(o, this uncertainty is taking me over)

[riverdresses]

Eye exam tomorrow morning at nine-thirty. Grrrr. Definitely not looking forward to sporting my Tenth Doctor/Clark Kent specs or lacking my Edie Sedgwick-esque eye makeup. But I need an eye exam & more contacts quite badly, so sacrifices must be made, alas.

Damn, why don't I ever buy waterproof eye makeup? Waterproof eye makeup & defogger for my specs.

Screencapping continues to be a pain in my arse & there's a good chance that I'm just going to have to do it manually - screencapping is always nice, but doing it manually in VLC is such a drag - tedious, tiring & frustrating. But my caps just . . . vanish if I try to do it automatically, so if I want caps, I'll just have to do it all by hand. Ah, well. I've got some pretty subject matter to work with, so maybe it'll be less of a chore! It'll just take longer to get it all done.

& in less wah-wah-wah, I went skipping off to fanmix in search of Zod/Tess mixes & whilst I came up empty-handed (booo!) for them, I found - & yes, I'm shocked that I'm even going with this; but crack is fun - a really nice Zod/Lois mix! (Again, my shock is almost immeasurable, but Pandora is wicked shippy if you liked those two. & the phone fakeouts & Salvation up until the phonebooth scene are also pretty shippy. I'd . . . read it? & okay, maybe ship it. But I'm too busy scheming on how to promote moar Zod/Tess to think of them.)

I also forced myself to sit through watched Superman II last weekend. It was . . . well, not my thing, but it was nice. & I thought the fortress of solitude looked really Gallifreyan in design, which amused me during all the dull bits, i.e., the non-Zod or Clark bits.

& you know, the weirdest thing? I came out slightly hearteyes for Clark Kent. But then again, I've never been overly fond of Superman - he bores me, actually, & I was a Batman girl as a child. But Clark? Awww! He gets me right in my heart because of that sweet awkwardness he has. I like cutely awkward sorts!

Hmm. I remember once talking with nentari about how Sarah Jane Smith, in her early serials with Three, was very Lois Lane-esque herself, even in her wardrobe & overall look. I definitely saw that in the film & I sort of see it in Smallville!Lois too, even though I don't think she & Sarah are as much alike there. I think Smalliville!Lois is maybe a bit more Martha Jones-esque (especially in Pandora!) than Sarah-esque, but they're still a fair bit alike. But, hey, I loved Martha too, so it's a win-win situation all around.

& I'm pretty sure all of that preamble was just so I could mention how the Genesis song Me and Sarah Jane made me think of Clark & Lois without everyone thinking I'd lost my mind. (well, it sort of does! I think you just have to use your imagination to make it fit a bit.)

I went back to using my Twitter today at wordsindreams' enabling suggestion, since she's using hers more lately. I'm riverdresses there as well, should you want to follow me! (I update way too much there; you've been warned)

Hmm. Sort of want to practise my eye makeup now in lieu of of being able to wear any tomorrow - I know some of it will stay on & make it look like I have some on, so I'd have more of a Nico-esque, rather than Edie-esque look.

Also, LJ fucked around with the tags again, & made it so that any tag with a slash is basically a broken link, so I have to start reorganising my tags soon. GAH, WHAT THE FUCK WAS WRONG WITH THE OLD SYSTEM, REALLY.

Edit: AAAAH OMG, THE MAKER OF SAID MIX MADE A BUNCH OF BEAUTIFUL ZOD & ZOD/LOIS ICONS FUCK YES! ::DANCES:: (It's been a bitch to find good, gorgeous, awesome Zod-centric icons. I DO NOT APPROVE. ::hisses:: brb, swiping & uploading all of them.)

Edit II: I forgot to add above, that after a little thinkythink (& seeing the Zod/Lois icons I flailed about above), I've come to the conclusion that Zod/Lois = Simm!Master/Martha, but somehow, not as squick-inducing for me. (I can read Simm!Master/Martha, but it kind of makes me uncomfortable & I've never figured out why.) Zod/Lois, on the other hand is just hot & twisted, & not like Zod/Tess - that's just evil & hot. So I could feasibly enjoy them more than I ever could Simm!Master/Martha. Go figure.

Comments

[nentari.livejournal.com]

NOTE: In the previous podcast, Tony and Bob were compared by another listener to Dick Dastardly and Muttley from the Wacky Races cartoons, hence the way I begin this letter. I'm sure I don't need to explain my comment about Penelope Pitstop, right?

Dear Dastardly and Muttley,
(Wait, does that mean Jo is Penelope Pitstop? After meeting her Doctor Who alter-ego in the novel "The Crooked World" I'm not very comfortable with the idea.)

