tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77205394991954353642024-03-29T14:29:55.884+11:00Jess Anastasi...writing whatever is on my mind when I'm not writing books...Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-74060748504581488732021-02-26T09:46:00.000+11:002021-02-26T09:46:02.820+11:00Blurb Reveal - The Final Dawn<p><span style="font-size: medium;">The countdown is on to release day for The Final Dawn. This is the one my long-time readers have been waiting for: Rian and Ella's book!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6X-KNyBRirSOdyzCtH-jOiyXy2ry-DuI51CPzYU1JlRIrJudYtSbyKfIjGIybv629MvonEjf2J2WJHPU_g-f-RPhg-uboMhIacHDvl_iXkrlYm7N7sSRiXfOAOCaUy17p1pfIctvRZDeA/s1500/The+Final+Dawn-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1500" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6X-KNyBRirSOdyzCtH-jOiyXy2ry-DuI51CPzYU1JlRIrJudYtSbyKfIjGIybv629MvonEjf2J2WJHPU_g-f-RPhg-uboMhIacHDvl_iXkrlYm7N7sSRiXfOAOCaUy17p1pfIctvRZDeA/w400-h134/The+Final+Dawn-banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">They will fight until the last star burns out...</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Rian Sherron is a lot of things. Captain of the spaceship
Imojenna. Ex-war hero. Ex-assassin. For years, he's traveled from one
end of the galaxy to the other, both trying to escape his demons and get
revenge on the shape-shifting aliens responsible for his slow demise
into hell.<br /><br />That all changed the day Rian rescued an Arynian
priestess from slave traders. Ella Kinton is everything Rian both fears
and admires. Ella is everything he never let himself admit he wanted.
Together, they must face a harrowing choice—come together and defeat
Reidar, or fall apart, leaving the universe in total chaos.</span></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></b></p><p><br /></p>Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-78747633122965762642021-02-23T09:25:00.000+11:002021-02-23T09:25:53.920+11:00Cover Reveal - The Final Dawn (Atrophy Series Book#5) <p> <span style="font-size: medium;">I'm very excited to be able to share the cover of The Final Dawn. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzXm99kVwWz7OWx30TPKrEtS3o__mnSBNagPcjonFZzrQ5vuj8GtJwbiFZMUogLjHciiGP1zpJJokBN3TKGmkdFUU16cQbm3vDbuSyoO8yBW_NV_gnJHvpahyUI5nwSq0rAZmitS2jHOE/s750/The+Final+Dawn-Atrophy+%25235-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzXm99kVwWz7OWx30TPKrEtS3o__mnSBNagPcjonFZzrQ5vuj8GtJwbiFZMUogLjHciiGP1zpJJokBN3TKGmkdFUU16cQbm3vDbuSyoO8yBW_NV_gnJHvpahyUI5nwSq0rAZmitS2jHOE/w426-h640/The+Final+Dawn-Atrophy+%25235-500.jpg" width="426" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the last book in the Atrophy series, and I know a lot of long-time readers will be excited to learn this is the one they've been waiting for - Rian and Ella's story. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It will shortly be available for pre-order, and is set to release on the 22nd of March. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stayed tuned for the blurb and more news on the Atrophy series!</span> <br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-81097823328873244062021-02-12T10:19:00.000+11:002021-02-12T10:19:03.441+11:00Flash Review - Date Me Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye<p> This book is so adorable, it should be illegal. </p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="50746944" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587805718l/50746944.jpg" /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Captain of the school soccer team, Bryson Keller, is involved in a dare where he gets asked out every Monday and can't say no. He then has to be a perfect boyfriend until Friday, then the dare starts all over again the following Monday. Kai Sheridan, who is so far in the closet he can't even see the door, doesn't plan on asking Bryson out, it just kind of happens after a series of unfortunate events sees both boys land in lunch time detention and Kai gets just a little bit enraged.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Bryson lives up to the whole "perfect boyfriend" thing and it feels too good to be true for Kai. Over the week, the two boys quickly start falling for each other, even as they hide their dare-based relationship to protect Kai from being forced out. </p><p style="text-align: left;">The book was lots of fun, had so many "awwww" moments and was a quick, enjoyable read. I'd love to see this book made into a movie! An easy 5 stars. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-85653368597086239812021-02-09T10:26:00.003+11:002021-02-09T21:29:50.914+11:00Virgin River vs Hart of Dixie<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When the season 2 promos for Virgin River were playing every time I opened Netflix, I decided it was a good time to make a start on season 1 and watch it through. After all, two seasons to watch are better than one! Going into it, I was vaguely aware the premise was similar to Hart of Dixie (2011 - 2015) but I had no idea just how similar the shows would end up being. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><img alt="https://fanart.tv/fanart/tv/248880/tvposter/hart-of-dixie-5266aa3f73fe2.jpg" class="shrinkToFit" height="320" src="https://fanart.tv/fanart/tv/248880/tvposter/hart-of-dixie-5266aa3f73fe2.jpg" width="224" /> <img alt="https://www.kino-zeit.de/sites/default/files/styles/plakat/public/2019-12/virgin-river-plakat.jpg?itok=u75Dxu8M" class="shrinkToFit" height="320" src="https://www.kino-zeit.de/sites/default/files/styles/plakat/public/2019-12/virgin-river-plakat.jpg?itok=u75Dxu8M" width="214" /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Basics:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Hart of Dixie</b><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Big shot New York surgeon Zoe Hart makes the (arguably impulsive) decision to move to Bluebell, Alabama after she fails to get the cardiothorasic fellowship she wanted and her boyfriend breaks up with her. Her mentor tells her she has terrible bedside manner and could do with some experience as a GP to see patients as people, not cases needing to be solved. The mysterious Dr Harley Wilks has been sending her postcards once a month since her graduation, inviting her to become a doctor in his small town, so she decides to take him up on the offer. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When Zoe arrives in Bluebell, not only is she way out of her comfort zone, but she finds out Dr Wilks has recently passed away. This is soon eclipsed by the startling news that he was actually her biological father and left his half of the GP practice to her. Hi-jinks ensue. A love triangle between Zoe, George Tucker (town golden boy and lawyer) and Wade Kinsella (town bad boy bartender, with a secret heart of gold), is made more complicated by the fact George is engaged to the town's queen bee, Lemon Breeland, who is also the daughter of Zoe's rival, Dr Brick Breeland. It's soon revealed that Lemon had an affair with the ex-NFL player and town mayor, Lavon Hayes, who is Zoe's landlord and quickly becomes her BFF. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The web that the showrunners and writers spun is nothing short of genius. When laid out like this, it sounds confusing as all hell. And in later seasons, it became even more complicated as other characters like AnnaBeth, Shelby, and Tansy all throw their hat into the small dating ring. It could have easily become a giant mess, but instead it was a roller-coaster where you could never see the next twist or plunge coming. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><img alt="https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/b965az8VIRfMI66r3CBCMkQ4Q9A/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2014/02/05/082/n/1922283/4568f2f571d00537_70307/i/Wade-Zoe-Hart-Dixie.jpg" class="shrinkToFit" height="320" src="https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/b965az8VIRfMI66r3CBCMkQ4Q9A/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2014/02/05/082/n/1922283/4568f2f571d00537_70307/i/Wade-Zoe-Hart-Dixie.jpg" width="213" /> <img alt="https://s.hdnux.com/photos/06/73/24/1815845/5/920x920.jpg" class="shrinkToFit" height="320" src="https://s.hdnux.com/photos/06/73/24/1815845/5/920x920.jpg" width="212" /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Virgin River:</b><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Big city nurse Melinda Monroe (from LA, but I may be misremembering) decides she needs a major life change and answers an ad to take on the role of nurse practitioner in the remote northern California town of Virgin River. At first, we don't really know why she left LA, but through a series of flashbacks over the season, personal trauma is revealed as the reason. She meets the handsome owner of the local bar, Jack Sheridan, who is immediately taken by her and works with the quirky town mayor to ensure Mel stays in town, despite the many reason she has to leave again. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Most of the season is focused on Mel and Jack falling for one another and overcoming various hurdles along the way. The flashbacks were occasionally almost more compelling than the central story line, and it was her past with lost husband, Mark, that kept me watching when I otherwise would have switched off. I wanted to know what had happened to him and why. This question was answered by the end of season one, and sadly, I wasn't motivated enough to continue on with season two, especially when my sister watched it and told me season two ends of a massive, frustrating cliff hanger. I really loathe cliff hangers, but maybe when season three is available, I'll consider whether I want to watch any more of it. </span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="https://tv-fanatic-res.cloudinary.com/iu/s--Xmuxwn-y--/t_full/cs_srgb,f_auto,fl_strip_profile.lossy,q_auto:420/v1606531968/jack-and-mel-at-river-virgin-river-s2e6.png" class="shrinkToFit" height="320" src="https://tv-fanatic-res.cloudinary.com/iu/s--Xmuxwn-y--/t_full/cs_srgb,f_auto,fl_strip_profile.lossy,q_auto:420/v1606531968/jack-and-mel-at-river-virgin-river-s2e6.png" width="220" /> </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="https://tv-fanatic-res.cloudinary.com/iu/s--kepq1tFG--/t_full/cs_srgb,f_auto,fl_strip_profile.lossy,q_auto:420/v1606532297/mark-and-mel-sailing-virgin-river-s2e6.png" class="shrinkToFit" height="320" src="https://tv-fanatic-res.cloudinary.com/iu/s--kepq1tFG--/t_full/cs_srgb,f_auto,fl_strip_profile.lossy,q_auto:420/v1606532297/mark-and-mel-sailing-virgin-river-s2e6.png" width="198" /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Comparing the two shows possibly isn't entirely fair. Hart of Dixie is a comedy drama romance, so it could often get away with ridiculous story lines. Virgin River is a romantic drama, with way more angst. Plus, oringinally airing on the CW, Hart of Dixie would skew toward a younger audience (<45 years old) while Virgin River undoubtedly captures an older demographic (>45 years old). <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, watching Virgin River made me undeniably nostalgic for Hart of Dixie, especially since Tim Matheson played town doctor in both shows. I'd originally seen Hart of Dixie as it aired on the CW between 2011 to 2015, so getting to watch it now in an ongoing binge was an absolute pleasure. There were so many things I'd forgotten about it, and I quickly fell in love with the characters and quirky but lovable town of Bluebell all over again. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Its probably easy to tell that my personal opinion is that Hart of Dixie is the better show. However, comedy drama isn't for everyone. I can see where a lot of people would find Virgin River the better show, and feel that Hart of Dixie was a little bit ridiculous sometimes. It was. But that's what made it so great. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Like so many other shows getting the reboot treatment, very late last year, several of the key actors in Hart of Dixie said they would love to reprise their roles and head back to Bluebell. The show had managed to gain new life and a brand new following on Netflix (I believe it might have since ended its run on the platform in the US. Here in Australia, its currently available on a streaming service called Stan.) and many fans were calling for Netflix -- or any other streaming service that might be interested -- to pick up the show and film a season 5. It would be really interesting to restart the series ten years later, and I'd love to see what new writers might do with it. But, down that path, showrunners and writers take the risk of destroying a legacy. And there's nothing worse than a show being revived or rebooted, only to completely suck and taint the whole franchise. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Personally, I'd love to see Zoe and Wade settled with a handful of kids and get a glimpse into what became of other beloved characters and the town of Bluebell as a whole. If the show runners managed to get back most of the original writers, then just maybe, we'd be lucky enough to see another 4 or 5 seasons of lovable Bluebell shenanigans. </span><br /></p>Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-36893631733980758462021-02-04T09:49:00.000+11:002021-02-04T09:49:50.187+11:00Throwback Thursday - Stargate SG1 ... 2021 Reboot? <div class="separator" style="text-align: justify;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;">With the upcoming release of the final book in the Atrophy series, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the TV series that influenced me, both before I became a writer myself, and leading up to beginning the Atrophy series. </span></p></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If we're talking purely sci fi TV shows, then Stargate SG1 was my addiction through my late teens and early twenties. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcY-2GzjU-IAZdewGrWcHyt60ymuqZA5TqDD_PdFdA_Uoyu4RqqC62tFifzdAGmmuTRIiEAPNTRrLP2SGTYPhH6_zZ2sFrjswZaQkidmK9HxF2EMbXgNBF4FLn2tcrSslRh3kEUNfEHdw-/s474/sg1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcY-2GzjU-IAZdewGrWcHyt60ymuqZA5TqDD_PdFdA_Uoyu4RqqC62tFifzdAGmmuTRIiEAPNTRrLP2SGTYPhH6_zZ2sFrjswZaQkidmK9HxF2EMbXgNBF4FLn2tcrSslRh3kEUNfEHdw-/s320/sg1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">SG1 had all the elements to make a great TV show:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">> A premise that managed to create ongoing tension, but still be fun and compelling.<br />> A team viewers could connect with and root for.<br />> Snappy, smart dialogue.<br />> An easily identifiable enemy with clear intentions that came into conflict with our heroes.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Technical elements aside, there were so many other things to love about this show. I was shipping Jack and Sam before I even knew what shipping was. If you ever want to learn a thing or two about how to successfully string out UST (unresolved sexual tension), then the ongoing will they/won't they relationship between Jack and Sam is an example of how to do it well, and how to do it in style. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://images2.fanpop.com/images/quiz/116000/116630_1231120238850_417_419.jpg" height="320" src="http://images2.fanpop.com/images/quiz/116000/116630_1231120238850_417_419.jpg" width="318" /> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As for personal favorites, I was a total Daniel Jackson fangirl. I had the biggest fictional hero crush on him that lasted years and considering how many dedicated fans he had on the internet, I know I wasn't the only one. He went on a very typical hero's journey. His wife was abducted by the bad guys, which was the inciting incident that set his story into motion. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFIDfJDmFiRBOwF7-vT6wRiUd7eaOooA_faVTZ1aB2DIz4WdbxRYm8RRdrPn61aDNlY6_JUq7Xbt1bvjEz-I25uoSURNXJSklI2ojRaCnJL9eu5eCztOIFoCTkC2d-qZNlg4impwdhDpi/s500/daniel+jackson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFIDfJDmFiRBOwF7-vT6wRiUd7eaOooA_faVTZ1aB2DIz4WdbxRYm8RRdrPn61aDNlY6_JUq7Xbt1bvjEz-I25uoSURNXJSklI2ojRaCnJL9eu5eCztOIFoCTkC2d-qZNlg4impwdhDpi/s320/daniel+jackson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At first, Daniel resisted everything the military stood for, and this gave the team great internal and personal conflict, especially when his views brought him in direct disagreement with Jack, who was in charge of the team and got the final say. There were plenty of times Jack and Daniel would argue over something, then one of them would be proven wrong and subsequently learn from each other. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jack and Daniel definitely grew closer over the years and were a great example of a caring, unapologetic platonic male relationship, even though plenty of people argued !Gay Subtext! over the years. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVOiHnEhTrvlcoFkieAdnMAXN8SzQf6E6ZFu76QdXRpI0FvYgIxrrc_hsHqWfu9i9O_BvSK-gOJUhuuzyoNscnEoN-4bH39aQR2ER582f1aFqx3qgo7w5cF5t0HboJ2f1ygAus6MD7oGb/s1600/light2.jpg" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVOiHnEhTrvlcoFkieAdnMAXN8SzQf6E6ZFu76QdXRpI0FvYgIxrrc_hsHqWfu9i9O_BvSK-gOJUhuuzyoNscnEoN-4bH39aQR2ER582f1aFqx3qgo7w5cF5t0HboJ2f1ygAus6MD7oGb/w400-h225/light2.jpg" width="400" /> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I still find Daniel's journey over the years on SG1 very interesting. He started out as this complete geek, didn't know how to hold a gun, could barely stand up for himself in most situations and definitely had this almost naive optimism. When he was killed off (I think it was the end of season 6 and possibly due to "creative differences") the fans lobbied endlessly to get him back and eventually were successful. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">By the time the series was wrapping up with a couple of movies ten years later, Daniel was a completely different character. He could hold his own in many different ways, and had become the kind of true hero many writers aspire to create. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stargate was truly a juggernaut franchise. The first spin-off, Stargate Atlantis, definitely managed to live up to SG1 standards with 5 seasons of its own. Stargate Universe unfortunately was missing that "spark" that gave Stargate SG1 its magic, and limped its way through 2 seasons before being cancelled due to poor ratings. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img class="detail__media__img-thumbnail js-detail-img js-detail-img-thumb" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.l_erTJdNpHBJvrSZRw0pwAHaEK%26pid%3DApi&f=1" style="height: 262px; width: 465.778px;" /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In this era of reboots, there were of course rumors floating around the internet that MGM had a new Stargate series in the works, and this was confirmed by co-creator Brad Wright in mid-2020. However, the covid-19 pandemic claimed many things last year, and it looks like the Stargate reboot might have been one of them. Later in the year, there were still rumors that MGM were doing something and that it was a "work in progress," with speculation that if things went well, a new Stargate series could hit our screens in late 2021. Unfortunately, a search of any new information pretty much results in crickets chirping.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I always have mixed feelings about reboots. According to Wright, this wouldn't be a reboot, so much as a continuation of the story. An entire new series, with a new team and some cameos from fan favorites thrown in could actually work. But that's the point where things get sticky. Writing something that both feels familiar and gives the original fans what they've been wanting (namely more Stargate) while also feeling fresh and new to capture an entire new generation and audience isn't going to be an easy task, and I wouldn't want to be the writer fronting up to develop that pilot script. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There's usually not much in the way of middle road where reboots are concerned. Either they're amazing and start an entire new wave of fan obsession for the franchise (eg 2005 reboot of Doctor Who) or they completely tank and fans cringe every time they think about it (eg 2009 reboot of Melrose Place). We can only hope that should a reboot actually come together, then all the stars will align and a new shining era of Stargate adventures will grace our screens.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2hDxvUhYyTWXnvoV7LFRNjIeafHfOO3KX13sf0MscNd6A7tabzcY8jyV83nfjuYZu6gHn39lVqBSRDlsipm7iPxc7PhjF6mJNYPDuMDRjzvqDMcOjx_F6yqgCOqFLJz9r_ipnpGZ-1sC/s1600/Stargate_sg1_poster1.jpg" class="shrinkToFit" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2hDxvUhYyTWXnvoV7LFRNjIeafHfOO3KX13sf0MscNd6A7tabzcY8jyV83nfjuYZu6gHn39lVqBSRDlsipm7iPxc7PhjF6mJNYPDuMDRjzvqDMcOjx_F6yqgCOqFLJz9r_ipnpGZ-1sC/w400-h320/Stargate_sg1_poster1.jpg" width="400" /></p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-90077760100016659892021-02-01T12:54:00.002+11:002021-02-03T10:15:40.367+11:00Atrophy 99c for February<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> This month Atrophy is on sale for 99c! </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0166PXF1I?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_0&storeType=ebooks" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3CMmmeBPY3k9AC4HeDjFc-nRH42zFv3obCk5fBzA-zCdwdcx2s0nbcgD0bRP8AzQD4SBf5vBAQQWywgocuPHtGkurl7U4nWMwUUiYF2JFtiuqjUHA5HOSlmW754L2pITj-w20tW5gzOk/s320/atrophy-erinrecover500_1.jpg" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Winner of a 2015 Galaxy Award for science fiction romance.</b></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Twelve
years on the prison planet Erebus makes a man long for death. The worst
part for Tannin Everette is that he was framed for murder. He's <i>innocent</i>. When the ship <i>Imojenna </i>lands
for emergency repairs, Tannin risks everything to escape...only to find
himself face to face with the captain's undeniably gorgeous sister. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Zahli Sherron isn't planning on turning Tannin in. In fact, she actually <i>believes</i>
him. Sure, he's sexy as every kind of sin, but he's no criminal--so she
hides him. But no one escapes from Erebus and lives to tell about it.
With every day that passes, Zahli further risks the lives of the entire
crew...even as she falls in love with a man she can never have for
herself.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The Atrophy series is best enjoyed in order:<br />Reading Order:<br />#1 Atrophy<br />#2 Quantum<br />#3 Diffraction<br />#4 Entropy<br />#5 TBA - releasing in 2021</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Reviews:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><p style="color: #202020; line-height: 150%; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>5 stars</b>
"...fans of Firefly and Serenity! this is the series for you. Anyone
who has ever craved for more of this space Western drama television
series + movie will LOVE Atrophy. <b>Rogue space bad boys, ass-kicking women, mysterious and evolved beings and of course let's not forget shape shifting aliens.</b> Everything your heart desires in an awesome series by Jess Anastasi." ~Ash P Reads, Goodreads<br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>5 stars</b> <b>"Oh. My. Heck. This was a fantastic read! </b>[...]
I was hugely satisfied with this book. I loved the characters, the ship
they travel on (it definitely reminded me of Serenity and made me feel
at home), and this new universe that is waiting to be further explored."
