionally set out to hurt people in the first place.
Of course we always have our morally questionable heroes in sci-fi - Mal Reynolds for one. But isn't he always as honourable as he can be? He does bad things but he either rights that wrong or owns up to it. The example that's really sticking in my head at the moment is Kara and Lee in Battlestar Galactica. We are desperate to see them get together but when they eventually do get some action it's when Kara and Sam are together and Dee and Lee are too. So they are both cheating. Is it ok for them to be together because we know they're in love? No is the short answer but we're happy for them none the less. Until Kara gets an attack of conscience and runs off and marries Sam. She does the right thing so I'm happy for her, there's even a bit of sacrifice we all know it's wrong for her and Lee. But it doesn't stop there, they carry on cheating until it comes to the point of them needing to leave their partners to continue their relationship guilt free. Things do stop though when Kara admits she doesn't believe in divorce and Lee won't cheat on his wife anymore. We want them to get together but understand that their morals won't let them. And let's face it, BSG was about the best sci-fi show around for showing humanity in all its glory. Or not.
This question obviously extends into other areas as well, not least religion. And it has been dealt with in various ways but that's not my point.
I want to know why friend number one thought I was being judgmental for thinking about what they'd done by my own set of morals. I think I was waiting for some sort of reaction from them that would show me that they regretted what they'd done and had realised what a horrible thing it was. But I haven't got that reaction from either of them. And because of this, my view of them both and their morals has shifted. Probably towards the worse.
I'm sorry for the ramble but I needed to say this. I will continue to try and do the right thing in my life. I hope you do to.
Friend one is my flatmate and closest friend. Friend two is a fairly new friend but also close. Friend one and friend two have hooked up on a couple of occasions now. Not a problem. Except friend two has a girlfriend already and friend one knows this. Yet she's let this continue knowing full well that friend two is unavailable. Not cool, I said. Not cool at all.
I don't want to bore you with any more detail (there's a lot of detail). My main problem with this is the cheating bit. Yep, it makes me pretty angry. Not "Hulk smash!" angry. But angry enough. And the reason for this? They don't really see too much of an issue with it. And don't really want to do much about it.
This all led to a big argument between me and friend one. I mean an hours-long argument. It sucked but did make me realise how different my morals are from other people's. Especially friend one's morals as it turned out. And I came to a conclusion as to why this might be. I seemed to have learnt my morals from sci-fi.
I tend to see things in a very black and white way. Right and wrong. If you doing something right - YAY, the Earth/universe is safe again! If you do something wrong, you need to fix it. If you've wronged someone, you need to fix things with them, either with the truth or by finding some way to right it. These are simple rules and if you look at a lot of sci-fi this is what you see. Even if the righting part isn't easy or means some sort of self-sacrifice. In Stargate, the main characters are forever sacrificing themselves so the world can stay saved. In Star Trek, Janeway enforces the Prime Directive even when her crew is thousands of light-years away from the Federation. In comics, superheroes stand for everything that is right and yes they get it wrong sometimes but they will always endeavour to right that wrong. In Doctor Who, the Doctor is always urging us to do the right thing.
So I guess my question is, why is it so wrong to think like this? Why can't we apply these kind of rules and morals to our real lives? People will say that things aren't as simple as that, that you can't be that naive but I say why not? If you do something to hurt someone, make it up to them. Be honest as much as possible. Don't intentionally set out to hurt people in the first place.
Of course we always have our morally questionable heroes in sci-fi - Mal Reynolds for one. But isn't he always as honourable as he can be? He does bad things but he either rights that wrong or owns up to it. The example that's really sticking in my head at the moment is Kara and Lee in Battlestar Galactica. We are desperate to see them get together but when they eventually do get some action it's when Kara and Sam are together and Dee and Lee are too. So they are both cheating. Is it ok for them to be together because we know they're in love? No is the short answer but we're happy for them none the less. Until Kara gets an attack of conscience and runs off and marries Sam. She does the right thing so I'm happy for her, there's even a bit of sacrifice we all know it's wrong for her and Lee. But it doesn't stop there, they carry on cheating until it comes to the point of them needing to leave their partners to continue their relationship guilt free. Things do stop though when Kara admits she doesn't believe in divorce and Lee won't cheat on his wife anymore. We want them to get together but understand that their morals won't let them. And let's face it, BSG was about the best sci-fi show around for showing humanity in all its glory. Or not.