You suggested I'd write my own reviews of the Companion Chronicles I recommended two weeks ago. Challenge accepted. (Oh dear, I'm starting to sound like a Dominator. Sorry, Tony.) For my first review, I choose the Victoria Waterfield story "The Great Space Elevator".

The story begins with a much older Victoria reminiscing about the time she, the Second Doctor and Jamie (or, as the Mad Twins affectionately call him, "Skirt Boy") land in Sumatra sometime in the future. As usual in Victoria's days, they fall right in the middle of a base-under-siege situation - with the base in question this time being a space station linked to the Sumatra base through a long structure known as a Space Elevator. Something very wrong is happening at the station - they send emergency messages only to dismiss those later, the communications officer's voice and manners completely changed. The Doctor manages to convince Security Officer Tara Kerley to let him and his companions accompany her to the station. What follows is a chilling and suspenseful tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat (if you're sitting down, that is) to the very end.

As I'’ve mentioned before, the Patrick Troughton era is my favourite. This is what makes me appreciate the Companion Chronicles so much - it allows us to get new adventures of Doctors that can no longer make an actual appearance, as well as provide us with an interesting look at the way the companions see the events unfolding before them. "The Great Space Elevator" fulfils those two aspects perfectly. It's also the perfect audio to show to someone who has never seen a Troughton episode, as it's both written and produced in such a way that it feels like a typical Series 5 story. From the special effects that would be required to the soundtrack, everything fits with what the production team back in 1967/68 could achieve - the only difference is that it's much, much shorter, which in the case of this particular adventure works as an asset. Tara Kerley's uniform is clearly reminiscent of what Miss Garrett and the other female personnel wore in "The Ice Warriors", and the character itself, played by Helen Goldwyn, is in the same vein of other no-nonsense women of the Troughton era like the aforementioned Miss Garrett or Miss Kelly from "The Seeds of Death". As I listened to it, I could almost imagine the visual effects team rubbing their hands in glee because they'd be given a chance to use their beloved foam machine yet again. The only two things that seem harder to accomplish, the sight of the Space Elevator rising up to the skies and the view from inside the Elevator as it took the Doctor and his friends to the station, would be difficult to achieve, but not impossible.

In conclusion, it's a great story. It pushes the right nostalgia buttons for the Troughton fans, and it also works well as an introduction for the newcomer.

All the best,
Patricia

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

LOLZWHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT. XD

& I ADORE your review! You actually captured exactly what it was that made me love this story so much & also, interestingly enough, even though I don't know if you've heard it yet, why I adored Jo's Companion Chronicle, The Doll of Death. (They're not really similar, but they are at the same time - listen to both & I think you'll see what I mean, or not.) THEY NEED TO READ THIS, OMG.

::snugs you for writing such a lovely review::

[nentari.livejournal.com]

And Bob can make the Muttley laugh! XD

I'm so glad you liked it! I haven't listened to Doll of Death yet, but I have it and will listen to it as soon as I can.
(Speaking of Jo, the first part of her guest appearance in SJA aired yesterday and part 2 will be on tonight. I have part 1 already but haven't watched it yet, but I've heard of something someone says in it about another companion that has made me go "YAYOMGSQUEE!" I'll share it with you if you want to learn of it straight away, but keep mum if you want to wait. :))

Aww, I like snugs. :D

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLZ! XD

O, do so! I think you'll really like it - it was one of my first Companion Chronicles & I LOVED it.
(EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK, FINALLY!! Ummmmmm . . . is it a companion I adore?)

& you know I love to snug you! ^_^

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Talk about coincidence, I found my Wacky Races DVD, which I thought my father had borrowed.

I'm sure I will. :)
(Well, in Part 2 more companions and their post-show future got mentioned! I know you love the companion I was talking about and that you absolutely adore two of those that are mentioned in Part 2, so I'll keep mum until you feel like asking. But if you feel like knowing it all, I posted the exact quotes of what happened to all of them in my LJ. And Jo... oh, Jo. ♥ You know how I feel about RTD, but this time he made me happy - he did well to Jo and to everyone who got a mention.)

Hee. :D

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

AWESOME!

You should listen to it now, since you saw her & Sarah together. :D
(OMG, WAS ONE OF THEM JAMIE OR POLLY? ::HOPPY:: & I'm glad to know he treated her with the respect she deserved. ♥♥)

I dooooooooooooo!

[nentari.livejournal.com]

And the girls love it!

