7 posts tagged “war”
What was your favorite season of Babylon 5?
Season 1 - The beginning. Sinclair. Delenn as full Minbari. Everyone so much more innocent.
Season 2 - Things start building up. Sheridan. Clark. Delenn emerging from chrysalis.
Season 3 - Breaking away from Earth. Breaking of Gray Council Beginning of true Shadow war. Sheridan/Delenn. Marcus. Marcus/Ivanova
Season 4 - End of Shadow war. End of Earth Civil war. G'kar freeing his world. Walkabout.
Season 5 - President Sheridan. Telepath Tragedy. Lockley. Garibaldi's relapse. Delenn's pregnancy. Emperor Londo. Bodyguard G'kar.
Forgive me, I know my season synopsises aren't the best but it's midnight and you all don't need me telling you what happened in each. The question is which was your favorite. It's a bit of a hard question for me. I know it's either season 3 or 4 . . . OK, I believe season 4 comes out ahead. It just has some really great stuff in it. I love how it has poor Garibaldi's manipulation by Bester, some kick-ass Ivanova moments "God sent me", the battles to take back earth, Neroon's honorable end, G'kar and Londo working together very reluctantly, Vir killing Cartasia. I just loved it all. The storylines of the last three seasons really were brought into play. I thought it was the show at its best.
What about you?
One of the great thing about Babylon 5 is the ability for the show to capture the concept of war: the desperation, unexpected nobility, the ugly, and the beautiful . . . The first big war in the storyline is the Earth-Minbari war.
Babylon 5 itself, as the station, was created in response to the horror of that war. In the hope that such would never befall Humanity again. Because of that, the Earth-Minbari war was referenced quite a bit on the show and even had some flashbacks. However, it was the TV movie, In the Beginning that covered the Earth-Minbari war alone. Here is the promo:
This TV movie had two of the most moving speeches I've found on TV. Here is the first, made by the brilliant character, Londo Mollari while he's retelling the tale many decades later:
The second is the final call to arms given by the president of earth at the time:
And here is a very moving music video covering the entirity of the movie:
My most recent fanfiction was written with its focus being on the repercussions of the Earth-Minbari War. The fanfiction is called: What Is Not Forgotten.
No, I'm not really going to list the ways. (Though, number 1 would be giving me benzodiazepines like this wikihow suggests. Let's just say they have a very different affect on me than normal people.) I simply couldn't think of a better title. I don't believe I've made a vox post about this yet. On Wednesday, I am flying out to Chicago to meet up with Rain On Your Skin. I'm really looking forward to it. I've also been researching for it.
Yes, I am a dork.
I think I may actually enjoy this show. They are just all so great. It's the best reality show following a family that I've seen. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to stand my partner fooling around like Gene Simmons. I think I'd prefer to have my partner have one or two long term partners other than me instead of having him/her just have SO many different lovers. Not only for STDs but also for pregnancies... Shannon Tweed is a saint.
Anyways, I am one of those people that feels a lot more comfortable when I have thought out everything before hand and know exactly what to expect. Control freak? No. I just appreciate the God of Control. I have a feeling that he's a twin of Ares, God of War.
Nice . . . I have looked up different WikiHows. Mainly to amuse myself. I've also asked all my friends about tips for making flying easier. I've decided that everything I think I can do without is pretty much going in my main bag. Everything I need (such as reading, writing, camera) is going in my small carry-on bag. I plan to have my bedroom all pulled together for my leaving tomorrow. On Tuesday, I plan to have myself pretty much all packed. Wednesday, I plan to have myself ready. Early. Of course, I much prefer early than to late. And I only have one connection in Colorado. Luckily, my sleeping and mood are doing pretty well. I'm hoping that my BP will be doing well.
I'm really looking forward to seeing Chicago and DC with everything in-between and after.
Here I'll try to make a ticker:
And here's Christy's:
I hate when it gets close enough to the day of travel that I get excited for the trip but long enough that I still need to wait. I'm guessing that it's just going to get even more annoying until I am out there. And then I'll be happy that I survived it. The two things that really have me nervous are SECURITY and my connection in Colorado. Overall, I'm sure this is going to be great.
