Evan, IN It is your Destiny...'s Way.

Jacen returns to life, Jaina (like most women) considers herself a god, Luke and Mara make vague sexual references, and the New Republic actually wins a battle!

Yes, folks, it's Destiny's Way. One of the redeeming NJO novels. We'll be discussing, dissecting, or possibly demolishing this book at our next installment of.....(wait for it....)....BOOK CLUB! (You know, we really need a catchier name for this.)

Anyway, 6:30 on Tuesday, July 29th at Barnes and Noble, probably the upstairs corner. See ya there.

 

We can make up a name at the meeting

Oh, and wouldn't Jaina (like most women) be considering herself a goddess? ?

Oyah, nearly forgot: There's nothing vague about the sex talk in this one

 

Yeah, but the word goddess has an almost positive conotation (beautiful, etc.) that I was looking to avoid. I wanted to emphasize the negative aspect of women thinking they are deities ("Do what I say NOW!) so I chose to use the word god instead. Deal with it.

 

Barring any really bad things happening, Admiral Ackbar's biggest fan will be there! As those of you know, Ackbar makes his big come back in this book. For that reason alone, this book should be gold plated or something!


ACKBARS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tootles,

Steve

 

Yes, I see that, however as she isn't male, she can't very well be a god, can she? Deity would be a better word, perhaps, however 'god' does not fit in any way, shape or form ...

Or is this a debate topic for the club? 'Adam's lack of proper vocabulary'?

 

We can check with the English major (he's never around when you need him...), but I think saying "a god" would still be proper here. After all one can refer to the Greek gods without having to say "Greek gods and goddesses" all the time. By the same token I can call my female dog a dog and it still be proper. While I can use the more specific word b*tch (edited for TOS compliance), it is not necessary. Furthermore, the Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the noun god as:

a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship; specifically : one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality

Note that gender is not included anywhere in the definition.

The definition for goddess is:

a female god

Which goes back to my dog analogy since the definition of b*tch is:

a female dog

I hope this in some small way helps to eradicate your ignorance.

Let the verbal war begin...

 

Adam, if you're going to post that, you have to * out every letter

 

Here's the rule, or at least the way it was before political correctness: shes can be hes, but hes can't be shes. To put it more technically, the masculine gender in English is the "default" gender. Essentially what that means is, if you don't know the gender of the subject to whom you refer, or if said subject is a multigendered group (i.e. Greek gods), you should use the masculine. Thus, the old rule: "If you don't know, assume the masculine."

In this case, the gender is known, so by the strictest rules, Adam referring to Jaina as a god is equivalent to him refering to his wife as "he," which I pray to all that is holy he never does. However, in common spoken and written usage, "god" can generally be used to refer to a woman. This is a similar case to "hero" and "heroine." But, "heroine" has gone a bit farther in that it has nearly fallen out of the language completely, whereas goddess is still used, albeit generally to refer to one of beauty rather than a female supernatural being. Considering I've seen numerous reports calling Jessica Lynch a hero, and considering that Adam was using the masculine in this case specifically to avoid invoking an inappropirate connotation, I'd have to side with him.

To sum up, given the casual nature of message board posts, I see no problem with Adam's usage of "god." However, Stackpole is technically correct, and were this a college paper or a more serious medium, I would side with him. And yes, I know this is an inane topic to post on, but I've got to use my degree for something--it's certainly not going to get me a job.

 

Well, there we have it. We're both kack asses

(yes, that's intentional)

 

I can tell that this is going to be a.....unique meeting. For the headache that reading these posts have given me, I'm going to make sure to buy some STAR TREK novels and put them right on the table in front of everyone

Later,

Steve

 

Stackpole, I propose a truce so we can both beat the crap out of the Trekkie. Agreed?

 

Agreed. *draws lightsabre and blastsword* Time for the Trekkie to die

 

Watch out! He's got a phaser!!!

And a photon torpedo!

Silly Trekkie, doesn't he know it's really a proton torpedo?

 

*beats Trekkie with a football*

Oh, that's a foul, and it may be a card here ... yes, that's a booking, he's been given the yellow card for picking up the football with his hands and beating the Trekkie about the face with it!

 

Look what happens... I leave for a few days and the crime rate on the boards skyrockets.

 

GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Steve,

I hope you know this was meant in fun. You know, a little fun at the expense of the guy who watches the "other" show.

We only kid you because we think we know you well enough too. No offense intended.

Later,
Scott

 

Thanks, Scott, for clearing that up. Now, back to the frivolity

*performs the Fish-Slapping Dance to the tune of 'Diamond Dogs'*

 

I ate at the Hard Rock in Indy and our table was right next to David Bowie's suit he wore on his 87 tour!

EDIT: I can not spell...

 

Good grief of course I know you were kidding - otherwise, I wouldn't have quoted William Shatner from that episode of Saturday Night Live back in the 80's!!!!! If someone hadn't poked some fun, I would have been sourly disappointed. Also, after having worked in banking over the last 12 years, I can safely say that it takes a whole lot more to offend me!

See ya tomorrow!

Steve S.

 

See, due to the fact we aren't fans of that ginormous piece of crap series, none of us quite got that ... erm, d'you call that a 'joke'?

 

Hey, Stackpole:

First, good luck in college next year.

Second, I'm going to have dinner, then reply

 

Okay, I've eaten and can now reply to young Mr. Stackpole's delightful and insightful post

Sadly, I am still getting the hang of using the little faces to denote if a post is serious or not. "Get a life", I thought, was universally considered a joke as it is virtually impossible for someone currently living to be without a life Thankfully, Adam was kind enough to give me a crash course in the boards last night at the meeting. Thanks - Adam.

Now, I would like to clarify one thing. I am first, a fan of science fiction - not just SW or ST or B5 or whatever. Frankly, I get more enjoyment out of a good "non franchise" novel or the latest editon of Analog or Asimov's Science Fiction magazine than any of the recent movies that I've seen.

Science Fiction is a very mis-understood genre, even after over 100 years. Indeed, many "scholars" still don't even recognize it as legitimate. I try very hard to look at what's out there and try to find the good in all Science Fiction (yes, it is sometimes hard to do). I do this because when one Science Fiction project is bad, it hurts all current or future projects since the mindset of most non fans is that it is all the same. This is not to say that we should not have constructive comments about a particular project. However, "piece of crap" hardly qualifies as constructive. But, I suppose I can overlook it, coming from one soooo young.

Once again, have a great year at school! I have a feeling that you, in all seriousness, are one of the students that the professors enjoy having in class because you're not afraid to speak your mind. Believe it or not, the good professors like that more than the quiet and agreeable types! I'm not a professor but I will say that people who speak their minds are the kinds of people that I enjoy conversing with the most.

Good luck!

Pals,

SMS

 

I too had a great time last night. Thanks to everyone who showed up and shared their insights on everything star wars.

Your Pal

Jammies

 

*smirks* Thanks guys.

Oh, you have to put a space before the face if you want to put it at the beginning of the post.