I will have my DVD in a bit. There was a credit card snafu and other shenanigans that have resulted in me getting it a week later than the other geeks. Hey, at least it gave me time to find a movie that suits both my movie snob tendencies and my incessant urge to fangirl over Karl Urban. Seriously, I think mi amor would probably celebrate the day when Karl retires. Or is otherwise out of his current career. Anyway, since my squeefest DVD review won't be around until sometime after Thanksgiving, I'll throw a link your way!

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2009/11/dinkytown_dad_s.php

Ten bucks says this guy is in denial. Hey, join the club, buddy! I still like to pretend I have some dignity and confine all my Star Trek merchandise purchases (all two of them) to the world of online shopping. But when I start talking about how illogical it is for Starfleet to be headquartered in San Francisco due to the geographical instability of the area, I realize there's no hope left for me. Yeah. I'll elaborate on that point soon. I promise. Right after I stop adding additional crap to my Netflix queue. And get my rear in watching Flash Forward. And not just because John Cho's in it. Trust me. I'm up to my ears in sci-fi stuff I want to catch up on (along with news, political stuff, wedding planning, work and a zillion other things).




 

Between computer issues, work issues and life issues, I have been terrible about keeping up with this blog. And I didn't even take on my Flash Forward marathon that I kind of told myself I'd do once my computer was fixed. Then again, Out of the Blue does wonders in distracting me from sci-fi (and will eventually be discussed in my regular journals). Anyway, so in the midst of all this, I have still been keeping up with Heroes, and I'm actually enjoying it. It took a little too much time for the creative staff to find their feet again, but now things are picking up. Time for some bulletpoints, I say!

After the episode two weeks ago, I was all "OMGWTF Mohinder?" I am glad to see the creative staff nodding to continuity and showing Mohinder reviewing his father's old films. But I still want to know why he ended up with a torso full of nails and what Hiro's going to do about it.

Speaking of Hiro, in spite of his best efforts, he did alter his present. I only figured this out when Matt-Sylar said, "I tried to kill a waitress here once." That could also be attributed to a slight continuity error. This is one of those occasions when both explanations work, mostly because of the way that Chaos Theory works (and it got its share of exposure in the Hiro-centric episode).

I think the way they're developing the relationship between Peter and Emma is solid. It's much more subtle than what's been done in the past, and a lot of this stems from Emma actually being a strong character. Strong characters are something of a rarity on the show, but she's one of the best. She's growing on me, and I think even outside of a romantic context she and Peter work well together. Though I still think Peter and Mohinder would have made a good match, Peter and Emma are a lot more credible than most other combinations the writers have thrown at us (damn near literally).

Samuel has an ability and a talent. While we've seen his earth-shattering (literally) ability, we've also seen his more subtle talent of persuasion at work. It seems to have worked on Tracy. Likewise, it can convince the audience that there is no definite good and evil in this situation. On the one hand, Samuel's clearly up to no good. On the other hand, he does have a point about family and the importance of being with people such as yourself. Both sides are as clearly wrong as they are right.

I still haven't made a decision about Sylar-Matt yet, other than it's this season's gender twisted Nikki/Jessica battle. But it's getting ugly, and Matt's getting passive-aggressive. The word trainwreck comes to mind, and while I understand how it happened, I think this is where the writers will mostly likely write themselves into a knot. Just my personal opinion.

Claire is almost tolerable this season and is sort of being the voice of reason. Oh, and she revealed the Haitian's name to be Rene. Say what? I admit I didn't see that coming. Speaking of the Haitian, his presence has been sporadic but crucial, just like Jimmy Jean Louis mentioned in this interview  . I think Claire and the Haitian need more scenes together, if only because they have an understanding, a dynamic unlike any other in the show.


I think that's all I have for now, but I'll try to get some of the old archived items added and get crannking on some of my sci-fi theories that are sparked by the various programs I watch. Good times!


 

http://www.examiner.com/x-24504-Norfolk-Comic-Books-Examiner~y2009m11d2-Adrian-P...

I know you tend to hate spoilers, but...this is kind of major. I'm still kind of hoping another male character dies, but that's just me being a sadist. I don't really have much to say on it, to be honest. Okay, there is the "Yeah, who didn't see this coming?" He should have died after season 2 and stayed dead, in my personal opinion. Some of his fans might rejoice since he's now gone from Heroes and can move on to new projects. This sort of sentiment is echoed by fans of Sendhil Ramamurthy (a.k.a. Mohinder). Dunno. I'm still rooting for them to somehow write Claire out of the show due to Hayden devolving into a hot mess, but I think the odds of that happening are lower than me going on a date with Karl. I can dream, though, can't I?
 

