Soledad's Journal

Yay, party!!!

And I'm the first to post. *g*

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Have a virtual piece of apple pie. I've just pulled it out of the oven, it's all hot and delicious. Mum likes it, too, so it must be really good.

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Yum!!! :-)

Funny thing is, I love apple pie, but cant stand the sound of apples being peeled - the sound makes my teeth ache and gives me goosebumps - so in spite of the many old apple trees in our garden, we never have apple pie.

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Now this is strange. I never realized that apples being peeled would have any particular sound. Of course, my hearing is seriously damaged by 30+ years spend among noisy schoolkids, so it probably doesn't count.

Visit Budapest next year, and I promise I'll bake the apple pie in advance. ;)

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Oh, apple-peeling does indeed make a sound, a scraping, grating sound.... ewww!
Peeling potatoes makes almost the same sound, but for some reason that does not affect me. (Yes, I'm weird, I know.)

>>Visit Budapest next year, and I promise I'll bake the apple pie in advance<<

Now that's an offer I cannot refuse! *g*

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I certainly hope so!

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Woot! *party popper* First poster!

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*is covered in confetti*

Yay!! Looks like it's going to be a lovely party, doesn't it? *g*

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The week has barely started! :-D

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>>The week has barely started! :-D<<

So true, And when it's over we'll have left a trail of collapsed threads.

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Here's to us! *chinks glass*

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Cheers! *sips her drink*

Mmmm, this is nice, really nice. *tops up Altariel's glass*

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Thank you for the top-up! *checks time* Yes, gone noon, I can drink with complete impunity!

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Is there any particular time when it's proper for one to get sloshed???

Don't pay Jack Harkness any attention. He usually only drinks water.

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Traditionally it is considered okay to drink after "the sun is over the yard arm" ie after noon(ish). Presumably naval in origin (at least in the form that I know) given the language. ;)

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Oh, I see. Thanks. Lerned something again. Man, but these wild parties are truly educational. *g*

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Learning stuff is often fun :)
(at least I think it is - I can't understand people who seem not to want to know about anything new - it seems that I would have thought that they must have very dull lives)

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I agree. Some people are just naturally stupid. *g*

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I suppose, given it's the weekend, we can be more relaxed.

Does water usually come with an olive, Jack...?

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Probably. We know from Ianto that he always cheats, don't we?

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Yea, Party! Who brings the wine? I am bringing Tea Bowl (that is, bowl with fruits, orange juice and tea, but no alcohol) to drink. :)

Edited Date: 2010-10-01 09:50 pm (UTC)

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Tea Bowl sounds interesting -- do you have an actual recipe? (I don't drink alcohol, mostly because I don't like the taste of it but drinks with fruit in always look enticing.)

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See below my answer to Wiseheart for the recipe. :)

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Sounds excellent, thank you!

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And belated answer: ICON LOVE!!!!! ;DDD
Is this from Due South? Or is it a photo you made?

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It is indeed Diefenbaker from Due South -- I love him! Do I take it you are a fellow fan of the series? Have a Fraser and Canadian consulate icon in the hope.

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Yep, I loved the series until Vecchio got replaced. I fear I lost interest after that. But Diefenbaker is one of my favorites in the whole series, especially for the fact that he is supposed to be deaf - but seems to have excellent hearing (or other compensation skills) if there is anything in it for him.

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I actually quite liked the Vecchio replacement, and I thought the way they did it was quite good and original. Have you seen the final episode? I really liked how they tied the series up...

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A wolf with a selective hearing? Or not-hearing, as the case might be? What's there *not* ti love?

It's interesting how these animal characters in TV-series are always a lot smarter than their human masters, though. Is it because they're so intelligent or because the human characters are so dumb?

Are you familiar with the Austrian/German series "Kommissar Rex"? That's an excellent proof for the above theory.

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I have indeed seen some of Kommissar Rex. I started watching it to get to hear some German -- there are sadly very few opportunities to do this in Sweden -- what with wanting to improve mine, but continued because I liked the show. They only showed one series, that I can remember, though they may have done the classic thing of shifting it to a very different time slot and not telling anyone and then deciding to stop because it wasn't getting any viewers. I seem to remember it was the police man that had diminished hearing in that, is that correct?

I have a social outing with my group from work, going for a walk on Hampstead Heath and then to my boss's house for a BBQ, that I need to leave for now. I will try and respond to the other comments when I get back. We need to get more threads collapsing and move on to the next page, after all!

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small>Indeed!!!

As for the Rex detectives, no they didn't have diminished hearing - they just had diminished brainpowers, sometimes. That's why the dog always managed to eat the Wurstsemmel before them.

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I must be thinking of some other show with a police dog, because I remember somebody telling the dog he couldn't hear on one ear so he needed the dog to cover for that. Another example of your theory about the animals being cleverer than the humans on TV shows. I suppose it goes back all the way to Lassie and Flipper.

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I thought Flipper was a dolphin?

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Flipper is indeed a dolphin, but that still makes him an animal, right? I may have misunderstood you but I thought you were referring to animals in general being cleverer than their human co-stars and not just canines.

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No, that's right. I just got too fixated on Rex.

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I'm all for the Tea Bowl. Who needs wine? I second the request for the Tea Bowl recipe.

Edited Date: 2010-10-01 10:00 pm (UTC)

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Here is the recipe:

four soup spoons black tea (or the same amount of tea bags), one liter water, 200 g sugar, one citron, two oranges, a quarter of a liter citron juice, a quarter of a liter orange juice, and 125 g (or more) of either strawberries or peaches, tangerines, pineapple and cherries. In addition, you need soda water (with sparkling).

You brew the tea very strong (five minutes brewing), then mix it with the sugar and let it cooldown. You slice the citron and the oranges and mix it with the juice and the other fruits (which should be cut to pieces). Give the mixture to the cold tea, and add soda water until it has the right taste. The sparkling soda water will also make the bowl more fresh and will give a feeling as if it was made with sparkling wine. :)

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Sounds wonderful! I'll have to try it for Silvester night. Since we don't trink alkoholic beverages (aside from beer, that is), I'll need something original.

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nerwen-calaelen.livejournal.com

That sounds nice! I'll have to try it at some point. :)

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I brought some champagne along. Can nip home and rootle around in the cellar if you'd like some red.

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Party! I am bringing chocolate! Can I have a slice of the apple pie?

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Sure, sure. I've made an entire tin of it. Enjoy!

And yeah, chocolate is good, too!

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Excellent! :-) Apple pie straight from the oven is delicious.

