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#and doctor who being my most favourite story in the universe its music means a lot to me
rapha-reads · 4 months
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Hey. Has anyone noticed that Maestro and Ruby are similarly colour-coded? Black and white stripes. To go with both being musically-oriented and canonically queer for Maestro and pretty sure queer but as yet to be confirmed for Ruby? That's interesting. The way Maestro says Ruby is wrong and keeps looking at her like they're trying to look into her soul... I hope we see Maestro again.
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Also, related but not directly, there's been an emphasis on music since the first episode of Fifteenth. Whether intra-diegetically or extra, music has been important for the past 3 episodes, 4 if we start with The Giggle. Between all the musical numbers (I haven't recovered from the goblins yet and now they hit us with the twist?), the Doctor breaking the 4th wall, Maestro themself, Ruby being a musician... It's not new of course, we remember Twelfth and his guitar, or Simm!Master's drums, but it is being put frontstage here. Is it because Murray Gold is back in charge of the music? Is it RTD's season-long narrative arc? There's something going on in regard to music in this series 14...
I wrote an essay last year (in Spanish and I haven't translated it yet otherwise I'd be posting it) comparing Segun Akinola's score with Murray Gold's and how both have their strength and serve their narrative purpose. Basically, Murray Gold's first score for DW (2005-2017) are orchestral compositions, full of easily recognisable leitmotivs and big instrumental scores that make you vibrate with all the instruments, the song itself sometimes being much more known, recognisable and popular than the work it was composed for (see Duel of the Fates and the likes). Meanwhile, Segun Akinola (2018-2022) pertains to the genre of ambient music, much more interested in the tone and the sonorous atmosphere, something that's very popular today (how many playlists on YouTube or Spotify, you know the ones).
Anyway, I'm not going to sum up my entire essay here, but basically the role of music in a cinematic work has changed over the past 20 years, and Doctor Who followed that change, and now with Gold back in the music booth, there's another change appearing, one where one aspect of this change could very well be the importance of lyrical songs. I'd need to research it more closely to be sure, but that's what it looks like at first glance. How interesting!
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life-rewritten · 4 years
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THE GIANTS OF THAI BL 2020 AKA SHOWS STEALING MY HEART IN NOVEMBER
UPDATE AND UPCOMING ANALYSIS NOVEMBER 2020
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It's the moment I've been waiting for since the excruciating silence of Thai BLS during the lockdown. It's November, the month of thanksgivings, the month of pre-Christmas jitters, nanowrimo and the month that has finally made me realise we are so close to ending this godforsaken year. Still, most of all, November means that we are getting buttloads of shows that are about to take my breath away. This year has been such an exciting year for BLS because of the increasingly amount of companies and directors willing to produce and release different types of BLS. In this list, we have awaited sequels, delicious plotlines and shocking comebacks. But most of all we have lots and lots of romance and men. Which of these have you been waiting for? Let me know. Let's squeal about it. November is going to be so great!
Ratings: From 1 to 5 (1 being least excited to watch, 5 being most,) how excited am I to delve into these shows?
Shows already airing
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1.I TOLD SUNSET ABOUT YOU/ INTERPRET, MY LOVE, WITH YOUR HEART
Genre/Themes: Romance, Melodrama, Coming of Age, Angst, Drama, Childhood friendship
Country: Thailand
Verdict: So finally I rise from the memories of poorly produced bls, and pains of bad acting, and toxic writings, and traumas of stiff actors and homophobic agendas to finally say that without a doubt. Nadao has produced another masterpiece after my other favourite (Non) BL; Greater Man academy. Nadao stuns me, and for a very long time, I couldn't understand that this was how everyone was feeling, one because I wasn't fully educated or in the know about the company, I only saw tv shows in Thailand that were produced by GMMTV and to be honest I didn't think there was anything else above that standard in shows apart from Lakorns and Movies. (I know Sacrebleu) Getting to know and watch Nadao shows has been an experience, and for BL, I am hooked and ready for what else they have to offer. The only qualms that prevent me from gushing about the show are how international fans are treated. It took me a very long time to forgive ITSAY for its subbing platform (and price range), and that's why I refused to watch it with positive feelings. After episode 2 though, I'd be a fool to hold on to resentment when there is no doubt that this BL (despite not knowing if it's a sad ending. I'd hate if it is but it wouldn't change anything) is the best BL of this year. With ridiculous, incredible production, outstanding breathtaking cinematography, beautiful and talented actors and writing so good it blows me away. Episode 2 left my heart in pieces, but in a good way, I haven't recovered from the angst.
Ratings: 4.5/5 Would have been a 5/5 if the pricing made sense but also I'm terrified about a sad ending which I won't be too happy about.
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2. FRIEND FOREVER/ OUR LOVE IS SICK
Genre/Themes: Romance, Music, Coming of Age, Angst, Drama, Childhood friendship, Rich vs poor,  Bullying 
Country: Thailand
Verdict: It's a pity this show is not available for international fans. Because I think people would actually love this show the way I do. It's so precious, reminds me so much of my first ever BL Lovesick (made by the same production team so makes sense) but better. What can I say about this show, really adorable cast, actually so good on the screen, great chemistry, and good storylines that keep me hooked. I am so in love with surprisingly one of my favourite couples this year Tin and Sea. I have such a great time watching this show, and I enjoy also analysing and just piecing together some of the mysteries in the show. It's been so good so far, and I can't wait for more. The first episodes are a little slow-paced, but it gets better as you keep watching it. I'd advise you to watch the director's cut because that has all of the storylines in the episode instead of the tv version which is more censored and has a lot of deleted scenes that mess with the flow of the storyline. Still, one of my favourite Thai shows right now. 
Ratings: 4/5  I think 4/5 is a fair score just because of some confusion when trying to watch it internationally and getting the right version and I do think the story feels like a whiplash between the different styles of writing of the main two couples. Go watch this though if you haven't, dm me and I'll show you how. 
NON-THAI
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3. GAYA SA PELIKULA
Genre/Themes: Romance, Drama, Comedy, Angst, LGBTQ+ Education, Contract relationship, Haters to lovers
Country: Philippines 
Verdict: Normally with verdicts, I have so much to say about a show, also when I analyse I can write essays and essays of information. When it comes to this show, I'm speechless. I'm in awe; I'm crying just even trying to explain how great this show is. How great Fridays are because of this show. How upsetting and damaged I am when the end of the episode occurs, I literally mourn waiting for the next episode the next week because it's too long. This show pulls you in, and it never lets you go. I'm mindblown by the writing of this show, mindblown by the acting, by the production, music, but most of all I have become a mess because of this meta in this show. I have cried so much because of how much I care about this show, the characters are all fleshed out, are so powerfully written, and emotionally tugs at your heartstrings whilst still educating and representing LGBTQ community fantastically. I don't know what we did to deserve a show like this. Maybe its because after years of waiting for something to finally show up and just be unproblematic and be so great with no questions, no confusions, no struggle, this show is just that. And I will be forever thankful to the whole team that brought this to us
Ratings: 5/5 I would give this more than 5 if I could. That's how much this show means to me. 
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4. CHERRY MAGIC 
Genre/Themes: Romance, Comedy, Supernatural, Office drama, Slice of Life
Country: Japan
Verdict: Kurosawa and Adachi. That's it. That's the reason for the 5/5 stars when it comes to watching this show. First of all, I like Japanese romantic comedy shows, and anime, and manga. So seeing cherry magic come to life as this amazing form of that makes me so happy. Typically with Japanese BL, everything feels so serious sometimes, and then sometimes it feels too crazy and over the top. But Cherry Magic just feels like a warm hug when you watch it; you can't help your self but to smile and giggle at Adachi's adventures realising that he can read minds because he's a virgin at 30 years old. To add to that, he is given Kurosowa this incredible, amazing, wonderful non-toxic man who absolutely adores him and unconditionally is there for him. I just like what? Where do I get my own Kurosawa? Like it just feels so unfair haha. But really cherry magic is full of great acting, fantastic plot and unique as well. Every character is also written well, and all have interesting dynamics. We also have another side couple who is so funny and ridiculous but also just cute and heartwarming. I have a great time watching this show and the fact that it's ending on Christmas day? Already tells you what this show is, a gift and its a great one. 
Ratings: 5/5 I want my own Kurosawa. That's it. That's all I want Universe.
Shows Upcoming
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5. THARNTYPE 7 YEARS OF LOVE
Genre/Themes: Romance, Drama, Comedy,  Mature, LGBTQ+ Representation, Internalised homophobia, Sequel
Country: Thailand
Verdict: This is a complicated show to gush about. First of all TharnType, the series in 2019 was one of my favourite shows that brought me back to this BL thing. I absolutely adore all the actors, and I also loved the storyline like I said before there's something about Mame's writing that I appreciate, I think most of her strengths is found in TharnType. Because of this, this sequel is one of my most anticipated show this year. However, I feel conflicted because I hate sequels. I hate couples having to go through the weird-ass, shallow, conflicts that just end up ruining the meaning of their previous show and leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth about the couple I once loved (Looking at you Together with me the next chapter still traumatised honestly). Enough of the negatives, Tharn and Type from the trailer looks like it's going to be a wild ride, I can even see the great chemistry that made me fall for MewGulf, and I'm so excited to see the new couples and characters. I also am so excited to see TECHNO again and laugh with him every Friday. We also know that the awaited wedding between our couple is also going to be in this show. And that's going to make me bawl like a baby. Let's hope we don't have too many toxic or troublesome storylines, let's hope we don't have too many breakups and fights (because that hurts so much seeing Mew cry) and let's hope we finally have a sequel that is better than its predecessor. 
Ratings: 4.5/5  This is how I feel about it, I don't think I can rate it as 5/5 because of all the worry and anxiety at what the storyline entails—still a great show to look forward to. 
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6. MANNER OF DEATH
Genre/Themes: Romance, Crime, Mature, Angst, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Haters to Lovers
Country: Thailand
Verdict: Think about it. Why wouldn't this be number one on everyone's list of upcoming BLS? We have the return of one of the best actors in this genre MaxTul the actual godfathers of Thai BL; we have an incredible team here with a director that has won multiple awards, with a storyline that is unique to Thai BL, we're getting crime, detective, mystery BL with mature characters who are not in university? As if that's not enough, we also have a really incredible plotline about this forensic doctor who falls in love with someone who we are not sure if we should trust because he could be a murderer! Like oooh yes please, the drama, the angst, the thrill?? I'm ready for this; I am so prepared to give my whole heart and attention on this show. I want it to be so good, to defeat the shows of 2019 that came and took our hearts away, to be the best BL ever. It's so difficult not to raise my expectations when it comes to this show when I know we have a great cast, great chemistry, non-stiff acting, and just a really non-toxic author as well. I look forward to this so much. Only issue/question? Where is the trailer? Hello WETV, where is our teaser? Why don't we know the date for when this is coming out? I want it out now. But I'll try and be patient okay? 
Ratings: 5/5 I can't think of how this show won't be good. And that's really worrying. But for now, I'll keep my expectations high and wait.
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7. TONHON CHONTALEE 
Genre/Themes: Romance, Coming of Age, Angst, Comedy, Childhood friendship, GMMTV
Country: Thailand
Verdict: Podd and KHAOTHUNG, (my sun, my heart, my favourite person ever) Sorry just gushing over my two faves. GMMTV has shocked me this year with the announcement of this show. First of all, Khao gets to have a show where he's the main lead. I've been waiting for this, and I'm so proud and excited for him. Not only that obviously, but TonTonChontalee looks really good with a vibe of a  comedic spin to one of my favourite shows Theory of love. I am ready to see Podd act so stupid as Ton and at the same time sob when he finally realises that Chon is the one. I'm so ready to see Khao act his socks off, and the show looks so funny, so fun and just like the chemistry between two is definitely a winner. I cannot wait for this next Friday. And it also has Mike and Toptap! What's not to love? Seriously though I'm praying this is successful, and it helps both Podd and Khao to dominate GMMTV. Let's find out next Friday.
Ratings: 5/5 For Podd and Khaothung. Just worth the rating.
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8. GEN Y THE SERIES
Genre/Themes: Romance, Drama, Comedy, Angst, 2moons Fanfiction, Haters to Lovers
Country: Thailand
Verdict: First of all 2 MOONS Reunion! What?? Very shocked to see this show tbh one because it's like a direct copy of 2moons the series; the same cast, the weird alternations to the same name, the same kind of plot as well. Channel 3 has finally decided to invest in BLs,  one of the biggest companies in Thailand, so the budget is high, the actors are known and famous, the production is good. This is so exciting to see. Also, 2moons was one of my favourite past BLs the whole time it was airing, and I had a massive affinity for Kimmon and Copter, so it's great to see them play their characters again but with a better budget and now glow up and grown. Their acting seems to have improved, Kit and Ming's storyline being the main focus is also really lovely to see. I also love seeing Bas and the other actors from other Bl series (The Moment actors) and I'm excited to know more about the new cast as well. So yeh this show has a great potential to win my heart as well, and the competition is not easy at all. But with a great company behind them and an exciting premise, this can also be a winner. 
Ratings: 4/5 I'm intrigued by this show, and I look forward to seeing what it brings.
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November is such an exciting month for someone like me who just loves watching tv and analysing and just seeing romance bloom. These couples, stories and actors have a great potential to be the best things of 2020 so far, each of these shows holds evidence that they're worth paying attention to and honestly I've missed seeing Thai BLs that make me so excited so much. I've missed these actors, I've loved each and every one of them, and I can't wait to see them this month on my screen. What about you, guys? What do you look forward to? Who are your favourites? What are you worried about when it comes to these comebacks. Let's discuss.
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sunflowersseemhappy · 4 years
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Do you have any headcanons for main 6 set in modern times? What kind of job would they have, what music would they like or whatever else? I love your headcanons, they're always so detailed and on point 💖
I really loved doing this, only reason it took so long is because I definitely over thought a lot of this. Thank you for the ask! I hope you enjoy the headcanons, I definitely want to do more of this! SO when I have the time I definitely will and I actually have a rough plan of what the story and the background for the six and MC’s would be.
The “Event” mentioned references the plague but when and if I get to it that will all be explained.
REQUESTS ARE CLOSED but here is my Masterlist in the meantime!
Asra
You’ll usually find Asra in one of two places, the shop or the local cafe/bakery, living the slow city life.
Asra loves to people watch and more importantly he loves photography, he’s always taking pictures, a lot of them are of MC.
His bedroom wall is plastered with his photography and he sells a lot of them as a side gig on etsy.
He has a great blog too.
But his main focus is the shop, tucked away on a quiet corner street it feels faintly magical. Asra does tarot, sells candles, crystals and other trinkets, as well as herbal remedies that Julian admits work quite well.
In this AU Asra grew up in foster care, so when he finally found his home in the shop he never thought about living anywhere else.
It’s stayed that way for years, sharing a two bedroom flat above the shop with MC, its cluttered at times, filled with secondhand belongings but Asra loves having his own space and own things.
And he so loves taking his little holidays out of the city, bringing back more trinkets that bring good luck and fortune.
Asra always wears sneakers or trainers on his feet, mainly because all he does is walk in the city.
Although he does have a painted van for the shop deliveries; he and MC spent a week painting a swirling pattern on its sides.
His wardrobe is all tees with faded logos and cotton pants but on the rare occasion he decides to dress up Asra has an impossibly colourful blouse and faded jeans he loves to wear.
And there are so many hats! Vesuvia is sunny but he has more hats than he needs, although it's nice to have one for any occasion.
Also has crocs, they are an abomination of pink.
Asra’s phone of choice is an old samsung, he keeps meaning to update it but he’s a bit scared the photos on it will get lost.
Asra and technology don’t always mix well, for some reason...
Even in this universe Asra wouldn’t be Asra if he didn’t have Faust, a mischievous lavender python who always seems to escape her vivarium and ends up in Asra’s camera bag.
When Asra picked her out at the pets store he was told he was the only person she had ever not bitten or squeezed. Asra believes in fate, so he took her back home with him and the two are inseparable.
Asra oh so loves music, and just about any kind of tune can be found on his mp3 however he soon found his favourite to be the chillhop tunes the cafe played everyday. They really relax him.
The biggest Disney fan when he was younger, Asra then slowly decided Dreamworks were better but his favourite movies are those from Studio Ghibli. Asra simply adores the art, the music and the stories.
As mentioned Asra loves photography but he also quickly discovered watercolour paint and he doesn’t claim to be good at it but he does love making little pieces of art for birthdays and Christmas.
Speaking of which Christmas is his favourite holiday.
Asra also dabbles in growing orchids, he's too successful and there are so many he and MC don’t know what to do with them!
Asra’s favourite hobby aside from photography is rollerblading. He’s pretty good at it, cruising through the streets and along the dockside of the city (he definitely dragged MC into trying it out).
Asra never really thought he’d be one to get a tattoo but after getting Faust he changed his mind, since then he has a gorgeous complicated tattoo of the little snake on his shoulder blade.
It was only after “The Event” that Asra got another one; MC’s favourite flower on his hip bone.
Nadia
Nadia Santrivia, she’s beautiful, generous and married one of the richest men in the city, for the most part she’s alright with that.
Although Nadia hasn’t always lived in Vesuvia she’s tuned into the city around her so well, she’s in her element and thriving.
Work doesn’t end, if there was ever a beginning to start with. It's one thing after another; approving designs, attending fancy dinners, opening a charity fundraiser. Life is busy for the CEO of Vesuvia Industries.
Nadia’s happy to run Lucio’s business, because she knows she can do good with it but she can get lonely. Thankfully she has several friends who she can rely on to cheer her on...
The most important thing is that she can be herself, her own person, being last in line for her parent’s business and overshadowed by several sisters Nadia needed an escape.
Vesuvia provided the opportunity.
Nadia’s apartment is sat above the clouds in the skyscraper of Vesuvia Industries, much the same as the other universe home and work go hand in hand when it comes to Nadia.
She’s not materialistic, her apartment is clean and open and perfect for yoga and other purposes that require open space. It's very new and high tech, the coffee machine is her favourite thing though.
The views of the sunrise over the bay are gorgeous.
Ashamed to admit she has tons of shoes.
It’s usually required of Nadia to have the suits and dresses befitting a woman of her status, so when the sun goes down or she has a day off Nadia looks like an entirely different person.
She’s no less stylish, but her airy blouse’s, ripped denim jeans, subtle leather jacket and ankle boots give her a whole different persona, and man does it make her look good on her motorcycle.
Yes a motorcycle, Nadia owns one. It comes out of her garage only once a month but when it does she turns heads.
The rest of the time Naida is pretty eco-friendly with an electric car the business made just for her in a deep shade of purple.
As the CEO of the company Nadia is expected to have the latest iPhone model, her phone is always ringing and if she weren’t so patient she’d probably hurl it off the skyscraper roof.
Nadia always wanted a pet but she could never figure out what kind, and one dropped into her lap literally. Turns out she’s an owl person, although Nadia would never consider Chandra a pet more a companion.
A skyscraper is no place for a semi-wild owl but Nadia is happy enough to make the trip to the stables outside of Vesuvia to see Chandra and give her toys. Such a change from the small owlet Nadia raised.
When it comes to music Nadia is very picky, she spent her childhood listening to her sister’s choice of music and certain songs just put her in a bad mood, except for jazz.
That music preference surprised her but as soon as she discovered Lucio didn’t like it she was hooked. She thought about learning the saxophone (not to annoy Lucio or anything, no definitely not...)
Nadia’s not a big movie watcher, although she is a big fan of disaster movies when the mood strikes (it's nice to think about more chaotic things happening than signing a stack of papers), mainly she only has time to watch tv shows.
Her favourite is the Walking Dead but MC has caught her watching ‘how its made’ shows too. Of course being an avid inventor Nadia would be enthralled by seeing how her car or coffee machine is put together.
Speaking of inventing, although Nadia always wanted to make it her job she’s only ever gotten to approve the inventions her company makes.
It's not entirely what she wanted but thankfully she has just enough time to squeeze in working on her little projects. Ones she hopes will help others one day.
Nadia’s found it super important in the big city to keep herself safe, between her hobbies of yoga, kung fu and fencing she’s a pretty formidable opponent. It’s saved her life more than she’ll ever admit.
Her other hobbies, to list a few are horse riding, polo, piano, swimming, wine tasting, and playing those arcade grabber machines (she has about 50 teddy bears and MC has about the same amount). Most of those hobbies began in her childhood.
Nadia likes to pretend she is above getting a tattoo but anyone who knows her well enough will reveal she has a owl shadow tattoo on her inner heel.
Julian
Poor Julian is the definition of a struggling city batchelor, and he certainly wouldn’t have it any other way.
