Interests

[fredbassett]

I picked this one up from Grondfic. I responded to a post so she picked 6 of my interests and asked me to explain them.

She picked Folklore, Formula 1,  Museums, Numbr3rs, Primeval and Slash.  I replied at her LJ, and am re-posting the results here.  If anyone else would like to play, drop me a comment here, and say you'll play and I'll pick 6 of yours, and you can reply here or at your own LJ or both.

Folklore :

I've been immersed in this since childhood as a sort of spin-off from mythology, which was my first love, and also including folk-tales, as well. I adore the characters (who can't love tricksy faeries, boggarts, bogles and the like), the stories (although my Dad had to change the ending of St George and the Dragon so that the dragon survived and lived happily ever after with St George - remove minds from the gutter, darlings!), and the utter lack of conventional morality that appears in most folk-tales. Mind you, Mr fb takes the piss becuase I always place my slippers facing outwards from the bed. Well, no point in taking chances, is there ........

Formula 1

It's just a great big, fast, multi-million pound soap opera, and I love it. I'm a Ferrari supporter through and through, I loved Michael Schumacher (warts and all), I can't stand Ron Dennis and Lewis Hamilton, and these days I watch it more for the politics than teh actual racing, as until they start designing cars that can overtake and tracks they can overtake on, the actual races are pretty damned dull.

Museums

I've spent a few years now helping curate our caving society's museum and I suppose my main interested started when I help with all our current displays about 12 years ago. A good museum is a great help in interpreting our past for people and is an important means of conserving it as well. I still remember my absolute wonder at seeing the treasures of Mycenae in Athens, and so many wonderful treasures in so many other museums throughout the world. But don't even get me started on outpouring my bitterness about the failure of the UK and the US governments to protect the National Museum in Bagdad. (A platoon of tanks to protect the records in the Oil Industry building, about half a dozen soldiers for half an our for the Museum. Even though they were warned in advance what would happen. Rant over. *sigh*

Numb3rs

Pretty men including Charlie, whose hair has its own fan club: Don, a study in angst at times who looks as hot as hell in tight jeans, thigh holsters and a tac vest. Plus interesting plots that even Mr fb likes 'cos of the maths etc. Oh, and it's insanely slashable, as well.

Primeval

Pretty men and dinosaurs. What more do I need to say? Also insanely slashable. The slash is so obvious that it's almost canon. It was Primeval that sucked me into LJ. I recommend it to everyone!!!!!

Slash

Simple. I fancy blokes, so if one's good, two's better. Couldn't be more obvious really. Plus it's a good way of killing (or starting!!) after dinner or pub conversation if Mr fb happens to mention my habits in public. Always good for a laugh.

Comments

[capn-mactastic.livejournal.com]

I'll play :D

[fredbassett]

Splendid! OK :-

Blackbooks, Crafts, Mitch Benn, Slash, Firefly, Really Cheesy Horror Flicks

[capn-mactastic.livejournal.com]

Okay, cool :D

Black Books
I love this show because it's hysterical, it's that simple. The first episode is comedy gold, I haven't been able to pass The Little Book of Calm in a bookshop without sniggering ever since :D Putting Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey in the same room at the same time, Genius!

Crafts
I like making stuff, I'll admit it. But my attention span won't hold me to a single medium, so I generally make all sorts. I knit because I find it calming, and make all my own Christmas and Birthday cards because people like them. And occasionally I play with Fimo and make little models. And then other times I come over all manly and borrow tools and start making bird-boxes and raised beds n stuff.

Mitch Benn
He makes me laugh, and I seem to have a weakness for musical comedy. West End Musical is one of the best parody songs ever, not to mention Steal This Song. I also love him for saying that you have to respect the Vikings, because any group of people who can discover America during a drunken game of 'last one off the edge of the world is a poof' deserves respect.

Slash
It's free porn, what's not to like? I really don't understand why I seem to be the only gay guy who's realised this. I'm fairly sure it's just misogyny on the part of the gay community, most of whom don't seem to realise that their favourite writers-of-erotic-fiction are women working under a pseudonym. Granted there have been a few slashfics that have made me either wince or wonder if the author has ever even seen a naked man, but most of it's good.