As soon as I can. My interview is tomorrow and I've spent the week prepping for it.
(MAYBE. I REFUSE TO SPOIL YOU WITHOUT PERMISSION. ONE THING I'LL SAY, THOUGH - MY FICS ARE STILL VALID! He also did some things that enraged fans, but the companion love (and especially the Jo love) was able to override it. Well, you can read some very sad implications between the lines of one thing that was said, but considering the actors in the show, it was inevitable.)

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

The DO? EEEP! :D

::kisskisskiss:: GOOD LUCK, MISS!
(YOU'RE A VERY GOOD FRIEND LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW! OMGGGGGG. WAIT, THIS GIVES ME AN IDEA. :O O no! ::wibble::)

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Yep!

Thankee. I think it went well.
(I'M GLAD YOU THINK SO, BECAUSE I'M ITCHING TO TELL YOU BUT I KNOW YOU WON'T THANK ME FOR IT. AND WHAT IDEA?)

ETA: This week's Flashing Blade podcast was released a day earlier, and I just heard it - and as we were hoping they've read both my letters! First, Tony read my account of watching Androids of Tara with the girls, and it was clear they both loved it, particularly the names they gave to the Doctors (before reading out the list, Tony told Bob "Brace yourself, because this is really good!"). Later, Bob read my review of Great Space Elevator, and the poor thing had to take a breather afterwards because of its length. I'm so evil to the poor boy. :P They had a nice laugh over my commenting back on the "Dastardly and Muttley" joke (and Bob did the Muttley laugh again!), and are now planning to make Jo do a Penelope Pitstop impression next time. As you can imagine, I'm quite happy!
Due to the recent RL events you're familiar with, I was unable to write anything for them so far and so I doubt I'll be able to do anything in time for next week, but I'll try to write about watching Unearthly Child and the S5 finale with the twins for the other week.
As for Professor Dave & Co, their podcast will very likely only be up at the usual time (late Sunday/early Monday), so I'll let you know about it once it happens. As I told you, when they do specials they tend to do a "part 2" 'cast the following week (they're a fortnightly 'cast), so if they didn't read my DLM tribute this week they'll either read it in Part 2 or leave it for an episode where they'll review it personally.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

HOORAY!

I'm glad to hear that! I hope you find out soon if you got it. :D
(SEE WHY YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD FRIEND? :D I FORGOT, ACTUALLY.)

OMG!! :D :D :D I'm very happy for you too! ::dances & skips with you::
Aww, I'm sorry about that, but that means they're going to look forward to your next letters even more!
Okay then! I DO hope they read your letter, naturally. ^_____^ ::crosses fingers::

& by the way . . . I haz roughly three thousand words of drunken Mason/Daisy in which they're supposed to have sex written. :D But there's going to be sadness, I'll tell you.

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Huzzah!

Let's hope so. Things seem to be very disorganized with them.
(AWW, THANK YOU! THEN IT WAS PROBABLY NOT THAT GOOD IF IT WASN'T WORTH REMEMBERING, DON'T YOU AGREE?)

I'm very psyched. I re-listened to the Androids of Tara bit, since that's the one they were more responsive about, and Bob went "This is gold!" when they reached the bit about Pat being "the funny Doctor who hangs out with Skirt Boy and the pretty girls". :P
I guess. I'm still too tired to write anything coherent for them, but their response this week makes me smile.
*crosses fingers as well*

I'll be looking forward to reading it, sadness or no!

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

::DANCES::

::is crossing her fingers for you::
(I MEANT EVERY WORD! & I REMEMBER MY IDEA! BUT YOU'RE VERY RIGHT - THAT'S WHAT I TELL MYSELF WHEN I FORGET THINGS.)

::gigglies:: Well, you speak the truth! ::cuddles her tired bunneh::

Aww, thankyou! (you MIGHT get to read it sooner than you think . . . )

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Thank you, m'dear.
(*BLUSHES* I'M GLAD YOU'VE REMEMBERED, THEN. BUT YES, IT'S A POSITIVE WAY OF THINKING WHEN ONE FORGETS THINGS.)

They've read it! *dances* It's the last letter read (at about 1h22m) with Lillibet doing the reading and the other two systematically interrupting in hilarious ways, as I knew they would. Because Professor Dave is recovering from the flu, he responded to my comment about his voice by saying that it's more like cheap bourbon now than rich chocolate, which eventually lead to all three of them (and me) bursting into laughter and Lillibet having a lot of trouble trying to resume her reading of my letter. Eventually she did, with still more interruption from the other two; at some point she turned to Professor Dave in her stern schoolteacher mode and told him "Patricia hasn't finished!" which lead to him adopting an ashamed schoolboy voice and saying "Sorry, Patricia" before switching to the sex voice and going "Sorry, mistress" to Lillibet. :P And, when they reached my description of Mason, Danielle said, "Admit it, Patricia, he's your favourite because he's cute", which made me giggle. Overall, though, they liked it, and I got the feeling Lillibet (who never watched the show before) was intrigued and wants to check it out now, so my job is done. :D Ooh, and since Danielle made us theme songs for each person who sent feedback, I got one as well - and because her brain goes to weird places, it was about comparing me to Richard Marx. And Dave mentioned Callum playing Marshwood, which is always nice. (And I find it funny that you commented with that icon, as Lillibet's voice reminds me of Peri for some reason.)

