- Laserboy -

Moving boxes.

2009-08-12T23:02:27Z

Moving on the 27th and I'll need to track down moving boxes to assist The Packing. The ones I came here with have been given away at some point.

Anyone got any boxes or can recommend where to pick some up?

Cheers.

Flat hunt update - HELP REQUIRED!

2009-08-03T17:09:44Z

Potential flatmate has dropped out due to cash concerns. Have wasted several weeks on this, but need to put it behind me rather than getting pointlessly angry.

I am now looking for a (preferably largish) double bedroom in Edinburgh from this month. Needs to have parking. I'm a well mannered clean/tidy easygoing professional flatmate who can pretty much get by on internet access.

Any help / suggestions/ recommendations / anyone you know needing a flatmate... really appreciated. Thanks!

--
EDIT:

Sorted. Thanks!

Buffy rant: Andrew is gay.

2009-07-22T14:56:06Z

I'd always been a big fan of Andrew in Buffy and have argued over and over about how pathetic and insulting it was that his motivation in later series 6 and 7 was ignored or treated as a joke.

I have always said that he's gay, whether he realises it or not, and that was a significant driver for him being in the Trio and why he sided with the First Evil in 7: he was in love with Warren. That's pretty strong stuff and believable motivation for what he was doing. Particularly in that final year. What pissed me off is that it wasn't taken seriously by the characters or fandom. Whereas the overblown WILLOW TRIES TO DESTROY THE WORLD BECAUSE HER GIRLFRIEND DIES plot was treated relatively respectfully.

To me it just seemed indicative of how gay men were treated on Buffy: fucking terribly and wholly dismissive. (Don't even get me started on that jock character or the 'heart-stoppingly funny' Xander-is-uncomfortable-around-the-homo scenes). To this day people will still argue that Andrew was/is not gay.

Well, Joss Whedon says he is:

From his website:

"It has to be said: the Andrew scene in "The Girl in Question" was a victim of me dropping the ball. I specifically said there should be a party of men AND women, all glamorous and Italian, waiting for Andrew. I wasn't there when it was shot, and didn't have the time/money/energy to change it after the fact, though it made me crazy. Andrew's sexuality is always on the cusp of self-awareness because Andrew is stunted emotionally and because it's hilarious." [...] "The 'people change' thing is a hold-over from the fact that the scene was originally written for Dawn (but Michelle turned us down). The idea was, there's little Dawn, then in the last scene there's hot grown-up Dawn going out on the town, a heavy visual support of people changing (since Spike and Angel always see her as older brothers do)."^[2]

Wikipedia:

In November 2008, Tom Lenk came out as gay in The Advocate magazine. Joss Whedon was interviewed for the article, and revealed that it was decided that the character of Andrew was to be gay when they decided to cast Lenk in the role.

"Tom has a bit of a fey thing going on in his persona that, you know, you can't really deny. When I first looked at his audition tape, I said "OK, he, uh, he seems kinda gay. Do we want to make that decision [about the character]? There's no reason why he couldn't be, so, great, let's pick the funniest actor." [...] The character became very charming in his complete lack of awareness about, among other things, his own sexuality."^[3]

Essentially confirming everything. Thank you, Mr Whedon. Now go do something decent with Dollhouse.

(With thanks to eduardgreen for the link on openly gay actors that led to this).

Dead by Dawn (day 1)

2009-05-02T00:51:35Z

Over here.

Minutes back from day 2. Putting some words together then sleep.

Anita Bryant vs banana pie

2009-02-05T21:58:45Z

Opera

2009-02-03T19:57:04Z

I have 3 tickets going for Saturday's performance of Carmen at the Edinburgh Playhouse, 19:30. Stalls, Row R, 29-32.

If anyone would like to join me (I'm a 4th) I'm prepared to sell them at cost and they were ridiculously cheap (£12.50 each). I'd like them to go to friends before offering them on, so first come etc.

Cheers.

EDIT UPON EDIT
- Sorry, all gone before even going through comments. Went fast.

"Any younger, Pats, and they'll be chucking foetuses out the TARDIS"

2009-01-03T17:59:20Z

And the 11th Doctor is...

