Gems of Memory

So, first of all, I have finally listened to all the audios in the main line of Big Finish.  All current 172.  It only took me a few years.  I feel accomplished though.  Silly thing to feel accomplished about, but hey.  I fully recommend them, should you get the chance.  Also, the Destiny of the Doctor so far has been lovely.  Oh, Eleven.  Totally worth the $40, so don't just take my word for it.  So are the Fourth Doctor Adventures, btw.  The main thing is that I don't know what to start on next.  I've got three big choices, and I figured I'd ask you guys your opinion.  And hey, poll!

[Poll #1909080]

So, yeah, there's that.  On to the second fannish thing.  Sadly, I think this one will be mostly ignored since I don't think many people share the fandom.  Still, it's worth a shot.

Basically, I've been re-playing Chrono Trigger, as you do, and have gotten to the Kingdom of Zeal and all the lovely bits the game doesn't really fill out.  And for the first time I thought I might like some fic of this.  Except, I really don't want to spend my time searching through Chrono Trigger fics because I'm not that big on the fandom.  Which is where you guys come in.  Rec me good Schala and/or Magus/Janus fics.  Heck, I'll probably take a good fic even if it doesn't have to do with them, but those are the ones I'm mainly looking for.  Time-y whime-y is totally an added plus.  One specific game ending aside though, I'm really not sure I can handle Crono talking, so keep that in mind.

Thanks for the input! 

Let's see if I can knock these out before I go to China.  All comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive.


( The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father, aka Bester's still a bastard, but some people do seem to like him. )

( Meditations on the Abyss, aka Londo is a proud papa. )


( Darkness Ascending, aka Lyta's power trip. It's coming. )

( And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder, aka All my dreams. All of them. JMS, why must you destroy them all? )


( Movements of Fire and Shadow, aka Delenn and Lennier have some forced bonding. )

( The Fall of Centauri Prime, aka Londo. T_T T_T T_T )

( The Wheel of Fire, aka Lyta's Power Trip has come to an end. For now. )

Well, there you have it.  I think I'll call it a night there, and try to get the last three done tomorrow.  In between packing, since hey, I really should be doing that.  I'm only leaving on Friday, after all...

So we finally started the fifth and final season of Babylon 5.  As always, all comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive.


( No Compromises, aka Lochley really has no idea what she's getting herself into... )

( The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari, aka Londo does, in fact, have a conscience. )

( The Paragon of Animals, aka G'kar's muse is very demanding. )

( A View from the Gallery, aka life on the station as told by two maintenance workers. )

( Learning Curve, aka Delenn now knows. Just exile yourself to the couch for tonight, Sheridan. )


The next episode is a fun one.  I'm looking forward to Nar's reactions.  <3  Now I've just got to wait for my mouth to stop being numb so I can finally eat something...

There are lots.  As always, all comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive.


( Conflicts of Interest, aka Zathras talks to dirt, because dirt is closer than the ceilings. )



( Rumors, Bargains and Lies, aka Sheridan has far too much fun messing with people. )

( Moments of Transition, aka Neroon. T_T )

( No Surrender, No Retreat, aka Trust Ivanova, trust yourself. Anyone else, shoot 'em. )


( The Exercise of Vital Powers, aka Lyta just needs to stop pretending to be a P5... )


( The Face of the Enemy, aka SAD PANDA CUDDLE PILE. )

( Intersections in Real Time, aka further proof JMS likes mindfucks. )

In short, cuddle piles are needed.  Which doesn't even go in to the next two episodes...

It's that time again.  This time though, things are wrapping up.  The Shadows, the Centauri... and things are unraveling completely, like the Civil War with Earth and the Minbari.  And then there's Marcus, who snarks at everything.  XD  All comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive.


( The Hour of the Wolf, aka that scene I really want to happen between Ivanova and the Black Widow. )

( Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi? aka, Garibaldi. T_T )


( The Summoning, aka ZOMBIE SHERIDAN RETURNS! )


( Falling Toward Apotheosis, aka Someone's putting a ring on it... XD )

( The Long Night, aka Characters. You just can't reason with them. )

( Into the Fire, aka The dawn of the Third Age of Snuggles. )

And I think I'll end this one here for the night.  I'll get through the other episodes we watched later.  XD

And here be the last two episodes of our watchalong.  Because we had to get through War Without End, especially with the recent death of Michael O'Hare, the actor who played Sinclair.  T_T  Yes, I needed lots of chocolate.  That stated, on to Timey-Whimey Funtimes Part 2!  All comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive. 

Also, these two episodes are extremely important to the arc.  Therefore, there are many, many spoilers.  Keep that in mind if you haven't seen these two yet.


( War Without End Part 1, aka he is the closed circle. T_T )

( War Without End Part 2, aka timey-whimey first kisses! )

In a way, I'm glad I'm a mediocre writer for a small portion of fandom.  Good writers apparently get nitpicked the hell out of every little thing they do.  Me, most people are so desperate for fic that they'll just accept anything that comes along, flaws and all.  And telling people in these small sections that they suck generally means less fic to be had.  An unexpected perk, I suppose.  XD 

Anyway, Z MINUS 4 EPISODES.  It is coming.  And we all know what will happen when it does.  <3

So ya know, the whole reason I did six episodes last time was so that these last couple could all fit in one entry.  Well, apparently not.  -_-;;;  Anyway, all comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive.

