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Jul. 31st, 2012 03:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianJust got back from camping. Generally had a good time -- a few rough patches (for example, one instance a few days ago where we lost power during a storm; a lot of people were panicking about that, to say the least), but it generally went well. Also took some time to read the first book of THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy, which I loved. The only real problem I had was the ending, if only because I wanted to find out what happened next. Also, it was raining pretty hard by the time I got home -- it was also raining for quite a while up where I was camping.
And that's my day for today. How are you guys doing? :)
And that's my day for today. How are you guys doing? :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2012-08-01 12:04 am (UTC)Glad you had a good time!
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Date: 2012-08-01 12:06 am (UTC)I kind of meant in terms of basic lighting, water, etc. It was a kind of sleepaway camp. It was fun, but I really missed my family, and talking to you guys. Stuff like that. :)
And thanks. :)
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Date: 2012-08-01 12:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-01 12:09 am (UTC)So, how are you doing so far? :)
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Date: 2012-08-01 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-01 12:15 am (UTC)Just starting on THE HUNGER GAMES. In the middle of CATCHING FIRE. Damn great series, damn great book, although President Snow gives me the creeps. *Shudders* Palpatine can only aspire to Snow's level of terrifying.
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Date: 2012-08-01 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-01 12:37 am (UTC)Maybe. :) (Although is that a bit of bias I detect? ;-) I guess it's just when he meets up with Katniss at one point (I'm not telling you why because, y'know, spoilers) and starts talking about how some people close to her may die as a result of her actions in the previous book (if I recall correctly) that just chilled me to the bone. It's just how smooth and polite he is. My mom said he's the type that would smile politely and then slit your throat, really. (Well, she offered the phrase when I was telling her about how unsettling Snow was, at least) It doesn't really help regarding the premise of what he does. *Doubly shudders*
Old stuff? *Is a bit curious*
And oh, you should! :D Seriously, you don't know what you're missing! :D (Okay, I exaggerate slightly, but seriously, it's that good. :)
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Date: 2012-08-01 12:44 am (UTC)Sounds like all the best villains I read about!
Old stuff, you know, pulps and classic adventure stuff I keep writing about in my blog? Sherlock Holmes, the Shadow, Allan Quatermain, The Lost World, 007... There's so much of it, and only one of me! Makes it very difficult to keep up, but it's so much fun.
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Date: 2012-08-01 03:00 am (UTC)Indeed? :)
Ah, gotcha. :) Sounds fun! :D
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Date: 2012-08-01 10:00 am (UTC)It is fun!
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Date: 2012-08-01 03:09 pm (UTC)I also loved him in "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End" -- I know his speech to Ten about taking ordinary people and turning them into weapons (seriously, Davros, go to TV Tropes sometime. Look up Evil Cannot Comprehend Good. I say it suits you well. *) etc. was really well-done. Good job, Julian Bleach and David Tennant both. Seriously. *Gives Ten all the hugs in the universe*
* Not that Ten hasn't done some questionable things, but in the end, those people chose to fight. Because that's what heroes do. (Sorry, got a bit emotional there) I think eldritch might have actually criticized something like that quite a while ago when we were discussing the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, and Saruman accusing Gandalf of using the Hobbits as pawns. In this case, it's a little more valid considering some of the things Ten's done, but at the same time, it's still a bit WTF. Although looking at it from another angle...Ten, you poor bastard. *hugs*
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Date: 2012-08-01 05:29 pm (UTC)Sometimes it's not about duplicating a plan, but who can execute it better and with more style. lol.
Hobbits as pawns... You know, I'll give that Gandalf is a manipulative bastard at times, but I don't remember anyone forcing the Ring on Frodo in the Council of Elrond, I don't recall anyone forcing Sam to go with him, and I certainly don't remember anyone encouraging Merry and Pippin into service with Rohan and Gondor respectively. Just sayin'.
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Date: 2012-08-01 05:52 pm (UTC)Also, I decided to have a look at Cliff Simon and I have to say, he definitely screams "The Master". I still think Christopher Eccleston would have made a pretty kickass Master, though. He rocked as the Doctor, don't get me wrong, but I think he'd also rock as the Master. :)
Exactly! Hell, I think if anything, Saruman was mostly saying it (in the movies) to be a giant douche to Gandalf. I'm thinking it must have been pretty effective to Gandalf, Saruman's...voice aside, especially considering that he was pretty much anguished about it already in FELLOWSHIP -- I know in the commentary, Peter Jackson said (I believe) that he told Ian McKellen to play his reaction to the moment Frodo decided to take the Ring to Mordor like a father's reaction to his son going off to war. Which I can imagine -- I think in a way, Frodo was like a surrogate son to Gandalf.
