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This post is about three entirely unconnected things, but who needs cohesion, certainly not me.
Firstly,
gamesiplay gave me five of my icons to talk about!

This is, of course, vamp!Willow - either from "The Wish" or "Doppelgangland", I can't remember which - and I tend to use it either a) when I make a post about Buffy, because this is the last Buffy icon I have left, and b) when I am VERY VERY ANGRY. (See also tag).) It is an odd combination. The latter tends to prevail, these days.

I don't use this one very often, but I don't like not having a M*A*S*H icon, so here it is. I think it accurately sums up the mood of the show, as well! I actually don't remember the scene the shot is from, but from the expression on Hawkeye's face, I suspect "Goodbye, Farewell, Amen".

God, isn't she gorgeous. Isn't she, though. That is the basically the only reason I have this one. (I also have a policy of never deleting icons that were at one time my default, so there's that, too.) The keyword for the icon is "don't give that girl a gun", which is supposed to be ironic, yes I'm hilarious, because Scully with a gun in her hand chasing bad guys is pretty much how the world ought to be.

This is another one that I don't use much because it's so indistinct, it's not much use for anything but talking about The West Wing, specifically. But it stays because I love the scene it's from so much: this is the moment at the end of "Noel", just after Leo's "a guy falls down a hole" speech, and it's Josh standing with Donna listening to the music turn into sirens.

This is a panel from Piled Higher and Deeper, which I actually don't really read - I read it when it's linked to, sometimes - but I love it as a catch-all icon for talking about underrepresentation of women in education and the professions. You wouldn't think I'd need an icon to talk about that specifically, but I took my first degree from Balliol College in PPE, and now I'm in law school and I leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Here is the second thing I want to talk about. So, I wasn't really interested in reading any books by Diana Wynne Jones that weren't Chrestomanci books, but then I finished Deep Secret a couple of days ago and really loved it, so. Please recommend me others! I have read all of the Chrestomanci ones, The Merlin Conspiracy is on its way to me, rec me others so I can go and raid the public library. (I should mention that I haven't manged to get into Howl's Moving Castle - I'll give it another try if y'all think I should.) But yes, please rec me books! Mostly I like her dialogue and character relationships, and the writing-for-the-adult-audience better, but I'm open to persuasion.
(Oh, also, so, the problem with finishing Deep Secret, and I'm sure I am not alone in this, is that I now have the nursery rhyme "How Many Miles to Babylon" permanently stuck in my head. My usual solution to this problem is listening to the offending song a couple of dozen times to get it out of my system, but no one seems to have ever recorded it. I keep humming. It's very frustrating. Moving on.)
...and lastly. The third thing. Star Trek. What a shock. But
calapine listed her favourite episodes of every series the other day, and I thought it should be a meme. Mine are, not of all time, but at the moment: "The Corbomite Manouever" (TOS); "The Inner Light" (TNG); "The Visitor" or "In The Cards" (DS9); "Blink of an Eye" (Voyager) and "Shuttlepod One" (Enterprise).
The funny thing is, both
calapine and
gavagai listed "Counterpoint" as their favourite Voyager, and I'd never seen it for some reason. Now I have, and I liked it a lot - it's a delicious Janeway story, unusually sexually charged for Star Trek. And compiling the list, I'm struck by just how many really, really good Trek episodes there are: I mean, for every awful episode involving HYPER-EVOLUTION INTO REPTILES, there's one like "Measure of a Man" and one like "Duet". (I cannot watch Duet without crying. I also manage fine through "Far Beyond the Stars" until Sisko says: "For all we know at this very moment, far beyond all those distant stars, Benny Russell is dreaming of us", and I weeeep.)
Also, I think Voyager is unfairly maligned. It maybe doesn't have as many high points as TNG and Deep Space Nine, but when it's good it's very good, and it has some underrated episodes, especially in the later seasons. "Latent Image" is a fabulous, meditative piece about the nature of life, and this bit, I think, is one of the nicest scenes in any episode:
Note how beautifully it pases the Bechdel test! So beautiful. I love it.