Since sci-fi quality can really run the gamut, I thought I'd bring your attention to a place where we can poke fun at bad sci-fi movies and reminisce about an old TV classic.

"Speaking of (potentially) bad movies..." 

I encourage you to post, hint hint!


 

I'm caught up on Heroes. Due to my work schedule, fanfic, political career stuff and wedding planning, I haven't had a chance to catch up until now. It's better than I expected, although it is pretty dark what with it being about redemption. I'm a little too tired to bring out the Popnotes of Doom, but I will offer up the following bits. Spoilers ahead and stuff (unless you've already seen the episodes).

Seems like Mohinder helped Hiro and Peter out sometime before this volume began. How I don't know. Though he has yet to appear in any episodes, I do remember him having a project out in London that filmed around the same time as the beginning of this volume. So we might see him. Might. I'm not so sure.

I'm not so sure what to make of all these new characters. I do like Emma. She seems to be the easiest of the characters for viewers to grasp. The carnival crew is...vague. I don't completely like them, but their lack of a clear side has kept them in my good graces. And we're not going to talk about Gretchen. We just won't. I'm cringing all over. And why the fuck did Annie off herself? I'd really like to know.

I apologize for the acronym use in advance. Still, Zachary Qunito=LOL. I think that's all I need to say.

Hiro IS dying! Ya-fucking-TTA! Sorry. I should not be so enthusiastic, but I am. I can't help myself. But even with that hanging over his head and the new family dynamics that will eventually emerge, there's something still sunny about it all. And yet, even surrounded by people, I feel like they're portraying Hiro as an island, which feels way more...right than it should.

I say if they really want to improve the ratings they need to carve out a character who has no powers at all and then get some solid casting. In completely unrelated news, I'll be watching The Bourne Supremacy later this week. I still haven't decided if I'll watch with the volume on or off.


 

If you didn't catch my fanfic wibbling in my journal...maybe that's a good thing. Anyway, I'm doing a test run on this story, which I'm tired of thinking about. It'll be up for a few days just to gauge reaction. After that, we'll see. I'll most likely take it down for editing, but I haven't decided. So, link.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5415544/1/At_Last

Let me know if it doesn't work. In the meantime, I'll be hiding from the online world for a bit, most likely driving the porcelain bus thanks to this insanity.


 

Our TiVo's on the fritz, so I haven't been able to watch Heroes. I'll recap it once I get a moment to catch up online. It might not be until next week, as I'm racing to finish my fanfic (proofreader was sick, and there's a bunch of rewriting I need to do in two days). I will spare most of you the fanfic wibbling. Trust me. I'm getting stage fright over the internet (even though I've never had it in real life). *facepalm*

Since I'm here, anyone have any sci-movie recommendations? I'm filling up the Netflix queue and figured this place could use some movie reviews. So I'm all ears/eyes on this one.
And for all two people that might care, The Bourne Supremacy is in said queue. I may have to watch a couple times for picking up the plot and enjoying the scenery (not necessarily in that order).
 

No seriously, it is. I'm talking about last night's Heroes episode. Seriously, this ep was very good, grumblings about Peter and Claire be damned. I mean, you had DL actually doing something; Hiro and Kaito in a nerdtastic swordfight; HRG starting to lose his grip on sanity; Peter doing some mind reading; Ted getting his head sliced open; Mohinder going parental...need I go on? Oh, and by the way, Micah really got a raw deal. Not to mention I'm really intrigued by Molly and her storyline. Then again, Mohinder's involved. But seriously, so much happened with this episode I'm not sure where to begin.

First off, death toll. Thompson, Linderman and Ted all kicked the bucket. We'll see what happens to DL. A small part of me has wanted to see more happen with DL. After all, his power is very fascinating to see in action. He's already been shot a couple times (including this ep), so he might go next ep. Now what I'd like to see go are the damn Peter/laire vibes. They weren't as noticeable in this ep, but they were there. Luckily a bunch of dead guys diverted my attention. Sine I'm stuck on this topic, let me also say that I'm bummed about Linderman dying. Yes, DL was full of awesome with the way he killed Linderman (hint: in a way that Sylar couldn't get his power), but a part of me enjoyed Linderman. Then again, Malcom McDowell rocks. Gotta love A Clockwork Orange! Anyhow, Ted's death kinda sucked, but in a way, it's best for him. He's reunited with his wife, and we can ross him off the Bomb List. Thompson, well, he had it coming. I just was surprised to see Bennet pull the trigger. I hear there are four more deaths on the way, and I strongly suspect Nathan is one of them. I'm starting to wonder if Sylar might die as well. It depends on how his showdown with Peter goes.