Still the most well traveled of the group Julian spent his formative years abroad in the army as a field medic (where he met Lucio), now though he’s a lean mean crime fighting machine!
Well he’s a forensics doctor for the Vesuvia PD, but it still counts as being a crime fighter! He’s never really lost that dramatic flair that's for sure.
He’s been a bit of everything; medic and doctor, waiter, translator, actor, sailor, troublemaker and a fugitive (but that’s a story for another day).
But Vesuvia truly is his real home, a place he’s always come back to and where he’s made friends and family, enemies, lovers, and memories.
Sure he lives in the ‘bad part’ of town as Asra calls it, but Julian feels at home enough that it doesn’t bother him, that and he’s got Mazelinka to handle the riff raff.
The two of them share a two-storey house that sits next to his favourite bar, a bit too convenient for Maz’s liking. Despite that the place is cozy and old, all wood flooring and furniture that's been around longer than Julian’s lifetime, it’s filled with the scent of cooking and coffee and other than the box tv and Julian’s phone there's almost no modern technology.
Julian’s room has faded photos of his friends, and postcards from places he’s been too and a few posters of his favourite plays, as well as rough sketches tacked to the corkboard his desk is littered with papers and he even has an old school microscope.
In the mess of his room only Julian can find the thing that he’s looking for, he calls it an ‘organized mess’ when in reality it’s really just a mess.
Unfortunately this extends to his clothing choices too, Julian is terrible at laundry so there is no end to the stains on his mellow patterned tees and jeans, the only smart thing about his wardrobe are his boots and oxfords.
Quite true to form his black trench coat is a constant companion. He usually dresses like he’s in a black and white movie or like a scruffy doctor when he’s in his lab coat.
Still has an eye patch, his depth perception when crossing roads is not great... there are a lot of hospital bills.
Also the reason he doesn’t drive unless he can help it, Julian doesn’t own a car but he’s prone to borrowing one if he needs it (usually from Asra).
Julian is very much the guy on the subway who falls asleep on your shoulder because it's the only place his mind isn’t working overtime.
MC thinks it’s very cute.
Julian’s not really too fussed about his phone of choice, Samsung, Apple, so long as he can make calls and do google searches on symptoms of a flu he’s good. No matter how hard he tries his screen is always cracked.
People often point out the raven following Julian around, he’s not too sure if its the same one but Julian knows its his own fault feeding the scrawny thing when it landed on his window pane. Now it won’t leave him alone, Julian took to calling it Malak and he’s quite fond of the bird even if it likes to cackle for food outside his window at an ungodly hour in the morning.
Maz has threatened to cook Malak on more than one occasion.
Music is one of the few things that helps Julian focus, he’s not usually super into any particular artist or album but his main love is music from musicals and movie soundtracks, if he’s able to do so he’ll sing along.
Lead forensic doctor Valdemar finds it highly unprofessional when they are conducting autopsies.
Almost has no time to watch movies or tv but if you strapped Julian to a chair and put on Brooklyn 99 or any kind of superhero movie he might enjoy it just a little bit...
Honestly though those things are just background noise for him, Julian will put on the tv to keep himself occupied while he’s doing reports. But he loves comedy movies and shows, they might tear him away from his laptop just long enough that he gets a few good laughs.
However if Mazlinka gets the old camcorder out he’s all over watching old home videos of him and Portia and his old hound dog, he’s just so nostalgic sometimes.
Thinks learning counts as a hobby, Julian habitually grabs any book he can to read through so youtube is a miracle in his eyes. Free content, that he can listen to and learn from as well as visually see? Yes please.
Julian learned to play the fiddle when he was younger, for a time as a teen he even went street performing to earn money for Portia’s obsession with bracelet making. He doesn’t play it much anymore but he’ll give MC a tune anyday.
He’s also very invested in cocktail mixing, only thing he mixes is Salty Bitters, he’ll argue any day that the Salty Bitter counts as a cocktail.
Also very invested in his self sustaining bio-tank at work, the other officers are growing concerned about the leeches Julian likes to keep in it. They’re planning an intervention.
The only tattoo Julian had was one forcibly given during “The Event”, his ‘murderers mark’ on his hand. He’s really ashamed of it because it reminds him of the part he had in the disaster that befell Vesuvia.
Muriel
He definitely suits the other universe more, it's even harder to get away from people in this modern world.
But the start remains the same, he was lost and his only friend was Asra for a long time, until Lucio came along and tricked him into doing unspeakable things as a ‘bodyguard’ until he escaped.
People are unavoidable and Muriel keeps to himself during his job as a keeper for a local animal sanctuary, raising and re-releasing wildlife with other volunteers, he practically runs the place.
But the volunteers know not to bother him especially when he goes back to his house on the hill, to take care of his chickens before he vanishes like usual into his house.
No one knows much about him, and he prefers it like that.
Muriel’s home is simple and honestly built for one, there’s only one chair, only one pillow on the bed, only one set of cutlery, only one of everything. It leaks on occasion and always needs fixing, he’ll forgo sleep to fix things.
Who needs more than four hours of sleep anyway?
A lot of Muriel’s belongings are from garage sales, or picked up off the side of the road, not a lot of money goes toward his comfort Muriel prefers that the animals in the sanctuary have comfortable beds and good food.
Muriel’s clothes? He wears them till they die, an usually when he picks them up from a garage sale they’re already pretty close.
For that reason Muriel doesn’t have a specific choice of clothing, he owns jumpers, tees, denim jackets, flannels and whatever jeans and pants fit. He has one pair of khaki coloured boots that are surprisingly well maintained and usually wears a beanie or cattleman hat to hide his face.
Old pick up, old pick up, old pick up! Owns an old pick up truck he fixed up, it breaks down regularly and only plays radio but Inanna enjoys riding in the back. Muriel likes driving a lot on those country roads.
All that’s to be said about Muriel and his phone is this; he owns a nokia and has no intention of getting a smartphone. Ever.
His hands are a bit big for it though, he’s called MC and Julian accidently so many times... and he only usually text’s, so that's awkward.
Inanna is Muriel’s constant companion, and when they’re in the city man do the two of them turn heads. Inanna is a wolfdog in this universe and she definitely looks more wolf than dog.
But she really is a big sweetheart, Muriel raised her from a puppy after she was rejected and placed in a shelter, he knew a wolf dog would need some special attention to grow into a perfect companion rather than a dangerous animal.
Anyone can look at Muriel and instantly think he’s one of those people who would play country music, for the most part that’s true. He does play the guitar and can sing okay, he does like country but his real love of music comes from indie artists.
He can’t really explain it but the music gives him a sense of carelessness and hope he’s never known.
Doesn’t really watch tv or movies, Muriel is almost always too busy for that but he’s found it the strangest thing, Inanna likes watching tv...
After that he got drawn in by the documentaries about animals, he didn’t really realize that people did shows about the habitats and behaviours of animals but he finds himself entranced by it when he passes by.
He soon relented and sits on the floor with his arm draped over Inanna as they watch documentaries about wolves in Alaska.
With the amount of animals Muriel raises anyone would call it a job, Muriel however would argue it's a hobby for him. Sure waking up every hour in the night to feed raccoon babies isn’t ideal but it's never been anything short of joyous to watch them go back to the wild.
Muriel's other hobby centres around his guitar and learning songs to play to himself and maybe a certain person *cough* MC *cough*.
He’s also an avid baker, none of his meals are ready made. Leading on from that he forages for mushrooms, and herbs rather than buys them.
Muriel doesn’t have a tattoo, only his scars.
He thought about getting some but he doesn’t trust someone to touch him that way and also he’s not a big fan of needles.
Probably a good thing otherwise Inanna and all his chickens names would be on his arm.
Portia
Absolutely suits the modern life in this universe, Portia somehow finds the time to do everything, the bustling worker or the relaxed dreamer.
She’s almost everywhere in the city, doing everything at once; working at Vesuvia Industries, grabbing the sweetest iced tea at the cafe, exploring the corruption of downtown streets.
Portia is obsessed with knowing every inch of the city, and what goes on inside it because it's a very strange city with a stranger history.
Portia is a great and helpful assistant to Nadia, but she’s also hiding a lot including her identity as Pasha Devorak the reporter for Vesuvian Times.
She has as many curious secrets as the city.
Portia previously lived in a small studio flat however since working for Nadia she has been lucky enough to afford to rent out a small cottage outside the city. She loves it so much and other than being in an AU not much has changed between the two cottages.
It’s shielded by so many grand trees and a vivacious garden that it feels like her own little world, the inside of the cottage is filled with hand knitted blankets, painted glass figurines and the warm smell of baked goods.
Sometimes its a bigger place than Portia can manage by herself but she likes taking to fixing things as they come along, she definitely is a fan of the saying “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!”
Her clothing choices are just so cute and by no means is she afraid of showing off her cottage core style; jumpers, skirts, vest tops, crop tops and patterned blouses look really good on her. Of course the garden requires the heavy duty stuff, sweatpants, a tattered tee and the old hoodie that refuses to die.
She’s not to much into heels even though she’s short, Portia prefers pumps and loafers because “comfort over beauty!” (although she would be pretty cute with or without).
Nadia finds Portia’s headstrong and optimism very amusing and definitely takes a few life lessons from Portia.
Who needs to drive? Portia doesn’t, she loves taking the bus or the train wherever she goes. That way she can bop her head to her tunes while watching the landscape go by, in a beautiful intricate place like Vesuvia it's important to take it all in.
That and everyone can agree that Portia behind the wheel of a vehicle is a disaster, she just gets so distracted.
Nadia has offered Portia a new phone many times but Portia is plenty happy enough with her older gen 6 iphone (because if she got a new one she’d have to get wireless headphones!) Also she’d feel bad for Siri.
Unfortunately Pepi the cat came from terrible circumstances, certain circumstances where Portia jumped of a bridge after witnessing someone chuck a mewling bag into the river.
But Portia is so thankful for her amazing kitten, the two of them protect each other. Though Pepi’s idea of protecting Portia is making sure the birds don’t feed from the feeder outside and meowing at the fridge when it’s too loud.
Portia’s music taste is disarming to those who don’t know her well, she is a huge fan of rock, any rock music just so long as it’s good and a classic (ACDC, Queen, etc...) she likes to think she is a connoisseur of rock.
Julian can not put into words how much he abhorred it when his little sister would blast that music to drown out his.
Portia will either watch every movie or show when it comes out or will binge watch a show or movie after forgetting it existed. There is no inbetween, but she loves media, consumes it even.
Detective shows and spy movies are her favourite but she’ll enjoy just about anything unless it's a musical she was forced to watch one too many times because of Julian.
Portia has so many hobbies, one would say too many but she digresses.
Of course gardening is at the top of her list, moreso because the garden always needs doing but she gets a great sense of pride growing her own food and Pepi loves chasing the spiders that hide in the strawberries.
Portia is also a very avid blogger, there is a lot of conspiracy theories on there but with a following of half the city it seems pretty popular.
In her downtime Portia is loves to relax with her favourite soft drink and beat V3suviaC0unt#1 ass on her games console, she finds the shrieking of her enemy to be great fun.Portia’s love of games however soon transpired to collecting action figures of her favourite game characters.
She is very protective of them.
Like Muriel, Portia also doesn’t have a tattoo. It’s not that she’s afraid of needles but she just hasn’t found a reasonably good design to get yet.
Lucio
Lucio is definitely the one out of the six who was made for the modern world, sure being a Count is cool and all but in this world he can have both power and freedom and not have to sit in every meeting called.
He’s never once taken anything seriously, Lucio’s power has been built on the backs of others without him ever having to raise a finger.
It’s happened everywhere he goes, in the army he sacrificed the good of his teammates to rise in the ranks, he forced the Asra’s parents to make him the best prosthetic arm in history, he codled up to an old dying man to get his business and when he found out that wasn’t for him Lucio pawned it off to his wife and rolled onto the next devious plan.
Lucio’s been an army man, a CEO, a crime lord and the cause of “The Event” but maybe one day he’ll rise above those defining moments and be greater (but that is a story for another day).
Of course Lucio did live with Nadia for a time, but when he made her CEO Lucio took to calling his mansion home, Nadia wasn’t a fan of the creepy vibe it gave off which is just as well because Lucio hosts a lot of unsavoury characters...
True to form each room in that place has only the most expensive belongings, every bed is king size and the garage is filled with gas guzzling monstrosities of cars. It’s not cluttered by any means, but it's gaudy and shows off his wealth.
The only place things seem normal is the kitchen, Lucio doesn’t spend much time in there but on the wall sits a board of old memories when he got along with the others, they didn’t always find him unbearable.
Lucio’s torn it down and put it up so many times already he can never make up his mind if he wants to keep it.
Only thing Lucio ever liked about running a company were the expensive suits he was told he had to wear at least that was a great improvement on his fashion sense. Of course he’s not always wearing suits sometimes he’ll just wear a dress shirt with one too many buttons undone and a pair of white chinos and trainers.
Sunglasses are a must, that, and a lint roller. The dogs shed a lot...
As mentioned before Lucio has a lot of very pricey cars, he is the product of what would happen in Portia was given a car, he’d get distracted and crash it into the back of another vehicle.
He’s lucky anyone will insure him and that he has so many cars.
Lucio tried to be different to the ‘normies’ by getting his company to make a phone suitable to his taste. A phone that had two charging ports (to charge it twice as fast) and a waterproof casing (that kept it a bit too dry and hot so it spontaneously combusted in his pocket).
Lucio now has the latest iPhone instead.
Owns a lot of pets, the exotic eels, macaques, cockatoo, etc... The same as he does in the normal universe, none of which are particularly nice and well behaved. He prefers his fur babies Mercedes and Melinchor.
They were two dogs he saw fighting in dog fights and he was in love instantly buying them and bringing them to live with him, chaos follows those two like a bad odour.
Lucio decided that to be the cool rich guy he needed to like cool music, for the longest time he spent his time listening to hip hop no one really ever notices that Lucio in fact hates hip hop, he much prefers pop music.
It's a secret he will take to his grave but MC has definitely heard him singing to Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ in the shower.
Lucio is the biggest movie buff in Vesuvia, he’s definitely offended when no one invites him to premieres, which is why he’s done all he can to get into movies (with little avail). And he will watch anything and enjoy it, he is usually one of those people who don’t realize the book exists when such a movie is out.
But do you know what his favourite kind of movies are?
Romantic-comedies, or just anything that's classed as romance. Date nights with Lucio are pretty good but he cries a lot, poor guy.
Just don’t get started with Lucio and hobbies, if he’s tried something once he’ll make out he knows everything about it and even if he hasn’t tried it he’ll pretend he has. He’s forever speaking out of his a** but no one dares call him out on it.
That being said Lucio really doesn’t have the capability to commit to a hobby, unless parties count? They don’t? They should!
Although one could say maybe planning parties does count...
Tattoos? Lucio has a few; his army number on the back of his neck, a sword piercing a heart on his chest and the twin silhouettes of the dogs running on the heel of his foot.
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alicedoessurveys · 4 years
Text
Doctor Who Tag
yes im a nerd...
CHILDHOOD
1. Did you like DW as a child?
I was 10 when it came back on telly with Eccleston and the first episode with the autons scared me so much my mom wouldn't let me watch it again until a couple years later, but yeah my teens I was obsessed with DW... still am at age 25
2. Your age at the time of the revival?
10
3. First DW episode you ever saw?
‘Rose’
4. Did you have any of the toys?
I still have the eleventh doctor’s screwdriver... I used to have some of the figures but there in storage now somewhere
5. Which DW character did you play on the playground?
didn't play it on the playground
6. Monster(s) that scared you most as a child?
all of them! the ones that still scare me now are the Cybermen and the Autons... genuinely cant walk past a shop mannequin without being suspicious 
7. Joke/story you didn’t get as a kid?
as a kid, any of the innuendo type jokes
8. DW opinion that has changed since you were a kid?
idk I think I still have the same opinions
9. Who introduced you to DW?
parents
10. Did you like Sarah Jane Adventures as a child?
I LOVED SJA!! I miss that show, and Elizabeth Slade :(
DOCTOR
11. Who is your Doctor?
Ten was the doctor that made me fall in love with Doctor Who 
12. Your favourite Doctor?
omg why not just ask me who my favourite child is... (I don't have kids but you know what I mean) if I had to chose my top three are ten, eleven and thirteen
13. Least favourite Doctor?
purely just because he doesn't have enough episodes... nine...
14. Best regeneration?
none of them I hate regenerations :( they make me sad, im too emotionally invested in every single one
15. Do you like “Doctor-Lite” episodes?
they're not my faves
16. Who is the most human Doctor?
I think nine maybe? or twelve?
17. Best multi-Doctor story?
the 50th anniversary special 
18. Best Doctor monologue?
“Hello Stonehenge! who takes the pandorica, takes the universe. but bad news everyone, cause guess who? HA! You lot you're all whizzing about- its really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I AM TALKING. Question of the hour is, who's got the pandorica? Answer, I do. Next question, who's coming to take it from me? Come on, look at me! No plan. No backup. No weapons worth a damn. oh and something else, I don't have anything to lose. So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship with all your silly little guns and you've got any plans on taking the pandorica tonight... just remember who's standing in your way. remember ever black day I ever stopped you and then- AND THEN- do the smart thing... let somebody else try first.”
not copied and pasted, remember that from the top of my head... its always there waiting in my mind incase I ever need an epic monologue :’)
19, What do you think TenToo/MetaCrisis Doctor is doing now?
hopefully living his best life with Rose
20. Best Doctor/companion pairing?
ten and donna 
COMPANIONS
21. Favourite companion?
Donna, Clara, Amy
22. Favourite secondary companion?
is Mickey classed as secondary? idk
23. Least favourite companion?
Ryan
24. Best TARDIS Team?
Doctor, Amy and Rory
25. Most underrated companion?
Graham, but that may just be cause I love Bradders
26. Most overrated companion?
Rose... I like her but idk, I think she gets more hype than she deserves.. don't @ me
27. Favourite companion’s family?
Rose’s mom
28. Who should have been a companion but wasn’t?
idk I cant think of anyone
29. Favourite (canon or non-canon) DW universe relationship?
Amy and Rory
30. Who did you not used to like, but really like now?
wasn't keen on Bill at first but by the end I really liked her, same with Rory
EPISODES
31. Favourite episode ever?
girl in the fireplace
32. Least favourite episode?
most of Chibnall’s episodes tbh sorry not sorry 
33. Which episodes do you skip?
the regeneration episodes
34. Best two-parter?
Human Nature - Family of Blood
35. Historical, present day or futuristic episodes?
I like them all in there own way but I think present is fave, then historical, then future
36. Episode that will always make you smile?
all of them
37. Episode that will always make you cry?
Rory and Amy’s last episode :’(
38. Best run of episodes?
ugh I cant answer this theres too many 
39. Best cliffhanger?
the end of Spyfall part one when the Master reveals who he is... I was SHOOK
40. Favourite Christmas special?
Voyage of the Damned
SERIES
41. Classic Who or New Who?
new who
42. Favourite series?
four or five
43. Least favourite series?
eleven, I just cant with the writing
44. Which series do you skip?
none
45. Favourite series opening?
eleventh hour
46. Favourite series finale?
Doomsday
47. Best series arc?
Bad Wolf
48. Thoughts on series 11/12?
I adore Jodie Whittaker and her doctor, and although I think 3 companions is too many I do love Yaz and Graham (Ryan is hit & miss). I just think theyve been massively let down by the stories/writing... they’ve tried to hard to tick certain boxes and completely missed what Doctor Who is about for a lot of people.. an escape from the real world into these outrageous unbelievable but lovable fun alien adventures 
49. How much of Classic Who have you seen?
not a lot
50. Who should have had another series?
NINE NINE NINE NINE NINE 
MONSTERS
51. Favourite monster/villain?
the master 
52. Most creative monster?
Weeping Angels, whoever came up with monsters that look like statues and only move when you're not looking at them is genius 
53. Monster(s) that scares you most?
Autons, Cybermen, the creepy dolls from Night Terrors, the ones from Waters of Mars, Weeping Angels
54. Monster you think is too easy to defeat?
idk
55. Least favourite monster/villain?
absorbaloff
56. Monster you want to return?
The Master, I really hope that isn't the last we see of Dhawan
57. In your opinion, what makes a monster good?
being genuinely scary, 
58. Daleks, Cybermen or Weeping Angels?
Weeping Angels
59. Best Dalek story?
Daleks in Manhatten
60. Best one time villain/monster?
my brain has gone blank I cant think of an answer right now 
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
61. Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures?
