Brought To You By the Letter "B" Meme
Apr. 10th, 2012 09:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elrhiarhodanGanked from the lovely and creative ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
attackfish.
To participate:
1. Leave a comment to this post, specifically saying that you would like a letter.
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Post the names of five fictional characters whose names begin with that letter, and your thoughts on each. The characters can be from books, movies, or TV shows.
I got B.
"B" for first names was difficult, if not impossible - so all five of my characters have their last names start with "B".
1 - Diana Berrigan (or Barrigan): Kick ass lesbian FBI agent. I loved her from the opening scenes in Pilot. She clearly adores her boss, but it's not that kind of relationship - the sadly typical one where the female subordinate has a desperately unrequited thing for her boss (married or otherwise). It helps that Diana (as introduced in Pilot) is an agent at the end of her probationary period (more than a trainee, but not yet ready for her own caseload). She does handle certain administrative functions - like preparing reports and requisitions - but at least in Pilot you get the feeling that the role could have been filled by a male actor (if the show creator hadn't wanted to make the character a lesbian).
I love how the show introduces and handles her sexuality. In Pilot, Neal clearly admires Diana ("Um, she digs the hat."), and Peter, in a very offhand riposte comments that "she'd rather be wearing that hat." Neal pauses, blinks, and comprehends. Nothing is overtly declared. A few scenes, after observing Diana flirt with a female customs agent, he comments - "I thought the FBI had a policy..." Peter's reply is perhaps the finest pronouncment of an attitude: "That's the military. We don't ask. We don't care."
The actress who plays Diana (Marsha Thomason) was not available during most of the first season, but when she did return (in the final episode), her sexuality was still an intrinic part of her character. Peter and Diana meet in a park and Peter asks about her significant other, and we immediately know that Christie is a "she."
Diana's sexuality is part of her character - but it doesn't define her or limit her.
2 - Senneth Brassenthwaite: The lead character in Sharon Shinn's Mystic and Rider, the first book of The Twelve Houses series - and a major character in the other four novels. Senneth is a mystic, someone who can use an innate form of magic to manipulate elements. She's an extraordinarily powerful mystic, and her chief power is over fire, though she can heal and manage minor shapeshifting. Senneth could so easily have been a Mary Sue of a character - her "mystic" gifts are nearly limitless, and she is initially presented as all-powerful, all-knowing and the one who the band of travelers look to. But as the story (and the series) progresses, we learn that she's not omnipotent, she makes mistakes, she's shockingly vulnerable and her magic isn't the answer to every problem.
By the time the series concludes, Senneth has mellowed into something incalculable human - she's cranky, she's frustrated at times and she definitely doesn't have all the answers.
3 - Olivia Benson: The female lead detective in Law & Order: SVU. When we were first introduced to Benson, back in 1999 (::blinkblinkblink::) we quickly learn that she was a child of a rape, and over the course of the early years of the series, it's revealed that her mother was a physically abusive alcoholic. And yet, despite the horrors of her childhood, Benson is both empathetic and tough. She gets involved with her cases - sometimes too involved - but rarely is our credulity stretched to the breaking point (as it has been - for me - at times by her partner, Elliot Stabler). She's a powerful female voice in a difficult role.
4 - Bond, James Bond: I have to admit to something of a love/hate relationship with this character (the movie role, not the literary figure). He's misogynistic, a child of class privilege, he smokes and drinks too much, he's careless with his life and the lives of others. As played by Sean Connery and Roger Moore, he's something of a lout and certainly a lothario - embodying all that was wrong with the 1960s and the 1970s. I adored Timothy Dalton's first movie - "The Living Daylights." It was refreshing to see a "real actor" in the role, and I remember the reviews noting that James Bond had been taken over by Hamlet. Dalton gave the character a dramatic intensity that Connery and Moore never could, and it helped that he was far less of a roue than his predecessors. Sadly, "License to Kill" was simply awful and the less said, the better.
Of the four Pierce Brosnan movies, probably the only one I liked was "GoldenEye." More for the villain than for Bond, to be honest (I love and adore Sean Bean).
But for me, the ultimate Bond will be Daniel Craig (a/k/a James Blond). As originally conceived by Ian Fleming, James Bond was supposed to be a blunt instrument - something that was never apparent in the studied elegance of Connery, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan. Craig's Bond is a sledgehammer, a bareknuckle brawler. I loved Casino Royale for many reasons, but the opening scenes - where he earns his 00 ranking - are the best moments in the entire series of movies. There is no doubt in my mind that this man is fully capable of killing with his bare hands.
