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Mine own, and not mine own
So tonight ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lignota posted one of those memes where you set a list of character questions and ask your friendlist to suggest fandoms to answer from:
Name a fandom and I'll tell you which character I most likely:
1. bake cupcakes for:
2. lend my books to:
3. put thumbtacks on the chair thereof:
4. have a crush on:
5. pack up and leave if they moved next door:
6. vote for President:
7. pick as my partner in a buddy movie:
8. pair up:
9. vote off the island and into the volcano:
10. wheedle into fixing my [whatever is currently broken around the house]:
I said the complete works of William Shakespeare.
Her answers were so brilliant, I sent the same meme—with the same fandom—tonineweaving. Her answers were so brilliant, I couldn't turn down trying it myself. Now I want to know what the rest of my friendlist thinks. This is too much fun not to share.
(In the interests of example and honesty, my answers to Nine are below the cut.)
Oh, God. Some of mine will be taken, of course; I don't think anyone disputes that Beatrice and Benedick are one of the great romantic couples of Western literature, which would totally embarrass them to find out. Also the mechanicals were such an inspired choice, I can't disagree: if they're competent workmen, it's a good job and they'll probably leave you fliers for their next show, and if they're "Right Said Fred," at least you can sit back with popcorn and relax in the knowledge that it was worth in hilarity what you're about to pay in fire insurance. So let's see who's left . . .
1. Cupcakes: Malvolio. I cannot imagine he'd let himself be seen taking comfort food, but I conjecture that if you left a tray of tarts or a syllabub or something outside his door, you might find it'd disappeared the next time you walked by.
2. Books: Marina. Any character who can philosophize an entire brothel's clientele out of the activity traditionally practiced in such establishments (to the point of getting herself hired out as a teacher before she ruins their business entirely) is probably safe around your library.
3. Thumbtack: Leontes! What the fuck, man! Othello at least had a stealthy enemy actively working his destruction; you did it all on your own. You're just lucky you turned out to be in a pastoral romance, is all I'm saying. Under normal dramatic conditions, everybody would have died. (Runner-up: Prospero! Being wronged by your brother does not give you carte blanche to play writer-director with the lives of everyone around you, your daughter included. At least by contemporary standards you are still not as OH SHAKESPEARE NO as: Petruchio! Seriously! Your entire play is a problem by its premise, but you're not helping any!)
4. Crush: I recuse myself from this question, because the most recent Shakespearean character it's applicable to was wearing a really bad tie. I always liked Mercutio, though. And Benedick. And Karl Johnson's Ariel.
5. Flee: EVERYBODY IN THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. EXCEPT MAYBE JESSICA. BUT ALSO MAYBE NOT.
6. President: Viola, Duchess of Illyria. If she was clever enough to come out of a play that labyrinthine with her heart's desire, she'll do fine in government. Her husband might even make a decent Vice-President now that he's gotten over his romantically languishing period.
7. Buddy: I believe the genre of the buddy movie requires a pair of opposing personalities, which means I need someone I wouldn't necessarily hit it off with but could learn to bond with. Which means they can't be a complete asshat, even if they look like it at first. Er . . . I shall go alt-historical and suggest Tybalt, who isn't a villain per se, neither malicious nor stupid, just hot-tempered and house-proud. If you could keep him from killing himself in duels, who knows what he might mature into?
8. Pair: Beatrice and Benedick. It's a classic because it deserves it. Non-canonical runners-up: Starveling and Snug in that one production by the Boston Lyric Opera. They were so adorable.
9. Volcano: IF I HAVE TO LISTEN ANOTHER MINUTE OF YOUR REMORSEFUL RAVINGS MR. LEAR I AM LEAVING YOU ON THIS HEATH AND GOING THE NEXT MYTHOLOGY OVER TO HANG OUT WITH THE CHILDREN OF LÍR. AT LEAST THERE'S SHAPE-CHANGING IN THAT ONE TO MAKE UP FOR ALL THE SELF-PITY. AND I'M TAKING THE UMBRELLA WITH ME.
10. Fix-it: Quince & Co.! No job too small, no malapropism too large. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back plus two tickets to our next production. Funny, we never get repeat customers with that one.
Your picks?
In other news, I should really try to sleep. I have to vote in the morning. So, if you're in this country, should you.