Firefly
Beautifully crafted, a labour of love, and it died too damn young. Sometimes a show or movie just seems to come along and enter the psyche, Firefly was one of these. It had fifteen episodes, I haven't rewatched it in ages. And yet I find myself using phrases like "I'll be in my bunk.", It was space-monkeys!" and "Oh god, oh god we're all gonna die." not to mention "going to the special hell." People who've never seen the show find themselves using these phrases, it's insane. It showed off Whedon's mastery of dialogue beautifully (A man walks down the street in a hat like that, you know he's not afraid of anything - it's a wonderful line, Jayne doesn't even realise he's being mocked.)

And I am absolutely certain, beyond any doubt, that once the human race gets into space it's going to be more like Firefly than Star Trek. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Star Trek, but it's a little...Utopian. Firefly doesn't suffer from that.

Really Cheesy Horror Flicks
This is my hidden vice, you know that thing that you're secretly ashamed of, so you wear the label with false pride to prove to yourself it's nothing to be ashamed of. I like a good horror movie, I do (Near Dark is awesome), but I like the really cheesy ones better. The Tremors movies and TV series are what I put on if I've had a bad day... I can quote them verbatim. Awful ones like Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde as well. Hammer Horror too, not the classy ones like Dracula, but stuff like Hands of the Ripper, that nobody's ever heard of. And that one with Anthony Perkins in it, where you could see he'd decided to stop fighting the Psycho typecasting and just take the paycheck, Daughter of Darkness I think it's called... It has to be cheesy, not just crap, but as long as it's in that thin wedge I will love it!

[fredbassett]

God I love Black Books! I only have to think of the stepping over the dead badget scene to howl laughing.

Quite agree re crafts. I have boundless enthusiasm, but bugger all talent, and always succumb to new craft stuff. Plus I have shelves and shelves of knitting books.

Firefly *happy sigh*.

Yep, looks like we've a helluva lot in common, sweetie :) Agree on the rest too LOL

[fredbassett]

Whoops, meant dead BADGER

[capn-mactastic.livejournal.com]

*giggle* Or when Manny gets locked in the shop... I ATE YOUR BEES! Or the wine one OMG! And Fran with that bloke who does the Shipping Forecast, that one makes me crack up :D

I generally fling myself into the crafts for about a week, then get bored and put it all away for a few months, then come back to it again. Sam goes mad, he can't leave a job till it's finished, so the fact that I have all these unfinished projects stashed all over the house drives him barmy. And yes, I have to buy all the books, I have books for things I'm never going to attempt...

Yay for Firefly. As much as it pains me that it was too short, there's a little sensible voice in the back of my head that says it's like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, the legend is greater because it died young...

*hee* lots in common :D

[fredbassett]

Oh yes, I have a house full of craft stuff : spinning wheel (yes, I do know how to use it); potter's kiln; bags and bags of feece and wool; wax painting; silk dying; you name it, I've got it. Apart from talent!!!!!

And the scene with Manny underneath the piano!!! Pure genius.

[capn-mactastic.livejournal.com]

*giggle* The whole piano episode is genius *hee*

I have to clean the living room before Sam gets home tonight because there's card making stuff EVERYWHERE *eep* I tend to take a room over by osmosis when I'm playing bonny :)

[fredbassett]

Ooops, good luck with the tidying!

[fredbassett]

Take a look at this thread further down. Libra-Traveller makes pretty shiny things!!!!!!!!! I spy another fun craft ........

[fredbassett]

Mac, I've just tried to reply to your latest email and all my replies are bouncing. I've tried a new thread as well, and that has bounced. Is it just me or have you got an email problem???

[lana-fic-dump.livejournal.com]

Not that I know of...except when it logs me in from an email it seems to automatically log me into the fic-dump, which is annoying...

I'm getting stuff from Fly and dibs and various others okay...

[fredbassett]

Just tried again and got another bounce and Mr fb has just said that a mass email sent to our club mailing list (not by us, but he's on the admin list) has had bounces from ALL googlemail and gmail addresses on the list.

I'll try again later and tomorrow :)

[lana-fic-dump.livejournal.com]

oh bollox...

*debates setting up another email address*

[fredbassett]

Just tried again, still bouncing. I'd wait until tomorrow, if I were you. It could just be a blip.

[libra-traveller.livejournal.com]

I'll play. (I didn't have much of my interests to choose from, so I added a lot)

[fredbassett]

Okey cokey, pig in a pokey ...... your list is:

Christopher Strasheff
bead animals
Dresden Files
astonomy
figurines
fairies

[libra-traveller.livejournal.com]

Alright.