( Severed Dreams, aka Delenn is a true BAMF. Be somewhere else. )

( Ceremonies of Light and Dark, aka SO MANY FEELS ONE RIGHT AFTER ANOTHER. )

So we are now half-way through the series.  The literal half-way point.  And it's so very awesome.  <3  I'm looking forward to what Nar thinks of the rest.

It's the kind of season that you really don't stop watching.  So yeah, we kinda watched half of a 22 episode season in one day.  It happens.  XD  Considering I've actually watched season three in one weekend before, that should tell you something.  It just gets good.  It also means I have a hell of a write up to do.  -_-;;;

All comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive.


( Matters of Honor, aka an Introduction to Marcus Snark. )

( Convictions, aka THE ELEVATOR SCENE. XD )

( A Day in the Strife, aka "The heart does not sing with its parts." )

( Passing Through Gethsemane, aka that one that gives Mem Catholic feels and is pretty darn spectacular in general. )

( Vocies of Authority, aka ZOG. )

( Dust to Dust, aka the one Mem stole the Mcguffin from to make the Brigadier a temporary telepath. )

I'll get the next five episodes in another post, since I doubt they'll all fit in one.  Ah, well.  Still, Season 3.  It's when it all starts to go to hell.  <3

You will.  There is no getting around it.  It must happen.  It's a frickin' fixed point in time, and there's no changing it.  So, do what the Doctor does and just don't go!  Sadly, it doesn't work like that in this show, but hey.  As usual, all comments taken from The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.  Sound bytes are from the Down Below Sound Archive.


( GROPOS, aka Franklin's Daddy issues really aren't as bad as they seem. )



( All Alone in the Night, aka You are the hand. No, really. You are. )



( Acts of Sacrifice, aka the episode with the "Ivanova Dance." )



( Hunter, Prey, aka that time Garibaldi wears a hat and gets really, really cranky. )



( There All Honor Lies, aka "This isn't some kind of Deep Space franchise. This place is about something!" and JMS gets his revenge. )

( And Now For a Word, aka, B5 takes on the media! Part One. )

( In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum, aka IF YOU GO TO Z'HA'DUM, YOU WILL DIE. Also, here starts the Night Watch! )

( Knives, aka that one where you find out Londo totally kicks ass in fencing and Sheridan gets all the good acid trips. )

( Confessions and Lamentations, aka "Faith Manages." )

Almost through with season 2!  Four more episodes, all of which are pretty awesome.  Divided Loyalties, with all it's femslash glory.  The Long, Twilight Struggle, which just... guh.  G'kar feels.  So. Many. G'kar feels. That's the one we keep telling Nar about to wait for, because it has one of G'kar's most captivating speeches.  His orating skillz.  They are mind blowing.  Then the last two are too spoilerish to go into.  XD  Should be lots of fun though!

This is a public service announcement.  Some of you may have heard of TED talks.  Some of you may not.  The point of this post is to educate you on how awesome these are.  They've been on my radar for a while now, but today I was going through a watching binge and decided I needed to share.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and the TED talks are over a wide variety of topics, from how hallucinations work, to elements of a good story, to politics and internet freedom, to Chinese songs on a banjo, to spider silk.  The latter, admittedly, I couldn't watch because when they started showing pictures of spiders I got squimish, but it looked really interesting. 

The thing is, to be a writer, one must learn.  Not just about one subject, but as much as you can.  A closed mind doesn't imagination make.  But the more we learn, the more we are able to imagine, and in turn, the more we can create.  TED talks is fantastic due to the fact it's over so many topics, including ones you may never have heard of.  I don't think I'd ever have watched something on how bacteria 'talk' to one another, but really, it's sort of fascinating.  I'm sure somebody could use that as a plot device, and it would be AWESOME.  Does science ruin wonder?  He makes some very valid points, all while being entertaining.  I'll admit, the talk of entropy and so forth in this one goes a little over my head, but go and watch the talk about the universe.  J.J. Abrams has a nice little talk about mystery boxes.  And while I don't always agree with his version of a mystery (I happen to agree more with JMS, who resolves things every few episodes to create greater mysteries rather than just piling mystery on top of mystery, which is what Lost was from what I've seen and heard of it), he makes some great points in there. 

So my point is, don't just watch things that you would have interest in or would agree with.  Pick something random and watch, and by extension, learn.  Imagination is a fickle thing that can take on any numerous creations, and the more you know, the more you can draw from.  And who knows what will give you that spark?  Hell, I've researched the molecules of milk before, so you really never know what you can use.  So watch a few of them that strike your fancy, a few that don't, and enjoy your learning experience. 

In short, TED talks are awesome and everyone should be aware of them.  LET IT CONSUME YOUR LIFE.