Of cabbages and rings . . .

Courtesy of charismitaine, the Five Questions.

1. If you were an art supply--paint, colored pencils, brushes, canvas, chisel, welder, etc--what would you be and why?

Watercolor pencils. Because, let's face it, I'm generally the subtle, quiet one in the background. Traditional, but not boringly so, and just a little bit strange. I mean, many people use colored pencils, but not very many use watercolor pencils. And besides, they are nifty and so much can be done with them. They can be bright and cheerful, or gloomy, or thoughtful, or anything in between.

2. Look at your favorite books--can you find a common thread or theme in at least three or more? What is it? Is that theme what draws you to those books? Why?

Mmm. The big theme for me right now, that I keep finding in books, is the power of redemptive love. Anything by Lewis. Lord of the Rings. Lilith. Rose Daughter. Oh, and let's not forget Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It fascinates me because on some deep level it is so very important. It is so powerful in stories. It's practically the entire point of Dante's Divine Comedy, which is one of the greatest epics ever written. It is so important, especially to me, right now, and I can't even articulate why.

3. Do you think that there is a defining mythology of America? If so, what is it and why? If not, why do you think there is a lack and what sort of myth do you think would fill it?

I think the defining mythology, by which I mean the mythology that America has taken for itself, and claimed, is that of the superhero. Superman is American. Now, I think this works two ways. America is very good at coming up with superheros (and I mean the whole range, of course, from pure good, to mostly bad, to very hard to call). But America also love superheros. What kid *hasn't* dressed up in a cape to play at being a superhero? Interestingly enough, it also defines the American ideals. It isn't so much your potential, as what you do with what you have. That is to say, there are supervillains who had just as great a power. Along with that, goodness is not a weakness. I think that's just a general thread running through many of the stories. So the American myth goes something like this:

Once there was a boy who was very normal, and did all sorts of normal things, like fall in love, and go to school, just like everyone else. But one day he found an amazingly terrific power. He was tempted to use it for his own gain, or to rule the world, or to make the girl fall in love with him. But he didn't. He decided to go about trying to save the world, and the world really needed saving. He almost failed, in fact, he paid a terribly high price. He couldn't exactly live a normal life after that, because he had become something greater. But he was happy, and it was all worth it.

There are, of course, variations on the theme, but I think that is pretty much at the heart of one of the great American myths (mythic in the sense, not that it is untrue, but that it is an enduring story).

4. What song or artist have you been listening to the most today/this week? Is there a particular song that you've been stuck on? Why?

I haven't. Poor me, hasn't had time to listen to music lately, *grin*, and I don't really listen to music at work at the moment. But for the past forever, various songs from Once More With Feeling have been going through my head, especially Going Through the Motions, and Walk Through the Fire. *hums to self* Oh, also the Mahna-mahna song from the muppets. Make of it what you will.

5. Look at your friend-list--imagine it as a chivalrous medieval court. Who would fill what role? Who would be the king (non-gender specific)? Who would be Queen? Who would represent the Church (or other religious power)? Who would be the Fool? Who would be a kitchen wench? Who would be a stable boy destined to be a knight? Who would be tournament champion? Who would be voted 'Most likely to get lost during a quest and go in a circle'? etc.

Disclaimer: The Management is not responsible if anyone was forgotten, or for a lack of correlation. I tried, but there are many of you, and my brain is only so big.

cadenzamuse is the young woodcutter who comes to the court late, and is always courageous. She has a way with animals, and can tame the wildest horse. She doesn't fight often, and when she does, it is always for a noble cause.

charismitaine is the fool. She always says the most important, wise things, that only the very wise pay attention to, because it sounds foolish. But she is always right, and always funny. There was a knight who never had a kind word for her, but was always complaining, and occasionally cruel. Charis told him that his incivility would be his downfall; he was eaten by a short tempered dragon.

cindylouwho2006 is a great champion. In fact, it often embarrasses her that she is so good. She will often disguise herself as other knights, so that she can't be recognized. But it always comes out in the end. This often causes no end of trouble from young squires who want to prove how good they are.

dareva is the kitchen wench who could marry any of a dozen knights, but she wants to have her own adventures first, so she goes off on her own quests and uses her beauty to great advantage.

ecoj is the knight who sees the grail first. She wasn't even looking for it, she just stumbled upon it. But she knew what it was the moment she saw it, and can never forget it.

ediekatz is the librarian. She takes care of all the books, cats, and the large cats that she also keeps as pets in the library. Return your books on time, and do not pet the jaguar.

faeriemaiden is the squire stuck in the kitchen, that Kay makes fun of, but she turns out to be royalty and saves him, making him look dreadfully foolish. She is one of the only squires knighted by the king himself.

hippie1025 can generally be found in the kitchen. She never goes on quests. She says it is because she is waiting for the best quest of all, but everyone knows that she just doesn't want to bother. But she always has good advice to give while packing provisions, and she is kind to all the squires.

julz711 is an expert with the sword, but prefers hunting with the falcon. This had led to many adventures. Once she saved a merlin that was caught in a tree, and it turned out to be a trap. So she had to fight her way free with a branch, without harming the merlin. But of course she did.

lady_moriel never gets lost. Some have whispered that this is because she is never going anywhere in particular, but they are the ones who are madly jealous, so I wouldn't listen to them.

maryz384 is a lady of the lake. She does not meddle often, but when she does, it is always important, and always for good. She is never late.

nimlotbradamant is the court musician. Be kind to her, or she shall write an ever-so-pointed song that never mentions your name, but is quite clear nonetheless. She writes all the famous songs of the knights.

pensyf is the beautiful maiden stuck in a tower, guarded by a dragon. But she finds the dragon's fatal weakness, and turns it upon itself, freeing it, and the king grants her the half the kingdom her rescuer was entitled to. She rules it gracefully and well.

reading_angel lives in a nunnery, but don't let that fool you. She may have given up great wealth, but she gained great power. Oh, and she grows beautiful

riddlemaster will give you your heart's desire, not what you think you desire most in the world, but what you actually desire most. One poor knight asked for his heart's desire, and was given a single bar of gold. It is a dangerous thing.

rosaleeluann gets into scrapes, but gets out of them again, which is more than can be said for most of us. She can never be found when you want her, and somehow manages to avoid all the unpleasant quests. It is a knack.

sarajenwhat924 never knows it, but she often gets lost. But it doesn't matter, because she always gets found again shortly, or rescued by someone. She is always on the right side, though.

tarancalime was never knighted, but yet knows more than most about the world, as she wanders it. She is a tinker, selling bright bits and trinkets, and giving away advice. She is fascinated by the sea.

tenantofwildfel is the always kind, but also terribly dangerous magician. You do not want to cross her, but if you ask nicely, she will generally put on the most spectacular shows. Once, she took a seed from an apple and set it in the middle of the Great Hall. It grew into a magnificent tree, budded, flowered, and grew apples. Everyone ate the apples, and the tree is still there, and there is always an apple somewhere on it, if you are truly hungry. But the tree does get in the way.

zannachan is the one who is always getting lost on quests, but then manages to save the day anyways because of her extraordinary luck. One time she was on her way to save a princess from an ogre, but she turned the wrong way at the clearly marked fork in the middle of the road. This led her to a hermit, who she helped save from an evil baron. In return for her kindness, the hermit told her the secret place the ogre kept his heart. So she managed to be the one to kill the ogre after all.