SJA
62. Favourite Torchwood Team member?
I haven't watched it all so I couldn't say 
63. Which Torchwood death made you saddest?
again, not watched it all 
64. Do you rewatch COE or MD?
huh
65. Favourite SJA Team member?
Sarah Jane
66. Mr Smith or K-9?
K-9
67. Maria or Rani?
Rani
68. Do you read the comics/novels or listen to Big Finish?
Nope
69. If you do, your favourite additional stories?
n/a
70. Do you like DW analysis (video essays, fan theories, etc)?
yes
DESIGN/PRODUCTION
71. Favourite piece of alien tech?
the sonic, I love how it is so multipurpose except for when it comes to wood 
72. Favourite piece of Murray Gold music?
I am the Doctor - gets me pumped every time 
73. Favourite TARDIS design?
Ten’s Tardis 
74. Has the 2005 era CGI aged well?
actually yeah, I was rewatching the ‘are you my mummy’ episodes the other day and my God when the gas masks emerged from the faces... ooooooof I was like omg how 
75. Favourite Doctor outfit?
eleven or thirteen
76. Monster with the best design?
not really a design more of a costume.. I live Dhawan master’s costume. that shade of purple, oof he so stylish 
77. Best show runner?
idk
78. Best writer?
Gatiss
79. Best opening titles?
eleven’s titles where the Tardis is flying and being zapped is cool but thirteens music hits different 
80. Will DW age well/stay popular in the future?
I hope so, I feel like its lasted this long surely it can last forever.. if the writers don't fuck it up... 
IF YOU WERE IN THE SHOW
81. Time period you’d want to go with the Doctor?
whatever time means Id get to wear the most beautiful costumes
82. Planet/place you’d want to go with the Doctor?
Galifrey, pre-desctruction
83. Doctor you’d most like to travel with?
any of them, please and thank you
84. Companion you’d most like to travel with?
donna, sceso a good laugh but also I feel like she’d look after me 
85. Monster you’d like to defeat/fight?
The Master 
86. If you could go back on your own history (like Father’s Day), where would you go?
back to when I was a toddler, I wanna see what I was like 
87. If you could ask the Doctor anything, what would you ask?
theres too many to ask 
88. Historical figure you’d like to meet?
Shakespeare
89. How do you think you’d meet the Doctor?
id probably be rescued from doing something stupid and then the doc would be like you know what the bitch clearly needs supervision she's coming with me 
90. Would you travel forwards or backwards in time first?
backwards
IF YOU MADE THE SHOW
91. Historical event would you like to see in DW?
Hamilton
92. Issue you’d like to see addressed in DW?
idk 
93. Who would you completely erase from the DW universe?
Ruth
94. One unanswered DW question you’d love to know the answer to?
where is Clara now?
95. Actor/actress you’d like to see play the Doctor?
Phoebe Waller Bridge (or Lin Manuel Miranda)
96. Actor/actress you’d like to see play a companion?
Andrew Scott (yes I did just basically recast fleabag and hot priest)
97. Is DW “too political”?
series 11 got a bit like that 
98. Which characters fate would you changed?
Danny Pink
99. What about DW could be improved?
I think ive made my options about Chibnall pretty clear... 
100. If you could write an episode of DW, any ideas for what you’d do
bring back Jenny, the Doctor / Daughter adventures they would have. I’m actually writing a fic about it if you wanna read.... here
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takaraphoenix · 5 years
Note
Dr who for the ask game
Thanks for playing! This is also a big, fun one! :O (I do love that the majority of these asks hit target on my own biggest obsessions x3 We checked off like all the live action shows at this point, I think, the only things left are anime/animated xDDD)
Again with a cut due to the sheer size. ^^°°°
Top 5 favourite characters: CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, The Doctor, Yasmin Kahn
Other characters you like: Rory Williams Pond, Graham O’Brien, Mickey Smith, Bill Potts, Sarah Jane Smith, Craig Owens
Least favourite characters: Rose Tyler by a landslide
Otps: not realy any actual OTPs but ships I guess I’m fond of would be Vasta/Jenny and Rory/Amy
Notps: every ship involving the Doctor, because I just honestly find it weird and uncomfortable to look at the Doctor as a romantic or even worse yet sexual being, but most of all Doctor/Rose and Doctor/River, also Jack/Ianto
Favourite friendships: I am living for the current team dynamic, 13-Yaz-Graham-Ryan are really good but my forever favorite is the Doctor and Jack, also the best team-up was the Doctor with Donna and Martha, that was perfect
Favourite family: THE FAM! 13′s team
Favourite episodes:oooh mmh, I do have multiple favorites, so let’s do this!
Blink: it is such a good episode, there was a time I just popped that one in when I had 40 minutes to waste
Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords: for me personally, this is where Doctor Who peaked. My absolute favorite storyline and episodes and team-up - my favorite Doctor with BOTH my favorite companions in an episode with my favorite Master as the enemy. Amazing. There was a time when I would regularly rewatch this, just these three
Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End:Suuuch a satisfying conclusion for a four series plotline, all of the companions coming together like that? It was so good
The Lodger & Closing Time: I love Craig and I love how these two episodes switch things up!
Favourite season/book/movie: Rather obviously, series 3 - the return of Jack, the series where Martha is the companion, a series with my favorite Doctor and four of my favorite episodes in it!
Favourite quotes:THE ANGELS HAVE THE PHONE BOX! xD And the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff! I got that one on a necklace even! *laughs*
Best musical moment: uuurgh the soundtrack of this show is actually so good? I listened to it on a loop for years. Series 3 and 4 being my favorites, they make you feel things, man.
Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: Just this series when Jack returned. And let me elaborate to just convey how hard I fangirled at that, because it wasn’t just “oh a fave!”.
You see, Jack is... kind of why I’m here? I watched the first series with my mother back when it started airing in Germany. But they kind of... stopped dubbing it and it stopped airing in Germany and eh, I was okay with it because this show seemed weird like they just switched out the actor of the MAIN CHARACTER who does that what the fuck and I really liked Jack but he was gone now too so oh well.
However, then I read online about how Jack was in series 3. So... I went online and Doctor Who is genuinely the first TV show I ever watched in English, because I wanted to see Jack but there was no dub.
Then series 3 ended and both Jack and Martha left and I was very meh because I remembered that this is the show that constantly replaces its whole cast.
You can probably guess what happened next, but Jack was in the finale of series 4. So I went back into Doctor Who, rewatched what there has been so far all the way up to the series 4 finale - and that was when I was sold, because holy shit even with the switching of companions, they just bring them back! They just brought them all back! That was such a good pay-off.
Ironically, that was when I actually stuck around and started watching the show in real time instead of waiting for the next Jack appearance to bring me back from hibernation. Ironically because - well, that was the last we saw of anyone. (Aside from 10 in the 50 year special.)
That hard, hard cut from 10 to 11, no return of any companions...
Needless to say that when 12 came and went with no care for anything pre-11, I kind of... came to accept that this was it. Especially when they announced yet another hard cut - as in Moffat would finally be replaced and with the new era, both a new Doctor and new companions - I was so sure we’d never get to see anyone from the old crew again.
So when, after literally ten years, Jack Harkness returned and was so... so... Jack, I made the loudest, most unholy sound and the excitement of them actually acknowledging that he would be back for more and he would be there when the Doctor needs him? Tears of joy.
(but aso pls #LetMarthaMeet13 okay? Okay)
When it really disappointed you:YOU’RE MAKING A 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL. YOU HAVE SOOO MANY GOOD COMPANIONS. BUT. BUT YOU BRING NONE OF THEM BACK. ONLY ROSE TYLER’S FACE. OF ALL OF THE FACES. OF EVERYONE I COULD HAVE SEEN AGAIN IN THAT SPECIAL, IT HAD TO BE BILLIE PIPER’S MEDIOCRE ACTING. REALLY? REALLY??
Saddest moment: When 10 regenerated
Most well done character death: Surprisingly enough, this show makes me care even about the one episode characters to the degree that I find their deaths frustrating. It’s pretty good at character deaths overall
Favourite guest star: Does Craig Owens count? Because he only had two appearances in total. And the second one was genuinely a surprise to me; I was sure that The Lodger would be a stand-alone, never to be seen again kind of deal
Favourite cast member: John Barrowman! David Tennant! Freema Agyeman! I love all three of them and seeing them in other things always makes me really happy!
Character you wish was still alive: I mean, Bill. Can you imagine if the lesbian companion had gotten to meet 13?? Death :D
One thing you hope really happens: Martha. I mean, come on. Jack is back, Jack warned the Doctor, promised to be there when needed. There’s no way Jack lost contact with Martha and Mickey, even with those two off in space fighting aliens alone. I’d love for this... very, very big plotline that is currently happening to include the Doctor’s old friends coming back once more to help.
Most shocking twist: I mean... I mean it’s gotta be this series’ Surprise Origin Story. Like, I still can’t quite comprehend that one.
When did you start watching/reading?: As mentioned above, when it first started airing in Germany
Best animal/creature: Does the TARDIS count as a creature? Because then Sexy wins!
Favourite location: THE TARDIS. I wish they’d show it more often just casually. I wanna see the companions hang out in there, I wanna see their rooms, see that indoor pool and stuff
Trope you wish they would stop using: "OH NO THE DALEKS ARE STILL ALIVE AFTER THE LAST TIME I TRIED GENOCIDE ON THEM *gasp*”... Like. The very first time they brought them “back from the dead”, it was really cool because as a newbie you never met them before but you get they are important. Then they were wiped out. And then they returned again. And okay, sure. So they were wiped out again. And miraculously survied again.
Look, I get it. Doctor Who has three recurring entities in the villain gallery who are like... obligatory - the Master, the Daleks and the Cybermen. But for the love of everything, stop trying to show it as a “surprise twist” that the bad guy is a Dalek like we all knew they’re coming they’re the cockroaches of the universe, they ALWAYS surprise, stop acting like we should be shocked that they’re back again.
Every time, the Doctor goes Pikachu meme but with sad eyes and like just... have the Doctor groan, kick a Dalek and go “not you again”, instead of “how did you POSSIBLY survive THIS? :O” because after the sixth miracuous survival of a genocide, it stops being a surprise twist... -_-
One thing this show/book/film does better than others: Clearly something, because it has me come back for more like a masochist despite me being a character-driven viewer - me, abandoning the show after the first series was very in character, because I’m attached to characters and if you routinely replace all the characters, that’s... not really my thing. Somehow, this show defies the odds there
Funniest moments: JACK FLIRTING WITH PEOPLE AND THE DOCTOR GOING “NO STOP THAT!” xDDD
Couple you would like to see: NONE. NO ROMANCE. KEEP THAT SHIT OUT OF MY DW!!! Urgh. Just give me fun found family space adventures. I swear ever since the cast announcement I have had a twitchy eyebrow waiting if they’ll push for Ryan/Yaz and so far I am sooo glad they are NOT. I just... want friendship and space adventures, no fucking romance. At all. Not with the Doctor, not between companions. No drama
Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: ...to stay in character, I have to say Dominic Sherwood. Partially because I am obsessed with him, but also because I WANNA HEAR HIS BRITISH ACCENT FOR A WHOLE ASS SERIES PLEASE
I would also like to see the return of James Marsters though. Time Heist teased by showing his face and acknowledging his existence in Doctor Who (it’s not like DW has acknowledged a whole lot of Torchwood canon so far, considering the catastrophic events TW has dealt with without the Doctor...), so that had me kind of hopeful he may at least cameo for an episode...
Favourite outfit: I looove Martha’s red leather jacket and Jack’s coat
Favourite item: The chameleon device
Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: *clears throat awkwardly* ...Yes?
a metro card holder thingy with the TARDIS on it,
an I pin I have on my pencil case,
a necklace with a miniature TARDIS,
a necklace with the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey quote in a swirl on it,
a necklace with a Weeping Angel pendant,
a mug with the 10th Doctor as a cat on it,
a lanyard with Police Call Box written all over and a miniature TARDIS dangling on it
a TARDIS dress,
a whoosh-sound making door opening TARDIS with size-fitting figures of the 10th Doctor, Jack, Martha, K9, Idris, 11, Rory and John Hart (it’s James Marsters’ pretty face, okay?),
a Funko Pop 10th Doctor,
another TARDIS but this one is smaller and can’t open,
a larger TARDIS that can open (and is the right size for my Doctor Whooves),
a Doctor Whooves (if that counts since he’s technically My Little Pony but also he’s the Doctor so like...),
a TARDIS-blue stuffed owl with Police Owl written on it,
the first four series on DVD,
a poster from the 50th Anniversary with the War Doctor walking away from an explosion and 10 and 11 on either side of him,
a pocket watch that is the chameleon device
What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: Mmmh I would like to be on the current team the most, I think? Generally speaking, their adventures were less intense than most others and I dig the family vibe
Most boring plotline: Boring, huh? There are always a couple stinkers, at least one in each series, but a really boring plotline was... Clara’s post-Impossible-Girl one. I LOVED her as the Impossible Girl, she was so interesting and I think that after she went into the Doctor’s timeline, the character should have been retired. Have her, I don’t know, dissolve there, since she is spread out through time. But that she stuck around was... not good, for her character? Her love drama with Danny was incredibly boring and not fun to watch (especially when she tried to kill the Doctor :D)
Most laughably bad moment: THAT FUCKING MOON EPISODE. THE FUCKING EPISODE WHERE THE FUCKING MOON TURNED INTO A FUCKING EGG AND AN ALIEN HATCHED TO THEN LAY A NEW MOON EGG IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING BORN AND HUMANS JUST FUCKING SHRUGGED THAT SHIT OFF. Urgh. There are a lot of cringey things happening on this show, but this takes by far the crown. It was so stupid, so dumb, so ridiculous
Best flashback/flashfoward if any: Every time we learn more about the Doctor’s past *^*
Most layered character: I... I mean the Doctor. So many layers, so many lives, so many years
Most one dimensional character:Mh, this is harder... Among the not one-episode-off characters? I guess Nardole. Like, sure, good guy, but... not really all that deep that one
Scariest moment: Blink with the Weeping Angels. They lost A LOT of their scariness the more they were used - Moffat really overused them, in my opinion; they would have done better only appearing very rarely. But that first episode with them was just daaamn
Grossest moment: Cassandra?? Woman only made of skin?
Best looking male: CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS
Best looking female: MARTHA JONES
Who you’re crushing on (if any): Martha Jones
Favourite cast moment: John and David being cute behind the scenes is always amazing, but the bes moment is definitely the 500 Miles video!
Favourite transportation: The TARDIS, that’s not even a question!
Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): Whenever we get to see (not destroyed) Gallifrey? It’s so gorgeous??
Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you:SO MANY AFTER THAT LAST SERIES. But also things like: Where did Clara fuck off to in her flying diner? What exactly is Jack doing now that there is no Torchwood anymore? How in the world did Torchwood ever even work like how was the Doctor just never around during these gigantic problems?? WHO WAS THE DOCTOR’S FIRST WIFE? And what was the Doctor’s child like? Because the only one ever even mentioned is the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan, but a granddaughter implies one more generation between. WHERE IS JENNY? Since she is also the Doctor’s daughter but also just fucked off into space and like why is she not trying to track her parent down??
Best promo: I mean, it clearly works when they show me Jack’s face so that’d be it for me :D”
At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: At the series 4 finale, as above more elaborately explained
IN DEPTH FANDOM QUESTIONS
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reallysaltyobject · 5 years
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Timeless children thoughts
Ok, so I’ve spent about all day trying to form my thoughts on the changes that last nights episode had and now i’m going to try and write them down just to process and, like, see other people’s thoughts (???)
First of all, I love Doctor who. I hate feeling like this. This conflicted feeling. I love Jodie as the Doctor, she is probably my 2nd all time favourite Doctor (David T, Jodie, Tom, in case you were wondering). This season has had some, in my opinion, great episodes. I loved Fugitive of the Judoon, the Tesla episode (featuring my SJA fave Rani), the Mary Shelly episode. Guess what? i EVEN LIKED SOME OF ORPHAN 55 (it fell apart in the end, but Ed Hime can write some great lines (that spam line and the sequence with Ryan getting rid of the virus are personal faves), also that episode was co-written by Chibnall, and the episode seemed to be going in one direction but it felt like there was changes from a certain show runner). Anyway, I have been watching Doctor who since I was 4, I’ve been watching consistently since Ecclestone, through the good and the bad, never missing an episode. And until the finale of season 12, I have never felt so... sad. Not even angry, just sad and let down. I hate this sensation. I need to vent
So, now that the disclaimer is out that I do like Doctor who, even up till now, let’s get into my current trauma 
WARNING THIS IS NOT A SHINING REVIEW OF THE LATEST EPISODE. IT IS JUST MY PROCESSING OF WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW UNSURE I FEEL ABOUT ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR THE SHOW
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OK, the Doctor is not a TIME LORD. what? ...What?!...WOT!!? Time Lords and Gallifreyans are mutated from her DNA!? 
Right let’s back up a but and start from the beginning of my puzzled thoughts. Why did we need last weeks episode? I mean seriously, It was about an hour of going ‘you’re going to learn something, we known something you don’t’ and then it leads to that. I’m just very confused. Also more side characters which I do not remember the names of by the end of the episode, and thus them dying does not affect me in any way. Was it ever explained why the head Cyber man was ‘torturing’ the other Cybermen? I honestly cannot think of why that was there (maybe to make them 100% robotic with no organic material cause of the particle (WHICH I WILL GET TO!) but idk not very clear).
Also the whole Irish flashback thing? I get that was supposed to be a filter but going back and watching the episode when we saw it in episode 9 the doctor was ALSO SEEING IT?! There was no mention of it at all during the episode but she mentions it in the episode ten. What?! (Let’s not mention the odd editing choice at the end of nine where the Master’s entrance is funny and wild and then it’s like dramatic, threatening music? WTF. I’m guessing some lines of dialogue were cut but still it would have been better to end on his first entrance)
Chibnall’s first new and interesting villain is just gone. A Cyberman that still has its human emotion, erhm, would that not make a compelling villain that we could see at least another story out of? No? we just going to shrink this guy in the space of ten minutes? Cool. Cool, cool, cool
Also the death particle? WTF. That was 110% convenient plot device which I can forgive (a little lazy but so not worth getting worked up over), but it somehow went from being able to wipe out organic life from the ‘entire universe’ to just ‘a planet’. What. I’m serious what was the process here? Was it like not done cooking? 10 more minutes left in the Cyberman before it was done? I mean, it can’t be because it shrunk, cause, well, it’s A PARTICLE. It’s can’t get any smaller than that. Oh, are we just going with that? Lazy. Never-mind, much more to cover. 
So this was Chib’s let’s make Morbius canon time? You know the thing that was created cause they didn’t know how long the show would last, and was pretty much swept under the rug cause it was a weird idea? Right, ok , sure. 
I mean I was actually interested in the Doctor having a cycle of regenerations that she didn’t know about. A cycle. Not seemingly endless lives. Cause that would keep with the canon established, you known, with the whole 11th Doctor getting gifted an entire new cycle which we are two bodies into already on the whole Tenzelore death bed thing. It would explain Ruth!Doctor (not her TARDIS being a police box but I’m sure give any Doctor who fan 20 minutes and a box of crayons and they could come up for a better explanation than what was shown last night). 
But let’s get into the worst effect of last night’s show. There are no more stakes. The Doctor can regenerate whenever, not matter how many times, and there are no consequences. Sure, you want the show to live on but as an excellent TV show put it recently: it is death that makes life worth living (seriously go watch The Good Place)
The canon of the show is that Time Lords get the regeneration from looking into the time vortex, hence River getting these powers (being conceived on the TARDIS). Normal Gallifreyans do not have this, they have to earn it through the Academy. This episode said it was genetics (SEE midichlorians and star wars). W H A T. 
ALSO DOES THIS MEAN THE DOCTOR AND RIVER SONG ARE LIKE RELATED. i mean if regeneration has come from the Doctor and she can regenerate, is it incest? 
The Master did not make any sense in this episode - and for a character who is meant to be psychotic it must be pretty bad for him to seem off. So, the Master is mad cause he is made partly from the Doctor? I mean i know that you don’t go to the Master for coherent plans but still, I don’t really get it. He also spent the entire episode being exposition and that was just, a waste. That is one of my biggest gripes about that era. You hire these great actors and you don’t give them anything to work with. I mean you can see them shine when you do but, you don’t. why? 
Also why is the Master acting like he has no compassion? Gomez!master literally betrayed herself after spending like an entire serious feeling guilt with the 12th Doctor. So, how can he say he has no compassion? I mean, if you weren’t a lazy writer, you could write some material about how they feel abandoned by the Doctor when he left her to die on the Cybership and went mad by the time they made it to Gallifrey. Or even that idea they were in an alternative universe and so this Master had not had the development that the Capaldi era worked on, which would explain why there was another Doctor (Ruth) (I know that gets a bit muddled up with Jack being in episode 5 but you could probably think of something, i’m still reeling from the finale to form a plan right now). No, we’re just not doing that. 
