#especially eu and classic peeps

[daughter-of-the-clayr]

gods and godlike beings who don't seem to be part of the pantheon, a list as best I know it:

(focusing on nuwho and spin-offs bc I know them best, please feel free to add)

- eternals, any of

- guardians, black and white

- zellin and rakaya (strange, though they do seem to operate differently to the pantheon, who need to be invited in)

- satan (makes sense, he's a devil, not a god)

- abaddon (same deal)

- the captain (the parrot)

- any of the other osirans? is it possible sutekh ascended beyond osiran somehow? or was he always different?

- death, as seen in torchwood - maybe, considering that an argument could be made that that death was an outreach of sutekh. maybe the gauntlets were originally his?

- Time (who is explicitly more of a sentient force than a being)

- the bad wolf

[sonipanda]

“Girl it’s still winter” a lot of people are probably thinking, but in my head I want it to be summer already, and these pair have been patiently waiting for me, so I couldn’t put them off any longer!

I have to admit I shouldn’t be wearing sheer, as I am due a laser session soon and you can see small niggly hairs dotted around the legs. Not a good look I know, but thank goodness that short skirts are not allowed at work so I can get away with covering up those niggles as much as I can!

Now Mona is once again a new brand to me; I came across it on Amazon and thought I would give it a go!

About Mona

“MONA was established in 1994. The products of our company are manufactured from the highest quality raw materials such as: lycra, elastil, stretch and microfiber directly imported from Italy. Our wide range of products includes tights, stockings, leggings, overknee socks and many other articles in many colors for every season. With modern machines and control of the technological process, we can ensure our products high quality which is important to meet your requirements. MONA products are characterized not only by high quality, but also the precision of execution and fashionable style. In addition to classic styles MONA offers to its customers carefully selected seasonal patterns and colors in accordance with current fashion trends.

Built over the years our products range includes wide choice of products for kids and women. Our collections stand out in the market with colors and designs. Due to the high diversity of products each client can find something for themselves.”

– taken from their website

The Spec

Colour: Black

Size: Small

Denier: 15

Materials: 88% polyamide, 12% elastane

Price: £2.85

Website: Amazon – Exclusive T-Band Tights Mona “Dalia” -15 Denier

  My Outfit

Now what could I pair with sheers, that will cheer me up from grim day and still look fab? How about a white t-shirt tucked into a statement skirt and heels (of course!) I have done a similar outfit in this skirt when I had to review it along with a pair of Gatta Holdups (add link) so I thought I would bring it out once again but this time, but dress it brighter.

I left my hair down and kept my fringe back (I couldn’t be bothered with it this morning) and added small studs and off to work I go!

My Deets

T-Shirt: Dorothy Perkins

Skirt: Gatta

Tights: Mona

Heels: gifted via Amazon

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  The Review

From The Website: Elegant, soft and comfortable tights. Gentle T-band tights transparent, semi mat with the kickers part. The biggest advantage that T-band tights carry is that they do not have a potentially unsightly reinforced part that may hang out from under a miniskirt. T-band tights can be worn with leotards too. Thong leotards will still leave a section of the reinforced area visible, especially in the back (and often in front too near the crotch area) but you’ll probably agree that that is far from unsightly.Great for everyday and evening wear.

Very High Quality

15 Denier

poliamid 82% , elastan 18%

Dalia

Brand New in Box with Tag

Made from top quality materials in the EU

  The Packaging: so the front shows up close the waistband and some of the hosiery on the legs of the model. It gives you the brand name and the model including the size at the front, and then at the back, it goes into more detail:

“Thin exclusive tights, exceptionally female, perfectly transparent and adherent to body. They guarantee feeling of lightness and naturally deportment. Without top, with cotton gusset elegantly finished top”

My Little Opinion: Can Mona get someone to proof read the English or get an English translator!!! What the hell is all that about – exceptionally female?!

Once you get inside, you will see these neatly wrapped around cardboard and flat packed. I decided to just check them out before I get them on to see the quality; and I wasn’t too pleased.

