Taking one’s chances is like taking a bath, because sometimes you end up feeling comfortable and warm, and sometimes there is something terrible lurking around that you cannot see until it is too late and you can do nothing else but scream and cling to a plastic duck.
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Slippery Slope – Lemony Snicket
Julian Bashir: This gives me a chance to honor her memory, and I’m gonna take it. And that, my friend, is my final word on the subject.
Miles O’Brien: You know what this means, don’t you?
Julian Bashir: Yes. That I’m risking my life for a very dubious cause.
Miles O’Brien: No. It means I’m going to risk my life for a friend who’s risking his life for a very dubious cause.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 7: Episode 1 – “Image in the Sand”
Harry dropped the hair into the mudlike liquid. The moment it made contact with its surface, the potion began to froth and smoke, then, all at once, it turned into a clear, bright gold.
“Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry,” said Hermione, before catching sight of Ron’s raised eyebrows, blushing slightly, and saying, “Oh, you know what I mean — Goyle’s potion looked like bogies.”
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling
Joyce: Principal Snyder said you were a troublemaker. And I could care less. I have a daughter who can take care of herself. Who’s brave and resourceful and thinks of others in a crisis. No matter who you hang out with or what dumb teenage stuff you think you need to do, I’m gonna sleep better knowing all that.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 2: Episode 3 – “School Hard”
But wishing, like sipping a glass of punch, or pulling aside a bearskin rug in order to access a hidden trapdoor in the floor, is merely a quiet way to spend one’s time before the candles are extinguished on one’s birthday cake.
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Slippery Slope – Lemony Snicket
(Note: This is a fictional creative thinking exercise, inspired by hours of contemplation of which animated performances have been most worthy of attention over the years. This feature imagines that a Best Voice Performance category was added to the Oscars following Beauty and the Beast’s nomination for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards. Each week I’ll cover the hypothetical nominees and winner from one year of animated performances.)
The Best Voice Performance category at the 77th Academy Awards was considered something of a letdown. All five nominees came from only two films, and the winner was neither unexpected nor particularly exciting. However, 2005 proved to be a much more diverse year for voice performances. Pixar wouldn’t be releasing a new film, but both Dreamworks and Disney both had new movies to contribute. One film in particular, Madagascar, seemed to be gunning for nominations by recruiting a high profile cast of comedians of who featured prominently in its advertising campaign even before the film was released. However, no one could have predicted the variety and quality of the performances that would eventually earn nominations.
Odo: Nerys – I realize that things may seem bleak at the moment; but there’s always hope.
Kira Nerys: When did you turn into an optimist?
Odo: Must have been that day in front of Quark’s when we kissed for the first time.
Kira Nerys: That was some kiss, wasn’t it?
Odo: Changed my life.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 7: Episode 1 – “Image in the Sand”