This endless lives also cheapens the Doctor’s sacrifice before. I mean a lot Matt Smith’s time as the Doctor was spent with this. River giving up her remaining regenerations because of his unwillingness to leave his friends. The Doctor spending all of his last regeneration watching over this town in season 7. Was this just nothing? Is the Doctor just going to sacrifice themselves for everything now?
Also, the idea that the doctor is the Other is so much better! That would be cool, it would give her a past that she does not know of (check one), but it wouldn’t have the potential of ruining the stakes and mystery of the doctor (check two), AND it would make the doctor something above what TL are, make her demi-god, which could make the Master made, in a more logical way, (check three). 
right to finish this, I have to say i’m worried. The moves that are being made feel like they are cancelling moves. Like we’re going on another long hiatus. That there is going to be a reboot. It also is giving the BBC potential to make spinoffs of the previous Doctors to likes of Netflix and Amazon, which scares me for the safety of the show. With the ratings going down, and a majority of the fanbase being against the developments in the lore, the sustainability of the show is looking risky. This is an option that i do not want to happen. Unfortunately I think the only option would be to replace Chibs. He is writing the show in a way that is continuing from when he grew up (hence the Morbius thing, and the Master acting in this way) and not from how the show has PROGRESSED since then.
I’m still going to watch the show but I fear that more and more will turn it off. The whole point that they pushed in this era of the show was that new people can watch it, there is no need to have all this previous knowledge yet the only times there has been interesting episodes has been to call backs (Jack, Cybermen, Daleks). This change to something so instrumental to the plot is driving old fans away and confusing the new ones. What you need is someone who is above the show-runners keeping the canon and coherency of the lore, as it know most show-runners change the premise when they start (see Gallifrey gone, alive, gone again)
leave the canon. Look forwards. This Doctor is about being hopeful, they should be looking forward. 
I want this show to be good. I want this show to live forever, because it can. Because it should. 
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Lin-Manuel Miranda interview: from Hamilton to His Dark Materials
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I know Hamilton remains wildly popular more than four years after it premiered on Broadway because of the intense response to my Instagram post boasting I have tickets to watch it the evening before meeting its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. "It's one of my absolute favourite things in the world ever!" raves one correspondent. "It's WONDERFUL and I defy you not to download the soundtrack afterwards," adds another. "I went last night! Second time. You're gonna love it."
The problem, however, is that I'm not sure I will love it. When theatre is great, it's the best thing on the planet, but when it is bad, as I have learnt from the bitter experience of watching three-hour open-air adaptations of Dickens' novels, it is the worst. Musicals are especially challenging: in my experience, you either like them or you don't, and given one of the few I have enjoyed was Avenue Q, which subverted the form, I'm in the latter camp.
Then, on top of this, there is the pressure of hype (and Hamilton has been more hyped than anything this side of the moon landings), and the challenge of taking hip-hop, which I love, out of an urban setting. It can easily go a bit Wham Rap!, or even worse, if you've seen the video, Michael Gove performing Wham Rap!.
It is, however, pretty good. The last thing the world needs is another long review of Hamilton, and I can't say I downloaded the soundtrack afterwards or that I didn't look at my watch occasionally, but using rap to retell the dry story of the founding fathers is inspired, and I'm so relieved that I blurt out my review to the 39-year-old writer and performer when I meet him in a restaurant in Fitzrovia. "I do find that with both Hamilton and In the Heights, my first show," responds the award-winning composer, lyricist and actor, "I get a lot of people who say to me, 'I don't really like musicals, but I loved this.' I attribute that to a very simple thing: my wife, who doesn't really like musicals. She didn't grow up going to see them, or doing theatre. She's a lawyer; when we met, she was a scientist. I have a higher bar to clear than most composers, because my first audience is my wife, and it can't just be a pretty tune."
You might recognise his wife, Vanessa Nadal, whom he met at high school, from the video of the couple's wedding reception in 2010, which like everything Miranda touches, went viral, and shows him performing the Fiddler on the Roof song To Life to his beloved.
Even my withered heart may have been momentarily lifted by it. She has accompanied her husband with their two young sons, aged one and four, to Britain, where he is filming a part in the BBC's slick new adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, though the reason he is in London today is that he has just been the subject of an episode of Desert Island Discs. The New Yorker takes a takes a swig of his coffee, which he tells me he chose as his luxury on his island ("I'm so basic"), adjusts his yellow baseball cap and asks me a question about the unsolicited review: "Why did you feel the need to say it?" There follows the most painful recording I've ever had to listen back to, as I make a bunch of ludicrous generalisations about musicals, speculating that perhaps they divide men from women, or the working classes from the middle classes, or straight people from gay people, or white people from brown people. It only strikes me a few minutes in that not only is Miranda living proof that the generalisations are nonsense, but I am essentially explaining musicals to a world expert in the form - a man who, before the age of 40, has a Pulitzer prize, three Tony awards, three Grammys, an Emmy, a MacArthur Fellowship, a Kennedy Center Honor, two Olivier awards, one Academy award nomination and two Golden Globe nominations to his name.
"Where do you want to start?" he responds with what is, in retrospect, startling patience. "You brought in all this cultural baggage and you're laying it at my feet and I don't know which bag to open." Another swig of coffee. "I think with musicals, it has to do with the way in which you interact with music in your own life. I grew up in a culture where dancing and singing at weddings was supercommon. So, if that's corny to you growing up, or you're taught to believe that's corny or unbelievable, then of course you're not going to like musicals."
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He spent much of those years doing a bunch of badly paid, disparate jobs, which, given his nature, he nevertheless enjoyed. They included working as an English teacher at his former high school. ("I loved my curriculum. The class was exhilarating once I realised the less I talked, the more they learnt. I saw a future in which I taught at my old high school for 30 years and was very happy.") He wrote for a local paper as a columnist and restaurant reviewer. ("What kind of restaurant reviewer was I? Not very discriminating. If a new restaurant opened, I would go and eat some stuff and say, 'Hey, we have a Thai restaurant. I get to eat first at it. This is great!' ") And he made guest appearances on a number of TV shows including The Sopranos and House. What kind of roles was he being offered at the time? "I wasn't getting any roles! I was always the Latino friend of the white guy in the lead. And so centring ourselves in the drama, telling our own stories, is a big part of In the Heights, my first musical."
An unexpected thing about meeting Miranda is how instinctively he turns to the topic of his first musical, In the Heights, rather than Hamilton - not least when he talks about how he spent one month each year as a child with his grandparents in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, and was inspired by the gap between his worlds. "In Puerto Rico we were doctors and lawyers. And we're cabbies in New York; we're for the most part the poorer segment of society, and on TV we were always thieves and we were always the Sharks. In the Heights was a response to that. It was, 'Are we allowed to be on stage without having a knife in our hands?' " But then he has spent part of the summer filming a movie version of that musical, which is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Hispanic-American neighbourhood. It is also the project that changed his life most dramatically. The more recent success of Hamilton rather eclipses the fact that his first show, which he began writing in the late Nineties when he was still a student at Wesleyan University, Connecticut, was also wildly successful. After success off-Broadway, the musical went to Broadway, opening in March 2008 and ending up being nominated for 13 Tony awards, winning four, including best musical and best original score.
...
Miranda, described as "a fantasy of the Obama era", has since been active in politics, lobbying and fundraising for Puerto Rico and performing with Ben Platt at the March for Our Lives anti-gun-violence rally in Washington DC on March 24, 2018. Does he feel demoralised by the drift of politics to the far right? "The thing about us all being connected online is that you can read all of the worst news from all over the world and be overwhelmed. You can't let it all in; just act on what you can act on." Should Trump be ignored or fought every step of the way? "It's hard to even discuss it, right, because Trump will have outraged us on two new things in the next [few hours], as soon as he wakes up, and it won't be relevant by the time we're having this conversation. And the same with Brexit, which is just as uncertain."
What did he make of Trump's revival of the phrase "Get back to where you came from" in relation to Democrat politicians? "It's unacceptable. Just because he said it doesn't mean it's acceptable." He leans back in his seat. "Here's my fear of getting into this with you: every time I've done a UK interview, I've said incredible shit and Trump's always the headline, even if I've only said two lines about it. So I'm happy to talk about it, but I'm really scared it's going to be the headline."
I risk another question. Would Miranda ever run for office? "It's funny - I remember when I was a teenager, my dad got approached by pretty serious people about running for a state Senate seat, and he said no. I asked, 'Why?' He said, 'I don't want to have to watch my mouth.' And for me, it's similar. I also have seen in my life, first-hand, the people who get addicted to running, and it's like their moment passed, but they're still running for something, because they're chasing that thrill of winning, and it's about much more than representing the constituents. I would never want to get stuck in that cycle or that pattern. It's more fun writing songs than doing any of that."
Read the rest here behind the Times paywall.
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hicsqueakfest · 5 years
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Hicsqueak Fest Prompt List!
Hi all! Here’s the prompt list for Hicsqueak Fest! You can request up to 3 prompts at a time. Once you finish your fics/arts, you can come back for more! 
To claim your prompt, simply send an ask to @hicsqueakfest and copy/paste the prompt you want (you must have a tumblr username to do this). I will cross it off the list and put your name by it so it’s all yours. First come, first serve. Make sure you tell me if you’re claiming a FIC or ART prompt, because some of them are duplicates! 
Prompts are divided by FIC (sub categories: AU, AR, Gen, Smut, Lyrics/Quotes) and ART. 
HAPPY CLAIMING!
FIC
- Domestic Hicsqueak
- Hecate and Pippa are in an established relationship and see each other again after months apart. Could be smutty or domestic and cute.
- Hicsqueak first time. doesn't have to be sex (but it can be). It could be first time they do anything. Ie: ice skating together, first date, etc.
- Young Hicsqueak building staff/wand for Hecate to have more control over her magic and learning how to use it 
- Pippa and Hecate dancing
- Pippa already knows about the confinement in S1, how she deals with all the little ways Hecate makes excuses to not do things; and how she eventually reacts to Hecate telling her about the confinement.
- Pregnancy fic - Hecate pregnant. Pippa being the best. Mildred minding her own business.
- Single parent Pippa meets her child’s teacher Hecate @ohlookitstomorrowff
- Hicsqueak flying together on a broom
- Domestic Hicsqueak (I need a lot of that)
- A series of firsts with Pippa, after Hecate is set free
- Hecate is clueless about how attractive she is, and Pippa tries her best not to be jealous (but she so is)
- Hicsqueak as parents (interpret "parents" however you want)
- Going hunting
- Going fishing
- Visiting a planetarium together
- Hurt/Comfort. Mistress Broomhead remarks in front of Pippa that Hecate "continues to have poor taste in companions." Pippa asks Hecate what Broomhead meant by it, and Hecate has to make a choice whether or not to reveal the whole Indigo incident.
- Miss Bat catches Hecate and Pippa out of bed past curfew, but instead of punishing them, she just mercilessly teases them about it for the rest of term.
- Gardening together
- Comparing stories of the weirdest stuff they confiscated from students
- Playing poker
- “Have you done this before?" @hovercraft79
- Forehead kisses
- Adventuring to find rare ingredients for Hecate's experiments that the school can't afford @cliotheproclaimer
- Visiting Pentangle's Academy for the first time
- Candlelight supper
- Hecate introducing Star to Pippa
- Playing Mario Kart
- Pippa shows Hecate all the video games she's confiscated from her students, one of which is Skyrim. (I bet Hecate would be a closet GTA5 player after)
- Ethel saw their first kiss and is about to cause havoc
- Playing billiards
- They have a fight at Cackle's and Pippa leaves but Hecate chases her and slams into the barrier and falls off her broom and that's how Pippa finds out about the confinement @allthosegaywitches    
- What if Hecate encounters [a siren] and it takes the form of the person she desires most and Pippa is there to save her or vice versa
- There was a post not too long ago where it was discussed that its possible many girls had crushes on Hecate. So my prompt is: Pippa keeps them unknowingly all away from her Hiccup and years later at a reunion Hecate realized how many girls liked her while Pippa realizes how she really feels about Hecate.
- "I was afraid of what you'd think of me." @maybegarbo
- A fic about/involving musical harmony as a chant method - how did Pippa come to decide this was a better way of doing it, for example? (either gen or shippy)
- Hicsqueak picnic
- Pregnancy fic because there’s not enough of those... Bonus if Hecate is the pregnant one
- Fake dating
- Hicsqueak discovering their favorite ways to snuggle
- Pentangle's academy is under attack Pippa is struggling against the enemy but Hecate comes to protect and save her wife (and the academy)
- Pippa is injured/sick and Hecate takes care of her @cliotheproclaimer
- Hicsqueak wedding
- End of year, the graduating girls play pranks on the teachers and this year someone magicked a mariachi band to follow Hecate around ALL DAY and every time she vanishes them they just reappear with one more band mate
- Staff party at the end of the year Pippa is invited too; Hecate doesn't like those parties and so never shows up but since this year Pippa is going she might go as well too
- Mildred yelling, "Ethel, if you don't stop being a homophobe, DuRIng PRide mONth, then I will yeet you out the window!!!" @firesofthestars
- Fist fight
- Hecate visits Pentangle's
- Going to festivals together
- The first time Hecate sleeps outside of Cackle's, in Pippa's bed. She knows this is where she belongs.
- Hecate gets sick, Pippa takes care of her
- Accidental magic. Something silly preferable to angsty, but if angst calls to you then by all means. For example: the reason Hecate is nicknamed Hiccup is because accidental magic gave her a case of uncontrollable hiccups. that sort of thing.
- Going to conferences together
- Hicsqueak. Pippa asks Hecate why she didn't lift the confinement spell when she (Hecate) was the acting headmistress (mid season 2)
- Hicsqueak in the aftermath of s3, emphasis on Hecate dealing with her trauma and figuring out how to have a healthy relationship
- Hecate as Pippa's "knight in shining armour" (can be non-magical or magical and from gen to smutty, whatever you make of it). Basically the classic damsel-in-distress-scenario with a badass Hecate coming to the rescue. If swordfighting could be included, that would be awesome!  @well-met-and-good-day-to-you-sir
- AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED
- Broomstick racing
- Fake Married trope! 
- Smoking weed together
- Touring witch colleges together/touring the country together
- Camping in the forest (the one surrounding Cackle's or any other)
- Getting drunk together for the first time
- Cuddles
- Pippa-centric, missing Hecate through the years @emiline-northeto
- Hecate-centric, missing Pippa through the years
- After Hecate and Pippa reconcile, their familiars aren’t quite sure how they feel about it.
- Hicsqueak conference fic
- Hicsqueak day at the beach
- Young!Hicsqueak - Hecate lied to Pippa about what happened to Indigo 
- "I don't think I ever stopped waiting for you."
- Pippa has always known about Hecate’s confinement and the hurt over the broomstick display came from her belief that Hecate didn’t have enough faith in them.
- Pippa finds out about Hecate’s confinement - and not from her.
- Fic where Hecate reconnects with her parents after the confinement is over - with Pippa’s support, of course.
- Hecate's favourite colour is pink 
- "You're an idiot" 
- Wedding fic 
- Baby fic 
- After the s3 finale, Hecate discovers the world with Pippa by her side 
- 5 trips Hecate and Pippa take together 
- 5 things Hecate wore that weren't her standard black dress @maybegarbo
- 5 times Pippa tapped Hecate's nose after Spelling Bee (bonus, but not obligatory: and one time Hecate tapped Pippa's) @shafeferi 
- 5 times Hecate and Pippa almost kissed (and one time they did) 
- Pippa gets abducted and Hecate loses it and tries to find her 
- Heat-of-the-moment kissing 
- Either of them gets implicated in a crime and there's ample evidence against them, so they go on the run, but the other is fiercely on their side and helps them any way they can / goes on the run with them 
- Coming out 
- Ace!Hecate @amillionmillionvoices
- Pippa is on the brink of getting married, and Hecate is heartbroken but doesn't think it's her place to say anything 
- One year, seven months, three weeks and two days  @ephemeral-winter
- 5 sunsets they saw together 
- "Ask me to marry you again" 
- Emotional scars 
- Morning routine 
- One day in the life 
- Hecate is bored in a meeting and decides to text Pippa on her maglet, Pippa texts back immediately 
- Pippa is ill, Hecate takes care of her and/or vice versa 
AU
- Doctor Who AU
- Persuasion (Jane Austen Novel) AU
- AU where they're Sirens and they have to deal with Odysseus. Or even about when Demeter gave the Sirens wings to search for Persephone
- MERMAIDS!
- Pirates
- AU in the Harlots universe @concreteangel1221
- Space commanders (Star Trek/Star Wars)
- Crime syndicate
- Street racers
- An AU where they go to Woodstock '69
- Middle earth
- Hecate lives above a bar, and is always angry about the noise. Pippa, the proprietor, has something to say about that. 
- Westeros
- Titanic AU, except there was enough room on the door! 
- Notting Hill AU
- Skyrim
- Witch in the Woods AU: Hecate does Pippa a favor, in exchange for her first-born child. But when Pippa shows up, distraught, 15 years later with a baby, Hecate wants no part of it.  @merricatsgarden
- Georgian Era
- Bus drivers (bus driver... what bus driver?)
- Stealing a car together (au)
- Dragon trainer. Pippa is gifted a dragon and needs someone to help her train and handle it. Enter Hecate Hardbroom, the Dragon Whisperer.
- Detective AU (potentially a bit humorous, a la Tommy & Tuppence or Psych, for example)
- Hecate is a college professor and Pippa is an older student returning to get her degree and the two fall in love
- Fluffy Harry Potter au where Hecate frequents nocturne ally for potions ingredients.
- Hicsqueak Victorian au
- Flirting / UST
- Heatwave
- Business woman/bakery or tea show owner AU
- Library AU @hovercraft79
- Medical AU
- Teacher/parent au @thegeneralisalive 
- Potions shop / magical pharmacy / similar au
- Soulmate au
- Spies / secret agents au
- Space au
- Princesses AU
AR (Alternate Reality) 
- AU: the thirty years of separation didn't happen, what are their life like now? (Living together, happily married, children?) @captaintangledmess
- Hecate's ~25 years old, she is given one day out of Cackles, what does she do? (Run to Pippa + drama ensues? Go somewhere else? Try to get Pippas help and they live happily ever after?)
- A canon-divergance AU where Pippa does end up with Ada's job in s2 and they have to work as a team. Lots of angst material there
- Pre-Spelling Bee and ignoring the whole stupid s3 confinement plot. Hecate and Pippa run into each other over the years at events, conferences, etc. @pellucidthings
- Hecate gives up her magic to restore the founding stone at the end of s2 @amillionmillionvoices
- AU where Hecate DOES show up to the broomstick waterskiing display, but someone sabotages her broom, and she crashes. Lots of #feelings and Hicsqueak hurt/comfort
- Tattooed!Hecate AU where Pippa has no idea that almost every inch of her is inked until she undresses her for the first time... @maybemoira / MauraMae
- AU where Hecate’s ‘confinement’ is because she’s a werewolf. @maybemoira
Gen
- Gen-Hecate, she discovers she has a sister 
- Hecate tutoring Mildred without being prompted or ordered to do so.
- Hecate supporting Maud during a difficult time @marvelousmadmadammim
- How Pippa came to found her school 
- Dimity being a friend to Hecate after the events of s3
- Dimity and Pippa becoming friends at a staff party or conference 
- A student comes out to Hecate, and she has to figure out how to handle it/how much to reveal about her own life
- 5 people Pippa came out to over the years (bonus + 1 she didn’t) @shafeferi 
Lyrics/Quotes
- Bastille's song JOY. Either take a line or just the song in general
- ‘But I'm on my way back home / It's been hard to be away’ (Dying Day- Brandi Carlile.)
- Interpret the poem "One-Act Play In Which Not All Problems Can Be Solved, & Not All Problems Are Problems, But Even So, Some Are" by Dalton Day, for Hicsqueak in light of S3, especially the bit that goes "ME: I have hands. You said you are scared of things like hands. Are you scared of my hands? YOU: Yes. ME: You have hands, too. Are you scared of your hands? YOU: Yes. ME: What if we traded hands?"
- Take the poem "One-Act Play In Which We Float Facedown In the Center Of A Lake, A Position Known As The Dead Man's Float" by Dalton Day as your starting point. Make me cry.