Now, so that you know it's me, here are some great Youtube finds! Hahaha!
When I was young, I wished to become a Roman Catholic nun. I’ve always had a deep appreciation of self-possession and a cause. I wanted to become a nun because I saw the power in it. I loved the position, not having to ever be under anyone else. I wanted to be able to sit down at my parochial school’s reunion and have this play out:
TEACHER: So . . . what do you all do? I hope my years of self-sacrifice have amounted to even one of you making something of yourselves. But I doubt it.
MARY: I’m a classical pianist. Next week, I am performing for the Minister of Spain.
TEACHER: Yes, well. I never liked guacamole. What about you? *Glares at boy who quickly guards his loins*
JOHN: I’m a world-renowned alchemist. I believe I may have cured cancer with a mix of lemon juice and bleach. If it doesn’t kill them first . . .
TEACHER: Either way, at least they’ll die clean on the inside. God appreciates your subtlety. As long as the Pope doesn’t declare you a heretic. And you?
ME: *Clears Throat* Well, I don’t mean to brag but . . . *Raises hand and shows off ring* I’m married to God!
TEACHER: Oh, Sarah! You always were my favorite!
MARY: Damn.
*All stare at her, striking various poses of shock*
MARY: *Throws hand over mouth* Jesus-Fucking-Mary-and-Joseph!
Or so my dream went. As the years have progressed, the teacher has taken on the look of Professor McGonagall. Mary now has breast implants while John likes to dress up like a housewife and bleach the tub. What can I say? I have a writer’s imagination. I might have followed through with my plans of becoming one of the many first ladies of the Catholic church if it weren’t for the fact that I’d be expected to wake up in the middle of the night to pray. I hold my sleep sacrosanct. And thus, I tucked my dreams of virginal powers underneath my pillow.
I went to sleep. A sleep of Pubescence. I lived. I loved. I got breasts. Not necessarily in that order. However, in the back of my head –well underneath, if we are continuing that analogy – still rested my dreams of being a nun. It’s always made me smile thinking about it. Of course, now I have moved on from the Roman Catholic faith. We were hot and I shall always remember the good times and tears. I loved when he was strict with me and spoke of my sins. Is it bad that I always got a little bit excited whenever the priest would say “Satan?” Probably. Though we had a passionate stint of Marian devotion where I got to look at a statue of our Lady of Guadalupe and think about how gorgeous she was and that I’d sure like my own crescent to smite a phallic symbol upon . . . .
Wait, where was I?
Oh, yes. Even though the Church shall always hold a lovely red and gold place in my heart, I moved on. It was probably Confession’s fault. I was always upset when I didn’t have some really good sins to confess. I felt inadequate and thus contemplated making larger sins in order to make it worthy of the priest’s time. I realized perhaps that was not a productive use of my time and energy. That and I’m a little claustrophobic and those confessionals were really small and then there was the perfume and incense . . .
Anyways, though I was parted with the Church, I was not faithless. I enjoyed both my stints with established faith. The Mennonite church was a stable and comfortable first love. The Roman Catholic Church was the older, more knowledgeable lothario that just looked so damn good in black leather and a ripped wife-beater. In their own ways, they’ve made me the woman I am. And I am greatly thankful to both of them though I could never in a million years settle down with either of them.
But what am I to do? I crave meaning and guidance in my life. I crave power of the greater organization. Mostly, I crave the commandments, the sins, the eternal damnation . . .Well, in a distinctly Hollywood-bad-type-of-way, where you don’t know whether you are afraid or turned on. What should I do?
I considered joining Wicca. But they’re all so concerned about being enlightened and not impeding on the realm of their fellows' thoughts and wills that there was no room for the type of power I’ve been looking for. Though their wish to be liberal is admirable, half the time, I think they are making things up as they go along. Also, sage stinks.