I saw that these already had a few snags on them, and a small hole around the crotch area. Just to make it easier for you all to see, I slipped the cardboard inside so it could stand out (my camera always has a moment when the lighting is dark).

  Getting Them On: as these already have slight defects on them, you will need to take extra care getting them on the legs, so hosiery gloves are a must in this case. I did the scrunch and roll on both legs, taking extra care over anklets as these are quite delicate to touch (and I really don’t want any more snags!)

As I move up the legs, (and at this point the gloves are still on) I find that I managed to get more snags around the thighs! I mean what is up with these???

  On The Legs: now on the legs, these are great. They fit really well, have a gorgeous shine to them and feel amazing on too. They have a silk finish to them which means you’re legs won’t stay crossed for long!

The denier is just to die for being 15 – perfect for those who love to flaunt their legs and just want minimal coverage. I found it to be enough for cold days as I wouldn’t go any lower; I don’t want my legs to freeze off!

Now the quality I do have an issue with; to begin with they were snagged, getting them on they snagged and during the day they snagged. It’s a pair that is a one-off; wear the once and just chuck in the bin! I am pretty disappointed in these, but then again others in their brand could be much better.

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  The Toes & Ankles: so around the feet and toes, these are great! They have great coverage, and there is plenty of wiggle room in them too. I didn’t find any snags around this part (thank goodness!) so they’re good to go with peep toes and open toe shoes.

Around the ankles, these fit really well and are fine against anklets as long as they aren’t sharp or have any rough edges. I put mine to the test with my silver floral one as the clasp can sometimes catch, but they were all good today!

  The Waistband & Gusset: now this section is pretty interesting. When I got them out the packaging, I saw that these have the brand sewn in under the band itself, which is pretty cool!

The band itself is a nice thick one, which actually sits above the belly button, but the only bad thing is that you do feel it during the day. Normally a lot of bands, you find they sit lower and they’re comfortable to the point you question if they’re still holding up the hosiery, but I certainly felt it with these.

I won’t say it was digging in, but as it was quite high but not hitting chest level, it did dig in slightly when you’re sitting down. On the move it isn’t so bad.

Another little perk point is the design on the seams; I won’t show it fully on me, but they had a design on both sides which I thought was quite a nice touch.

The gusset is a plain cotton one; one that is soft and would be smooth and non-irritable against the skin.

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  My Thoughts?

As much as I love the denier and the way they look, I can’t say I would recommend these. I can’t believe how many snags I ended up with (especially as soon as it came out of the packaging) and the quality is pretty rubbish.

I think these would be a one-off and straight bin once you’re done to be quite frank; I wouldn’t invest in this pair if you wish to keep them for longer.

Sorry Mona but I do hope that your other models are better than this pair!

  Mona Dalia Sheer Tights “Girl it’s still winter” a lot of people are probably thinking, but in my head I want it to be summer already, and these pair have been patiently waiting for me, so I couldn’t put them off any longer!

[circular-time]

About "Koschei" and degrees of canon

I thought the name first appeared in Divided Loyalties, but I think it’s actually The Dark Path, a Virgin Missing Adventure published in 1997.

Doctor Who canon is very malleable, because it’s been going for over a half a century, nobody can consume let alone keep track of all of it, and various people in charge of it have given more or less of a damn about it and/or past eras.

As fans, our impression of canon is going to vary by the era we first watched on TV, what other EU stuff we enjoy the most (if we enjoy any), and our personal experience.

For ME, that’s:

The Pertwee to Davison era. Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy were my “new Who.” I’m not old enough to remember when the addition of the “12 regenerations” limit and the depiction of Gallifrey in The Deadly Assassin, The Invasion of Time, Arc of Infinity and The Five Doctors were controversial. Whereas Saward’s grimdark era and the Cartmel Masterplan still raise my hackles a bit, in the same way that RTD fans side-eye some of Moffat’s stuff. ;) 

Big Finish. Which has made me appreciate Colin Baker far more and accept the Eighth Doctor as adopted into Classic Who instead of Wilderness Years, a significant distinction for those of us crushed by the show’s cancellation in 1990. 

