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beccaelizabethOften in the last few years I have the thought that I'd really like a baby. And I call this a thought, but it's more of a biology thing, like hungry or thirsty, and it's slightly odd because I did not used to want a baby and my logic parts still have several hesitations, but there it is, feeling, want a baby. So the feeling gets into stories and suddenly all my MarySues (sshh, they're okay if you don't expect people to read them) are getting together with their love interest and having a baby and then... going off to save the world a lot while someone else looks after the baby. Because, you know, the feeling isn't particularly concerned about much beyond the existence of offspring. As long as they're alive, it's good.
So yesterday I was standing in a line waiting to get a signature, and people in front of me were there with their kids, and people behind me were there with their kids, and now I keep thinking, I want that. Exactly that, with my kids sharing my fandoms. I want to show them the good stories, the important ones. And it's quite different from just liking a TV show. I mean, I like Stargate a lot, and I show my friends Stargate, but it's waaaaaay low on the list of things I'd want to share with a mini Be. Bebe? Anyway. So I was thinking of all the DVDs I've got and which ones I'd share and which ones I wouldn't mind about and which ones I'd hope to keep out of their reach. And it's an interesting different sort of list.
Starts with: Must show small people Doctor Who.
Because it's important.
And, okay, Sarah Jane Adventures are pretty cool too.
But the thing is, Doctor Who has been around for long and long and long now. So it's a story that's woven in underneath a lot of the other stories. It's not like many fandoms, where you first have to find out if someone has heard of it - if you're in Britain at least, you can launch right in to which is their favourite Doctor. That's just neat.
And it's not like all the militaristic stuff out there. I mean, okay, yes, there's a lot of stuff blowing up, and UNIT and shooting things and more stuff blowing up, and sometimes whole planets blowing up, which is pretty neat. But what it's about is not the guys with the guns. It's one brainy guy with a screwdriver. Got to love that.
And even when there's violence, the hero is the guy who won't pick up a gun, who's all "they may shoot me but the moral high ground is mine", which even if you're *facepalm* about it is a pretty good place to try for. He's the one always saying there should be another way. Even if he couldn't find it and had to blow things up a lot, he reckons there should be. And he's the guy who's always "I forgive you" and giving even a Dalek a second chance! Now that's a guy it's good for kids growing up to try to be.
... though hopefully not be too much like, cause he has his bad points too, obviously, and there's the whole ongoing things going boom issue that could possibly interfere with school work just a little, but. anyway.
There's a ton of stories, a lot of them are U rated, and they're interesting and good.
starts with that.
Also, Star Wars. Which has its bad points, but also has Jedi club. Playing with lightsabers FTW.
Er, yes, screwdrivers clearly better, but if there's going to be violence, cool glowy violence with sound effects be much more fun.
... actually the more I think about Star Wars the more *facepalm* I find in it, but not the point. I grew up with those films building bits of my brain space, I want to pass that on.
Similarly: Star Trek. DS9 is coolest but Next Gen is rather good too. And for quite some time Next Gen was the only reason some members of my family of origin even had a conversational topic. So, you know, good.
Also, I have sentences that make no sense if you don't know some episodes. Darmok.
A lot of the shows I spend a lot of time on are 12, 15, 18 rated. And thinking about it in this context that's, like, sparkly distant futures, imaginable but a whole long way away. I'd share Buffy and Highlander with my kids, but not until they're teenagers. And imagining a me with teenage offspring is a weird and trippy idea.
So I look at my collections with a whole different viewpoint, and think about how they'd be seen if they were like the first time someone had seen that story. I could share Labyrinth, and Willow, and Sword in the Stone, and they'd be the building blocks for someone's mind. And that could be pretty cool.
Of course the next stage is to look at those building blocks with all the Lit tools available - check for isms, check for gaps and omissions, and figure out what needs to be there and isn't.
Captain Jack gets even more important when he's the only character in kid-rated stuff that isn't het. I mean, already I liked his existence for that, but if I'm trying to build better story frameworks for a new generation, diversity is key. IDIC. With rainbows even.
... course having said that DW new series 1 box has a bit red 12 on the side, unlike all the rest. odd.
There's also texts I own, many many of them, that range from badly *facepalm* to actively throw them out and hope no kid sees them until they know enough to :eyeroll: at them. Actually comics spring to mind, which is sad, but all the things that are just a bit grumbly to complain about when it's me reading it get rather more offputting when I think about showing them to smallers.
No, this isn't me deciding that all things should be suitable for minors. I just a lot more Get It when I'm trying to think of what I'd share so they'd get the good stuff but not have to drag in all the bad stuff. The range of titles shrinks really rather a lot.
I know it's possible I'd end up with a small person who liked sports. Or celebrity gossip. Or clothes. I could in fact have a non-fan for family. It would be weird and we'd never have anything to talk about, but kids are their own people, so it could happen.
But clearly it is my duty to show them all the Good Stuff I have discovered, so they can know it too without going through all the rubbish. And the Good Stuff is the stuff I end up a fan of. So if and when I have kids, that's how we'll spend time together, just as soon as they're big enough for stories - watching Doctor Who and letting Daleks traumatise another generation.