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Date: 2012-08-01 06:02 pm (UTC)8 is my favorite, thanks to Big Finish. He's like the perfect blend of the previous 7, and that's also why I give Rose no credit. She's almost a completely rip-off of his BF companion, Charlie (Charlotte Pollard, Edwardian Adventuress!). Modernize Charlie and give her a job, she'd be Rose.
I could see Eccleston as the Master. I'm still not enthused about his Doctor, but he's got the right attitude for the Master, no question. But isn't Cliff Simon awesome?! He showed up in season 5 of Stargate SG-1, and he's been amazing ever since. He pretty much played the Master on SG-1 for all intents. It's natural casting!
I almost see the Hobbits and Gandalf the way the Doctor sees his companions - as pets. He loves them dearly, but he knows they're not up to the same level. And much like the companions, every so often a Hobbit surprises him.
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Date: 2012-08-01 09:06 pm (UTC)He definitely is! :D
*Makes note to check out Charlie's stories sometime* If I liked Rose, I'll like Charlie. :)
And that I can imagine! :D
That's a pretty flawless comparison, I must say! :D
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Date: 2012-08-01 10:30 pm (UTC)You can find Charlie's first story with "Storm Front," early in the BF run. She was born the day the Titanic sank and "died" on the airship R-101. How's that for an intro? And, to my knowledge, she's the first companion to actually fall in love with the Doctor, though it could be easily read on a number of levels no matter how much she cries out. Add in Rose's spunk, and you've pretty much got her.
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Date: 2012-08-01 10:38 pm (UTC)That's pretty awesome! :D
I can definitely imagine, regarding Three. Heck, his stories introduced the *Master*, for crying out loud! Also, "Inferno". And the fact they had the Brig.
So yeah, I get what you mean. Also, from what I saw of Pertwee's Doctor, he looks cool. :)
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Date: 2012-08-01 10:48 pm (UTC)Another companion you'd like, speaking of Davison, is Erimem. She travelled with 5 and Peri in BF, starting with "Eye of the Scorpion." She could give Leela a bad day when it came to being a warrior. You see, she could actually inspire whole armies to materialize, and then she'd lead them into battle, Braveheart style.
Pertwee rocked. An entire season of the Master! The way the Master should be! I love the Brig, but I want to smack him too. lol. The real hero at UNIT was Benton. The only soldier who could actually shoot the broad side of the barn. The Brig was fun, though. He got to see the Doctor regenerate twice right in front of him. Pertwee also got to introduce Sarah Jane. Plus he had his car Bessie, and somewhere along the lines he built a hovercraft that looks like it shot out of the Jetsons.
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Date: 2012-08-02 10:27 am (UTC)Erimem really does sound awesome! :D As does Benton. :) And yay, more reasons to check out Pertwee's run! :D
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Date: 2012-08-02 11:41 am (UTC)Anyway, I see the new fans, and I think, "You like that? You'll LOVE this over here!" I keep thinking the more new fans I can turn on to the other versions, the more fans will demand the quality of story. Stories like "Blink" and "The Girl in the Fireplace" should be the rule, not the exception.
Ok, end of soapbox. Go forth and discover. :)
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Date: 2012-08-02 12:33 pm (UTC)Yeah, I heard. Honestly, I feel most sorry for Colin Baker -- he definitely got the worst of it. Fortunately, Big Finish gave him a second chance, as did the DOCTOR WHO fandom, but...man. *Gives the poor guy a hug, before proceeding to Force Choke the guy who tried to get him sacked from the role, Michael Grade*
I can definitely imagine. Hell, I wouldn't have gotten into the new series if the Classic Who reviews hadn't piqued my curiosity. (I know, bit of an odd way to get into DOCTOR WHO, but yeah...) And I know what you mean -- I know, for example, the Master's plan in "End of Time"...yeah, even the Underpants Gnomes would hand back your outline with notes that say, "Needs improvement", Master. I mean, it pretty much looks like this:
1. Hijack the Gate to turn population of earth into copies of me (and I can't believe I had to type those words) to lure out the Time Lords and thus turn *them* into me.
2. ????
