lettered | Questions Post #3

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Questions Post #3

I'm guessing it's a monthly thing. I have a word document titled "Questions and Concerns" on my hard drive, and I just keep adding to it. Sometimes these questions and concerns get addressed, and I delete them. Sometimes they drive me crazy. So I've posted them and people answered them and I got happy. And then the next day I had more questions. So, I'm just going to keep asking until people get tired of me ;o) If you're interested, thanks ahead of time for being my personal Radio Shacks.

Angel
-What is the circumference of the head on David Boreanaz’s shoulders? Did anyone for a moment think that the pink helmet really would’ve fit on Angel’s head? Does Wes just date big-headed women? (hello, Illyria)
-What other music/artists/songs do you think Angel likes (he says he likes ballads. Apparently cheesy ones, but I’m not so up on that genre)?
-I’ve heard Angel was only supposed to be in three episodes. What were they going to do with him? Did the writers know in the first episode that he was a vampire with a soul?
-Did David Boreanaz have a lot of acne when he was young? Or am I the only one who thinks she sees slight facial pock-mark-looking scars?
-What would Angel read? Only Sartre and existentialist philosophy? Who would be his favorite author? Does anyone vote for Dostoevsky?
-Would he read the Bible after he’d been re-ensouled (kinda hard, what with the burning hands, I guess)? What about other religious texts?

Voice
-How do you (yourself, personally) get yourself situated into a character’s “voice”? Read transcripts, make lists of common phrases, just wing it?
-What is voice? Spike has a bunch of idiosyncratic words. Willow has a definite rhythym to her speech. Faith has a voice, but what is it that makes her speech particular? Does Angel have a voice? What is it? How do you decide what he would or wouldn’t say?
-How often would Angel say the word “fuck”? Would he ever say the word “cunt”? How often does he do the “take the Lord’s name in vain” thing?
-If Spike were a real person not in TV land he’d cuss a blue streak. I also think Faith would have a pretty dirty mouth. But what about Gunn? What about Darla, Anya, and Lindsey, et al?
-Do you ever just avoid making a character swear, because although you’re sure Xander would’ve succinctly announced “We’re fucked!” at a crucial moment, it just seems weird to see it written out, since we never heard him say fuck?

Random
-Did you have any stereotypes/preconcieved ideas about what BtVS would be like before you started watching it? (I, for instance, thought Buffy would get turned at least three times. I also thought her character would be like SMG’s on Cruel Intentions. Thus the not watching until 8 years after it came out. I’m very narrow-minded, I know.)
-Why were Connor’s lips so red?
-Should posts that contain the word fuck be under a cut? What about the words cunt cock and Christ?
-What, exactly, is wrong with the phrase “cold dead seed”? Is it that it’s over-used? Or how about uber icky? Because despite the colossal gross factor it seems like a fair phrase to use to jolt a non-con or dark/angsty/violent sex scene into a terrible reality.
-Does Connor remind anyone else of John Connor from Terminator 2?
-Who among you just played a quick game of Kevin Bacon in your head after that last question? (Edward Furlong, David Boreanaz, Wicked Prayer: I know; it was too easy.)
-How common was it for men to wear corsets back in the day? I know some did, but I want to know if it was considered as crossing-dressing-ish as it is nowadays, or whether it was the thing to do. (I’ve seen period movies in which they make it look like the thing to do. Yup, Ralph Fiennes in a corset). Because Angelus? Vain. And we already know Spike likes to rip garments off women and wear them.

Serenity
-Can someone please link me to somewhere where people are talking in depth about this movie? I just saw it and loved it to itty bits and pieces, and I want to go wallow in the goodness. What's sad is I've never seen Firefly.

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Angel
-What is the circumference of the head on David Boreanaz’s shoulders? Did anyone for a moment think that the pink helmet really would’ve fit on Angel’s head? Does Wes just date big-headed women? (hello, Illyria)

Excuse me. I thought of circumfrence, and head, and David Boreanaz. And now I'll be in my bunk.
Sorry, don't care who Wes dates.

-What other music/artists/songs do you think Angel likes (he says he likes ballads. Apparently cheesy ones, but I’m not so up on that genre)?

Angel is an existentialist. Which to me, mostly means he doesn't give a fuck. He'll listen to anything he thinks is pretty.

-I’ve heard Angel was only supposed to be in three episodes. What were they going to do with him? Did the writers know in the first episode that he was a vampire with a soul?

He was supposed to be in more than three. The whole season. Then die at the end. Yes, they knew he was a vampire, hence the cross was in a box when he tossed it to Buffy. Yes, they knew he had a soul, othewise he couldn't have been a good guy in Jossverse. They intended B/A UST, and then he was gonna die. Thankfully enough, the audience, and SMG really liked him.

