![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Doctor Who 50th
Nov. 25th, 2013 07:37 pmSpoilers. Indirect kinda.
Reposted from the NZDWFC board...
It was very Moffat, of course, but unlike most of s5 and s6 it worked for me. I think the reason is that, unlike the last few seasons, he went into this story with a purpose. The time war was a wound at the heart of the show - and probably a necessary one, certainly a powerful and interesting one - but it was also a fissure that the show just couldn't escape. Returning to this dark action had been the core issue at the end of Eccleston's era and again at the end of Tennant's era, and obviously I had reservations about Moffat going to the same well at the end of Smith's era.
But Moffat's purpose was not to try, a third time, to heal the wound so the show could move on - bound to fail once again - but instead to unmake the act of wounding and give the show a new core. It was an audacious plan, rife with technical and thematic complexities, and that's the kind of challenge that plays to Moffat's strengths. He nailed it.*
And in doing so he opens up a fourth great movement of Doctor Who**. I'm excited to see what Capaldi does with the role, and what the role does with him. We just need to make it through the Trenzalore Silence Will Fall thing first, which, argh. My hopes are low.
* That said, he didn't navigate all the continuity complexities - that was never his strength. But Doctor Who doesn't really have continuity anyway.
** First movement: mysterious wanderer through space and time (63-69); second movement: antiestablishment ruffian shadowed by the power of his stentorian home (70-89); second-and-a-half movement: the breakdown and shattering of one narrative into many, the unmaking in order to be recreated (1990-2005); third movement: the wounded lonely wanderer endlessly seeking connection (2005-2013); fourth movement: the profoundly changed visionary on a hero quest to return to, and remake, his home (2014-?).
Reposted from the NZDWFC board...
It was very Moffat, of course, but unlike most of s5 and s6 it worked for me. I think the reason is that, unlike the last few seasons, he went into this story with a purpose. The time war was a wound at the heart of the show - and probably a necessary one, certainly a powerful and interesting one - but it was also a fissure that the show just couldn't escape. Returning to this dark action had been the core issue at the end of Eccleston's era and again at the end of Tennant's era, and obviously I had reservations about Moffat going to the same well at the end of Smith's era.
But Moffat's purpose was not to try, a third time, to heal the wound so the show could move on - bound to fail once again - but instead to unmake the act of wounding and give the show a new core. It was an audacious plan, rife with technical and thematic complexities, and that's the kind of challenge that plays to Moffat's strengths. He nailed it.*
And in doing so he opens up a fourth great movement of Doctor Who**. I'm excited to see what Capaldi does with the role, and what the role does with him. We just need to make it through the Trenzalore Silence Will Fall thing first, which, argh. My hopes are low.
* That said, he didn't navigate all the continuity complexities - that was never his strength. But Doctor Who doesn't really have continuity anyway.
** First movement: mysterious wanderer through space and time (63-69); second movement: antiestablishment ruffian shadowed by the power of his stentorian home (70-89); second-and-a-half movement: the breakdown and shattering of one narrative into many, the unmaking in order to be recreated (1990-2005); third movement: the wounded lonely wanderer endlessly seeking connection (2005-2013); fourth movement: the profoundly changed visionary on a hero quest to return to, and remake, his home (2014-?).
Chicago By Night!
Jul. 16th, 2013 07:49 pmIf anyone comes across a cheaply NZ-accessible copy of the RPG books Chicago By Night (1st edition), The Succubus Club, or the compilation of the two (Chicago Chronicles Vol 1), let me know. The run of classic World of Darkness readalongs on RPGnet have me hankering after my long-lost copy of the compilation.
Also Werewolf Second Edition, I guess, while I'm looking to replace lost books.
(By cheap I mean really quite cheap.)
Also Werewolf Second Edition, I guess, while I'm looking to replace lost books.
(By cheap I mean really quite cheap.)
That Gaiman Who Ep
May. 15th, 2011 11:36 pmAgain - a bit bemused by the gushing I'm seeing all over. I've seen more than one person say "best episode of Who evar" and "make Neil write every episode!" But huh?
( (mild spoilers behind cut) )
Don't get me wrong, it was certainly a good episode. But given the above, it really wasn't a great episode. Was it?
And also. Last year I moaned that two of the only good ideas I had for Doctor Who novels had been stolen (STOLEN!) by the new TV series. Now it's ripping off my short stories as well! Blimey! (If you clicky, forgive the somewhat breathless purple-hued prose - I was so very very young...)