There's also "Memorial", about war, and "Human Error", which I completely adore and no one else does: it's a tragic little story about Seven of Nine, and it makes me sniffle a bit. And "Lineage". It's a final-season Voyager episode about B'Elanna, and it's a story about racism, and it gets it; I mean, I'm only half-kidding when I say, you know why I'm not sure I want kids, watch Lineage. Do anyway, it's great.
Anyway. What are your favourites, maybe I haven't seen them, and I'd like to.
Now, to bed. Finally.
Firstly,
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
This is, of course, vamp!Willow - either from "The Wish" or "Doppelgangland", I can't remember which - and I tend to use it either a) when I make a post about Buffy, because this is the last Buffy icon I have left, and b) when I am VERY VERY ANGRY. (See also tag).) It is an odd combination. The latter tends to prevail, these days.
I don't use this one very often, but I don't like not having a M*A*S*H icon, so here it is. I think it accurately sums up the mood of the show, as well! I actually don't remember the scene the shot is from, but from the expression on Hawkeye's face, I suspect "Goodbye, Farewell, Amen".
God, isn't she gorgeous. Isn't she, though. That is the basically the only reason I have this one. (I also have a policy of never deleting icons that were at one time my default, so there's that, too.) The keyword for the icon is "don't give that girl a gun", which is supposed to be ironic, yes I'm hilarious, because Scully with a gun in her hand chasing bad guys is pretty much how the world ought to be.
This is another one that I don't use much because it's so indistinct, it's not much use for anything but talking about The West Wing, specifically. But it stays because I love the scene it's from so much: this is the moment at the end of "Noel", just after Leo's "a guy falls down a hole" speech, and it's Josh standing with Donna listening to the music turn into sirens.
This is a panel from Piled Higher and Deeper, which I actually don't really read - I read it when it's linked to, sometimes - but I love it as a catch-all icon for talking about underrepresentation of women in education and the professions. You wouldn't think I'd need an icon to talk about that specifically, but I took my first degree from Balliol College in PPE, and now I'm in law school and I leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Here is the second thing I want to talk about. So, I wasn't really interested in reading any books by Diana Wynne Jones that weren't Chrestomanci books, but then I finished Deep Secret a couple of days ago and really loved it, so. Please recommend me others! I have read all of the Chrestomanci ones, The Merlin Conspiracy is on its way to me, rec me others so I can go and raid the public library. (I should mention that I haven't manged to get into Howl's Moving Castle - I'll give it another try if y'all think I should.) But yes, please rec me books! Mostly I like her dialogue and character relationships, and the writing-for-the-adult-audience better, but I'm open to persuasion.
(Oh, also, so, the problem with finishing Deep Secret, and I'm sure I am not alone in this, is that I now have the nursery rhyme "How Many Miles to Babylon" permanently stuck in my head. My usual solution to this problem is listening to the offending song a couple of dozen times to get it out of my system, but no one seems to have ever recorded it. I keep humming. It's very frustrating. Moving on.)
...and lastly. The third thing. Star Trek. What a shock. But
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
The funny thing is, both
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Also, I think Voyager is unfairly maligned. It maybe doesn't have as many high points as TNG and Deep Space Nine, but when it's good it's very good, and it has some underrated episodes, especially in the later seasons. "Latent Image" is a fabulous, meditative piece about the nature of life, and this bit, I think, is one of the nicest scenes in any episode:
Note how beautifully it pases the Bechdel test! So beautiful. I love it.
There's also "Memorial", about war, and "Human Error", which I completely adore and no one else does: it's a tragic little story about Seven of Nine, and it makes me sniffle a bit. And "Lineage". It's a final-season Voyager episode about B'Elanna, and it's a story about racism, and it gets it; I mean, I'm only half-kidding when I say, you know why I'm not sure I want kids, watch Lineage. Do anyway, it's great.
Anyway. What are your favourites, maybe I haven't seen them, and I'd like to.
Now, to bed. Finally.
no subject
on 2011-02-08 05:51 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-09 03:30 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-08 06:46 am (UTC)1. Homeward Bounders, which features Prometheus, a truly badass secondary character named Helen, and does very well at the kind of understated-but-oh-what misery that I particularly - enjoy is maybe the wrong word; shall we say admire? - in DWJ books.