This question obviously extends into other areas as well, not least religion. And it has been dealt with in various ways but that's not my point.
I want to know why friend number one thought I was being judgmental for thinking about what they'd done by my own set of morals. I think I was waiting for some sort of reaction from them that would show me that they regretted what they'd done and had realised what a horrible thing it was. But I haven't got that reaction from either of them. And because of this, my view of them both and their morals has shifted. Probably towards the worse.
I'm sorry for the ramble but I needed to say this. I will continue to try and do the right thing in my life. I hope you do to.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Spinward Fringe and a New Tattoo.
I bit the bullet. I was so taken with the kodama tattoo idea that I went ahead and did it. Here's the result:
I'm really happy with it and think it's very very cute. This one hurt a lot more than my previous one. There were points when I was very glad I was lying down. The after care is a bit more awkward with this one as well. I had some funny incidents today at work when I was sat with my trouser leg rolled up and various people walked into the office. I can't say that the placement of the little guy was my idea. It came from an image I saw on Google so all credit goes to whoever put that up. Yay!
I wanted to write a little bit today about a series of books that I've been reading for about a year. They're called Spinward Fringe (there's a blogspot here) and are written by an author going by the name of Randolph Lalonde. If that's his actual name then I am seriously impressed. The books are all available for a very low price on most e-readers and some of them are available in print but cost a lot more. The first three books are free as the collection "Origins". The series then goes on as Broadcasts 1,2,3... up to 6. The books are in sub-trilogies as well. I'm currently (very eagerly) waiting on Broadcast 7 which wraps up the Rogue Element Trilogy. The interesting thing about this series is that they have been pretty much only published off the author's own back. And they have been consistently on the sci-fi top-sellers list on Amazon.
As books they are seriously addictive. I gobbled them up as quickly as I could when I first read them. The plot whisks you along quickly from book to book and before you know it you're at the end waiting for the next book. Like I've been for the last year. The characters are engaging and well written, with a strong leader in Jonas Valent and enough love interests and character interaction to keep everyone happy. The baddies are bad and the goodies are ultimately good but not without a few moral wobbles along the way. The sci-fi aspect is pretty standard with bits and pieces inspired from various other movies, TV series etc etc. But in a good way, they're not copied, they're just made use of in the background to enhance the action.
I think the thing I really enjoy about this series is the normality of parts of it. There are some lovely stretches of the books where the crew is training or building up a new ship. These are the bits that get glossed over in series or films. But because they're books, we get to see all the day to day stuff; where the characters sleep, how they work together, how they relax together. I miss these scenes in TV series and films. It's almost as if these bits are fanfic of the main story. We get to see couples yelling at each other, making mistakes and living. The characters aren't perfect heroes and they don't always behave how the stereotypical characters in some shows or films do. They feel very real to me and I love them for that. I love Ayan's intelligence, I relish all the fights between Stephanie and Frost and the build up of Laura and Jason's relationship. There are some HUGE twists as well. You are always kept guessing.
This series proves what can be done when someone is truly talented but maybe hasn't quite been found by the big publishers yet. The rise of e-readers has something to do with it. The internet a lot to do with it. But it's wonderful none the less. Some of the production value is lost yes, but the fact that the author can keep writing these books is fantastic. It would take a lot for me to stop reading them, even the occasional spelling and formatting error haven't put me off.
The books are easy to read and follow. There are a few big issues raised but they don't quite hit you in the face like in some other sci-fi series. They're there if you go looking; corporate greed, what counts as human and the question of artificial intelligences, but you don't need to think about them if all you're looking for is a good story. And a good story it is.
I'm really happy with it and think it's very very cute. This one hurt a lot more than my previous one. There were points when I was very glad I was lying down. The after care is a bit more awkward with this one as well. I had some funny incidents today at work when I was sat with my trouser leg rolled up and various people walked into the office. I can't say that the placement of the little guy was my idea. It came from an image I saw on Google so all credit goes to whoever put that up. Yay!