( (mild spoilers behind cut) )
Don't get me wrong, it was certainly a good episode. But given the above, it really wasn't a great episode. Was it?
And also. Last year I moaned that two of the only good ideas I had for Doctor Who novels had been stolen (STOLEN!) by the new TV series. Now it's ripping off my short stories as well! Blimey! (If you clicky, forgive the somewhat breathless purple-hued prose - I was so very very young...)
The Doctor's Wife
May. 4th, 2011 09:18 pmi.e. the Gaiman episode coming up in a week and a bit.
With a character called Idris.
The clue's in her name, innit?
With a character called Idris.
The clue's in her name, innit?
Wampa Action!
May. 2nd, 2011 09:36 amI always wanted the Kenner action figure of the Wampa. Cute monster!
For a competition now in progress, my buddies Jon and Jarratt chose to recreate the Wampa cave sequence from Empire Strikes Back. They rocked it!
Show them some likey love over at the YouTube page.
For a competition now in progress, my buddies Jon and Jarratt chose to recreate the Wampa cave sequence from Empire Strikes Back. They rocked it!
Show them some likey love over at the YouTube page.
Earthquake Bundle
Feb. 24th, 2011 09:09 am(cross-posting from Gametime, for obvious reasons - this is about support from the global tabletop RPG community, if you're part of that, then here's a great way to spend US$20)
Delighted by the OneBookShelf relief bundle for the Christchurch Earthquake. Lots of efforts going on behind the scenes to make this happen - huge thanks to Matt McElroy at OBS, and Gregor Hutton & Gareth-Michael Skarka for driving the conversation.
_So_ much good stuff generously offered by publishers!
And from Kiwis - there's NZ company RedBrick's Earthdawn novel, & Silver Kiss, & Al-Shir Ma, & my adventure for ICONS... and Cold City and Remember Tomorrow from our Scottish honorary-Kiwi contingent...
(I don't even want to start writing about the earthquake itself. It still feels unreal. Enough to say that every bit of support is hugely appreciated.)
Get the bundle here: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=88713
Delighted by the OneBookShelf relief bundle for the Christchurch Earthquake. Lots of efforts going on behind the scenes to make this happen - huge thanks to Matt McElroy at OBS, and Gregor Hutton & Gareth-Michael Skarka for driving the conversation.
_So_ much good stuff generously offered by publishers!
And from Kiwis - there's NZ company RedBrick's Earthdawn novel, & Silver Kiss, & Al-Shir Ma, & my adventure for ICONS... and Cold City and Remember Tomorrow from our Scottish honorary-Kiwi contingent...
(I don't even want to start writing about the earthquake itself. It still feels unreal. Enough to say that every bit of support is hugely appreciated.)
Get the bundle here: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=88713
Chch Earthquake Info - all in one place
Feb. 22nd, 2011 09:29 pmAll the Christchurch Earthquake links in one place http://pubadr.es/im:7047 Donations, finding people, ways you can help, and more. Check it out and share it around.
New baby arrives
Dec. 20th, 2010 11:46 pm(x-posted from my blog)
Willa arrived about 4.45 this morning. She’s happy and well. Cal is delighted by baby and fact she’ll be able to enjoy a Christmas feast. Dad = thoroughly chuffed.
Willa arrived about 4.45 this morning. She’s happy and well. Cal is delighted by baby and fact she’ll be able to enjoy a Christmas feast. Dad = thoroughly chuffed.
Crosspost: This is Kaibosh
Sep. 15th, 2010 09:36 amA rare From The Morgue crosspost - this is worth bringing to as many eyes as I can muster. Original: http://morgue.isprettyawesome.com/?p=174
My friends George and Robyn have been hard at work the last few years on starting a charity. I think it’s pretty amazing. They are behind Kaibosh, and what they do is collect surplus food from retailers (so it doesn’t get chucked into landfill) and deliver it to charities working with people who could do with a bonus meal.
That’s pretty much the whole deal – there is leftover food at place A, and hungry peeps at place B, so they make the connection. Simple premise, but (as always) a complex mission in the real world.
George sez:
We wrangled a few friends to become members of our board of trustees and have spent the last 18-months trying to raise funding to increase the scale of our efforts. Our main support has come from Wellington City Council and the Lotteries Commission. With their help we’ve leased an office on Holland Street and hired a part-time Operations Manager. We’re now able to step up our operations (to date we only pick up food from Simply Paris and Wishbone) and hopefully expand our volunteer base (currently sits at six non-trustees).
