Daily Pilots Post: Animal Version

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

Right.  So.  I get to follow the Marvelous Ms. Bee.  I am jeneviverose  (aka Jen), and I will be your hostess this week for the Daily Pilot Posts.  Kudos to all the previous hostesses, and thank you so much!  Thinky thoughts!  Squee!  General Fun!  I'm gonna add some randomness to the mix.

So, pets are kind of on my mind at the moment.  Pets lead to animals in general.  When you consider that Pilots are pretty much always there, that leads to several questions.  First, the obvious.

1) What kinds of pets do you think Kara and Lee might have had (if their lives had allowed them) before the end of the worlds?

Second, I'm fascinated by the idea of totem animals.  Not in a "let's all pretend we're Native American and figure out which animals have lessons to teach us" way (although that does intrigue me, too, on an academic level), but more on a "which animals do we self-identify with and/or feel a special affinity for or connection to" kind of way.

2) So, which animals do you think Kara and Lee might have identified with most?  And which animals might they have liked most?

And finally, we all know that other often see us very differently than we see ourselves.

3) What kinds of animals do you think others might have identified with Kara and Lee? (And if you think different people saw them differently, who saw them as what?)

Comments

[dramaturgca.livejournal.com]

In my personal canon, Kara is a cat person, orange tabbies specifically. In actual canon, I think she's very likely a bigass dog person. Like... huskies or St. Bernards.

[lyras.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can imagine Kara with a St Bernard! Big and imposing, but also fluffy, a bit like her. :)

In my personal canon, everyone is a cat person.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of everyone being a cat person, but yeah. If we're going with traditional pets, she had a big dog.

[shah-of-blah.livejournal.com]

Kara would have a dog. A big one. One that likes to run around and bark at things.

But others might consider Kara to be cat-like. She's all independent. And has sharp claws.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

One that likes to run around and bark at things

Hee! Yup. Her playful side out for show. It would create a good excuse for her to be silly without losing the badass Starbuck image.

[cattm.livejournal.com]

In my mind, Kara would have a very excentric cat, one who lets almost noone close and comes and goes as it likes and is a bit unpredictable in both temper and habits, but will be very steadfast to the ones it does let close.

But then again, I'm very much a cat person myself, so that might influence me. :-)

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'm sure our own preferences are going to color the answers here. I'd love for Kara to be a cat person. And if she did have a cat, I agree that it would be an aloof and distant one.

[muddlingalong.livejournal.com]

I think Lee would have a goldfish if he had a pet, but more likely just plants. Aside from the whole military-could-be-away-for-long-periods thing (you can get someone to feed the fish or water the plants a whole lot easier than trying to convince a cat or dog its moved house for a while), I think there's something the orderliness that would appeal to Lee's sense of control. I can imagine him feeding the fish a very precise amount of food at the same time every day, and the same with watering the plants, and enjoying the structure and routine of it.

As for Kara, I'm not sure what kind of animal, but whatever it is it would have attitude. I think probably a rescue animal or a stray that she picked up somewhere. Ooooh, and it doesn't like most people (including Zak) but warms to Lee straight away.

[workerbee73.livejournal.com]

I can see fish for Lee. I don't think he really had any other pets growing up.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

As for Kara, I'm not sure what kind of animal, but whatever it is it would have attitude. I think probably a rescue animal or a stray that she picked up somewhere. Ooooh, and it doesn't like most people (including Zak) but warms to Lee straight away.

Definitely a shelter animal, and hee! To the detail about who it liked and who it didn't. :)

[owldark.livejournal.com]

1) I kinda see Lee as being a cat person, and Kara as being a dog person. Like others have mentioned I can see her with a massive dog, like a St Bernard. (cute!)

2) As for animals... hmmm.... I guess I associate them both strongly with flight... so I see Kara as a bird of prey - a hawk or something similar? Lee, not so hawkish... something smaller, swifter perhaps...