3. Profit!
(Okay, maybe I'm being harsh/misremembering things. Sorry)
I will admit though, mulling over the Master a bit more, I do think I prefer the new series version in a few ways. True, he can get OTT, but OTT is pretty much what the Master does. That and he's an extremely complex character -- I like how in "Last of the Time Lords", one goes from hating the bastard villain to feeling sorry for him. For example, the line "Will it stop, Doctor? The drumming, will it stop?" -- it really does drive home the fact that underneath it all, the Master is very much still a frightened little boy. And I like how, in a way, his naivetie is played up in "End of Time" -- his excitement about bringing back Gallifrey and the Time Lords, with double bonus points for irony considering what the Time Lords did to him (seriously, I know when Rassilon starts going on about the Master being "our most infamous child" and "a disease", I was going, "Shut up, shut up, shut up, you *created* him, shut up shut up.") and why the Doctor had to do what he did. That and the idea that, in a way, the Master was still capable of good -- Professor Yana, for example. Doubly heart wrenching considering how it's played up like Yana has no choice but to become the Master again. I like how the Master's ultimately a tragic monster, with a few spots of...gallows humor in between. You're not going to agree, of course, but that's how I've come to see it. I also like the scene in "Last of the Timelords" where ultimately, the Doctor forgives the Master in spite of what he's done, and him trying to help the Master numerous times over. Because he and the Master were friends once, and you don't forget that. And honestly, one could argue the Doctor forgives too much at times, but honestly, after enduring stuff like LOTF and FOTJ, I'd prefer that to, say, Faux-Skywalker's "compassion is for those who deserve it" spiel in FOTJ. Spiels like that should belong to a villain, not a hero.
But enough of me being soapbox-y/rambly/pretentious/possibly having low standards and being easily amused/etc. I'll definitely check it out! :D
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Date: 2012-08-02 01:03 pm (UTC)That said, I readily accept you can't help what you fall in love with. We'll just have to agree to disagree. lol
Incidentally, you inspired to me write up my own fandom's journey this morning. It's your fault, you got me thinking Doctor Who!
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Date: 2012-08-02 01:36 pm (UTC)As for the drumming -- well, considering the Time Lords planted it retroactively in the Master's mind to escape the Time War, it makes sense that it didn't show up in previous incarnations. They literally weaponized the retcon. With one decision, they changed basically everything about the Master's origins.
But thank you. :)
Can't wait to see! :D
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Date: 2012-08-02 01:39 pm (UTC)Re: Warning: Long comment is long.
Date: 2012-08-02 02:03 pm (UTC)Re: Warning: Long comment is long.
Date: 2012-08-02 03:07 pm (UTC)Re: Warning: Long comment is long.
Date: 2012-08-02 03:09 pm (UTC)Re: Warning: Long comment is long.
Date: 2012-08-02 03:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-01 03:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-01 05:34 pm (UTC)The blog is right here on my LJ! I tend to go off the rails about a bunch of other things, so I keep it friends locked. Anyone's welcome via friend request; I just like to get to know who's reading.
I can't say I've talked much Doc Savage, but that's bound to happen sooner or later seeing as how his creator pretty much defined the pulp story formula as we understand it today. My big gun is the Shadow, and the two kind of go hand-in-hand when you're talking pulp classics.
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Date: 2012-08-01 05:38 pm (UTC)Were you ever into old time radio? The Shadow was a natural for the medium, and anyone with a sonorous voice could be He.
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Date: 2012-08-01 05:41 pm (UTC)I love Farmer. I'm constantly delving into his Wold Newton Universe. That's actually how I find about all the stuff I never knew I missed!
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Date: 2012-08-01 12:22 am (UTC)And about the Hunger Games? It's about time. ;) But seriously, glad you're enjoying it. It really deserves all the fame it's getting.
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Date: 2012-08-01 12:31 am (UTC)And I agree regarding THE HUNGER GAMES. Completely. :)
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Date: 2012-08-01 07:55 am (UTC)The first HG book I really enjoyed; I disliked the rest. Have you got the next two?
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Date: 2012-08-01 02:58 pm (UTC)I've got the rest. Am in the middle of CATCHING FIRE right now. :)
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Date: 2012-08-01 03:03 pm (UTC)I've been *in order of importance* a/having oodles of fun writing and b/dealing with a car breakdown. Weather around 100F each day, so working outdoors early in the a.m. Looking forward to reccing for crack_van this month, starting today.
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Date: 2012-08-01 03:37 pm (UTC)And can't wait to see what you've recced for crack_van! :D