I actually have quite a lot of chocolate on my kitchen table at the moment. A friend of mine who works for Kraft, and therefore can buy cheap Kraft company products, brought it when we went to see 'Henry IV, part 1' at the Globe two week-ends ago. There is still a bag of Cadbury's Roses chocolates and some mini Green & Black's bars for example. I might have to go and tidy up a bit...

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How very responsible of you! IIRC, Green and Black was your suggestion for more chocolate-named cardinals for the Minbari Sue, right?

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Well remembered! Green & Black do some truly wonderful chocolates, so most of that got eaten on the first night my friend was here but there is still some left even after a bit of tidying up. :-)

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Cute Hawkes icon! So, if Sheldon is Black (although I guess it isn't politically correct to say that anymore), who's Green then? ;)

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I was suggesting Narns from Babylon 5 where green-tinged in a discussion with a friend a few days ago, being puzzled by him referring to them as the Arabs of B5. After some consideration we decided I probably thought this because G'Kar had been badly beaten in the episode I had seen/was thinking of; I haven't seen that many because I find the series quite depressing with a dystopic view of the future. All of that is to say that perhaps we can have a Narn for "Green", as a bit of an inside joke?

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Interesting. People usually fall over in excitement about B5, raving about how much better it's supposed to be than Star Trek. Well, it's an interesting series for sure, but *nothing* is better than Star Trek, not for me. Speaking of pre-Voyager Trek, of course. And don't even let me start about "Enterprise"...

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Anything that isn't proud enough of Star Trek to want to carry then title -- yes Enterprise I mean you! -- doesn't deserve it! I know they did put it in, for later series but that only seemed to be because they thought that would bring the old fans in that they didn't mind offending when they thought they could spiff it up for a new generation spitting on the established canon. I really hated what they did with it, setting the Vulcans up to be stuck-up, non-logical idiots and basically changing all of the established history even before we start in on the horror that was Captain Archer! I disapprove of the latest Star Trek film on the same principle, even if that actually might have been a decent film if it had been made as a stand alone in some other universe. I apparently don't have any Star Trek icons, so I will use my image from space one instead.

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Feel free to steal my Federation icon. I've snatched it from somewhere myself - don't even know where from.

I agree with everything you wrote about "Enterprise". I think the only loveable character was Archer's dog, and I hate dogs with a passion, as a rule.

Actually, the canon rape already started with "Voyager", where Bermaga made the Borg to ridiculous wimps and allowed Janeway to say things like both Kirk and Sulu would be thrown out of Starfleet in their oh-so-advanced days. *grinds teeth*

Strangely enough, I hated the latest Star Trek film a lot less than I'd expected to do. Sure, I didn't actually like it, it was a lame plot with lots of canon rape, but at least some of the actors were great. Zachary Quinto for example.

On the same principle, though, I've adamantly refused to give the "reimagined" BSG a rat's chance. That was the worst slap into the face of old fans of a series, ever!

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I quite liked Lt Reed on Enterprise but then I have a thing for socially awkward characters. The fact that I have only seen the first two seasons of it may also help; Swedish television stopped broadcasting after the second season and I just can't make myself pay good money for that series on DVD.

As for BSG I have only ever seen the 'reimagined' series, which was quite interesting though I wasn't impressed with the resolution. It also annoyed me that they kept saying the cylons had a plan, without ever actually revealing what that plan was.

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If Ron Moore would have the balls to come up with his own series, I'd have watched it faithfully, just because he'd used to be a Trek exec. If he'd done something like BSG - the Next Generation, I'd have done the same. But as a devoted fan of the classic series, I was deeply offended by what he'd done to the BSG universe.

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It seems nobody (or very few people at least) has the guts to make something completely original. Yet they often can't be bothered to take into account the established history of what ever universe they want to set their stories in. Given that they are choosing that universe to have a ready-made fan-base that is plain stupid. How can they not see that anyone who is dedicated enough to a series/concept to watch something just because it carries the same brand name is also likely to know and care about the established canon?

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Well, as the Torchwood disaster (CoE and the plannet Gwenwood series) shows, some execs simply hate their fans if they don't like the same thing. Russell T Davies practically killed off everyone but Gwen (and Jack, but him he destroyed morally), so that the old fans won't have anyone else to watch. Plus, he always emphasizes that he wants new viewers who don't know sh*it about the series.

Also, just like RTD, many people simply shoehorn their own ideas into an established fandom, in the hope that the name will lure in viewers... and then have new viewers, "unburdened" by canon, like the new series. They won't mind that it has nothing to do with the roots, as they don't know them.

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I gave up on Torchwood after the Children of Earth mini-series; actually it sat unwatched on my HD-recorder for months before I decided I needed to find out for myself how horrible it was. I can see that Gwen could have been a good character, but she was always too full of herself -- and allowed to get away with that -- for me to like her. Her ex-partner constable Andy was a different matter. Him I wouldn't have minded seeing more of! But getting back to the main point, I think you are right. People just think they can treat fans as badly as they like, and get away with it exactly because they are fans. Sadly in some ways this is true; a lot of us will keep giving something the benefit of the doubt that it will be good this week even in the face of quite a staggering amounts of evidence to the contrary.

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Sadly, it is true. After Tosh and Owen and Ianto were killed off, there was simply no-one to watch the series for. CoE was no longer Torchwood anyway.

I'm willing to give a chance a series I used to like... but not forever. Life is too short to watch bad TV.

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Hear, hear. Long live Star Trek!

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Nothing can beat Star Trek. Nothing!

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More Star Trek?

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In case we're talking about pre-Voyager Trek, then yes, indeedly.

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Call me naive, but I still believe it is possible to get good new Star Trek. Someday soon someone will write a new series with interesting, believable and likeable characters set in the actual Star Trek universe paying attention to the established canon and tell more important stories. It might come about purely by accident, but I refuse to live in a world where this isn't part of the future!

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Your word in God's ear!

Do you know the fan-made Phase II (http://www.startrekphase2.de/en/phase_ii.html) series? It's very interesting and in places excellent. Well worth a try.

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Checking out your like I realize that I had heard of it, back while they were still producing the first episode. However, I have never actually watched any of it so thank you for the recommendation. Have added it to my bookmarks -- now I just need to find the time to actually watch it! That might be awhile, because I have recently purchased the last season of DS9 and have still got half of season six unwatched. I have to be careful with watching Star Trek on DVD, because I often find I can't just watch the one episode when I pop a DVD into my player. Instead I usually end up watching all four on that disc, which means I can rarely do it on a week-night without getting to bed far too late.

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I only saw Blood and Fire 1 on YouTube, but I liked it a great deal. James Crawley makes such a funny Kirk imitation, and the Spock actor is simply hilarious.

And yeah, DVDs are addictive...

