Category: High Castle

Saving the world with High Castle and Field Team 6

Posted on by in Grasshopper Nation, High Castle, News

Tuesday I had the awesome pleasure of joining the Axis of Good (Joel de la Fuente, Rufus Sewell, Chelah Horsdal, Stephen Root, Jason O’Mara, Frances Turner, Michael Gaston, Sebastian Roché, and Isa Hacket) with Field Team 6 for an evening of textbanking. 

Let me tell you about the absolute blast I had! I didn’t know what to expect–was I nervous going in? You bet I was! I am probably the shyest person you’ll ever meet…until you get to know me, that is! 

The week started off with absolute chaos, as 2020 weeks often do. I spent that day doing a bunch of house projects which involved a lot of nit and grit. I scrambled to get my laptop ready in time without bothering to fix my hair and without any attempt at looking presentable. Normally fans are muted and shuffled to the back of these things.

Well….I clicked the link and HELLO WORLD! Hello Joel in particular because I know you saw me fumbling around and flustered! 😉 

After a minute or so, I managed to turn my camera off (like I said, I am SHY, plus I was also grimy from house projects). 

The event officially started when the rest of the High Castle participants logged on. I cannot express what a joy it was seeing them happy, relaxed, and catching up with each other as we all stumbled our way through the textbanking system those first few moments.

As we began the textbank, I felt at ease because we were all just hanging out and enjoying the company as we did our task. We chatted with them via Zoom’s chat feature, and they responded, read our chats, and laughed away.

I had so much fun that I volunteered for two Field Team 6 text banks next week, and an official Biden/Harris textbank!

Saving the world with High Castle and Field Team 6

Some highlights of the evening:

  • Sebastian letting his dog out (or in…I can’t remember!)
  • Isa showed everyone a prop she had held onto–a picture frame with a photo of the Smiths at the lake. <3
  • Rufus laughed about all the STOPs he kept getting (requests to unsubscribed) and was worried about accidentally unsubscribing an actual reply because of all the button mashing (lol)
  • Sebastian had a hilarious conversation with someone involving playing a scientist on TV (don’t ask, ha ha!)
  • Francis reading some of her replies (oh my goodness, I thought I was going to fall out of my chair!)
  • Jason muting himself and Rufus laughing at him
  • Someone commenting on how they would always switch Rufus’s and Rupert’s names on their chairs (I can’t remember who mentioned this, but I thought it was hilarious they did this on set!)
  • Seeing the Resistance Rises posters in the background of Joel’s and Isa’s home offices
  • Chelah telling us about Canadian political parties
  • Hearing all the mouse clicking as everyone button mashed, ha ha!

SGS: It’s all fun and games today!

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

Sunday, FUNday! Another fun prompt for Seriously Geeky Sundays by the awesome Heather!

4th October – Celebration Time

Smiles, tears, drama; celebration in fandom can run the gauntlet of emotion as characters celebrate the small and big moments in life. As fans, we celebrate our love for those characters and the worlds they inhabit through anniversaries and milestones. This week looks at the idea of celebration from both sides of the fourth wall.

What is your favourite celebration scene from a fandom?

High Castle – When Juliana, Frank, and Ed are reunited in Season Three

Star Trek DS9 – The celebration at the  end of the war in Vic Fontane’s club. I loved it, and I loved how Weyoun and Damar got to be included (as humans 😉 ). 

Game of Thrones – Sansa’s coronation. It was beautifully done; she deserved to be queen, and can we just talk about her gorgeous gown?

This next one is going to sound horrible, but when the Skeksis drink the essence of the guards in The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance and are drunk off of it. It was so messed up that it was hilarious (as much as I disliked them!). I wish it wasn’t cancelled. It was so good.

It won an Emmy for goodness sake!

Which character’s birthday was the most memorable?

Does Picard-Day count? Star Trek: TNG was full of fun scenes like that! I’ll always love how Picard begrudgingly accepts that Picard-Day is A Thing. 

What does celebration mean to you as fan?

Enjoying things with like minded friends who share the same love and devotion to a book/show/movie. I love seeing the things they come up with and feeling that same appreciation when I share my art. I am so thankful I got to experience that with High Castle. 

What was the last fandom related achievement or milestone you celebrated?

