all made up with nowhere to go

It's the Post Once A Day Meme!

nimueth said to me: I heard you like the Matrix movies, so talk about how you got into them and why you like them so much! Did you watch the first film in theaters and waited with anticipation for the sequels? Or did you get into the series when the movies were all already out?

( cut because this got LONG, surprise, surprise )

That is not all I have to say about the Matrix trilogy, but it's all I will say for now.

I'm not sure I entirely answered your question in the way you wanted, nimueth, but please know that it has taken me over an hour to write this. I said I would write you an essay, and this is not exactly essay length, but it is long (hence the cut).

Edit from the future: It was Lilly, not Lana, that confirmed the first film was an allegory (and not a metaphor) for being transgender. I thought it was Lana, but I was wrong!

Also: I have seen The Matrix in the cinema - I got to see it in May 2004 when it was screened at convention I went to, as part of a Q&A with Joe Pantaliano (Cypher; he's fucking delightful, btw, in HUGE contrast to the character he played). It is the only time I saw on a big screen, and the only thing I really remember is annoying the heck out of Matt, because I'm one of those annoying people who talks during films. He told me to shut up during the Lobby Shootout, because it (is/was) his favourite scene in the entire film. [/edit]

Edit the second: I afterwards thought I should've titled this "You could've just asked", as that would've been a more appropriate quote from Reloaded but, alas, I went with the one that makes me laugh the most instead. [/edit]

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*Or nothing that challenged me in the same way, anyway.

**Trouble reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? aside. That book is NOT reader friendly.

***Trust me, it doesn't. I went looking up stuff about the Merovingians back in the day. I don't remember much, but I do remember it doesn't mean anything. UNLESS THAT WAS THE POINT!

Another question from mr_gent today: What do you like about vampires, and which tropes do you dislike intensely? (You could also do this for the World of Darkness types, instead of generally)

NB: Any spelling mistakes re: WoD stuff is because I can't be bothered to look it up because I am lazy fart!

OH VAMPIRES. I do not love them as much as I once did, but I do still love them.

I've been trying to think about what I like about them (dislikes are so much easier, but I'll get to that), and the thing I keep coming back to is immortality. I mean, there's the fact that it's scary to imagine being alive for, conceivably, forever because everyone you ever know will die (unless they too are vampires). But also imagine being alive all that time, and experiencing all those things, and maybe many different cultures and things like that. That's pretty cool to me. (One reason I like Wrex in Mass Effect is that he's ancient, by humans terms. When he was born, the Normans (? I think? this post isn't about him so I'm not fact checking right now) were invading England. THAT WAS AGES AGO EVEN NOW. Don't even get me started on how Reapers break my brain re: age).

I suppose the time abyss thing is one of my favourite tropes, so it plays into that.

With regard to WoD vampires, I like the different powers thing, and I sort of like the clans (I'm talking OWoD because I'm not familiar with the new stuff at all). I like that White Wolf picked up an idea Anne Rice had and ran with it (I imprinted on Anne Rice, so I still watch Interview With a Vampire from time to time, although I haven't reread the books since I was a teenager). I think it's great that some powers overlap from clan to clan, but there's some clan specific in some really interesting ways (I especially like how the Tremere can use magic, but the Mages say it isn't "real" magic, whatever the hell that is; I also like the idea of Vissitude that the Tzsimice have).

I tell you what else: I also like the variety of vampire myths in the world. Like, there's one with only one leg that hops about in some country, or one with only one nostril (and that's how you know they're a vampire). I think it's solely a British myth that red-headed people would become vampires after death, but I don't know. I haven't done a lot of reading on the subject in a while.

(On neither a like or a dislike, apparently a distant relative had a run in with a vampire in Cumbria. I kid ye not when I say MY DAD would geek out about it if I found things in vampire books about it for him. And I did. More than once!)

(here's a story about it | what wikipedia says - it's allegedly a myth, but who the hell cares? It was one of the rare occasions me and my dad shared something in common).

Things I don't like: wangsty vampires (see: Anne Rice because I think Louis is the Ur-wangster. I actually think Brad Pitt kind of nails that, actually). I am SICK TO THE BACK TEETH of wangsty vampires. (I know WoD gears itself towards the wangst if you let it, but I'd love to see examples where that isn't the case. I want happy vampires, who enjoy being AEONS OLD and whatnot).

I also do not like the politics in the OWod, to be perfectly honest and all the books pretty much lean towards a political struggle and...it's just not my thing (another thing I think, that put me off from ever running a game). Again, I don't know how it goes in the NWoD, but politics are not for me (I watch Game of Thrones for the costumes and some actors, and I play FFXII for the pretty and also IVALICE).

Oh I am DONE with werewolves versus vampires (which is the other huge thing in WoD). I can take it in Van Helsing because that's how Dracula can be killed (which is a different twist from garlic and sunlight), but other than that, I'm not interested.

Sparkly vampires can sod off, too (although again, a twist on why they can't go out in sunlight but god almighty is it the stupidest reason ever).

And curing vampirism, too. I know it's within the mythos, and it's used to good effect in The Lost Boys, but mostly I don't think it is or should be a thing that can be cured.

So it seems there are more things I dislike than like, but take it as read that anything I didn't mention that I probably don't mind (or I forgot irritates me, but more than likely that I don't mind). So here is a thing, this is it! I hope it was satisfactory!

(It honestly doesn't feel finished to me, so I might come back to this at a later date when my laptop doesn't need charging/I've thought about it better).

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I'll have you know the entire time I was typing this, I kept hitting the C key, and so we had a bunch of campires in here... :D

Last night did not go as badly as expected. I still felt a little uncomfortable, but that was more masses of people (including two I'm not keen on), rather than what I initially thought would be a problem.

And I walked home with a commission in my pocket which, depending on how ruthless I feel, could net me a nice sum of money (it's for an Xmas present for a friend's granddaughter, and if I charge her the maximum amount I could, I'll feel like I'm ripping her off. Anyway, I said I'd crunch numbers and get back to her by the start of next week so. We'll see what she says).

Anyway! SO. If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have got that commission, so pluses all round!

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Another plus is that I get to see my nephew tomorrow! c:

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Link of weirdness: 10 bizarre creatures from Japanese folklore

SO. MANY. IDEAS. I HAVE THEM.

(This is tied into something I'm looking up at the moment; not saying what in case I change my mind about it).

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Related to the sounds of Jupiter video I posted a bit back, here's what my ruling planet, Uranus, sounds like. Awesome, and weird, and hella creepy.

(Additionally, here's Neptune (sounding fairly similar to Uranus, but that makes sense to some extent) )

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Time to end this post, as I'm feeling a bit ill (think I've got a cold on the way), and I want to get some sleep.