Category: High Castle

High Castle Awakens

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After two long years, we finally have a release date for Season 3!
October 5th, 2018

Before I delve into the panel at SDCC and the trailer, I want to give a huge thank you to @nerdeeklife for live tweeting it.

As I sat down to put my thoughts together (with High Castle, there are always a million different thoughts running along side each other—sort of like the multiverse!), I decided to organize them into three parts:
Takeaways from the panel
Takeaways from the trailer
Thoughts, theories, and questions

Takeaways from the panel

  • Smith is in a difficult, dark place and commits even further to the Reich. He finds out about the multiverse, and it becomes an obsession (remember the clip from NYCC? The expression on his face says it all). 
  • The resistance plays a prominent role.
  • When asked to describe Season 3 in three words during his takeover of @AmazonVideo IG stories, Jason O’Mara said, “Resistance. Twists. Turns.” 
  • Juliana becomes a leader and a fighter within the resistance. 
  • We will see a lot more of the neutral zone (I mean, it goes without saying since the Resistance will be heavily featured throughout S3). 
  • There will be a larger sci-fi element because of the multiverse. 
  • We’ll learn more about Hawthorne. 
  • High Castle has been renewed for a 4th season!

Takeaways from the trailer

I was speechless after the first time I watched it. I don’t want to admit how many times I’ve seen it since! 
  • The Pacific States are mobilizing their Navy (you can see the Yamato with a fleet of ships near the golden gate bridge). 
  • There is a fuel/gas shortage in the Pacific States, and it is so bad that the citizens are protesting and lashing out against their occupiers.
  • A lot of action involving Juliana and the resistance (guns and explosions).
  • The Reich has a multiverse machine of some sort that Juliana wants to destroy. 
  • Joe says something in favor of the Reich expanding in one flash, and in another, he’s taking a swing at Smith’s aid, Erich Raeder. 
  • Smith is rewarded for his actions in S2. Smith is shocked beyond belief at the end of the trailer. 
  • Juliana is in a prison cell.

Thoughts, theories, and questions

I don’t even know where to begin. After two years of silence, we were showered with news, clues, and clips of Season 3 all within the span of an hour!

I knew Smith would get obsessed with the multiverse from the clip shown at NYCC. My theories for him still stand.

At the panel, Alexa Davalos said that she loves playing Juliana because everything she does is from a place of love. I hope this means that she will change the resistance and mold it into something worth rooting for. I have a gut feeling she will because of the teaser trailer where we see someone sewing a Reich flag into a symbol of peace instead of just tearing it apart like we’ve seen in other shows/movies a million times. Juliana destroyed the films about Thomas’s illness, after all!

As for the scene at the end of the trailer where it looks like John walks into Juliana’s cell and is shocked to see her there, it it is either a clever editing combo of two very different scenes or something more. I can’t help but wonder if Juliana dies and then a Juliana from another universe travels to his, or he sees her disappearing into another reality before his very eyes–I have so many questions!

With all that being said, it is clear that the resistance will be one of the major players (right up there with the Reich and Pacific States). TMITHC thus far has been a unique, creative show which paints characters in realistic shades of grey. I have high hopes that they will continue to produce great content—that teaser trailer.

They could have just had a resistance fighter burn it and shout something cliché like “Freedom!” but no. They showed someone sewing it into something that represents good. I’ve never seen that done before, and that, my friends, is why I have high hopes for Season 3.

I couldn’t fit everything I wanted to say in one post, which means there will be more posts in the future!

After two long years, I look forward to what is in store for us.

I’ll leave you with a bit of fanart I drew ages ago when I thought they were going to announce S3’s release date (you don’t want to know how long ago that was, ha ha!):

Which one do you feed?

High Castle is Coming to SDCC!

Posted on by in High Castle

I have been a bad blogger as of late! My apologies for the lapse in posts. Part of it is due to no news on the High Castle front (but that just changed!) and the fact that I haven’t finished my WWII era wall yet. Shame on me! 😉

Let’s dive right into the exciting High Castle stuff! After months of silence, we finally have a whisper of news! I was beginning to think that we might not get a Season 3.

There will be a High Castle panel at San Diego Comic Con with Alexa Davalos, Rufus Sewell, Jason O’Mara, and Stephen Root!

Panel info:
Saturday, 21 July
4:15 to 5:15
Room 6A

Rumor has it that Amazon will drop a trailer, but don’t quote me on it. I can only hope. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us. There are bound to be some good Season 3 hints and maybe a release date. I look forward to watching the panel online (and of course, coming up with my own theories based on what they say).

And so, I leave you with my latest High Castle drawing:

Wonderful San Diego: Part 1

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I’m back!
…And so ends travel season for 2018.

Before I get into the fun, I just want to say I’m relieved that my favorite show (take a guess, ha ha!) hasn’t aired Season 3 yet. With people live tweeting spoilers as they happen nowadays, I’d have had to do a complete withdraw from the Internet for the duration of my travels and then some! How did I survive the 80s and 90s? 😉 I fully admit that I’m addicted!

I don’t have to worry about missing out and avoiding the Internet for goodness knows how long anymore, and I am glad. Let us hope we get #HighCastle Season 3 before 2019!

Wonderful San Diego: Part 1

Exploring the USS Midway

This was a chance I was not going to pass up. I’m still researching my grandfather’s WWII journey, and what better way to discover what life was like on a Navy ship than to walk around on an aircraft carrier. Reading stories and books is one thing, but being in the actual thing (well, close enough) is another!

A special thank you to my mother (whom I haven’t seen in two years due to living on the opposite side of the coast) for coming with me.

It cost roughly $23 to get in (I’d look at my receipt, but that somehow ended up in my work binder on the way back and is now displayed on my bulletin board as a souvenir there). (✿◕‿◕)

The fare includes a self-guided audio tour, which you pick up after getting your photograph taken (you are led to a photographer and a backdrop before you can explore the ship. Purchasing the photo set is optional). Did I purchase it? YES, a loud resounding yes because it supports the museum, and it is a wonderful keepsake.

As we walked around the various areas of the ship including the flight deck, I took in as much as possible—the sights, smells, and the sheer vastness of it all.

I went inside the Flight Deck Control to get a feel for what the Aircraft handling officer [Info!] would have been seeing and doing on a day-to-day basis. There was a long, metallic model of the flight deck on display with markers representing important objects. In front of it was a chair and an old phone.

You bet I sat in it and looked out onto the flight deck!

The USS Midway museum is run by volunteers, most of whom are older veterans. As we were following everyone out, I ran over to the information desk to grab a map (yet another keepsake because spending a bunch of money in the gift shop wasn’t enough. 😉 ).

Two veterans manned the desk and smiled at us as we approached.

Now anyone who knows me in real life knows how utterly shy I am. I avoid talking to strangers as though the mere action will douse me in burning flames—just picture me running from a giant flame thrower, and there you go. That is what my brain normally does when presented with strangers.

I paused and went against my natural urge to quietly scurry away. I looked up and said hello because one of the veterans with his white hair and wizened face looked to be from the Greatest Generation.

They are passing away.

They are leaving us for the next life, and one day the last one will leave us forever, and their generation will be forever gone from this world.

It is up to us to listen to them and to make sure their stories live on. We must not forget them.

I didn’t ask for any accounts of the war (war is an ugly thing that I only bring up if they bring it up first). My mother proudly announced that I was a veteran, much to my embarrassment (mothers…;) ). We chatted about Turkey, for I was stationed there and he had visited it at one point. He made us laugh with a military rivalry joke (he was Army, and I was Air Force). Want to hear it?

What does a soldier call his bathroom?
The latrine
What does a sailor call his bathroom?
The head
What does an Airman call his bathroom?
The powder room

I chuckle as I type this because there is no humor like Service humor, especially the rivalry sort!
I am so glad I went against my instinct to be shy. It was a fun chat, and you learn a lot from moments like that. Just chatting with them (even if it isn’t about the war) opens up a window into their world, their humor, and their lives.

If you are ever in San Diego, visit the USS Midway. It is well worth the fare. And before I forget, if you’re a veteran, you’ll get a discount on the photo set.

Here are a few more pictures from the adventure:

Stay tuned for Wonderful San Diego: Part II (Disneyland!)

New Years Eve

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 The future belongs to those who change it.

31 December 2017

Reflections

On a personal level, this year has been good to me. I got to travel to places I’ve never been before, I got to see my sister on the West Coast, and I’ve managed to improve my art.

I know I mention Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle in every single post, but I want to give the creative minds behind it, the actors and actresses, and all of the people who work on the show credit. Without them, I’d have never branched out into unknown and untested artistic waters.

I’d have never met some wonderful people whom I now consider friends.

I’d have never gotten into making black and white photo aesthetics.

So thank you.

Thank you a million times over!

A few highlights from 2017:

What will 2018 bring?

I know it will bring more travel (I have an awesome job!), more artistic endeavors, and new experiences (that goes without saying).

My goal for 2018 is to finally—once and for all—to crack out of my shy Internet-self shell! I’m not a Marvel character with a quick, witty quip for every occasion. I’m not the most hyper active conversationalist, especially on the fast-paced platform that is Twitter (home of High Castle happenings).

The challenge for me will be jumping into a conversation my way. In years past, I’ve tried to be that hot-shot comic book character with an instant, witty answer for everything, but it never worked for me because I either thought of nothing or posted something bizarre. [ lol ]

So here’s to 2018 cracking my shell and figuring out how to dive in!

My other 2018 goals are
1. Taking my art to new levels
2. Getting my novel, Sisters, polished and ready to publish
3. Creating more black and white photo aesthetics

Top quote is from (you guessed it) The Man in the High Castle. 

The Prathra Project Files: A High Castle Fan Tale

Posted on by in High Castle
Don’t forget to read the disclaimer at the end!

The year was 1962, Kennedy was president, and the Cubin Missile Crisis was just around the corner. Deep within the darkest corner of the CIA’s science and technology division, The Prathra Project was in full swing.

Deputy Director Klemm was about to cut the project from the budget and end it entirely when he saw something that rocked him to the very core.

Enter File 02365

On the frigid morning of 3 February, 1962, Klemm received an emergency call regarding the Prathra Project.

He felt a sense of annoyance as he headed down the stairwell that would take him into the basement level of redacted. He had always kept a wary eye on wild, conspiracy-theory ridden experiments like this one.

So long as the higher ups insisted on studying ridiculous notions like telepathy, alternate dimensions, and alien life, Klemm had no choice but to keep the projects running—unless, of course, there was a sudden need to reallocate funds elsewhere.

He walked along the narrow hallway, his dress shoes echoing off the hard floor like raindrops on a tin roof. Klemm stopped at the last door on the left, punched in the code, and opened the door.

The hum of electrical equipment warmed the room. A scientist in a white lab coat ushered him through another door, hardly giving him a chance to inspect the instruments and calculations scrawled on the blackboard to his left.

The next chamber felt Spartan and oddly so, for the only piece of furniture there was a metal chair. A man sat in it, pressing an ice bag against the left side of his face. A silver necklace swayed in his other hand.

“It’s real,” the man rasped. “There are other worlds.” Klemm held his breath and waited for the crazy half-witted explanation. Was this really worth skipping breakfast for?

“I saw it. I know I recognized him. He served with me in Korea. I’d know John’s face anywhere.” The man lowered the ice pack and stared into Klemm’s eyes. The necklace slipped from his pale fingertips, landing to the barren floor with a soft clink. “You-you were there too.”

“Is he on anything?” Klemm sighed, shooting the scientist a scowl.

“No sir. We-we have proof.” His lab coat whipped behind him as he scurried out of the room. Klemm folded his arms across his chest.

“I’ve been there three times,” the man in the chair whispered. A grotesque bruise along his jaw glared at him through the dim lighting of the room. “This is the first time I saw him…and you.” He shuddered and placed the ice against his face again.

Klemm began to pace. “And who am I in this other world of yours?”

“You’re-we lost the war.”

“It was a stalemate.”

“No. Not that war.” He shook his head. “World War Two. We lost.” Klemm drew a deep breath and continued pacing.

“John is alive in it. He’s an Obergruppenführer of the SS.”

“That’s not what I asked you,” Klemm muttered. Not that it mattered. There were dozens of pulp magazines with trashy Nazi stories out there right now. It was the latest fad. As far as he was concerned, this guy had been injected with something and was suffering from delusions.

“You are an SS Major.”

Klemm snorted.

“We have photos of Smith,” the scientist appeared in the doorway, holding a film canister in one hand and an SS officer’s cap in the other. “But most importantly, we’ve managed to film it.”

Chills dripped down Klemm’s spine. They wouldn’t lie about evidence like that, and it didn’t get much more Damning than a film.

“I want everything there is to know about this John Smith.” He strode across the room and took the canister from the man’s outstretched hand. “I want fingerprints.”

** I am not affiliated with Amazon nor the CIA. I am just a fan, and this is a work of fiction. I hope you enjoyed it! Please read the disclaimer below! ** 

Take a peak at the closeups of Klemm’s memorandum and John’s file! Click on them to view full size.