2. Dark Lord of Derkhom and its sequel, Year of the Griffin: these are both set in a world that teeters impressively between being a parody of the worst of epic fantasy and a real actual people story. I liked it particularly for the mix of really genuinely nice people and interesting jerks amongst the heroes.
3. Hexwood. Your mileage may really vary on this one; I've had people tell me it's unreadable and I know people for whom it is one of their favorite books. Parts of it are exceptionally confusing, but to me that's justified by the end. Um - fantasy and intergalactic societies with...a lot of things that are spoilers to join them up?
4. Eight Days of Luke, which is generally found shamelessly masquerading as a children's book. The basic premise is that a neglected orphan in a Harry Potter-ish situation accidentally frees a certain imprisoned Norse god; resolution procedes in a way almost but not entirely unlike how it would in a JKR universe. This is one of my favorites, but I feel a little badly listing it off as it's so short.
Looking at these, that covers many of the most emotionally intense books, but I'm biased in that direction as a general rule. Other books of hers that I'd recommend - not less strongly, exactly, but with more caveats, include Dogsbody (Sirius, the Dog Star, gets sent to Earth as punishment for a crime he didn't do) and A Tale of Time City (a girl being evacuated from London during World War Two is kidnapped by two boys from a place outside of time).
Also - maybe - the first three books of the Dalemark Quartet: Cart and Cwidder; Drowned Ammet; and The Spellcoats. I like the first three but found the fourth one unbearable for only mildly spoilery reasons, but as it does conclude the threads of the first three I can't really recommend them wholeheartedly. (That said, it's a really interesting take on epic fantasy and not at all a typical DWJ series, so...take that for what it's worth.)
Apparently I have a lot of Diana Wynne Jones opinions. :) Please let me know if you'd like more information on any of these; in the meantime I'll stop taking up all your comment-space!
no subject
on 2011-02-09 03:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2011-02-08 12:08 pm (UTC)You might also like Archer's Goon, which is about... hm... what happens when some people with epic amounts of power end up interacting with a normal family. I really enjoyed it. But Homeward Bounders is the number one pick I'd make for you. Helen is AWESOME and the concept is awesome and done really well, and I think you might end up wanting Yuletide fic for it.
no subject
on 2011-02-09 03:33 am (UTC)"There is a certain logic to your logic."
on 2011-02-08 12:20 pm (UTC)In other news: The House of Quark, bitchez, The House of Quark. Maybe not. But. The gross adjusted assets tabulation in column J.
Re: "There is a certain logic to your logic."
on 2011-02-09 03:34 am (UTC)I actually think Looking for par'Mach in All The Wrong Places is just an edge better than House of Quark, just for Bashir's bit at the end.
Star Trek: Chakotay
Posted byRe: Star Trek: Chakotay
Posted byno subject
on 2011-02-08 01:53 pm (UTC)Also I like 'The Power of Three' by Diana Wynne Jones.
no subject
on 2011-02-09 02:50 am (UTC)I liked Power of Three a lot when I first read it (earlier this year) but found it sort of predictable in light of other DWJ books, so...maybe it's nicer to read quite early on in your binge? It's quite good overall, though!
no subject
on 2011-02-09 02:07 am (UTC)My favourite episode is "The Doomsday Machine", because it has Kirk being all Hornblower and Spock being nervous when Kirk is in trouble. And awesome awesome space battle scenes in the remastered version.
no subject
on 2011-02-09 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-09 03:10 am (UTC)Voyager is much maligned, and I think largely by fans who were snobbishly into DS9 at the time. But there are SO MANY amazing lady characters on that show, so many, and they talk to each other all the time about science and monsters and dreams and coffee and dogs and oh my gosh. Plus, Harry Kim is super hot when his hair falls on his forehead. Plus Janeway/Seven completely and totally fulfills my older woman/younger woman conflict-mentor relationship kink.
ANYWAY. Let's see. Favourites.
