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ask-the-childrenofrevolution · 3 years

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FOIOP Ch.1 A Typical Day

Beep...Beep...Beep. From a night stand an alarm clock buzzed abruptly, causing the sheets of the neighboring bed to shuffle around. A fuzzy hand soon appeared from beneath the sheets and clumsily swiped at the air as it tried to shut off the alarm. Eventually the figure removed the sheets off of them completely, revealing a young cat Mink. He had a pink nose that was surrounded by a light sand color that enveloped the entirety of his muzzle, even leading down beyond his neck. The rest of the boy’s fur was harvest gold, with light brown stripes that started from the tip of his ears to the end of his tail. The young Mink let out an inaudible grown as he finally opened his ruby eyes. Now that the boy was able to see his alarm clock, he was able to end the constant beeping with the press of a button. The Mink then proceeded to stretch his arms and legs before finally getting out of bed and heading to his closet. Inside was a wardrobe of one-piece suits, all in the exact same color and fashion as the one next to it. They were all white and blue with the symbol of the World Government on the front while the back was marked with “G-4”. The Mink seemed to ponder a bit on which suit to take before finally deciding to grab the one farthest to the right. From there the Mink then proceeded to the bathroom to prepare for the day. The first stop was the shower, being a Mink meant that taking good care of one’s fur was vital. A well washed coat could be the difference between a Mink being in good health or not. Once he was finished with getting dress the young Mink finally stepped out of his room and walked towards the kitchen where his dad was preparing breakfast. “Morning Charley! Today’s the big day, so I made you your favorite breakfast; pancakes with hash browns and scrambled eggs”! Came the enthusiastic voice of a Golden Retriever Mink. His tail wagged back and forth as he flipped a pancake over on the stove’s grill. “Morning dad. Where’s mom? Did she get called in to work early”? Charley asked as he grabbed a plate from the cabinet. “Yup, one of the McClatchy's young boys got a hold of Mr. McClatchy’s SEAHORSE and somehow managed to flush it down the toilet. As you can guess it wrecked the pipes which caused some flooding in water treatment, so the Over Admiral called in your mom and the other mechanics early this morning to go down there and patch things up.” Nugget said as he placed a stack of pancakes on Charley’s plate. “So, mom is literally knee-high in...” Charley cut himself off at the end to avoid cursing. “I guess she is.” Nugget responded with a light chuckle. The two then sat down for breakfast. Charley was able to finish almost half of his meal before his father spoke up. “Today’s the day you get the results from your GOAT, are you excited”? Nugget asked his son. The Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test or GOAT for short was a placement test that was used to place young barricade dwellers in existing barricade jobs based on their knowledge and talents. This test was made to ensure the barricade would remain up and running for generations to come. Charley took a sip of his synthetic orange juice before answering. “No, I’m actually really nervous. There are certain jobs in the barricade that I know I would be horrible at.” Charley replied as his ears and tail drooped. Nugget could see that his son was in a lot of distress, so he offered some words of advice. “Well, you’ll never know until you try, and even if you have a slip up it can be used as a learning experience for the next time.” Nugget said. Charley gave a small smile; he was always surprised by how optimistic his dad was. No matter how bad things got, Nugget could always find something positive out of it. “Your right dad, maybe I have a hidden talent for something or if I ended up in the diner with you, then I wouldn’t have to worry about royally screwing up since you taught me all I know about cooking.” Charley said hopeful. “See, that’s the spirit”! Nugget said as he playfully ruffled his son’s hair. Nearby the family’s antique grandfather clock chimed as the hour hand reached eight. “Well, I better get going, don’t want to be late for class.” Charley said as he got up from the dining chair. “Good luck and don’t forget what we talked about.” Nugget said. “I won’t.” Charley said as he strapped on his SEAHORSE and exited his home. Before we continue let’s dive deeper into what a SEAHORSE is. The SEAHORSE otherwise known as the Sustainable Electric Assisting Hazardous Obstacles Survival Equipment, is a nifty little gadget that was created by the scientist at Sea-Tec. This mechanical marvel is given to barricade dwellers on their twelfth birthday from the Over- Admiral. Worn on the forearm, the SEAHORSE is a multi-tool that helps barricade dwellers keep tabs on their health and items, as well as map out the user’s surroundings. It also has a built-in Geiger counter to warn the wearer of any radiation leaks within the barricade. The SEAHORSE is also equipped with a security identification system that only allows the user and any blood relatives to use their device, this system makes it easier for the next generation to access helpful information left by the previous generation. Charley had just taken the elevator with a group of his fellow students to the instructional floor. While heading down, the students were chatting with each other over what job they hoped to be placed in. With each passing floor Charley could feel his anxiety slowly returning. “It’ll be fine, it's not going to be that bad, just remember what dad said.” Charley said as he tried to console himself. From behind Charley felt a hand touch his shoulder, this made the cat mink physically jump as he let out a yelp of surprised. Charley quickly turned around and came face to face with his friend Johari. “Well good morning to you too.” Johari said. “Sorry Jo, you kind of caught me off guard there.” Charley said apologetically. “No worries C, but you seem a bit more on edge today than normal, is everything alright”? Johari asked. “It's the GOAT, my dad had finally managed to calm my nerves, but their starting to act up again.” Charley replied. “I think there are a lot of students who are in the same boat as you today.” Johari said. “Really? They all look quiet chipper to me.” Charley replied as he looked around the elevator at the smiling faces of his classmates. Charley felt his ears and tail drooped once more. “No way C, their all nervous. They're just trying to hide it behind hope and dreams about how cool it would be if they ended up as Over Admiral.” Johari said. “Over Admiral? Isn’t that being a bit to hopeful”? Charley asked. “Not really, anything is possible. Heck I hope I can be Over Admiral just to get my parents off my back.” Johari said. “They're still hounding you about studying to be a barricade loyalty inspector”? Charley asked. “Yes, and it's so annoying”! Johari groaned. “I keep telling them that those inspectors are nothing but narks, yet they keep telling me that my family has had that position for generations and that “Its what’s best for the barricade.” Johari said in a mocking tone of voice. Johari leaned her back against the wall before slumping down to the floor, lowering her head to her curled-up knees. “I don’t want to betray my friends.” Johari quietly told Charley. Charley sat down next to his friend as the elevator continued downwards. He had known Johari since they were babies, they grew up together in the barricade and she was often the one to protect Charley from any bullies that wanted to pick on the easily frightened Mink. After a deep sigh Johari looked up at the elevator’s ceiling. “Sometimes I wonder if life would be better outside of the barricade.” Johari confessed. Charley felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up. “Johari you shouldn’t say that in public, what if someone overhears you”? Charley responded as he glanced around the elevator to see if anyone had overheard Johari’s confession. “Besides, we don’t know what’s out there, if anything.” Charley said. “Even if there’s nothing but a black void beyond the barricade door, that would still be better than being a snitch.” Johari replied. Charley felt really bad for his friend, while his parents allowed and supported Charley to explore his interest, Johari was constricted to only following the path her parents laid out for her, any divergent was looked down upon. Johari’s parents were fully dedicated to what the Over Admiral thought was best for the barricade and would do whatever was necessary to ensure the Over Admiral’s demands were met. A sudden ding of a bell caught Charley, Johari, and the other students' attention as the elevator had finally reached the educational floor. Charley brought his attention back to Johari who was already up and heading for the exit. “C’mon we don’t want to be late for class.” Johari plainly said. Charley wanted to intervene but by then Johari had already left the elevator. The classroom was a buzz with students talking and gossiping with one another. Charley was quietly seated at his desk, still concerned over Johari. He really wanted to help his friend avoid getting the job she dreaded so much, but what could one Mink like him do? Charley let out a defeated sigh as the feeling of helplessness swarmed over him. “Hey furball”! Shouted Gus, the local barricade bully. The beefy teen wrapped his arm around Charley’s neck, not enough to cut off the Mink’s breathing but enough to hold Charley in place. “What do you want Gus”? Charley asked, more annoyed at the bully’s presence today than his usual fearfulness. “Today’s the day we get the results of our GOAT and I just wanted to let you know ahead of time that I like my burgers medium rare, capiche”? Gus said as he squeezed Charley’s neck enough to cause the Mink to try gasping for air. “c..c..capisco.” Charley weakly responded. “Good.” Gus said as he released Charley from his grasp. “Alright class, settle down.” Came the voice of Charley’s homeroom teacher Mr. Anderson. The class became quiet and turned their attention to Mr. Anderson. “Good morning everyone, I hope you all got enough rest last night because today we have a lot to go over.” Mr. Anderson said. Everyone in the classroom let out a groan of disapproval about the work ahead. Mr. Anderson let out a chuckle. “Alright, alright I’m just pulling your guy's legs. Instead, we will be going over the results of the GOAT.” Mr. Anderson announced. This immediately caught the class’s attention as they soon found themselves at the edges of their seats in anticipation. Charley though tried to make himself as unnoticeable as possible, sinking further into his seat while curling up his tail and flattening his ears. Mr. Anderson pulled out a metal briefcase and set it on top of his desk. A click could be heard as the latches of the briefcase came undone. Mr. Anderson then showed his class the sealed envelopes that were inside. The class stared on in awe and horror. In their teacher’s hand was the envelopes that contained their future. “So... Who wants to go first”? Mr. Anderson asked. The students looked at each other in terror, who would be the first one to take the plunge? Charley looked behind him to see Johari staring at the envelopes. He knew she was dreading the results and had the most to lose no matter what the outcome was. Maybe if his results were just as bad, Johari wouldn’t have to suffer alone. The young Mink nervously raised his hand. “Yes, Charley”? Mr. Anderson asked. Charley could immediately feel all eyes fall on him. He never liked being the center of attention and for a moment Charley thought of telling Mr. Anderson that he was only stretching or make the excuse that he just needed to use the bathroom, but looking at Johari Charley knew he couldn’t abandon her like that. With a lump in his throat Charley spoke up. “I..I.. I, Mr. Anderson I w..would like to have m..my re..results p..p..please.” Charley stuttered. “I’m very surprised Mr. Nolasco, glad to see that you’re taking the initiative.” Mr. Anderson said happily. Mr. Anderson searched through the envelopes until he found Charley’s. He pulled the envelope out and placed it on Charley’s desk. “Good luck Mr. C.” Mr. Anderson said. On the envelope was the GOAT’s logo, a little goat standing on a little hill while it chewed on some papers, behind it was a rising sun emblazoned with the World Governments symbol. On the flap of the envelope was Charley’s full name; Charley Nolasco. His family's maiden name Nolasco was a keepsake from all the way back to the first Mink inhabitants of Barricade G-4. From behind him, Charley could feel his classmates overlooking him. “Aren’t you going to open it”? Asked one classmate. “Yeah, let’s see what you got Charley.” Another classmate said. Johari managed to squeeze herself next to Charley’s side. Somehow having his friend by him gave Charley the courage to open the envelope. Dear Mr. Nolasco, We want to congratulate you on passing this big milestone in your life as a barricade dweller. The GOAT is an important staple in every barricade and ensures that everyone has a part to play in our fight for survival in this post-apocalyptic world. We here at Sea-Tec have made sure to carefully look over and review every GOAT to ensure that our young barricade dwellers are properly placed in positions best suited to their skills and abilities. After careful evaluation of your test scores Mr. Nolasco, Sea-Tec was rather impressed by your skills in judgement, problem solving, and negotiation. As a result, we are happy to announce that you will be placed as Barricade G-4's next Over Admiral upon the completion of your senior year of school. On behalf of all of us here at Sea-Tec we want to say congratulations on your big achievement and wish you the best of luck on your future endeavor as Over Admiral. Sincerely, Your friends at Sea-Tec.

