Oh, the "Rose" that was the first episode of the Dr Who reboot?
Yes. Most definitely yes. :D
Dr Who has always been a happy mix of all of the above.
Rose was a decent first episode, but it gets better. Better acting, better writing (Although they are not all winners, there are some very well-written and acted episodes)
The 'Season one' is kind of hit or miss for me personally. While I like the actor, he likes to do one thing and then leave, so (IMHO) he didn't stay long enough to grow into the role of the Dr. And like I said, not all of the episodes are awesomely written. (Although I loved the Charles Dickens episode. Even if you skip the season one entirely, you MUST watch that one!) :)
But while they do a lot in Season one that is still affecting the course of Dr Who episodes today. (Capt Jack Harness for example) the series really takes off with Tennant in Season 2. I have seen some peeps suggest to skip One and just start with 2. I would never do that. But Im a die hard fan. :)
Yes is the correct answer. :)
"Rose" certainly isn't the best episode (not even of season 1), but it did what it was intended to do: Create a solid entry point for new people to come aboard without needing to know all the lore of the 20-odd seasons before -- while also purshing back against much of the negative public impressions about Dr. Who (old, stodgy, and especially boring and slow).
Further, I've airways liked the ninth Doctor (Eccleston) -- both from the performance and (much of) the writing -- I think many of the things people like about #10 are, in fact, the natural developments of what we see in 9 -- the broken bits inside behind the mask. ("Dalek" was a brilliant episode, for instance, and I don't think it would have worked with Tennant).. I just wish he'd stayed on for more than a single season. I certainly prefer him to Capaldi and Smith.
That said, the writing and production staff really found their groove in Series 2 (first episode notwithstanding), and Tennant, over time, really infused a lot into the performance and character, such that for most fans of the modern series he *is* the Doctor (as was Baker for those of us who watched the old ones...)...
All that to say, it's scifi camp that has moments that will make you laugh, make you think, make you all ferklempt, will scare you... All the while celebrating the notion of optimism and reason as the solution to all problems.
Hear hear! Well said lad, well said!
<Golfclap>
I like Eccleston; he's very believable as an alien. And being unfamiliar with the mythos, I wouldn't skip the first season of the reboot. I'm enjoying watching the Earth's destruction. The episode reminds me somewhat of The Fifth Element. And the science in this episode is better than in the first, where the global transmission should have fried the population of London (or failed due to lack of signal strength).
I miss Mothman too. :(
He just posted in the 8th Dwarf memorial thread! :-o
So he did!
Glad he's still around.
I got through the first three episodes of the Eccleston reboot before Netflix decided to remove Dr. Who from availability. >_<
ASPECTS! I meant to post this a while ago for the new guys, but forgot. My second FATE game, Mass Effect, requested that, for each aspect, the player concoct not only a description, but also an invoke and compel idea. The GM is not tied to these uses. I found that having to make the aspect actionable really helped bridge the gap from coolstorybro to a true aspect.
That's an interesting thought -- though, to be fair, some ambiguity is good in that it allows for flexibility.
I didn't take the examples as being exclusive. I sure hope not! Flexibility is the heart of FATE.
For me, they helped the transition from backstory to characteristics. How was the character changed by the incident? How might they act now? It made me think about differently.
No, I get it -- if you go back to the building of Kenneth, I was concerned there was too much overlap in my aspects. ;)
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Oh yeah,... <a-Hem>
HAppy Birthday to Meeeeee!
HAppy Birthday to MEeeeeeee!
Happy Birthday old wizaaaaaaard!
You can no longer pretend your twenty-Threeeeee!
;P
Could it be someone's birthday? But whose?
Scratches head.
Happy birthday, Rags!
Thank you Treppa,
As cool as that video is, I'm so glad I'm not a farmer! (Anywhere!) ;P
Happy birthday, Rags!
Thanks!
Yay gift cards!
Post-birthday lunch w/ entire family was at Outback! Mmmm,... Steak!
:)
So is Danny & Kenneth doing anything special in the couple of months between chapters?
Good question. I'd love to say heck yeah, but I only have vague ideas at this point. ;P
Let me percolate on that and get back to you tomorrow. ;)
Also have a few ideas. Will get back to you.
Right, ok, per the milestone, I'm chosing not to swap skills or alter aspects -- I've more sisters and even if Molly is "saved", it wouldn't really change that aspect of myself.