Christopher Stasheff wrote one of my favorite fantasy mixed with science fiction series, Warlock. Basically a ship landed on a planet with their memories purposely wiped so they could start anew in a medieval like society. But some of them had psi power and because of something on the planet that increased their abilities they gained power, so eons later the planet is full of 'witches' and 'warlocks'. A man comes to the planet and basially saves the Queen's rule and marries a witch and has children. Lots of mishaps happens including other politcal parties trying to take over the planet so that they can have extra strength with psi-powered subjects.

Bead animals, I first got into when I got those little craft sets at Michael's. I made a lot of them. Then I've been wanting to make my own, from scratch. So far I've made one, a giraffe, which turned out well, it's very pretty. But I have plans later to someday make a bear playing a violin. The biggest problem is finding the right size beads, because places don't sell them.

Dresden Files are books by Jim Butcher, and a shortlived television show. Since it was canceled I've formed a lj comm in the goal of sending skulls to scifi or engraving a skull with names of many fans of the show, in hope they will do more with it, in a tv like format. I do love the books though, they're about a wizard in chicago.

Astronomy, I don't know when I first got into it, but I've taken a couple classes at my university for my science requirement. And I have some books on astronomy that I have yet to get around to reading. But I like watching the moon at night.

Figurines, I adore them, and have many in my room. I have Fairie Glen fairies that my family have gotten me. Dragons, knights, bears, birds, dolphins, etc. My sister actually made me a clay dragon with a water reflection of my face.

Fairies, I'm interested in as part of loving fantasy. I have fairie prints all over my walls. I have a book on them I just got for my birthday in september. I have story ideas for fairies, some I've written. And my novel I started this november is about fairies, though I quit within the first week, I still plan on writing it someday soon.

[fredbassett]

I last read the Warlock books about 30 years ago, which is why I picked that one. I loved them and must re-read. I still have them in the attic. I loved the Jim Butcher books, and would adore to find some Kincaid slash!!! Faeries are a huge interest of mine as well so don't give up on your original fic novel :) I'm also rather taken by the idea of bead animals. Sound like the sort of thing that both Mac (see above) and I would get into.

[libra-traveller.livejournal.com]

I took a picture of the one I made from scratch.

[libra-traveller.livejournal.com]

And if you want to see it bigger, on my photobucket

[libra-traveller.livejournal.com]

What I really need to work on is the ends of the wires, how to tie them off and hide them within the beads, that's difficult, so I have to be careful when handling it.

[capn-mactastic.livejournal.com]

oooOOOOOooooo pretties!

[fredbassett]

Sweet! I'm a total magpie for pretty shiny things :)

[hellcats-punk.livejournal.com]

I'll play

[fredbassett]

This is turning into a fun meme!

OK, yours are :

rave, scottish poetry, thunderbirds, troy, 30 seconds to mars, punk

[hellcats-punk.livejournal.com]

Okie Dokie!

Hmmm... lets see, lets see *taps chin thoughtfully*

Raven
This could represent two things the tv show which I used to watch years ago, and has been so long since I last saw it I will have to go with the 2nd option. The wrestler, Raven, was perhaps the one who helped me get over my squeamishness of blood. The man is a genius, whenever he has a mic in his hand he can make perfect sense yet at the same time turn a persons brain the mulch with all his big and fancy words. He is one of the best Hardcore wrestler I know of, he can't get into a match without blood making an appearance. Does that make me a little morbid?

Scottish Poetry
I have always liked Scottish poetry. What I mean by that is I like poetry written in Scots verse. Robert Burns has been a main focus in this area. The only time I would say I hate the stuff was at school and we were forced to learn a Burns poem and the best 3 from each class where made to recite the poem infront of a panel who would grade us. I never had to go infront of the panel because of my swiss cheese memory and inablity to speak infront of people.

Thunderbirds
I like Thunderbirds. In any form, string puppet to movie version doesn't bother me. I always got freaked out by puppets when younger, but yet I was OK with them, so when your at home with nothing else to do you watch Thunderbirds on TV and get hooked! ;)

Troy
I would say first the history and great story of the ancient civilization is what drew me to this. Then the movie with the hot men in to drool over *g*

30 Seconds To Mars
OK I love this band for 2 reasons they are great musicians and no who to write amazing music (in my opinion anyway) It also doesn't hurt that they have the Hollywood star Jared Leto as their lead singer, and his brother the drummer. This does not make me shallow, not in the least, right?

