lettered: (Default)
It's Lion Turtles all the way down ([personal profile] lettered) wrote2005-08-01 12:21 am

Questions Post #1

Usually I don't ask questions in public settings. I'm shy and also very arrogant; I like to think I know stuff or can find out on my own. But these things have been bothering me, and while I think a few things might be answered by digging through people's old entries or some FAQs, I'd love some answers (and opinions. Some are about opinions. Not the one about Buffy's natural tufted treasure, though. That has to be fact).



General

What does RPS stand for?
I'm aware OTP means pairing of choice, but what do the letters stand for?
Where did the term 'squee' originate and how come so many people use it?

LJ

What's a meme? Does it mean memory?
How do you tag someone? What does it mean?
What does the term "gak" mean?

Fanon

-How do people feel about using fanon? For instance, some fic writers use the name "O'Connor" for Liam (mostly in all-human AUs, which I don't really read, but whatever). Do you frown upon writers who use this name? Does it throw you off when writers don't use this name? Do you yourself consciously just avoid ever getting anywhere near the characters' surnames just to avoid the issue?
-From where did O'Connor-as-Liam's-surname originate, anyway?
-Does Spike have a commonly used last name? What about Faith? What about Darla, whose first name we know isn't hers, and Drusilla, whose first name is almost certianly not hers?
-This is a much debated topic, but is there even a marginal consensus regarding the age of Spike?
-Buffy smells like vanilla in a lot of fics. What's up with that?
-Does canon make Buffy out to be a natural blonde? I.e., is her altar of love, her carnal trap, her eye that weeps most when best pleased, her bearded clam, her garden of eden, her nest of curls blonde in most fics? What? Just asking.
-Is there a generally accepted explanation for how vampires get it up?
-Is the idea that vampires "pretend" to breath in order to look natural a fanon thing, or was it on the show?
-Does nobody use the fact that Angelus wears eye-liner in fics?
-Is Andrew ever a heterosexual in fics?

General again

-Whatever happened to Miss Kitty Fantastico? Did Dawn really shoot her with a crossbow?
-Do vampires sweat?
-What're some (slang) words for the dominant partner in a D/s relationship? I.e., some for the sub are: bitch, punk, sister (in prison), et al. I've just been drawing blank on their counterparts for about a week, now.
-Does anyone besides me hate Joyce Summers' guts in a visceral, it's-even-alright-to-character-bash sort of way?
-Have you ever not been able to find relatively common words for weeks at a time? (I once spent a month looking for the word 'conceited')
-Am I the only (character) Angel squeeing fangirl who didn't find David Boreanaz convincing as Angel at times? (don't get me wrong; most of the time he was great.)
-Can David Boreanaz sing better than Angel?
-What is the IQ of David Boreanaz? Is it really as low as it seems sometimes?
ext_7189: (lissla)

[identity profile] tkp.livejournal.com 2005-08-10 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Thus "meme" rhyming like "gene" no matter how some will tell you different Er... you mean it's pronounced "mean"? I was pronouncing it "meem". Thanks for the definition!

But fanon which tries to make a comment about the text in a way that's unrealistic bothers me. E.g. naming Faith "Winters." Gah! I hadn't heard that one. I don't like it either. Sometimes names are just names, and, as you say, trying to give them too much significance pulls me out of the fic as well. Then again, I do think Faith's first name said a lot about her and how people interacted with her (maybe that's why she doesn't need a weighty surname?)

If you mean William's age when he was vamped, I never even considered that question all that interesting and don't see why fandom would have a consensus. I think it's very interesting. For some reason, I think writers and fans attribute more importance to it than canon did, however. For instance, whenever Angel mentions his age he says 240-something, only counting the years after his death, but fic authors all over the place glom onto the fact that he was 26 when he died. I think the reason this would be important, though, is for people writing about William or Liam. There are certain assumptions you can make about a person judging by their age in a particular time period, and if you're writing about William before he was turned I could see where it might make a difference whether he was 21 or 38 when he died.

[identity profile] alixtii.livejournal.com 2005-08-10 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, yes, it's pronounced "meem." It's not a perfect rhyme, but I have seen people claim it's pronounced "mehm" or "me-me."

I'm glad you've never been subjected to Faith Winters. I've read that name far too many times.