Art – Since discovering the best show ever created in 2015, The Man in the High Castle (I mean, what other show would I call the best? Ha ha!), my skills as an artist have skyrocketed. I never thought in a million years I could do realism or paint beautiful sea scapes,and it is all thanks to my obsession with High Castle.

The pandemic has thrown a wrench into my ability to come up with things to draw, and for that I am truly sorry. 

2016
2020 – Right before the Pandemic

Club High Castle – It all started with painting peg dolls of the characters. Since there were no posters, action figures, or memorabilia to buy, I created my own, and it has sense grown into a full fledged room! 

Have you ever had/been to a fandom themed celebration?

Does football count? Ha ha! I need to think of something I haven’t talked about before, so football it is!

At the beginning of the year yes, there was a normal beginning in the Before Times of 2020, I was thrilled that the 49ers were in the playoffs.

They’d play on a Saturday during a work trip, and my fellow football fanatic coworker’s team also had a game when we’d be gone (her team is an AFC team, so they didn’t play each other). We coordinated our jerseys (and nails!) to wear the final day of the work conference. 

And oh the adventure we had trying to get glimpses of the 49ers game later that night after we had closed and packed up. I feel like we stumbled upon an alternate universe, where the wacky adventures, strangeness and hilarity of Paddy’s Pub (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) reigned supreme-supremely crazy! I’ll just leave it at that, ha ha.

I FORGOT about this picture! I couldn’t decide on which color to wear and sent it to her. We then brought our jerseys and nail strips to work and decided on what colors to wear. Football is SRS BSNS

Do you celebrate any important pop culture dates such as movie or video game release anniversaries?

Not really because I often forget. Shame on me, I know! I will make a note to do something for the anniversary of the final season of High Castle though on November 15th.

High Castle, You are Winners in my Book!

Posted on by in High Castle, News

Hello everyone,

This post is long overdue. To say that I am disappointed about the Emmy nominations announcement on July 28th is an understatement. I’m going to sound like a bitter old bat of a fan, but I sincerely feel like everyone involved with Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle deserved a well earned nomination. Sometimes I wonder if High Castle is the red-headed stepchild in the eyes of the powers that be–Take the opinion of a die-hard High Castle fan with a grain of salt, for I am heavily biased in this matter 😉

It’s such an original concept; nothing like it has ever been done before. So much creativity and hard work was put into creating such a unique world. It felt real at times. 

I could go on, but I’ll stop myself; there’s no point in dragging this out. 2020 has enough negativity as it is. 

To the cast, crew, and everyone who was a part of Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle: you are all winners in my book.

SGS: Awesome Supporting Characters

Posted on by in Geeky Sunday, High Castle

It’s time for another Seriously Geeky Sunday brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net!

This week was so much fun (don’t I say that about every week?). There is a lot of High Castle in this one! 

2nd August – Supporting Roles

Up until now we’ve talked about all sorts of characters and this week we’re giving some love to the supporting roles in fandoms, the minor characters, the NPCs and the sidekicks. The smaller parts that are necessary for the whole thing to work.

Who is your favourite sidekick?

This is a tough one. As I close my eyes and make a mental note of all my favorite superheroes, I find that most of the time, their sidekicks are regulated to annoying catch phrases or stupidity. After much thought (and sifting through a bunch irritating characters), I remembered The Witcher!

Jaskier, the traveling bard who follows Geralt around. He is hilarious without annoying me (trust me when I say, that in itself, is no small feat!). And need I say more:

Who is your favourite minor character or NPC (non-played character)?
  • Erich Raeder from The Man in the High Castle.
  • Rue from the Hunger Games
  • Alfred Bester from Babylon 5
  • Weyoun from Star Trek: DS9
  • Yoshida from The Man in the High Castle

Why I find Erich Raeder so interesting

He was loyal to Smith without question. He was one of the few people that Smith actually cared about, which shows how important he was. He risked his life (while suffering from multiple gunshot wounds) to give Smith his gun, which ended up saving Smith’s life. 

I’ll never forget the scene when Smith says in his low, husky voice, “There’s something I need you to do for me” in Season 2. He was entrusted to plan and stage Thomas Smith’s kidnapping so that Smith’s son could live out the rest of his life somewhere else. 

Raeder and Smith just before they are ambushed in Season 2

I was CRUSHED when he died in Season 3. I wanted to see more of his backstory. How did he grow to be so loyal to Smith? 

Which minor character do you wish had more ‘screen’ time?

Every character I listed in the previous question, but I’ll name another one that I’d like to have seen more of.

Major Klemm from The Man in the High Castle

He was Erich’s temporary replacement in Season 1 while Erich was in the hospital. I wanted to see more of him. I was hoping we’d get to see him in Season 3 spying on Rockwell under Smith’s bidding (or assassinating him in NYC in a suspenseful side plot…This sounds like a good idea for a fan fic!).

Smith (left) and Klemm (right) after the ambush in Season 2
What is your favourite scene with a minor character?

The scene in High Castle Season 4 when Chief Inspector Kido had a beer with his son while watching a baseball game. It was great to see that side of the stoic Kido, but the focus here is minor characters, so I’ll talk about his son. The poor man was obviously suffering from a mixture PTSD and guilt. I truly loved that bonding moment with his father. 

Kido with his son enjoying a beer and ball game.
What has been your favourite cameo role?

It will always be the time when Tom Hiddleston appeared as Loki at SDCC 2013.

Always.

Loki surprising the crowd with an appearance at SDCC 2013
If you could have someone play a cameo role in anything what would it be?

Rufus Sewell being a guest on FOXHOLE COMPANION — @FOXHOLECOMPANI1 He is a riot and would fit right in!

About FOXHOLE COMPANION
Daniel Stewart and Simon Rance
— The podcast that brings you the chronological history of WWII through the medium of film!

SGS: What’s Your Cup of Coffee?

Posted on by in #FanCastleSunday, Geeky Sunday, High Castle

Today’s prompt was a labyrinth of discovering scenes I enjoy in a genre that is not my cup of coffee. Thank you, Heather, for this exercise in critical thinking! I tend to forgo romance in fiction for something else (almost anything else, which shows you just how much it isn’t my flavor!). 

Seriously Geeky Sunday is brought to you by the creative Heather at geeking-by.net!

July 5th – Romance is in the air

July 6th is International Kissing Day so today we’re diving into the world romance this week.

Who is your favourite couple?

John/Helen from The Man in the High Castle

What is your favourite romantic scene?

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, romance is not my cup of coffee. When I know a long, drawn out romantic scene is coming, my first instinct is to skip it because I’d rather have 5 minutes of plot than 5 minutes of nothing (it’s just boring to me; there is no other way to put it 😉 ). 

However, there are rare times when I appreciate these sorts of scenes, and Ed/Jack in The Man in the High Castle is one of those times. I was happy Ed found someone and could be happy in that world. He was the nicest character (along with Thomas) and deserved nothing but the best and to live out the rest of his days with Jack in peace. 

What is the perfect fictional place for a romantic date?

Since Disneyland isn’t fictional, I’m going to have to put my thinking cap on. 

It would have to be exploring Westeros on the backs of dragons from Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin. Imagine the wind against your face as you laugh with your significant other, soaring through the air. You gaze down at Riverrun and Winterfell as the air grows colder, but your blood is fire, and you don’t feel it. You eventually make your way to The Wall and cross over beyond it. The pair of you find a forgotten field, blanketed with snow and let loose dragonfire. 

Soaring over the East coast during the Great Polar Vortex of 2018
Some romantic scenes are adorable, and then some are just plain awkward. What’s the most awkward scene you can recall?

99% of them are awkward. I’ll have to go with any time Gale tries to hit on Katniss in the Hunger Games trilogy. He is the stereotypical “nice guy,” and it’s just creepy. It is obvious she feels she has to kiss him because of it. I’m going to prove my point by this excerpt…I mean, look WHEN he decides to pull his creepy “nice guy” stunt.

What is your favourite wedding scene?

We skipped most of the Pam/Jim wedding episode in the Office if that provides a hint of things…none of them? 😉 Okay, okay, I’ll play nice! I have literally been sitting here for ten minutes trying to think of one. It’s time to write my own.

Pick a fandom and play kiss/marry/avoid!

Now this is a fun one! I feel like I’m young again! And thank you, Heather, for changing the last one to avoid. 

I’ll pick Babylon 5

  • Kiss – Psi Cop from that fun Psi Corps commercial
  • Marry – Bester (this should not surprise anyone)
  • Avoid – Sheridan