There goes the neighborhood...

KingLeon · Post by **KingLeon** » Wed Mar 06, 2002 7:23 pm

Another force decided to invade! And we get almost a good look at the general's face. And ALL her men have names rhyming with Espin (???).

Any bets on the NEW invading force?
My bet is that it's Passus... or some other "god"... the one behind the LoTR thingie?

Holy...
I just stared at those eyes again... They look sorta familiar...

[ This Message was edited by: KingLeon on 2002-03-06 19:27 ]

Ray Radlein · Post by **Ray Radlein** » Wed Mar 06, 2002 10:10 pm

I just stared at those eyes again... They look sorta familiar...

Sort of squinty and determined, eh?

It also looks like the General is not fond of deep or different thinkers among her staff. I suspect that she probably micro-manages her operations, unwilling to trust them to anyone less competent than herself.

Rikk could probably tell her that this was one of Napoleon's failings; in several later battles -- especially Waterloo -- Napoleon's subordinate Marshalls dithered and waited for orders in situations where they should have shown initiative. But then, showing initiative was not something that Napoleon had typically looked upon with favor.

_________________

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Strom Thurmond Congress wagh'nagl fhtagn.

[ This Message was edited by: Ray Radlein on 2002-03-06 22:14 ]

ZOMBIE USER 1252 · Post by **ZOMBIE USER 1252** » Wed Mar 06, 2002 10:16 pm

She's barely even fond of differing names ... Respin, Espin, Zespin ... Dizzy Gillespin ...

Reminds me of Sluggy and their need to rhyme most, if not all, Christmas elves' names with "Squeekybobo." Which is not a bad name in itself, don't get me wrong. It's very whimsical.

The wonders of conformity.

Okay, and one last thing ... is it just me, or does the General's ship look like one of those 3D optical illusion flipping-cubes? I don't know if that was noticeable before, but it is now, at least to me. I keep seeing it fold and unfold in my mind ...

Bwaaah ...

Komodo · Post by **Komodo** » Wed Mar 06, 2002 11:10 pm

Rikk could probably tell her that this was one of Napoleon's failings; in several later battles -- especially Waterloo -- Napoleon's subordinate Marshalls dithered and waited for orders in situations where they should have shown initiative. But then, showing initiative was not something that Napoleon had typically looked upon with favor.

"It follows that any commander in chief who undertakes to carry out a plan which he considers defective is at fault; he must put forth his reasons, insist of the plan being changed, and finally tender his resignation rather than be the instrument of his army's downfall."
-Napoleon, "Military Maxims and Thought"

The General may think along the same lines. Hell, George Clooney was willing to shoulder the blame for how badly the fourth Batman movie sucked.

He needn't do that. Everyone knows the blame for that lies sqaurely at the door of Joel "Nipples and oversized codpieces are an important part of Batman's gear" Schumacher.

Sorry. It's a sore subject for me.

Shatteredtower · Post by **Shatteredtower** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 12:18 am

On 2002-03-06 22:16, Rumy-chan wrote:
She's barely even fond of differing names ... Respin, Espin, Zespin ... Dizzy Gillespin ...

Is it a name, or a designation?

The wonders of conformity.

Well, I'm often rather grateful that gravity is a one-way street. I have enough fear of heights as it is - imagine being forcibly recognized that heights are everywhere!

Okay, and one last thing ... is it just me, or does the General's ship look like one of those 3D optical illusion flipping-cubes? I don't know if that was noticeable before, but it is now, at least to me. I keep seeing it fold and unfold in my mind ...

(makes Will save to resist the obvious joke, but not to avoid irritating Maccabee with a D&D reference

.)

It's not just you. It's very reminscent of the forms Escher and similar artists depict. I rather like the Moebius strips surrounding it.

Okay, I don't know that they are in fact Moebius strips, but let me pretend, okay? Topology doesn't get more fun that that! Kline bottles are neat, but you can't turn them into chains of linked strips simply by cutting one in half and then half again.

Sorry, I get carried away on the subject of Moebius strips.

