On finally pinning down her voice - Canon is John Carter/Princess of Mars

[barsoombamf]

I am glad to know that finishing the tome in which I am featured gives you more confidence in my voice. You wavered before but now you seem more certain.

[Though now it seems your past voice was way out of character...]

You live and learn - I believe is the Jasoom saying, yes? You lacked the knowledge before, but you have it now - so put it to use!

Fear not, all will be well.

Comments

[celestial_wizard]

A lot of people that have us muses in their heads kind of tend to be nervous the first time around. I'm glad yours is feeling more confident in your voice though~!

[barsoombamf]

As am I - there are so many differences between my literary self and my film adaptation - it seems my scribe struggled to find balance between them for a time.

[celestial_wizard]

Are the two versions of you very different?

[barsoombamf]

I believe the Jasoom phrase 'the devil is in the details' summarizes it quite well. For the most part both versions are the same, but there are details overlooked by the film version that are drastically important.

[celestial_wizard]

Ah, yeah, that does seem to be the way of it. Whenever book to film movies happen, the people responsible tend to leave out important details to save on time, or they just..change things to suit their own interests. My mun was complaining about that same thing not too long ago - only it was a manga to anime adaptation.

[barsoombamf]

I suppose it just becomes a matter of the scribes becoming familiar with both versions and meeting in the middle for consistency's sake. If there is abundant source material, the scribes should attempt to familiarize themselves with all of it - at least as much as they can. That way they can best portray our voices.

[celestial_wizard]

Right. [ She laughs. ] Although in some cases they might ignore certain points completely, if they don't agree with the creator's view or think it was executed poorly.. provided it isn't a major point in someone's voice, anyway.

[barsoombamf]

Ah...that seems like it would undermine the integrity of a character's voice. Taking away key details and keeping only what they desire, it seems so wrong.

[celestial_wizard]

Not necessarily. It depends on what it is that people avoid, and why, I think. I've seen it happen with my mun's other muse, and one of her friends, although the only thing they disregard is a poorly written relationship that seemed to come out of nowhere, or that they found "creepy". And my mun hates feeling like she's pushed into having 'canon relationships' if she can't see it happening naturally or logically, so she tends to avoid the whole subject of them altogether. She likes subtle 'grow to that point' more than the 'it's this way because I wrote it this way' type of relationships.

It's not as bad as what I've seen other people do though - a character isn't defined by who they're involved with, after all. Most of the time, if not all the time, romantic relationships can be omitted entirely from a canon anyway, if the story is compelling enough on its own.

[barsoombamf]

Mm...very true - though one of the main things that was changed about my voice did indeed involve my romantic background. Though my scribe's latest change made sense in that case.

[celestial_wizard]

That's good then, your scribe is one of the good ones if it made sense. But then you're history is from a written medium, right? Scribes usually have more time to create and build up romantic relationships than people in visual media, especially if they're pressed for time.

[barsoombamf]

Written medium and a film, yes - you have an excellent point in that. I hadn't considered that fact. It does indeed make sense.

[madangry_madcrazy]

... Jasoom?

[barsoombamf]

It is the word my people use for the planet 'Earth'.

[madangry_madcrazy]

So where do you come from, if not Jasoo--Earth?

[barsoombamf]

Barsoom - though I believe the Earth term is 'Mars'.

[madangry_madcrazy]

Huh, I always thought Mars was dry and barren.

[barsoombamf]

Most do - and with good reason. Most of the planet is indeed desert wasteland. But we've developed devices to generate oxygen around the planet, created water irrigation channels, and many other scientific advancements.

[madangry_madcrazy]

Other scientific advancements, you say? Please tell me more.

[barsoombamf]

Hmm...where to begin...

Well, in the first place, on Jasoom you rely on the energy known as electricity, do you not? On Barsoom we rely mostly on solar energy; our homes and palaces are powered by it, as are our weapons and war machines.

[madangry_madcrazy]

Well we do technically have solar power, I guess. It's just that it's converted into electricity. We're nowhere near capable of powering war machines with it though.

So is this energy free? I'm just wondering because I have a tendency to rack up quite the electrical bill each month.

[barsoombamf]

[She laughs softly.]

No, we don't pay for it. Everyone needs it so everyone gets it.

[madangry_madcrazy]

I don't suppose you happen to have any spare Martian technology on you?

[barsoombamf]

[Another laugh from the Martian princess.]

Apologies, but I do not. Technology on Barsoom is rather large, though I know on Jasoom by comparison specializes in being more compact.

[madangry_madcrazy]

[The mad scientist pouts disappointedly, though only for a moment.]

Oh. Oh well.

[It was worth a try.]

What do Martians do for fun?

[barsoombamf]

Fun? Hmm...well we do a great deal of things similar to what Jasoomians do. We have games, hobbies, and the like, just ours are a bit different.

Lots of dice games, and we focus a great deal on geology, comparing stones and their properties.

Society of my kingdom in particular, Helium, is rather science-based. We research various subjects heavily and focus on betterment of our way of life.

[madangry_madcrazy]

Helium and geology. Huh.

[barsoombamf]

Yes - Helium being the name of my kingdom, not to be confused with the element, of course.

And with regard to geology, there are many precious stones beneath the surface of Barsoom. As Helium is known for its beautiful women and fine craftsmanship, we mine many of the stones ourselves.

[madangry_madcrazy]

Your kingdom is know for its beautiful women? Heh, no wonder you're queen then.

[The mad scientist laughs softly to himself before clearing his throat and composing himself.]

Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help it. So Mars has lots of valuable precious stones? What about metals?

[barsoombamf]

[That gets a giggle and even a slight blush out of Dejah.]

You're kind, but I am the princess only.

But yes, precious stones and fine metals are staples of all the tribes of Barsoom. Even the barbaric Thark tribes find importance and even worship in the metals of Barsoom.

[madangry_madcrazy]

Oooh, what sort of metals are we talking about? Maybe I could trade for some? What do you use to trade with anyway? Do you have some sort of monetary system?

[barsoombamf]

[Dejah holds up her necklace. The gold glittering in the light.]

Gold is the main metal we use. There is some silver and iron is often used by the Tharks for armor. We have no monetary units as you do, we use mainly the barter system for our trade.

[madangry_madcrazy]

[His lips part in a wide, toothy grin.]

Ooh, that's very lovely. How valuable is gold on your planet? What would I have to pay if I wanted to barter for it? Oh, and do you have steel?

[barsoombamf]

It's as valuable as the jewels for which we mine, usually. You would need something of equal value to barter for it. Steel, you ask? Yes, our swords are fashioned from it.