~Abby, Goodreads<br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>4 stars</b> "There's a motley crew to get to know, multiple
conflicts waiting to unfold, shady & tortured pasts to uncover and
loads of unresolved sexual tension to strip away--all of which remind me
of Firefly on steroids set in the ever-faulty Millennium Falcon, <b>full of cynical humor, spiffy dialogue, and all kinds of mad behavior</b>." ~Unstuck Pages<br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>4 stars</b> <b>"Best science fiction romance book by Jess Anastasi that I have read. </b>If
you loved Joss Whedon's Firefly series or his Serenity movie, then this
is a book that needs to be on your radar." ~LiteratiLiterature Lovers<br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><b>5 stars</b> "Great book filled with<b> action and suspense, outstanding characters </b>and the best part, it's a sci-fi romance." ~Jacque, The JeepDiva<br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span><br />
<b>5 stars "Atrophy is a pulse pounding action adventure romance. </b>This
book has great characters, an awesome plot, and great writing. [...] I
need to know what comes next for the crew of the Imojenna! This is a
great read, not to be missed. "~Linda, Goodreads</span></span></p>Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-6990853957994174582021-01-29T11:46:00.003+11:002021-02-03T10:14:47.330+11:00New Beginnings<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Ah, the humble blog. Does anyone even read these things anymore? </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/50rJushu3URtS/giphy.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="249" src="https://media.giphy.com/media/50rJushu3URtS/giphy.gif" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For those die hard fans who may still lurk around this blog in the hope of catching some new snippet of info about my books, you'll undoubtedly notice all previous posts are now gone. Yep, all one-thousand and something of them. Apparently I'd been blabbing away at the Interwebs for the last thirteen years. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In reality, the posts aren't gone, just archived and waiting for me to re-read them. I decided to do a bit of an overhaul and wanted to curate my content instead of just having a whole lot of everything slapped up here.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In the meantime, there'll be some news coming this way, so stay tuned!</span></p>Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-61260764320357488342018-01-13T15:06:00.000+11:002021-02-04T12:20:11.340+11:00Incident Report IBC-726A-39<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">FORMAL INCIDENT REPORT<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">SECTION ONE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Incident Date:___</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">25<sup>th</sup> August 2436</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">__ Incident Time:___</span></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">22<u>:30 hours approx</u></span></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Incident Location:_____</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Officer’s mess hall</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">__________________________<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Person/s Involved in Incident:___</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Colonel Cameron McAllister, Lieutenant
Sebastian Rayne</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">___________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Damage to Property Y/N:__</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes__</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Damage
to Individual Y/N:_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">___<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">SECTION TWO<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Details of Incident:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">______________________</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lieutenant Sebastian “Seb” Rayne and I consumed a few too many beers while
discussing a particularly shitful assignment Seb had just gone through. After
most people had left the officers mess hall, Seb got hungry, so we went into
the kitchen to make sandwiches, but then Seb decided he wanted a hotdog instead.
Although I was aware we were both somewhat intoxicated, I couldn’t have foreseen
that attempting to cook a single hotdog would result in an appliance exploding
and a minor fire to break out. Or that when trying to put out aforementioned
fire, a pipe would be damaged resulting in the kitchen flooding. Or, that in
the ensuing chaos, Seb would slip over and give himself a concussion.</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">SECTION THREE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Statement of Culpability: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">During the incident wherein </span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">the officer’s mess hall kitchen was
simultaneously burned and flooded, </span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I, __</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Colonel Cameron McAllister</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">__ am hereby
officially stating to the record that as a direct result of my actions </span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">of being intoxicated and thinking it was a good
idea to go along with anything suggested by Sebastian Rayne</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_____, caused
</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Damage_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Destruction_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Injury_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Insult___ Grievance With___ Offence
To___<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fellow members of my Team___ Unit___ Shipmates___ Soldiers_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Civilians___<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">and/or Property_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Buildings_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Vehicles___ Ship___ of which I should have more
respect. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I am aware that my actions may be construed as Offensive___
Selfish_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Ignorant_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Short-sighted_</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">X</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_ Insulting___ Insolent___ and wish