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DVDs are addictive...
and Star Trek DVDs doubly so! If they weren't so good, it would be easier to turn them off. Somehow that doesn't sound like the way forward, though.

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Perhaps not. But that's the way with addictions, right?

I have Star Trek, The Animated Series, TNG, DS9 and a great part of Voyager on videotape, as at the times I bought them there were no DVDs. Now I'm seriously worried that they die on me one day, but buying the whole thing (plus B5 and Crusade) on DVD again would be a bit expensive.

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I am amazed at how much the DVD box sets have come down in price, though. When I started buying them, when TNG was first being released on DVD they were about £100 per season. Now you can get (in inferior packaging, but still the same DVDs I believe) all of TNG for £130 and sometimes even less. Your comment about having the animated series on DVD reminds me that I have only ever seen a couple of episodes of that. Maybe that should be next on my Star Trek to-buy list...

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The problem isn't the price in itself but the fact that you can't get them in Hungary. So if I want me some decent sci-fi, I have to go to Vienna, which I can do twice a year (it isn't a cheap trip), tops, and then they either have them or not, as I rarely stay any longer than three days (again, hotel prices). So I was lucky to get the whole Stargate and Stargate: Atlantis series, some Dr. Who and lots of solo movies, but, sadly practically no Star Trek. It's unfair! The English videothek through which I used to order the tapes closed years ago, so I'm totally helpless.

The animated series, just like the original one, is extemely uneven in quality. There are wonderful episodes, like "Yesteryear", showing scenes from Spock's childhood, and downright silly ones. Insultingly so. Still, a true collector won't he kept from getting them all. ;)

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I have very rarely seen any Star Trek DVD boxes in shops here either. Indeed all of mine where bought through on-line retailers such as Amazon, or in the case of the last few DS9 boxes, eBay. I had the first four seasons in the hard plastic boxes they came out in originally, and then I didn't buy the rest straight away because I hadn't had the time to watch the ones I already had. When I wanted to buy the fifth season, I found that Paramount had started selling them in a new 'slim line' packaging, made of cardboard that looked very different to the ones I already had. The first few seasons are still reasonably easy to get hold of on-line in the original packaging, but the later ones seem very rare. Since I really liked the look of the hard plastic boxes and I wanted all of DS9 in the same type of packaging I had to buy the last few seasons second-hand.

Do I understand correctly that online retailers like Amazon don't deliver to Hungary? That must be very frustrating!

I expect there to be some really horrible episodes of the animated series; as you say there were certainly a few of those in the original series as well (and TNG if we are honest!). Still dedicated collector/fan wants to find out for herself...

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*Do I understand correctly that online retailers like Amazon don't deliver to Hungary? That must be very frustrating!*

Oh, they do deliver, if it's ordered from somewhere else. They just don't accept our national currency. And yeah, it *is* furstrating. I'd be more than willing to pay. but they won't let me.

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Oh that is even more frustrating! It sounds a bit like the stupid region system for DVDs where I sometimes find that I can't get what I want on DVDs that my player can read, just because they have decided to encode it differently. It especially upsets me because this is something the film/TV companies have just invented to make it harder for people to buy their product! And then they complain when people download stuff from the internet...

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Yeah, I know. Some US series (like Earth: Final Conflict) only partially come out in my regional coding, so I can never complete my collection. Idiots!

As for Amazon, I think the reason is that our national currency is so horribly weak it would cause them financial losses if they accepted it.

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It is annoying, both the delays between things coming out in different regions and the fact that somethings appear to never be coming out on region 2 - especially Defying Gravity which was on tv here last year and which I would love to get on dvd, but there is on sign that it will ever come out here.

I don't know if you use Paypal, but if you do http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/ delivers books to Hungary (and all deliveries are free) and I think the prices are relatively similar to amazon. I know it doesn't help with dvds, though.

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I don't know PayPal... well, I know that something like that does exist, but that's about all. The problem is, I don't dare to set up anything virtual without the help of someone who knows their way about it and looks over my shoulder for the fist few times. I came to this Internet business at a fairly advanced age and am still scared witless whenever I stumble over something I haven't seen before. I've never bought anything online in my life!

I know, sounds like the age of the dinosaurs...

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I don't know how simple it is to set up - I don't have an account of my own (as Sam had one already). I understand how buying online would be scary - I remember being very nervous about it when I first started getting things and wondering if I would actually receive the things etc, but mostly it works.

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Spock, of course!

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I imagine he and Sheldon would get along quite well, both being dedicated scientists. And I think the green being on the inside is in keeping with the chocolate connection. After all, the chocolate isn't literally green. :-)

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That, Captain, is a logical assumption - quite surprising, coming from a human. Congratulations. *g*

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Thank you! I do my best to apply logic in my assumptions -- it can lead to such delightfully unexpected thoughts and conclusions. :-)

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Despite what humans might think, logic and imagination aren't polar opposites. They are the two sides of the same coin. That's why I get annoyed whenever I see hare-brained plotlines in TV-series... or read them in fanfic.

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Sometimes it can be fun to start with a completely illogical plotline and see where it takes you; it has to be pretty clear that it is a parody, though and actually now that I think about it, it also has to adhere to its own, completely twisted though it may be, logic.

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Green and Black much better for a party than Drazi Green and Purple.

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Ain't *that* the truth! Perhaps the most idiotic aspect of B5 was the Drazi Green and Purple thing. Right after the way they've actually solved the Vorlon/Shadow conflict. Cuz that was mightily stupid.

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We've played it at conventions, where it's been good fun: every attendee in one team or another, and you can collect points over the weekend for participation, or winning quizzes and so on. But nobody switches sides!

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I sometimes feel like a bit of a failure as a geek for not knowing Babylon 5 better. For example I had to actually look up 'Drazi' on Wikipedia... With the information I gained, I definitely agree that Green and Black's are better for a party! But then I am a strong proponent of everything being better with chocolate.

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Could there be any doubt about that? *g*

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I do know some poor, poor people who are actually allergic to chocolate in which case I suppose things wouldn't be improved by its addition. Otherwise I have to agree with my boss's husband who uttered at dinner tonight: "There is no such thing as too much chocolate!"

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Very, very true. Not being able to eat chocolate would be a terrible fate. I'm already afraid of the times when I might have to cut down on sweets - or on carbon hydrates entirely - due to health reasons. It happens in advanced age, but it cuts down the quality of life considerably.

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This is one of the reasons I am so pleased my tastes have turned to dark chocolate; it isn't as full of sugar as the milky kind. That means you can eat it with less of a bad conscience; the fact that I get a more intense enjoyment out of it than I ever did from run-of-the-mill milk chocolate is the real reason that I (mainly) eat dark chocolate these days, though.