3) I think others might have seen Kara as a predator of some sort, slinky though... like a panther? *giggle* Lee... a bunny rabbit. No, just kidding.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

1) I kinda see Lee as being a cat person, and Kara as being a dog person. Like others have mentioned I can see her with a massive dog, like a St Bernard. (cute!)

Yeah, that's how I see them, too.

2) As for animals... hmmm.... I guess I associate them both strongly with flight... so I see Kara as a bird of prey - a hawk or something similar? Lee, not so hawkish... something smaller, swifter perhaps...

Maybe an osprey or... Oooh... A Heron. Dignified, graceful in flight or on the ground, but a little awkward in between.

3) Lee... a bunny rabbit. No, just kidding.

Hee!

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

Kara's Pet: I agree with most others, Kara would have a big-ass dog that looked tough on the outside, but was actually a sweetheart (a female pit maybe?).

Lee's Pet: I like the version of Lee in a fic I recently read, Dark Days of Apollo, where as a child he would find injured pets and bring them back to health. I imagine his awful mother disallowing pets because they're dirty and messy and "I won't have those things in my house" kind of vibe. As an adult, I don't think he'd have a pet b/c he'd be concerned about them spending too much time alone while he was on duty. He would volunteer at an animal shelter, I bet. (Hmmm...how'd this get to be so detailed? Muse?)

Pet Like Kara: I don't see Kara as a cat because she's not really graceful (except when flying), she's in your face but has a great sense of humor -- maybe a big black lab, one that's slightly too rambunctious and tends to drag her along because it's so excited to play.

Pet Like Lee: I see Lee more like a cat, maybe a siamese, one that's not too friendly, kind of a loner, but enjoys affection. I think there's probably a better animal for Lee, but I'll have to think about it.

Other's Pet for Kara: I'd say a lion, king(queen) of the jungle, someone you don't necessarily like but do respect because of their skill (and you want her on your team). But don't get too close...

Other's Pet for Lee: Probably a prissy cat with good hunting skills. Hee.

What a fun question!!

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

I like the version of Lee in a fic I recently read, Dark Days of Apollo, where as a child he would find injured pets and bring them back to health.

Aw! I like this version, too.

Kara is totally a Black Lab. Or some mutt that has Black Lab in the mix.

Other's Pet for Lee: Probably a prissy cat with good hunting skills. Hee.

LOL! So Lee is a particularly fierce Persian? Probably a white one, at that. Maybe gray. ;)

[ninjamonkey73.livejournal.com]

1) What kinds of pets do you think Kara and Lee might have had (if their lives had allowed them) before the end of the worlds?

I agree with muddlingalong that Kara probably would have fed a stray cat she considered hers. One of those fiercely independent, may not even show up some nights kind of strays that would sometimes curl up in her lap on the fire escape and allow Kara to "own" it briefly.

For Lee, I agree with dramaturgca and the goofy retriever. While I can see the whole fish/orderly thing, I like to think that Lee has this suppressed playful streak that he would only allow out while playing with his goofy dog.

2) So, which animals do you think Kara and Lee might have identified with most? And which animals might they have liked most?

For Kara, I have to go with wolf. A predator in and out of a pack, strong, fearsome, all the things Kara wants Starbuck to represent. Lee, on the other hand, is harder for me to nail down. I think he would consider Apollo to be a Doberman- loyal, with the ability to be fierce. In both cases, though, I think they identify with animals for just their call sign personas. In my fanon, neither of them really likes their non-callsign selves enough to think about it, but they would have put a lot of thought into who Starbuck and Apollo are.

3) What kinds of animals do you think others might have identified with Kara and Lee? (And if you think different people saw them differently, who saw them as what?)

This is interesting to consider. For Kara, Sam might go praying mantis, since she had a tendency to... wait for it... bite his head off after sex! (I amuse myself.) In general, Galactica probably saw her as a lioness, a natural leader, slightly maternal (whether she thought it of herself or not), and dangerous.