Matt Smith

Xmas.

2008-12-24T11:30:46Z

--
Heading out to family in Erskine tonight, so no access to the internet until Boxing Day evening at the earliest. Have a good one, whereever you are!

Suddenly very Christmassy, Laserboy spreads the cheer!

2008-11-28T10:19:14Z

Or at least this awesomeness.

(GJ 4 mins in, but you really don't want to miss the rest).

Laserboy on True Blood ep 11: "To Love is to Bury."

2008-11-17T14:04:35Z

OK, the ep pretty much had the cutest Sam scenes ever. The private pleasure, the happiest day of his life. (Christ I would have been all over him). This may have been his best episode and he's really stepped up as a character. Good to see Sookie finally realising that he's a sweet guy who cares about her. Aww, wasn't it nice to see them together? Well, before the dead guy turned up again and spoiled things, I mean.

ZOMG Jessica is awesome. "You're the worst Maker ever!" LOVED her having a blast. Particularly because it was at Bill's expense. Hee, Eric is still reliably good fun.

No idea what's going on with Tara other than she seems to be going to a slash party with Ensign Ro. What she is is anyone's guess. A real witch?

So long Amy! (Crazy bitch)

OMG HEINOUS ~~MULLET~~ MURDERER!

Fan fic has unexpected benefits for Laserboy

2008-11-11T08:18:46Z

To chill out last night I started writing some True Blood ...err fiction, and it had the unexpected benefit of a very intense dream. So it was y'know me and Sam Merlotte in a pretty intense relationship. He was over here, met my family and friends and I was showing him around. Very cute and hands on and all the little things that are great.

Off to work.

Laserboy is most definitely not a "fangbanger."

2008-10-05T22:37:44Z

So after I watched the first episode of True Blood a few days ago, naturally I spent the day after at work wondering whether, in the same situation with vampires being outed and "mainstreamed" into society, I would date a vampire.

I put a lot of thought into it. Probably more than is strictly healthy. And it was a definate no.

I kind of think that dating a vampire would be a bit irritating. On a very simple level, if I'm working 9-5 and coming home just to have him getting out of bed it's going to bug the hell out of me. We wouldn't be able to go for lunch or hang out in town and I'd have to do all my shopping online since nothing other than a supermarket (whoop-dee-doo) is going to be open that late. Then we're onto the food thing. I'd be cooking for myself every single night. And doing all the dishes. Again, presumably while he's sitting about staring at me. Or, worse than that, talking down to me. Y'know how it's like when you talk to a 16/17 year old kid now as an adult? He'd be a complete know-it-all, or waaay out of date or, even more cringeworthy, desperately hip.. watching mtv all the time and using the lingo like a tragic 45 year old. I'm eyerolling just thinking about it.

The job thing's also going to come up too. If he's old enough to be in the triple digits and still relying on me to be paying all the bills, what did this guy do with his life???

Fundamentally, drinking blood all the time is going to mean that he'd have to be handy with the tic tacs or mouthwash. Real potential issue there. And while we're on the blood, I don't think I'd be into being used as lunch whenever it took his fancy. It's a whole new level of objectification that I wouldn't be comfortable with.

I don't want to sound anti-vampire. I mean I think I could easily be friends with one and I'd support vampire rights like anyone else, but for all those reasons and probably a hundred more I just couldn't pursue a relationship there.

And then it kind of expanded into whether other supernatural beings were "dateable"...

Werewolf

This one was a toughie for me, since there are really no drawbacks in my mind here. I like the outdoors, roughhousing, a certain kind of masculinity, and the hair is just fine thank you very much.

I get on well with animals quite intuitively so I think I'd hit it off with a werewolf.

Mermaid/man (the Splash variety).

With the best intentions in the world, I think this would wind up being a really abusive relationship. I wouldn't be able to resist turning him half fish for a laugh. Then there'd be the sadistic experimentation: drink in the face, water pistol, rain (especially in Edinburgh). Would it work? Why didn't it work?? Since I don't want to be that kind of guy, I don't particularly like swimming in the ocean, and I think he'd reek of fish anyway... mermen get a no.