Charley and his classmates stared at the piece of paper, mouths agape. Charley’s brain was having a hard time processing what was happening and the only thing that snapped him out of his stupor was Mr. Anderson. “That’s sure one way to start off the school day, congratulations Charley”! Mr. Anderson said with a smile. From beside him, Charley could ever so slightly hear Johari whisper her reaction. “Holy fucking shit dude.” Johari said stunned. The students around Charley were all looking at him, expecting a reaction. “What”? Charley asked. “I can see this is going to take some time for you to process this, so I’ll let you be for right now. In the meantime, does anyone else want to volunteer” Mr. Anderson asked the rest of his class. “What’s the point? Charley already has the best job anyone can get in this place!” Gus complained. “Now, now Mr. Dalton there are plenty of other exciting jobs here in the barricade.” Mr. Anderson assured. “Yeah, but that still leaves that furball as our boss.” Gus grumbled. Charley’s ears perked up at that. If he was going to be the one running the barricade, then maybe he can... “Charley Nolasco to the Over Admiral’s office please, Charley Nolasco to the Over Admiral’s office please.” Came a monotone female voice from the barricade’s intercom system. There came an echo of oohs as the students thought Charley had done something to warrant a visit to the Over Admiral’s office. As he got up from his desk, Charley felt Johari grab his arm. “Everything's going to be fine.” Johari reassured. Charley nodded his head before leaving the classroom. The Over Admiral’s office was located a level above the barricade’s atrium. As Charley headed up, his thoughts became occupied by the results of his GOAT. “I’m going to be Over Admiral, I’m going to be Over Admiral. How did this happen? What should I do? Am I even capable of handling all that responsibility”? Charley questioned himself. Charley soon found himself outside of the Over Admiral’s office. In front of the Over Admiral’s office were two barricade security guards, they stood armed and at the ready. Charley felt very uneasy around the armed guards. “Halt, no one is allowed to enter the Over Admiral’s office without and appointment.” One security guard called out. Charley froze on the spot, easily intimidated by the guards. “Um, I’m Charley Nolasco, I was instructed by the intercom system to go to the Over Admiral’s office.” Charley spoke up. “Ah, you must be Ratchet’s son. Great job on the test kid. Go right on in, Over Admiral Brand is waiting for you inside.” The guard said. Charley thanked the two security guards before heading into the Over Admiral’s office. A putrid stench hit the young Mink’s nostrils as soon as he entered. Charley was taken aback by the smell and felt like he was going to vomit, however he held back the bile once he saw his parents sitting in front of the Over Admiral’s desk. “Charley! I heard the big news, congratulations sweetie”! Said Ratchet. Like her son, Ratchet was also a cat Mink though instead of having the bluish green hair and golden fur, she instead had gray fur with a few darker gray stripes with Orchid colored hair. Ratchet tried to give her son a hug but stopped her advances once she saw her son covering his nose and backing away. “Sorry mom, no offense but you kind of smell like sewage right now.” Charley said. “I’m sorry hon, I was called in to the Over Admiral’s right after work and didn’t have any time to wash up.” Ratchet explained. Nugget stood close to his wife, not seeming to mind the stench. “Hey kiddo the Over Admiral just let us in on your GOAT results. I knew you would ace it”! Nugget said as he gave his son a big hug. “Ah Charley, glad to see that you were able to make it, please take a seat.” Said Over Admiral Brand. Brand was a finely built man, he wasn’t too muscular, nor too thin. He had slick back bronze hair and petite handlebar mustache with a few strands of grey. Brand wore a fancy suit reminiscent to those Charley would see the Gorosei wearing in old school books. “I was just telling your parents about your GOAT results. I have to say Mr. And Mrs. Nolasco you two have quiet the brilliant boy there. You must be really proud.” Over Admiral Brand said. “We most certainly are sir.” Nugget said. Over Admiral Brand noticed Charley seemed uneasy. “Is everything alright Charley”? Over Admiral Brand asked. “Over Admiral, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to get distracted in the middle of our meeting.” Charley apologized. “It's alright Charley. I was in the same position as you when I was told that I was going to be the next Over Admiral. It can be very overwhelming to someone so young, but thankfully those of us in the older generation are here to help guide the next generation into filling in our positions.” Over Admiral Brand said. Once young barricade dwellers had received the results of their GOAT, they would be assigned to shadow and study under an experience barricade dweller in their assigned job field up until the young barricade dweller graduated from school. Upon completion of their graduation the young barricade dweller would then take over the position of their retiring superior and thus the cycle of barricade life continues. Over Admiral Brand then got up from his chair. “Here Charley, take my seat, I think the future Over Admiral should get a good head start by knowing the layout of their work space.” Over Admiral Brand said. Charley looked on in awe at the fine leather seat before him, it was every bit as fancy as Charley imagined and every bit as comfortable. “How does it feel”? Over Admiral Brand asked. “Like I’m sitting on top of a cloud sir.” Charley responded. Over Admiral Brand laughed. “Charley, we are on equal footing now, you don’t have to address me as sir or Over Admiral, just Brand will do.” Brand said. “Thank you, sir... Brand.” Charley corrected himself. “No worries Charley, now let me show you some of the nifty features this office has.” Brand said. The Over Admiral showed Charley the basic functions of the barricade, from the security cameras to monitoring the vital barricade life supporting systems. It was a lot to take in but Brand assured Charley that he would get the Mink familiar with the barricade’s system during Charley’s internship. Charley noticed a small computer on the far left of the Over Admiral’s desk. “What’s that for”? Charley asked. Brand seemed hesitant but spoke up. “I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but that little computer there controls the barricade door.” Brand admitted. “The door can be opened”? Charley asked astonished. “It can, but it's still too dangerous on the surface for us to go out.” Brand answered. “When will it be safe for us to return topside”? Charley asked. “The World Government is keeping tab of things up there, once they deem the surface is safe to live on again, they will notify Sea-Tec, who will then notify all of their barricades that we can leave the barricade.” Brand replied. “And when will that be”? Ratchet questioned, a hint of suspicion in her tone. Charley’s mother was not one who would blindly follow orders, if she grew cautious of something she wouldn’t just let it go, especially if it put her family at risk. Ratchet’s rebellious nature usually left her bumping heads with the Over Admiral and the two could sometimes be heard arguing with one another from all the way in the atrium. “Now, now Ratchet. Let’s not ruin your son’s big day. I’m sure Charley here probably wants to celebrate with his friends and family.” Brand said. Ratchet dropped her inquiries, but only for Charley’s sake. “Speaking of your friends, how would you like to dismiss class early today”? Brand asked. “Our you sure we can do that Mr. Brand”? Charley responded. “Why not, you kids deserve a break after a tough test like the GOAT, plus an early dismissal is sure to earn you some brownie points with your fellow classmates.” Brand said. The Over Admiral then took the den den mushi on his desk and gave the microphone to Charley. Charley looked at the microphone and then back to the Over Admiral who gave a nod of approval. Charley grinned as he spoke into the microphone. “Attention class of Barricade G-4. This is Charley Nolasco with an important message from the Over Admiral’s office. As of now, all classes today will be dismissed.” Charley said as he heard his voice over the intercom system. From the floor beneath them, Charley could hear the whoops and hollers of his classmates celebrating their early release. Looking up at the security monitors, Charley could see Johari entering the hallway from Mr. Anderson’s class. Johari didn’t seem happy about class being let out and Charley didn’t have to guess that her down mood was related to her GOAT result’s. “Hey, Mr. Brand.” Charley said. “Yes, Charley”? Brand responded. “As Over Admiral would I have the power to override someone’s GOAT results”? Charley asked. “Unfortunately, that’s the one thing an Over Admiral cannot do. The Goat was designed by the World Government and Marines to ensure the survival of those in the barricade, they would be the only ones who could change the results of a barricade dweller’s GOAT.” Brand sadly responded. Charley’s ears and tail dropped once more with the thought of Johari being stuck in a job that would bring her nothing but grief. The Over Admiral looked at the disheartened Mink and to the screen Johari was on, a smile soon grew on his face. “However, there is a loop hole that can negate the GOAT if, let’s say there is an empty spot on the barricade council.” Brand said.

Charley’s ears began to perk up as the young Mink listened to the Over Admiral. “And Mrs. Palmer will be retiring soon...” Brand trailed off. Charley felt his smile returning as he realized what the Over Admiral was suggesting. “Then, I could have Johari fill in the vacant spot since Sea-Tec wouldn’t allow the barricade council to operate without a full cabinet.” Charley added. The Over Admiral nodded his head. “Although an Over Admiral can’t change the results of the GOAT, they can choose who can be on the council, especially if the candidate in question has good credentials and looking at your friend Johari’s GOAT results here, she more than qualifies to fill Mrs. Palmer’s spot.” Brand said. Charley felt like he could fly. This was it, for once Charley felt that everything was going to be smooth sailing from this day forward.

#one piece #oc #au #revolutionary army #world government #fallout #crossover #post apocalyptic #post apocalypse #nuclear #wasteland #barricade #vault

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magicofthepen · 4 years

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Gallifrey Relisten: Weapon of Choice

Surprise surprise, I absolutely had to relisten to Weapon of Choice and Square One after listening to @podofrassilon. And I realized that a year-and-change ago when I first listened to Gallifrey, I didn’t post many thoughts and reactions to the early episodes (and I’m pretty sure the first time I did an episode-by-episode reaction was for Time War 2). So since I have not done enough rambling on the Internet about specific Gallifrey episodes I’m gonna do some relisten thoughts! (Also this whole thing feels super timely given that this week Weapon of Choice can be downloaded for free and series 1-4 are on sale! *end shameless plug*)

(Includes mentions of/references to Neverland, Zagreus, Spirit, Renaissance, Desperate Measures, and general references to Narvin, Romana, and Leela’s character arcs/characterization throughout the series.)

Oh, Weapon of Choice. I do love this one very much, especially as a first episode — it is doing so much character/world/plot establishment work and doing it so well! (And there are always many aww look at where they started emotions on every relisten.)

I know “above apoplexy but below incandescence” has been talked about a hundred times, but I’m gonna add my personal experience anyways: the first time I listened to Gallifrey, I....wasn’t very into the opening scene with all the Temporal Powers representatives. My reaction was pretty much: I can tell there’s a plot being set up but I’m not interested in these characters? I was kinda bored, I wasn’t paying that much attention.

“Above apoplexy but below incandescence” was when I started paying attention.

Narvin does some really interesting alternating between sounding polite-but-insincere and sounding genuinely angry/frustrated in this opening scene. And his moments of anger are always when Romana’s criticizing the CIA specifically. He is very defensive of His Agency, it very much seems like he knows he and Romana don’t agree on many things, but he wants her to at least respect the CIA.

Narvin trying to be all “we don’t need to talk about Project Alpha, it’s not that relevant” in front of Romana — possibly he doesn’t want her to distrust him/the CIA anymore than she already does post-Neverland? (No, I’m not hiding things, I’m just not going to mention them, thank you Brax....)

There are two similar-but-different layers to Leela wanting to join the outsiders — she’s trying to find a community (people she can live with who will like and respect her) but also a purpose, and the second bit has me wondering — what did Leela do on Gallifrey during her marriage with Andred? The rest of her life experiences (getting banished from her tribe, running away to travel with the Doctor, *gestures vaguely at all of Gallifrey*) are super intense and chaotic and also a lot about trying to do what she thinks is right — what did she get up to during those decades? Did she have a job of some kind (and people tolerated her because she was married to a guard and then kicked her out)? This is the Romana-and-E-space time gap all over again, I want the stories!

Romana may be bad at using her words re: friendship, but she is so much the one reaching out to Leela again and again in these early episodes ahhh. Please come help with this mission, please be my bodyguard, etc. etc. (leading ultimately to the most iconic episode of please stay that is Spirit). She definitely struggles with friendship in plenty of ways, but the fact that Leela is so lonely and adrift and Romana is the one to genuinely offer that community and purpose to her, offer Leela a home....it’s very good.

“Go to Madam President Romana.” It is always very jarring to hear Leela use Romana’s title, and I think usually it’s when she’s angry with Romana? So this feels different, it’s just a “I don’t know her that well yet” moment.

“We’re not monsters, Leela.” Wow the difference between their first interactions in Zagreus and now is incredible — specifically how Romana goes from “aloof, don’t care at all about you or your opinions” to “I care a lot what you think of me” (and how you can hear the rapid evolution of Romana’s Leela-related feelings through Zagreus...also very good. I realize this is not a Zagreus post, but hey.)

“Don’t you ever knock?” Listen. Listen. Every time my heart is <3333 at the parallel between Romana’s absolute venom at Narvin here and her warm affection when she chastises Narvin for not knocking in Desperate Measures....it’s such a small thing but every time I’m like, they’re gonna go so far!!

“On first name terms with the Time Lord president” The Name Thing, yes. Leela as the only one who almost always just calls her Romana, the only one who doesn’t interact with Romana as The President first.

“Of course, we shall observe a proper period of mourning first. You think I have no respect?” Hhhhhh the moment when Narvin’s like “Oh Romana’s going to probably get herself killed? What a shame.” is. A whole experience on every relisten. My dude, you have no idea what’s coming.

“You offer up yourself to die?” “You’re the suicide bomber Nepenthe. Why act so surprised? We are all of us willing to die to defend our beliefs.” / “If you know why I have taken this course, Time Lord, you will know why I must refuse.” “I do. That’s the trouble with being a martyr. We don’t back down, do we?” Another key “establishing character” moment. This whole scene is setting up Romana as someone who has a reckless disregard for her own life at best and is looking for something to die for at worst — and this, of course, is something that will come up again, and again, and again; she has better days and worse ones, but this never goes away.

Narvin is calling an investigation into the Gryben incident, while the crisis is still happening. Sir.

“Wisdom. Beauty. Wit. Will I ever find another like you?” “No.” Romana, I love you.

“Leela, we’re going home.” “Home? To Gallifrey?” “Where else?” Leela is so strongly in the camp of “home is not a place” and she genuinely is without a home right now, but Romana’s offer here - this is when Leela starts the (very messy) road to finding one again. (Also thinking way ahead to “Gallifrey is not my home” as Leela’s choosing to run off with Romana, ahem.)

Final thought — a reflection on my first listen of Weapon of Choice. I had done the whole “watch Romana and Leela Classic Who episodes, listen to Apocalypse Element/Neverland/Zagreus (and all of the Eight + Charley arc up to that point)” thing to prep for Gallifrey, but I actually almost stopped there. The endgame of all that watching/listening was supposed to be “listening to Gallifrey” but the other audios (especially for Romana) were so dark and bleak and “we’re going to hurt this character repeatedly” that I became super wary of Gallifrey! (Especially after I accidentally got really attached to TV!Romana.) But I still did the thing anyways, obviously, and Weapon of Choice was such a relief — oh yes, there can be funny moments! Oh yes, the characters can be clever and save the day! Obviously things get Worse starting next series, but really I did need the first series as kind of a palate cleanser to convince me that yes, I did like these audios, yes, they have a different Vibe than the others I’d listened to, and yes, I did want to keep going.

Next Episode Reaction: Square One

#gallifrey audios #will i be able to keep up consistent episode-by-episode relisten posts?#idk but i'm gonna give it a try #emily listens to big finish #ramblings #romana #leela #narvin #the relisten of rassilon

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yessadirichards · 3 years

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Tony-winning choreographer, actress Ann Reinking dies NEW YORK

Ann Reinking, the Tony Award-winning choreographer, actress and Bob Fosse collaborator who helped spread a cool, muscular hybrid of jazz and burlesque movement to Broadway and beyond, has died. She was 71.

Reinking died in her sleep Saturday while visiting family in Seattle, said her manager, Lee Gross.

Tributes poured in from the Broadway community, including from Tony Yazbeck, who called her “an absolute inspiration” and Leslie Odom, Jr., who thanked Reinking for being a mentor: “She honored the calling for real. RIP to a legend.” Bernadette Peters took to Twitter to say her heart was broken and Billy Eichner said she was “one of the most mesmerizing people I’ve ever seen on stage. A singular genius. RIP.”

Trained as a ballet dancer, Reinking was known for her bold style of dance epitomized by her work in the revival of the Kander and Ebb musical “Chicago,” complete with net stockings, chair dancing and plenty of pelvic thrusts.

Reinking co-starred as Roxie Hart along with Bebe Neuwirth’s Velma, and created the choreography “in the style of Bob Fosse,” the show’s original director and choreographer who died in 1987. She and Fosse worked together for 15 years and she was also his lover for several of them.

Her work on “Chicago” earned her a 1997 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards. Reinking replicated its choreography in productions throughout the world — England, Australia, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands and elsewhere. She was portrayed by Margaret Qualley in the recent FX series “Fosse/Verdon.”

The musical’s revival was first done in a concert version at City Center’s “Encores” series in 1996 and then moved to Broadway, where in 2011 it became the second longest-running show in Broadway history.

“You know how you hear sometimes a woman goes into labor and 10 minutes later she’s got this beautiful baby? You couldn’t believe that it was materializing in such a beautiful way,” she told The Associated Press in 2011 about the early days of the revival.

In 1998, she co-directed “Fosse,” a salute to the man who had the largest influence, both professionally and personally, on her life. He once called her “one of the finest dancers in the jazz-modern idiom.”

Her movie credits include “Annie” (1982), “Movie, Movie” (1978) and the documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom” (2005), which portrayed Reinking as a ballroom-dance competition judge for New York City kids.

Reinking’s career began in Seattle, where she grew up. In the beginning, she wanted to be a ballet dancer, “like all girls,” she said. As a student, she won a scholarship in San Francisco with the Joffrey Ballet, but at many of the students’ after-hours improvisations, she would just sing and not dance.

Robert Joffrey said that with her outgoing personality and other abilities, she should pursue musical theater. “I waited tables to save up enough money to get here,” she said of New York City, where she arrived with a round-trip ticket back to Seattle and $500. She didn’t need the return trip.

“You wouldn’t get into this if you had a guarantee. People who get into this have a certain sense of the high stakes,” she said. “You need the break and when you get it, you’d better be ready for it.”

Reinking’s break was strung out over several shows. She was in the ensemble for Broadway’s “Coco,” which starred Katharine Hepburn as Coco Chanel, in 1969, and was in the chorus of “Pippin” in 1972, picked by its director and choreographer, Fosse. The ensemble was so small — there were only eight — that the dancers were really seen.

Choreographer Pat Birch was one who noticed, and in 1974 put her in “Over Here,” a World War II musical starring two of the three Andrews Sisters and featuring another unknown, John Travolta.

It led to a starring role in “Goodtime Charley,” a musical about Joan of Arc opposite Joel Grey. The musical was not a success, but it did make theatergoers look at Reinking as a principal performer and not just a member of the chorus.

Her other big break, she said, was in “Dancin’” in 1978, “because I realized you had to be in an original part and that show has to be a hit.” The music-and-dance revue directed and choreographed by Fosse was, running more than three years and earned her a 1978 Tony nomination.

But it was her work on the revival of “Chicago” where Reinking basked in the most attention. The original, a dark indictment of celebrity and hucksterism, opened in the summer of 1975 and ran for about 900 performances. Though not in the opening night cast, Reinking eventually slipped into the role of Roxie Hart, taking over the part from Gwen Verdon, Fosse’s third wife and dancing alter ego. In the 1996 revival, which is still on Broadway, Reinking kept the part of Hart opposite Gray and Neuwirth.

Reinking also gained experience — and stayed in shape — by replacing stars in hit shows: Donna McKechnie in “A Chorus Line”; Gwen Verdon in Fosse’s original “Chicago”; and Debbie Allen in the 1986 revival of “Sweet Charity.”

And she embarked on an eclectic film career — from playing Roy Scheider’s lover in Fosse’s 1979 semi-autobiographical film “All That Jazz,” to the screen version of “Annie” to Blake Edwards’ “Micki and Maude.”

She also created dances for a revival of “Pal Joey” at Chicago’s Goodman Theater and a musical about first lady Eleanor Roosevelt called “Eleanor.” She was on the national tour of “Bye Bye Birdie” opposite Tommy Tune.

After “Eleanor,” offers to choreograph “kept falling in my lap,” Reinking said. She created dances for a pre-Encores “Chicago” in Long Beach, California, with Neuwirth and Juliet Prowse.

In one of the more cringe-worthy moments in her career, Reinking was asked to sing and perform the Oscar nominated song “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins at the 1985 telecast. Reinking lip-synched as she danced a bombastic, cheesy rendition marred by fog.

In recent years, she choreographed “The Look of Love” on Broadway and the Roger Rees-directed off-Broadway “Here Lies Jenny” (2004), starring Neuwirth. In 2011, she helped choreograph “An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin” on Broadway.

Reinking also produced a documentary called “In My Hands,” about working with children of Marfan’s Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder of the connective tissues that often leaves its victims with limbs that are disproportionately long. She also produced the film “Two Worlds, One Planet,” about “high-functioning” autism.

Reinking’s first three marriages ended in divorce. Since 1994, she had been married to Peter Talbert. She also is survived by a son, Christopher, who has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome and autism.

“If there is a heaven, I think Bob can look down and be satisfied. He really did have an exponential effect on the next generation of choreographers and dancers,” Reinking once said.

“He demanded the best from you and you wanted to give it. So you got better. All great directors — however, they do it — make you want to be good. I hope I do it. It’s like being a parent, a psychiatrist, a disciplinarian and a friend. You really have to know when to hold them and when to show them.”

#sadirichards

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Ewan McGregor Takes the Long Way Up for Apple TV+

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Wherever Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor goes, a certain bearded Jedi follows. In 2019, when McGregor and his travel writer friend Charley Boorman arrived in a small South American town (McGregor thinks it was in Peru) amid a long motorcycle journey, so too did a legion of fans excited to meet Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“We were in a small town and there are these long winding steps all the way up to this famous lighthouse,” McGregor says. “We were going up and someone asked for an autograph. I was happy to do that. Then the same thing happened on another flight of stairs up. Then a bunch of people were arriving going, ‘Oh, we didn’t know where you’d be.’ Turns out (our location) was on a Star Wars social media platform or site. They were always very friendly though. It was never a chore.”

For now, Star Wars is in the rearview. With production on Disney+’s untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring McGregor on hold for script rewrites, McGregor is ushering in another project he’s passionate about: Long Way Up for Apple TV+. Long Way Up is the third installment in an accidental trilogy that McGregor and Boorman have been living out for the past decade and a half.

Ewan McGregor Updates on the Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi Series, Possibility of a Standalone Season

By Joseph Baxter

Beginning with 2004’s Long Way Round for Sky One, McGregor and Boorman have parlayed their love of motorcycle road trips into compelling travel documentaries. Long Way Round documented the pair’s attempt to travel from London to New York City on motorbikes via Europe and Asia (and an eventual plane trip to Alaska). In 2007’s Long Way Down, McGregor and Boorman traveled from McGregor’s native Scotland down to Cape Town in South Africa.

Now Long Way Up finds the pair navigating from the southern tip of Argentina in South America all the way up to Los Angeles. The eight-episode series marks the duo’s first trip entirely in the New World, their first venture on a streaming platform, and their first journey together in quite a long time to boot. The documentary serves as a vehicle for two gearhead friends to reconnect following Boorman’s devastating motorcycle accident in 2016.

“When Charley had his accident and I found out that he’d been very badly hurt, it was like a jolt to put effort into this friendship, to not to let it drift like this,” McGregor says. “Because there’s something very special that Charley and I share. We’re best friends but we’ve also been through these really extraordinary experiences together. Since then, it’s just been like nothing changed. It’s like being back to where we started off from.”

“We were sort of starting to get itchy feet to do another trip,” Boorman adds. I think once you’ve done a couple, it’s kind of in your blood.”

Another significant area in which Long Way Up differs from its two predecessors is that McGregor and Boorman have attempted to make the trip and production as environmentally-friendly as possible. The pair enlisted Harley Davidson to create prototypes of two electric bikes (since dubbed LiveWires) that would have a better chance of surviving the harsh South American climates and mileage-intensive demands of the journey.

“The idea came when we were in my garden,” Boormany says. “We were having a barbecue and Ewan was staying with me at the time. Russ (Malkin) and Dave (Alexanian), who are our business partners and the two producers, came along. We were talking about (the project) and then Russ floated the idea of, ‘What about maybe doing it electric?’ Ewan and I looked at each other. Ewan has a big thing for that. And it kind of went from there.”

Though technologically-sophisticated, the prototypes often act like…well, prototypes making Long Way Up’s early episode particularly harrowing for anyone who knows the mortal terror of their phone not charging properly.

“It was tough at the beginning,” McGregor says. “It was freezing cold. Our range was being hindered by that because the batteries don’t charge well at night if they’re in sub-zero temperatures, which they were. So, we had a lot to learn. I think after episode three, by that point in the trip, we sort of got a handle on it and it becomes a bit more manageable thereafter.”

McGregor and Boorman have the entire formula for the “Long Way” trilogy down pat at this point. Just like previous installments, Long Way Up provides the pair with an opportunity to explore new territories, meet new people, and even bring an important issue or two like conservation to the fold.

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“But mainly, we’re just two idiots on motorbikes,” McGregor says.

Long Way Up premieres its first three episodes on Sept. 18 on Apple TV+

The post Ewan McGregor Takes the Long Way Up for Apple TV+ appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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realladyjaguar · 5 years

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Eight Doctor Audios Recommendations

Hi,

Sorry for my late reply! I am not sure if you are still looking for these, but I thought to give some recommendations anyway. And I am using the submit form instead of an ask because I am not sure how long it’ll get.

Basically, all my knowledge about Eight is through Big Finish audios. I can’t comment on novels and comics, but BF does Eight so beautifully and it’s some of the best Doctor Who content for me.

Now, if you are not much of a Doctor Who fan and just want to check it out for fic ideas and Eight’s characterization, my advice is to start with free content on Spotify. They have many early Eight stories, including The Chimes of Midnight, which is an excellent episode and no much prior knowledge about characters is needed. The only downside is that I am not sure how much you get to know the Eight through it.

The early ones (with the companion Charley Pollard) are longer (around 2h per episode), while the newer ones (companion Lucie Miller and later) are shorter. You might want to start with Lucie if you want shorter stories to go through.

The Chimes of Midnight (a Charley episode) is a good one, because it is self-contained for the most part and one of the best BF episodes ever.

A good one from Charley Pollard era is Neverland. It is the one just before the Zagreus and you might be confused over stuff if you don’t go through them all, but it is a very good story. Many characters you might not know/care about though.

Then from Lucie Miller era: the whole first series is free on Spotify. Shorter episodes. It starts with a two-parter Blood of the Daleks and ends with excellent two-parter Human Resources.

I wouldn’t recommend Zagreus, at least not right now. I like it, but it is a very long story in which nobody is really themselves (and it’s too ambitious/rambling for its own good). You might use it if you want to hear Paul McGann shout and that take on a ~darker side but again, it is not really him, so it can’t be used for characterization, imo.

For paid content, Charley Pollard episodes are cheap and out of those, I recommend Scherzo (which is just the Doctor and Charley and really introspective - excellent for characterization), Caerdroia (it has the Doctor split in three: the regular one, the simple one and a grumpy one) and The Next Life. They are all from the so-called divergent universe, which has consistently good stories.

I wouldn’t recommend The Natural History of Fear, even though it is a stellar episode. One of the best Big Finish stories ever, but not really about the Eight Doctor and his characterization.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you need more (I just recommended the free ones and really cheap ones - with Charley Pollard. There is more from Charley after the divergent universe but it’s a lot about later arcs and not sure if you want that.)

Thank you so much for this! I really appreciate the time you took to sort this out for me. It’s incredibly helpful, especially as I’ve started this Holby/Dr Who fic which is madness given I only know about the eighth Doctor through the one movie! I’ll be working through some of them. I just want to get a sense of what he was about, his mannerisms, speech patterns, affectations, etc., so people can feel it is the eighth doctor, not just some geezer in dodgy clothes... As I said, I’m really grateful to you! And I’ll let you know which ones I’ve listened to and what I think of them. I’m sure others will find this info useful as well. :D :D

#Eighth Doctor #Big Finish #Paul McGann #submission

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gallifreyburning · 5 years

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As someone who knows nothing about 8 and his associates, can you give me a brief look at Charley? Everytime you post something about 8/Charley I think 'huh, I should look into that' but then I never do

Oh man, yeah!! Charley (aka Charlotte Elspeth Pollard) is a girl from an upper class family who runs away from home in 1930 and ends up meeting the Eighth Doctor. She styles herself as an Edwardian Adventuress, and she has a wit and charm that I absolutely adore. She’s naïve at first, because her enormous spirit of adventure has been thwarted by her prim-and-proper upbringing, but she’s plucky and clever and a perfect companion for early Eight, with all his boyish enthusiasm and charisma.

They’re dashing and charming together, and Charley’s a little bit in love with Eight (who isn’t, though, really?). Both of them grow and change during their travels, the character development is soooo good. And I’d argue that some of Big Finish’s best Doctor Who stories are Eight/Charley adventures.

Anyway, if you want to give them a whirl, a lot of them are up for free listening on Spotify! (But definitely skip “Minuet in Hell.” Just trust me, and save yourself a few wasted hours.) If you’d like a list of their adventures in chronological order, for reference, here’s the Big Finish page with all that info. Or if there’s any info you need or want, hmu!!! I’m always glad to talk about Big Finish!

#Anonymous #answers for your burning questions

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heimeldat · 2 years

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17. Best multi-Doctor story?

25. Most underrated companion?

38. Best run of episodes?

56. Monster you want to return?

17. Best multi-Doctor story?

Probably "The Five Doctors." I'm a sucker for Gallifreyan politics and power-plays. The Time Lords are such shitty people but they're also terrible at it, they're hilarious to watch. And the sheer amount of random tech they leave lying around that could destroy everything is just mind-boggling.

25. Most underrated companion?

I think Liz kind of gets forgotten, but she was brilliant and I wish she'd stayed longer.

38. Best run of episodes?

Five and his space kids bumbling around the universe being dysfunctional cuties. Eight and Charley. Twelve and Bill.

56. Monster you want to return?

Hm...it would be cool to see some of the really low-budget early monsters explored a little more. Bring back the Zarbi and Menoptera with better effects (with the added benefit of getting the modern show away from Earth for once).

#doctor who #i answer things #random thoughts

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articlewritingwebsite · 4 years

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Fellow Artists Mourn The Death Of Legendary Artist Charlie Daniels

He was country music and southern rock icon who entertained fans for decades with songs like “Long-Haired Country Boy,” “In America,” and his signature fiddle tune “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.”

Word of Charlie Daniels passing Monday morning (July 6th) following a haemorrhagic stroke. He died at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, not far from his home in Mt. Juliet, about 20 minutes outside Nashville. He was loved by his community, the hearse carrying his body was later given a police escort from the hospital to the funeral home. Fans gathered to bid the legendary artist farewell as the procession passed by.

While Daniels marked his 83rd birthday last October, few could match his energy, enthusiasm, or mastery of instruments when performing for live audiences. He still mesmerized crowds with his rapid-fire fiddle playing on “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” and every other song he played whether he was playing the fiddle or the acoustic or electric guitar.

In the wake of his passing, fellow artists shared their thoughts and memories.

Dolly Parton tweeted, “Well, the devil went down to Georgia, but Charlie went straight to heaven. My heart, like many millions of others, is broken today to find out that we’ve lost our dear friend Charlie Daniels.”

Ricky Skaggs touched on Daniel’s many contributions. “One of my favourite people on this earth, Charlie Daniels, has gone on to his eternal reward today. Oh, how he will be missed at the Grand Ole Opry and everywhere else he was loved.”

Charley Pride recalled how the two supported each other. “I will truly miss my friend and fellow Country Music Hall Of Fame member, Charlie Daniels. He was one of the most honest and genuinely nice people in the business. I will miss our talks.”

Larry Gatlin noted, “If there were a Southern Rock/Country/God-fearing Patriot/Good old boy on Mt. Rushmore, Charlie Daniels likeness would be hammered, chiseled, and blasted into it.”

Close friend, Doug Gray of The Marshall Tucker Band expressed his sorrow for Daniels wife, Hazel, and son, Charlie Jr. “It is a sad day for a southern gentleman. A soft-spoken Godly man. A man I have known 50 years.” He added, “We are missing a man that already has the hands of his great God holding him. I have no words.”

Ronnie Milsap said, “Charlie Daniels embodied the fire of the South. He blurred lines between rock and country when rock didn’t think the country was cool, and his Volunteer Jams weren’t just legendary, they brought people from both of those worlds together. He was a patriot, a proud American, a world-class musician, an incredible showman, as well as a wonderful father, husband, grandpa, and friend. ”

Singer, Brenda Lee, called him a great American. “He loved his God, he loved his family and he loved his country. And we all loved him! “

Charlie Daniels of The Charlie Daniels Band performs at The Pompano Beach Amphitheater on March 11,

Daniels, who was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, began his music career early, moving to Nashville in 1967. He’s best known for “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” which he recorded in 1979. Last year, while celebrating the 40th anniversary of the song that famously pits the devil against Johnny in a fiddle contest, Daniels explained that when he recorded it, he wanted the devil’s part to stand out as dark and ominous. So, he used multiple fiddles.

“We did it organically then. Nowadays, they’d probably do it electronically. I did seven fiddles on the devil’s part.”

One of those fiddles was an eight-string fiddle, created specifically for the song.

“Some people like the devil’s part better,” Daniels said. “But the point is this, the devil’s part is nothing but noise. You can’t hum it, it’s just noise. Johnny’s part is different, you can hum it. So, the difference is between something real and something that’s smoke and mirrors.”

Daniels was a devout Christian, devoted American, and strong supporter of the U.S. military. He performed at numerous USO shows all over the world and created The Journey Home Project in 2014 (with his manager, David Corlew) to assist veterans in a variety of ways.

He said his faith was always his guiding force in giving back.

“I’m a Christian and the Bible says ‘to him who much is given, much is required.’ I can never give back a fraction of what I’ve been given.”

As he talked about his career last year, he expressed surprise at all he’d accomplished, along with so much gratitude.

“I’ve had things happen to me I didn’t even have the imagination to dream about years ago when I first started. I mean incredible things. I’ve been placed, I’ve done things, and had successes I didn’t even dream of. I never imagined I’d go all over the world, play every state in the Union, and become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Musicians Hall of Fame. I had no idea.”

#charlie daniels #charlie #danie #artist #artists on tumblr #women artists #artistsoninstagram #artist post #artist piano #piano #piano cover #piano learning #piano lover #pianoman

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circular-time · 7 years

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Big Finish Doctor Who on Spotify as of May 2017

In a fit of fancrastination, I’ve compiled for you a linked masterlist of ALL FREE DOCTOR WHO AUDIOS on Spotify with quick notes to help you choose. You’ll need to register a login but can then start listening immediately.

Summary: Main Range 1-50, Lost Stories Season 1, Fourth Doctor S1, Eighth Doctor S1, UNIT: Dominion (essentially Seventh Doctor Adventures S1), Short Trips Vol. 1-2, Companion Chronicles S2, Destiny of the Doctor 50th anniversary anthology, stageplay adaptations, Dalek Empire S1-2, Jago & Litefoot S1-5, Benny S2-5, Iris 2-4, I, Davros, Graceless S1-3, Cyberman

Main Range are 4x25 minute episodes with cliiffhangers; the rest are usually an hour, apart from Short Trips which are 8x15-minute short stories.

Here’s the whole shebang:

Main Range 1-50 [Complete Playlist]

Full cast audio plays which try as closely as possible to capture the style/feel of classic who TV serials, with better writing and a bit more character development. Most Main Range are standalone. Those with arcs I’ve starred (Eight & Charley audios all follow a loose character development arc; * are the ones with essential beats for Charley’s Bigass Plot. “Project: [X]” ** audios are a multi-Doctor arc.) Bold are audios I rated 8/10 or above on my vhswhovian reviews blog.

Sirens of Time - Five, Six, Seven (A bit meh; BF finding their feet)

Phantasmagoria - Fifth Doctor and Turlough (fun but basic historical)

Whispers of Terror - Six, Peri (adequate, guest star Lisa Bowerman)

Land of the Dead - Fifth Doctor and Nyssa (some good bits, some bad)

The Fearmonger - Seventh Doctor, Ace (excellent but dark)

The Marian Conspiracy - Sixth Doctor, Evelyn (Evelyn’s intro, historical)

The Genocide Machine - Seventh Doctor, Ace (fine, but BF can be better)

Red Dawn - Fifth Doctor, Peri (adequate; guest star: Georgia Moffat!)

The Spectre of Lanyon Moor - Six, Evelyn, BRIGADIER (quite good)

Winter for the Adept - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (so-so; guest star: India Fisher)

The Apocalypse Element - Six, Evelyn, ROMANA (Action! Gallifrey! RTD later referenced this story as an opening salvo of the Time War)

The Fires of Vulcan - Seventh Doctor, Mel (Decent historical, Pompeii)

The Shadow of the Scourge - Seven, Ace, Benny (I liked, but it’s grade B SF / comic book camp)

The Holy Terror - Sixth Doctor, Frobisher (fan favorite, terrifying crackfic)

The Mutant Phase - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (draggy plot, good 5&N character moments)

Storm Warning* - Eight, Charley (A modest beginning but required listening for Charley’s arc; Gust star Gareth Thomas (Blake of Blake’s 7)!

Sword of Orion - Eight, Charley (Basic Classic Who SF; I enjoyed it)

Stones of Venice - Eight, Charley (Melodramatic retro-future Venice)

Minuet in Hell - Eight, Charley, Brigadier (a trainwreck, one of BF’s few misfires; someone needs to extract the Brigadier Writes Scathing Email To His Superiors scenes from the wreckage.)

Loups-Garoux - Fifth Doctor, Turlough (Melodramatic werewolves)

Dust Breeding - Seventh Doctor, Ace, and a very special guest star (spoilers sweetie) - two, actually, there’s Caroline John (aka Liz Shaw). I was a bit down on this when I rated it, but it’s grown on me.

Bloodtide - Sixth Doctor, Evelyn (Good but unexceptional historical made better by this team)

Project: Twilight** - Six, Evelyn (Powerful but very dark.)

The Eye of the Scorpion - Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem’s intro! (Rollicking adventure.)

Colditz- Seventh Doctor, Ace, Klein’s intro (guest star David Tennant. Ace in a WWII Nazi prison. Memorable and a bit of a turning point for her.)

Primeval - Fifth Doctor, Nyssa (FINALLY a good story for them; guest star Steven Grief (Travis in Blake’s 7. I’m biased but it’s a fave.)

The One Doctor - Sixth Doctor, Mel (A fond spoof of classic Who.)

Invaders from Mars - Eight, Charley (Riff on War of the Worlds Orson Welles broadcast; I don’t like the stereotypical sleazy gay villain)

The Chimes at Midnight* (Eight, Charley) This Christmas horror story and Spare Parts were voted the top two Big Finish audios ever.

Seasons of Fear* (Eight, Charley) I love this one; each part lets them tackle the same problem in a different historical era.