[edit] Done.
lignota posted one of those memes where you set a list of character questions and ask your friendlist to suggest fandoms to answer from:Name a fandom and I'll tell you which character I most likely:
1. bake cupcakes for:
2. lend my books to:
3. put thumbtacks on the chair thereof:
4. have a crush on:
5. pack up and leave if they moved next door:
6. vote for President:
7. pick as my partner in a buddy movie:
8. pair up:
9. vote off the island and into the volcano:
10. wheedle into fixing my [whatever is currently broken around the house]:
I said the complete works of William Shakespeare.
Her answers were so brilliant, I sent the same meme—with the same fandom—to
nineweaving. Her answers were so brilliant, I couldn't turn down trying it myself. Now I want to know what the rest of my friendlist thinks. This is too much fun not to share.(In the interests of example and honesty, my answers to Nine are below the cut.)
Oh, God. Some of mine will be taken, of course; I don't think anyone disputes that Beatrice and Benedick are one of the great romantic couples of Western literature, which would totally embarrass them to find out. Also the mechanicals were such an inspired choice, I can't disagree: if they're competent workmen, it's a good job and they'll probably leave you fliers for their next show, and if they're "Right Said Fred," at least you can sit back with popcorn and relax in the knowledge that it was worth in hilarity what you're about to pay in fire insurance. So let's see who's left . . .
1. Cupcakes: Malvolio. I cannot imagine he'd let himself be seen taking comfort food, but I conjecture that if you left a tray of tarts or a syllabub or something outside his door, you might find it'd disappeared the next time you walked by.
2. Books: Marina. Any character who can philosophize an entire brothel's clientele out of the activity traditionally practiced in such establishments (to the point of getting herself hired out as a teacher before she ruins their business entirely) is probably safe around your library.
3. Thumbtack: Leontes! What the fuck, man! Othello at least had a stealthy enemy actively working his destruction; you did it all on your own. You're just lucky you turned out to be in a pastoral romance, is all I'm saying. Under normal dramatic conditions, everybody would have died. (Runner-up: Prospero! Being wronged by your brother does not give you carte blanche to play writer-director with the lives of everyone around you, your daughter included. At least by contemporary standards you are still not as OH SHAKESPEARE NO as: Petruchio! Seriously! Your entire play is a problem by its premise, but you're not helping any!)
4. Crush: I recuse myself from this question, because the most recent Shakespearean character it's applicable to was wearing a really bad tie. I always liked Mercutio, though. And Benedick. And Karl Johnson's Ariel.
5. Flee: EVERYBODY IN THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. EXCEPT MAYBE JESSICA. BUT ALSO MAYBE NOT.
6. President: Viola, Duchess of Illyria. If she was clever enough to come out of a play that labyrinthine with her heart's desire, she'll do fine in government. Her husband might even make a decent Vice-President now that he's gotten over his romantically languishing period.
7. Buddy: I believe the genre of the buddy movie requires a pair of opposing personalities, which means I need someone I wouldn't necessarily hit it off with but could learn to bond with. Which means they can't be a complete asshat, even if they look like it at first. Er . . . I shall go alt-historical and suggest Tybalt, who isn't a villain per se, neither malicious nor stupid, just hot-tempered and house-proud. If you could keep him from killing himself in duels, who knows what he might mature into?
8. Pair: Beatrice and Benedick. It's a classic because it deserves it. Non-canonical runners-up: Starveling and Snug in that one production by the Boston Lyric Opera. They were so adorable.
9. Volcano: IF I HAVE TO LISTEN ANOTHER MINUTE OF YOUR REMORSEFUL RAVINGS MR. LEAR I AM LEAVING YOU ON THIS HEATH AND GOING THE NEXT MYTHOLOGY OVER TO HANG OUT WITH THE CHILDREN OF LÍR. AT LEAST THERE'S SHAPE-CHANGING IN THAT ONE TO MAKE UP FOR ALL THE SELF-PITY. AND I'M TAKING THE UMBRELLA WITH ME.
10. Fix-it: Quince & Co.! No job too small, no malapropism too large. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back plus two tickets to our next production. Funny, we never get repeat customers with that one.
Your picks?
In other news, I should really try to sleep. I have to vote in the morning. So, if you're in this country, should you.
[edit] Done.
Part 2!
7. Pick as my partner in a buddy movie: Bǫlverkr. Though it’s the other way around and already well established.
Inn aldna iǫtun ec sótta, nú em ec aptr um kominn,
fát gat ec þegiandi þar;
mǫrgom orðom mælta et í minn frama
í Suttungs sǫlom. (Hav. 104)
I sought an old giant, now am I come back,
little got I there by keeping silent;
with many words I talked myself forward
in the halls of Suttungr.