- Baby take me outside / kiss me in the moonlight / i just want you to touch me / i don't wanna waste no time (léon - surround me)
- I am no good at goodbyes / i never was and i don't know why / tell me, tell me that it was love / that it was real, remember all / that you have me if you still want me / baby, i'm no good at goodbyes / i never was and i don't know why (léon - no goodbyes)
- Want You Back by HAIM
- Supercut by Lorde
- ‘Will you lie here for me?’ (Lizzie)
- ‘She’s seen the pain that comes with your displeasure’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Maybe some day I’ll walk in the open’ (Lizzie)
- ‘They tried to keep me down, but I said no’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Let me tell you losing is not a game I play’ (Lizzie)
- ‘I sit here in the darkness, waiting for the light’ (Lizzie)
- ‘I know I got ‘em beat’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Watch me fly away’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Maybe some day I’ll walk in the open’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Maybe some day we’ll tell the world’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Into your wildest dreams I’ll fly’ (Lizzie)
- ‘You’ll see my face in every night sky’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Lock away your secrets, lock away my life’ (Lizzie)
- ‘I was a trembling child’ (Lizzie)
- ‘But now I see my troubled soul reflected’ (Lizzie)
- ‘What I don’t see can never hurt me’ (Lizzie)
- ‘But I’m more afraid to stay’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Settle cozy dark as sleep’ (Lizzie)
- ‘I want to sleep with my eyes half open’ (Lizzie)
- ‘You didn’t choose what side you’re on’ (Lizzie)
- ‘I’m standing looking forward in the dark’ (Lizzie)
- ‘It’s just us girls’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Don’t let them see how the fire burns’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Who told you that?!’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Will you bite through the skin to the sweet truth within?’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Will you stay?’ (Lizzie)
- ‘In every room a prisoner of a long silent war’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Sometimes you say the words, but this is not love’ (Lizzie)
- ‘I know if I stay here longer it’s gonna turn out bad’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Would you let me comfort you, if you knew?’ (Lizzie)
- ‘I can barely breath tonight’ (Lizzie)
- ‘A secrets just a lie’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Every night I dream of you’ (Lizzie)
- ‘The violence of freedom’ (Lizzie)
- ‘My silver wings are pinioned with green gold’ (Lizzie)
- ‘I feel myself disintegrating’ (Lizzie)
- ‘Oh that I had wings like a dove’ (Lizzie)
Smut/NC17
- Pippa persuading and watching Hecate touch herself
- Hecate’s first visit to an “adult” toy store with Pippa as an equally wide-eyed guide.
- Pippa telling Hecate all the dirty things she wants to do to her
- Hicsqueak smut, not first time, they're both happy and confident in their sexuality and relationship
- Dom!Hecate has Pippa in "detention" 
- Cuddle sex
- Angry sex
- Kisses/hugging/sexy times
- Pippa buying lingerie for Hecate and telling her how much she'd love for her to wear it // she does
- Hecate’s first time
- Hecate stripping for Pippa, feat. a nervous Hecate and a reassuring Pippa who has Hecate on her lap as soon as she can.
- Pippa calling Hecate "Good girl", Hecate calling Pippa "Miss Pentangle" during sex.
- 5 times hecate went down on Pippa
- "I hate this dress." / "then take it off me."
- Dom!Pippa telling Hecate when she can/can't cum - up to you if Hecate does or doesn't do as shes told.
ART
- Kisses! Sweet, passionate, you name it, any kiss. but Hicsqueak art of kisses would be really nice.
- Doctor Who AU
- MERMAIDS!
- Pirates @kayryn
- Space commanders (Star Trek/Star Wars)
- Crime syndicate
- Hecate stripping for Pippa, feat. a nervous Hecate and a reassuring Pippa who has Hecate on her lap as soon as she can.
- Street racers
- Middle earth
- Westeros @kayryn
- Pippa and Hecate dancing.
- Skyrim
- Georgian Era @kayryn
- Bus drivers (bus driver... what bus driver?)
- Cooking a full English breakfast together
- Afternoon tea @merricatsgarden
- Hecate's first trip to the beach, with Pippa
- Sunbathing
- "I don't think I ever stopped waiting for you."
- Swimming
- Swimming in a moonlit pond/pool. @merricatsgarden
- Stargazing
-  Adult Hecate standing between Pippa and some idiot man/Headbroom trying to hurt her
- Want You Back by HAIM
- Supercut by Lorde
- Forehead kisses
- Hicsqueak kissing under the mistletoe (I know it's not really that time of the year sorry)
- Hicsqueak wedding
- Hicsqueak flying together on a broom
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I was tagged by @vildeliens thank you Queen (of clowns and headcanoons) ❤️
Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions, don’t cheat. Tag 10 (or however many) people.  
Oz
Skam France
The Walking Dead
Doctor Who
Torchwood
1. Who is your favourite character in 2? Well that one is easy as hell. Lucas Lallemant, without the shadow of a doubt. I just adore that boy... I really do believe that he’s the most developed character of the whole skam universe. Also, i relate to him so so much, being parisian and 17 and queer and just, globally similar. And that Acting (TM) sure helps (will i ever be over axel’s acting? I dont think so)... I am gonna stop before i write essays (you all think this is a joke but i actually write random stuff about Lucas when i get bored in class, thats how bad it is). I just really love this boy folks...
2. Who is your least favourite character in 1? Well that’s an easy one too. Vernon Schillinger, because he is a neonazi, which is enough. And he is just plain BAD (rapist, murderer, coward, blackmailer... you name it)... And it’s not even a love hate situation, i despise the guy so  much, he makes me wanna crawl off my skin whenever he is on screen. Also i think he’s quite one dimensional which is very weird for that show but yeah. He is The Bad Guy.
3. What is your favourite episode of 4? Well that’s a harder one lmao, because you know, the show has been going on since 1963, which means i have many many favourites... Imma go only with reboot, cause thats the one i know better and i have to say it’s the one i enjoy the most. I think my all time fave is the two parts one, The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances, because those are just so perfect in every aspect imo. But i also love love love the library arc from season 4 (i think lmao) because KUDOS FOR MAKING US INSENSITIVE ABOUT A CHARACTER’S DEATH ONLY FOT IT TO KILL US LATER (and overall the episodes are so so good). Also, because i’m a hoe for big dramatic moments, the episodes with the Master (end of s3 and end of s4 mainly, i dont really like Missy) and the two parts The Stolen Earth/Journey’s end (i remember being so hyped by all of them squading up). Also, it’s not an episode but it deserves its place there: the entire season 6. Because Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Alex Kingston and Arthur Darvill are just so good. I didnt really enjoy seasons 8 to 10 (even tho i adore Peter Capaldi), but season 7 also has some that i loved (Angels in Manhattan and The Name of the Doctor killed me). And the 50th anniversary. I MEAN THIS IS COMPLICATE I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH IT HAS SO MANY GOOD EPISODES (and it’s the first show i got obsessed with so theres that)
4. What is your favourite season of 5? I think i’ll go with season 2 (?), because i love the og squad and they were all in it in s2, and i think the arcs were done really well (and the last episode, haha, me dead)... S3 and 4 i enjoyed less cause i think the teams didn’t really work without Tosh, Owen and Ianto... I couldn’t really find that magic again (and yes i’m still bitter). 
5. Who is your favourite couple in 3? It’s hard to find ALIVE people to form couples with lmao so i’ll go with one that is in kinda stand-by... it’s complicate...  Rick and Michonne cause i loved how they were best friends first and how their whole story was built... It made a lot of sense to me. Also i love the show less nowadays but i think those are still strong characters (minus Rick now lol)
6. Who is your favourite couple in 2? I had to snort. I know, it’s going to surprise you all, but it’s Manon and Charles OF COURSE. Kidding (pls. break. them. up). It’s Eliott and Lucas (how many of you all are surprised) because. Do i need to explain. Just. Everything. I can’t even put it into words. they’re just a perfect match and so in tune and so in love and i should stop now but i won’t so i’m sorry. I love how they complete each other and understand each other, and i loved how Lucas made Eliott’s dream real (polaris), and i love how they arent perfect yet they learn with each other and they make each other better . I love how cute they look and how in love and how raw. I love the way Lucas’ voice softens when he talks to eliott, and the way eliott’s eyes are so full of wonder. Also the way they fight sometimes but always come back to each other and love stronger. And their ship names literally means “chosen one”, how could I not ship? LISTEN THEY JUST FIT OKAY AND I WONT TAKE ANY CRITICISM
7. What is your favourite episode of 1? oh god i don’t remember them all at all lmao but imma try to come up with one (not 22838 like i normally do). So i’d say 4x11 (revenge is sweet)?? but honestly the show is so continuous that its hard to choose one ep... id say s4 is my favourite hands down though
8. What is your favourite episode of 5? YES THAT I CAN!! it’s from season 1, even though i love s2 better overall, Countrycide. I loved everything about that ep, and it still sends shivers down my spine when i think about it. I particularly enjoyed how it depicted the team’s relationships and how it showed that monsters can be amongst mankind (which, we been knew, but still. it was very well done for a show that fights aliens to fight humans)
9. What is your favourite season of 2? Another easy one! Season 3, as my entire blog can attest. It’s just. A masterpiece. That’s it that’s the post.
10. How long have you watched 1? I bingewatched it in like two months (cause i had to take breaks because school) in 2016. It’s a show that ended around 2000 so it’s not like i HAD to wait, and the episodes aren’t really stand alone so i had to watch them in a row.
11. How did you become interested in 3? I started watching with my dad because he is a cinephile that shows me loads of movies and tv series, then showed it to my mom. And now my dad stopped watching so i watch it with my mom exclusively even though i dont enjoy as much as i used to (still love it though). 
12. Who is your favourite actor in 4? Matt Smith (even though i adored Eccleston, and couldn’t appreciate Tennant’s AMAZINGNESS cause i was too sad to see 9 go aoimjdk). But Matt Smith is the funniest, most Doctor-ish one imo.
13. Which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5? This is gonna sound like a betrayal to shows i’ve watched for so many years but Skam France, hands down. (i’m obsessed okay)
14. Which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3? 3 because it has more eps and i’m caught up with both, so logically its 3.
15. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be? Umh i think i’m kinda similar to Clara in some ways (?). Maybe. Like in the way we’re both hopeless romantic in search of an adventurous life. Plus, she is a lgbt+ icon and you can’t convince me otherwise so there’s that. i mean i think i globally identify with companions cause i wanna be them so bad lmao (imagine how cool it would be for my nerdy self ugh). But i look like a Sontaran so. Mayhaps i’d be one of those instead
16. Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work? umh that’d be funny as hell. The Doctor just jumping in a zombie apocalypse. Though i think they’d find a way to stop the apocalypse, so the second show would be annihilated by the first one. Mmh. Interesting still, up for it (i’m up for anything tbh)
17. Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple? That’s the hardest one i had to answer GOD. I’d go with the crack ship, Ryan O’Reilly and Miguel Alvarez, tho they would both kill me and then burn my body if they ever saw this
18. Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5? Weeeelll i think The Walking Dead used to have an amazing storyline (the Governor’s arc was spectacular), but now i’d go with Torchwood cause sometimes (a lot of times), shows that don’t try to make it last for ages tie everything better. And Torchwood did tie things well enough imo (even tho i’m forever sad and bitter)
19. Which has the better theme music, 2 or 4? I don’ think Skam France has a theme music?? more like soundtracks (amazing ones)??? But i mean even if it did Doctor Who would still win cause the themes are fantastic (yes i went there)
This was so fun guys so imma tag @evnisak, @isak-valterssen, @jebentnietalleen, @demauryy, @srodvlv, @takaoparadise, @starcassstic, @thebananaslug, @sleepingthroughmyproblems, @akalousthings and anyone else i forgot, or anyone wanting to do this really
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peckhampeculiar · 5 years
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Jade’s journey
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WITH A CAREER SPANNING TV, THEATRE AND FILM, ACTOR AND POET JADE ANOUKA CAN TURN HER HAND TO ANYTHING.
She talks about filming with Idris Elba, her one-woman show Heart and how she took hundreds of local youngsters for a night out at Peckhamplex
WORDS: EMMA FINAMORE; PHOTO: LIMA CHARLIE
Some people just seem made for storytelling, and the magnetic Jade Anouka – equal parts actor and poet – is most definitely one of them.
Now living in Camberwell – near her favourite brunch spot, Kurdish cafe Nandine on Vestry Road – Jade grew up in Bexley, later moving out to Dartford. She kept up her local connections though, going to secondary school in Lewisham, and it was here in south-east London she had her first proper break in acting.
Inspired by Saturday drama classes, a 17-year-old Jade entered a competition in the local paper and landed a week-long workshop at Greenwich Theatre. It ended with a production of the musical Golden Boy, alongside Olivier-nominated Jason Pennycooke – now in hit West End show Hamilton – and Sally Ann Triplett, whom Jade describes as a “musical theatre legend”.
“I was actually doing a project on her at school when I went to Greenwich Theatre,” she says. “Whenever I was in a play I enjoyed it so much, it would become my world. My parents could see it too, before I even knew I could do it as a job. I just loved it.”
It was a love she grabbed with both hands. Jade headed to the National Youth Theatre on a scholarship and then on to university, to Guildford School of Acting.
“It was a bit of a culture shock,” she remembers. “There were lots of people there who knew the whole ‘acting world’, they knew people’s names, they knew playwrights – and I didn’t know anything. I just liked messing about on stage.
“There were people there whose worlds were so different, who’d had totally different upbringings to me. So that was a bit of a shock. But I made mates for life, friends from different worlds, which is really good but also from the point of view of an actor – to be able to empathise and not be closed into your own world. It was amazing to meet an array of people and make friends.”
Despite once being told by her voice teacher she would “never do Shakespeare – I got completely slated for my voice”, Jade was hired immediately after graduating in 2007 by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, where she not only landed a spot in an internationally touring play but earned a postgraduate award in teaching Shakespeare.
She was hired by the RSC for a role in The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood’s twist on Homer’s epic The Iliad, focusing on a group of women who make just a brief appearance in his original. The all-female cast took the production to Atwood’s home country of Canada, where she came to see it, setting Jade up for a 14-month stint with the company.
Since then, she has taken the worlds of both stage and screen by storm – picking up numerous awards and accolades. In 2011, she received a commendation at the Ian Charleson Awards for her performance as Ophelia in Hamlet at the Globe, and in 2014 she won the Stage Award for Acting Excellence for her one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe. She was also named among InStyle’s Bafta breakout stars for 2018.
A woman of many talents, Jade has landed television roles in Doctor Who, Chewing Gum, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man and Trauma. Earlier this year she appeared alongside Sheridan Smith in Cleaning Up, a six-part drama on ITV.
Her most recent adventure in television is alongside megastar Idris Elba in his Netflix comedy series Turn Up Charlie, based in London and Ibiza, in which he plays a down-on-his-luck DJ, while Jade is Tommi – a slick, successful sound engineer.
“That was so much fun, I’ve never worked so long on a comedy before. I’d done a bit on Chewing Gum but nothing like this,” she smiles. “And he [Elba] created such a great vibe on set, because he was producing it too. I loved the cast – Piper Perabo [of Coyote Ugly fame] is great, she’s so cool. We went to Ibiza to film too – I got the jammiest deal.
“Idris is great – he improvises a lot, so we’d finish the scene but then keep rolling. If it feels like something’s fizzing they’ll keep it going.”
She has fond memories of when the cameras switched off too. “Oh my God, I swam in that sea,” she laughs. “Everyone was there, cast, producers, crew... we all had a dip and I remember looking round and thinking, ‘This is mad! Work should not be this fun’. I was proper pinching myself.”
Jade had another pinching-herself moment in March, when her film Fisherman’s Friends hit the cinema screens and made the top four movies in the UK – behind only Dumbo, Captain Marvel and Us. It follows the story of 10 fishermen from Cornwall who get signed by Island Records and achieve a top-10 hit with their debut album of sea shanties.
Jade plays a key role in the story. “It’s a proper feel-good British film,” she explains. “I play the head of Island Records, who signs the fishermen, who is a real person in real life, but is a man.”
Gender-hopping in roles isn’t unusual for Jade, who despite proudly flying the flag for female actors – in Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female Shakespeare trilogy at the Donmar Warehouse in 2016, for example – has played parts such as Henry IV’s Hotspur and Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, and has spoken previously about wanting to tackle James Bond.
“I was thinking about that the other day. And I also play roles on stage that are ‘male’ roles too. I kind of love that,” she smiles.
The idea of playing with identity feeds into her other life as a poet, in which she writes and performs verses, often exploring issues like gender and ‘otherness’.
Poetry has been with her since drama school and it was something she embraced on the road on acting jobs. “It was a way to be creative and be in control,” she explains. “When I couldn’t be in control in the acting world, I could be in control of my poems.”
In 2016 this led to her publishing a volume of verses – called Eggs On Toast – and last summer she gave a TEDx talk at Theatre Peckham on “being black, being a woman, being other”, featuring many of her own poems. Bounty, for example, explores the complexity of race and identity, with powerful, emotive lines.
“It ended up that the talk was going to be about identity,” Jade explains. “I knew I had to use poetry, because that’s how I can communicate with my voice best.”
She closed the talk with I Am A Woman – a powerful homage to Maya Angelou and her seminal poem Phenomenal Woman – peeling away societal expectations of femininity, getting to the root of what being a woman means to Jade.
What it means to be a woman of colour, and an actor, is also important to her, and it inspired a local event she organised last year called Black Panther Peckham.
“I love superhero films,” she explains. “I grew up obsessed with them, but there were so few black women. I was so disappointed with Halle Berry as Catwoman, because I love Halle Berry and thought it would be amazing... and then it was such a bad film. The script was just all wrong.
“So when I heard about [superhero film] Black Panther I thought, ‘Oh my God this would have been my absolute life when I was young’, and I just thought that people like my little cousins needed to watch it.”
Seeing Oscar-winner Viola Davis raising money in the US to send underprivileged young people to see the film, Jade sought to do something similar here in London. “We shouldn’t take it for granted that everyone can just afford to go to the cinema. Peckhamplex is obviously good anyway – £4.99, get in! – but even that for some people is a luxury. So I just started a GoFundMe page, and it went absolutely mental!”
Jade raised thousands of pounds for hundreds of local children to see Black Panther at Peckhamplex, with popcorn, drinks and Disney merchandise donated to the evening, along with a post-show Q&A for the young audience.
“It was so heartwarming,” she smiles. “It was so great that we could do it. I kept popping into the cinema and hearing the crowd’s reactions. There was something about a load of young people being in a room alone with their peers, that kind of shared experience, that was really special. They were having so much fun.”
Jade recently took another 140 young people from Peckham and other parts of south-east London to see the play Emilia in the West End. “I just thought it was so important for young people to see this production,” she says.
“The first of its kind with three women of colour in the lead and on the poster, in a play set in Shakespeare’s time about a forgotten, hidden story of a woman who found her voice. I was able to use some money left over from Black Panther Peckham to help make it happen.”
The second half of this year is set to be as action-packed as the first, with Jade appearing in A Black Actress – a photo exhibition celebrating black actresses that is set to open this summer. She will also appear alongside Blake Lively and Jude Law in The Rhythm Section, a big release hitting cinemas in November.
When we meet, she has just finished a run of her own one-woman show, Heart, at The Vaults under Waterloo Station, and it marks another branching-off in her creative life.
The 50-minute monologue is a journey of the heart, following a woman from her wedding day for the next seven years. “It’s a kind of call-to-arms, a call to look at society,” she explains.
“Really, again, it’s all about identity, and maybe feeling ‘other’. The idea of that and of heartache –where that sits you in society. It’s funny, but most people were crying at the end. They said they could recognise their own stories or moments in it.”
Opening on International Women’s Day with an all-female team made it all the more poignant, along with the fact that Jade was performing her own material in the setting of a play, rather than someone else’s script, or speaking poetry.
“It was different because it was my words,” she says. “There’s nothing to hide behind, but it was amazing. It was the start of a journey – I’m definitely going to do it again [Heart will be coming to a London theatre this autumn] and hopefully publish it. I just want it to live on, I want it to be told and told.”
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butcanijustnot · 6 years
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Another Get to Know Me Tag
I’m procrastinating like a motherfucker right now because I’ve got ToTL and other fanfics to work on and three essays I’ve gotta write for school and my brain is just going ‘No! None of that! Something else!’ so I’m doing a tag challenge to get my head back in the game.  
I wasn’t tagged by anyone, I just felt like doing it.  I’ll tag @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69  because I thought you might like this but no pressure because it's a long one and IDK if you’d want to answer it all. 
1. What is your full name?
I don’t give my name out online, but my online name is Crystal. If I had to pick a last name for my online persona, I’d probably pick Kyle or Celestial. Both of them are equally stupid and ridiculous, but they're last names of some of my favorite OC’s throughout the years and I’d love to have either one.
2. What is your nickname?
Cry. My partner says its morbid but I think its cute. I also like Criss but for the love of god, please don't call me Crissy (or Crissie or however the hell you want to spell it) because it makes me feel like a five-year-old or a pet dog.  