For Lee, I think the other might consider him a bear- a strong and cunning fighter that dominates the room.

More importantly, though, I think Kara would consider Lee a hawk- a loner, soaring above everyone. And Lee associates Kara with a panther- attacking from a well-guarded position, violent and beautiful.

This was FUN!

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

I could totally see Lee getting into having a goofy, sweet, playful dog. Again, it would give him an excuse to act silly without risking the Apollo persona.

I find the idea that they'd identify animals with their callsign persona's, but not their actual selves, extremely intriguing. And probably true.

I think Kara would consider Lee a hawk- a loner, soaring above everyone. And Lee associates Kara with a panther- attacking from a well-guarded position, violent and beautiful.

Those are a couple of really fabulous images.

[workerbee73.livejournal.com]

WOMBAT.

My answer to everything. *g*


kidding! I'll be back later with some proper guesses. ; )

[ninjamonkey73.livejournal.com]

Good generic answer! I see your wombat and raise you one capybara:



There is nothing quite like a dog-sized, guinea pig-looking bit of fur to make me smile.

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

Echoing a large portion of the comments above, if Kara's got a dog, I see her having a bigass German shepherd or something-- a big dog that would make a good running buddy, that's protective but still social, and secretly thinks he's a lapdog. (I love it when big dogs do that. It's so adorable. "I'm totally the size of your lap! All million pounds of me! Move over!")

[workerbee73.livejournal.com]

Hee. Sounds like our new baby puppy. 86 pounds-- all lapdog. *g*

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Kara would have... a Rottweiler. (Or maybe a Boxer.)

Lee would have... a Siamese cat that treated him terribly. It wasn't his, it was a former girlfriend's that he "inherited" when she dumped him, and he felt too bad to get rid of it.

People see Kara and think....Tigress.

People see Lee and think... hmmm... I really am not sure.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

Poor Lee with the abandoned pet he can't abandon back. He always gets the short end of the stick, doesn't he?

People see Lee and think... hmmm... I really am not sure.

I'm kind of surprised how hard a time I'm having with that one, too. I mean, connections and similarities can be found, but it's more a matter of looking for them than having them jump out at me and be automatically obvious.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

1) What kinds of pets do you think Kara and Lee might have had (if their lives had allowed them) before the end of the worlds?

I actually kind of wonder if Kara might have had a reptile or lizard (http://www.discoveringpetlizards.com/2007/08/discovering-pet-lizards-bearded-dragons.html) of some sort. Something she could possibly ignore for a while if she was very involved with a project.

Lee, I actually imagine would have had both a cat and a song bird. And he would have figured out how to get them to get along. Or found the perfect place for the birdcage so that the cat couldn't bother it.

2) So, which animals do you think Kara and Lee might have identified with most? And which animals might they have liked most?

I think Lee might have particularly liked Otters, because they look so carefree and playful, and I think he would have envied that. I think he probably would have identified more with a chameleon, though. Constantly trying to make himself look like something he doesn't believe he is.

I think Kara often felt like a gerbil, stuck in one of their balls, constantly running, but never able to get out. :( But I could see her being drawn to hawks or falcons -- birds of prey. Because they're so fierce and free.

3) What kinds of animals do you think others might have identified with Kara and Lee? (And if you think different people saw them differently, who saw them as what?)

I agree with most of you re: Kara. She has a kind of feral feline vibe that makes me think of a big hunting cat. I think lion, or maybe Cheetah. But probably a lion, because she does seem to hunt well as part of a group.

Lee... is harder. And maybe that's because he's such a dichotomy. So cold and hard and formal and prissy, but also fierce and sometimes almost frighteningly intelligent. It's like he suddenly changes from a poodle to a wolf, and you never know when the change is going to happen.

[rdave1.livejournal.com]

It's like he suddenly changes from a poodle to a wolf, and you never know when the change is going to happen.

Kinda life a wolf in sheep's clothing!