to state that my intention was___</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">to debrief and/or commiserate with a friend and fellow soldier</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_____,
though I can see now that it may have appeared that I was__</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">just getting wasted</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Please accept my___</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">sincere and now very sober apologies</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">__. Moving forward I will attempt
to____</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">not do anything suggested
by Seb, especially when drunk, even if it seems harmless</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I have made this statement__</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">by my own free will</span></u></b><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">_____ and
I standby all details within. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">SECTION FOUR<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Additional Notes:___</span></b><b><u><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "bradley hand itc"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The fire and flooding of the officer’s mess hall kitchen was very
regrettable, but this has brought to my attention that the set up of the
kitchen before the damage was not conducive to reactions by personnel during an
emergency. Lieutenant Rayne’s concussion may have been avoidable if not for the
fact that someone had inappropriately stored a container of tuna which was knocked
over in Seb’s haste to get some water. Not only did it cover him from head to
toe in tuna chunks and oil, that is what he actually slipped on when he went to
step away. On a side note, Seb is sitting next to me filling out his own report
and still smells like cat food. <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJBBvwIZS0cj3bvXyK_zhMEpMsr_g9l5I9aZoXHTFunnKFsX7Ly7MmUUVu3TdW4rnVQ3KjYImgPLJdBAUXbTg3DonO8IlcNDKN-UUwxI85pSz0d4ql3XgNNRsaIm_4kn2fPDgXmkeU94v/s1600/32929883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJBBvwIZS0cj3bvXyK_zhMEpMsr_g9l5I9aZoXHTFunnKFsX7Ly7MmUUVu3TdW4rnVQ3KjYImgPLJdBAUXbTg3DonO8IlcNDKN-UUwxI85pSz0d4ql3XgNNRsaIm_4kn2fPDgXmkeU94v/s320/32929883.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-AU"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Available Now From Entangled Publishing:</span></span><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">When one of her pilots is shot down behind enemy lines, Lieutenant Theresa Brenner will stop at nothing to save her before she’s captured and tortured, even if it means being part of the dirtside team led by Colonel Cameron McAllister. Bren might respect the way the colonel commands his men, but she’ll never trust Cam—no matter how charming he is—because he was responsible for her brother’s death. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Colonel Cameron McAllister has a covert mission behind enemy lines to team with the Ilari rebels and overthrow the bloodthirsty dictator who’s torn their planet apart. The last thing he needs is to get sidetracked searching for a downed pilot, especially since it means having Lieutenant Theresa Brenner tag along. Not only doesn’t the frosty pilot have the ground game to keep up with his seasoned group, she’s a potential distraction with all those gorgeous blond curls of hers—and she might be just like her brother, whose foolhardiness got his men killed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://entangledpublishing.com/war-games.html">Check it out here! </a></span></span></div>
Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-62838157885534197882018-01-06T12:37:00.000+11:002021-02-04T12:19:24.910+11:00Five Times The Doctor Wasn't The Least Bit StraightThe fandoms and parts of the internet have been buzzing on and off over the last few months over the rumours that it seemed Jodie Whittaker's incarnation of the <a href="http://wegotthiscovered.com/tv/doctor-star-michelle-gomez-hints-first-bisexual-scenes/">Thirteenth Doctor was set to be bisexual</a>. Much of this was based off the fact that the Doctor's companions are usually female, however, the gossip subsided a little when it was announced that Bradley Walsh was set to be the first of three new companions for the Doctor (with the other two being Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole).<br />
However, before any new episodes air later this year and we eventually find out, I have to say that I think the idea of the Doctor being somewhat fluid with his/her sexuality has already been well and truly established. Hence, I give you five times the Doctor wasn't the least bit straight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidc-GAXmDeIeSiB8Qo0lBecartz5Ggk9Cibrky97TWivOSMDf9XmmTPPfEIiydyB9yE5ZIkYgj52hxPFWN2vSvTdJcgNGC2Tc7YZGcS2wPhLiHWkWFhEnvvKTTN89fL4PTpVrq0ki_RqgF/s1600/tumblr_odiomyFNbG1si297wo4_250.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidc-GAXmDeIeSiB8Qo0lBecartz5Ggk9Cibrky97TWivOSMDf9XmmTPPfEIiydyB9yE5ZIkYgj52hxPFWN2vSvTdJcgNGC2Tc7YZGcS2wPhLiHWkWFhEnvvKTTN89fL4PTpVrq0ki_RqgF/s1600/tumblr_odiomyFNbG1si297wo4_250.gif" /></a><b>1) That Time Ten Got Flirty With Shakespeare</b><br />
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Ten spent his first season with eyes only for Rose. And on a side note, I have to say I really loved the Ten x Rose ship. They were just so adorable together. I love the fact that Rose (presumably) got to have her HEA with the metacrisis Doctor, or Tentoo as the fandoms like to call him. After losing Rose, he spent most of his regeneration getting over her... twice if we're being technical about it.<br />
But there was this priceless moment in the episode The Shakespeare Code where he managed to catch Shakespeare's eye. Though Ten didn't exactly flirt back with him, I have to say, the two of them did have some interesting chemistry in this episode.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMJqOyDSkSn6-im_orYxJ7tGnNtoFnnhjD9gg0iDyvNs_G3BYDzSp1mV397m0mIwUIclCTwPUHVsQn-ak3D_DVcrtdzCzXLSZeGsVKRbCgS9sbkPp2UuBo8GwzB_YYnt2jpUmK9sg_SZK/s1600/tumblr_odiomyFNbG1si297wo3_250.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglMJqOyDSkSn6-im_orYxJ7tGnNtoFnnhjD9gg0iDyvNs_G3BYDzSp1mV397m0mIwUIclCTwPUHVsQn-ak3D_DVcrtdzCzXLSZeGsVKRbCgS9sbkPp2UuBo8GwzB_YYnt2jpUmK9sg_SZK/s1600/tumblr_odiomyFNbG1si297wo3_250.gif" /></a><b>2) That Time Twelve Was All Like "Call Me Later." </b><br />
