Doctor Who--"The Nature of the Infection" by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman posts a short essay, written in 2003, about Doctor Who called The Nature of the Infection. It's an absolutely wonderful recollection of a 60s Doctor Who fan and is, to me, even more interesting since I came to the show much later, both in age and in years. (Although I'd seen the show when it was first experimentally run in the US during the mid-70s, I don't remember actively watching it until the early '80s, maybe 1982 when I was 10.)

It's a wonderful essay and really does illustrate one of, I think, the primary attractions of the show for youngsters (and some oldsters!). I'd never thought about it before, but Neil's absolutely right! (Except about Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker being "actors who played" the Doctor. That's everyone after Tom Baker who's that! Showing my--lack of--age there....) :-)

Go. Read. Especially if you don't get the appeal of the show--this might help you understand....

Huh.

Well, even though I'm a bit leery of these things after that LJ Axis mess, what the hey. I found this interesting because a) it didn't make me a bard like most of the rest of you and b. I've never played this alignment before (I think), nor the primary class. (People, feel free to correct me if my memory's off.) I'm still maintaining that something's screwy, though, since I pretty much answered none of the questions with any kind of "nature" answer. (In fact, I went "urban" on most of 'em...)

I Am A: Lawful Neutral Elf Ranger Druid


Alignment:
Lawful Neutral characters believe in the triumph of law and order above all else. It does not matter whether the leader is for good or evil; the leader will be followed, because the order they provide is the most important thing.


Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.


Primary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.


Secondary Class:
Druids are a special variety of Cleric who serves the Earth, and can call upon the power in the earth to accomplish their goals. They tend to be somewhat fanatical about defending natural settings.


Find out What D&D Character You Are, courtesy of Zinious Software corporation

Alexander Wanderer....

A co-worker (who knew I'd care) just came up and let me know that Lloyd Alexander has passed away. I haven't gone looking for articles/obits/anything yet; maybe later today I'll add some links here with more information. But I knew a bunch of you would care too, so I thought I should let you know.

UPDATE: As promised, here's a very good obituary from the Washington Post that covers LA's life and work in detail. It's fairly obvious that this was one of those "prepared in advance and ready to be tweaked and run" obits, which helps it be more informative and complete, I guess.

By the way, if you're only familiar with his Prydain novels, you should really give some of his other childrens books a try. I read a few of them a number of years ago and found them to be fun and charming.

sigh.