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

I took the quiz What Animal Are You

As Lee

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

As Kara

[eugis.livejournal.com]

For some reason I think they're both dog people. Kara would have a big dog, maybe a St. Bernard or a German Shepherd or a Weimaraner. And Lee would have a goofy, playful, sweet dog like a Lab or a Golden Retriever.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

I can see both of those. And I can see them both being highly amused by the other one's dog, too.

I wonder if their dogs would get along with each other, though...

[rdave1.livejournal.com]

I agree with Eugie for some reason I see both of them having dogs as well. I can see them having a cat if they had a kid, I don't why.

They both are very active people so they could take their dog on their runs with them and in a weird way dogs are very protective of their owners. Not that either of them need protecting but it's nice to be protected rather then protecting everyone else all the time.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

Not that either of them need protecting but it's nice to be protected rather then protecting everyone else all the time.

Isn't that the truth!

[rayruz.livejournal.com]

I just got this strange vision of Kara with something like... an Aussie. They look like they're patched together from so many different kinds of dogs, not one whole, almost cobbled together... and it sort of feels like this assembled life, Kara who gets what she needs from where she can get it... I dunno... that image just came to me.

ETA: I'm just thinking about Kara's childhood without a pet. It would suuuuck. I'm thinking about Faith (from Buffy's) monologue about how her mother never let her have a dog... something to love... of course that monologue was done in the creepiest way possible but it felt analogous... I may have to do more StWhC outtakes or something now.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

I really like that image. Patchwork Kara with the patchwork dog. **sniff**

re: your ETA... I approve of this plan. :-D

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

I'll pitch in...

Types of pets they'd have as kids:

I really like the idea someone raised above about whatever pets Lee winds up with being someone else's originally, and that he gets stuck with them because he's the responsible one. I totally see this happening with Zak when they were kids. I can imagine Zak bringing home all kinds of awful things that appeal to boys of a certain age - little snakes, toads, maybe a mouse. And he would think they were so cool and show them off to Lee but be totally incapable of keeping them fed and contained. And Lee just knows that if his mom ever finds out these things are in the house they will both be so dead. So he handles the emergency escapes and spends way too much time crawling around the floor hoping to corral the mouse before the snake finds it, etc. I can see his neat-freak proclivities being born through this little gauntlet; always put your shoes somewhere elevated and always check your sheets before you hop in bed :)

Kara definitely wasn't allowed any pets, but I agree she likes dogs, though I think she would hate keeping birds caged as pets for years on end ~ it would be cruel.

What kind of animal do they identify with?:

Kara - a falcon, I agree.

Lee - I don't think Lee defines himself by flying the way Kara does. And the thing is, in moments of crisis when other people might be visualizing themselves as tigers or eagles or whatever other image might motivate them, Lee totally talks to himself as a person ~ a person who really needs to not screw up for the next few seconds. Lee thinks of himself as completely human. He has no totem; I don't think he even thinks of himself as Apollo that often, to be honest. Not in battle, anyway, though moreso when he's being CAG or Commander or deliberately setting out to lead people. He's never fooled by his own persona, and I think he's even mildly annoyed by it. The look on his face when Roslin calls him "Captain Apollo" at the end of Bastille Day is one of resignation, not recognition. But I digress...

How would other people see them:

Kara - I love the lion analogies, but I'll add in this: there's something kind of horsey about Kara. I love horses, they're my favorite animal, and I can see their grace, and gregariousness, and need to run, and high-strung temperament in her.

Lee - I think people see him as golden - maybe a golden condor?
And I don't know why, but I think Kara sees him as very cat-like.

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

in moments of crisis when other people might be visualizing themselves as tigers or eagles or whatever other image might motivate them, Lee totally talks to himself as a person

You're right. And I think that's how he comes across to others, too. He's a person -- no more and no less.

[christ-chexx-4u.livejournal.com]

i just cant believe no one's mentioned pidgeons...

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

I think we've tried to expunge that from our collective memories. But yes. Kara's totem is obviously the pigeon, not the hawk.