-Did David Boreanaz have a lot of acne when he was young? Or am I the only one who thinks she sees slight facial pock-mark-looking scars?

Either that or he was in a fire. I've seen HS pics, his skin was fine. But yea, I see the scars too.

-What would Angel read? Only Sartre and existentialist philosophy? Who would be his favorite author? Does anyone vote for Dostoevsky?

I love my vampire. But no way he wasn't just reading that shit to impress the chicks.

-Would he read the Bible after he’d been re-ensouled (kinda hard, what with the burning hands, I guess)? What about other religious texts?

Angel has a collection of rosaries under his bed. Some of them belonged to Dru. He likes burning his hands sometimes. He's a bit of a masochist, didn't you catch that from all the angst? *G*

Voice
-How do you (yourself, personally) get yourself situated into a character’s “voice”? Read transcripts, make lists of common phrases, just wing it?

I wing it. Sorry, that's probably not helpful. But I wing it often, and I think practice makes - closer to perfect.

-What is voice? Spike has a bunch of idiosyncratic words. Willow has a definite rhythym to her speech. Faith has a voice, but what is it that makes her speech particular? Does Angel have a voice? What is it? How do you decide what he would or wouldn’t say?

Voice is NOT idiosyncratic words. Some of the worst Spike fic I've ever read has soddingbloodyhellwhelppet as every other word. Some of the best barely sounds British. It's what makes a character ring true, and beyond that, I can't tell you. I am so unhelpful.

Angel has a definite voice. Read good Angel fic, you'll get it. And get an Angel fan to beta your fic if you're stuck on what he would or wouldn't say.

-How often would Angel say the word “fuck”? Would he ever say the word “cunt”? How often does he do the “take the Lord’s name in vain” thing?

Angelus loves the word cunt. Angel tries not to curse too much, wear bright colors, or smile a lot, lest he scare his friends. Inside? He says 'fuck' a lot. Angel's Catholic, man. Think about that when you wonder what he says and does in terms of sin/religion/the Lord. Think about Angelus' love of nuns. Then run willy nilly with it. Poor Angel.

-If Spike were a real person not in TV land he’d cuss a blue streak. I also think Faith would have a pretty dirty mouth. But what about Gunn? What about Darla, Anya, and Lindsey, et al?

Darla no. Gunn yes. Anya hell yes. Lindsey like a hick.

-Do you ever just avoid making a character swear, because although you’re sure Xander would’ve succinctly announced “We’re fucked!” at a crucial moment, it just seems weird to see it written out, since we never heard him say fuck?

Nah. Joss would have had them all cussing like sailors if he wasn't prime time.

CONT.

Did anyone for a moment think that the pink helmet really would’ve fit on Angel’s head? Does Wes just date big-headed women? (hello, Illyria)

Maybe Wesley got the big pink helmet on purpose, because he has a secret crush on Angel and wanted him to wear the pink hat all along...

Would he read the Bible after he’d been re-ensouled (kinda hard, what with the burning hands, I guess)? What about other religious texts?

Absolutely. Probably read it a lot even before getting re-ensouled, if only to have really exacting things to say while tormenting priests. The burning hands was probably a turn-on.

-How often would Angel say the word “fuck”? Would he ever say the word “cunt”?

With a soul, Angel tries very hard to maintain propriety. Without a soul he goes out of his way to be shocking. I think this would apply to his choice of language as much as many of his other behaviors.

But what about Gunn? What about Darla, Anya, and Lindsey, et al?

Lindsey tried not to cuss at the offie - he wanted to look professional. Outside of the office, he probably swears a lot. Darla almost never swears, and almost always does it for intentional affect when she does. Gunn tries not to swear alot. Anya uses many swear phrases, but most of them are over 1,000 years old so nobody really gets the impact. She is vaguely off-put by that.

-How do you (yourself, personally) get yourself situated into a character’s “voice”? Read transcripts, make lists of common phrases, just wing it?

I watch the shows in rerun as much as I can. When you get familiar enough with an actor's voice, and with the words given to that actor, you get to a point where you can *hear* the character saying the words as you write them. This takes practice; it's a trick I learned writing TV news, when I had to write for a bunch of different anchors.

Read over what you've written, but in your head, try to imagine Angel's voice saying the words (or Spike's, or whoever you're writing). How would he say this phrase? What tone of voice would he use? Would he phrase it differently, depending on who he's talking to? (Angel would use cruder language with Faith than he would with Buffy, for instance.) The more you do it, the easier it becomes. I talk about this a bit in the beta, which I hope to have finished over the next couple of days.