I *did*, however, use the new skill rank to learn Average Empathy -- I figure that'd be the result of some long talks with Molly and her new beau -- learning to listen a little more (beyond the usual approach of using Presence and/or Investigation)
Kenneth's downtime will depend, at least, somewhat, on the talk he'll have with Molly the next day... and how Sloane is doing.
I'm thinking, really, no matter what -- he's probably going be thinking about taking a trip back to Edinburgh -- to see his other sisters -- whether to talk about Molly's progress and "tell them the good news", or to express his concern about how her current "improvement" isn't really long for this world.
The time away from York, also, will give him some time to clear his head -- he's dealing with feeling for Laura, Letitia and Sal -- and there's the way that Sloane's been looking at him. He's more than a little worried about hurting any of them -- and he'll be at least a little wistful that he's about 1000 years too late to be the traveling bard/hero who moves on and, so, avoids hurting anyone.... So, based on all that, I'm thinking he'll want to visit Cait's grave.
Of course, he may completely ruin that by bringing Sal along to meet some of his old contacts who might be able to get her new papers...
He'll also be doing what he can to look for Brigid's bow, of course.
I do have a few other ideas -- and I might actually enchant something else in the downtime also -- but it somewhat depends on what happens when he does the first bits -- and, for that matter, how much downtime there is.
Oh, in the turmoil with the Death of the Vampire Lord - it seems the Poppy Court has virtually vanished. And according to Letitia, who has been titled Warden of the Marches, the Red Court seems to have disappeared worldwide....
However at the same time there's something 'other' about Molly; a strength that's more than natural. A couple of months later, Kenneth will find out/discover that Molly is active on 'para-net'. She seems to be helping people, whilst keeping her emotional distance - but building a group of contacts, as is her want to network.
Sloane has been better since Lawrences death, she's grown more friendly with Sara of the 'witches coven'. They plan on hanging out at the Viking Festival over the Whitsun Weekend (where the next chapter starts).
Laura has been busy recently with a case (serious crime potentially is on the rise she implies), she's still happy-go-lucky and seems to be feeling a trifle guilty that she cannot spend more time with him. Or is it just her way of keeping a bit of distance. But the time they do spend together is exhilarating.
Danny's Down time:
Not sure why I bothered with a spoiler. Since I'm making this up as I go! ;)
Danny is conflicted.
His innate sense of responsibility (and a lil bit of stubbornness) makes him want to take his 'responsibilities' as Summer's Emissary to Winter seriously. Even if they were given to him in a way that he wasn't really allowed to refuse. A part of him thinks this might have been either a grand Fae joke, OR a grand Fae plan where they put him here because they thought he would be ineffectual and would not upset anyone's plans. THAT thought makes him want to be VERY effectual. (Did I mention stubbornness?) ;P
On the other hand, he really didn't ask for all of THIS. (Although his musical super-powers are pretty cool.) And a part of him would very much like to run away and pretend that none of it ever happened, and move on with his life. But even Danny realizes that he would never be able to un-see everything that he has seen. And he would always be checking shadows for boogie-men every time he hears of the least little thing on the news.
Danny would very much like to 'get closer' to the twins. (Either one, or both.) OR as he remembers thinking recently, find a 'real' girlfriend. Someone he can relieve some stress with OUTSIDE of blowing up Vamp's parties. Preferably in less dangerous, more enjoyable, ways. ;) But getting closer to the twins means getting them closer to whatever nightmare monster-of-the-week he's dealing with presently. And giving their father a chance to find out more about his more unorthodox activities. (Although his recent discovery that the twins dad is already involved with the Spooky Side of the street really threw him for a loop, and he feels like he should get more involved. To protect the twins of course.) :/
And finding another girl-friend? Well, there's another person that he would have to keep out of his other world. Or try making a relationship with someone who already IS walking the spooky side? Club-hopper and self-avowed ladies man that he is, he wouldn't know where to start.
(And he's pretty sure Sal would break him in half if he tried to kiss her. She is cute though, in a 'I can break you in half' kind of way.) :/
Trying to figure out how to do a minor skills swap/upgrade to reflect this, but Danny is now seriously trying to make more Spooky contacts, Fae and whatever he can get in friendly with. (Without risking his life and/or soul.) He figures if he's going to be involved, like it or not, then he'd best not be entirely reliant upon information given him by the Fae. As they are most likely to leave out a bit of information that he might wish he'd known BEFORE walking into Vamp Den A. :P
(Fuzzy on details, need to review his mom's situation)
Danny decides to (Carefully and quietly) begin researching how to rescue his mom. Last he recalled, she was technically OK, just trapped. Supposedly with no way out. (Without releasing some BIG BAD that he's pretty sure she doesn't want him to release just for her.??) IF he feels it's safe to do so, he will go and pay a polite visit to a certain handyman/mechanic and ask if he might be able to at least give him a clue or something.