[ This Message was edited by: Shatteredtower on 2002-03-07 00:19 ]

*Kludge* · Post by ***Kludge*** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 1:36 am

On 2002-03-06 22:16, Rumy-chan wrote:
Okay, and one last thing ... is it just me, or does the General's ship look like one of those 3D optical illusion flipping-cubes? I don't know if that was noticeable before, but it is now, at least to me. I keep seeing it fold and unfold in my mind ...

I assume it's a reference to one of these:

(A coriolis space station from Elite, for anyone who doesn't recognize this - the original stations didn't have the struts, but I couldn't find a decent pic).

Tom the Fanboy · Post by **Tom the Fanboy** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 2:52 am

Well, I guess I can see how it would have 14 sides, at least from this perspective.
14, ten less/one more.

I don't think we've gotten a good face shot of the general yet. T's probably holding out on that one for later.

OK I like the mobius symbol on the General's uniform,nicely futuristic.

On the Espins, note how she calls them "gentles". Quite androgenous I'd say. They all seem to have parts of the Fans! in them. A little guth in Tesping, a little Kath/Tim in Fespin, a little Rikk/Timin in Zespin, a little Meaghan in Lespin, a little Jackie in Thespin.....

All sorts of possibilities for that.

I like the idea of Dizzie Gilespin. That's great.

About the narrowed eyes. T has proved by now that the narrowing of eyes (or a SIGNIFICANCE Shot as I put it to my friend Ian during El Hazard) is a major storytelling tool*. I peronally see it as one of T's classic moves and I can imagine playing a drinking game (thinking of Fans as a cartoon) where you'd take a shot when someone got an eye close up.

The splash of color instantly points at the Xenochiclets. They're the only beings known to create such effects within the Fansverse. I'm guessing it's one of the art-babies come to visit mama. It could be another alien of course, one somehow related to the Xenochicklets. Perhaps a galactic predator sniffing them down to capture them and utilize their teleportation abiliities. Or it could be a police force who wants them brought to justice for concept looting and cranial rape, that I'd love to see!
Bring the Big Red pimp to justice!

[inside joke]
*as opposed to a tool of a storyteller like Mike, eh Raiden. hee hee hee.
[inside joke]

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 10:58 am

Or could it be a reference to the Borg (from Star Trek)?

Vitriol · Post by **Vitriol** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 11:45 am

Note how the General's squinty eyes match every character in the newsbox ... except Meaghan. Coincidence? Conspiracy?

Then again, if, as Tom says, the narrowed eyes are used to represent a significant shot, it would make sense for the demonstration pictures to have a high proportion of these.

It still seems strange, though. If T wants to show off the range of characters in Fans!, why choose so many with similar eye-spresions (whee! nonsensical word fun!).

Fear the evil T and his twisted plots.

Maccabee · Post by **Maccabee** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 1:26 pm

On 2002-03-06 22:16, Rumy-chan wrote:
She's barely even fond of differing names ... Respin, Espin, Zespin ... Dizzy Gillespin ...

We shall conquer the world through jazz!!

Mu-wa-ha-ha!!!

Maccabee,
from a long line of trumpeters

Khavren · Post by **Khavren** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 1:38 pm

On 2002-03-07 00:18, Shatteredtower wrote:
Topology doesn't get more fun that that! Kline bottles are neat, but you can't turn them into chains of linked strips simply by cutting one in half and then half again.

Maybe YOU can't.....

Khavren · Post by **Khavren** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 1:43 pm

Came to my senses

[ This Message was edited by: Khavren on 2002-03-08 07:06 ]

KingLeon · Post by **KingLeon** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 2:07 pm

Say, I just realized something... even more evidence it COULD be a Colored Alien.
One of the General hench's noted about it's unsual tail... He'd never seen one like THAT before...

Maybe Rumy's baby has returned? Certainly the galaxy can't have too many human/box-shaped alien crossbreeds?