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I'm afraid I'm a die-hard Milka fan. My favourite is Milka Dessert, though - it's milk chocolate, filled with a cream of dark chocolate... yum!

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I don't think I have come across Milka Dessert -- it sounds quite tempting! I may have to see if my friend who works for Kraft knows how to get hold of some of them; a quick search of Sainsbury's website (my main supermarket) suggests they don't sell it.

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Cadbury Roses? Green & Black's makes mini's now? I swoon...

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I haven't actually opened the bag of Roses yet, J brought that much chocolate. Needless to say he is very welcome any time! ;-) And yes, Green & Black's do a 12 mini bar collection. Very nice indeed!

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That mini bar collection looks yummy!

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It is indeed fantastic! And while I mainly like dark chocolate these days, Green & Black's milk chocolate is actually very good, too. This may have something to do with the fact that it contains >30% cocoa solids, which is actually in the same vicinity as some of the lower quality 'dark' chocolate that you can buy.

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Helps herself to a slice of apple pie. ;D

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Sure thing, help yourself!

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Me, too, please?
[takes a generous piece and consumes]
Mmmmmmm.....

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Why, certainly. Here, have some more!

Do you want me to add the recipe to the original entry?

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YES PLEASE! (if you have time and energy to do so -- must save yourself for your singing practice!)

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Will do in a moment.

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Ooh, apple pie! *dives in*

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Hehe! It's good, isn't it? A brand new recipe, and I got it right at the first time already!

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Very tasty! *chomp chomp*

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Added the recipe to the original post, in case

mraltariel feels like experimenting. ;)

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I shall point him in its direction!

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It's a good recipe. Quite easy to make, and the result is delicious.

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Do we know if LJ have changed the algorithm for when threads collapse and/or when a new page is started since last year?

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Haven't got a clue. I only ever produce collapsed threads on my virtual birthday parties, you know. But this is an excellent opportunity to figure out it all.

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I haven't had collapsed threads at all in my LJ so I haven't a clue either. I seem to remember we determined each page would hold 25 first level comments, but I am not sure if we ever worked out what the requirements for the threads collapsing was. I think it may require some proper scientific study! :-)

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Nothing can beat proper scientific study. ;)

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The scientific method is one of the finest human inventions -- and so much fun! Especially when it means I get to hang out in your journal for a virtual party.

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I think that when there is a fiftieth comment on one page, then long threads start to collapse. But I need more data! :-D

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All in the name of science, of course!

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Perhaps we should try and get Data on the subject as well? ;-)

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Nooo, he'd do everything in a very short time, and then we won't have any fun left. We can invite him to the party, though, so that he gets the chance to "study human behaviour in an informal environment".

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I am sure that he will enjoy that! Data is one of my Mum's favourite TNG characters, so I am pleased you are happy to invite him to your party. :-)

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It's a funny thing with mothers and Data - mine loves him, too, although she generally isn't interested in science fiction.

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You know I think maybe Data was created as a character for mothers to love. My friend K's mother loves Data, too, while my friend K does not.

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I think it's his child-like naiveté that appeals to mothers. Of course, mothers don't know that he had a thing with Tasha, once upon a time... which speaks of very bad taste, if you ask me. But he was inexperienced, the poor dear.

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Possibly his child-like naiveté explains why he had a thing with Tasha? He just thinks the best of everyone...

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I'm scattering comments about this page to find out. Purely in the advancement of science, you understand.

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I am all for the advancement of science! And it seems we have achieved collapsing comment threads! Yay! \o/

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Today collapsing threads, tomorrow space-time!

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Be careful. We have a resident Time Agent on board. Even if a rogue one.

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And the occasional passing Time Lord.

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Speaking of which, I really need a Tosh/Nine icon for Travellers' Tales. I don't think there are any, though, and I'm tragically lacking any web skills.

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Yay! Let's go for it.

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But in order to conquer the next page, we'll need more first-generation comments, I think. Or else we can have hundreds and comments and still stay on this page - which would be a waste, I'd say.

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I think we're getting closer to that second page - just a handful more commenters needed.

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There do indeed seem to be over a hundred comments on this page (the bottom of my pages says '148 comments' as I am writing this) so more first level comments are indeed needed. Especially if we are going to be able to work out what the requirements are for threads collapsing...

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With the right books I am sure we can conquer anything (given enough time)!

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Yeah, that's the pain with books, isn't it? Even if you can get the right ones, where do you get the time to read them?

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I keep suggesting Amazon should start selling 'time to read books' on their website. I am sure it would be a best-seller!

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I'd surely be a regular customer!

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I'm on my second glass of wine in RL, and it's time for a toast because...

IT'S JASTAELF'S BIRTHDAY!!!

So, happy birthday to a dear friend discovered only because Wiseheart -- also a dear friend -- invited me into Edhellond.

Happy birthday to Jastaelf!
And a very special "Köszönöm!!!" to the founder of our feast: Wiseheart! (After all, if Wiseheart hadn't invited me into Edhellond, I would not have met Jastaelf, and then who would have married The Beloved and me?)

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You see? Even I can be useful from time to time. So, where's the (other) birthday girl anyway?

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scifimimi.livejournal.com

*brings cookies and brownies*

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Welcome to the party! *offers virtual slice of apple-pie*

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scifimimi.livejournal.com

thanks

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makamu

*puts down boxes of cookies, scones and bars of chocolate* I also brought along some candles, mind if I light them? *smiles*

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Ooh, are they scented candles?

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As long as they aren't coconut-scented. I hate the scent of coconut, and everyone seems obsessed with it - from the bus to the liquid soap in hotel rooms. *shudders*

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I was hoping for vanilla.

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Vanilla is fine, just fine.

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makamu

It is vanilla and most definitely not coconut. I hate that scent too

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Oh, good! Let's party, then!

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Delicious, I love the scent of vanilla!

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Well well well and it's that time of year again! Hurrah!

*offers champagne and whatever teetotallers would enjoy*

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*gratefully accepts a glass of sparkling elderflower presse* How very considerate of you to bring that along! :-)

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I'm practically teetotal: one small glass of champagne will see me through the party. And elderflower presse is a particular favourite!