Ooh, wonderful!

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

::MOAR DANCING::

::hugs:: I've got good hopes for you, love!
(ME TOOOOO! & I AGREE. :D)

OMG!! ::LEAPS WITH JOY FOR YOU:: Oooo, sexy. ;P & dude, of COURSE Mason's your favourite just because he's cute! :P I hope she does check it out; we will have both spread the joy of Dead Like Me to another, then! :D YIPPIE! (HEE. Really? I has moar Peri!)

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Aww. :)
(GOOD.)

It's really exciting. And yes, I'm shallow and unashamed. *grins* Though I also value immensely his work as an actor, of course particularly when he gets to act while shaking his Union Jack-clad b... oops. :P (Well, that's the impression I get but you might feel differently when you hear her. She sounds very much like Nicola Bryant for me, and has a very shrill laugh like Nicola's character in Blackadder.)

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

::watches those heads bounce::

::smoochies galore::
(YES YES!)

::giggles madly:: It's GOOD to be unashamed of one's shallowness! You saucy thing you! ::tickles:: Remember, that's mine. (Hmmmmmm . . . )

[nentari.livejournal.com]

(YIPPEE.)

That means it's a GOOD kind of shallowness. Can't I have it for at least 5 minutes? (Like I said, you'll judge for yourself.)

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

::bounces with them::

::blows lots of kissies::
(MEOOOOOOW!)

I CAN GET BEHIND THIS. No, that ass is Shelley family property! Well, it WOULD be if they weren't all ded - so it's THIS Shelley's property! Besides, what would YOU do with it anyway?

[nentari.livejournal.com]

(WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)

GOOD. Does Callum know it's your property? ;P And I'm sure you know what I'd do with it...

Oh, and I sent an e-mail for next week's Flashing Blade. Nothing for Professor Dave, though.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

WHOOO!

ILUUUUUUUUU!
(MROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!)

YEEEEAH! Not yet . . . :P & I swear, I don't!

Oooo, what was the subject this time?

[nentari.livejournal.com]

()

YEP. Are you ever going to tell him? Sure you do. :P

My showing An Unearthly Child and The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang to the twins.

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

WHOA, BIG SMILEY THINGS! ::DANCES::

INDEEEED. . . . No? I SWEAR, I DON'T! TELLETH MEE!

O, how was it? Did they like it? :D

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Then it doesn't count, does it? ...I forgot what we were talking about.

Here it is:

Dear Flashers,

Due to that mysterious and elusive thing known as real life creeping up on me, I didn't have the chance to re-listen to my Big Finish discs recently - which I'm afraid means it will take a while until I can send you another review of a Companion Chronicle. *insert dramatic pause while Bob breathes a sigh of relief* However, I did manage to show the Mad Twins some more Doctor Who the other week.
This time, they gave me a very specific request: they wanted to see the Doctor's very first and very last adventures. As a result, the Sunday was spent watching "An Unearthly Child" and "The Pandorica Opens" & "The Big Bang". It was unusually fast watching "An Unearthly Child" with them. Usually I translate things for them as the action advances, often having to pause to develop my translation or to explain something that confuses them, and with this episode I only had the need to pause once, to explain about the decimal system and how currency worked in Britain at the time. Everything else was instantly clear for them. They connected with Ian and Barbara immediately, and thought Barbara was absolutely beautiful. On the other hand, they were oddly disgusted with Susan and thought she was ugly. When I asked them why, Mad Twin #2 explained that it was because she "didn't look human" and "had a boy's hairstyle". They were a bit disappointed with the first Doctor as well - not because they didn't think he was as fantastic as the others - because they did - but because of him being so mean to the others. It's a good thing I didn't show them "The Tribe of Gum" together with this, as I have the feeling the scene where the Doctor tries to bash Za's head with a rock would have driven them up the wall.
Oh, and they seem to have even more trouble saying Ian's name than the Doctor, so they're calling him "the teacher" to make things easy.
As for the other two, the end of "The Pandorica Opens" made them burst into tears. I had to make a pause between the episodes to give each of them a hug and reassure them that things would get better, as they were sobbing uncontrollably and telling me they were regretting ever asking for that story. Thankfully, the tears were replaced by laughter the moment the Doctor appeared with his fez and mop, and from that point on things got better and better. Oh, and apparently Rory is their new "TV boyfriend", while Matt Smith is their current favourite in spite of their disapproval of his treatment of bread.
I'm afraid I won't be showing them any new story this weekend, as I was asked not to bring anything for them this time. Apparently, they stole my mother's roll-on deodorant and rubbed it on every item of clothing in their wardrobe, so now they are grounded. I'll take the opportunity to search through my DVD collection for more Hartnell stories to show them soon, because right now they're calling him "the mean old Doctor" and we just cannot have that, can we? I've explained that he'll mellow with time and they have accepted this, but some visual evidence will be required.

