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minxyH/T to cleolinda for this, but it absolutely must be shared far and wide across the fen: SOMEONE IS MARKETING CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN MARY SUE FICTION. Good on you, people who found a way to tap the Twilight fans market. I picked the mystery section, having recently watched the Sherlock Holmes movie, and asked for a free preview. I'll wait while you do the same.
Principles: you imput your name (I chose Mary Sue, obvs.) and then the name of your leading man. And if you can't think of your favorite leading man right off the top of your head, they'll suggest some actors for you to picture as you think really hard (hint: they're mostly Twilight actors.)
...“Detective Watson, the paintings are quite similar, with one major difference: the hidden painting, the one concealed beneath Golden Night, contains a compass.” Mary Sue gripped the telephone receiver tighter hoping the detective might grasp the situation.
“A compass? Like a map compass?” John absentmindedly began to draw a north arrow and then stopped mid-doodle, suddenly much more interested in the art history lesson.
Okay, so they went on for a while, but you get the point, right? I solve crimes with John Watson! My life is complete.*
In other news, despite once again completing a booklet as a Nielson Family (I said I watched all your favorite shows) I seem to have come down with a strange case of only being interested in British SciFi shows lately. Being Human, as I imprinted on the British version (A ghost, a werewolf and a vampire take a flat together, but can they stand each others friends????) and then lately, what seems to be a remake of the Earth 2 concept: Outcasts (link to the io9 advanced description with trailer) I will now express to you my fervent desire that more people start watching this show and talking about it.
The abbreviated version: Postapocalyptic show with good world-building and many flawed, capable, dangerous people. Also lots of accents.
The slightly longer version: Earth was going to hell, so a multi-decade project set out to terraform a new planet, sending first pioneers and soldiers, later the best and brightest that Earth had to offer to begin again. But something happened to the transports and the new colony hasn't seen one or heard from Earth in five years. A transport arriving on their doorstep sees a colony in transition welcoming what may be the last arrivals of civilians from Earth. They face holding out hope for a reunion with their families, decisions about telling new colonists about the hard decisions from the first years, and a lack of unity in the transition to civilian life again. All while trying to avoid (or admit to failing to avoid) the mistakes of the first human planet.
Details about characters who caught my eye: I'll just tell you right now I love the women. (Photos at IMDb, as I have limited screenshots.)
Names you may know: Amy Manson, who played Daisy on Being Human BBC, is now a flower called Fleur, but within the first three episodes she goes from being idealistic and starry eyed to completely awesome and complex (and not in anyway vampy). I'm listing her first because I am pretty sure she's my in on this show. I am interested in people she's interested in; I dislike people she is disappointed in. I have yet to see her do anything I didn't believe. I'm so excited to have watched her get progressively more screen time. If this actress is getting pidgeon-holed into BAMFs named after flowers, I'm surprisingly okay with this.
Fleur and Jack. They have some interesting chemistry.
Hermione Norris, who was on Spooks apparently, but I recognize her from somewhere else (Bend it Like Beckham?) She plays Stella. I was critical of a plot point early on that was meant, expositionally speaking, to tell us she had left a family behind ten years ago and missed them, but really undercut her skills as a character (she's one of those typical brilliant scientist characters who is actually performing several jobs, most of which only allow her to be a scientist in her spare time. Also she has lots of opportunities to hang out an have conversations about whatever, or stare out windows broodingly. While acting as a Very Important Job and sometimes-scientist.) And then Norris went and got to have a moment where she picked up a guy in a bar, a much younger guy in a bar, and it was so naturally done and a far more expressive scene about loneliness, that I was prepared to upgrade her to BAMF status right there. (This was confirmed when she described the experience matter of factly as "not bad actually, if a little short." AWESOME LADY! You rock.) I liked this for two reasons: one, sex is seen as a multi-layered, multi-reasons idea, and possibly between people who are older and people who are younger. Also, it is a reasonable place for a person who had a family, hasn't seen or heard from them in 10 years, and who has all but given up on ever seeing them again, to be. Most pilots would show someone still in an active phase of grief, this is more nuanced.
Here is Stella with Jack. Don't know about the chemistry there, as frankly, I don't know that I've seen a scene with the two of them together.
I am watching the guys, but am not prepared to elevate them to BAMF status just yet, although two are up for promotion:
1. A guy who, while on the new planet due to child-prodigy skills and status, has been here now for at least five years and wants nothing to do with a productive roll in society. Mostly he runs a "Good Morning Vietnam" type radio show and sells illegal drugs. The one time he got talked into doing something mathy (one must assume that he was really good at this as a pre-teen, and highly trained, because he clearly hasn't looked at a math proof in half a decade, but he is far from being cloying) it sent him into a mental breakdown that was gently and sensitively handled. He seems to have survivor's guilt more than anything, but the depression he went he described as "happening again" and he clearly had a relationship with a medical professional to deal with it. Also Irish accent.