Reading transcripts can help, too, but sometimes the show writers give the characters words that don't sound like them. The other day I heard Gunn use the phrase "powers we can't conceive," and I thought, "That doesn't sound like Gunn. Not even lawyer-Gunn." But of course, JAR pulled it off beautifully, and *made* it sound like Gunn. In fanfic, we don't have the actors to help us out (god, I wish!), so we have to color a little more inside the lines if we want to keep it sounding authentic.

-I’ve heard Angel was only supposed to be in three episodes. What were they going to do with him? Did the writers know in the first episode that he was a vampire with a soul?

-Did David Boreanaz have a lot of acne when he was young? Or am I the only one who thinks she sees slight facial pock-mark-looking scars?

Interesting questions.

I think DB was originally supposed to be in 6 episodes but he became so popular that they kept him.

I believe I read somewhere that DB did indeed have a bad case of acne when he was young. Unless he had a bad case of chicken pox.

General thoughts/recollections: Angel appears to have eclectic musical tastes that seem to evolve over his long life. He plays classical and pop of whichever genre is popular at the time in which he lives.

The same apparently applies to his reading materials. I've seen him read French existensialism, and I think I've seen him read the newspapers. He seems to like hockey (go figure) so maybe it's the sports pages.

Re: Cussing

I think Angel is a gentleman and very controlled. I don't think he needs to cuss to get the point across because he's big and strong and in control even when he's furious (if that makes any sense). Maybe Angelus would cuss (he came close in IOHEFY because he was possessed - and therefore out of control briefly). I do recall that Angel called Angelus a Dumbass in Orpheus, which I'd guess was a close to a cuss as I'd expect from him (or could get past the censors) but I think cussing is a way of letting off steam more appropriate to a fly-off-the-handle kind of character - like Spike.

Faith, absolutely. Gunn, probably. Darla and Anya are/were demon's who very much above it, I think. There was no need to cuss. Lindsey, probably yes - but only when very pissed off.

I think a well placed expletive adds flavor to the story. And yes, Xander would say "We're fucked." But, too much can be out of character. I read one fic that I liked until Buffy started cussing a blue streak and slipping into slang that Buffy wouldn't use. Buffy might utter a well pointed "shit" here and there, but not more than that.

-What is the circumference of the head on David Boreanaz’s shoulders?
Interesting question.

am I the only one who thinks she sees slight facial pock-mark-looking scars?
I see scars too. And a long diagonal one across his throat and chin on the left side. Or am I imagining it?

-If Spike were a real person not in TV land he’d cuss a blue streak. They did manage to sneak a few good ones in, due to the 'two nations divided by a common language' factor. But the quality of the Britspeak declined dramatically once ASH left.
But what about Gunn? What about Darla, Anya, and Lindsey, et al? I think Gunn would swear strategically if at all, being concerned not to conform to stereotypes. I bet Darla could be scarily obscene without needing swear words, though when she was alive basic Anglo-Saxon was considered more clumsy than rude.

-Did you have any stereotypes/preconcieved ideas about what BtVS would be like before you started watching it? No. Saw two episodes, hooked for life on BtVS and Ats. It was unlike anything before it, and has changed television. - Actually the closest precursor to BtVS I can think of is My So-Called Life.

-What, exactly, is wrong with the phrase “cold dead seed”? Is it that it’s over-used? Or how about uber icky? I swear I read that as 'uber dick'. See where thinking of Angelus will get you. Seed for semen is one of those overblown faux-archaic words IMO, and being cold and dead doesn't improve it. In my mental filing cabinet, 'cold dead seed' is in the fairy-Spike drawer - plus, inaccurate: how can it be seed if it's it's dead?
I think there's something about an overlay of Victorian pretentiousness going on with that phrase somehow. What's wrong with ...clammy semen of death?

-How common was it for men to wear corsets back in the day? "In those days, when men were men..." just from casual reading, I think a man who had to resort to a corset to fit into those ultra-tailored Beau Brummel clothes became something of a laughing stock, as the Prince Regent did. Or maybe he was a laughing stock already and the corset was extra....kind of like wearing a truss. Angelus wouldn't have needed a corset, cos he was fit. Did you mean, was male corset-wearing sufficiently kinky in days gone by for the evil undead to try it?

Have a good Saturday!

-Did David Boreanaz have a lot of acne when he was young? Or am I the only one who thinks she sees slight facial pock-mark-looking scars?

I looked *real* close...because I see those pock marks on tv, too- but his skin is pretty much flawless.