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I mainly don't drink alcohol because I don't like the taste, so I usually say I will have (a little) champagne at weddings. Most of the people who invite me to weddings have been considerate enough to provide something non-alcoholic to drink though and since I usually find that much more to my taste I will drink that. The other reason I am a teetotaller is because in some parts of Sweden, where I am from, the peer pressure to drink -- and often to drink to excess -- can be quite strong and I like to provide a counterpoint to that. My mother always said we weren't allowed to jump in the river just because the other kids did, but if we wanted to jump in the river it was fine to do that even if the other kids didn't. Sadly I think most of my contemporaries did not get this sort of up-bringing, so they need more help to stand up to the peer pressure. Since providing this makes me awkward, I am very happy to do it! :-)

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My parents were teetotal, so I never acquired the habit. My other half got me drinking wine within a couple of weeks of meeting him! ;-D I didn't like the taste of alcohol for a long time, although I enjoy wine now, and some spirits like gin. Stronger spirits like whisky I'll never get the taste for, I suspect. My tolerance is quite low too, so I never drink much when I do drink.

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I'm banking on this being the fiftieth comment...

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And this should be the fifty-ninth comment. Five hundred and one to go!

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We have been stuck at sixty-nine comments for far too long. Here's seventy.

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And it was seventy when I got in. Still admiring your icons. They're great fun.

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This comment, I am quite sure, makes one hundred.

Go us!

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Actually, we're at 108 already. Go us indeed!

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Yay! Virtual apple pie - zero calories! *hands virtual flowers*

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Initially, I was going to comment on your previous post, but then I saw this one and decided to move the comment. I'm very curious about your opinion of The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. As I translated the two lays into Dutch, I feel quite involved. Also, tell me if you feel inspired to write fanfic about it.

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God, I hope I won't! I already have several dozen unfinished stories, some of them laying back as far as eight years or so, and at least a dozen ideas for stories I haven't even begun to write - but I'll tell you what I think about the lay itself.

Give the girls my love!

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Larissa sends her love back; Valerie isn't here, but I'm sure she'd want to do the same.

Looking forward to your comments.

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Aww, thanks! They're such lovely girls!

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:) *is happy*

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fawatson

Happy Birthday (courtesy of altariel's flist) - may your comments exceed 1000!

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Well, now, we shouldn't be quite *that* greedy! I'd be happy with 600 already. After all, we're going to have the 55th next year *crosses fingers* so we'll keep the really big guns for that event.

Welcome to the party!

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artemis10002000

An apple pie? How could I possibly resist an invitation that includes apple pie?

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Hehehe! Apple pie is THE WIN, isn't it?!

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artemis10002000

Yes, it definitely is!

Applie pie is right there with the elixir of life!

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muuranker.livejournal.com

Happy Birthday,

wiseheart

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Thank you! You give me the best virtual cakes each year! Which one is this?

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muuranker.livejournal.com

Alas, my list of friends has outstripped my cake-making activity, so I have changed plans: I now find an image with a creative commons monikers+"birthday cake" search. Wiseheart turns up surprisingly few cakes, but I did like this one.

This is a red velvet cake: here is a recipie: http://southernfood.about.com/od/chocolatecakes/r/blbb146.htm

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Thanks for the recipe. Just a question: what's shortening?

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muuranker.livejournal.com

Solid vegetable fat (very like lard). I forget, are you in the UK? Cookeen is a brand here.

I've never cooked with it myself, but wonder if hard margerine would work as a substitute.

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No, I'm in Hungary, actually. All these expressions in English are sometimes quite the enigma for me. ;)

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nerwen-calaelen.livejournal.com

Yay! Party! I'm bringing more chocolate and coffee to contribute. :)

Happy early birthday!

It seems both a lot longer than a year and a lot less since this time last year.

Let's see - trying to think about things to say to start a conversation... (you can tell that I'm bad at this - but at least here I can think rather than having to think of something instantly like in person conversations).

To answer your comment on my post (in part): The fandoms that I have stuff partially written in are: Crusade, Firefly, and Swallows and Amazons. I think the only one of those that is a fandom of yours is Crusade. I also had vague plans for other stories but those are the only ones that have got as far. I started planning a Crusade/Babylon5 crossover, but it needs me to re-watch season 5 of Babylon 5, which I have actually only seen once all the way through.
Anyway, I remember talking to you a little about Crusade, but not a lot, so possibly we can talk more about that?

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Actually, I've watched (and recorded) Firefly to the bitter end, too, even did some Internet research, even though I didn't particularly like it. So, we can talk about that, about Crusade and about B5, whenever you want. We've vaguely planned to continue the Minbari Sue story together when you get better, so we've plenty of common, don't you think?

Watching Season 5 of B5 is a mixed experience. I liked some parts of it very much and was annoyed by other parts very much. Perhaps we can set up a schedule, watch the individual episodes by a certain time, and then discuss them, eh?

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I like Firefly, but found it much less something I really want to be involved in fandom for - partly because feels finished in terms of storylines, I'm sure there could be more, but it doesn't really feel like it needs more. I was writing it in response to a prompt - contrasting life on one of the border moons for a family used to living well on one of the advanced planets, but it needs more description so I need to re-watch and pick out details to make it work as a story.

We've vaguely planned to continue the Minbari Sue story together when you get better, so we've plenty of common, don't you think?
I will read that soon - but not at the moment, as I *am* doing productive stuff (procrastinating on this in between bits), but trying to read a story that way isn't good. Then we can talk about that as well. :)

Watching Season 5 of B5 is a mixed experience. I liked some parts of it very much and was annoyed by other parts very much. Perhaps we can set up a schedule, watch the individual episodes by a certain time, and then discuss them, eh?

That sounds like a very good idea. What sort of schedule would suit you? I am mostly flexible at the moment, due to most of the things I have to do not being time specific.

I think part of my problem with it is following from the end of season 4 - I still find the two final earth civil war episodes very hard to watch without crying. Therefore I was thinking of watching starting from The Deconstruction Of Fallen Stars. I think I should have fewer problems with s5 on re-watch as watching Crusade repeatedly for Yuletide really improved my view of Lockley. The main problem I foresee is all the Byron stuff as first time round I found him very annoying, whiny, and dull.
Certainly having someone to talk to about them would help. :)

(You can probably tell that I'm supposed to be doing productive things at the moment, but procrastinating is so much more fun!)

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Procrastinating is fun indeed. You're so much more free than after you've started the actual writing!

I do hate the Byron stuff with a passion, too. Lochley wouldn't be all that bad, had she been played by an actress with some more acting talent. But again, after Ivanova who was a cold fish, she's at least different. I'm sorry, but I really really can't stand Ivanova. Of course, the only B5 characters I truly liked were Neroon, Londo, Garibaldi and Lennier, so I'm probably not the right person to listen to. *g*

But we can watch the Season 5 episodes in any order you want. We can give us, say, a week for each episode (as I'm most likely to watch anything on the weekend, work being what it is at the moment) and then discuss it.

I tried really hard to get into "Firefly" but never really managed it. As much as I like Nathan Fillion in "Castle", he annoyed me to death in "Firefly". And some of the episode plots were downright idiotic.