3. What is your zodiac sign?  
Sagittarius. 
4. What is your favorite book series?
A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I could name every reason why I liked it in painful detail but I’m just going to go with ‘Lemony Snicket wrote them really well’
5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts?
I believe in aliens and I don’t NOT believe in ghosts. I’m not one of those people who think that aliens walk amongst us or even that aliens have ever visited earth but there are too many planets and possible combination of planetary environments for us to believe we are alone in the universe. 
6. Who is your favorite author?
Either Tiu T or Lemony Snicket.
7. What is your favorite radio station?
Don't have one. I don’t listen to a lot of radio because it requires A) a radio or B) a car. I have neither. 
8. What is your favorite flavor of anything?
Strawberry. I freakin LOVE strawberry.
9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful?
Valid. Beautiful. Awe-inspiring. Pure. Rad. I have a lot of positive words. 
10. What is your current favorite song?
The soundtrack to Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse. I thought I was over it by now. I was wrong.
11. What is your favorite word?
Omnipotence. 
12. What was the last song you listened to?
Castle On the Hill by Ed Sheran.
13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch?
Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Digestible funny humor, excellent representation of characters throughout the cast. Kickass bisexual lady is the best character, don’t @ me. 
14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down?
The Lego Batman Movie or Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse. They’re good films that never fails to make me happy.  
“Don’t tell me how to parent my kid I just met!”
‘Play dumb.’ “Who’s Moralis?” ‘Not that dumb!’
15. Do you play video games?
Assassins Creed Origins. It’s beautiful, The main characters great and the story is wonderful. I always come back to it whenever I leave. I must have completed it three times over by now. 
16. What is your biggest fear?
Confrontation. Deep water. Spiders. Heights. Meeting new people. Making phone calls. I have many fears.
17. What is your best quality, in your opinion?
I’m a very good listener and loyal to a fault. I’m quiet and I love doing housework (dishes and vacuuming and all that good shit) so I’m a great roommate.
18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion?
I’m terrified of conflict and never want to argue with people. I’m a chronic pushover. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve told my partner “I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”
19. Do you like cats or dogs better?
Dogs. I love both animals, but dogs like me better so I like them better.
20. What is your favorite season?
Autumn. Autumn in Australia is absolutely beautiful and the mildest of all the Australian seasons.
21. Are you in a relationship?
Yep. I gots myself a lil lady! I’m in a potentially polygamous, currently monogamous, asexual-bisexual lesbian relationship. Come June, we will have been together for three years!!! Yay us!!!
22. What is something you miss from your childhood?
Nothing. My childhood was entirely forgettable.
23. Who is your best friend?
My Partner, if that counts. She’s amazing and I love and trust her with my life. 
24. What is your eye color?
Hazel, leaning on the brown side.
25. What is your hair color?
The top part is brunette, my natural hair colour, and the bottom half is a reddy-orange-almost-blond colour. I’ll probs redye it to be a better shade of red. I want a more Natasha Romanoff sort of colour. 
26. Who is someone you love?
Other than my family and partner, not really anyone. Telling someone that I love them is incredibly personal for me so I don’t do it very often. @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 comes pretty fucking close though.
27. Who is someone you trust?
Either @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 or my one friend who reads my fanfics for me.  they are both pretty cool people who I feel comfortable enough to share my writing with, which is a big deal for me. 
28. Who is someone you think about often?
My glorious partner. 
29. Are you currently excited about/for something?
Avengers: Endgame. I mean, I’m terrified but I’m excited. 
30. What is your biggest obsession?
Marvel. Marvel comic. Marvel movies. Don’t care, just make it Marvel. 
31. What was your favorite TV show as a child?
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It was good honest fun and got me into Marvel at a really young age. My favourite characters were Black Panther and vision, and to this day I’m not sure why. 
32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone?
My fanfic reading friend I mentioned earlier. 
33. Are you superstitious?
Yeah, kinda. I don’t go out of my way but I also don’t walk under ladders on principle.
34. Do you have any unusual phobias?
I have a lot of fears and phobias but the most unusual one is dipsophobia. I have a fear of being drunk and not in control of my own actions. I don’t really have a fear of drinking itself but the being drunk is absolutely heartstopping terrifying for me. 
35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?
I like being behind the camera, writing the scripts for videos and movies that the media and drama students at my school make. Its fun watching your stories come to life around you.
36. What is your favorite hobby?
Writing stories. 
37. What was the last book you read?
Othello but William Shakespeare. It was earlier today for school. 
38. What was the last movie you watched?
Doctor Strange. 
39. What musical instruments do you play, if any?
None. I used to play the violin, guitar, and piano but I stopped. 
40. What is your favorite animal?
The snow leopard. 
41. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow?
Only got one that I can think of off the top of my head and its @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69
42. What superpower do you wish you had?
The ability to change into any animal at will. 
43. When and where do you feel most at peace?
Not sure. I’m kinda always an anxious fuck. 
44. What makes you smile?
Seeing a message from a friend for no reason. It warms my heart. 
45. What sports do you play, if any?
I’m a kickboxer. 
46. What is your favorite drink?
ICED TEA IS THE GOOOOOOD SHIT
47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody?
For my partners last birthday I wrote her a book with each page having a thing I loved about her on it. That was about a month ago. 
48. Are you afraid of heights?
Yes but not of flying in planes. It’s strange!
49. What is your biggest pet peeve?
People explaining things to me like I’m an idiot or treating me like a five-year-old. This especially happens when I tell people about my cognitive issues and they start assuming I need assistance with every stupid thing. No, If I need support, I will ASK for it. Your not my knight in shining armor, you’re just an annoying prick. 
50. Have you ever been to a concert?
I wish but no. I’ve been to a couple of musicals though. 
51. Are you vegan/vegetarian?
Nope.
52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to make drone and tech but I fucking suck at making stuff so I went the way of English instead.
53. What fictional world would you like to live in?
The MCU. I died in the snap according to that one website but I still wanna be there. 
54. What is something you worry about?
The people that I love being annoyed by me constantly being around them and needing so much emotional support and wanting me to leave them alone. 
55. Are you scared of the dark?
Not particularly. 
56. Do you like to sing?
I love singing. Shame I fucking suck at it.
57. Have you ever skipped school?
Yes and No. I’ve skipped classes in school, but never a whole day’s worth of school other than for doctor’s or dentists appointments. 
58. What is your favorite place on the planet?
Don’t have one. Haven’t been in enough places to truly have a favorite.
59. Where would you like to live?
I’d love to go live in Europe for a while but permanently I’m fine living in Australia. We don’t have much gun violence and the cost of living is pretty low so I’m happy. 
60. Do you have any pets?
Yes. I have a dog named Jack, a Border Collie- Australian Cattle Dog cross. 
61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl?
Night owl 100%. I work so much better at night.
62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better?
Sunsets. 
63. Do you know how to drive?
Nope. Never learned. Never had the money. Never had the time.
64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones?
Headphones. They won’t fall off if you’re running. 
65. Have you ever had braces?
No. I need them though. My teeth are awful.
66. What is your favorite genre of music?
Probably movie scores and soundtracks. 
67. Who is your hero?
Anyone who fights for someone else's rights is a hero to me. 
68. Do you read comic books?
YES.
69. What makes you the most angry?
All sorts of little things. Being demeaned is probably my biggest one. I don’t like being looked down upon. 
70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book?
Electronic device. It helps with my attention issues. 
71. What is your favorite subject in school?
English Lit. I would say Accounting but technically I’m not in the class. I just chill out in there during my free. It's awesome. 
72. Do you have any siblings?
Yes. I have a half-brother that I’ve never met and a step-sister I can’t get rid of. 
73. What was the last thing you bought?
A bunch of candy and drinks.
74. How tall are you?
Somewhere between 5′3 and 5′4. Not sure exactly because I haven’t measured myself in a while but it's about that. 
75. Can you cook?
Not to save my life. 
76. What are three things that you love?
My writing
My family, friends, partner and pets. 
Generally chilling out and listening to music.
77. What are three things that you hate?
Being demeaned and told I’m not good enough. 
Sexist/racist/homophobic people
78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends?
I mostly have male friends as I’ve had bad experiences with female friends in the past. That being said, I have had two female friends in the past couple of years. One worked out and one really, REALLY didn’t. However, my partners’ a woman and I love her to bits. 
79. What is your sexual orientation?
I’m about as Bisexual as they come. 
80. Where do you currently live?
Australia!
81. Who was the last person you texted?
I have a Snpachat group with my friend and his boyfriend and me and my girlfriend, which is called the “HA, GAAAAAAY” group chat. My last message was on that.
82. When was the last time you cried?
This morning. In the car. While thinking about my future. 
83. Who is your favorite YouTuber?
Danny Gonzalas.
84. Do you like to take selfies?
Not really, by myself I hate it, but with my friends, yeah. 
85. What is your favorite app?
Social media app is either Snapchat or Tumblr. 
86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like?
Varies greatly depending on the day. Some days It’s amazing and other days it's awful. 
87. What is your favorite foreign accent?
French and Spanish. 
88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit?
Rome, Italy or Paris, France.
89. What is your favorite number?
8 or 13. 
90. Can you juggle?
No. I’m not coordinated enough. My friends can though. 
91. Are you religious?
I mean I’m baptized Anglican and I go to a Catholic school but personally, I practice no religion and lean towards Agnosticism.
92. Do you find outer space of the deep ocean to be more interesting?
Space. The ocean is terrifying and I hate it. 
93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil?
HAHAHAHA LOL NO
94. Are you allergic to anything?
Strawberries (but I eat them anyway), dust, cut grass, and other assorted minor things. 
95. Can you curl your tongue?
Si. 
96. Can you wiggle your ears?
No. 
97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something?
I'm stubborn as hell but when I’m wrong, I’m wrong (*cough* Puffins *cough*) and I’ll admit it. I’ll argue but I’ll admit it.
98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach?
My aesthetic is the forest but not an Australian forest because there are way too many spiders. 
99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you?
If you’re not going to remember it in 5 years, It’s not worth stressing about.
100. Are you a good liar?
Sometimes. 
101. What is your Hogwarts House?
Ravenclaw. 
102. Do you talk to yourself?
Oh, of course, all the time. I’m the only one who understands my crazy ideas and characters. 
103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
I’m very introverted. 
104. Do you keep a journal/diary?
Nope. 
105. Do you believe in second chances?
For lesser offenses, sure, but for stuff like Rape, Abuse, Murder, and genocide, No. They made there bed and now they sleep in it. 
106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do?
I’ve done that before, twice. The first time I opened it and saw that there was a student ID for a local school, so I handed it into my school (It was closer) and they called that school and returned it to the kid. The second time I opened it and saw a teacher ID for MY school and recognized the guy as my old DnT teacher, so I called the school and got him to call me. He arranged to have it picked up and I gave it back. Both times I didn’t think about taking anything from it because it just seemed wrong. 
107. Do you believe that people are capable of change?
I believe people can make mistakes and change for the better, but I also think they have to prove it. Actions really do speak louder than words. I also think its reasonable that if you’ve wronged someone, they have the right to reject your company/ friendship even if you’ve changed. You broke their trust once and its reasonable for them to question whether to trust you again. 
108. Are you ticklish?
Extremely.
109. Have you ever been on a plane?
Yes, quite a lot actually. My father lives in England so I’ve done Australia to England trip about 9 times. That’s a twenty-four-hour trip so its daunting but seeing him is worth it. 
110. Do you have any piercings?
No. I had my ears pierced but I forgot to put earrings in after kickboxing one day and they closed over. I haven’t bothered to get them re-pierced since. 
111. What fictional character do you wish was real?
Steve Rogers. I want him to fight Donald Trump. 
112. Do you have any tattoos?
Nope. Always been scared that it will hurt too much. My step-sisters got a bunch and my mother’s got one and they all tell me conflicting stories about how painful it is. Plus, If I got a tattoo, I’d want it to be something memorable and special to me and as of right now I haven’t found anything that is that special for me. 
113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far?
Leaving an abusive relationship. 
114. Do you believe in karma?
I do but its more of a loose definition of Karma. I believe that if you do good things, good things will happen to you and vise versa. I know it’s not always true, sometimes awful things happen to good people and sometimes the worst of humanity get high honors and great experiences.   
115. Do you wear glasses or contacts?
Yeah. I’m severely short-sighted so I need to wear glasses every day. I’ve thought about wearing contact lenses, but don’t like the idea of voluntarily sticking stuff in my own eyes. 
116. Do you want children?
Yes and no. I’m open to the idea of having children but I don’t like the idea of actually giving birth. I’d like to adopt or foster children later in life when I settle down and have stability.
117. Who is the smartest person you know?
There’s this kid who when to high school with me who got a 98.6 ATAR, which was the highest of my grade that year. He was super smart, hacked things for fun and was the kinda kid that wrote assignments the day before and still got A’s. It was ridiculous. 
118. What is your most embarrassing memory?
Nothing comes to mind presently. I’ll have to get back to you guys on that one. 
119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter?
Yes, quite a lot actually. I have two modes. Sleep is for the weak and I could sleep for a week.
120. What color are most of your clothes?
Dark blue or black with some sort of superhero logo on the front. Blue jeans.
121. Do you like adventures?
Not particularly. The comfort zone is aptly named and I see no real reason to do anything stupid or dangerous just for the sake of it. I’ll explore new places but I’m not going bungee jumping or deep-sea diving.
122. Have you ever been on TV?
Yes. I was on a news in a segment covering the steampunk festival, middle of last year. I looked like a wreck because I’d been standing in the Australian sun for hours but it was so much fun doing the interview.
123. How old are you?
18.
124. What is your favorite quote?
If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, then it’s yours. If it doesn’t, then it never was.
125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods?
Sweet foods. Desserts and sweets are a lifeline of mine. 
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timeagainreviews · 6 years
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The formation of planets and characters
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Hey friends! First of all, I would like to say thank you for the positive response over my female Doctor article! I’ve been thinking I want to do more articles that aren’t reviews. I have a few in mind, but of course, in due time. And speaking of due time, this is well overdue! I think in some ways, I was staving off having to do “Marco Polo,” as it’s the first reconstruction. Ugh. I’ve also been kinda busy lately. I got a new sewing machine! Now to learn to sew…
Carole Ann Ford is an interesting actor. When I first watched the original Doctor Who, I found Susan to be rather grating. Her constant screaming and melting down was a source of frustration for me. But through this second watch through, I’ve come to see Susan as a sort of entry point. In a lot of ways, she’s a cypher through which the audience experiences the world of Doctor Who. But in many ways, she too is an enigma. Even her last name, Foreman, is a lie. Being both accessible, and aloof makes her as interesting (if not more) as the Doctor.
When I first watched "The Edge of Destruction," I was fresh off the rather over-long Dalek serial preceding it. The idea of a short two-parter was a welcome change in pace. What I was surprised to find, however, was something far more interesting than a 'short trip.' The Edge of Destruction was very possibly my first true favourite story from classic Doctor Who, and it was all because of Susan.
There’s not much plot to be had in the story. At the end of "The Daleks," the TARDIS console sparks, and everyone goes out like a light. The music is ominous and mechanical as we pan across the scene. Down on the cold floor of the TARDIS lies our friends, still unconscious from last week’s cliffhanger. Barbara wakes Ian and Susan, but the Doctor lies unconscious with a gash on his head. They all seem to have amnesia and are acting strangely.
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This episode has two examples of some of my favourite early Who tech. The bandage Susan retrieves for the Doctor is infused with medicinal ointments. When the ointment has faded from the bandage, the would has healed. There’s something kind of wonderful about that. We also get a brief appearance from my beloved food machine. Susan uses it to get the Doctor a glass of water, one of two liquids the food machine is capable of producing. The other being milk. What kind of milk do they drink on Gallifrey? Is it Time Cow milk? Do their burgers regenerate?
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This episode gives us a lot of the TARDIS, really. Part of what made early Who so great was that it yearned to establish things like a mythology and character development. They didn’t just want to put any crap on the screen to fill a time slot. There’s a real workmanlike storytelling happening here, and it shows. Something I’ve always felt was rather unfortunate is how little of a part the TARDIS actually plays in most Doctor Who stories. Most of the time, it’s simply a way to get the Doctor and his friends from place to place. In some ways, I understand this. You’d want to avoid any deus ex machina moments. However, the TARDIS could also be utilised in other ways, such as a setting, or like in "The Ghost Monument," where it becomes a sort of relic. There are many aspects of the TARDIS to explore, and this story does that. Part of the TARDIS that we’re shown is one we seldom ever see in Doctor Who- the sleeping quarters, where Susan is brought after being shocked by the TARDIS console.
It’s not just the crew that is acting strange, the TARDIS seems to be on the fritz as well. The doors keep trying to open and shut. The console is shocking anyone who gets near it. Barbara is tending to the now awake Doctor, while Ian takes Susan to rest. As I said, Susan really seems to carry this episode, and for me, it’s because she’s genuinely frightening at moments. Our lovable friend is growing paranoid. She seems to think some sort of alien threat is onboard. Brandishing the rather large pair scissors she used to cut the Doctor’s bandage, she stabs at Ian, narrowly missing him.
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There’s a terrible nature to Susan’s demeanour. It’s hard to tell if this is how Susan would react to a real threat, or if her responses are equally as heightened. She stabs at the bed in a fit of rage and confusion. As a visual, it’s genuinely creepy. Ian stumbles his way into the console room to help the Doctor solve their dilemma. Susan has collapsed in a fit on her bed, dropping the scissors.
The three adults discuss various theories. Barbara wonders if it’s not some sort of person, or thing sabotaging the TARDIS. The Doctor calls this theory "ridiculous." The Doctor suspects it’s a mechanical issue. Since he can’t check the TARDIS console, he checks the fault locator, which may be one of the most on the nose contraptions in sci-fi history. It’s probably located right next to the plot device, you know, for navigation purposes. Barbara suggests she go check on Susan. Ian warns her not to alarm Susan about the idea of something being onboard. Susan overhears this. Already paranoid about the idea of an external influence, she squirrels away the scissors in her robe and returns to bed. Ian goes to help the Doctor with the fault locator, but its readings are normal. No fault can be found.
If I’ve not said how much I love Barbara already, let me do so now. She’s such a kind and caring person. She’s aware Susan is wary of her, yet she tends to her rather selflessly. She applies a damp cloth to her forehead hoping to soothe her. In many ways, Barbara has a very motherly strength that I find very endearing. Susan, however, is not buying it. She thinks Barbara and Ian are both lying to her. Everything about her demeanour is indicative of paranoia. She’s wrapped up in her robe like a cocoon, arms and legs crossed. She speaks directly in clipped sentences. In a lot of ways, I believe this may be some of Carole Ann Ford’s best acting in the role.
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Barbara notices that the scissors are missing and asks Susan to give them to her, causing her to wield them once again. Susan demands answers, she knows they lied to her about the supposed alien onboard. Barbara manages to get the scissors from her. The TARDIS has become something foreign to Susan. It no longer feels like home. The shadows seem more mysterious and dangerous without the sounds of the TARDIS to accompany them. She suspects that perhaps the alien onboard has found a way into one of the people onboard. She runs out of the room toward the Doctor.
The Doctor and Susan discuss how the console only seemed to attack the two of them, adding to their paranoia toward Ian and Barbara. The Doctor is able to use the console to turn on the scanner. Oddly, it doesn’t shock him or render him unconscious. Hopefully, the scanner can show them their location, and maybe shed a little light on their current predicament. The image on-screen shows a peaceful meadow, but the Doctor claims it’s impossible. The doors begin to open and close again. A strange groaning, like a large beast, is heard as bright white light pours into the TARDIS.
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Another location flashes onto the screen, "Quinnis of the Fourth Universe," an alien terrain rather unlike any meadow. The Doctor reminds them that this was a location they had visited several adventures ago. This is pre-Totter’s Lane. The TARDIS records their journeys into its memory banks. Another image appears onscreen, a planet in a galaxy which appears to explode in a flash of light. The Doctor believes Ian and Barbara have sabotaged the ship as a means to make him return them to 1963 London. He even goes as far as to accuse them of knocking Susan and him unconscious, which causes Barbara to go off on him. She’s had it with this old man’s attitude. As far as she’s concerned, he should be kissing their feet for all of the times they saved his skin. She storms away but is stopped suddenly as she screams in fright.
What happens next is genuinely confusing. As I watched this scene with my partner, we had no clue what was actually happening. Something about the ormolu clock onboard the TARDIS has changed, but it’s not exactly evident as to what it is. I actually had to look it up online. Due to the ornate design of the clock, and the quality of the picture, it’s really hard to tell, but something has melted the clock face. Whatever the force is, has also melted their watches, because… time? I guess? Barbara chucks her watch across the TARDIS in a fit. Poor Barbara, someone get this woman a Mai Tai.
