🚀 go-pugleaf

Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:

>On Thu, 11 May 2006 16:57:59 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg, Xocyll wrote:
>
>>Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
>>the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:
>>
>>>On Thu, 11 May 2006 08:49:22 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg,
>>>gray.wizard@moria.mines wrote: 
>>>
>>>>On Wed, 10 May 2006 20:54:51 -0500, Zaghadka <zagh...@hotmail.com>
>>>>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>an outlaw, and hers, as a "space hooker" are seen by our real world culture in
>>>>
>>>>I think in the parlance of today's youth that would be a 'stank ho'.
>>>>
>>>>Actually, she's more along the lines of a Beverly Hills high-priced
>>>>call girl a la Heidi Fleiss or the Mayflower Madam, but I just wanted
>>>>to say stank ho. :)
>>>>
>>>No way. Inara is MUCH more respected by her society. What she's doing isn't
>>>even considered prostitution by the Alliance. It *is* by Mal. That's what makes
>>>it so interesting. The society she lives in reveres her as a priestess, but the
>>>main character has *our* sensabilities. The show seems to have the Alliance's
>>>understanding of "companions," frequently making Mal look like an unwashed hick
>>>in comparison. I found it the boldest, and most dangerous, thing the show did.
>>
>>Ya know, I sometimes got the feeling that Mal was doing it deliberately
>>- keeping her at a distance.
>>
>Well of course. She was the _allure_ of the Alliance. All the things that were
>good about it. The "culture" that he had left behind.
>
>Until he came to terms with a life of defeat, he had to keep her at arms
>length. He had to stop fighting the war before he could have her.
>
>Great character interaction, and Inara's "noble prostitute" character was just
>strange enough to us as viewers to make it work.
>
>>>>>No. The "leaf in the wind" stuff was just vaguely Zen and had nothing to do
>>>>>with the TV series. A lot of people liked that line. I, too, hated it.
>>>>
>>>>It's been my experience that the people who usually hate that 'leaf in
>>>>the wind' line usually lead very anti-Zen lives. Is that you, Zag? ;)
>>>
>>>Not specifically *anti* Zen, but I find emotion to be a useful, and
>>>ungovernable, experience, so Zen has little appeal. If I relate to any Eastern
>>>philosophy, it's Daoism.
>>>
>>>Besides, the character just sounded fruity saying it. Shepard Booke could get
>>>away with that line, not Wash! It was like Wheedon was the one speaking and not
>>>the character. It didn't make sense and the way he delivered the line
>>>demonstrated that. To me, it sounded like he didn't understand *why* he was
>>>saying it. He may as well have started saying "OM."
>>
>>I didn't get that feel at all.
>>He's a pilot heading into one hell of a shitstorm when he says that.
>>And, like a leaf on the wind, serenity twisted and turned and soared.
>>
>Yeah, but you sure as *fuck* don't say something like that when you are a
>pilot! He's driving that leaf!

Exactly - he's going to take that ship and zip and turn and go in
unexpected direction just like, a leaf on the wind being flipped around
by stray gusts.

>The surrender of control implied by the line, combined with the look of extreme
>concentration on his face, was complete disconnect for me.

It's nothing about surrender of control, it's a straight statement of
how he's going to be handling the ship.

Remember the other part of that line;  "Watch how I soar."

>>The funny bit was when he said "Don't worry, I'm a leaf on the wind" and
>>Mal replied "But what does that mean?" in an exasperated voice.
>>
>Exactly. I was asking the same question.
>
>>As for getting away with silly lines, do recall that this is a guy that
>>plays with plastic dinosaurs at his station.
>>
>LOL. It's just a show. It dinnae work for me. As someone who at least games as
>an aircraft pilot, you are never saying "I am a leaf in the wind" in that
>situation. You are either gripping your rosaries for all you're worth, or
>shouting "EJECT EJECT EJECT!"

Remember the start bit of the movie with him and the line (from memory
so probably not exactly right.)
Wash: "If Kaylee doesn't give us some more flow to offset the burn
through, this is going to get pretty interesting"
Mal: Define interesting.
Wash: Oh God, Oh God, we're all going to die.

Sure doesn't sound like he's the type to be worried about a crash- he
seems pretty damn sure of his ability.

Not to mention the various bits throughout the season showing that he's
not a good pilot, he's beyond exceptional.
The crazy Ivan, the dodging through canyons in the Message, the return
to space station under no power in War games, etc.

He's not flying a stunt craft or military ship, he's doing all that in
an aging freighter.

Xocyll
-- 
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr