Category: High Castle

Seriously Secret Santa

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

Today’s post is part of a Seriously Geeky Sundays secret Santa prompt exchange where we came up with 6 questions tailored to the person we got. Here are the questions I received; let’s dive right in!

1. Which fictional character’s wardrobe are you raiding for the Christmas party (just pretend we can have parties this year, haha!)?

It will always be the fabulous Helen Smith from The Man in the High Castle…in normal years, that is! I have been slowly adapting my wardrobe to be similar to hers since 2016. I would wear this beautiful red dress from Season 1. It is the perfect Christmas party dress!

2. Spending Christmas away from home can be fun, but what about really far away? Pick a fictional location in outer space (a planet, space ship, space station etc) to spend Christmas Day.

Deep Space Nine.

Just think of all the shenanigans I’d get up to with Dax, Kira, Quark, and Bashir! And of course Weyoun and Dukat would crash the party. Weyoun would be fascinated by the Christmas treats and gifts, and I can see Sisko dressing as Santa to give everyone presents (he would make an awesome Santa Claus). Dukat would pull some crazy stunt, forcing everyone into a hilarious adventure in order to restore things back to normal. 

3. Sometimes it is nice to put your feet up and not worry about cooking. But which fictional character would you choose to cook Christmas dinner for you and would you invite them to your dinner after they have cooked it?

Captain Sisko and Helen Smith would be my cooking duo. They are happy to be invited to my Deep Space Nine Holiday Special. After Sisko prepares his dishes, he sneaks away to change into his Santa costume as Helen covers for him. She is in on the surprise and heads to the Christmas bar to grab a glass of sparkling cider from Quark. He tries to charge her for it, but Dax slaps him on the head. Helen smiles and takes her drink.

4. Are there any Christmas films you watch every year and do you have a favourite?

I’m afraid there aren’t any I watch every year as an adult. When I was a kid, it was Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I looked forward to visiting my dad every December and sitting in front of the TV to watch it year after year. 

5. You’ve been bombarded with invites to New Year’s Eve parties by lots of different alien races. Which alien race will you choose to spend New Year’s with?

The Vorta (and Jem’Hadar) — The Founders instruct the Vorta to learn more about the Federation and its holidays, so they decide to throw an NYE bash, but they need my help. They have no idea how to plan it or what to do. 

I invite them to Deep Space Nine, and laugh as their large, lavender eyes widen in that unique curiosity only the Vorta display. They tilt their heads as I show them the party decorations.

“It’s so shiny,” Weyoun says as he picks up a streamer. Keeven lifts up a glittery Happy New Year crown and promptly puts it on. He smirks. 

6. You’ve been commissioned to design a set of Christmas cards for a fandom. Which fandom do you hope has commissioned you and what design ideas do you have?

The Man in the High Castle (to be commissioned something for them is one of my DREAMS). I made some cards set in their world:

Around the World in 8 Sundays – The Americas

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

Its our third trip here at Seriously Geeky Sundays! Today’s trip takes us to my world, the Americas!

Around the World in 8 Sundays – North America

Week three of our Around the World in 8 Sundays (a multi-week theme taking us around the world) takes us to North America as the United States celebrates Thanksgiving this week.

Who is your favourite Northern American character?

You know who I’m going to say. I’ll give you one guess….

What is your favourite film set in North America?

This is a tough one. There are so many I love and enjoy. It is hard to pick just one. I even looked at our collection of DvDs to try to make up my mind which one I like best! I’ll name a few favorites: Apollo 13, Our Tarantino collection, Thor, and The Avengers.

North American history features frequently in pop culture, which part do you feel is overdone and which do you wish was covered more?

I have a similar answer to @winstolf’s. And can I just say thank you, Winstolf, for the well thought out answer mixed with kindness? Thank you!

As much as I love reading and watching anything involving WWII, I am tired of how they portray soldiers as picture perfect cutouts with demi-god levels of aptitude and skill. And then there are the pointless love stories which always seem to be between two flawless people. They hardly ever have a strand of hair out of place, even in war zones, and are about as interesting as watching paint dry.

As for what I’d like to see more of, WWI. We need more WWI movies. I feel like it is often skipped over in favor of what will sell (WWII). I’d also like to see more alternate histories/realities like The Man in the High Castle and Handmaid’s Tale. I am a sucker for those! 

North America tends to be seen as mainly just the US and Canada, which other countries do you recognize in fandoms?

There are a ton of great movies filmed in Mexico. My favorite would have to be Kill Bill: volumes 1 & 2. I am a huge Tarantino fan. His movies are fantastic! When I heard that he’d be directing the next Star Trek, I was elated. He knows how to make a good film. However, I don’t know if they’ll ever actually make the movie now because that was several years ago. 

Although Hollywood is at the center of the entertainment industry, the Canadian entertainment industry is blooming. What is your favourite Canadian production?

Does The Man in the High Castle count? It was mostly filmed in Vancouver/Canada. 

In 2019, I was in Vancouver for work and had the opportunity to walk to Smith’s headquarters. I still have the hand written directions and map I drew (I was not taking chances, ha ha!).

Broadway musicals are a national treasure in the US; do you like musicals?

I have never been a fan of musicals. Broadway is a national treasure to those who can afford it, and please don’t hate me for saying so! I mean no offense 😉 It’s just how I feel.

The only musical I have any interest in watching is Hamilton, and it would have to be live (I cannot sit still for a musical at home. The second someone starts belting out a tune, I’m done, ha ha!).  With that being said, I enjoy certain songs from musicals as songs.

A Very Stylish Geeky Sunday

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

Costumes, costumes, and more costumes! I am here for this. Before COVID, I was an avid purveyor of all things cosplay and even cosplayed incognito, so today’s prompt is something I have been looking forward to. 

15th November – Adorn

Last month we were talking about visual locations with Embellish, and this month Adorn brings us to costumes! Characters wear an assortment of outfits throughout fandoms and this week we’re talking all about costumes, fashion and more.

If you could steal any character’s wardrobe* which would it be?

I was just having this conversation with @ChelahFan on Twitter! Ever since I first watched The Man in the High Castle way back in 2015, I was mesmerized with Helen’s Smith’s beautiful wardrobe (it was just so classy that I wanted to look like her). I’ve been slowly phasing my wardrobe into a mixture of vintage (reproduction dresses), modern, and pinup. 

Dressing like her is a lot of work. You’ve got the retro dresses which require some clever ways to keep warm in the winter, and then there is the hair. Oh, the hair. It takes a lot of practice and patience to get it right because, without a vintage-do to go with the dress, it just doesn’t match the look. 

Then COVID-19 happened, and my hair is almost to my waist now (the longer your hair is, the harder it is to style like that), and since I’m working from home, there is no motivation to put all of that time and effort into it (I miss wearing my dresses!). 

What superhero’s costume do you love and which do you hate?

As much as I hate Stormfront from The Boys, I like the style of her costume. I’d make a few changes, of course. I’d ditch the earrings and change the belt. Her costume is practical (with the exception of no pockets), and I just adore the way her cape drapes down her back.

Before I get into one I hate, I need to delve into a pet peeve of mine! It irritates me to no end when there is this need to  change a superhero’s costume every single movie the character appears in. They normally make it worse, less imaginative, and more discrete/blend-in-with-the-crowd (whyyyyyy). Leave good things alone, damn it! Shout out to The Boys for NOT doing this! 

The only type of costume I really hate is overly skimpy costumes for female heroes, you know the type…where it barely covers her chest, and her ass cheeks are hanging out. 

You’re riding into battle; who’s armour do you choose?

Loki’s Asgardian armor from The Avengers. It is nice and form-fitting while protecting the chest and shoulders. I’d change up the helmet because I’m too clumsy for horns, ha ha! 

Who wore it better; pick an outfit that’s been worn by multiple characters and tell us who wore it best.

Captain America’s costume – worn by Loki and, of course, Steve Rodgers. Sorry Loki, but Steve wore it better!

From utility belts to magical backpacks, accessories in fandom can be anything and do anything. Which one would you choose to borrow for a day?

A bag of holding (a small bag that matches my costume, of course!). As someone who hates carrying purses, I want a tiny discrete bag of infinite holding attached to my belt. The purses I *do* carry are small because I already hate having it dangle and get in the way.

You’ve been given the chance to redesign a character’s appearance? Who is it, why and what would you change?

Emma Frost from X-Men. As I mentioned before, I am not a fan of skimpy, impractical costumes. I went on one of my favorite places, Doll Divine, and made a new costume for her!

A Very Geeky Wednesday

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday Wednesday! These past two weeks have been crazy to say the least. I don’t want to derail this into politics, but I did my civic duty last week. The line was the longest I’d ever seen it. It took about an hour and a half, but it was well worth it!

A huge thank you to Heather from Seriously Geeky Sundays for the steady stream of interactive prompts!

8th November – What’s in a name?

This week I’ve got a unique one for you all because everyone’s questions are going to be slightly different. What’s in a name? Well, what’s in your name is actually the question. This week each question is based on each individual writer.

Thinking of your name/alias, what is the first female character you think of that has the same name/or a name that starts with the same initial? Do you like them?

Since my real name and most of my Internet handles start with ‘M’, M it is!

Queen Meave from The Boys

Photo courtesy of Prime video

Need I say more? She is badass. There was actually a time when I was badass 😉 I am *very* much out of shape right now. Maybe this will motivate me to at least do some push-ups here and there. 

How about a male character? How do you feel about them?

Morn from Deep Space Nine

He’s the talkative staple of Quark’s bar. His S tier skill is the ability to swallow pure latinum and hide it in one of his stomachs for decades. –what is there not to like, ha ha!

What about an actor; what is the best thing they’ve done?

Mayumi Yoshida

She played the Crown Princess in The Man in the High Castle. I adored her character and still do. I follow her on Twitter, and she always has something engaging to say. On top of that, she responds to fans and appreciates them.

What was your favourite soundtrack during your teens?

My answer for this doesn’t begin with an M (I didn’t discover Metallica until my 20s).

The Backstreet Boys. Hands down. I was obsessed. Nick Carter was my favorite. There was nothing like ripping the plastic of Backstreet’s Back and popping it into a CD player to blast my favorite songs. This was back when CDs came with extra goodies when you inserted them into CD-ROM drive. I remember squealing with delight at the music videos and clips.

Go to a shelf/collection and count the letters of your name across or down. Tell us about the item you just picked out!

I feel like M is a hard letter for this, but I will do my best! 

*Comes back from a good long moment of staring.*

I have to disappoint, dear readers. I have one thing: melatonin gummies. This is probably the most exciting answer of the prompt, ha ha!

Have you ever heard a characters name and formed an opinion about them before you met them? Was your opinion right?

Oh yes, my dear friend. There are a few that evoke a flash of hatred. I think we all have those select few names which make us recoil with dread when we hear them. I’ll leave this answer at that! After all, we are only human.

High Castle: FYC Promotional Booklet Review

Posted on by in High Castle
Consider an  Amazon Original: The Man in the High Castle, Season 1 and Season 2

Let me start off by saying that I was thrilled to get these. Ever since glimpses if the promo for Season 1 made their way onto various corners of the Internet, I’ve wanted it. 

What are these things? You might find yourself asking. They’re promotional advertisements sent to award voters (in this case, The Emmy’s) in hopes of garnering their vote. 

When I saw the Season 1 & 2 set for a reasonable price, I couldn’t pass them up. Now let’s dive right into the good stuff!

Season 1

Comprised of quotes from the crew overlaid onto behind the scenes photos and collages, it gives the reader a small peek into the creative process behind the world building. 

I think one of my favorite snapshots was the picture of a costume designer’s notes about Juliana’s blue dress.

Each of the characters in THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE struggles with how to do the right thing in his or her own way. It’s difficult to hold onto humanity if you’re forced to live under inhumane circumstances

Frank Spotnitz , writer/executive producer
Season 2

It was thinner than Season 1, but it was not without it’s own unique twist. It featured two flip pages where the base design was printed on a thin sheet (a faint outline of shapes on the next page is visible). Once flipped, the viewer sees how base design flourished into a detailed, finished set.

It ended with a clever promotion for Resistance Radio. Remember that? It felt like ages ago. Oh, the fun that was! Good memories! If I ever find the promotional record they sent out (top right), I am snatching that up. If anyone knows where I can get one, please contact me on Twitter @MishiWan