MatteoDL · Post by **MatteoDL** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 2:56 pm

On 2002-03-07 02:52, Tom the Fanboy wrote:

The splash of color instantly points at the Xenochiclets. They're the only beings known to create such effects within the Fansverse. I'm guessing it's one of the art-babies come to visit mama. It could be another alien of course, one somehow related to the Xenochicklets. Perhaps a galactic predator sniffing them down to capture them and utilize their teleportation abiliities. Or it could be a police force who wants them brought to justice for concept looting and cranial rape, that I'd love to see!

Or "Rumi" coming to this timeline with Alternate Big Red.

Vitriol · Post by **Vitriol** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 3:51 pm

Don't forget that at least one Alternate Big Red got shot.

Shatteredtower · Post by **Shatteredtower** » Thu Mar 07, 2002 10:58 pm

On 2002-03-07 15:51, Vitriol wrote:
Don't forget that at least one Alternate Big Red got shot.

True - but was it fatal? Fragmenting may not be death for them. I remember what happened to the one back at the FIB HQ, but that one was contained, and may not have died either, depending on how much the FIB learned.

Tom the Fanboy · Post by **Tom the Fanboy** » Fri Mar 08, 2002 9:42 am

Great, just what we need.
Big Red has some "issues" on the new planet him and his buddies are rapi- I mean enlightening, and he drops the kid on earth to spend some "quality time" with his mother. what a deadbeat.

I'm sure that a teenage space baby (it's been less than a year but who knows how they develop) is going to be much more difficult to handle, especially since it probably won't just float there. Most likely it'll talk more like Arlen's* speech graphics than Rumy's.

Hey, if it's changed at all (and since the color was reddish not orange there's a chance) then I may be a little bit right!
http://geocities.com/tee-moss/Swankytow ... g/rumy.jpg

*http://www.faans.com/d/20000327.html
I hadn't noticed it before (or forgot) but Arlen can speak Icon after all!

J. · Post by J. » Fri Mar 08, 2002 10:48 am

I just wanted to comment on all the vituperation I see on the boards directed towards Big Red.

Don't get me wrong, I like Rumy, and I understand her suffering, but I think everyone's reaction is a little too harsh. I've always been of the opinion that the Xenochiclets were unaware themselves that they were impregnating their human partners -- after all, the aliens didn't even understand homo sapiens physiology enough to realize they needed oxygen to survive. And Rumy certainly wasn't conscious of her pregnancy until it became visible. The bizarre fertilization didn't occur because of any physical interaction - it was a union of ideas, images, creative energy. And I believe that it was totally unforeseen. Further, Big Red would've taken Rumy with him, if he could. In fact, I often wondered how hurt the aliens must have been, not understanding why their mates rejected them so violently as they left the atmosphere - is it any wonder that they haven't returned? I fail to see how anyone can call what happened between Big Red and Rumy "rape." How can we presume to pass judgment on the aliens when we have no concept of their culture, their ways? As fans, we of all people should know better.

[ This Message was edited by: J. on 2002-03-08 10:49 ]

KingLeon · Post by **KingLeon** » Fri Mar 08, 2002 1:19 pm

I'd have to agree with that...

Tom the Fanboy · Post by **Tom the Fanboy** » Sat Mar 09, 2002 1:15 am

Oh, don't get me wrong, I like Big Red. Most of the vis...vicser.... being mean to him is tongue in cheek. One of the jokes/theories was that Red was just a big fat hustler that was loved-em-and-left-em across the galaxy. Stealing planetfuls of ideas and concepts as he went with his buddies. Kinda like 4D vikings.

Most of us really do feel kinda sorry for him and his ilk but its much more fun to anthropomorphize him into a drunken deadbeat dad or smooth operator than a thinking feeling individual. The main thing is that all that Red could hope to do to defend himself against such acquisations is to say "representationofBigRedinawifebeaterwitharedcirclewithalinediagonallythroughitsuperimposedontopofhim" and give us a hurt look with his eyes.

Another reason we dislike Red is because he hurt Rumy. Anyone who hurts Rumy is bad.

Joss did the same thing with Willow on Buffy. Want the fans to hate a guy? have him hurt Willow!