2. Daniel Mays (Cass), Ashley Walters (Jack, above) and Jamie Bamber (Mitchell, below) as tough guys/military/early pioneer heroes dealing with the transition to civilian-run peaceful colony. They have various levels of self-awareness and conscious about killing, but are all clearly very capable and dangerous when they need to be. Did we need so many of them to show the many facets of emo manpain? Maybe, in this instance. There are also some leaders given to manpain and inspirational speeches as The People cannot know of their Internal Conflict, and I find them less interesting so far. Mays and Walters I am starting to watch more carefully. Mitchell, apart from making me associate him and Fleur/Daisy with vampires, looks nice in a beard:
Bad guys: I have to admit, the one bad guy who is very absolute and child-like at the same time (more complete description redacted to avoid spoilers) is kind of sympathetic. The American badguy (who was on Ugly Betty, I guess?) who may or may not have freaky mind-powers but certainly has a way with inspiring, non-secular speeches and could be forming his own cult? Should be more interesting than he is; right now he's just played too absolutely and he's everywhere speaking very deliberately. I will admit to being fascinated with how long it took me to realize he was American; seriously, for someone who was so entertained by all the accents, that just took a very long time to recognize my own in the mix.**
I am not so far totally keen on: the kids. The little boy in the pilot (above) is important to the story, and setting up a longer story arc (which surprised me: I thought it was going in another direction) but I was thrilled when he stopped showing up to repeat poetry at the camera by the second episode. Bonus! Fleur got his screen time. I am waiting and seeing on Ashley and Lily, though it would help if the writers would stop naming women after flowers already.
In conclusion: ensemble post-apocalyptic show with alien worlds! I may be falling into fannish love. JOIN ME AND I'LL BAKE COOKIES.***
*I do not, at this time, admit to a fanatical obsession with the Sherlock Holmes series, having never read the books and only watched the one movie. But Jude Law was pretty awesome, I thought the women were pretty kick ass, and I found an old-school Sherlock Holmes t.v. episode just for fun (though I have low expectations of women being awesome or Jude Law even making an appearance.)
**A word or two each about accents and multiculturalism. This is meant to be an international expedition, but naturally, most of the actors are British (for obvious reasons). Nevertheless, some non-Westerners are seen or referred to, and one major character (Ashley Walters) is a black man and a protagonist (if occasionally an obstacle.) He is a soldier as opposed to something more cerebral, but of higher rank, though his intelligence is insulted in an aside by the badguy (which had the effect of really making me dislike the badguy as opposed to the writers. YMMV.) There was also a minor canonically gay and completely accepted character (unfortunately red-shirted.)
***Point me to existing comms and I'll love you forever
cleolinda for this, but it absolutely must be shared far and wide across the fen: SOMEONE IS MARKETING CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN MARY SUE FICTION. Good on you, people who found a way to tap the Twilight fans market. I picked the mystery section, having recently watched the Sherlock Holmes movie, and asked for a free preview. I'll wait while you do the same.Principles: you imput your name (I chose Mary Sue, obvs.) and then the name of your leading man. And if you can't think of your favorite leading man right off the top of your head, they'll suggest some actors for you to picture as you think really hard (hint: they're mostly Twilight actors.)
...“Detective Watson, the paintings are quite similar, with one major difference: the hidden painting, the one concealed beneath Golden Night, contains a compass.” Mary Sue gripped the telephone receiver tighter hoping the detective might grasp the situation.
“A compass? Like a map compass?” John absentmindedly began to draw a north arrow and then stopped mid-doodle, suddenly much more interested in the art history lesson.
Okay, so they went on for a while, but you get the point, right? I solve crimes with John Watson! My life is complete.*
In other news, despite once again completing a booklet as a Nielson Family (I said I watched all your favorite shows) I seem to have come down with a strange case of only being interested in British SciFi shows lately. Being Human, as I imprinted on the British version (A ghost, a werewolf and a vampire take a flat together, but can they stand each others friends????) and then lately, what seems to be a remake of the Earth 2 concept: Outcasts (link to the io9 advanced description with trailer) I will now express to you my fervent desire that more people start watching this show and talking about it.
The abbreviated version: Postapocalyptic show with good world-building and many flawed, capable, dangerous people. Also lots of accents.
The slightly longer version: Earth was going to hell, so a multi-decade project set out to terraform a new planet, sending first pioneers and soldiers, later the best and brightest that Earth had to offer to begin again. But something happened to the transports and the new colony hasn't seen one or heard from Earth in five years. A transport arriving on their doorstep sees a colony in transition welcoming what may be the last arrivals of civilians from Earth. They face holding out hope for a reunion with their families, decisions about telling new colonists about the hard decisions from the first years, and a lack of unity in the transition to civilian life again. All while trying to avoid (or admit to failing to avoid) the mistakes of the first human planet.
Details about characters who caught my eye: I'll just tell you right now I love the women. (Photos at IMDb, as I have limited screenshots.)