Zombie ("I walked with a Zombie", not the Romero kind!!)

This ultimately came down to one thing. While it'd be fine to be seen with an undead celebrity like James Dean, there's just no way in hell I could make myself sleep with one. Even if it was.. non penetrative. Urgh! End of.

At work it expanded further into whether you'd date a Pirate (No. Might as well date a fishmunger) or Superhero (No. Couldn't be bothered with the extra security, and I'd be reduced to making cups of tea and clearing up after him and his colleagues).

So there we are. It's perfectly clear. When it comes down to it, I need to be strong and only date werewolves.

Laserboy is slightly obsessed with Sam Merlotte

2008-10-03T23:54:55Z

Nothing more to say except phwor and aww and phwor.

Win! :D

Laserboy's rpg collection: going on the market

2008-08-30T14:36:59Z

After all the activity last month, I now have all my old roleplaying books here in Edinburgh. Since I haven't roleplayed in a few years, it seems sensible to get rid of all but the handful that I want to read in the future. This is a money-raising rather than space-saving exercise, so the ebay route looks like to best way to get a decent price, particularly for the harder to find books. But, since someone asked earlier in the week, I've listed them below. Needless to say, all are are very good to excellent condition and many have protective covers. More info later.

In no particular order:

DC Universe Roleplaying Game
Tribe 8
Delta Green
Werewolf: The Apocalypse (2000, revised?) HC
Werewolf: The Apocalypse (2nd Edition) HC
Call of Cthulhu, 5th Edition
Aliens Adventure Game
King Arthur Pendragon, 4th Edition
Kult (1st edition)
Kult, Metropolis Sourcebook
Rifts
Rifts Conversion Book
Rifts World Book One: Vampire Kingdoms
Rifts World Book Three: England
Star Wars roleplaying game 2nd edition: revised and expanded HC
Changeling, Isle of the Mighty
Changeling, Noblesse Oblige: The Book of Houses
Changeling, The Shadow Court
Changeling, Kingdom of Willows
(WoD) The Inquisition
(WoD) Mummy, 2nd edition
(WoD) Project Twilight
(WoD) Halls of the Arcanum
Mage, Tradition Book Three: Sons of Ether
Judge Dredd Roleplaying Game (D20) HC
Vampire, Kindred of the East HC
Vampire, revised edition HC
Paranoia, 5th Edition
Changeling, 2nd Edition HC
Changeling, The Autumn People
Conspiracy X
The Babylon Project
Mage, 2nd Edition HC
Wraith, 2nd Edition HC
Vampire, Gehenna (?) HC
--
Keeping, or thinking about it:

All Flesh Must Be Eaten HC
(nWoD) World of Darkness HC
(nWoD) Vampire HC
(nWoD) Werewolf HC
(nWoD) Mage HC
Unknown Armies, 2nd edition HC
Shadowrun, 4th Edition HC
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay HC
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Plundered Vaults HC

I've never sold anything on ebay before, so if anyone had tips or advice, I'd be grateful. I'm assuming paypal is the easiest way to go about things.

Laserboy: normal service will be resumed shortly

2008-07-15T22:33:43Z

Complicated day and lots of strong emotions.

For lots of reasons that will either not go on LJ or might be another post, I also decided to finally come out to my family this evening. The important one, my mother, is over and done with. I did my level best to get hold of my sister but will call her tomorrow after French class. By that point she'll have heard anyway, but I'll give her a call all the same.

Happy to discuss if interested, but no big deal.

EDIT: July 16. Called my sister. All is fine.

Whatever happened to Donna Noble?

2008-06-23T17:26:26Z

We can derive from the last few minutes of Turn Left that Donna's fate has been manipulated by Bad Wolf to help the Doctor. We can easily see that. But it struck me that we can extend that idea.

What if Donna doesn't exist?

What I mean is, what if she was created by the Bad Wolf expressly for this purpose? It would cover the fact that she's apparently an anomaly and also Rose's insistence that Donna is still going to die: perhaps fading out of existence once her part is played.

The Doctors comment about (false) realities forming around her suggests that it's just what's happened and she's a 'fiction' Bad Wolf has inserted into the world. Hell, even her surname reeks of foreshadowing.