:-)
So yesterday I was standing in a line waiting to get a signature, and people in front of me were there with their kids, and people behind me were there with their kids, and now I keep thinking, I want that. Exactly that, with my kids sharing my fandoms. I want to show them the good stories, the important ones. And it's quite different from just liking a TV show. I mean, I like Stargate a lot, and I show my friends Stargate, but it's waaaaaay low on the list of things I'd want to share with a mini Be. Bebe? Anyway. So I was thinking of all the DVDs I've got and which ones I'd share and which ones I wouldn't mind about and which ones I'd hope to keep out of their reach. And it's an interesting different sort of list.
Starts with: Must show small people Doctor Who.
Because it's important.
And, okay, Sarah Jane Adventures are pretty cool too.
But the thing is, Doctor Who has been around for long and long and long now. So it's a story that's woven in underneath a lot of the other stories. It's not like many fandoms, where you first have to find out if someone has heard of it - if you're in Britain at least, you can launch right in to which is their favourite Doctor. That's just neat.
And it's not like all the militaristic stuff out there. I mean, okay, yes, there's a lot of stuff blowing up, and UNIT and shooting things and more stuff blowing up, and sometimes whole planets blowing up, which is pretty neat. But what it's about is not the guys with the guns. It's one brainy guy with a screwdriver. Got to love that.
And even when there's violence, the hero is the guy who won't pick up a gun, who's all "they may shoot me but the moral high ground is mine", which even if you're *facepalm* about it is a pretty good place to try for. He's the one always saying there should be another way. Even if he couldn't find it and had to blow things up a lot, he reckons there should be. And he's the guy who's always "I forgive you" and giving even a Dalek a second chance! Now that's a guy it's good for kids growing up to try to be.
... though hopefully not be too much like, cause he has his bad points too, obviously, and there's the whole ongoing things going boom issue that could possibly interfere with school work just a little, but. anyway.
There's a ton of stories, a lot of them are U rated, and they're interesting and good.
starts with that.
Also, Star Wars. Which has its bad points, but also has Jedi club. Playing with lightsabers FTW.
Er, yes, screwdrivers clearly better, but if there's going to be violence, cool glowy violence with sound effects be much more fun.
... actually the more I think about Star Wars the more *facepalm* I find in it, but not the point. I grew up with those films building bits of my brain space, I want to pass that on.
Similarly: Star Trek. DS9 is coolest but Next Gen is rather good too. And for quite some time Next Gen was the only reason some members of my family of origin even had a conversational topic. So, you know, good.
Also, I have sentences that make no sense if you don't know some episodes. Darmok.
A lot of the shows I spend a lot of time on are 12, 15, 18 rated. And thinking about it in this context that's, like, sparkly distant futures, imaginable but a whole long way away. I'd share Buffy and Highlander with my kids, but not until they're teenagers. And imagining a me with teenage offspring is a weird and trippy idea.
So I look at my collections with a whole different viewpoint, and think about how they'd be seen if they were like the first time someone had seen that story. I could share Labyrinth, and Willow, and Sword in the Stone, and they'd be the building blocks for someone's mind. And that could be pretty cool.
Of course the next stage is to look at those building blocks with all the Lit tools available - check for isms, check for gaps and omissions, and figure out what needs to be there and isn't.
Captain Jack gets even more important when he's the only character in kid-rated stuff that isn't het. I mean, already I liked his existence for that, but if I'm trying to build better story frameworks for a new generation, diversity is key. IDIC. With rainbows even.
... course having said that DW new series 1 box has a bit red 12 on the side, unlike all the rest. odd.
There's also texts I own, many many of them, that range from badly *facepalm* to actively throw them out and hope no kid sees them until they know enough to :eyeroll: at them. Actually comics spring to mind, which is sad, but all the things that are just a bit grumbly to complain about when it's me reading it get rather more offputting when I think about showing them to smallers.
No, this isn't me deciding that all things should be suitable for minors. I just a lot more Get It when I'm trying to think of what I'd share so they'd get the good stuff but not have to drag in all the bad stuff. The range of titles shrinks really rather a lot.
I know it's possible I'd end up with a small person who liked sports. Or celebrity gossip. Or clothes. I could in fact have a non-fan for family. It would be weird and we'd never have anything to talk about, but kids are their own people, so it could happen.
But clearly it is my duty to show them all the Good Stuff I have discovered, so they can know it too without going through all the rubbish. And the Good Stuff is the stuff I end up a fan of. So if and when I have kids, that's how we'll spend time together, just as soon as they're big enough for stories - watching Doctor Who and letting Daleks traumatise another generation.
:-)
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no subject
Date: 2008-04-13 09:03 pm (UTC)Take my conversation one Christmas with my 2 eldest nephews; it was all about the Hero Quest and how Eragon (and Eldest) was really just Star Wars with dragons as elements of the Hero Quest archetype fit into sci-fi just as well as fantasy.
When the whole family is together me, my big sisters and all the kids sit there yelling at each other excitably about Dr Who characters (classic and new) while my mum and dad just smile at us. I watched Dr Who with mum and dad when I was a kid, so it is all their fault...
no subject
Date: 2008-04-13 10:08 pm (UTC)Little niece has outgrown that, but it was fun while it lasted.
Also, Kitty watched the first two episodes of Buffy with us last night, and I think we hooked her. Emily wasn't interested, alas, but we got her into politics instead. Better than nothing. I got both of them hooked on Monty Python at an early age, hee hee.
Anne, second generation f&sf fan raising the third generation