I have MAs in classics and mythology, with training in evaluating the authority, applicability and trustworthiness of certain texts. 

This has caused me to privilege TV Who, especially classic; it causes me to accept/resist EU Who based on how much it seems to fit the spirit and canon I remember; and it causes me to pay attention to behind-the-scenes creation of particular stories. I gauge “degrees of canon” partly according to how much a story was vetted by showrunners or crew working on TV production of Who. (Which is why I tend to regard Big Finish as a bit more canon-ish; the showrunners of classic Who aren’t usually involved, but the cast is, adding another subtle layer of vetting.)

That’s the short version. Here’s the long version. I have a lot of thoughts about degrees of canon and how to look at it. 

As a student of myth, I’m trained to notice when representations of a myth jibe or clash with the more common and popular versions of the myth, in art or ritual or text. 

There’s no “one true version,” but there are versions that get more or less at the heart of certain myths or mythological figures. There are certain versions that get told again and again, or that appear in art again and again, that are the common, default versions of the myth. And then there are versions presented by one particular artist or playwright or writer trying to deconstruct, reinterpret, spoof or embellish elements of the myth: they’re not wrong, and they’re often illuminating or insightful, but they shouldn’t be treated as typical. They’re fanfiction. Also, common perceptions of particular myths and mythological figures change over time, especially when new cultures adopt and adapt older things. Sometimes fanfiction ascends to the “default” version of a myth.

Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream has come a long way from Dionysos and Bacchus, but traces of his ancestry, even that tendency to disrupt and poke fun at the aristocrats of the city (see The Bacchai from the 5th century BCE), peep through. 

Doctor Who, to me, is not just a fictional character we’re treating as real with real history and backstory. He’s a mythological figure. So I’m more forgiving of details being jiggered around (as long as people don’t take them as The One True Version ™), as long as they don’t betray the basic spirit of the character or show. I try to remember that the myth has changed/evolved over time, but I sometimes react against newer elements that go against the grain of the myth I grew up with.

On the other hand, as a ex classics scholar (studying Greek and Roman history and culture, plus Egyptian because Egypt Is Cool), I can’t help but sweat the details, too.

Scholars of ancient literature try to determine which copies of a text are the most accurate, and which have details interpolated by centuries of scribal error, editorial comment slipped into the body of the text, passages rewritten by somebody who objected to something, or bits added by later writers to make a point or insert what he thought should be there. And that’s just whether one copy of a text is close to how it was originally written down.

The other question is whether the chap who first wrote it down (usually a chap, thanks to sexist literary traditions) knew bugger-all about what he was talking about and/or cared about being historically accurate (faithful to canon). 

Maybe he was an eyewitness or talked to eyewitnesses who may or may not have remembered details correctly. Maybe he lived at a later period, but was a general who knew military tactics, or a career politician who had access to official documents, or a scientist or someone with expert knowledge of the subject. Maybe he was Making Shit Up because it sounded good, or illustrated the point he was trying to make, or was entertaining, or was the sort of thing he thought the historical figures at that event might have said, since in those days people didn’t have cameras. Maybe he wasn’t a very good writer or didn’t care or didn’t know his subject matter but later scribes copied it because it was all they had to go on. And what’s come down to us is often written by later writers trying to pool together information from earlier, now lost sources, whose validity they had to weigh for themselves. EU writers, in other words.

How does that translate to Doctor Who?

I’m aware that early Who was mostly produced by people in a hurry to get the shows out, during a time when there was no easy way to look back at what had already been said (whether you were a writer or a fan) since tapes weren’t available or at least easy to get to. 1960s Who cast members have remarked that episodes in those days were thought to be ephemeral; they never expected fans to watch them again after their initial broadcast.