Names you may know: Amy Manson, who played Daisy on Being Human BBC, is now a flower called Fleur, but within the first three episodes she goes from being idealistic and starry eyed to completely awesome and complex (and not in anyway vampy). I'm listing her first because I am pretty sure she's my in on this show. I am interested in people she's interested in; I dislike people she is disappointed in. I have yet to see her do anything I didn't believe. I'm so excited to have watched her get progressively more screen time. If this actress is getting pidgeon-holed into BAMFs named after flowers, I'm surprisingly okay with this.
Fleur and Jack. They have some interesting chemistry.
Hermione Norris, who was on Spooks apparently, but I recognize her from somewhere else (Bend it Like Beckham?) She plays Stella. I was critical of a plot point early on that was meant, expositionally speaking, to tell us she had left a family behind ten years ago and missed them, but really undercut her skills as a character (she's one of those typical brilliant scientist characters who is actually performing several jobs, most of which only allow her to be a scientist in her spare time. Also she has lots of opportunities to hang out an have conversations about whatever, or stare out windows broodingly. While acting as a Very Important Job and sometimes-scientist.) And then Norris went and got to have a moment where she picked up a guy in a bar, a much younger guy in a bar, and it was so naturally done and a far more expressive scene about loneliness, that I was prepared to upgrade her to BAMF status right there. (This was confirmed when she described the experience matter of factly as "not bad actually, if a little short." AWESOME LADY! You rock.) I liked this for two reasons: one, sex is seen as a multi-layered, multi-reasons idea, and possibly between people who are older and people who are younger. Also, it is a reasonable place for a person who had a family, hasn't seen or heard from them in 10 years, and who has all but given up on ever seeing them again, to be. Most pilots would show someone still in an active phase of grief, this is more nuanced.
Here is Stella with Jack. Don't know about the chemistry there, as frankly, I don't know that I've seen a scene with the two of them together.
I am watching the guys, but am not prepared to elevate them to BAMF status just yet, although two are up for promotion:
1. A guy who, while on the new planet due to child-prodigy skills and status, has been here now for at least five years and wants nothing to do with a productive roll in society. Mostly he runs a "Good Morning Vietnam" type radio show and sells illegal drugs. The one time he got talked into doing something mathy (one must assume that he was really good at this as a pre-teen, and highly trained, because he clearly hasn't looked at a math proof in half a decade, but he is far from being cloying) it sent him into a mental breakdown that was gently and sensitively handled. He seems to have survivor's guilt more than anything, but the depression he went he described as "happening again" and he clearly had a relationship with a medical professional to deal with it. Also Irish accent.
2. Daniel Mays (Cass), Ashley Walters (Jack, above) and Jamie Bamber (Mitchell, below) as tough guys/military/early pioneer heroes dealing with the transition to civilian-run peaceful colony. They have various levels of self-awareness and conscious about killing, but are all clearly very capable and dangerous when they need to be. Did we need so many of them to show the many facets of emo manpain? Maybe, in this instance. There are also some leaders given to manpain and inspirational speeches as The People cannot know of their Internal Conflict, and I find them less interesting so far. Mays and Walters I am starting to watch more carefully. Mitchell, apart from making me associate him and Fleur/Daisy with vampires, looks nice in a beard:
Bad guys: I have to admit, the one bad guy who is very absolute and child-like at the same time (more complete description redacted to avoid spoilers) is kind of sympathetic. The American badguy (who was on Ugly Betty, I guess?) who may or may not have freaky mind-powers but certainly has a way with inspiring, non-secular speeches and could be forming his own cult? Should be more interesting than he is; right now he's just played too absolutely and he's everywhere speaking very deliberately. I will admit to being fascinated with how long it took me to realize he was American; seriously, for someone who was so entertained by all the accents, that just took a very long time to recognize my own in the mix.**
I am not so far totally keen on: the kids. The little boy in the pilot (above) is important to the story, and setting up a longer story arc (which surprised me: I thought it was going in another direction) but I was thrilled when he stopped showing up to repeat poetry at the camera by the second episode. Bonus! Fleur got his screen time. I am waiting and seeing on Ashley and Lily, though it would help if the writers would stop naming women after flowers already.
In conclusion: ensemble post-apocalyptic show with alien worlds! I may be falling into fannish love. JOIN ME AND I'LL BAKE COOKIES.***
*I do not, at this time, admit to a fanatical obsession with the Sherlock Holmes series, having never read the books and only watched the one movie. But Jude Law was pretty awesome, I thought the women were pretty kick ass, and I found an old-school Sherlock Holmes t.v. episode just for fun (though I have low expectations of women being awesome or Jude Law even making an appearance.)
**A word or two each about accents and multiculturalism. This is meant to be an international expedition, but naturally, most of the actors are British (for obvious reasons). Nevertheless, some non-Westerners are seen or referred to, and one major character (Ashley Walters) is a black man and a protagonist (if occasionally an obstacle.) He is a soldier as opposed to something more cerebral, but of higher rank, though his intelligence is insulted in an aside by the badguy (which had the effect of really making me dislike the badguy as opposed to the writers. YMMV.) There was also a minor canonically gay and completely accepted character (unfortunately red-shirted.)
***Point me to existing comms and I'll love you forever