can I get there by candelight? yes, and back again

[raven]

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.

Comments

[crossedwires]

I really liked DWJ's Fire and Hemlock. It's a Tam Lin/Thomas the Rhymer re-telling. I'm not really sure how to describe it. Polly, the hero/main character, has two sets of memories and as the book goes on, she figures out why one set (with the fantastical elements) was suppressed, and meets Tom (who is both Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer) and other characters of the ballad.

[raven]

Thanks! I shall look out for it. :)

[elanid]

I have somewhat weird taste in Diana Wynne Jones, but for what it's worth, Deep Secret is probably my favorite of her books. I do like the sequel - I'd recommend that if you're good at enjoying flawed books, maybe not so much otherwise - but other than that, in roughly descending order, I'd suggest:

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!

[raven]

Oh, wow, thanks for this. I adored Deep Secret, I think we probably have similar taste. I shall look out for all of these! I'd say part of the reason I liked Deep Secret better than Chrestomanci is the actual sex-and-violence - which of these are written as adult books?

[soupytwist]

I very much agree about Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin, they are Up There with my favourites. The people are just GREAT and I love the world they live in. If you can get a glimpse at the book their universe is based on - Tough Guide to Fantasyland, also by DWJ - then I would recommend doing that first, though. It is also funny if you've read any fantasy, and I would think makes some of the jokes later funnier, or at least it did for me.

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.

[raven]

Ooooh! Thanks for the recs, I am really looking forward to digging into these.

"There is a certain logic to your logic."

[gavagai]

Oh gosh, I had forgotten about Latent Image. And Human Error is okay, I mean, it's a Seven story, I am happy to adore it if you like. I also love The Killing Game mostly for how gay Janeway and Seven are, idk if it would really stand up to a rewatch.

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."

[raven]

Re: Human Error - I know, I know, too much Chakotay for you.

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.

[gool_duck]

Warning: Do not read 'Homeward Bounders' for the first time while homesick.

Also I like 'The Power of Three' by Diana Wynne Jones.

[elanid]

THIS IS A REALLY GOOD WARNING THAT I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT TO ADD.

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!

[megaptera]

Ffffff. I didn't follow most Treks enough to have favourite episodes. Hardcore TOS, yo.

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.

[raven]

You know, I haven't seen that one! I really should...

[thingswithwings]

*rolls around happily in all your star trek talk*

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

[raven]

Your icon is so cute omg! Janeway was my hero when I was a teenager: because she was so awesome, and beautiful, and she always knew what to do, BUT she couldn't deal with anything sans coffee either! I've always meant to write epistolary Janeway/Seven fic set post-"Endgame", but never quite got around to it...

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.

[flourish]

Run, DO NOT WALK, and get thee a copy of the 'Chronicles of Dalemark.' The last book in the quartet is especially great, but you should probably read all four.

[raven]

I have the first from the library! I'm looking forward to it. :)

[icepixie]

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.

Do you mean this one?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

YES! Thank you so much! That is actually the version stuck in my head.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

My favorite episode of TNG is "The Offspring," where Data builds a daughter. Really touching

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh, I do love that one. Especially the bit where Picard stands up and shouts something about how Starfleet are forcing a man to give up his child to the state! It's amazing.

[gamesiplay.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I've only seen enough of one Trek series to be qualified to pick episodes. Yeah, I know.

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?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh god, remember that time we watched "Miri"? The one where the continents are laid out exactly the same as Earth's, and also Spock uses the phrase "beaker of death". BEAKER OF DEATH.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I think Voyager's reputation suffers a lot from following in TNG's footsteps, and from airing alongside the infinitely more daring DS9. By my rewatch of TNG, it had just as many average episodes as Voyager, but they're not as widely remembered.

Also, y'know, Voyager didn't take risks when it should have, and whatnot, but it's very underrated.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh, totally. It also has less of a universe to fit into than either TNG or DS9 - I mean, DS9 has the static location and the thus the huge cast of recurring characters, and even in TNG we know we're going to get occasional Vulcans, occasional Lwaxana episodes, etc. - but it does very well with its limited cast.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favourite books in the world, so it is hard for me to offer an objective opinion. I ADORE IT. I have read it many, many, many times; it's a perfect mixture of snark and creepiness and domestic farce and cranky romance and magic. I also really like the two books that are sort-of-sequels focusing on different characters. Out of all of DWJ's series I think this universe is the best for featuring strong, interesting, hilarious female characters.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that is a solid rec. I shall definitely give it another try.

[lizzip.livejournal.com]

Of DWJ's stuff, I also really enjoyed Enchanted Glass. I am enjoying the Magid books *lots* and clearly need to get around to digging out the Chrestomanci books.

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

[fyrdrakken]

I would like to see this Temeraire/P&P fanfic.

[subservient-son.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to make a definitive list of my top Trek episodes (TNG-Voy era) for a while, but I still need to see a few Voyager episodes to complete my viewing, first. But some of my favourites are:

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?

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

I am coming round to the idea that it is not really fair to complain about the annoyance of cooler-than-thou DS9-above-everything types (I LOVE DS9, okay) bashing Voyager and then bash Enterprise. Well, maybe you and Ioan can. I am going to not bash Enterprise any more until I have actually given it a fair viewing. It has its fans too and they do not deserve to be sniffed at, I mean they have enough problems already, liking Enterprise DAMMIT

[jennyrad.livejournal.com]

You must read Diana Wynne Jones' Derkholm books: my only possible criticism of them is that there are only two of them. They are aimed at kids, I think, but it never particularly feels that way when I read them.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Noted! Thank you! (That is my problem with the Magids books. Two is not a series.)

[tempestsarekind.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind that there are still a ton of DWJ books I haven't read (I just read The Time of the Ghost a few weeks ago, which was utter madness), but if I had to choose, my best beloved would probably be Fire and Hemlock. But then, I am a sucker for a good Tam Lin story; can't help it. I also quite like the Dalemark Quartet (starting with Cart and Cwidder) as well.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm basically getting the message that every book is someone's favourite, which is reassuring. :)

[canaana.livejournal.com]

Do try Howl's Moving Castle again. It's wonderful.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I shall give it the fair try!

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

I really couldn't get into Howl's Moving Castle either - I'd spent years hearing about how it was THE BEST THING EVER and was looking forward to reading it, but things just didn't click. :(

(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.)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine, proskynesis, has declared her intention to watch all of Star Trek IN ORDER. Can I beg you from the bottom of my heart NOT TO DO THIS. It is a BAD IDEA that warrants LOTS OF CAPSLOCK. On the other hand, I adore Star Trek and have been meaning to put together a newbie primer for a while now. If you are considering watching it I really should do this.