5 - Anita Blake: Could I pick a more controversial character than Laurell K. Hamilton's vampire slayer and animator of the dead? As originally presented, Anita loathed vampires and had well-earned her nickname, The Executioner. At some point; though, the character just seemed to collapse on herself, becoming little more than an excuse for extended (and by extended, I mean EXTENDED) sex scenes. Anita Blake embodies the ultimate polyamorous relationship, having strong emotional connections to many (but not all) of her sex partners. The problem I have is that the character has become paralyzed by choice - unable to accept her needs and the damage she causes to others by her denial.
I no longer read the Anita Blake series. It's hard to continue to follow a character that refuses to grow.
Don't forget to ask me for your very own letter!
attackfish.To participate:
1. Leave a comment to this post, specifically saying that you would like a letter.
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Post the names of five fictional characters whose names begin with that letter, and your thoughts on each. The characters can be from books, movies, or TV shows.
I got B.
"B" for first names was difficult, if not impossible - so all five of my characters have their last names start with "B".
1 - Diana Berrigan (or Barrigan): Kick ass lesbian FBI agent. I loved her from the opening scenes in Pilot. She clearly adores her boss, but it's not that kind of relationship - the sadly typical one where the female subordinate has a desperately unrequited thing for her boss (married or otherwise). It helps that Diana (as introduced in Pilot) is an agent at the end of her probationary period (more than a trainee, but not yet ready for her own caseload). She does handle certain administrative functions - like preparing reports and requisitions - but at least in Pilot you get the feeling that the role could have been filled by a male actor (if the show creator hadn't wanted to make the character a lesbian).
I love how the show introduces and handles her sexuality. In Pilot, Neal clearly admires Diana ("Um, she digs the hat."), and Peter, in a very offhand riposte comments that "she'd rather be wearing that hat." Neal pauses, blinks, and comprehends. Nothing is overtly declared. A few scenes, after observing Diana flirt with a female customs agent, he comments - "I thought the FBI had a policy..." Peter's reply is perhaps the finest pronouncment of an attitude: "That's the military. We don't ask. We don't care."
The actress who plays Diana (Marsha Thomason) was not available during most of the first season, but when she did return (in the final episode), her sexuality was still an intrinic part of her character. Peter and Diana meet in a park and Peter asks about her significant other, and we immediately know that Christie is a "she."
Diana's sexuality is part of her character - but it doesn't define her or limit her.
2 - Senneth Brassenthwaite: The lead character in Sharon Shinn's Mystic and Rider, the first book of The Twelve Houses series - and a major character in the other four novels. Senneth is a mystic, someone who can use an innate form of magic to manipulate elements. She's an extraordinarily powerful mystic, and her chief power is over fire, though she can heal and manage minor shapeshifting. Senneth could so easily have been a Mary Sue of a character - her "mystic" gifts are nearly limitless, and she is initially presented as all-powerful, all-knowing and the one who the band of travelers look to. But as the story (and the series) progresses, we learn that she's not omnipotent, she makes mistakes, she's shockingly vulnerable and her magic isn't the answer to every problem.
By the time the series concludes, Senneth has mellowed into something incalculable human - she's cranky, she's frustrated at times and she definitely doesn't have all the answers.
3 - Olivia Benson: The female lead detective in Law & Order: SVU. When we were first introduced to Benson, back in 1999 (::blinkblinkblink::) we quickly learn that she was a child of a rape, and over the course of the early years of the series, it's revealed that her mother was a physically abusive alcoholic. And yet, despite the horrors of her childhood, Benson is both empathetic and tough. She gets involved with her cases - sometimes too involved - but rarely is our credulity stretched to the breaking point (as it has been - for me - at times by her partner, Elliot Stabler). She's a powerful female voice in a difficult role.
4 - Bond, James Bond: I have to admit to something of a love/hate relationship with this character (the movie role, not the literary figure). He's misogynistic, a child of class privilege, he smokes and drinks too much, he's careless with his life and the lives of others. As played by Sean Connery and Roger Moore, he's something of a lout and certainly a lothario - embodying all that was wrong with the 1960s and the 1970s. I adored Timothy Dalton's first movie - "The Living Daylights." It was refreshing to see a "real actor" in the role, and I remember the reviews noting that James Bond had been taken over by Hamlet. Dalton gave the character a dramatic intensity that Connery and Moore never could, and it helped that he was far less of a roue than his predecessors. Sadly, "License to Kill" was simply awful and the less said, the better.