All the best,
Patricia

First, Tony threw a fit for being called "flashers", as this has been done by a lot of people in the past. Overall, though, they loved it, and Bob practically squeed when the twins were mentioned. :D Oh, and they said I'm welcome to keep on sending them my reviews, and that thanks to my feedback they've invited someone else to do a Companion Chronicles feature in the podcast. *dances* Oh, and the girls should find a new TV boyfriend because Rory has a silly ponytail, and Tony asked if they're going to be pleased I told the whole world about the deodorant incident. :P

[riverdresses.livejournal.com]

::BOUNCES::

AWW, FLOWERS! ::ACCEPTS:: IT DOES! & we were talking about what you'd do with Mason's bum if you could touch it. ::halo::

EEEK! I'm so glad the twins liked One, even though they thought he was a bit mean - there's hope there! But noooooo, Susan's not ugly! & Barbara's not that pretty either . . . & I say this while listening to Lady Barbara . . . I FEAR I SHALL BE SHOT. D: & awwwwwww, Rory wuv! ::cuddles Rory:: But I'm surprised that you didn't mention what they thought of Amy! ::pets Amy:: LOLZ BOB LOVES THE TWINS. XD XD & EEEEK TIMES TWO! LOOK WHAT YOU MADE HAPPEN, BB! ::dances with you:: Go you! & WAT SILLY PONYTAIL?! :O

[nentari.livejournal.com]

Why should it count? Well, I'd touch it, duh!

Well, that's their opinion: in their eyes Susan is ugly and Barbara is beautiful. *shrugs* They identify with Amy, which might explain why they see Rory as their boyfriend. I KNOW, I INFLUENCED THE PODCAST IN A MAJOR WAY, EEK! As for the ponytail, GO WATCH S5 NOW! (But if you want to know beforehand, here it is.)

My retort to the Flashing Blade, which will hopefully be read in this week's podcast, is this:

Dear Tony, Jo! and Bob,
(Sorry about the "flashers" business, by the way.)

I was very flattered to discover my question about Companion Chronicles aeons ago has led to you inviting someone to review them. I agree that there's too much Big Finish around and that poor Bob would probably die of exhaustion if he had to review everything that comes his way. And don't worry, I shall continue to send my own thoughts on those as soon as I can - but I'll do my best to be a little less verbose next time, for Bob's sake, as I keep remembering how out of breath he was after reading my e-mail.

I was listening to some previous podcasts recently, namely those where you asked your listeners to come up with ingredients for a Brigadier Pizza. I have no suggestions for that beyond what was already mentioned, but I felt like I should point out that there's a dessert, originally from Brazil but also very popular here in Portugal, known as a Brigadeiro - or, in English, Brigadier. It basically consists of dough made of condensed milk, butter and chocolate and rolled into tiny balls - very fattening and absolute poison for a diabetic, I'm afraid, and also extremely addictive.
Speaking of chocolate, I had a very creepy experience recently. I bought a box of assorted mini-chocolates I've always been very fond of - and imagine my surprise when it finally hit me, after years eating the stuff, that the wrapper on the plain milk chocolate ones depicts a lipstick kiss between the words "Alô Doçura" - in English, "Hello Sweetie". She's looking for him again...

All the best,
Patricia

PS: Telling the whole world about the Mad Twins' latest bout of insanity was completely intentional. Hopefully they'll think twice before doing something like that again. Oh, and since one of the Hartnell stories you suggested, "The Time Meddler", was also on my shortlist, I think I'll go for that one next time. Today, we'll be doing a small Pertwee marathon, both because he's my second favourite Doctor, and because I want to show them "Death of the Doctor" and I feel they should know Jo and Sarah better first.

And since next week's episode of Professor Dave's Ark in Space deals with Harry Potter, I also sent them a short comment about the books, followed by a plug to Diana Wynne Jones.