posted
Poll Results: Dawny's love life! (26 votes)
Who would have been the best choice as Dawnstar's romantic partner? -- Choose 1 (of 15)
Wildfire, with his suit, uncontrolled energy body (platonic) -- 8% (2) Wildfire, with no suit, controlled and non-injuring energy body -- 8% (2) Wildfire, re-converted somehow to flesh and blood -- 4% (1) Jhodan, the conflicted, self-doubting priest of Kol (in TalesLSH 321-323) -- 8% (2) Timber Wolf (they flirted heavily in LSH v3 n28) -- 27% (7) Sun Boy (they got down on the dance floor in LSH v3 n30) -- 0% (0) Mon-el (who also yearned for wide open space spaces) -- 15% (4) Brainiac Five (similar temperaments and ruminating thoughts) -- 0% (0) Some other Legionnaire or reservist -- 4% (1) Someone interacting with the Legion, but not a member or reservist -- 4% (1) Someone from Starhaven, as a result of her Grand Tour of the Galaxy -- 0% (0) Someone else not from Starhaven or connected to the Legion -- 0% (0) No one -- her personality worked against any enduring relationship -- 12% (3) Dawnstar was not part of the Legion stories I have read -- 0% (0) Doesn't matter to me -- 12% (3)
I'm glad that so many were willing to consider Brin and Lar as alternatives for her.
=====
Okay, so please indulge me, friends and Legion fans. The perpetually not-ready-for-prime-time Dawnstar Aerie site would have had this poll by now, if I'd had the software for it. [...]
Several possibilities have been hinted or suggested over the years, more than one might expect, given the longevity and depth of Drake and Dawny being partners. I'd appreciate knowing what you think, and feel free to post below as well.
posted
A question to clarify before I take the poll -- is the question about who Dawnstar would have ended up being the happiest with, or who we would enjoy reading about the most?
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
I would say that it depends on what's important to you and your reading experience.
If a consistent or well-balanced portrayal of a character is more important, because you care more about how skillfully he or she is portrayed, then it probably should be "who she would have been the happiest with."
If witnessing something interesting or involving for a character's life is more important, to add depth to the stories you read, it would tend toward "who you enjoy reading about the most."
Which sense of "best" wins out also depends, I'd say, on how involved one gets with a story and its characters. I know I'm far more particular about what's "best" for those portrayed in "The Legion" than I am for, say, the winged couple in "Hawkman." That's because the latter book simply entertains me with great skill, while the former book also uses characters that have emotional resonance for me.
From: Starhaven Consulate, City of Angels | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Interesting to see Timberwolf doing well in the poll. I don't remember the flirting issue, but I seem to have the impression she looked down on him (though I don't remember anything specific).
I voted for "Wildfire, with no suit, controlled and non-injuring energy body" purely from a Dawny-centered pov. As a Wildfire fan, I think he's more interesting trapped in that suit but for Dawny this would have been the best option I think because a teammate would be better than a non-teammate and if Drake were human, he'd also be de-powered, which would've gotten him kicked off the team. Not to mention that I don't think he'd be able to handle being non-powered while dating her -- it'd drive him nuts being on the sidelines which would've only brought tension to the relationship. I dare say he'd be just as mopey about being non-powered as not having a body (hey, I love the guy, but he's mopey).
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yup, that's why I didn't choose Wildfire. I think to change him for the sake of a happy ending to the Dawnstar-Wildfire romance would ruin the character. Of course, not necessarily, because a good writer could write a way around that .... I put her with T-Wolf. He's tough with a soft heart; I think she is, too; both are fighters and both are loners... or T-Wolf was, I'm not so sure now.
I disagree that a DAWNSTAR/WILDFIRE romance would have had to been purely platonic while he was in his Cockrum-designed suit.
Had he gotten a suit similar to the one in his debut, there are any NUMBER of ways it could have been NON-platonic. Even in his REGULAR Levitz-era suits this is true.
Sure, it might have been a bit... beyond the norm... but that's okay.
To me, Dawnstar will always belong with Drake. No single-issue Timber Wolf flirtation or single-issue dancing-with-Dirk scenario will EVER change that.
If they had been more... creative... they could VERY MUCH have been "together" together.
posted
DarkMark wrote a well-turned fanfic story that ended up having Drake's suit being portrayed as becoming, er, fully functional. ("Triad," continuing the TalesLSH story on the theocratic planet Kol, and the three in the title are Dawny, Jhodan, and Wildfire.)
Lash LaRue clearly comes down on the side of what he would prefer to see -- as I made the distinction above. I would say that I certainly can appreciate that view, especially in the sense of consistency of storytelling. It would make a more compelling backbone to their story to have them working to stay together. We don't see that enough in "real life," let alone art.
I suppose I should admit, after many votes, that I would take the other side of "best" -- that of what would be most beneficial to Dawnstar as the character involved. A platonic relationship has its limits, and expecting Dawny to be celibate for all time -- or that Drake would become an ultra-vibrator {g!} -- is being too hard on what's expected of her.
Apart from this, I gathered from Paul Levitz's asides, in the lettercols and elsewhere, that he intended more and deeper developments between Dawny and Brin -- but that these were sidetracked, as often happened, by larger and more epic story lines.
He did have pointed allusions, such as Tinya saying, "Dawny wants a man, not a sack of energy." I don't believe he intended our Starhavenite's patience to be infinite. (Sadly, neither was Levitz's tenure as Legion writer.)
Lest I forget later, thanks to everyone for the many votes in the poll so far, and for the thoughtful comments in this thread.
From: Starhaven Consulate, City of Angels | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
And a bump for the results ... I'll include this tally among many items of text, along with hundreds of illustrations, at the Dawnstar Aerie. Eventually. I need to make more money first, to pay for the Web hosting *sigh*
From: Starhaven Consulate, City of Angels | Registered: Jul 2003
| IP: Logged |
Hyperpath: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic | Subscribe To Topic