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During all of this strangeness, the Doctor comes back with some nightcaps for everyone. It’s not exactly a Mai Tai, but it’s a welcome respite from wall to wall paranoia. Barbara and Susan take their nightcaps and retire to bed. Ian staggers behind to admonish the Doctor for his treatment of Barbara, but the Doctor isn’t hearing it. What comes next is one of my favourite First Doctor lines. Ian tells the Doctor that he struggles to keep pace with him, to which the Doctor replies- "You mean to keep one jump ahead. That you will never be!" Basically, this is the Doctor’s essence rendered into a single sentence. Sadly, he’s chosen the wrong enemies in Ian and Barbara. It seems that as more of the medicine from the bandage on his head fades, the more of his cognition returns. But the Doctor says he needs sleep more than he needs to feel sorry.
Overhearing the Doctor and Ian’s conversation, Susan begins to feel guilty about her behaviour. She apologises to Barbara for the Doctor’s harsh words. Barbara seems to be okay with Susan at this point, but it’s evident she’s still angry with the Doctor. Soon everyone but the Doctor is asleep. It’s made pretty evident that the Doctor has drugged the Time Cow milk. With everyone asleep, he wrings his hands in a mercurial manner and goes off to fiddle with the TARDIS console, only to be choked by a pair of hands.
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This is of course where the first episode ends. We’re led to believe that the hands are this supposed external antagonist, but they turn out to be Ian. The struggle is short lived as Ian faints and falls to the ground. Evidently, sleep is just not a thing that is not possible on the ship, as everyone slowly turns up. The Doctor is now sure it’s sabotage on Ian and Barbara’s behalf, but Barbara defends Ian. Susan, as if she hadn’t just apologised to Barbara is suddenly back on Team Doctor, but it’s just as short-lived when the Doctor claims he plans on treating the two as enemies. Susan begins playing the impartial detective. At this point, her logic is more reliable than the Doctor’s paranoia. Despite the fact that they couldn’t have done all of the things that have happened, the Doctor decides he must throw them off the ship.
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Before he can do this, the fault indicator lets off a terrible alarm. It appears the entire TARDIS is out of order. While this is going on, Ian tries to strangle Barbara this time, which causes the Doctor to realise that he’s not acting within his right mind. If Ian and Barbara were working together, then why would he attack her? The combination of the sleeping drugs, and whatever is going on has made Ian delirious. He wasn’t trying to strangle anyone, he was trying to keep the Doctor and Barbara both from touching the console. This, mixed with the fact that the TARDIS is on the verge of disintegration has brought the Doctor back to his senses.
No longer believing there is an evil entity onboard, and that they haven’t crash landed, the Doctor must discover what kind of powerful force could push the TARDIS to the point of destruction. The force manages to push the column on the console up momentarily. The force could destroy the TARDIS if the column were to dislodge. What comes next is a rather confusing trail of logic. Basically, Barbara deduces that all of the strange occurrences have actually been the TARDIS’ way of alarming the crew that the fault is not within the machine itself, but in their own thinking. It’s one of the earliest indications that the TARDIS has a sort of mind of its own, something which even the Doctor has a hard time believing, but it turns out to be true. I particularly like this moment because it’s Barbara who figures it out, not the Doctor. It gives her indignation toward him even more gravity.
A faulty spring on the fast return switch has caused the button to stick, pushing the TARDIS further and further back through time, to the formation of a solar system. Since the fault locator wouldn’t see the pressing of a button as a fault, it didn’t show up on its readings. The TARDIS, however, is a thinking machine, and therefore was trying to speak to them in the only way it knew how. By showing them the sequence of the meadow, to a primitive planet, to an unformed planet, to a forming solar system, to a blinding flash was the TARDIS relaying the idea that they are fast heading toward a Big Bang level event. The TARDIS’s defence systems have been keeping it in a sort of time loop to protect them from the bang.
William Hartnell gets one of the best monologues of his tenure during this scene. The lights go dark as if the Doctor were the only person onstage. The camera pulls in on his face slowly as he waxes romantic about the formation of stars and planets. He delights at this celestial dance occurring as if the very cosmos flow through his blood. With a distant look in his eye, he’s almost eerie, but there’s an undertone of veneration that intimates a kind of natural endowment. The Doctor is more than a curmudgeon. There exists within him, a calling toward the vastness of the universe. This is an important moment for his character development because he’s not just irascible, he’s more than clever- he’s something special.
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Conversely, Barbara is less than pleased with the Doctor. With the threat now out of the way, we’re given a moment for some character development on both her and the Doctor’s parts. Realising he’s been wrong, the Doctor apologises to Ian and Barbara, but Barbara isn’t as open to forgiveness. This causes the Doctor to have to swallow his pride and admit his wrongdoing. He gives her some warm clothes for their next adventure, adding that they need to take care of her as she’s very important. She appears to accept his apology as the two of them walk arm and arm out of the TARDIS into a snowy climate. Susan marvels at the enormity of a footprint left in the snow, which the camera holds on as the credits begin to roll. It’s all very ominous, as per usual.
Final Thoughts: My initial reaction to this story was enjoyment, and that hasn’t swayed much. It’s easy to get the feeling that most of the narrative choices were made because it was cheaper to film on a set they didn’t have to build anew, with no extra actors to pay. It’s the essential bottle episode, but I would say it’s an effective one. Two episodes are really as far as you can stretch this story, and it wisely doesn’t overstay its welcome.  There were a few unintended confusing moments, due to either bad effects or vague writing, but in the end, you come away understanding what’s happened. A lot of the serial hinges on the performances of the actors. Everyone, especially Jacqueline Hill and Carole Ann Ford elevated the script. I can’t imagine it’s very easy to maintain a performance that requires constant shifts in emotion, but they sell it. On a production level, they do a surprising amount with very little. In many ways, it’s early Doctor Who condensed. The basic fundamentals of filmmaking are on display- mood lighting, sound ambience, and performance. While the events of the story don’t affect much, the character development makes this serial a must watch. And at only two episodes, it’s not much of a sacrifice!
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kristallioness · 6 years
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21 Questions about ATLA
I was tagged by @atypicalkataangist. Wow, thanks for including me in this quiz! I've seen others reblog a list of numbered questions similar to these, expecting to receive some asks that they could answer in return. But now I get to do them in one go.
1) Who's your favourite male character?
I'm unoriginal and gonna say it's Aang. Not only because of him being the main character, but also because he was the first boy in the show who I immediately started to like (Sokka was second, Zuko was third in the beginning since he was a villain and I grew to love him more and more along with his character development), the way he balances his carefree, childish personality with his more mature, responsible side, his back story and peaceful culture.. Most importantly, without him, there wouldn't be the second half of such a lovely couple like he and Katara are.
2) Who's your favourite female character?
Katara. She's not only my favourite female character, but favourite character of them all, right from the start and until the end. The moment I saw her I fell in love since she looked really pretty and she wore a braid, just like me. Seeing what a caring, motherly, fierce personality she had (like mine) only fuelled my love for her.
3) What's your favourite quote?
Since Katara's my favourite character, then my first choice would be: "I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me!" Because that's sort of who I am and what I'm like, too. It's almost like a motto that I live by without thinking about it twice. I'm self-sacrificing and try to help my friends whenever they need it and as much as I can. I just remembered another good one, a quote that affected me on a more personal level. I'm pretty sure that only 0.0000000001% of the fandom would choose this one: "I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am." The best part is, this is something that Toph says to Katara after she's been made fun of for her appearance by a bunch of prissy Upper Ring Earth Kingdom girls. How did this affect me? I started crying when I first saw this scene. Why? Because this was something that I'd been struggling with for years. I'd been bullied for my appearance at school. It used to make me feel worthless, unlovable, alone, probably also the reason why I turned into such a quiet person who doesn't know how to be around real friends. Hearing a blind, tomboyish, badass earthbender say what I needed to hear all along made me understand that it's not true - my appearance does not define my worth or who I am inside.
4) What's your favourite fight?
I knew you answered Katara and Pakku's duel @atypicalkataangist (and that one came to my mind, too, since it is one of my favourites because of reasons), but since I recently rewatched "The Serpent's Pass", I'm gonna pick Aang and Katara beating up that huge serpent. That was some awesome bending teamwork there! I went through all of the episodes in my head, and I gotta say that I also really like the duel between Aang and Zuko in "Bato of the Water Tribe". And one of the first ones where Haru and his father Tyro, along with the rest of the earthbenders, fight their way to freedom in the prison. The ending of that episode always leaves me with such a powerful feeling.
5) What's your favourite episode?
The big finale, "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang". I sobbed practically throughout the entire episode when I first saw it. The soundtrack playing in the end is so beautiful to listen to and it still brings tears to my eyes. This episode concludes everything the show set up in the most unexpected ways possible. I mean, did any of us foresee Zuko being crowned the new Fire Lord (after you watched the first episode)? Did our hearts break into a million pieces when Katara and Aang kissed and became a couple in the end? Enough said.
6) From which nation would you like to be?
I'm not sure whether this is cheating or not, but since the story of ATLA continues in the comics and during Korra's time, I'd really love to be from the United Republic of Nations. I just love how it's a nation of mixed cultures, I am in LOVE with Republic City (as well as its 1920's aesthetic) and the capital reminds me of my own (Tallinn is also near the sea, has a marvellous silhouette, 4 seasons). Or if not, then my choice would definitely be the Water Tribes. I've explained it pretty well under the description of this drawing of mine.
7) Which element would you like to be able to bend and why?
Easy, I'd pick water since my 2nd choice when applying for university 5 years ago was to become a doctor. I'd like to use my healing abilities to cure people and my graceful waterbending to battle bad guys like Katara!
8) Favourite animal in the Avatar Universe?
I'm probably unoriginal, but I'm torn between the sky bison or the dragons. Oh, and the ostrich horses!
9) Who would you like to be your teacher and why?
I'm thinking it could be either Katara, Aang or Zuko, in this exact order. Katara and Aang would both be really supportive and I consider Zuko to be really wise (remember what he said to Korra before departing? he learned so much throughout the years).
10) What was the saddest moment in the show?
I have an entire list of the scenes/moments that made me cry, let me check.. *reads* Which sad moment made me cry the most, I'mma pick that one.. Okay, I can't decide because there are a few, let me name them: * the ones that stand out the most are all 3 finales * when Katara thought that her mother was alive in the swamp * when Aang enters the Avatar State and wants to kill the sandbenders, but Katara doesn't run away and instead grabs his hand and pulls him back down into her embrace and they cry together * Iroh singing the lullaby to his deceased son on his birthday (my parents have always said that one of the worst things a parent can live through is the death of their own child, so when I saw this scene, I understood what they meant and started crying) * Jet's death * Aang unlocking his heart chakra * almost the entirety of "The Awakening" (because everything seemed so hopeless and going the wrong way, when Katara and Hakoda talked), seriously, this is the most depressing episode in my book and that's why I love it so much * Sokka talking to Toph about how he's forgotten what his mother looks like and Katara is the one who's taken her place * when the invasion fleet was defeated on the Day of Black Sun and Katara knelt down beside Aang to comfort him * Zuko and his uncle Iroh's reconciliation and his speech to Team Avatar before they departed
11) What was the most shocking moment in the show?
You answered the same way: Aang getting shot with lightning. It came out of nowhere. When I saw Katara's face full of hope I thought that now they were going to make it since Aang had the power to face the Dai Li as well as Zuko and Azula. In a split second, everything changed and took a turn for the worst.
12) What was the funniest moment in the show?
There are so many good jokes, how do you expect me to pick just one??? Okay, umm.. when Sokka tried to fight against the villagers who believed too much of Aunt Wu's fortunes with logic and rational thinking (I can relate to him, poor Sokka).. How Aang messed up and unintentionally made Katara upset by insulting her instead of giving her a compliment when they were lost in the caves. Or the time Sokka and Katara had to pose as Aang's parents to go to the principal's office after school.
13) What was the most unforgettable moment in the show?
Maybe the whole scene before Zuko's coronation starts, "Peace" playing in the background, we see friends and family reunited, happy, alive. We witness something few of us could've predicted: the last person we ever thought, who went through and learned so much, is crowned the new Fire Lord. It's such a victorious moment and never leaves me without emotion.
14) Which one is your favourite book?
I have a weird system concerning this. Book 1 was sort of like the start of their journey, the world was slowly being built and introduced to us. Book 2 became much more serious, the characters gained more depth and the stakes began to rise. When I thought it couldn't get any better, I was proven horribly wrong. Book 3 became far more emotional than I ever could've imagined. So it's like my love grew with each book, and I kind of love the last one the most for this reason.
15) Who had the greatest character development in the show?
Everybody developed so much, but I'd definitely say it was Zuko. At first, I didn't really care much about him. Just another villain trying to capture someone for his own personal gain, I figured. But that all changed when I saw his back story in "The Storm". I started to look at him from a completely different angle. I began to understand where he came from, why he was doing this. I saw how much he struggled, how many wrongs he committed. The climax was when he faced his own father and told him: "No! I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was! The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it." This is what he learned by spending time as a refugee in the Earth Kingdom, by witnessing firsthand what his nation, what this war was doing to others. And he was determined to set things right by joining Aang and his friends, teaching him firebending and stopping his own homeland from going down this path.
16) What do you love most about Avatar: The Last Airbender?
The story that Bryan and Michael came up with. I have NEVER cried so much, laughed at so many original jokes, heard such gorgeous instrumental music made by Jeremy Zuckerman, the raw emotion behind the voice actors.. every little bit is what makes this story and this series so amazing, fulfilling and perfect.
17) What do you hate most about Avatar: The Last Airbender?
I don't hate anything about the show per se, perhaps more about the way the fandom can act sometimes.
18) With which character do you identify most?
Like I answered in question 2, Katara. Her personality reflects mine the most, we share similar values in life, I love her family (Hakoda and Sokka) because they have such loving relationships with each other (Katara and Hakoda made me emotional several times, and they only had a few scenes together!).
19) Is Avatar: The Last Airbender your favourite cartoon/anime?
Ever since I discovered it, and I think it'll remain as my favourite cartoon for the rest of my life. Nothing can ever impact me as much as Avatar has.
20) Would you want to be the Avatar?
Thinking just how messed up our own world is right now, how my aggressive eastern neighbour has occupied parts of 2 independent countries, how helpless and angry I feel that I can't do anything about it - Y E S. I want to bring peace and balance back to our world, too. And if I had my own loving, supportive partner (like Aang) by my side, I'd do it again in a thousand lifetimes.
21) What's your favourite ship?
I personally ship everything that has been or is currently canon. My OTP is obviously Kataang, though I'm also one of the few friendly multishippers out here. Which means that I don't mind seeing beautiful stuff about Zutara either, for instance. (Seriously, you should check out my tag, there are so many lovely gifsets there, be it romantic or platonic.)
To sum up, thank you once more for tagging me! I'm not gonna tag anyone specific, but if any of you would like to do this, too, then go ahead! It was really fun to reflect back on why I love this show so much.
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hakadojoon · 7 years
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The Rose in London 2018
Yo, it me, @wonpillows
First thing to note was that I was in a wheelchair for most of this event because I was told not to walk by my doctor and crutches were only to be used for short distance travelling.
So I got there and first saw @dumpling-things or @chitsuu standing in the VIP line to get the wristband, a line in which I couldn't be in because of the damn wheelchair. Someone had to go and get my wristband for me because they were up some stairs.
So I was being scooted around in my wheelchair looking around in the GA line for @noa-noa-noa @thedarksideofthewoon and @youngks-smile . I had already met Janice previously, and honestly if you don't follow any of these people you're missing out, they're the sweetest. Anyway, first thing Janice does when she sees me, she laughs. Thanks.
So yes we go eat and get ready to go into the concert and all that jazz. The concert itself was bloody top notch. The only cringe-worthy part was when they wanted us to define z*ddy to them. I really really enjoyed myself even if I was at the back and in a wheelchair :D
So now, the hi-touch. I'm getting butterflies just thinking about it again. There were about 5 people total who were not part of the main crowd of VIP because of some injury/disability. That in turn had given me more time to talk to them because there was no rush to get through so many people.
Woosung: He asked about what happened to my leg, so I told him the full story; I was playing volleyball, jumped and then landed AND slipped on a piece of string, which had caused my ankle to fracture. This boy, I kid you not, laughed at my story. I, Lizzy, once again managed to embarrass myself in front of The Rose, again. He was definitely concerned but the story was pretty funny and stupid. He is just a genuinely caring guy and so easy to talk to.
Jaehyeong: Pictures do him ABSOLUTELY no justice. This man is so much more handsome up close and in person. His smile is so precious and he lit up like the brightest star in the universe when I told him that I really enjoyed the concert. He is so delicate and he goes to hold your hand, you just feel so safe. Also he's vvvvvv tol.
Hajoon: I really wanted to squish his cheeks, they're just so squishable! His voice is so soft when he speaks. I think I probably held his hand the longest but only because it felt like he didn't want to let go. He holds your hand as though it is the most precious thing in the world and it really warms your heart.
(While we were waiting for the tables to be moved for the photo opportunity, I was talking to Hajoon and Jaehyeong, and told them that they had amazing singing voices. Their understanding English is really good, they're at that point in the language where once they expand their own vocabulary they'll be able to speak it well :D but yeah, I was talking to them as though I had known them for a long time, they just make you feel so comfortable)
Dojoon: Why did he have to be last? There was someone who was taking pictures of the hi-touch so there's a picture of me approaching Dojoon and getting really flustered. It took me a good while to compose myself and finally approach him. He asked if I was okay, and I told him he was my favourite member of the band and I was just flustered and speechless. He sounded genuinely surprised and told me there no point to be speechless, its just him (cutie patoot) and I was like "Yeah, exactly, its just you!" He gave a small laugh and said thank you. When he holds your hand he looks right into your eyes, like you can feel him looking into your soul. I don't know if I'm being biased here but he has got such wonderfully beautiful and amazing eyes. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jaehyeong smiling at the interaction, I assumed it was because I was more calm and collected when meeting him than I was with Dojoon.
Photo time! So I stood next to Dojoon, and while they were getting ready to take the picture we were just casually talking once again. He was asking if I was okay when I put my crutches on the wall and I just smiled and nodded, still obviously affected by him HAHAHA but yeah, click click, photo completed, we left and I thanked them all one last time for coming and hope they come back again.
Thanking them means the world to them, especially for a place like London where they've always wanted to go and perform because their music is based off of most British bands.
Hopefully next time I see them I won't have a fractured ankle :D
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coppicefics · 3 years
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Masked Omens: Week Two
New chapter here, or read from the start here!
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[Image Description: Image 1 - A simple rendition of the Masked Singer UK logo, a golden mask with colourful fragments flying off of it. The mask has a golden halo and a golden devil tail protruding from either side. Below, gold text reads 'Masked Omens'.
Image 2 - Twitter trending topics. For full transcription, see below the cut.
Image 3 - A hand holding a copy of News World Weekly, dated Saturday 2nd January 2021. The front page and part of the back page are visible. Full image description and transcription below the cut.]