Of the four Pierce Brosnan movies, probably the only one I liked was "GoldenEye." More for the villain than for Bond, to be honest (I love and adore Sean Bean).
But for me, the ultimate Bond will be Daniel Craig (a/k/a James Blond). As originally conceived by Ian Fleming, James Bond was supposed to be a blunt instrument - something that was never apparent in the studied elegance of Connery, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan. Craig's Bond is a sledgehammer, a bareknuckle brawler. I loved Casino Royale for many reasons, but the opening scenes - where he earns his 00 ranking - are the best moments in the entire series of movies. There is no doubt in my mind that this man is fully capable of killing with his bare hands.
5 - Anita Blake: Could I pick a more controversial character than Laurell K. Hamilton's vampire slayer and animator of the dead? As originally presented, Anita loathed vampires and had well-earned her nickname, The Executioner. At some point; though, the character just seemed to collapse on herself, becoming little more than an excuse for extended (and by extended, I mean EXTENDED) sex scenes. Anita Blake embodies the ultimate polyamorous relationship, having strong emotional connections to many (but not all) of her sex partners. The problem I have is that the character has become paralyzed by choice - unable to accept her needs and the damage she causes to others by her denial.
I no longer read the Anita Blake series. It's hard to continue to follow a character that refuses to grow.
Don't forget to ask me for your very own letter!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 01:25 am (UTC)And for once I'm not talking about your supreme awesomeness as a fanfic writer!
I went into the Anita Blake series kicking and screaming. I was a huge Buffy fan, but I wasn't a fan of vampires. I finally started reading her stuff and it was amazing. Blue Moon was in my mind, one of her best works. I wasn't all that thrilled with Obsidian Butterfly, but figured it was a one time deal. And then LKH found porn. And badly written porn at that. I saw a blurb about her where she said that she likes writing about sex and violence. I want to walk up to her and say "Not at the same effin' time!" or go find her editor and smack them around for not reigning her in.
OMG I'm on a rant!
And the whole area about how she refuses to grow...her "issues" and all the other asundry bullshit LKH has turned her into.
I'm like you. I had to walk away because I get all ranty! (you would have never guessed now would you)
MaryJanice Davidson who writes the "Undead and" is walking very close to that line. If her next book doesn't pull it out of the fire, I'm walking away from her too. Even if she does want MB to play Sinclair.
I'm done now! I have to go upload my Glee music to my Google Cloud so I can access it on my android! :-) I'm going to listen to Matt/Darren's version of Somebody That I Used To Know about a 1000 times. Thank god it's not vinyl or tape, I'd kill it!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 10:09 pm (UTC)However, the last couple of books have been a slight improvement, which is good as I'm apparently incapable of just GETTING OVER IT as well. :p
On that note, I'm going to be suicidal and ask for a letter. :s
no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-12 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 03:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 03:38 pm (UTC)N
no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 03:37 pm (UTC)(On the Diana last name thing, when asked about it on Twitter, Jeff said it was spelled Barrigan, so I'm assuming that's the spelling that goes in the scripts? Jeff's not a stellar speller, but her name does come up fairly often so he probably sees it a lot.)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 03:40 pm (UTC)You want a letter, you got a letter. How does "T" strike your fancy?
no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 03:45 pm (UTC)I loved Timothy Dalton's Bond. It was the first time I saw Bond the way I saw him in the books. It felt like the movies had finally captured that morally ambiguous edge that Fleming wrote. And yes, Daniel Craig is amazing in Casino Royale. Unfortunately all of the movies suffer (with the possible exception of From Russia With Love) from truly bad writing, the second Daniel Craig movie was almost incomprehensible. Not that the writing matters, I'll go see them regardless for the interaction between Daniel Craig and Judi Dench.
I wanted to like Anita Blake. There was such an interesting idea there, about coming to terms with her upbringing and her abilities and her desires. But it got lost somewhere and I stopped caring about the characters.
May I have a letter please? Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 03:49 pm (UTC)I just read an article about the problems with "Quantum of Solace" - it was affected by the screenwriters strike, and instead of holding off production, the producers decided to just fill in the blanks with pointless action sequences.
I do agree that watching Bond and M interact is the best part of the movies. She's both exasperated and admiring - he's a bullet, but he's going to be her bullet.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 04:23 pm (UTC)I don't know the other Characters, well of course beside Diana that is absolutely kick ass one!