8. Pair up: Skirnir and Loki. One curse-talked a giantess into sleeping with his master Freyr (who strangely enough, in another Eddic lay, is said never to have made a woman weep); another curse-talked a whole assembly of gods into kicking his salmon-shaped behind. I am curious as to what they will do to each other, though I can venture an educated guess.
Til holtz ec gecc oc til hrás viðar,
gambantein at geta,
gambantein ec gat. (Skm. 32)
To the wood I went and to the green-sap forest,
to get a stick of power,
a stick of power I got.
9. Vote off the island and into the volcano: Guðrún. She is heroic and everything, but I believe the bit about killing one's own children to feed to her husband as a method of revenge is something of an overkill.
10. Wheedle into fixing my [whatever is currently broken around the house]: Vǫlundr! I like him a lot even though he commits rather horrible crimes.
Sat á berfialli, bauga talði,
Álfa lióði, eins sacnaði. (Vkv. 10)
Sat on the bear-pelt, counted rings,
Prince of the elves, he saw one was missing.
It must be his obsessive making and then counting of rings that endears him to me.
no subject
So noted, but I still like your translations.
I have not yet met a goat I did not like, and Heiðrún has been on my Top 5 Goats of the Year List forever. A self-respecting mythical goat should enjoy cupcakes, but if not, I am also handy with cabbage.
This is a wonderful pair of statements.
And I would borrow books from Alvíss, the incredible dwarf linguist!
That's like my second-favorite Greek epigram!
ἀτρέμας, ὦ ξένε, βαῖνε۬ παρ’εὐσεβέσιν γὰρ ὁ πρέσβυς
εὕδει κοιμηθεὶς ὕπνον ὀφειλόμενον,
Εὐκράτεω Μελέαγρος, ὁ τὸν γλυκύδακρυν Ἔρωτα
καὶ Μούσας ἱλαραῖς συστολίσας Χάρισιν۬
ὃν θεόπαις ἤνδρωσε Τύρος Γαδάρων ἱερὰ χθών۬
Κῶς ἐρατὴ Μερόπων πρέσβυν ἐγηροτρόφει.
ἀλλ’ εἰ μὲν Σύρος ἐσσί, Σαλάμ۬ εἰ δ’οὖν σύ γε Φοῖνιξ,
Αὐδονίς۬ εἰ δ’ Ἕλλην, Χαῖρε۬ τὸ δ’ αὐτὸ φράσον.
Walk softly, stranger: among the righteous, the old man
is resting, lulled to the sleep that he deserves,
Meleagros the son of Eukrates, who put together
sweet-crying Love and the Muses with the joyful Graces:
whom god-gotten Tyre reared to manhood and the holy land of Gadara:
but lovely Kos of the Meropes tended him as an old man.
So if you are Syrian, Salam, if you are Phoenician,
Naidios, and if you are Greek, Chaire—say the same thing.
Kostbera. It’s the magical literacy thing.
I'm not even sure I'd heard of Kostbera. Clearly I need to know more.
Útgarða-Loki. He wins the nomination due to smarts, size, administrative experience, and the fact that he has a mitten. His vice-president is Kvasir (yes I know he gets killed and made into the mead of poetry, but I don't see why the Mead of Poetry cannot be vice-president?)
I have no arguments against. Also, it will automatically raise the level of literacy in Congress.
I am curious as to what they will do to each other, though I can venture an educated guess.
Can I get you to write the fic, perhaps in the form of a poem?
Guðrún. She is heroic and everything, but I believe the bit about killing one's own children to feed to her husband as a method of revenge is something of an overkill.
Obligatory Titus Andronicus tie-in: I think Shakespeare's with you there.
However long they took you, these are great answers.
no subject
Oooh, love this!
I'm not even sure I'd heard of Kostbera
She is the wife of Hogni, and she is mentioned in the Greenlandic Tale of Atli.
Can I get you to write the fic, perhaps in the form of a poem?
You, um, do realize that we are talking about hardcore genderqueer BDSM with shapechange...?
However long they took you, these are great answers.
Nothing of this took long except for making the Old Norse display correctly on LJ, which was frustrating, and came out imperfect anyway.
no subject
What about any of that do you think I wouldn't read?
no subject
Sadly, my chances of writing something like this with characters not my own, and then sharing it with anyone are slim... :P
no subject
Nonetheless, should you ever write it: of course.