There was always Scientology. One of the problems with the Roman Catholic Church is that . . . well, let’s just say it, they’ve passed their peak. Scientology however shows all the promise of being the 15th century Roman Catholic Church of the 21st century. I can admire that. However, they don’t allow you to marry the spirit of L. Ron Hubbard and thus there’s no legitimacy to preserving my sex for him. In the end, I just wasn’t rich enough to zap alien melancholy from my psyche with a lie-detector machine. Plus, Tom Cruise is amazingly short and I find I am turned off by short men.
So where does that leave me? Well, as far as I can tell, it’s the religion part that’s let me down, not the nun part. I’m ambiguous on that virginal thing but who’s gonna be looking? Then it came to me. A flash of inspiration. An epiphany, if you will.
I had a vision of the godly.
And it was goooooood . . . .
Obviously, I need to start my own religion. No, now stay with me on this! I’m not asking you to believe me a goddess of the flesh (even though it wouldn’t hurt) or that I could tell you how to live your life by reading the lint gathered at the bottom of my Nikes. No. This is the real stuff. This is me taking a hold of my life and hopefully taking some of you down with me. I mean, up. Up with me.
My religion/way-of-life shall be named after me. We shall call it Denial. I have Faith that it will spread through the Human majority like wild-fire. No need to spread the word. No, please keep your silence on it. It will spread on its own if I know my followers. For you, I shall marry myself to the Holy Center of the Universe, named Walwa. It is a force of life, a god(dess) if you will, though it resents having a gender or explanation. It says that I must take at least one other lover, man or woman depending upon my tastes, so that Walwa may break off a piece of itself to inhabit an earthly form. That and we may get jiggy with it.
This is the Word of Denial.
Can I hear a “True That?”
Oh yeah.
Others who wish to devote their lives to the Great Center of the Universe, wish to live the Walwa Way, may join the ranks of the Sister-Wives and Boy-Toys. Our Holy Day shall be Wednesday, colloquially referred to as “hump day”, as it is the center of the week. This day shall be celebrated with chocolate offerings to the Great Wife of Walwa. Preferred: Milk Chocolate. Those who donate White Chocolate shall not be invited to the after-service party. And all the Enlightened shall be there. The chosen shall be labeled as “In-Denial” though I do not understand why Walwa considers such a suggestive label appropriate.
Here is how we stand on politics:
Who Should Be Voted President: Any appropriate politician identified with Denial.
War: If we were all appropriately In-Denial no one would see the use of war.
Freedom of the Press: Ignorance truly is bliss.
Gay Marriage: Who cares if they’re married and having sex? If the mental image of them having sex causes us problems, we shall simply not think about it.
The French: We expect no resistance from them. Half of them are In-Denial already.
This is just the beginning. I’m sure it’ll take some time and deep thought (as well as some generous donations) for me to be able to fully understand the Wisdom of Walwa. We’re already taking volunteers who would like to know more about Denial and perhaps become a Sister-Wife or Boy-Toy, living In-Denial. I can testify there is no better way to be.
In fact, to mark the beginning of this new phase in my life, I declare April 1st "Day of Denial." I suggest we all celebrate it with a Walwa festival, filled with alcohol and chocolate. Won’t you join me? Don’t you want to be In-Denial?
For more information, look here. To drop me an application, reply below. Thank you and Walwa be with you.
True That.
Video: Show us a TV series you own or watched on DVD.
Still my favorite television show of all time. Excellent stuff here. Even my favorite fanfic I've yet written was written for this fandom.
Video: Show us your favorite movie scene.
Submitted by Caroline.
One I can think of off the top of my head . . . I'm including a music vid as well about it. Great vid:
Everyone is so concerned with the Middle-East right now in the good ol' US. And there is reason to be concerned. However, so few people pay attention to N. Korea. That country's history and its leaders' apparent desire for all out war, is the scariest, IMHO. Every action taken to try to temper them is responded to with some variation of "This will be taken as a declaration of war against our sovereignty." I dread seeing how this pans out. When someone wants war so badly, they usually don't stop until they get their war.