That is how you walk the walk in this world. I give this whole enterprise one mighty double-rainbow-all-the-way thumbs up. Kaibosh is having a launch party at their HQ tonight at 6pm – come along if you’re in W-town, and eat some of the food, which is of course donated from local businesses.
Wgtn, we have an Oxbrow
Sep. 2nd, 2010 07:17 pm(Right, catching up continues.)
Wellingtons:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
craigoxbrow is in town next week. He arrives Tuesday afternoon, leaves the following Tuesday afternoon.
(Who iscraigoxbrow? He is a friend from Edinburgh. He saw Joss Whedon speak in Sydney. He ran long-running Buffy game The Watch House, written up and followed by a crowd on RPG.net. He makes custom action figures with some prowess and has dipped his feet into the wild world of 48-hour filmmaking. He is a good chap.)
So, if you're in NZ a week, starting and finishing in Wgtn, what do you go see? I've already suggested a trip up to Rotorua and Taupo, which are tourist destinations for very good reason. Hmm, LotR sites too? Paths of the Dead?
And - if you're in Wgtn with a spare room? Craig will be perfectly happy to hang in a backpackers but if anyone can offer more hospitality, then great. <lj user=wyldcard> has kindly offered space for a few nights, but he's out of town for some of the time...
And we'll definitely sort out a get-together in a pub or something. All will be welcome!
Wellingtons:
craigoxbrow is in town next week. He arrives Tuesday afternoon, leaves the following Tuesday afternoon. (Who is
craigoxbrow? He is a friend from Edinburgh. He saw Joss Whedon speak in Sydney. He ran long-running Buffy game The Watch House, written up and followed by a crowd on RPG.net. He makes custom action figures with some prowess and has dipped his feet into the wild world of 48-hour filmmaking. He is a good chap.)So, if you're in NZ a week, starting and finishing in Wgtn, what do you go see? I've already suggested a trip up to Rotorua and Taupo, which are tourist destinations for very good reason. Hmm, LotR sites too? Paths of the Dead?
And - if you're in Wgtn with a spare room? Craig will be perfectly happy to hang in a backpackers but if anyone can offer more hospitality, then great. <lj user=wyldcard> has kindly offered space for a few nights, but he's out of town for some of the time...
And we'll definitely sort out a get-together in a pub or something. All will be welcome!
don't get it, man
Jul. 15th, 2010 10:07 amReceived an email:
Why Not <gombestream@gmail.com> wrote:
"Hello,
I posted a comment on your site, morgue.isprettyawesome.com that I am hoping to have removed.
[comment reproduced inside the email in its entirety]
Is there any way that you can take my comment down for me? Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
[name from comment]"
I don't get it. Is it some kinda weird email harvesting thing?
The comment chosen is by a businessperson defending their business - but there's nothing particularly objectionable about it, the business has rebranded completely since then, and there are other comments to the same post from the same person.
If it's a email harvesting thing - whuh? Why does it really look like a cut-and-paste of the comment, including date stamp and "permalink" link? Doesn't look like bot-harvested content. And what are the odds of it selecting randomly a comment that relates to a business, that a businessman might conceivably want deleted? (Answer: about 1/3000)
If it's legitimate - why using an email titled "why not" and a gmail address of a Tanzanian safari destination? What the hey?
I'm kinda curious to reply in case it's legit, and to ask why they want the post taken down. (Which I'm not gonna do by the way.)
I've already queried the original email address used, but it bounces.
Why Not <gombestream@gmail.com> wrote:
"Hello,
I posted a comment on your site, morgue.isprettyawesome.com that I am hoping to have removed.
[comment reproduced inside the email in its entirety]
Is there any way that you can take my comment down for me? Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,
[name from comment]"
I don't get it. Is it some kinda weird email harvesting thing?
The comment chosen is by a businessperson defending their business - but there's nothing particularly objectionable about it, the business has rebranded completely since then, and there are other comments to the same post from the same person.
If it's a email harvesting thing - whuh? Why does it really look like a cut-and-paste of the comment, including date stamp and "permalink" link? Doesn't look like bot-harvested content. And what are the odds of it selecting randomly a comment that relates to a business, that a businessman might conceivably want deleted? (Answer: about 1/3000)
If it's legitimate - why using an email titled "why not" and a gmail address of a Tanzanian safari destination? What the hey?