As for the rest- Kita was here first. She took all *my* answers.

btw- you're up at Octaves!

Angel
-What is the circumference of the head on David Boreanaz’s shoulders? Did anyone for a moment think that the pink helmet really would’ve fit on Angel’s head? Does Wes just date big-headed women? (hello, Illyria)

Hee. I attribute the helmet to magic Hollywood logic where everybody fits into everything. Have you ever seen "Working Girls" where tiny Melanie Griffith fits into the clothes of the Amazonian Sigourney Weaver without even changing a hemline? (That threw me right out of the movie. The helmet deal I never really though about because for the most part, they are one size fits all. But a fitted suit? And Angel's leather jacket should have been way bigger on Buffy.)

Does Wesley actually date? Aside from Virginia, I don't think he ever has.

-What other music/artists/songs do you think Angel likes (he says he likes ballads. Apparently cheesy ones, but I’m not so up on that genre)?

Classical music. Irish songs and ballads from back in the day. And utter cheese. If I hate it, Angel likes it. Celine Dion. Late period Barbra. Cher (shudders). Andrew Lloyd-Weber.

-I’ve heard Angel was only supposed to be in three episodes. What were they going to do with him? Did the writers know in the first episode that he was a vampire with a soul?

I've head that at the very, very beginning (like first couple of episodes), they weren't sure what he was. There was some talk of making him an actual angel, kind of a PTB deal. Thank goodness, they didn't. Originally Buffy/Xander were supposed to hook up (if you've ever seen the original pilot that sold the show, it's obvious that's where they were going), but the chemistry between SMG and DB was overwhelming. (They were so doing it.)

-Did David Boreanaz have a lot of acne when he was young? Or am I the only one who thinks she sees slight facial pock-mark-looking scars?

I think it was acne. In a story, it's cowpox scars! I'm not sure he has them anymore though. In la la land, it's pretty easy (and somewhat mandatory) to get all those pesky imperfections taken care of.

-What would Angel read? Only Sartre and existentialist philosophy? Who would be his favorite author? Does anyone vote for Dostoevsky?

I think he reads a lot of authors who deal with the nature of man (so, yeah, Dostoevsky) and philosophers, because he's trying to understand himself. But he also likes to read cheesy guy novels because he's a dork at heart.

-Would he read the Bible after he’d been re-ensouled (kinda hard, what with the burning hands, I guess)? What about other religious texts?

Yeah, probably. Even though I expect a lot of it is memorized. Plus spiritual texts from other religions. Part of it is obsessively seeing if there is any way for him to be forgiven.

Voice
-How do you (yourself, personally) get yourself situated into a character’s “voice”? Read transcripts, make lists of common phrases, just wing it?

I hear the dialog over and over (and over again) in my head. I hear the characters saying it. And when it's finally correct, I write it down.

-What is voice? Spike has a bunch of idiosyncratic words. Willow has a definite rhythm to her speech. Faith has a voice, but what is it that makes her speech particular? Does Angel have a voice? What is it? How do you decide what he would or wouldn’t say?

They all have voices and I know it when I hear/read it (kind of like porn). Yahtzee is maybe the only writer I've ever read who seems to be able to write every character's voice no matter who it is. I can say with certainty there are some characters I would never attempt. Oz, for example. And catch phrases do not a voice make. I have read fics where every single chapter, Spike says, "pet". I'd like to track down the author and kill her.

Angel's voice is my favorite voice. Just have him say less. My guiding principles with Angel are: 1) Angel hates everything about himself - the man, that is. And therefore he keeps himself on a very tight leash. He represses his emotions because he doesn't trust himself. 2) Angel is Catholic so he's looking for redemption (very different from atonement, which is very Jewish). 3) Angel is an artist and he sees the world very visually. He's very creative, although creative combined with evil is not a good combo. Angel does not make big emotional speeches as a rule and I dislike fics that have them.

-How often would Angel say the word “fuck”? Would he ever say the word “cunt”? How often does he do the “take the Lord’s name in vain” thing?

As Liam, he cursed all the time with his frat boy pals and he cursed in front of his father to piss him off. But not in front of women. I suspect he wasn't as wild as he made himself out to be. I don't think he liked who he was. As Angelus, of course, in order to shock and twist the knife a bit more. Although I would go for vile as opposed to just cursing. As Angel, he thinks it but doesn't say it. That whole repression thing, plus he doesn't want to alarm his friends. After being speared, he probably would grunt out a fuck or a shit. Cunt? Maybe during hot sex. Lord's name in vain is rare assuming he's in control of himself.

-If Spike were a real person not in TV land he’d cuss a blue streak. I also think Faith would have a pretty dirty mouth. But what about Gunn? What about Darla, Anya, and Lindsey, et al?

