Struggles, Humanity, and Everything That Sucks

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

Hello shippers! Sorry for the delay in posting today - I have been caught up in a flurry of fic writing for the Lee Adama Ficathon and have barely remembered to even eat. But thanks to taragel's gentle nudge, I am here now, so please come out and play.

Today's Topic: Struggles, Humanity, and Everything that Sucks

Battlestar Galactica is one of the darkest shows that has ever aired on television (source: me) and it tackled themes of nuclear holocaust, racial annihilation, child trafficking, cancer, war, death, injury, post-traumatic stress, depression, suicide, hopelessness and much more. But it did it often with a storytelling technique that was compelling and engendered hope and love for the characters in the show (or at least most of them, bc we all have those we don't like).

Today, my questions are about the difficult themes of the show, the struggles, and the things that suck and how they relate to pilots. (What?)

To clarify, I want to know how you connected to Kara and Lee and their individual and/or relationship struggles in the show. I want to know what aspects of each of those characters, separately and together, drew you in and never let go? And I don't mean the things you love, because those are many, but instead the difficult and painful struggles that each of them faced. How did and do you relate to those themes?

You can be as personal or as vague as you like, and you can post anonymously if you like, too.

If you don't want to share personally, that's totally fine of course, but maybe you can talk about the individual and/or relationship struggles that you find particularly compelling to read or write in fic. What attracts you to them?

What challenges do you love to see them struggle with and overcome (in fic or in canon)? Or maybe you like the idea that they don't tie everything in a neat little bow and like the messiness of their lives.

Also, what challenges did they have that you saw them actually overcome in canon? Any? None? You tell me. What do you think?

Tell us everything, shippers. Everyone else, please chime in and begin a conversation. I'm excited to peel the onion!

Comments

[word-vomity.livejournal.com]

Kara is absurdity and ridiculousness. She's impossible to put your finger on. Very much a fluid character that's born anew with every passing moment. She's always so, so, so many conflicting things. I am very much drawn to people like this. That you want to understand but can never really grab onto. I always feel like that is true of me as well. Anytime someone asks me to describe myself, I can't because any word I use, I immediately feel the need to then use its foil, and then what the hell's the point of even trying. And that's so very Kara too. She is all the things! There is no grand puzzle that will eventually all come together and explain who/how she is. She's just a jumble of nonsense and passion and life.

I can't really contemplate Kara without then becoming consumed by absurdist & nonsense notions of Dr. Seuss, Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll & Shel Silverstein.

She steps up to reject the absurd reality with which she faced and instead creates a new paradigm for herself. For herself only. Imposes it on nobody and lives her life and lets others live theirs. (mostly) It's why she is able to keep going after the many horrors that befall her. Because when you have no demands upon the world around you to be any way but however it is, it's easy to ride whatever waves it sends.

It's not THAT she breaks rules and is such a bad-ass (that's been done before), it WHY she breaks them that endears her so much to me. Because they are hollow rules. Man-made. Manipulative. Applicable only to the masses that require control and outside governance. She's really quite the philosopher when you get down to it.

Then you put someone like that into a position of power over others? There's just so much richness to explore in that. I relate to it from a volleyball coaching standpoint. When I began, I felt the such a fraud by telling these kids how to act and what's important and how much they needed care about something that is, when you get right down to it, not all that important. It's just not my natural way to be in charge of others because I don't really think that people should need other people in charge of them and the adjustment was very much a process that was hilarious and weird for me and then also, to see in her. Because she does it well! Somehow, she adjusts.

That's why her religious bent always strikes me strangely. It seems so silly for her character (I don't mean that as a slight on religion so don't get mad at me please). But then, that makes sense too. Because she doesn't follow one overarching world-view with neat pieces that fit together.

This is so rambly and I don't think I explained it well at all. Lol! Sorry all!

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think this is one of the most interesting and thought-provoking descriptions of Kara I have ever read. You've captured so many things about her that often elude me. Bravo!

[word-vomity.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks! Glad it wasn't the pure gibberish I'd thought it was. even a broken clock you know... :-)