Punk
A genre of music that I like. Mum doesn't understand it as she calls it just noise. I have been called a punk for quite a few years because I have a tendency to put purple streaks through my hair, and the clothes I wear, but I'm not necessarily one. Although it does annoy me greatly when people treat me like some troublesome hooligan just because I have a strong resemblance to a punk, but I wont change so I can't really get to grouchy about it.

[fredbassett]

Raven sound fun. Doesn't make you morbid at all! I share your love of poetry. I enjoy both Scottish poetry, ballads and songs and have a large collection of these.

Thunderbirds? No conversion needed, sweetie! Scott Tracy was probably the first "man" I fell in loved with aged about 5. Strangely, a few years later, I upset my best friend at school by telling her that the love of her life, Troy Tempest from Stingray was "only a puppet". She claims to have been traumatised and still blames me 40 years later (we're still friends though!!)

I thought Bard Pitt made a great Achilles, and the Greek myths and the stories of the Trojan War were a huge part of my childhood and I love 'em still :)

I haven't heard much punk music recently, but have enjoyed it in the past. And judging by appearances is a bad habit!

This meme has been an interesting one to do! Surprising how many things I've had in common with people on my f-list :)

[spacemonkey-27.livejournal.com]

I'll play too. :) I'm posting the meme there if you want to comment there.

[fredbassett]

Done, now over on your LJ

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

to paraphrase the Wii commercial, I would like to play.
(if I can)

[fredbassett]

OK, in no particular order:

evolution
plausible aliens
Jeykll
Primeval
Dr Who
astronomy

respectively...

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

evolution - hard not to love evolution. it gave us cells, medicines, prehistoric critters, and even sex.

plausible aliens - I'm one of those people who, while willing to tolerate humanoid aliens on the telly (since you need actors), I'm more irritated by so many aliens in written fanfic and fiction being just "humans with funny foreheads" as the saying goes. Here on Earth, the category of "warmblooded biped" has been held by most birds, raptors, giant sloths, kangaroos, as well as humans.
if you're writing a story, and the alien doesn't need to be identical to a human in size and shape (if it does, why not just use a human?), take a minute and ask yourself if the alien would work with any other shape or features (one of my Enterprise sagas revolved around a greyhound-sized "unicorn" whose horn was actually a hand and arm).

Jeykll - While the prospect of seeing James Nesbitt as both hero and villain (after Murphy's Law and (*)), I confess, I watched it more for Gina Bellman. It didn't hurt that I owned a copy of the novel, nor that I was curious how they'd handle it.

Primeval - Time travel without the T.A.R.D.I.S. that and Helen and Abby, who're each always fun and full of quips (that may be the reason they so rarely are onscreen together: they'd kill the men with the combined power of their witticisms). In fact, Primeval prompted me to borrow the movie The Moth (by Catherine Cookson) from my local library - I'd looked at it before, but since it stars Juliet Aubrey (and that tall guy from Coupling I think), I borrowed it & enjoyed it immensely. oh, and I enjoy seeing how convoluted I can think before my brain melts...usually my command of English (tenses) gives out first.

Dr Who - Sophie Aldred. nuff said.
(I'll confess that, for a long time, my only knowledge of the Doctor and his Companions were of the 3rd and 4th Doctors on MPT; I watched it regularly, when it was on...but once I found 7th and Ace, I was hooked). oh, and Susan's the very picture of precocious genius adorable.

astronomy - while not the final frontier, space is full of unknowns and knowns. while I usually end up using astronomical features as scenery, there are times when the feature is a major pillar of the story. (most notably, 'A Blue Star', presently archived only at MHExplosion egroup)

* = wasn't there a "The Honeymooners"-like detective series, wherein Nesbitt played a dad and lead detective whose wife had vanished some years ago? (one of the characters had the name or nickname of "Anorak")

Re: respectively...

[fredbassett]

I didn't realise there as a novel of Jeykll. I really liked that series. Nesbitt did both parts brilliantly. I was really sorry when it ended.

I very much agree with your believable alients comments. I picked that one to see what your take on that was. I seem to remember that Larry Niven always write a good, non-human shaped alien. Haven't read him for years, but I still have a fondness for the little critters that used to blob out when threatened.

Thanks for playing, it's been really interesting seeing people's interests explained and realising how much I have in common with people on my f-list even outside of our shared fandoms.

Re: respectively...

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

er, not of Jekyll itself..."The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". apologies.

hopefully there'll be a series two.

I don't mind humanoid aliens if there's a reason (or at least a good plot) for them.

"blob out"? oh, you mean the Puppetteers' tendancy to (as King Arthur put it) "run away! run away!" ?

very welcome.

Re: respectively...

[fredbassett]

No, I was thinking of the critters called something like the Sweeze. I seem to remember one called Hwee the Sweeze from a planet called Wheee (spelling's crap but it was bit like that). Their defence mechanism was to collapse in shock into sometimg too unappetising to eat. They were useless in a crisis, but rather cute.

But yes, I did like the concept of The Hindmost, i.e. He Who Leads From Behind.

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

So those after dinner or pub conversations must get interesting. lol

[fredbassett]

Mr fb explaining fanfic and slash to a (male)caving friend from Poland had to be heard to be believed. When he got to the bit about it involving two blokes, our friend looked puzzled and said "Why?" and then he tried to explain that as well, while Oilybears and I exploded laughing, then she mentioned gun oil, then we got some really weird looks.

Letting my spouse know what I write was a really bad idea, but the explanations are amusing :)

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

lol That has got to be amusing.

[fredbassett]

It certainly broadens a few people's minds, that's for sure!!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Which is great. Sometimes I wish more men I talked to here were even a little open minded. But the ones I know well enough to talk to seem to be really pretty closed-ie, not open enough to start the conversation in an attempt to open them even more. And, honestly, I'm not sure of the reception for those sorts of topics, so I just leave it. Yep, that's me, the coward. lol

[fredbassett]

I suspect it's more a caver-thing than a general-thing. Most cavers I know are pretty open minded about most things and usually pretty tricky to shock or squick. It must be our close acquaintance with mud that does it :)

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Yes, that would bring a certain type of person, wouldn't it? :D

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

speaking of Oilybears, have either of you written any Rome fics lately?
*hopes*

[fredbassett]

Oilybears is a lurking reader rather than a writer so I know she hasn't.

Neither have I, as I've been a bit too immersed in Primeval and Numbers, plus other non LJ life has been intruding badly on writing time, but I would like to consider a Rome fic, or a Dark Age Britain one I've had on my mind for a while, but it is likely to be slash, I'm afraid. The truth is I'm a slasher at heart, unless I'm in my original fic-verse. Which I absolutely must get back to soon, or my fic-peaople will leave home!!

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

ah. okay.

thanks for the honesty.

good luck and good fortune with the original fic.

[fredbassett]

However, that doesn't mean I won't try and weave some het into my Primeval-verse for you when the opportunity arises, as it might well do in the not-so-distant future. HELEN! (as Bigtitch always calls her) will be putting in an appearance ...........

There will also be a little something appearing soon, courtesy of a couple of ideas that sprung up at the weekend ............

Rome's a bit tricky for me right now, as I really need to be seriously immersed in something before I can write it, but I am reading an excellent series of books by Simon Scarrow, which Deinonychus introduced me to, currently set in Roman Britain, so my thoughts are tending back in that direction when times allows .........

*hugs*

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

don't do it just for me (I appreciate it, don't get me wrong, but never forget to write for yourself as well). yay, Helen!

"little somethings" are always good.

I know the feeling (about being immersed); if I may ask, have you ever read anything by Stephen Saylor? not only does he write some good Roman-era detective stories (the "Roma Sub Rosa" series), he also has an anthology of short stories (the word "Gladiator" figures prominently in the anthology title), and a two-book series "Hannibal's Children" in which Carthage defeats Rome.

Roman Britain? cool.
(I can count the things I know about Roman Britain on one hand - if I don't count the Iceni or the Wall) ;)

Re: *hugs*

[fredbassett]

It's nice to write things for others provided I get an idea I can work with. If I can integrate stuff you like, then so much the better :)

Yes, I have read a few Stephen Saylor and liked them. I also read Lyndsey Davis's Falco books. The first one, the Silver Pigs is set in an area I know well. I'd certainly recommend them.