What else happened? Oh, fuck it! I am officially pissed off at every last Petrelli. Yes, this includes Claire because she's well in the bloodline. Between the incest innuendos, Nathan and Mama being pure asswipes and even Peter's starting to irritate me. Of course, my irritation comes from Peter being something of an ass in regards to Mohinder. After all, Mohinder doesn't know Peter's alive. He thinks that he is the reason Peter died. You know this is a concern when non-Peter/Mohinder shippers at 9th Wonders are discussing it (unless there's a bunch of, um, closeted Peter/Mohinder shippers I'm not aware of). But yeah, out of all the Petrellis, only Claire is halfway tolerable (even though I'm annoyed by her). Well, Heidi (Nathan's wife) is still decent, but she's not in the bloodline. By the way, did you see Linderman's skills on her? Sweet. And did he inadvertently keep DL alive a bit when DL phased through his skull? I wonder. Anyhow, moving on because I'd still like to strangle the entire Petrelli family tree.

Then there's Hiro and dad (Kaito). First off, seeing George Takei move like that was just crazy. I was going "Oh, snap!" during the training sequences. Plus, I love a good swordfight. It was stunning visually and depicted Kaito as potentially the least screwed up of the heroic parental units. I'm very curious as to what Kaito's power is, and I hope he becomes a main character next season. I have this theory that he's the best presented parent because we have yet to meet Hiro's mom. Somehow, after we meet the mothers of the main characters, we realize that they were kind of screwed from the beginning. This does include Mohinder's mom, who was a lying asswipe in episode 9 ("Homecoming"). We'll see how this theory holds up next episode. I can't say anymore because, well, that'd be a spoiler. I've been very impressed with Hiro the past few episodes, and I'm curious as to what the season finale will bring. I know. I'm sad that season 1 is almost over.

On that note, time for my weekly Mohinder ramble. First off, he managed to treat Molly by being alive. Yay! Second, it seems Molly is growing closer to him as well. Will he end up being her dad? While I'd love that, Mohinder's status in the states is unknown, and I doubt legal residents would be seen as ideal candidates. But would Matt be in a position to adopt her? How about Molly's extended family? If he adopted her, though, that might make him a more prominent character in season 2. According to the TV Guide interview, Mohinder's character will be expanded in a figureative sense. Yay! But yeah, Mohinder going all protective for Molly has spurred the Stik Squee. Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Anywho, yeah. Mohinder rocks, and he'll be back. Now if we can just get another couple comics with him in it, it'd be all good.

On that note, my ramble is over...until next week. I'm a Heroes addict. I can't help it! And hey. Let's throw in a link without context for good measure.




http://www.9thwonders.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=55669&st=0


 

I have to confess I haven't been keeping up with this lately because I'm working my tail off to write fanfiction.

Yes, you read that correctly. I'm writing fanfiction. I'm thinking it's time to suggest an emoticon of a paper bag over a face. Just sayin'.

I actually wrote some fanfiction for Heroes a couple years back, and you can see it in the link to your left that says "Fanfic". That is a link to my fanfiction.net page. Don't get me wrong. I know that a lack of quality is an issue there, but I refuse to put fanfiction into my portfolio on this site. While a lot of things about this site are no longer sacred, I still refuse to taint the site with fanfic. So I post it elsewhere. Anyway, when the WGA strike landed, I lost interest in the fandom and proceeded to occupy my time in other ways. All was going well until I saw Star Trek. Lord have mercy. I'm writing fanfic again.

I've actually been talking about this project with Robert Waltz . The story that's been occupying my time lately centers around activities on a starbase that are loosely connected to events in a story I've been writing since June (but have set aside to work on this little offshoot). Truth be told, I've been hesitant to really discuss it because of the characters that take the spotlight in this story, specifically the reason they're the main characters. So this entry will mostly likely sway between me talking about the story and my opinions on writing fanfiction in general.

I admit I'm still a bit of a snob and look down on fanfiction in general.Why? Well, there's no respect given for original characters. Don't get me wrong. I know all about the Mary Sue (and variants) issue and recognize that a lot of people who write fanfiction tend to be crappy writers. At the same time, I've come across some really good fanfics, and I know that there are professional writers in the Daria fandom. Still. I think fanfic is a time waster. An entertaining time waster but one nonetheless. Did I also mention that when I read fanfic, I tend to read quite a few stories of the porny kind? Yeah. (Ironically, I don't write it. I can write sex scenes but don't particularly enjoy doing so on a regular basis.)