Gunn not very often because he's trying to project a certain image. Darla never except for calculated effect. Anya, exactly what Dave said. And Lindsey is a curser. Not at the office, and he's not in Faith's league, but he has no trouble with the well-placed curse.

-Do you ever just avoid making a character swear, because although you’re sure Xander would’ve succinctly announced “We’re fucked!” at a crucial moment, it just seems weird to see it written out, since we never heard him say fuck?

Nope, I'd go for it. But I wouldn't make him a potty mouth because he isn't.

More later. Now it's time to eat lunch.

Well, you seem to have gotten far better answers than I could offer already, but I'll just add re: cursing: I feel like even the most together, sensible, refined people can't help but curse in a serious moment of tension or things not going their way. Obviously the level of tension varies per person, but I really doubt any of the characters would never curse.

Also, I have noticed the pock-marks, but I don't think they're that bad (whenever I think of pock-marks, I think of that guy from the other school in Grease, and everything else looks fine in comparison), also, I've seen high school pics of DB. He was pretty. So I don't know.

And I'm so jealous that you've seen Serenity! I have a feeling the only person I can get to go watch it with me is the one other person I know who watched Firefly, and she's so inaccessible. It'll be days before I see it. Maybe weeks.

Random
-Did you have any stereotypes/preconcieved ideas about what BtVS would be like before you started watching it? (I, for instance, thought Buffy would get turned at least three times. I also thought her character would be like SMG’s on Cruel Intentions. Thus the not watching until 8 years after it came out. I’m very narrow-minded, I know.)

I have told this story before, but like any myth that grows in the telling: I had seen the movie and while I thought it was cute and campy, it wasn't exactly a must see when the TV series started. And then (bless him), the TV critic of the local paper (The Star Ledger) raved about Buffy. He raved the following week also. In fact, he raved every single week. So when the show was on in summer repeats, we decided to give it a try. Now, I don't watch soaps (ever), so I had no idea what SMG liked like. So when that opening scene started, I figured Buffy and vamp, who's about the get the crap kicked out of him. Imagine my shock at what actually happened. I fell in love, right there.

-Why were Connor’s lips so red?

lucky? (Guy always get the features that girls would kill for. Doodle has the world's logest eyelashes; tm)

-Should posts that contain the word fuck be under a cut? What about the words cunt cock and Christ?

I cut for length, not language. Christ? People cut for that? The Jew girl ponders this.

-What, exactly, is wrong with the phrase “cold dead seed”? Is it that it’s over-used? Or how about uber icky? Because despite the colossal gross factor it seems like a fair phrase to use to jolt a non-con or dark/angsty/violent sex scene into a terrible reality.

Considering I have never once, in the 30 years of being a non-virgin, thought to myself "wow, hot living seed", the phrase tends to crack me up. Extremely overused. And just how cold would that cold seed be, anyway. Too chilly and I'm kneeing the guy in the nuts as a kind of instinctive reaction. I'm thinking that vamps soak up body heat - like a blanket if you will. So, maybe a bit on the cool side, but actually cold? I hope not or Buffy is more of a masochist that I'd prefer.

-Does Connor remind anyone else of John Connor from Terminator 2?

Now that you mention it! I think it's the string hair and the underfed psysique.

-Who among you just played a quick game of Kevin Bacon in your head after that last question? (Edward Furlong, David Boreanaz, Wicked Prayer: I know; it was too easy.)

HA!

-How common was it for men to wear corsets back in the day? I know some did, but I want to know if it was considered as crossing-dressing-ish as it is nowadays, or whether it was the thing to do. (I’ve seen period movies in which they make it look like the thing to do. Yup, Ralph Fiennes in a corset). Because Angelus? Vain. And we already know Spike likes to rip garments off women and wear them.

As many have said, I think it was just fat guys. So Angelus would not have worn on. As for Spike, now I have an image of him lounging around with Ru Paul, excahnging fashion tips.

Serenity.

Sob. I don't have time until Sunday evening so I am avoiding all comments for now. Woe is me.

It looks like you've already got some great answers, and I'm new to fic-writing, so I'll leave most of these alone. But Serenity-wise, I'm about to write a long post over at my lj. It will probably be up by the time you read this.

About the cold dead seed thing - I think writing such blunt and almost clinical words like seed and semen is gross. But that's probably because I think semen is gross. The cold and dead aspects of it just make it MORE gross. It's all splurty and snot-like and gross! And I don't know how their seed could be necessarily 'cold' considering they're room temperature. Unless they're out in Alaska in December or something.

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