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I do hate the Byron stuff with a passion, too. Lochley wouldn't be all that bad, had she been played by an actress with some more acting talent. But again, after Ivanova who was a cold fish, she's at least different. I'm sorry, but I really really can't stand Ivanova. Of course, the only B5 characters I truly liked were Neroon, Londo, Garibaldi and Lennier, so I'm probably not the right person to listen to. *g*
Ivanova is one of my favourite characters - I really like her pessimism. I like most of the characters at various points and get annoyed with them at other points, which is one of the reasons I love the show - it really feels like the characters are real, and all have their good and bad moments. It is also the way that most of the characters do seem to change and grow over the series in their own ways (and it is the ones that don't seem to that annoy me the most, especially Sheridan and Delenn). My favourite characters are Ivanova, Marcus, Talia, Sinclair and Neroon. Typically, most of them aren't in it much - I seem far more likely to like minor characters, but they are mostly much more interesting than the main characters.

But we can watch the Season 5 episodes in any order you want. We can give us, say, a week for each episode (as I'm most likely to watch anything on the weekend, work being what it is at the moment) and then discuss it.
Sounds good. Starting next weekend? I'll probably be watching them in the order that they are on the dvds in, which would make the first one No Compromises

I tried really hard to get into "Firefly" but never really managed it. As much as I like Nathan Fillion in "Castle", he annoyed me to death in "Firefly". And some of the episode plots were downright idiotic.
I've not seen Castle as it is not on (free) tv here yet and the dvds aren't out. From what I've heard it sounds good. Part of the reason I like Firefly is because I have a soft spot for Westerns, following having watched quite a few at the weekends at school when I first had tv that I could watch freely. It makes it fun to see the usual tropes of that genre played out in sf.

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Starting next weekend?
Or the weekend after if you are busy with birthday stuff. :)

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No, starting next weekend would be fine. I'll post a review here, after this virtual party is over, say, October 10, and then we can have a proper discussion. And if other people want to join, they can do it - unless you want it to be a friends-locked post, which is fine with me, too.

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Cool! :)
Open post is fine by me - of course, if loads of trolls turn up, we can hide from them. ;)

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Erm... that means Ep 01 from Season 5 by October 10, am I correct? And yes, we can always lock the post from the trolls if we have to. ;)

I forgot to add: I actually don't mind Ivanova that much. I even like the Russian aspect; it's so rare that you see anyone but Americans among the human characters in an American sci-fi series. But I utterly despise the actress.

Talia is a very interesting character - and badly misused, I must add. I LOVED Sinclair to pieces, especially before he'd become Valen... but I could tolerate him well enough afterwards, too.

Neroon rocks - he, too would have deserved ten times the part he actually got onscreen. He's the only Minbari character with any character development at all. Because the character rape of Lennier just doesn't count in my eyes.

Oh, and I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Vir Cotto. He was cute, he developed steadily along the whole five seasons, and I wanted to cuddle him every time he was misused... which happened often enough. His relationship with Londo was, IMO, the most complex in the whole series.

I need a Vir icon, I think. Now, where to find it?

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Erm... that means Ep 01 from Season 5 by October 10, am I correct?
Yes. :)

I forgot to add: I actually don't mind Ivanova that much. I even like the Russian aspect; it's so rare that you see anyone but Americans among the human characters in an American sci-fi series. But I utterly despise the actress.
Okay. It is very nice to see non-Americans, especially ones that are not evil - one of the easy ways to tell in American things who is going to be evil is anyone speaking with a British accent.

Talia is a very interesting character - and badly misused, I must add.
It is such a waste that they kill her off - Lyta is a much less interesting character. I keep being tempted to write a Talia lives AU, but so far I haven't got the energy to do so - I worry about starting what would turn into such a long story. Plus there are so many sidetracks that it would probably end up going off on, as there seem to be too many things left unexplained. It is really unconvincing how she is written out, especially considered with the events of Spider In The Web - it seems unbelievable that her alternative personality would want her murdered or that there are two separate agents with the code control...

I LOVED Sinclair to pieces, especially before he'd become Valen... but I could tolerate him well enough afterwards, too.
I love the way that he thinks about problems and comes up with real solutions and considers everything rather than assuming that violence is the answer in every case.

Neroon rocks - he, too would have deserved ten times the part he actually got onscreen. He's the only Minbari character with any character development at all.
He does develop so much as a character. Although given his last scene with Sinclair in Legacies there would have been so much potential for Sinclair to try and persuade him to cooperate with them in the Shadow War - although I wonder if Delenn would have stopped this because she wants to be in charge.

Because the character rape of Lennier just doesn't count in my eyes.
I like the character developement he gets for most of the series - it is really good to see him grow and learn from s1 when he does seem very young and naive, but then they just ruin it towards the end. :(

Oh, and I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Vir Cotto. He was cute, he developed steadily along the whole five seasons, and I wanted to cuddle him every time he was misused... which happened often enough. His relationship with Londo was, IMO, the most complex in the whole series.
Yes, Vir is wonderful! I love the scene with him and Morden when Morden gets him to answer his question - especially as Morden must know that it is going to happen. It is brilliant to see the way that he changes over the course of the series.

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*one of the easy ways to tell in American things who is going to be evil is anyone speaking with a British accent*

Really? Is there an actual reason for it, or do Americans just envy you Brits for your accent? Not that I'd be able to make a difference, mind you... I'm happy enough to actually understand the words when it comes to spoken English.

Sinclair is simply wonderful, particularly because he's so very different from those moustache-twirling sci-fi heroes. I never bought the Catherine Sakai romance, though. They two of them had zero chemistry. The red-headed freighter captain from the pilot was a much better match for him.

Lennier was a very loveable character - the way he ended up went directly against what we'd seen of him before, I find. And Lyta could have been really interesting, had they developed her the way she would have deserved. She was so new and naive and inexperienced in the pilot, and we never got to see how she actually became the woman she was in the middle and at the end of the series.

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Really? Is there an actual reason for it, or do Americans just envy you Brits for your accent? Not that I'd be able to make a difference, mind you... I'm happy enough to actually understand the words when it comes to spoken English.
I have no idea whether there is a real reason, but the only one I've heard suggested is that Americans want to identify with the good guys and thus they should sound American... but I'm not sure if I believe it. I find on most things subtitles are such a help - I find it hard to hear a lot of dialogue in things as most actors don't seem to speak clearly - and that's with it being in a language I speak natively! This is one of the reasons why I watch more things on dvd than tv. I remember bemusing people at school by suggesting that for French that instead of having English subtitles they should give us it with French subtitles (as well as dialogue) as I reckoned that it was the way to learn more...