I'm kinda curious to reply in case it's legit, and to ask why they want the post taken down. (Which I'm not gonna do by the way.)
I've already queried the original email address used, but it bounces.
its ma birthday NOW
Apr. 2nd, 2010 12:06 amand i'm celebrating on LIVEJOURNAL and what are you gonna do about it
TWITTER GOT NOTHING ON THIS
now i'm goan out to punch a few rivals in they faces
and then i'll probably have a cup of tea with a teaspoon of GETTING OLDER
TWITTER GOT NOTHING ON THIS
now i'm goan out to punch a few rivals in they faces
and then i'll probably have a cup of tea with a teaspoon of GETTING OLDER
Aliens Endgame - playtest Weds
Jan. 4th, 2010 11:30 pmI'm gonna be giving a first playtest to "Aliens Endgame", my Kapcon game for 2010, on Weds in the evening. There are still a few seats free. Give me an email or comment here if you'd like to be in...
Aliens: Endgame is an intense character-based drama in a horrific world.
In 1995, the weekend-long event Gametime launched a series of large-scale games in Wellington inspired by the Aliens film franchise. The last of these was Apocalypse in December 1999, which found Earth overrun by the alien creatures. Now, ten years later, Endgame will take you back to that blighted planet and give you a chance to seek out its future.
(Note: Anyone looking for a battle scenario will be disappointed. No, you don't get to be a Colonial Marine, you don't get to drive an APC, and you don't get to fire a pulse rifle.)
System: Specific to this game
System Knowledge: Not Needed
Number of Players: 6
Genre: Science-Fiction
Genre Knowledge: Not Needed
Role-playing Knowledge: Not Required
Style: Character-focused
Classification: PG13+
Scored: N
Marie Antoinette on Nightline!
Dec. 3rd, 2009 11:28 pmSo the show was on the telly! Awesome.
You can watch the pretty pictures and my wonderful team of folk at this linky.
Super exciting! Clap hands! Etc!
You can watch the pretty pictures and my wonderful team of folk at this linky.
Super exciting! Clap hands! Etc!
NZers - just heard - late-night news show Nightline's piece on the show what I wrote is going to be on tonight!
About the filming
Tune in, TV3 10.30pm...
(and hopefully on the internets thereafter!)
Adamant: crazy $1 Sale!
Nov. 24th, 2009 03:31 pmRPG company Adamant Entertainment, who have a couple pieces of my writing available at their store, have announced a completely crazy $1 sale!
Stuff for 4E, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, the OGL, and Mutants & Masterminds. Worth a look.
Stuff for 4E, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, the OGL, and Mutants & Masterminds. Worth a look.
Cracked it
Nov. 23rd, 2009 11:32 pmAh! With great satisfaction I think I've finally assembled the structure of the game I'm writing for Kapcon 19.
It's rather done my head in. But I'm happy to have got something down that I think will work.
Next step: actually start *writing* it. (Then playtest! Eeek, time time time...)
Yes, it's another revival. I don't feel nostalgic but I sure seem to be acting like I am...
Aliens: Endgame
Endgame is an intense character-based drama in a horrific world.
In 1995, the weekend-long event Gametime launched a series of large-scale games in Wellington inspired by the Aliens film franchise. The last of these was Apocalypse in December 1999, which found Earth overrun by the alien creatures. Now, ten years later, Endgame will take you back to that blighted planet and give you a chance to seek out its future.
(Note: Anyone looking for a battle scenario will be disappointed. No, you don't get to be a Colonial Marine, you don't get to drive an APC, and you don't get to fire a pulse rifle.)
It's rather done my head in. But I'm happy to have got something down that I think will work.
Next step: actually start *writing* it. (Then playtest! Eeek, time time time...)
Yes, it's another revival. I don't feel nostalgic but I sure seem to be acting like I am...
Aliens: Endgame
Endgame is an intense character-based drama in a horrific world.
In 1995, the weekend-long event Gametime launched a series of large-scale games in Wellington inspired by the Aliens film franchise. The last of these was Apocalypse in December 1999, which found Earth overrun by the alien creatures. Now, ten years later, Endgame will take you back to that blighted planet and give you a chance to seek out its future.
(Note: Anyone looking for a battle scenario will be disappointed. No, you don't get to be a Colonial Marine, you don't get to drive an APC, and you don't get to fire a pulse rifle.)