Twitter What's Happening 1. Politics – Yesterday Former Transport Secretary Lawrence Richmond calls for end to OAP 'Freedom Passes' 2. Politics – Trending #NOT2OLD2VOTE 2,202 Tweets 3. Trending in United Kingdom The Masked Singer 2,617 Tweets 4. Trending in United Kingdom #BONFIRE 1,580 Tweets 5. Trending in United Kingdom DFS Sale 5,809 Tweets 6. Rap – Trending P-White: From CBBC to the Grammys 7. E-GATE (verified) – Last night Bagman wedding: will the striker's foodless reception set a new trend? Trending with Dr Raven Sable, Chow Show More
News World Weekly – Saturday, 2nd January 2021 Front Page [Side ad:] NOW BOOKING FOR SPRING & SUMMER 2021 “BLEW ME AWAY” CELESTIAL OBSERVER “NEVER SEEN A SHOW LIKE IT” INFERNAL TIMES “YOU HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT” TADFIELD GAZETTE THE AMAZING [obscured by thumb]-ll [obscured]-UND [obscured]-ITH [obscured]-RACULOUS FEATS OF ESCAPOLOGY HYPNOSIS CONJURING AND MANY MORE MARVELS BOOK NOW
[Masthead:] NEWS WORLD WEEKLY Mockup by DailyMockup £1.20 Saturday, 2nd January 2021
[Top bar:] DIET DOCTOR Lose weight the easy way with 10 top tips from Dr. Raven Sable - page 9 – Meal plans and more! SPORTS Esther James leads England Women to Six Nations Victory – back page – Jane Adams scores most tries MUSIC Has “Narrative Devices” made folk music cool again? - page 28 - HOROSCOPES by TV's Madame Tracy - page 12 -
[Main story:] WAR RAGES ON IN WESTERN CELESTAN Military presence increase as rebels approach university city of Ghadon [Image: Troops ride in military transport vehicle, their backs to the camera. End ID.] Photo by Diego Gonzalez on Unsplash CELESTANI ARMED FORCES “MUST ACT NOW”, SAYS TOP OFFICIAL [Image: Small close-up photo of Carmine Zugiber, a white woman with red hair and a solemn expression. End ID] War Correspondent – Carmine Zugiber It is unusual for a war correspondent to receive a telephone call on the way to the airport. As a rule, departing journalists are not favoured with exclusive information – certainly not without having to work for it. It was with some surprise and trepidation, then, that I agreed to meet a mysterious contact in the departure lounge for a brief interview about Celestan's domestic situation. For those of you who are not familiar with the conflict currently raging within the borders of this once proud nation, allow me to give you an overview. Rebels in the west of the country – particularly the Ferran Hills and Celestan's third-largest city, Nori – became unhappy with the decisions made for the country by officials in the east. After months of largely peaceful protests which fell upon deaf ears, many in the western reaches of Celestan began to call for independence – an independent state of Fernor, which would encompass most of the western half of the current nation. Peaceful protests turned into skirmishes, skirmishes became all-out guerrilla war, and now the rebel armies are sweeping through the countryside at an astonishing pace. The official who contacted me on my final day in Celestan was Gabriel Herald, a high-ranking civil servant of the variety that does not state his job title upon introduction. “It's becoming increasingly clear that the situation in Celestan is becoming untenable,” he told me, adding that I ought not to publish this article until I was back in London for my own safety. “The rebels are destroying the very land they lay claim to, and nobody in Government has the appetite for a long, drawn-out war. If there is a way to stop the fighting, naturally, we intend to take it.” When pressed on what that might mean, he explained that various options were being considered. “Our priority at the present time is to protect the eastern half of the country, where the effects of the insurgency have not yet been felt. Residents of central Celestan can expect to see an increased military presence, but I want Celestani citizens to rest assured that the Government will not permit the entire country to be laid waste to, as the western reaches have been.” Was there any truth, I asked, to the rumours that the Celestani Government were considering acquiescing to the rebels' demands and establishing an independent state of Fernor? “I can't comment on that at this time,” Herald told me, “but should Operation Lestern become necessary, citizens should take comfort in the knowledge that we are prepared for all eventualities and will protect and will protect our people from any and all consequences it is within our power to control.” Since this interview took place three weeks ago, the situation in central Celestan has developed, and it was unclear whether releasing this article was in the best interests of the people. However, it is now crucial that all parties understand the situation, and as a result the decision was taken to print it in (Continued page 2.)
[Left-hand column:] Inside your paper today... MASKED SINGER BOOSTS VETERAN YOUTUBER'S HIT COUNT It's no secret that ITV's The Masked Singer is a sensational hit, but some competitors may not be entirely prepared for its success. Week One saw an unlikely star unmasked in the form of Sergeant Shadwell, the man behind the popular YouTube channel Wytchfynder. In videos uploaded to the channel twice a week, Shadwell embarks on daring urban explorations and paranormal investigations in order to debunk all manner of conspiracy theories, urban legends, and rumours. While some videos are more dynamic than others – one features Shadwell venturing into the crypt of an old church, while another consists entirely of him sitting in his armchair at home and running through the evidence for an [sic] against his next-door neighbour being a witch – Shadwell, who retired from the army twenty years ago, says hits on all his uploads have doubled since his unmasking. “I get a lot of comments now along the lines of 'this story rings a bell',” he admitted to our reporter. “It wound me up at first, but now I'm just enjoying the surge in interest. We must always be vigilant in our fight against charlatans and misinformation.” (Continued on page 13.)
MP RICHMOND BRANDED “BUS PASS BANDIT” Lawrence Richmond, MP for Toffley South, came under renewed fire for his proposal to scrap the Freedom Pass system that allows older people and children to travel by bus or train for no charge. “We have an enormous budget deficit that needs addressing,” Richmond told the House of Commons yesterday, “if people don't want to buy tickets, they can drive their own cars instead.” Richmond, who lives in an historic 12-bedroom manor house with his wife Victoria and son Horace, has encountered staunch opposition from his political opponents, but his own (continued on page 7.)
COMPETITION: YOUR CHANCE TO WIN NEW NUTTER SET Be among the first to own a full set of the newly-redesigned Agnes Nutter books, including beloved favourites such as Picking the Winner, Time to Shine, Burn and Out with a Bang by entering our competition. Nutter herself said of the new covers, “I've always had a special place in my heart for my first novel, Picking the Winner, but this new cover is so vibrant and captures the spirit of the story so perfectly that I think I prefer it to the old one!” Agnes Nutter's new novel, Blown Out of Proportion, is due out in August and is not included in the prize. (Enter on page 22.)
Back page [Only the very edge of the page is visible.] -PORTS -VICTORY -JAMES' SIDE” -ADAMS SMASHES -APTAIN'S RECORD -hile Esther James may be the -tain of the England Women's -gby Team, her teammate and -artner Jane Adams has just -shed her record for the most -es scored in a single season. -ams' stunning performance -sterday's 36-16 victory over -nd saw her score her 11th and -try of the season – overtaking -iend James, who has no for -eleven tries for the national squad this year. -asked for comment, Adams -characteristically modest; -just an honour to be a -such a phenomenal team -score tries with that team. -team effort, definitely.” -es was more effusive; -know I think Jane's the -credible woman. Now -he stats prove it.” -DIT PULSIFER -VAR ROW -the first time, football -tor Newton Pulsifer has -d to fans after having a --air dispute with the -stant Referee during -'s Premier League -est Ham U [The rest of the article is obscured by the hand holding the paper.]
End of transcription.
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Dear Father Christmas... Chapter 18: December 24, 2033
MASTERPOST
Characters:  Tentoo; Rose Tyler; Jackie Tyler; Pete Tyler; Tony Tyler; OC Hope Tyler-Noble; OC Charlotte Tyler-Noble; OC Wilfred Tyler-Noble; OC Therin Thomson; Javic Thane
Rated: Teen
Tags: Family!Fic; Kid!Fic; Pete’s World; Letters to Santa; Christmas Fic; Family; Fluff; Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Romance; Love; gun violence; violence resulting in death; life-threatening injury; life threatening situations
Summary: When Rose Tyler was little, she always wrote a Christmas wish list to Father Christmas. As she grew older, the wish list became more of a letter to someone she could confide in once a year, but she fell out of the habit somewhere along the way. Now, as a new mum, celebrating her daughter’s first Christmas, Rose takes up writing her Christmas letter to Father Christmas once again.
Rose’s Christmas letters are excerpts from her life with her beloved Tentoo and their children in Pete’s World, written once a year, for each of 31 years.
Chapter Summary: When Rose receives a call telling her that Hope is unwell, she and the Doctor go to her rescue and run into a very familiar stranger.
Notes: @rose–nebula and mrsbertucci   are the absolute best. Thank-you, my darlings.
Thanks to @doctorroseprompts for their 31 Days of Ficmas prompts. The prompt I used today was Ice.
Also read at: AO3; FF.net; Teaspoon
December 24th, 2033
Dear Father Christmas,
It’s a funny little multiverse. After everything I’ve experienced throughout space and time, and in multiple universes, I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason (or at least that there are no coincidences.) I could chalk this up to being the natural consequence of the way the multiverse works or some sort of divine intervention. The Doctor would probably say it was something else entirely, and he’d be right.
I know for a fact that much of my life has not been a result of random chance. Intervention, yes, but not divine by any means. I created the words. I scattered them in time and space. I saw everything: all that is; all that was; all that ever could be. But I had no experience or skill, and I had the emotional intelligence of a nineteen year old London shop girl. I’d tweaked timelines here and there, an imperfect attempt to control my fate, the Doctor’s fate. Sporadically, the words still appear sometimes, and when they do, we can only hold on tight and ride out what Bad Wolf has in store for us.
Last week, my mobile rang while I was at work. I was teaching Integration 101 to a diverse group of newly settled aliens, doing some role play on basic greetings, body language, and personal space. It wasn’t going very well, especially the personal space portion. The classroom was full of irritated voices as the group came to terms with the fact that personal space meant something very different for each species and none of it was appropriate for human interaction.
I was frustrated to say the least, especially when the Glooboorg insisted on bouncing around the room (literally! Its body was very rounded and elastic and, well… bouncy. Friendly as they are, I’m not certain the human race is quite ready to meet the Glooboorgs, and perception filters can only filter out so much.)
Anyway, I was unable to reach my phone before it rang out, but it was just Hope. She didn’t leave a message, so I assumed she’d realized I was busy and she would try to reach me later. It wouldn’t be the first time. But then, just as I was turning back to call my class to order, she rang again. The group was noisy and boisterous and I could barely hear the voice on the other end of the line. But I could hear enough to know that it wasn’t Hope.
It was male.
It said: “Mrs. Tyler-Noble?” There was something familiar about the voice… the accent perhaps. I couldn’t put my finger on it. The din in the classroom was making it difficult to sort it out.
Anyway, I confirmed who I was, and asked him what the hell he was doing with my daughter’s mobile. My heart went into overdrive when he told me.
He said my daughter was unwell, but he was keeping her safe for the time being. He didn’t know where she lived, and she wasn’t in any condition to talk, and did I know her address so he could take her home.
I had so many questions. So many! But I couldn’t even think of what to ask. I turned to the class and told them to hush so I could hear, so I could think. I finally told the man I would be right there to take care of Hope myself.
“Sorry? What? How is that possible?” He seemed quite capable of coming up with great questions. He wasn’t panicking about his seventeen year old daughter, unconscious in the arms of a stranger, a thousand light years and three times that in temporal years away. “I should tell you my name and where we are, at least, don’t you think?”
I couldn’t argue with that, though I could easily trace her mobile and have the TARDIS lock onto her coordinates. Still, even as frightened as I was, I had the sense to know it would be best not to materialize the TARDIS in too public a spot.
He told me his name, but I barely caught it in the uproar caused by the Glooboorg knocking over one of the other students. It sounded something like “Derrek Shane”. He confirmed he was on Edifinol Beta, and in the city where Hope was studying. I could hardly hear him, to be honest. But all the maddening distractions faded into the background when he told me where in the city I’d find him.
“We’re just outside a club. It’s called The Bad Wolf.”
--ooOoo--
The Doctor was already waiting for me by the time I dismissed my class early for the day and gathered my things. He had the car running and we took off at high speed. It took a frustratingly long time to get home, and we decided we would “time it”, and program the TARDIS to land a minute or so after my conversation with the stranger (Derrek someone-or-other) had ended.
We landed in an alley about a block away from the club, the TARDIS materializing as our favourite (and somewhat reassuring) blue Police Public Call Box. It was night, but the streets in the area were well lit and designed primarily for foot traffic, so although it was busy, it was quite easy to find the club. But even if it hadn’t been visible, honestly, the waves of music throbbing from it would have given it away.
There sitting on a public bench, slumped against a young man’s shoulder was Hope. I rushed toward her across the street, shouting her name. The Doctor was hot on my heels.
The young man looked up at me and I swear I nearly passed out from shock.
“Hey,” he said. “You weren’t kidding about getting here fast! Pretty impressive. I’d like to get my hands on that kind of technology. I mean Hope’s told me about how she comes from a very distant colony. To get here that quickly...”
“Jack?” The only word that came out of my mouth, because that’s who it was, sitting right in front of me with his arm around my daughter… Jack Bloody Harkness. But so young, maybe in his mid-twenties
“Nope, sorry, you must be mistaking me for someone else. Javic Thane’s the name.” He held out his hand to me, and stunned, I extended my hand to him. He brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “Well, I can certainly see where your daughter comes by her good looks.”
Despite my overwhelming worry for Hope, I found something comforting in the familiarity of his audacious come-ons, and cheesy pick-up lines, so much like the man I once knew.
The Doctor growled. “You can just stop flirting with my wife, right now.”
I raised an eyebrow at Jack… sorry, no… Javic, and sat on the other side of Hope. I pulled her against me, relief flooding through me to have her in my arms.
“I was just saying hello.” (Of course he would answer with that!)
“For you, that’s flirting. And if I find you’ve been trying to pull my daughter…”
“Whoa! Wait a minute, Mr. Tyler-Noble−”
Blimey, the Doctor hated that title. “No, don’t call me that. I’m the Doctor.”
“Doctor Tyler-Noble?”
“No, just the Doctor.”
Jack… Javic seemed skeptical about the name but he ploughed on with his story. “All right… Doc, (do you mind if I call you Doc?) listen I do admit, when your daughter first walked into the club, I was attracted to her. I mean, who wouldn’t be. She’s… well, she’s beautiful.” He hurried on with his story when the Doctor growled again. Apparently when he’d spoken to Hope, he’d realized how young she was and had immediately stopped trying to pull her. She’d seemed a little out of her element and he was trying to be nice. He’d bought her a drink (non-alcoholic at her request); something he described as a Virgin Ginger Cream Schnapps, a drink popular for kicking off the Festivitide season. They had talked for a bit while she sipped her drink and then, her confidence bolstered, she’d run off to join her friends.
The Doctor, of course, accused him of spiking her drink with something.
“First, that’s illegal, and while I’m not above a having little fun at the expense of the authorities, I could never do that to another person. That’s not fun. It’s just wrong. And second, why the hell would I spike her drink and then call you up to come get her? Your logic’s flawed, Doc.”
I confirmed Javic’s story. I’d run a quick scan of Hope with my sonic: she was drunk, but there were no other drugs in her system. I asked him if he knew how she got drunk, since it seemed she’d been planning to stick with virgin drinks.
“Well, you understand, it’s not like I was stalking her or anything, but there was something about her… Look Doc, I told you, it was nothing like that. I just felt like… I needed to protect her, and believe me, it sounds as unlikely to me as it does to you.”
He said she’d gone off with her friends, and then he told us about Alko-Ice, a new product that was making the rounds in clubs. Apparently, the molecular structure of alcohol was modified so it could be frozen at temperatures just below the freezing point of water. The kids played a game with it, a race to see who could melt the most ice chips on their tongue in the least amount of time.
“But, seriously,” he said, “there’s not much alcohol in them. The kids just like the nifty flavours and colours they come in.” He went on to explain that Hope hadn’t really looked as though she’d wanted to play, but her friends had been pretty pushy about it. Javic had even been about to intervene, but she’d already started. “Doc, she didn’t even play for that long. She couldn’t; could barely even stand after the first few minutes.”
True enough. I noticed there was actually hardly any alcohol in her system, certainly not enough to account for her current state, and while she was clearly very intoxicated, none of my scans indicated she was in any immediate danger.
After I nudged him over our bond, the Doctor grudgingly thanked Javic for looking after Hope. He extended his hand for a handshake, but in true “Jack” style, Javic brought the Doctor’s hand to his lips the way he’d done mine. “Well, it’s been a slice.” He made to walk away, back inside the club, but he turned to us before he slipped in. “Hey, if you two are ever up for a ménage à trois… It could be fun. I don’t like to boast, but I’m not just another pretty face…” He ran a long, lingering look over the Doctor’s slim body, which earned him another impatient growl. “All right, all right, I’m going!”
I called good-bye and thank-you to him, and he waved cheekily as he turned to the bouncer at the door of the club and immediately tried to pull him. I don’t care what the hell he called himself… that was Jack Harkness.
--ooOoo--
Back in the safety of the TARDIS, the Doctor did a proper scan of Hope. It seems she’s inherited the Time Lord sensitivity to ginger. Even a smidge of it will render a Time Lord susceptible to the effects of alcohol. In short, despite superior physiology, they can get thoroughly plastered (as I have been lucky enough to witness on at least one occasion.) Poor Hope, with otherwise mostly human physiology, and having consumed a large amount of ginger in the “ginger cream schnapps”, was probably completely pissed before she’d barely swallowed more than three of those Alko-Ice chips.
The Doctor administered something to counteract the effects of the ginger, so her body could process the alcohol properly. He waited impatiently for her to wake up, pacing, and projecting his anger and disappointment over our bond. I tried to get him to calm down, but he wasn’t having any of it. Eventually he left the infirmary, probably off to fiddle with bits of the TARDIS, keeping himself busy while he waited.
Hope finally opened her eyes blearily (the Doctor told me she would likely have one hell of a hangover), and looked around her, confused. I stroked her hair, projecting my love to her.
“Mama?” Oh my heart! She hadn’t called me that since she was about three or four. I just kept sending her my love, and I explained to her what had happened. She was frightened and so very sorry to have made us worry. She and her friends had gone out to celebrate the end of their first term. She’d never planned to drink or even try those ice chips. Her friends had been so insistent, she figured she’d just have one or two to appease them, and then back out, but she’d started feeling so faint…
That’s when the Doctor decided to bluster in like the Oncoming bloody Storm. Honestly, I’ve never seen such a rant. It started off with “You, little madam…” and ended a long while later with some nonsense about her coming home with us and never coming back to “…this blasted Slytheen’s arse of a planet.” Hope was beside herself, sobbing and pleading with him to reconsider, but he’d stomped off, ignoring any of my attempts to mentally calm him. A few seconds later, I felt the TARDIS’ flight sequence activate. Apparently, we were heading home.
I told Hope to give him time, and suggested she should just come and spend Christmas with us, but she was hysterical. She couldn’t miss classes. The new term was beginning in two days, and Christmas was still a week away…
“We have a time machine, Hopie,” I reminded her. “I imagine we can break our rules, just this once, and time it for you.” We’d already timed it to come to get her tonight, but I wasn’t about to tell her that! “Your Dad’s going to need to cool off, yeah, but he’ll come around.”
--ooOoo--
The Doctor had been scared. I get that. But it was only this morning, a full week later, he finally admitted he “might have overreacted”.
I’d been after him all week to ease up a bit. I made the mistake of telling him that when I was even younger than Hope, I’d gone to clubs nearly every weekend, and frequently come home pissed. I think I just made things worse. He lost it… again. Said he didn’t need me to tell him that. He knew. After he’d lost me to this universe, he admitted he’d go back in time to watch over me and make sure I was safe. He said he’d bumped into Jack a few times, too, doing the same.
I didn’t know whether to feel angry or grateful toward the two idiots. It was all they could do, I suppose, protecting a younger me from the world. In the end, I just felt loved, by the older brother I always wished I’d had, and the man I wanted to spend forever with.
But it wasn’t lost on me, the similarity between Jack watching over me and Javic looking out for Hope, and it made me think. I still couldn’t figure out what had rattled the Doctor more: the idea of Hope going to a club, or the appearance of Bad Wolf and our not-so-coincidental meeting of Jack’s parallel counterpart. I’m guessing probably the combination of both.
I know he wasn’t impressed with my teenaged self’s frequent drunkenness, at least not now that we have children of our own. The idea of Hope going to a club and possibly behaving like that must have been eating away at him, but I eventually managed to assure him that Hope was nothing like me, at least in this. She’s much more level-headed than I ever was. (I decided to keep my thoughts about Charlie to myself; she was very much more like me… but the Doctor didn’t need to be worrying about that just now!)
As for Javic, what worried the Doctor most about him, I think, was that this was someone whose parallel self, had been a swindler and a con man before we crossed paths with him, not to mention a pan-sexual lothario. But I think I managed to convince him on this too. Javic’s past may have been very different from Jack’s, and I firmly believe, in spite of him being a fraud, Jack had been a good and loyal person who just got off on the wrong track for a while. Having us in his life had changed that. Maybe Hope’s presence would affect Javic. He had certainly put his lothario status aside to protect her, a brotherly act, very similar to how Jack always used to treat me once he realized how much me and the Doctor loved one another, though it took us forever to realize it ourselves.
Apparently, I had managed to get through to the Doctor, ‘cause I came down to the kitchen this morning to find Hope and him making banana pancakes together, and sharing a huge, warm hug. So, needless to say, Hope is spending Christmas with us, and the next morning she’ll be returning to Uni on Edifinol Beta, and we will be timing it to make sure she doesn’t miss any classes.
And as for Javic Thane, if I as Bad Wolf, had seen fit to ensure our paths crossed, I couldn’t believe it was just a passing fancy. He had stumbled across our family for a reason. This wouldn’t be the last time we’d see him, I was sure of it. We would all just have to hold on tight and ride out whatever Bad Wolf had in store for us.
Thanks for listening, Santa. I hope you are lucky enough to come across old friends in your travels, this year. My love to all,
Rose
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