And if he has any ideas how to tweak "Frankintaur' (Or was that 'Guitarstein'?) That would be a bonus. His harmonica trick worked once, but He'd rather have an actual steel-bodied steel guitar between him and a vamp or ghoul the NEXT time he's stupid enough to walk into a Vamp's party! Invited or otherwise. ;P
Any of those give you something to work with DSX? :)
I know I've been bugging you about Jorvik, DSX, but I actually don't have the re-rebuild done. Might take me a couple of days.
As far as interim stuff, I only need to know if Maya said anything, or acknowledged being "the Voice".
Thanks, DSX, you're awesome.
Then, yes, Kenneth will head to Edinburgh -- apparently taking Sal in the road trip -- he's going to see his sisters... and to visit Cait's grave to try to center himself... and will also be introducing Sal to the folks he knows who can make fake paper for her.
That done, he'll follow along the whole "being called to serve" thing -- I imagine that the Lady'll have a few small things for her Herald to do.
Also, as I was saying, really debating enchanting up some armour for myself -- with the 2 slots and lore 5, I can bump something to 6. That'd give me an always on Block 3, though since blocks fail if they've been beaten, I'm not quite sure how that would work -- I guess it would just reset immediately?
I suppose I could go with armour, but the halving twice makes that somewhat less snazzy.
Another option would be a one-time super-block/armour (a "get out of jail free" magic that absorbs a nasty shot).
Another option would be a social block/armour -- which is also more than a little tempting.
I can't help it. The empty slots are driving me crazy. ;)
Just a warning -- I'll be out of town for 9 days -- leaving Sunday the 14th, and back the 23rd (a Tuesday, I believe). I won't have internet access during that time (though, hopefully, I'll have a lot of sun and a nice beach).
Free free to bot Kenneth, as needed... of course, I'm not gone yet, either.
Boo, gone. Yay, vacation! Boo, beach. I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. >_>
By the way, Sal's bought an old beater car to start fixing up during the downtime. I'm hoping it's possible to find something without electronic fuel injectors or carbeuration, maybe a butterfly carb. Something that wizardy types can't bring to a screeching halt by hexing. Any suggestions for make/model?
DSX, as she's fixing it up, she'll put Kevlar panels in the doors and body. These are surprisingly cheap and light and look easy to work with. I was thinking of having her craft some body armor, but it's relatively cheap and available online. Between Kevlar (and its ilk) and ceramic plates, armor's out there that can stop a sniper bullet at 50 yards. Pretty rad. Most of what's available is torso-covering, so she might have to stitch some fabric and light plates into heavy-duty pants. Let me know if I need to roll Craftsmanship. She'd probably ask a friend in London to order things for her, pay them cash, and meet them someplace along the train line to pick it up. I do have Contacts if that's needed.
She'll also get some great binoculars and a copy of The Helm Guide to Bird Identification to explain why she's wandering around with binoculars in case she's asked. :D
Technically, an old and powerful wizard can hex a typewriter or a bicycle -- so there's no real defense there.
Having said that, keeping with a car that doesn't depend on an onboard computer, you're golden (against garden variety mage-types). Really, anything made in the 60s to 80s should be fine -- as should low-end 90s cars.
Of course, if you're looking for a specific sort of thing -- there's a reason that older cars are classics. Could always dig out an older version of an upscale car -- something still reliable.
More looking for something that will not fall victim to having a wizardy person in the car. Letitia blew several circuits in that sleek, modern car in London, and Sal's not having any of that!
I'd go for a Jag XKE BUT she wants something that will hold more than two people, just in case Morien's not around.
LOL,
I have only recently gotten into the Supernatural TV show. (Only 10 years after it started!) ;P
Saw a documentary on the making of it, The brother's muscle car is a big old land-yacht type of car. But still very cool. It is a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. (Which is a lot cooler looking than it sounds!)
I actually had a 72 Impala as my first car. (and the 67 is a lot cooler than that one too!)
