Realm of the InterNutter

Thoughts, stories and ideas.

I've been thinking about Wonder Woman...

Primarily that she doesn't get the love she plainly deserves. She gets none of her rich history explored and definitely doesn't get her godhood acknowledged.

I have yet to see how she's going on the screen in Batman V Superman but I'm willing to bet they're going to get it all wrong.

And let's face it. The last attempt at a television series with her failed abominably, and I know why. They gave her the Batman treatment.

If I was doing Wonder Woman (either for a TV series or for the silver screen) I would not go directly to wealthy and powerful. I would start with the hidden island of Themyscira and a little glimpse into a society made entirely of lesbians. Thanks to satellite technology, it's pretty impossible to have a hidden island, so of course magical juju is allowed. These ladies have figured out the secret to godlike powers and know that they are not meant for the hands of man... yet.

They've been watching us.

Diana absolutely must be a body builder. Someone tall and powerful. Someone you could believe could call lightning from the sky but chooses not to. [If I could pick a young Lucy Lawless, I would] But I would also like to pick a Woman of Colour because Themyscira has evolved past judging people by the colour of their skins.

I want her to tower over most men. And yes, put this tall woman in heels, but the practical kind of heels that a lady can run and fight in.

Enter Some Dude[too lazy to look up his name TBH], blablabla. Instead of "using him" as her mothers/friends suggest, she sneaks him out and helps him home, but on the way, he tells her how messed up the world is and they need a hero. Diana states that her people don't meddle and goes home. But she's still curious and consults the Oracles about what could happen if she doesn't go out and save the world.

We never see what she sees, thanks to the oracle. But we know it's terrible because she finds it horrible. She girds on her very practical, Greek-style armour, including a breastplate with the traditional double doubleyou... and steals a golden lariat from the armoury.

She could have chosen anything. Swords, pikes, halberds, morning-stars, but she picks the lariat. Why?

She'll say it later in the movie: “We have a saying, my people. ‘Don’t kill if you can wound, don’t wound if you can subdue, don’t subdue if you can pacify, and don’t raise your hand at all until you’ve first extended it.” [Quote care of punlich via Tumblr]

That quote should be the core of her fighting/confrontation style. First, an attempt to talk them down. When they escalate, she defends. When it's clear that they will not stop, she stops them. But never to the point of death.

Wonder Woman should get the Thor treatment. Stranger in a strange land. Her customs and culture clashing with the culture of the US. I definitely want a scene with this Greek Goddess versus cat-callers... doing the things all ladies wish they could do to them.

The issue of a secret identity may or may not come up, but the aforementioned Some Dude -appointed as her liaison- tries to argue with some other army dudes about making her blend in.

"She's a walking force of nature. What are you going to do next? Camouflage a tornado?"

And of course, somewhere in the third act [or series 1 cliff-hanger] it's revealed that she loses a majority of her power when she's captured by, or tied up with, her lariat.

Yeah, she walks around with her own personal kryptonite and uses it against bad guys. Beat that, Superman.

And just as the token baddie thinks they've won, Wonder Woman employs her wits to escape and save the world. Tah-dah.

For an ongoing series, I'd love for Diana to have Your Grandma levels of difficulty with technology as we know it. The flip being that she's used to much more advanced stuff at home.

[True story: Beloved and I were once messing around with some iPods in an Apple store, and I was trying to make the first iPod work by tapping the screen. This is how time travellers will fuck up, folks.]

As for her secret identity? It might... evolve. Put her in flats (for what little that's worth) and move the hair to a ponytail/braid at the nape of her neck rather than the updo for WW. Maybe have her teaching defence to regular women. It would be hard to hide all that muscle, so why not flaunt it?

And for a continuing series - why not lampshade the MRA's and highlight how ridiculous they really are. And show the ladies how to effectively hold their own. No strawmen here. Actual arguments (or techniques) that can be used in the real world.

Let's do something good with this.

Challenge #00982-B251: Abandon Hope, Ye Who Enter...

That same prompt from Challenge #00891-B160, but this time the FAQ is posted for the benefit of assassins, on an Overlord's (Evil or not, your choice) office/chambers. -- RecklessPrudence

[AN: That prompt read: FAQ Assassins
- Business hours are 9:00 to 5:30 - Please deposit last will and testament in box below - Knock and remove shoes before entering]

They said Lord Mavolo's temper was legendary, but this... innocent-looking little plaque... It made Goodie Dowser think twice about her

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Happy birthday to me

This is the third year I've given away a story on my birthday for free. I have quite the stable of free tales but this is more introspective than most.

When you look at society, really look at society, you discover a great deal of unfairness based entirely on things an individual can not help.

Skin tone - society judges you within thirteen seconds and that prejudice remains. The darker your skin, the more threatening you are to paler people.
Genitals -

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Challenge #00981-B250: Who's There?

Growing up with cats and dogs. I got used to the sounds of scratching at my door while I slept. Now that I live alone, it is much more unsettling. -- Anon Guest

Pinky was my best cat. Sure, he was ginger, but he was a weird ginger. Some aspect of his fur colour made him look pink in the right light. I've had guests mutter, "Holy shit, he's pink..."