Sinclair is simply wonderful, particularly because he's so very different from those moustache-twirling sci-fi heroes. I never bought the Catherine Sakai romance, though. They two of them had zero chemistry. The red-headed freighter captain from the pilot was a much better match for him.
I quite liked Catherine Sakai, although it annoyed me that suddenly they were going to get married. I liked the way that the relationship up to that point hadn't been a typical tv romance. The woman from the pilot annoyed me because of the remark about frictionless sheets (really, really bad science) and for some reason it appeared to me as the character being stupid rather than the show - I have no idea why.

Lennier was a very loveable character - the way he ended up went directly against what we'd seen of him before, I find.
Yes! I could believe it if there had been anything done to try and make it work with his character, but there wasn't and so it just seemed nonsensical.

And Lyta could have been really interesting, had they developed her the way she would have deserved. She was so new and naive and inexperienced in the pilot, and we never got to see how she actually became the woman she was in the middle and at the end of the series.
That makes sense. I think that is part of why I have problems with her, she has clearly changed so much in between her first two appearances and it never really explained, thus making it less like character development and more like ignoring existing canon to make the character work in the new situation. I guess it is partly because we never see her interacting with anyone she knew well (or more than a passing acquaintance) before she changed, but then there wasn't really anyone around that could. It would have worked with a scene with Talia (but with problems given her alternative personality).
Thinking of how that might work, I think I might actually have to write that Talia lives au... :) Or at least start planning it... It will probably be fun to write, just such a long project to start.

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Go for it! I need something else than just Marcus/Neroon smut to read. Not that there would be anything wrong with Marcus/Neroon smut, mind you (even though I actually don't like Marcus), but a girl needs some variety in her fannish life.

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Just realised that I started, but didn't finish writing a reply to this - got lost in all the tabs that I had open with so many conversations going on here. :)

This made my curious - so I went and started prodding fanfiction.net, which led to the discovery that it now has rss feeds. So I ended up going through all the categories that I'm interested in and so now I'll know when stories are uploaded, as well as finding loads of stories to read at some point. This is why I didn't end up commenting more here yesterday. This is both very good and bad - good for obvious reasons, but bad because I should be doing more productive stuff instead of reading all the stories that I found. Overall good though, because now means that I won't miss stories for ages due to forgetting to check whether there are new stories there. :)

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that there is so much fic for this pairing, although it is quite cool that it still seems to have people writing fic when most of the rest of the fandom is pretty dead.

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Yep, it's quite a lively party, isn't it? With so many interesting conversations going on in the different threads it's hard to follow.

Marcus/Neroon is a popular pairing in the fandom; there's even a Yahoo group dedicated to the pairing, and I'm a proud member, althoug I never wrote them as anything but respectful adversaries. Or not so respectful ones. *g* I guess part of the appeal is the old cliché of enemies turning into lovers, UST and stuff. And I must admit that Marcus is often portrayed as a whiny wimp and Neroon as a besotted idiot. But I enjoy even those stories. I don't know why. It's like a drug. If you want to read some lovely and/or funny ones, I recommand the stuff of

third_charm, here on LJ. She writes mostly short stuff, easy to read.

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Such a fun party! I think asking people to say their favourite books was a very good idea - now there are loads of conversations about so many different books. :)

Thanks for the rec. I'll check out her stories.

*sigh* I wish fandom would get the idea that telling stories with good, plausible versions of the characters. There are so many different ways to interpret a character so I wish that people would think rather than just following fandom trends. Not that that makes any particular story bad and certainly there any many stories that use fandom tropes that are good and/or fun.

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Some people are just more comfortable with clichés, I guess. It saves them from the necessity of actual thinking, which many find too hard a task to perform.

I do like me a little cliché from time to time. But they get old very quickly, I find.

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third-charm.livejournal.com

Ah, my friend, you know that Season 5 and I are not friends. Between Ivanova leaving, Marcus staying frozen, Lochley and Byron being added, the turning of a bad ass 'Star Killer" who scared entire Mionbari Warrior Clans out of their minds, blew Zha'Ha"Dum to Kingdom Come single-handedly, told both the the Vorlons and the Shadows to get the fuck out of his galaxy, withstood torture and saved Earth from Clark into "wounded arm candy" for Delenn, and the way the rest of the B5 old crowd emotionally and spiritually shafted Garibaldi, well, it was an exercise in masochism on my part in the fact that I actually watched every damned episode.

As for Firefly, I was impressed with the scope of what the show was trying to do, but the execution left much to be desired in certain episodes. It was as if the production company gutted entire plot lines just to save a few bucks in production costs - and it showed. God how I have it when a great story idea gets neutered becausse of either costs or political correctness!

Third Charm

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What I liked in Season 5 were the Psi Corps episodes - they were quite freakish - and every single one Captain Montoya was in. I totally agree with you about Garibaldi. I don't like Sheridan, and frankly, how he got to tell all the older races out was way beyond a Marty Stu, so I'm not particularly bothered that he got to be Delenn's bed toy. *is mean*

Delenn lost every appeal to me as soon as she grew hair - it sucked out her brains, I believe. And Ivanova, I might have liked, had the actress not be so... I can't find the right words to express my violent dislike of Claudia Christian. Anyway, I agree with you about Garibaldi - he was one of the most interesting characters (and definitely the most interesting *human* character), and look what they did with him.

But what I hated more than everything was how Sheridan & Co. treated Lyta. That was beyond criminal - first using her, having her risk her life and everything else for their cause, and then dropping her like a hot potato. Small wonder she allied herself with Brian the Freak.

I didn't like Firefly from the beginning, mostly because I don't like when so different genres are mixed. Plus, Malcolm annoyed the Jeebus out of me. Liked Inara and the pilot/XO couple, and Simon, though. And Shepher Bok was an interesting character.

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But what I hated more than everything was how Sheridan & Co. treated Lyta. That was beyond criminal - first using her, having her risk her life and everything else for their cause, and then dropping her like a hot potato. Small wonder she allied herself with Brian the Freak.
And it made no sense whatever! I just don't understand why they wouldn't help her after all they had learnt the uses of having an non-Corps telepath before so there is no reason not to support her - unless there was some sort of deal done to try and force her back to Psi Corps as a price for some of the concessions they got from Earth... but it would seem out of character for them to agree to that.

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Character? What character? Neither of the main heroes had any character by the end of the series, save perhaps Vir and Garibaldi.

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Sadly, too true. :(

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The more frustrating, considering how interesting the main characters started off. Somewhere along the way something must have gone terribly wrong.

Cute icon, BTW.