So they didn’t worry about rigorous consistency, until around the beginning of the color era. Even then, it was far more casual than now. There was no “canon bible,” no Wikis to consult. Producers/writers weren’t going back to check that their version of the Time Lords in The Five Doctors matched what we saw of them in The Three Doctors a decade earlier. But at least, all the way through the classic era, there was a continuous literary tradition, so to speak, of people who had worked on it earlier handing it down to those who came after.

The cancellation of classic Who establishes a huge “canon” and “post-canon” demarcation in my mind. Without a TV studio to advocate for the show or the BBC interested in maintaining it, nobody much was minding the store during the Wilderness Years.

Nowadays, Big Finish scripts, written mostly by fans and passed under the nose of Nicholas Briggs and at least one script editor who knows classic Who REALLY REALLY WELL, are sent to the Cardiff studio at the idea-proposal stage and at the finished-script stage, and they’ll sometimes be rejected or asked for a rewrite. I don’t know how involved Moffat himself is involved in that vetting, but that means every Big Finish story is subject to new Who AND classic Who continuity policing, a more rigorous editorial process than ever before.

That’s pretty canon-ish.

Whereas in the Wilderness Years, when the BBC had cancelled Who and didn’t intend to do anything with it ever again, there was little to no oversight. Some Virgin novels were damn fine fanfiction, written by professional writers who were also fans and knew more about classic Who than some of those who had actually worked on the TV show. But they were enjoying a certain amount of creative license which made for some amazing stories but which sometimes took pretty wide sweeping paths away from typical or primary canon. Besides which, a lot of the Wilderness Years material is now inaccessible to fans because those books are out of print.

Wilderness Years Who isn’t wrong, and many of the best bits have now been incorporated into TV and Big Finish canon, because fans who hung onto their love of Who through the Wilderness Years are now in charge of the show. So some of what started out as ascended fanfiction is now pretty much “canon-ish" (like President Romana). BUT. I am still wary of retroactively forcing details from the Wilderness Years onto classic Who TV episodes. Which is why I tend to chirp when the name “Koschei” shows up in discussions of the Pertwee era, or when people start going on about Looms in relation to Deadly Assassin, or Time Lords’ aversion to plants when discussing Arc of Infinity.

I am also somewhat wary of new Who retroactively rewriting classic Who stories. I don’t care (much) if Cybermen and Sontarans and Daleks and the Master and the Doctor are presented very differently in episodes now than they were then. It would be too cumbersome trying to be faithful to everything that went before! New Who had to start with an almost-clean slate and license to rewrite anything it wanted. And sometimes the new version is better-thought-out. That’s all perfectly fine in my book, although I grit my teeth sometimes when they jettison a bit of canon I loved.

BUT at the same time I object when they show clips of the past, real footage from classic episodes, and Photoshop it, so to speak, so that it looks different or reads differently than it did when it was broadcast. That’s not what happened, I scream internally. I resent “my” Who being misrepresented to modern fans. I want to understand and enjoy and discuss old Who stories as they were for their audience and their writers and their actors when they were first broadcast.

Mind you, newer interpretations/embellishments/fanon/fanfiction can be rewarding, enjoyable, and fascinating. They breathe new life into stories that would otherwise be pretty well fossilized by now. My blog is named for an EU audio that dared to throw an entirely new spin on the Fifth Doctor’s regeneration, which for fans my age is a fairly “sacred” moment of canon. BUT however much I love some of the EU, and however much it’s “headcanon fucking ACCEPTED,” it’s not quite the same as “original, classic Who canon,” so I won’t blur the two when discussing a classic Who story that aired on TV. 

And this is all my own VERY biased opinion.

Also, for the most part? I try not to dwell on what is or isn’t canon(ish), or what I dislike about the eras and parts of Who that don’t work for me. 

I’d much rather put my energy into discussing, sharing, and enthusing about the eras of the show I love most. And, yes, that includes coming up with fan theories and fanfiction of my own. Which isn’t canon. ;)