I would like a letter too :)
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Date: 2012-04-10 04:26 pm (UTC)I liked Brosnan as Bond, but never really was able to get Remington Steel out of my brain, and he seemed a bit too smarmy at times - too much like Roger Moore for my tastes.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 04:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 04:52 pm (UTC)Your letter is "C".
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Date: 2012-04-10 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 05:03 pm (UTC)You get the letter P.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 04:11 am (UTC)*g*
Had hoped to get home in time to watch Glee and wish you, but alas. Hope you had a lovely day nonetheless, and best wishes for a fantastic year!!!
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Date: 2012-04-10 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-10 07:34 pm (UTC)Re: Don't Want a Letter, Wish I Had Time, Just Want To Say Happy Birthday
Date: 2012-04-10 08:49 pm (UTC)Re: Don't Want a Letter, Wish I Had Time, Just Want To Say Happy Birthday
Date: 2012-04-10 08:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 03:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 03:30 am (UTC)In more important news: Happy Birthday!
RL is quite busy, so this is short, but have some birthday drabbles:
Diana/Christie drabble
It wasn't the romantic dinners. It wasn't even the rapid-fire conversations that went long and silly and wine-soaked into the night. The way Diana knew that she wanted to be with Christie forever was so much smaller (bigger) than that: it was the way Christie would argue with her, would worry about her. It was the way they would fight about anything and everything but Diana would never once worry that this fight would be the end. Christie made her feel constantly agitated and utterly secure, and amazingly, this was the lushest, most ferocious tool of seduction Diana ever encountered.
Peter/Neal ficlet:
"You look guilty, Peter."
"I don't."
"You do."
"Maybe it's an emotion you should try someday."
Neal's brow furrowed.
"Sorry," Peter said.
"It's okay. That you're being defensive. It's probably because of the guilt."
"Why would I feel guilty?"
"That's the question."
"What's your evidence?" Peter smirked.
"Now would an innocent man say that?"
"You would know."
"I would. So what is it?"
Peter sighed.
Neal offered, with a smile, "Full immunity."
Peter laughed. "Okay. I... looked through your computer."
"Oh. Worried was I was doing?"
"No. We're past that."
"So..."
"... Curious about your porn." Peter was blushing now.
"Oh. That's okay."
"Really?"
"Why do you think I left my history intact?"
"...You wanted me to find it?"
Neal shrugged. "You asked me to think of some ideas that we could try."
"You could have just... told me."
Neal sighed. "Sometimes, Peter, it's like you don't even know me at all."
They both cracked up.
"Fine," Peter said with a smirk, a hint of danger that was mostly promise only a little bit retaliation. "As soon as we get home, we're trying that thing."
"Which thing?"
"You actually did erase this one. I had to dig...."
Neal blushed. "Oh. That."
"That," Peter said, grin full of teeth.
Neal swallowed. "I didn't think you would be willing..."
"I'm feeling open-minded."
"I didn't know you had the hacking skills, Peter," Neal said, a bit impressed.
"A lot of things you don't know," Peter answered, a little too pleased.
Neal paused, caught between being annoyed, turned on, and maybe - maybe - just a little bit nervous. He wasn't expecting to turn that particular fantasy into reality quite so soon. Truthfully, he wasn't expecting to ever work up the courage to ask Peter. He was sure of a no.
And yet here Peter was. Offering a yes.
Threatening a yes, really.
A delicious, somewhat frightening, suddenly tangible yes.
Neal nodded. If Peter was willing to leap, then Neal was too.
Peter smiled warmly, leaned in for a kiss.
"But next time, respect my privacy," Neal added, more for his pride.
"Oh, Neal. It's like you don't even know me at all."
Happy birthday, Elr! Lots of joy to you :)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-12 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 12:27 pm (UTC)And of course, I'm dying to know just what Peter had found in Neal's internet cache.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-12 01:34 am (UTC)Hee, I think it was something Neal thinks is super super mind-bogglingly dirty. Peter doesn't reveal that he and El have done it tons of times and he finds it very sweet.
Happy birthday.
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Date: 2012-04-11 04:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 05:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 05:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 12:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 12:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-11 09:09 pm (UTC)Happy Birthday
Date: 2012-04-11 06:59 pm (UTC)Re: Happy Birthday
Date: 2012-04-11 07:02 pm (UTC)Thank you!