TOS: I have to go with "The Naked Time" - although that guy singing "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen" is super annoying, the whole scene where Spock and Kirk have TOO MANY EMOTIONS is just the epitome of what I love about TOS: really raw space melodrama. Spock cries! And hates that he cries! And Kirk hates it too and slaps him in the face! Holy shit. Plus Sulu runs around oiled and shirtless being a pirate. What can you do.
TNG: I think it has to be "Darmok." That episode, the first time I saw it - it said something profound to me about culture and storytelling and metaphor. It was the Star Trek I always wished the TNG was. Although it's hard to privilege this episode over every Data/Geordi focused episode ever, because they're all brilliant.
DS9: "Duet," oh god. It literally makes me gasp, it's so deft with the way it manipulates emotions - and it makes me ache for Kira.
VOY: I haven't watched Voyager in forever (due for a rewatch1) but the one I remember with the most fondness is "Message in a Bottle" - the Doctor at his most hilarious Doctor-y-ness (Robert Picardo was brilliant, and I loved his character), B'Elanna/Seven conflict and fighting, general wackiness, and all this as the cover for a huge pivot point in the show.
OH MY GOD I LOVE STAR TREK SO MUCH
no subject
on 2011-02-09 09:28 pm (UTC)My favourite thing about "The Naked Time" is the revelation that the Enterprise HAS A BOWLING ALLEY. I think I was kidding when I said I would host a ficathon devoted entirely to fic set in the Enterprise's bowling alley. I think. I like all your choices! "Darmok" is great, and it's another one I only saw recently. So clever, such a great use of the form.
(no subject)
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on 2011-02-09 03:14 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-09 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-08 04:28 am (UTC)Do you mean this one?
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on 2011-02-08 04:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
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on 2011-02-08 04:41 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-08 05:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
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on 2011-02-08 05:06 am (UTC)But anyway, for TOS it would prooobably be "Journey to Babel," but "Devil in the Dark"--even though their scenery was pastede on yay!--and "Balance of Terror" are also enduring favorites. (When I was young and impressionable, though, it was probably "Operation: Annihilate!", with "Amok Time," "Bread and Circuses," and "Plato's Stepchildren" as runners up. I also really liked any episode that stuck the crew in Earth's history / a planet just like Earth's history.)
Oh, Star Trek. How so ridiculous and yet so heartwarming?
no subject
on 2011-02-08 05:51 am (UTC)(no subject)
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on 2011-02-08 05:09 am (UTC)Also, y'know, Voyager didn't take risks when it should have, and whatnot, but it's very underrated.
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on 2011-02-08 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-08 08:46 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-09 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-08 10:47 am (UTC)Do you do Lois McMaster Bujold? I am currently on a Bujold kick, as well as a DWJ kick, so they will probably be inextricably bound up in my mind FOREVAR. Also: ALL of the books I have read so far this year (26 or so) are female-authored SFF. Except for half of Pride and Prejudice, which I reread because of a desire to write fanfic about a Temeraire/P&P fanfic. Is awesome. :D
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on 2011-02-08 10:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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on 2011-02-08 11:36 am (UTC)TOS (Really haven't seen many of these): 'Balance of Terror' (even though it's totally inconsistent with much of teh rest of Trek)
TNG: 'Chain of Command', followed by 'The Best of Both Worlds'
DS9: 'Duet', then 'In The Pale Moonlight'
VOY: 'Year of Hell', 'Lifesigns', 'Bride of Chaotica' and 'Scorpion' (I find it realy difficult to choose between these, I insist that Voyager is very underrated).
Also, isn't having a favourite Enterprise episode a bit like picking out your favourite neo-con?
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on 2011-02-08 12:32 pm (UTC)I mean they have enough problems already, liking EnterpriseDAMMIT(no subject)
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on 2011-02-08 02:03 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-09 12:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
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on 2011-02-08 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-09 12:28 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-08 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-09 12:29 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-02-08 08:16 pm (UTC)(Also, your LJ keeps making me want to watch Star Trek. I have a feeling it will take me quite some time to get through it all - that's my evenings planned out for the next few years, then.)
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on 2011-02-08 08:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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