I wanted to write a little bit today about a series of books that I've been reading for about a year. They're called Spinward Fringe (there's a blogspot here) and are written by an author going by the name of Randolph Lalonde. If that's his actual name then I am seriously impressed. The books are all available for a very low price on most e-readers and some of them are available in print but cost a lot more. The first three books are free as the collection "Origins". The series then goes on as Broadcasts 1,2,3... up to 6. The books are in sub-trilogies as well. I'm currently (very eagerly) waiting on Broadcast 7 which wraps up the Rogue Element Trilogy. The interesting thing about this series is that they have been pretty much only published off the author's own back. And they have been consistently on the sci-fi top-sellers list on Amazon.
As books they are seriously addictive. I gobbled them up as quickly as I could when I first read them. The plot whisks you along quickly from book to book and before you know it you're at the end waiting for the next book. Like I've been for the last year. The characters are engaging and well written, with a strong leader in Jonas Valent and enough love interests and character interaction to keep everyone happy. The baddies are bad and the goodies are ultimately good but not without a few moral wobbles along the way. The sci-fi aspect is pretty standard with bits and pieces inspired from various other movies, TV series etc etc. But in a good way, they're not copied, they're just made use of in the background to enhance the action.
I think the thing I really enjoy about this series is the normality of parts of it. There are some lovely stretches of the books where the crew is training or building up a new ship. These are the bits that get glossed over in series or films. But because they're books, we get to see all the day to day stuff; where the characters sleep, how they work together, how they relax together. I miss these scenes in TV series and films. It's almost as if these bits are fanfic of the main story. We get to see couples yelling at each other, making mistakes and living. The characters aren't perfect heroes and they don't always behave how the stereotypical characters in some shows or films do. They feel very real to me and I love them for that. I love Ayan's intelligence, I relish all the fights between Stephanie and Frost and the build up of Laura and Jason's relationship. There are some HUGE twists as well. You are always kept guessing.
This series proves what can be done when someone is truly talented but maybe hasn't quite been found by the big publishers yet. The rise of e-readers has something to do with it. The internet a lot to do with it. But it's wonderful none the less. Some of the production value is lost yes, but the fact that the author can keep writing these books is fantastic. It would take a lot for me to stop reading them, even the occasional spelling and formatting error haven't put me off.
The books are easy to read and follow. There are a few big issues raised but they don't quite hit you in the face like in some other sci-fi series. They're there if you go looking; corporate greed, what counts as human and the question of artificial intelligences, but you don't need to think about them if all you're looking for is a good story. And a good story it is.
Monday, 16 April 2012
The Dreaded Fanfic Rewrite...
The time has come for me to stop avoiding the task of rewriting my first fanfic. Granted I've only written 3 so far and first stories are never meant to be good, but I got to the point where I couldn't bear to have it against my name (or pseudonym). So I removed it from fanfic.net (shameless plug, sorry) and decided that I wouldn't repost it until I was happy with it. This has turned out to be an epic feat of procrastination - I was a student just last year - and it seems I haven't lost any of my skill in its practice. I've been through the story and marked the bits that need work which is the easy part. It ranges from odd words here and there to huge great swathes of prose and plot points that are disastrous. I wrote it with a vague idea of where I wanted the plot to go and from there wrote chapters at a time. This led to some 'interesting' situations with massive errors that I made in one chapter and having to rectify them desperately in the next chapter. It wasn't pleasant and meant that I have always researched EVERYTHING that I use in a story since. Thankfully the person who had noticed a massive mistake I'd made in the background to the story was kind enough to PM me about it rather than writing it on the reviews page, for once my embarrassment was avoided in public.
My idea is to work round these points and work some things into the story in a slightly different way. There are also some character points that need work. It's an interesting aspect of fanfic writing - do you write it all beforehand and post periodically or do you wait to see people's reactions and ideas in order to continue the story? For me, I wasn't sure people were even going to read my story and to be honest I really didn't know where it was really headed. I knew what I wanted to achieve with it but getting there was a whole other ball game.