So why did Bad Wolf create her? More than just to help him out emotionally and pull himself together? Well, what about if her whole existence is a contingency for if or when the Daleks return? If they do, the different threads of fate conspire to get her to the Doctor and put him on track.

It's interesting to look at River's reaction to Donna now. Can we get anything more from that, you think? Imagine having to deal with something that thought it was real chatting about it's dreams and hopes for the future. And let's not forget she's constantly being referred to as a "temp"/"supertemp". A comment on what she really is?

More than that, I just don't know at the minute. I worry about a scene where Donna returns home and her family don't know who she is. I don't want to see the panic. I just want the character to be happy, meet someone and go live a great life.

I hope I'm wrong about this. I was bang on with series 2, but waay out there with the 3rd year finale (mainly because that was absolute mince). Poor Donna.

Spoilerific 2nd promo trailer for The Stolen Earth

2008-06-23T06:49:17Z

Over here

"The children of time are moving against us, but everything is falling into place. Welcome to my new empire, Doctor."

Who

2008-06-13T06:49:25Z

(Credit to ihasatardis)

Who: The Forest of the Dead

2008-06-07T19:05:35Z

Bah! But awww..

OK they went for the simplest possible route and there were no real surprises for anyone with half a brain but wasn't it just a great episode? Decent ideas handled well and the Doctor the most Doctorish and least annoying he's been in years. He could almost have been McGann. Oh such high hopes for Moffat as the producer!

So it's pretty clear then something unpleasant is in the cards for Donna. I'm now quite worried about her and part of that's because I've really grown to like the character. After two lovesick 20-somethings, a normal woman in her 30s just getting on with things was a blessed relief and she had some really good scenes this week.

Her back is the thing though. What's the deal with her back? The Spiders from Planet of the Spiders come to mind, but.. hmm.. mind controlling bugs is all a bit Babylon 5. What's going to happen to her?

I slightly dread next week and the inevitable drop in quality. Terrible trailer.

laserboy @ 2008-05-23T13:20:00

2008-05-23T12:20:55Z

ok, I'm going to be offline until I'm in the new flat. Diet coke and Seinfeld are getting me though things, but there's still a lot to do. I might well still run up to HMV and pick up GH3 if there's time.

Won't be able to check emails etc until after the move, so mobile phone only.

Moving!

2008-05-21T20:54:31Z

It never gets old.

So I'm going to be moving from this room in Bellevue Road to my new room in Dalgety Avenue (by Meadowbank) on Friday 23rd of May. I've booked a van for 7pm and a non-simian removals bloke to help shift things. It would be a major major help if anyone could spare an hour or so to help me either fill up the van here or take things out of the van at the other end (Andy's flat). 18.20 onwards is probably best, so that most of the stuff can be on the ground floor by the time the van shows up.

A few people have said they might be able to help out on Friday, but just to help me plan things properly, if you can help can you leave a comment and which end you'd like to be based? Cheers!

Moving: May 23rd

2008-05-18T22:25:55Z

I've booked a van and a bloke to help me move at 7pm on Friday May 23rd.

I'll do my best to get boxes and stuff down the stairs beforehand, but if anyone can spare some time on the Friday to help either get stuff into the van here in Bellevue Road or help get stuff out of the van at the Meadowbank end (Andy's flat) it'd be a huge help.

It'll just be boxes. Big TV, computer desk and TV stand will be the provision of the Man with the Van [and me].

Cheers!

Iron Man

2008-05-03T19:06:58Z

So I saw Iron Man earlier today. No spoilers here, but I will tell you that it was a lot of fun. Robert Downey Jnr was great, clearly had a good time and gives Stark depth and raw charisma. Tony Stark in the MU at the moment is, for me at least, completely boring and nothing like how he was in the 60s or the 80s. RDJ's Stark is basically the Stark of the Ultimate Universe. Hugely watchable!

The rest of the cast are decent, there are some great cameos (stay til the very very end of the credits), the story's fine, and the effects are terrific. It's a great summer movie.

Oh and seeing Karen Allen in the Indy trailer was just superb.