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I actually have no idea what this was all about. Truthfully it was probably more like Twelve was impressed with Psi (played by the very talented Jonathan Bailey) and was indicating that if he ever wanted to go travelling in the TARDIS, then the offer was open. However it did come across very cute and flirty, and it seemed to me that Psi took it that way as well. Before this episode, I was still struggling with Twelve after loving Eleven so much (but in the same way, I'd loved Ten and struggled the first few eps with Eleven) but this episode and partly this moment was when I fell in love with Twelve.<br />
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<b>3) That Time Nine Met Captain Jack Harkness And The Sparks Were Obvious.</b><br />
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Don't get me started on Captain Jack Harkness or we'll be here for months. Truly, I think anyone would have trouble resisting the charm-offensive that is Jack Harkness. By this point it was obvious that the Doctor was developing feelings for Rose, and was a little blase in the face of Jack's flirting. Partly it would have also come down to the fact that the Doctor realized very quickly that flirting was Jack's default setting. However, when Jack laid it on thick enough, the Doctor was happy to give as good as he got. The episodes with Nine, Rose and Jack are some of my favourites. I think its a pity they didn't introduce Jack sooner and give him more travelling time in the TARDIS with the pair. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3oXGOiGvjcMQy58L0KkZvVf33S5hh_RhZVHSlkD25x9p9cIP9DB2e1tyEi8g7D1xIjbzZ1j_8NwlTGbRA5ZgY_iRg8R153P3RMlPjfqBhALbPAwmsnJ8IXMxfWLjgo8krlfAlOxY_Vtl/s1600/tumblr_odiomyFNbG1si297wo2_250.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3oXGOiGvjcMQy58L0KkZvVf33S5hh_RhZVHSlkD25x9p9cIP9DB2e1tyEi8g7D1xIjbzZ1j_8NwlTGbRA5ZgY_iRg8R153P3RMlPjfqBhALbPAwmsnJ8IXMxfWLjgo8krlfAlOxY_Vtl/s1600/tumblr_odiomyFNbG1si297wo2_250.gif" /></a><b>4) That Time Eleven Kissed Rory Williams </b><br />
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Oh man, this moment. This moment does not need words. The dynamic of Eleven, Amy and Rory was always amazing. A lot of my favourite-of-all-time episodes feature these three. No matter what was happening, they were always so much fun. And it worked well with Eleven's goofy, dorky adorableness. Out of all the Doctors, I think Eleven was arguably the most flirty, except I don't think he really meant to be and was kind of oblivious to it half the time. I mean, there was that whole thing with Craig. But that's a story for another post. Though he met Amelia first as a child, there was no doubt that the Doctor had as much affection for Rory as he did for Amy. I think a lot of that came down to how much Rory loved Amy, and the fact he would literally do anything for her. But it was also Rory himself. I have to say, Rory is one of my favourite underrated characters of Doctor Who. He was always there, always reliable and when it came down to it, he could be a total badass.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRyO7s-9BAcP55nUJXlBzIpj-2zeMJLo9qoNyk-JtSNzlAhP1FbjTgidpE0J6fFiJBCVJRg65CfkeXY-IyVewYnL2eIkUk0tz0jaGdau6UTKnDe7QfJDH7Ezt91YNDxom4huPIZK_2SJa/s1600/tumblr_odiomyFNbG1si297wo1_250.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRyO7s-9BAcP55nUJXlBzIpj-2zeMJLo9qoNyk-JtSNzlAhP1FbjTgidpE0J6fFiJBCVJRg65CfkeXY-IyVewYnL2eIkUk0tz0jaGdau6UTKnDe7QfJDH7Ezt91YNDxom4huPIZK_2SJa/s1600/tumblr_odiomyFNbG1si297wo1_250.gif" /></a><b>5) That Time Jack Kissed Nine Goodbye</b><br />
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In this last episode for Nine before he regenerated into Ten, Jack was going to face the daleks and knew he wasn't going to survive it. He kissed Rose goodbye first, which wouldn't have been a surprise to anyone since he'd made it quite clear from the first moment he met Rose that he was attracted to her. But then (probably much to the utter stupidfication of many viewers) he kissed Nine goodbye as well. Nine didn't pull back or resist, he let Jack kiss him and was totally fine about it.<br />
I always thought this was an amazing moment of TV, normalizing all things LGBTQ and taking an important step toward other sexual orientations besides straight couples becoming an every day thing in our society. <br />
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So there you have it. Five times it can reasonably be argued that the cannon of the Doctor being bisexual had already been well established.<br />
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<a href="http://scriptscribbles.tumblr.com/post/150420484551">*all gifs sourced from scriptscribbles on tumblr</a><br />
<br />Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-90716412767058966092018-01-02T08:00:00.000+11:002021-02-04T12:19:31.444+11:00Doctor Who Re-Watch - Top 5 Episodes of Season 1What better way to start off a new year than with a re-watch of Doctor Who? It's summer holidays here in Australia, so I haven't spent quite as much time curled up on the couch watching TV (which surely isn't a bad thing) so the re-watch is going to take a while because I'm lucky to watch one ep a day at the moment. Lucky the seasons are only around 12 to 14 episodes long or this will end up taking me all year... although, a year of Doctor Who. Actually, that sounds kind of awesome!<br />
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Anyhoo, I have just finished re-watching season 1, from way back in 2005. Look, this first season is good, but if you compare it to what comes later, then you can see how it was a little rough around the edges. However, I think season 1 with the Ninth Doctor stayed true to what Doctor Who originally was--no big-budget special effects. The campiness of it (which, I think it still partly has to this day) the ridiculousness, the fun, the outlandish, it was all meant to be like that. Later, it was able to become a little more sophisticated, sometimes a little darker, the special effects on par with most of it's other contemporary sci fi shows.<br />
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So, yes, there was a lot to love about this first season. Getting Billy Piper to play Rose was just perfect, her on-screen energy was always brilliant no matter who she was acting with. But if we're being honest, my favourite thing about season 1 was and always will be the introduction of Captain Jack Harkness. He's probably one of my favourite TV characters of all time, and the fact he went on to star in his own TV show through Torchwood was just epic. Don't get me started on Captain Jack or we'll be here forever.<br />
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Without anymore blabbing, here's my top five favourite episodes of season 1:<br />