I was watching the first show of Sword and Laser on the Geek and Sundry channel on YouTube this afternoon (really fun and light-hearted show about sci-fi and fantasy books) and the author Scott Siegler they were interviewing was discussing his new book. He'd originally released it as a chaptered podcast and written it week to week. He said he really enjoyed going back and working all of story into a novel as it allowed him to write in a load more foreshadowing and to play with the plot. I immediately thought of my rewrite and how it would let me tweak until I was really happy with it. If, I can move my ass into gear to DO it! The trouble is I'm not quite sure just yet how to tweak it. I'm still really happy with the length and the general feel of it (vague points I know but there has to be something positive right?) but the characterisation and background just isn't quite there and I think I'm waiting around for inspiration to strike. Which might not ever happen. Guh. But then I'm waiting to do this to get my juices flowing to write my next fic as the muse (as they say) is being particularly churlish and uncooperative at the moment. It's a vicious circle.
So I think I've said about as much as I can for this procrastination effort. I'm going to write now. Honest. Right now. This minute.
Oh look something shiny...
Frak.
My idea is to work round these points and work some things into the story in a slightly different way. There are also some character points that need work. It's an interesting aspect of fanfic writing - do you write it all beforehand and post periodically or do you wait to see people's reactions and ideas in order to continue the story? For me, I wasn't sure people were even going to read my story and to be honest I really didn't know where it was really headed. I knew what I wanted to achieve with it but getting there was a whole other ball game.
I was watching the first show of Sword and Laser on the Geek and Sundry channel on YouTube this afternoon (really fun and light-hearted show about sci-fi and fantasy books) and the author Scott Siegler they were interviewing was discussing his new book. He'd originally released it as a chaptered podcast and written it week to week. He said he really enjoyed going back and working all of story into a novel as it allowed him to write in a load more foreshadowing and to play with the plot. I immediately thought of my rewrite and how it would let me tweak until I was really happy with it. If, I can move my ass into gear to DO it! The trouble is I'm not quite sure just yet how to tweak it. I'm still really happy with the length and the general feel of it (vague points I know but there has to be something positive right?) but the characterisation and background just isn't quite there and I think I'm waiting around for inspiration to strike. Which might not ever happen. Guh. But then I'm waiting to do this to get my juices flowing to write my next fic as the muse (as they say) is being particularly churlish and uncooperative at the moment. It's a vicious circle.
So I think I've said about as much as I can for this procrastination effort. I'm going to write now. Honest. Right now. This minute.
Oh look something shiny...
Frak.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Robocop!
Haha, that title makes it sound like a musical. "Robocop!" coming soon to a theatre near you...
I went to an Edinburgh Science Festival event last night which was a screening of the '80s classic "Robocop". There was a short Q&A session before with a science fiction writer called Justina Robson. I personally had never seen this film before so I was quite curious.
The atmosphere was great when we walked into the cinema, the Filmhouse in Edinburgh is great for stuff like this, the old-style screens are wonderful. Plus the fact that you can take alcohol in is always a plus.
It was so much fun. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I mean, up until about 2 hours before we went I was sure that it was Arnie who was in it. The blood and guts was great with so much sugar syrup. I was also really impressed with the make-up - even with the resolution of a modern projection system the make up for Murphy still held up to scrutiny. The moment when the baddy had his arm blown off didn't though. There was some serious arm pumping = arterial fountain of blood. Still we were all laughing so much by this point it didn't matter. Another interesting thing to see was some stop motion animation. The robot that tries to take down Robocop was animated this way and it was a little jarring but surprisingly, looked kind of wonderful. There were lots of intricate bits that were working in unison on the model. The stop motion used at the end for a certain character's death however did not look good, and earned a huge cheer and clapping from the audience.
My friends and I were a little baffled by how they were going to have a discussion about the human/cyborg issue as the plot isn't the most complex (neither are the characters) but I guess it does deal with some interesting issues in terms of (and my English lit teacher will be so proud of me for this) man's inhumanity to man. The baddies are completely ruthless and there are a lot of times when people die and other, supposedly, normal people really aren't that fussed. Is this the future we're heading for? But we do see a nice turnaround when the police start standing up for Robocop when he's being attacked by the hit squad. That scene is interesting for me too in that as soon as we get a glimpse of Murphy's eye under the vizor of his helmet, we immediately start feeling sympathy for him and scared for him. Before that point he is just a cyborg, we struggle to see the humanity or something we recognise about ourselves in him. As Justina Robson pointed out before the film started, there is a fantastic scene where Murphy takes off the vizor to reveal what's underneath and Lewis (his female partner) doesn't flinch or shy away as his face is revealed. She just sees him and the humanity that his face represents.
