Things I have been thinking

So the other night I was thinking about Stuff (while trying to get to sleep, as per usual), specifically my preference in characters. I always like the simply human characters, the ones with skills hard learned rather than powers simply granted, the regular people. Watchers not Slayers.

So I was thinking, how come I'm a fan of the only genres where you'll find any other kind of hero?

And then I was, like, *facepalm*, because -

I like the stories where the world is full of people who are more powerful, faster, stronger, able to read minds or move things without touching them or whatever - and some regular person who can't do any of that is sitting in the middle trying to cope.

I like disability stories.

Oh I'd already noticed I tend to read the classic setups in terms of disability. Ghosts are clearly profoundly physically disabled (and I got all wound up when they didn't get Spike any assistive technology and just ignored him a lot). Werewolves controlling it with herbs and chanting are pretty much controlling a mental health issue with meds and meditation (no, I'm not saying mental health = werewolves, just werewolves = tiny subset of mental health). Vampires have a whole addiction metaphor going on as well as their obvious physical limitations (daylight, etc, adding up to greater restriction than most people have to cope with... although I did go through a not-goin-out-in-daylight phase once).

But the other thing, the regular people in a world where they're trying to cope with people having powers - it's like disability without any of the day to day junk. It sees coping without a superpower as a tale of heroic deeds, without getting all condescending about 'aren't you brave, dealing with all that!' about the routine stuff. It's dealing with a world where everyone important can do things that you can't, yet there's so many people with your ability set you're still normal, still part of a community that simply values the skills you do have.

You don't get that so much on a level playing field, with stories of humans in a human world, but humans in science fiction, fantasy, comics? You get that *all the time*. And I'd rather read about how a team copes with some members not being able to fly (easily, routinely, copes without even mentioning it) than I would about how some mundane world team copes with someone in a wheelchair (partly because it's always such a Thing, to even have a character in a wheelchair - like that godawful episode of DS9 where her mere presence made the whole episode plot).

It's not that I don't also want to read about people in wheelchairs kicking arse - I read Birds of Prey, Oracle rules. It's just I looked at my usual story preferences - regular people coping with more-than-regular problems - and suddenly I saw the disability thing.

And like I said, *facepalm*, because now I'm feeling all obvious.



Of course the thing where I then also like characters who take those human skills and hone them through practice to superhuman levels, or learn esoteric arts, or simply turn science into gadgeteering and magic wand things that way... That's not so much about that. That's just damn cool on it's own. Because they work and they study and they get good at stuff and anyone could do that, given the time and resources. (And I just noticed another reason I don't so much like Harry Potter - only getting to go to magic school if you've already got magic takes away the whole thing I like best about the idea of magic school. Study magic = become magic, not have to be it to start with!)

It's why I like immortals, like Highlander, without thinking about it as being the same as superpowers. I mean, it clearly is - no more worrying about the physical stuff FTW - but really, every cool thing they can do? It's just time and study, or as Duncan says trial and error. Lots of error.

I could do that.

So. Tired.

I sleeped and sleeped and sleeped.
It's rather annoying. Days are supposed to have more than sleeping in them.

Most of the dreams were kind of mundane. Like the one where a bunch of people visited but because I haven't tidied only one could come in at a time. That's... pretty much accurate.


Much more fun was the one where it was all post-apocalyptic and people were trying to preserve the important things and I was secretly guardian of the Matrix, the Time Lord one. It needed a living being to exist within, but that wasn't me. That was the magnetic toy collection we'd got. See it hadn't been a living being when we'd recorded the data magnetically, but it was well on it's way to becoming one by the time the recording was done. Now I was busily collecting more parts and encouraging it into sentience.

Also waiting for an actual Time Lord to get back. I was hoping for the Doctor.

First Anya turned up to trade some shiny magnetix for something she wanted, and I was all bouncy happy because I was hoping that meant Giles was somewhere around, and indeed he was. So I figured I could explain and get some help. But then the Doctor turned up and said not to explain everything, he'd sort it out. So we walked away. But it turned out to be the Master with a chameleon thingy. It melted away. But I was still so glad to see a Time Lord I was happy even when it was him. There was hugging. He was somewhat shocked.

So we get back to the magnetix proto-civilization and he's not expecting it, he thinks we just have like a tape. So he walks in and the magnetix know him. And all the smallest spiky silver bits fly up and surround him and press onto him until he's like coated with silver. And blue energy flies out of his mouth and the chameleon thingy won't work any more and he's never going to be inconspicuous again because now he's silver painted Master. Which is actually kinda pretty. I've been wearing the magnetix with me like a sort of bracelet, or handflower, the sort that goes down the back of your hand. Whenever I get home more join up and we have a chat about the state of the universe. So now the Master has his silver magnetix coating we can all interface.

That was fun.

(no subject)

You know what's really creepy? When your alarm clock goes off for the second time today, when the only way that can happen is if someone touched it, and you're the only one in the house. You're pretty sure. The door is locked and the windows are closed and there's nobody else in here. Even though you did think you left the bathroom door open and now it's closed. There's no one else in there or in here or under the bed or in the wardrobe or anywhere.

Really.

... but it's very creepy.

DW bunnies hop hop hop

I've been thinking about what that DW writer from the Shakespeare Code ep said, about how it would be great to do a multi Doctor ep but you'd need a reason now for why they all looked older. ( Read more... )

I have another Doctor Who plot bunny that keeps biting. A story arc actually. The trouble is it's with a new companion. I was thinking what I haven't seen in a companion and would want, and made up a guy to fit. And I don't know if new companions have any audience in fanfic. I know in most fandoms I've been in new characters get rather less interest than even minor canon characters. I don't know about DW.

... that's the other weird thing - until my recent Doctor/Master reading, I haven't read any Doctor Who fanfic, or been in DW fandom really beyond the few on my f-list who also watch. So it feels weird writing fic. I've only seen (large parts of) the canon, how can I write fic?

... the fact that this feels like a perfectly sensible worry indicates the flaws in the theories I've read about fanfic production, because they mostly leave out that community aspect.