Embrace the Darkness (Eight, Charley) Good SF horror. I like it, but it’s not quite as excellent/essential as its two predecessors for the arc.

The Time of the Daleks* (Eight, Charley) Not my favorite Dalek story, but there’s some important beats for their arc you probably shouldn’t skip.

Neverland* (Eight, Charley, Romana) Payoff/crisis point for Eight and Charley’s arc. Essential listening. I suspect this one influenced Gatiss and RTD in how the new series envisioned Gallifrey.

Spare Parts* (Fifth Doctor, Nyssa) Guest star Sally Knyvette (Blake’s 7). One of the top two rated Big Finishes ever, basically Genesis of the Cybermen. IF YOU LISTEN TO ONLY ONE... But it’s dark.

...Ish. (Sixth Doctor, Peri) I adore this one, but it’s a little esoteric.

The Rapture (Seventh Doctor, Ace) Bleah. Seven takes Ace to a rave; Ace sulks. Cover art and techno remix of Who theme are best part.

The Sandman (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) Good worldbuilding-SF adventure.

The Church and the Crown (Six, Peri, Erimen) Good historical.

Bang-Bang-a-Boom! (Seventh Doctor, Mel) Spoof of classic Star Trek. Amusing in spots, but it’s no Galaxy Quest.

Jubilee (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) RTD liked this one so much he asked Rob Shearman to rewrite/adapt it to help kickstart nu Who. Dalek was the result. Very different, but you can see how the story germ (and one of the best scenes) are the same.

Nekromantia (Five, Peri, Erimem) Listen at your own risk; only one I’ve skipped on friends’ recommendations; includes gratuitous sexual assault on companion without dealing with the fallout from it.

The Dark Flame (Seven, Ace, Benny) Disappointingly meh horror.

Doctor Who and the Pirates (Sixth Doctor, Evelyn) - fan favorite, Gilbert & Sullivan meet Pirates of the Caribbean, “Gallifreyan Buccaneer” song.

Creatures of Beauty - (Fifth Doctor, Nyssa) Daring experiment in storytelling, dark, but excellent. Be prepared to be confused for a while; it’s like a jigsaw puzzle with the picture gradually coming together.

Project: Lazarus** - (Six, Seven, Evelyn.) OUCH. Good, but more angst.

Flip Flop (Seventh Doctor, Mel) Clever story which works equally well if you start with CD#1 (Part I) or CD #2 (Part III).

Omega (Fifth Doctor) - leading up to Big Finish’s 50th release in 2003, 5 years after BF began, the Main Range Doctors each got to face off with a classic Who antagonist. All of these are excellent.

Davros (Sixth Doctor) - Guest star Wendy Padbury (aka Zoe Heriot, 2nd Doctor companion playing a different character)

Master (Seventh Doctor) - fan-controversial but excellent story purporting to reveal the Doctor & Master’s childhood.

Zagreus* (Eight, Charley) - fanservice 6-part epic that some fans love, others loathe; I enjoy it but think it’s about one episode too long. Every single classic Who Doctor/companion Big Finish could get their hands on plays someone in this, not necessarily their usual role. It accidentally sets the stage for the Gallifrey political drama when Leela and Romana meet for the first time.

From here on I’ve only heard a handful, so you’re on your own. :)

Lost Stories Season 1 (Six and Peri) [Complete Playlist]

Lost Stories are abandoned classic Who TV scripts, stories that died in development, or stories from lost seasons that were never filmed. Big Finish revised, rewrote, improved and finished them. The first series is Colin Baker’s Revenge: the season that was lost when the show went on hiatus through no fault of his.

The Nightmare Fair

Mission to Magnus

Leviathan

The Hollows of Time

Paradise 5

The Song of Megaptera

The Macros

The Fourth Doctor Boxset - Fourth Doctor & Leela (two stories)

Fourth Doctor Adventures Season 1 (Four and Leela)

One-hour adventures. [Complete Playlist]

Destination Nerva

The Renaissance Man

The Wrath of the Iceni (i’ve heard this one; it’s a decent historical with Boudicca)

Energy of the Daleks

Trail of the White Worm

The Osidon Adventure

Eighth Doctor Adventures Season 1 (Eight and Lucie “Bleedin’” Miller)

One-hour adventures. The Eighth Doctor moved from the Main Range to his own series after Charley left. [Complete Playlist]

Blood of the Daleks pt 1

Blood of the Daleks pt 2 - yes that IS guest star Hayley Atwell :)

Horror of Glam Rock

Immortal Beloved

Phobos

No More Lies

Human Resources Pt. 1

Human Resources Pt. 2

UNIT: Dominion [Complete Playlist]

The Seventh Doctor, Elizabeth Klein, Raine (a companion that would’ve come aboard after Ace had classic Who not been cancelled), and **SPOILER REDACTED** played by the brilliant Alex MacQueen. This is a series of four one-hour stories. Haven’t heard it, but I’ve heard good things about it.

Short Trips Anthologies Volume One and Two

Unlike most Big Finish ranges, Short Trips are not full-cast radio plays. They’re mini audiobooks, nowadays half an hour, but these anthologies are eight 15-minute short stories read by a single narrator, usually a companion or (for Five and Six) the Doctor himself. I love listening to these while doing chores. Vol I has several of my favorites including Colin Baker’s very own delightful fanfic “Wings of a Butterfly.”

The Companion Chronicles Season 2 [Complete Playlist]

One-hour adventures. Early on, Big Finish hit upon CCs as a way to tell stories with Doctors who are no longer with us, recollected by their surviving companions. They’re fan favorites because they tend to show the Doctor and the adventure through each companion’s eyes. I’ve heard 2 & 4 and enjoyed them; from what I’ve heard the other two are even better.

Mother Russia - Steven (First Doctor, Dodo)

The Catalyst - Leela (Fourth Doctor)

Helicon Prime - Jamie (Second Doctor)

Old Soldiers - Brigadier (Third Doctor)

Destiny of the Doctor - 50th anniversary special [Complete Playlist]

One-hour adventures, essentially Companion Chronicles for every Doctor as of 2013, narrated by a companion from that Doctor’s run. (Except Nine, unfortunately; it’s narrated by a monster from that era instead. ;) ) Smoke and Mirrors was good, representative of its TARDIS team; I expect the others are too.

Hunters of Earth - First Doctor, Susan (Carole Ann Ford)

Shadow of Death - Second Doctor, Jamie (Frazer Hines)

Vengeance of the Stones - Third Doctor, Mike Yates (Richard Franklin)

Babblesphere - Fourth Doctor, Romana II (Lalla Ward)

Smoke and Mirrors - Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa, Adric (Janet Fielding)

Trouble in Paradise - Sixth Doctor, Peri (Nicola Bryant)

Shockwave - Seventh Doctor, Ace (Sophie Aldred)

Enemy Aliens - Eighth Doctor, Charley (India Fisher)

Night of the Whisper - Ninth Doctor, Rose, Jack (Nicholas Briggs)

Death’s Deal - Tenth Doctor, Donna (Catherine Tate)

The Time Machine - Eleventh Doctor, Clara (Jenna Coleman)

Doctor Who - The Stageplays [Complete Playlist]

Big Finish adapted/redramatized a few classic Who stories that made it to the stage over the years. I have no idea how good these are but assume Big Finish wouldn’t showcase them on Spotify if they weren’t good advertisements.

The Ultimate Adventure - 1980s stageplay, Sixth Doctor

Seven Keys to Doomsday - 1970s stageplay, an AU Doctor

The Curse of the Daleks - 1960s stageplay with no Doctor at all, starring Michael Praed?!!! (Whatever happened to him anyway?) and of course, Nicholas Briggs, the voice of the Daleks on TV and audio.

Dalek Empire [COMPLETE PLAYLIST]

Dalek Empire, Nicholas Briggs’ baby, is one of Big Finish’s earliest spinoffs, and it is... epic, gripping, and heartbreaking. It asks the chilling question: what if the Daleks strike when the Doctor is not around to stop them (since this took place after Zagreus, and he wasn’t around for a while?)

It turned Daleks from an annoying and somewhat silly Who monster I disliked to a terrifying force one truly believes are the most dangerous monsters in the universe. But the humans/humanoids in this story are what make it truly powerful. The memorable Gareth Thomas (Blake of Blake’s 7) plays Kalendorf, but Sarah Mowat as Susan Mendez is the real star. (David Tennant also starred in series 3 before being cast as the Doctor.)

Individual episodes:

Invasion of the Daleks

The Human Factor

Death to the Daleks!