From a website- "502-cubic-inch big-block V8. 18 feet of badass – a 1967 Chevy Impala hardtop."
:)
XKE s came in 12-cylinder models. :):):)
OK. THAT would be cool. :P
(Though speaking as a person who use to sell auto parts, and be a shade tree mechanic, The timing on that beast would BE a beast!) ;)
There you go. Imagine you could find a beat-up, needing to be restored, late 60s or early 70s model.
I wish. The rusted out one in LA is about $18k. E-types in good shape are just south of $100k. Beside, that's Treppa's dream car, and Treppa was a Matchbox Car kid. I figure Sal for a Hot Wheels kid. And even the 2+2 Jag is a joke for passengers. 2 people + 2 hamsters, maybe. No good for a Scooby van.
I was thinking something funkier and less flashy for a fugitive. :) Maybe an old Citroen? Or an old Mercedes, though they tend to be taxified in Europe and get some hard, hard miles put on them. But I had a coworker once who bought nothing but old Mercedes diesels. Swore they never gave up the ghost, they just looked like crap eventually.
I can vouch for the Old Mercedes Diesels never dying.
My X-Father in law had one. Correction, I recently found out STILL has his old one. (I think it might be as old as later 60's model?) It still runs solid. That car is his baby.
Reducing the flashy, I'd say an old Benz, Subaru, Audi, Citroen should all be doable.
Only SLIGHTLY off topic (but possibly relevant to Sal) were you aware that 4 cylinder rotary engines, like they use in small prop planes, theoretically have NO top speed?
And, were you aware that they put these same engines into cars like the Mazda RX series? :)
Just sayin',... ;P
I only know this because a guy I once worked with bought one, was reading the owners manual where it said 'for your safety please do not exceed 220+ MPH' Yes, a standard street car. SO he took it for a road test, Followed by hijinks and humor trying to explain to a cop why he was driving on the spillway road at 6am like a bat out of heck! :)
The Citroen DS wagon is a preeeetty funky looking car. Like something from Fallout. In fact, it's vaguely hearse-like. Might work nicely.
That's an utterly ridiculous looking car....but pretty cool :P
Especially if it had a silly custom paint job. However in bad condition, it'd look a right junker.
Danny's Down time:
** spoiler omitted **...
Whoops, that gives me alot to work with actually. :D
And a few nice twists for the next chapter.
Especially if it had a silly custom paint job.
And hoo boy are there some of those floating around. Some people should never be allowed near an airbrush.
Wow. THAT car is so bad, it's rad!
:)
I could see that. And if it's common, (more or less) then so much the better for when you don't want to stand out! :)
Danny's Down time:
** spoiler omitted **...Whoops, that gives me alot to work with actually. :D
And a few nice twists for the next chapter.
Hmmm, Maybe I should have been a little LESS enthusiastic in my mental musings?!? ;P
Glad to help! :)
Hey all,
How is everyone doing?
I been busy. VERY. Busy. :/
Will try to update Danny "Officially" in the next day or two. :)
PROMISE!
FYI- I think this may have been mentioned earlier, but Pat (Monkey) mentioned the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne.
It is very much in the field of Dresden, and the covers even call it a possible Dresden spiritual successor. :)
All I have to say is, I'm hooked, and I'm barely halfway through the first book! And Pat promises that the author gets much better as he goes.
Reason I mention this? (Other than the obvious Dresden mention?) The main character is an old celtic draw-his-powers-from-the-earth druid. Who happens to worship Brigid. ;)
I won't spoil anything, but it is worth a read in my opinion! :D
Nice. I'll have to look into that. How long is the series?
Hideously busy, but aiming to get caught up this week.
Oddly enough this is the second mention of Brigid I've seen today (the other being in connection with the leap day tradition of women proposing to men).
Nice. I'll have to look into that. How long is the series?
According to his website, he is up to book 8 out in print now.
I bought the first two and WOULD have gotten more, but they had all but the third book. :P
That's ok, I can go back,... :)
Read the Aeronaut's Windlass while I was on holidays - So far I like it, but it's much more Magitech than Steampunk
Yes I liked it too. BUT it was most definitely advertised and hyped as steampunk.
And I certainly like my Magitech, but was looking forward to a good Steampunk Novel, (Other than the novelization of the Girl Genius webcomic, I haven't found a 'good' one yet?) which I'm sure he could do a fantastic job of. But I think the publisher may have hyped the wrong aspect of this a wee bit too much. :/