I had a squeeeee moment in the cinema when I suddenly realised that the Incredible Hulk was filmed in Toronto and I've been up and down the street used for the big fight in the trailer. Zanzibar's strip joint for the win!

Who Spoilers ahoy

2008-04-13T19:33:11Z

"A press-only trailer for the series showed Penelope Wilton reprising her role as Harriet Jones, and the main antagonist of the series having the lower half Dalek and the upper half humanoid"

More on the launch night

So there we are. It's basically Davros, but how? Hmmm. OK, maybe the Cult of Skaro (the last guy) is recreating Davros in ~~Ben Kingsley's~~ ~~David Bowie's~~ a new body and downloaded a copy of his mind which was either held in the Cult members memory banks or extrapolated from Dalek history files. Nu-Davros then gives instructions and they begin building a Dalek army again or rescuing the thousands of Daleks from limbo. The more I think about it, the more I love the idea of the Dalek(s) grabbing a genius and turning him into Nu-Davros.

Having an alternate Davros is far too close to the Cyberman story, so let's ignore that. Going back in time to when Davros is 'human' looking Kaled is also pretty dull and just opens a can of worms since it almost certainly has to be a 'fixed' event.

The last we saw of the modern Davros, he was the Dalek emperor, just a head, and in an escape pod. In orbit of 1963 Earth. Of course we don't know if that had the ability to time travel, since he'd used time corridor technology to get to 1963 in the first place. Given the evolution of his own body and the enormous baggage factor of Dalek history if the Davros that returns is the modern Davros, I'm going with it not being him: he's dead and gone in the Time War.

So.. a recreated Davros in his classic body with just enough memories to know and hate the Doctor. Nice and new-viewer friendly. Sorted.

But where does he fit into things? He'll be in the finale. Which means it'll almost certainly have something to do with Rose appearing and the barrier between 'alternative's becoming weaker/breaking down after the explosion in Saturday's episode. While the cult of Skaro is aware of parallel universes, I think the focus will be on rescuing the (pure) Dalek army from limbo rather than invading Rose's Earth or reheating that Cybermen story.

"Main antagonist" implies he'll be at least heavily foreshadowed if not appearing earlier than the finale in its run. Will he have something to do with the Sontarans? I'm guessing no and he'll be referenced somehow in episode 6 given it involved 'building' a new person through some kind of cloning. (I still don't think Davros will be cloned - I think it's cooler to inflict it on someone we meet and like before it happens).

The jury's out about Moffat's two parter. It stars Colin Salmon, the recognisable guy from Resident Evil and supporting role in Brosnan's run as Bond. No mention of the two famous Davros potentials in the cast. In any event, I don't think Moffat would do a Dalek story since he's too original for that and likes to do his own thing.

So we've got episode 10, Midnight. It's about a pleasure planet. This could easily involve more set-up and advancement of the Davros plot with some obvious lines like using human bodies etc etc. I think again it'll have a scene or so of set up for the finale rather than it being a Dalek plot in itself.

The finale is likely, again, to be a 3 parter. RTD has not learned from last year then. At least we'll likely get a great episode like Utopia.

OK, let's recap the theory:

The last member of the Cult of Skaro grabs a genius (played by a famous guest star, at least initially), and uses his body and brain to create Nu-Davros to lead the Daleks to supremacy. The main plot will involve trying to rescue the Dalek army from limbo now that the barriers between worlds are weakening again. 3 part finale; he'll be in at least the last episode properly, probably showing up at the climax of episode 12 as a "surprise" and foreshadowed post-Sontarans in episodes 6 and 10.

Wildcard: what about the thousands of Cybermen who are also trapped in limbo?

Right, enough for me just now. I need to iron some shirts. Might have another think while I'm doing it.

Foolishness

2008-04-07T07:25:01Z

I'm not 100% yet, but I'm dressed for going into work today. I'm still quite weak (gah!) and breathless but my nose has stopped etc. I'll be pointing out to my manager that if I get worse in the office (particularly re throat) then I'm going home again. I think that's the only thing I can do. I'm not killing myself.

No real weekend then for me... :-(