He was my best buddy. And if I left him out of

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The Martian: One Sci-Fi Nut's Review

Okay, before we begin, I will stick to only referencing the stuff seen in the trailer, which is pretty spoiler-iffic anyway.

There's one little thing that annoys me about this movie, but it's a spoiler. So I have to keep it to myself until such time as loads of people have seen it. UGH.

I'm already bursting at the seams with it, darnit.

You know what? If you want spoilers, go to rot13.com and decrypt this:

Ur pbhyq unir fgnegrq uvf

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Challenge #00980-B249: And What is a Pineapple Anyway?

"It was funny," thought Eric, "that the more you were encouraged something was for the greatest good for the people, the more it felt like being shafted with the rough end of the pineapple."

Eric mused further as the politicians burbled, "What the hell was a pineapple anyway?" -- Anon Guest

Eric's job was to do the math. When she wasn't googling exotic fruit. She drew up her programs to simulate the proposals currently on the floor. This was so odd.

The

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I had an adventure! (and I've been playing with new toys)

You may have noticed that yesterday's story was more than a teeny bit late. That was because Beloved took me on a trip to the movies. And shopping.

All birthday presents.

Don't panic, dear readers. There's still a bit of a while before October Fourth. [What I really want for my birthday is for one of my stories to go viral. Or loads of book sales.]

As for the swag, I got what every writer loves to get - PENS! But these

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Challenge #00979-B248: One Crowded Hour in a BBC Studio

In a tardis with a doctor while a time stream shatters

(Prompt from Triddin.)

"Just a few... crucial repairs," the Doctor emerged from under the ancient console and stared. Peter broke character. "Andy... You're in the next scene."

But it wasn't Andy Linden who spoke. It was William Hartnell. "What the devil is this person doing on the set? He looks like he fell into a donations basket instead of getting dressed. Verity! What's happening?"

A much, much younger Tom Baker strode

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Who's ready for something new?

Today's the day I start working on my forum prompts. Which means I have to learn an entirely new way of doing things, including crediting the peeps who prompted me in the first place.

But first - Beloved is taking me to go and see The Martian because they are made of awesome <3

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Challenge #00978-B247: The Prying Eye

The unusual phenomenon of people that can’t help laughing when you point a camera at them

(Prompt from CallMeGallifreya on Tumblr)

"You're not only on trial in the courts, but you're also on trial by the media."

Pam was still stunned and shellshocked. "...all I did was defend myself..."

"Yes. I know. Pam. Pamela. Focus. Look at me. We need to work on this right now."

Pam struggled to take her gaze away from the endlessly-replaying past in her head. Made

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Random reasons to love Steam Powered Giraffe #10

Their live shows

I've never been to one. It's the sad result of being on the wrong continental landmass and being absolutely broke. [cough buy my books cough cough]

And when they share the stage with other Steampunk greats like Professor Elemental... stuff like this happens[warning - low quality audience video]:

Please note that Rabbit has a flame-thrower as part of her robotic accessories.

Along side the audience participation [many of whom are better than word-perfect on the lyrics already] there's

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Challenge #00977-B246: Rictus

By the time one reaches adulthood it is almost reflex to give a sunny grin when someone points a camera at you. This can have unintended results.

(Prompt from CallMeGallifreya on Tumblr)

"And worse, this creature had the audacity to bare its teeth at me!"

Adjudicator Shyn'len leaned over hir desk. "Have you had much education on the habits of humans, Cogniscent P'rel?"

"Uuuuuuhhhhh..."

"That's a nervous baring of teeth. It's not a threat or a show of amusement. And further to

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Random reason I love Steam Powered Giraffe (#9)

Anyone who's dug into the depths of this blog or followed me on Tumblr for a while knows that I have enough issues to run a major news-stand.

Let's just summarise it as: ASD with co-morbid anxiety and sleep issues with a massive side order of depression.

I have some really bad days, sometimes. I can, have, and will get to the point where I need to make a pillow fort just to survive the day. BUT - on any given bad

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Challenge #00976-B245: Subverting the Assumptions.

The politics of light and dark are everywhere in our vocabulary… lightness and white is good and pure, black and darkness is corrupt and evil, the known is a safe and friendly comfort, the unknown is a strange and hostile thing to be feared…

So… subvert this, reveal whiteness and lightness as sometimes false and violent, and darkness as protective and healing, fear that which is known and find the unknown as natural and gentle, and so on.

(Prompt from ChaosWolf1982 on

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Random reason to love Steam Powered Giraffe #8

Today's reason: Li'l Steve.

Once upon a time in fandom past, a crafty member of the fanmily gave the band crocheted effigies of themselves. Most members of the band only played with them a little, and this happened:

But Steve "actually a dragon" Negrete developed an attachment to his yarn doppelganger. And has taken to animating his dolly and speaking for it in... The Adventures of Li'l Steve.

I'll link you the playlist:

Li'l Steve is a lot ruder and abrasive than

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