On top of that, fandom misuses the word angst like it's nobody's business. Guys, I wrote an article on angst! It's right here! "Drama Newsletter (July 9, 2008)"  What many call angst is just regular old drama and conflict. Plain and simple. That conflict, though, is one of my favorite things in fanfiction. I can read happy, fluffy pieces and appreciate them for what they are. The same goes for porn. However, I live for the heartwrenching conflicts and moral ambiguity that only true clashes and insurmountable odds can provide. I actually have come across some stories where that type of tension has overwhelmed me, but those occasions are very few and far between. When I do find these fanfics, I admit I tend to enjoy them more than completely original stories of a similar nature. it's usually because those who write solid stories with lots of tension tend to be more well rounded and more experienced writers. Those types are hard to find no matter where you look.

Needless to say, I find myself sort of writing that kind of story in this offshoot from the larger project (which is more along the lines of a suspense thriller, which isn't too far out of my range). There is tension, conflict and a more serious tone. But it is also an exploration of a relationship reaching its pinnacle level: marriage. But getting to that point has been far from easy for the pair in question. I'm not entirely inclined to discuss the pair at great length because Robert Waltz and I disagree on on it (although we both agree that shipping the Kirk and Spock from this timeline just won't work, so don't ask). However, a lot of wiggle room was given in the movie for the couple at the center of my story, and they are ultimately at the center of a conspiracy that fuels my main story and provides a challenge in the piece that I'm currently working to finish.

Needless to say, I'm nine kinds of worried about this story, which I'm stupidly going to make available for public consumption before the month is over. Besides this story basically being a public confession of my favorite part of the damn movie (in retrospect), I have other worries. Do I make their voices sound true without overdoing it on the catchphrases? Will my incorporation of other Star Trek canon characters work in the context of this story? Will people see my original characters as full realized people and not self inserts (which I've been lucky enough to largely avoid)? Fanfic can be a dicey line to walk, but I do it, anyway. I'd ask myself why, but I don't think I really want to know the answer.

On that note, I'd like to leave you with a link to a story I happened to find not too long ago and can't help but adore. It pretty much embodies the tension/conflict side of writing in general that I crave but almost never get.

http://ceres-libera.livejournal.com/tag/switch

I think that's all I need to say about that.


 

A link!

http://notalwaysright.com/klingon-to-the-hope-of-a-ticket/2460

On a more serious note, I've been pondering the idea of how a present day society can affect the development of a science fiction story. Oddly enough, this train of thought was inspired by the description of a hypospray. More links! (I love you, Memory Alpha.)

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Hypospray

I saw on another page where someone described it as being like an aerosol. This got me to thinking if it was designed to operate in a similar manner to aerosol cans. If so, would the hypospray of the 1960s have been designed with CFCs in mind? It's hard to say without digging through the archives to find and crew commentary from that time which would shed light on the subject. Given that a more ecofriendly propellant wasn't introduced until the mid 90s, it's pretty likely that the hypospray in TOS would have been designed to use CFC as its propellant. This means the hypospray would have to undergo another design change in order to make sense to present day audiences that are used to not having CFC products around in large quantities.

So what does a hypospray have to do with the development of a science fiction story? The CFC hyposprays were designed from the mind frame of what technology was available back in the 60s. A hypospray created in this decade would be designed to use an HFA propellant due to the lovely Montreal Protocol basically put the kibosh on CFCs for medical use. This little detail is the culmination of years of scientific research that ended up altering various technological developments. As humanity further explores the sciences, more developments would occur that can change any number of elements of a science fiction story.

Such developments are not restricted to the sciences. Social changes can affect the development of technologies or even plotlines for sci-fi. Generally speaking, the more suppressive/repressive the change, the more it will affect a story. This is pretty obvious, but it does lead to an interesting question. What if certain shows had been developed at different times? For example, what would Doctor Who be like if the show had been developed a decade earlier or later? Would Heroes have had altruistic characters like Peter Petrelli if it had been pitched in 1999? Would the original incarnation of Star Trek have been set in the 24th century if it was airing today due to the somewhat slow development of space travel technology over the past couple decades? No one can really know the answers, but if we were to look at the technologies available, the social mores and what was known about scientific areas of concentration we could make some fabulous guesses.

So...anyone want to take a stab at it? I'll be sure to share my thoughts in future entries.