Project Infinity

Dalek War 1

Dalek War 2

Dalek War 3

Dalek War 4

Writers of Doctor Who like Rob Shearman and Paul Cornell refused to write the second season because they wanted to enjoy it as fans. I’m sure RTD had these Daleks in mind when he envisioned the Time War. I can’t recommend it enough

Jago & Litefoot

35 years ago, my Mom said the guest characters Jago & Litefoot in The Talons of Weng-Chiang were so good they should have their own spinoff. Tragically, she was right, but she’s forgotten all about them, and I can’t get her to listen. Don’t make the same mistake. They’re brilliant: Victorian paranormal investigators, old friends of the Doctor.

Season 1 (4 stories)

Series 2 (4 stories)

Series 3 (4 stories)

Series 4 (4 stories)

Series 5 (4 stories)

Bernice Summerfield Seasons 2-5 [Complete Playlist]

Professor Bernice (Benny) Summerfield is the smart, cynical 26th-century archaeologist-cum-Lara-Croft who really, really needs a drink. Her sometime nemesis Braxiatel may be the Doctor’s own brother. I’ve only caught a few Bennys, but Lisa Bowerman has played her for 20 years— in fact, Big Finish won the license to product audio Who thanks to the calibre of the early Benny range.

I’m going to be lazy and not copy all of them here because I think that playlist has all of them on Spotify: Five seasons, 3 stories per season.

Iris Wildthyme Series 2-4 [Complete Playlist]

I grew up watching Katy Manning as Jo Grant, the Third Doctor’s companion, but in her old age Katy is having an absolute ball playing Time Lady (?) Iris Wildthyme, rocketing around the universe driving her double-decker bus TARDIS and getting into almost as much trouble as she causes. Retired movie star, fashion icon and alcohol connoisseur, Iris is another amazing personality in the Who Expanded Universe.

I, Davros [4 stories]

Terry Molloy returns as Davros, fleshing him out into a 3-dimensional villain who reminds me far too much of some current leaders. Except he’s diabolically smarter.

Graceless Series 1-3

The Tracers of the Key to Time have been personified into a good an evil twin. These are spinoff characters from the Main Range Key to Time trilogy.

Cyberman Series 1 Series 2

Okay, this one I know nothing about.

#spotify #big finish #doctor who #classic who #doctor who eu #big finish for FREEEEEEEE

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ask-the-childrenofrevolution · 3 years

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ch 1 update.

((I’ve been having a hard time focusing on things I need to get done. I deeply apologize for the delays. I was hoping to have chapter 1 done by the end of January but it might be delayed to late beginning of February.)) Beep...Beep...Beep. From a night stand an alarm clock buzzed abruptly, causing the sheets of the neighboring bed to shuffle around. A fuzzy hand soon appeared from beneath the sheets and clumsily swiped at the air as it tried to shut off the alarm. Eventually the figure removed the sheets off of them completely, revealing a young cat Mink. He had a pink nose that was surrounded by a light sand color that enveloped the entirety of his muzzle, even leading down beyond his neck. The rest of the boy’s fur was harvest gold, with light brown stripes that started from the tip of his ears to the end of his tail. The young Mink let out an inaudible grown as he finally opened his ruby eyes. Now that the boy was able to see his alarm clock, he was able to end the constant beeping with the press of a button. The Mink then proceeded to stretch his arms and legs before finally getting out of bed and heading to his closet. Inside was a wardrobe of one-piece suits, all in the exact same color and fashion as the one next to it. They were all white and blue with the symbol of the World Government on the front while the back was marked with “G-4”. The Mink seemed to ponder a bit on which suit to take before finally deciding to grab the one farthest to the right. From there the Mink then proceeded to the bathroom to prepare for the day. The first stop was the shower, being a Mink meant that taking good care of one’s fur was vital. A well washed coat could be the difference between a Mink being in good health or not. Once he was finished with getting dress the young Mink finally stepped out of his room and walked towards the kitchen where his dad was preparing breakfast. “Morning Charley! Today’s the big day, so I made you your favorite breakfast; pancakes with hash browns and scrambled eggs”! Came the enthusiastic voice of a Golden Retriever Mink. His tail wagged back and forth as he flipped a pancake over on the stove’s grill. “Morning dad. Where’s mom? Did she get called in to work early”? Charley asked as he grabbed a plate from the cabinet. “Yup, one of the McClatchy's young boys got a hold of Mr. McClatchy’s SEAHORSE and somehow managed to flush it down the toilet. As you can guess it wrecked the pipes which caused some flooding in water treatment, so the Over Admiral called in your mom and the other mechanics early this morning to go down there and patch things up.” Nugget said as he placed a stack of pancakes on Charley’s plate. “So, mom is literally knee-high in...” Charley cut himself off at the end to avoid cursing. “I guess she is.” Nugget responded with a light chuckle. The two then sat down for breakfast. Charley was able to finish almost half of his meal before his father spoke up. “Today’s the day you get the results from your GOAT, are you excited”? Nugget asked his son. The Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test or GOAT for short was a placement test that was used to place young barricade dwellers in existing barricade jobs based on their knowledge and talents. This test was made to ensure the barricade would remain up and running for generations to come. Charley took a sip of his synthetic orange juice before answering. “No, I’m actually really nervous. There are certain jobs in the barricade that I know I would be horrible at.” Charley replied as his ears and tail drooped. Nugget could see that his son was in a lot of distress, so he offered some words of advice. “Well, you’ll never know until you try, and even if you have a slip up it can be used as a learning experience for the next time.” Nugget said. Charley gave a small smile; he was always surprised by how optimistic his dad was. No matter how bad things got, Nugget could always find something positive out of it. “Your right dad, maybe I have a hidden talent for something or if I ended up in the diner with you, then I wouldn’t have to worry about royally screwing up since you taught me all I know about cooking.” Charley said hopeful. “See, that’s the spirit”! Nugget said as he playfully ruffled his son’s hair. Nearby the family’s antique grandfather clock chimed as the hour hand reached eight. “Well, I better get going, don’t want to be late for class.” Charley said as he got up from the dining chair. “Good luck and don’t forget what we talked about.” Nugget said. “I won’t.” Charley said as he strapped on his SEAHORSE and exited his home. Before we continue let’s dive deeper into what a SEAHORSE is. The SEAHORSE otherwise known as the Sustainable Electric Assisting Hazardous Obstacles Survival Equipment, is a nifty little gadget that was created by the scientist at Sea-Tec. This mechanical marvel is given to barricade dwellers on their twelfth birthday from the Over- Admiral. Worn on the forearm, the SEAHORSE is a multi-tool that helps barricade dwellers keep tabs on their health and items, as well as map out the user’s surroundings. It also has a built-in Geiger counter to warn the wearer of any radiation leaks within the barricade. The SEAHORSE is also equipped with a security identification system that only allows the user and any blood relatives to use their device, this system makes it easier for the next generation to access helpful information left by the previous generation. Charley had just taken the elevator with a group of his fellow students to the instructional floor. While heading down, the students were chatting with each other over what job they hoped to be placed in. With each passing floor Charley could feel his anxiety slowly returning. “It’ll be fine, it's not going to be that bad, just remember what dad said.” Charley said as he tried to console himself. From behind Charley felt a hand touch his shoulder, this made the cat mink physically jump as he let out a yelp of surprised. Charley quickly turned around and came face to face with his friend Johari. “Well good morning to you too.” Johari said. “Sorry Jo, you kind of caught me off guard there.” Charley said apologetically. “No worries C, but you seem a bit more on edge today than normal, is everything alright”? Johari asked. “It's the GOAT, my dad had finally managed to calm my nerves, but their starting to act up again.” Charley replied. “I think there are a lot of students who are in the same boat as you today.” Johari said. “Really? They all look quiet chipper to me.” Charley replied as he looked around the elevator at the smiling faces of his classmates. Charley felt his ears and tail drooped once more. “No way C, their all nervous. They're just trying to hide it behind hope and dreams about how cool it would be if they ended up as Over Admiral.” Johari said. “Over Admiral? Isn’t that being a bit to hopeful”? Charley asked. “Not really, anything is possible. Heck I hope I can be Over Admiral just to get my parents off my back.” Johari said. “They're still hounding you about studying to be a barricade loyalty inspector”? Charley asked. “Yes, and it's so annoying”! Johari groaned. “I keep telling them that those inspectors are nothing but narks, yet they keep telling me that my family has had that position for generations and that “Its what’s best for the barricade.” Johari said in a mocking tone of voice. Johari leaned her back against the wall before slumping down to the floor, lowering her head to her curled-up knees. “I don’t want to betray my friends.” Johari quietly told Charley. Charley sat down next to his friend as the elevator continued downwards. After a deep sigh Johari looked up at the elevator’s ceiling.

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