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Thanks. :)

It was the first icon I uploaded, ages before I had others (I think) and have some on my computer to upload but haven't got round to it - although I got some of them uploaded to my other journal and dreamwidth...

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I hope you don't mind me replying to your comment. :)

Between Ivanova leaving, Marcus staying frozen, Lochley and Byron being added, the turning of a bad ass 'Star Killer" who scared entire Mionbari Warrior Clans out of their minds, blew Zha'Ha"Dum to Kingdom Come single-handedly, told both the the Vorlons and the Shadows to get the fuck out of his galaxy, withstood torture and saved Earth from Clark into "wounded arm candy" for Delenn, and the way the rest of the B5 old crowd emotionally and spiritually shafted Garibaldi, well, it was an exercise in masochism on my part in the fact that I actually watched every damned episode.
Good summary of the problems - although I would add Lyta being treated badly as well and I don't mind Lockley that much. I think it would have been very interesting if Ivanova had been in command with Lockley as deputy...

As for Firefly, I was impressed with the scope of what the show was trying to do, but the execution left much to be desired in certain episodes. It was as if the production company gutted entire plot lines just to save a few bucks in production costs - and it showed. God how I have it when a great story idea gets neutered becausse of either costs or political correctness!
I didn't know that about the production company, but it makes sense with the way things seem to work in American tv. :(

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dkpalaska.livejournal.com

Hooray! Happy birthday once again, Soledad! (And, I'm even early for a change.) I hope it is a wonderful, joyful day for you and those you love!!

Many blessings,
Denise

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Thanks, Denise! It's good to hear from you again - we haven't talked for Ages! Of course, it's my fault, not having written Tolkienfic for Ages, not since I've finished "Web of Darkness"...

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dkpalaska.livejournal.com

Oh, no, it's my fault, too. I haven't been doing much reading and reviewing lately because of Life in General. I have loads of fanfic (including some of yours, I think) that I want so badly to catch up on, but as I get older I find I can do without sleep less and less! Or at least, without enough sleep I turn into the Wicked Witch of the West, which is not how I want my kids to remember me, lol!

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Oh, don't I know the feeling! I only have poor Mum to consider, but I'm so drained coming home after long, irregular working hours that I'm the most unpleasant company one can imagine.

As I said, I haven't written much Tolkien-related stuff lately. Actually, nothing but the first, experimental chapter to a new story, taking place in Umbar and Dol Amroth, since Web of Darkness. Did write lots of sci-fi, though (mostly Atlantis and Torchwood mixed, but Star Trek-TNG, too), the occasional Merlin one-shot, and a little bit of Brother Cadfael. Most of my time is spent with research. You know how detail-obsessed I am.

Originally, I planned to write another Halabor-related Advent calendar this year, but I don't think I'll have the time or the energy. Besides, the last Advent calendar got almost completely ignored (save from *your* lovely reviews), so I simply don't see why I should make the gargantuan effort to begin with.

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dkpalaska.livejournal.com

Originally, I planned to write another Halabor-related Advent calendar this year, but I don't think I'll have the time or the energy.

I understand (though it's a bummer) but I can totally see how overwhelming the effort can be - at a time of year when you hopefully can be relaxing more during the holidays instead of creating more stress! Maybe next year...

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Oh, I actually enjoyed writing the Advent calendars very much... as long as people could be arsed to read it. After that, I just lost all joy in it.

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By the way, I've added you to my circle on Dreamwidth - noticed that you were on there. I do post different stuff there than here, but not very frequently (not that that should surprise you).

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Yay! Coffee icon! Erm... yes. Anyway, I'm not active on Dreamwidth at all. I only use it to archive my journal, just in case. But I'll add you, too, and take a look.

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Okay. :)

I really should upload more icons - I've downloaded quite a few, but never got around to uploading more on lj... and they are on the other computer, so I can't use doing so to procrastinate for the moment. Actually I seem to be doing well at getting things done - my inbox for my voluntary work email is now empty (until people reply to the messages I've sent out) and I'm now onto sorting out documents. All of this efficiency because I'm hoping to stop the role in February and so want everything organised to hand over before then. :)

From: (Anonymous)

Apple pie for the win!

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My other identity wants to contribute as well. Happy comments week!

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Yay! Now all we have to wait for Maeglin to show up to exchange insults... *g*

Is the Gondolin RPG still going on, by the way?

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Eh... I was never part of the Gondolin RPG. My favourite place in Beleriand has always been Nargothrond.

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Now I'm confused. I thought you played Maeglin???

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No - isn't it Ithilwen who plays him?

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You're right, of course. Sorry for the mistaken identity. *is embarrassed*

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No need - it can, and does, happen to the best!

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toft-froggy.livejournal.com

Happy birthday!

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Thanks. :)

Who's the guy on your icon? He's rather... fluffy. In a grim, manly way, of course.

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toft-froggy.livejournal.com

He's Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters (or at least, the head is), in an angel manip that

bitter_crimson made! The delight of the image is in the juxtaposition of his grim manliness with the fluffy wings.

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toft-froggy.livejournal.com

Oh whoops, I did the code wrong, that should be, that

bitter_crimson made.

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Oh, yes, I remember watching Mythbusters. It was fun for a while.

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vilakins.livejournal.com

I've got chocolate cake! Swap you for some pie!

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Yum! You've got a deal!

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Though I rarely bake apple pies, I have a suggestion: after rolling out the other half of the dough, you can cut it into ribbons and use them to make a lattice over the apples.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apfelkuchen

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I usually do the dough ribbon thing for Linzertorte. Don't know how the apples would react to being unprotected. Will have to give it a try some day.

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The pastry "ribbons" are also used for the classic American apple pie. They are usually cut with a pie jag -- a small, toothed wheel at the end of a handle -- a laid in an open, woven pattern across the top of the pie, with the ends pinched into the crimped outer crust. Pretty... and tasty. And now I'm hungry again: someone pass Wiseheart's pie, please?

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The ways you expand my vocabulary are beyond belief. Given enough time, I'll actually learn the words used in an average kitchen. ;)

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I have a feeling that we will move onto a second page after 25 top level comments. So here's a twenty-third (if I'm counting correctly).

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LJ really needs a better way of keeping track of the different levels of comments; scrolling from bottom to top I counted 22 first level comments (before this one) but scrolling back from top to bottom I counted 24. I wonder which is correct?

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No, counting again I think this is first level comment 25. I am going to test our hypothesis by posting another one, which should be first level comment (FLC) number 26. If you want to be taken seriously as a scientist you need to invent a few three letter acronyms to litter your writings with.

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And this is comment 250, unless I'm mistaken. Not bad for only 3 days. Now on to more FLCs, so that we might make to Page 3!

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