Speaking of Lewis, she is one kick ass female character! And we all know how I feel about strong female leads! She is defeminised a lot in this film, made to seem like one of the boys in the precinct but she is wonderfully strong and funny. Most of the female characters in the film are either whores, winos, horrendously vacuous or working for the baddies - something else that Justina pointed out. At the beginning of the film she is the hard, slightly cynical one out of herself and Murphy (who's optimistic and cares for his family hugely) but by the end he is the one devoid of emotion and she is the one who cares for him and looks out for him. For me, that character development is wonderful.
So I think I've prattled on long enough. It really was a lot of fun to watch, it would be great to watch more films like this in a cinema with an audience, it really adds a lot to the experience, I would recommend it to anyone if they get the chance. My friend and I were saying it would be fantastic to watch "Alien" in a setting like that. Watch this space...
I went to an Edinburgh Science Festival event last night which was a screening of the '80s classic "Robocop". There was a short Q&A session before with a science fiction writer called Justina Robson. I personally had never seen this film before so I was quite curious.
The atmosphere was great when we walked into the cinema, the Filmhouse in Edinburgh is great for stuff like this, the old-style screens are wonderful. Plus the fact that you can take alcohol in is always a plus.
It was so much fun. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I mean, up until about 2 hours before we went I was sure that it was Arnie who was in it. The blood and guts was great with so much sugar syrup. I was also really impressed with the make-up - even with the resolution of a modern projection system the make up for Murphy still held up to scrutiny. The moment when the baddy had his arm blown off didn't though. There was some serious arm pumping = arterial fountain of blood. Still we were all laughing so much by this point it didn't matter. Another interesting thing to see was some stop motion animation. The robot that tries to take down Robocop was animated this way and it was a little jarring but surprisingly, looked kind of wonderful. There were lots of intricate bits that were working in unison on the model. The stop motion used at the end for a certain character's death however did not look good, and earned a huge cheer and clapping from the audience.
My friends and I were a little baffled by how they were going to have a discussion about the human/cyborg issue as the plot isn't the most complex (neither are the characters) but I guess it does deal with some interesting issues in terms of (and my English lit teacher will be so proud of me for this) man's inhumanity to man. The baddies are completely ruthless and there are a lot of times when people die and other, supposedly, normal people really aren't that fussed. Is this the future we're heading for? But we do see a nice turnaround when the police start standing up for Robocop when he's being attacked by the hit squad. That scene is interesting for me too in that as soon as we get a glimpse of Murphy's eye under the vizor of his helmet, we immediately start feeling sympathy for him and scared for him. Before that point he is just a cyborg, we struggle to see the humanity or something we recognise about ourselves in him. As Justina Robson pointed out before the film started, there is a fantastic scene where Murphy takes off the vizor to reveal what's underneath and Lewis (his female partner) doesn't flinch or shy away as his face is revealed. She just sees him and the humanity that his face represents.
Speaking of Lewis, she is one kick ass female character! And we all know how I feel about strong female leads! She is defeminised a lot in this film, made to seem like one of the boys in the precinct but she is wonderfully strong and funny. Most of the female characters in the film are either whores, winos, horrendously vacuous or working for the baddies - something else that Justina pointed out. At the beginning of the film she is the hard, slightly cynical one out of herself and Murphy (who's optimistic and cares for his family hugely) but by the end he is the one devoid of emotion and she is the one who cares for him and looks out for him. For me, that character development is wonderful.
So I think I've prattled on long enough. It really was a lot of fun to watch, it would be great to watch more films like this in a cinema with an audience, it really adds a lot to the experience, I would recommend it to anyone if they get the chance. My friend and I were saying it would be fantastic to watch "Alien" in a setting like that. Watch this space...
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