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<b>5) Rose (episode 1)</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PQoPnrgCdDnSp-80gAvakjmuEQzERJc4ikruj0v9zuATmmQFNy2_MEJGdCGDGeWRrg3hF3xa4fqEjQORNsOh0iBvXpFye6dcuAEsUD-cBm98nO_HApST0QFf1hKF17jIRknLX62EexvD/s1600/nine+ep+1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="245" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PQoPnrgCdDnSp-80gAvakjmuEQzERJc4ikruj0v9zuATmmQFNy2_MEJGdCGDGeWRrg3hF3xa4fqEjQORNsOh0iBvXpFye6dcuAEsUD-cBm98nO_HApST0QFf1hKF17jIRknLX62EexvD/s320/nine+ep+1.gif" width="320" /></a>Can't go past the first episode, when Rose finds her life going from ordinary to straight out bonkers. But as good as that was, I think what really made this episode was the creepy mannequins coming to life. Honestly, the reason it took me 35 years to finally watch Doctor Who, even though people kept telling me how amazing it was, is because when I was a kid, Doctor Who was on in the afternoon, right after all the kids shows I watched. Not sure how young I was (probably 5 or 6), but I watched an episode that scared the bejesus out of me so that was pretty much the start and the end of Doctor Who for me until I was a 35-year-old-grown-ass-woman and wondered since I started watching the X-Files when I was 12 and had been thriving on that and things like Supernatural ever since, what the hell was I so worried about?<br />
Anyhoo, the mannequins in this first episode were creepy as hell, and I was like "no wonder this show scared me when I was a kid!" This time, however, I was old enough to love the hell out of it.<br />
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<b>4) Aliens of London (episode 4)</b><br />
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There was A LOT of ridiculousness in this episode. Like the farting. I mean, was that script written by a ten year old? But the one thing I really loved about this episode was the introduction of Harriett Jones who would become a reoccurring character. I don't know what it is about Doctor Who and the show's ability to have these kind of silly, but important and so every-day-type-people characters. They really just make the show. I mean, what happened with Harriett Jones in the end when she and Ten came up against one another was a little sad, but in the meantime, she provided lots of entertainment.<br />
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<b>3) The Doctor Dances (episode 10)</b><br />
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This episode will always be iconic for Nine's very quotable "everyone lives, Rose! Just this once, everyone lives!" The sheer joy of it was infectious. And it was great that for once, the resolution of the episode's storyline was that everyone survived instead of tens or hundreds (or sometimes thousands and millions) of people dying. This episode also had some very funny one-liners in it, and of course the fact that in the end, Jack Harkness takes a bomb, willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone, then in turn, Rose and The Doctor save him. The following episodes with Jack as Nine's second companion were just fantastic (the dream team, I like to call them) and part of me wishes he could have spent more time with them. But since he went on to have his own TV series, I'm definitely not complaining!<br />
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<b>2) Bad Wolf/The Parting of Ways (episodes 12 & 13)</b><br />
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Okay, yes I'm cheating because this was actually two episodes, but they're kind of hard to separate. The game show station. I mean, talk about mid-2000s culture snap shot. The Weakest Link, Big Brother, some Make Over show. The world was in love with reality TV shows because at that time, they were still a novelty and we hadn't been completely inundated by them. But of course Doctor Who takes it to extremes with the idea that the contestants don't leave or get voted off. No, instead they get brutally murdered. Meanwhile, we've got Jack in his element, not an iota of humility even when he's completely naked in front of millions of viewers, enjoying every second of it. And if all that wasn't enough, the revelation that the Daleks survived the Time War and are about to attack Earth was staggering for Nine. Then of course we've got all the drama of Nine sending Rose home and her attempts to get back to him, Jack going to face the Daleks even though he knows he's going to die doing it, ending with a twist I'm sure no one could see coming. To top it off, Nine regenerated into Ten, introducing David Tennant and the rest is history.<br />
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<b>1) Empty Child (episode 9)</b><br />
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My number one episode out of this season for two simple reasons; one, the creep factor and iconic "are you my mummy?" and two, the introduction of Captain Jack Harkness. And yes, I know I keep going on about Jack, but culturally, I think he's historically going to go down as one of the most important characters on TV in this time. A big call, I know. But the reasons why are simple. Jack is bisexual or pansexual (depending on who you talk to) and this was presented as a simple no-big-deal fact. There was never an episode about his sexuality, the whys or hows. The writers never felt the need to justify it in any way, even once he went over to Torchwood. For the LGBTQ community, for out society, this was a huge fucking deal (excuse my language) because for the first time there was a man kissing another man on prime-time TV,<br />
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So, there you have it! The re-watch will continue, now heading into season 2 with David Tennant at the helm and the otp to end all Doctor Who otps. But that is a post for another day. In the words of Nine, this has been "Fantastic!"<br />
<br />Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7720539499195435364.post-683965328634696402017-11-30T11:35:00.008+11:002021-02-04T14:27:11.031+11:00Torchwood: A Study In Fandom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, my last Torchwood post was a little bit snarky, but I've calmed my rabid inner fangirl and given some thought to the unique entity that is Torchwood.<br />
Contrary to my usual habits in TV series consumption, I didn't wallow in Tumblr gifs and youtube fanmade videos and then move on to get addicted to a new series. Oh, don't get me wrong. I totally went down a dark fangirl hole of janto gifs and fanvids that hurt me in the feels, but the moving on part failed to happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">You see, Torchwood might not be on our TV screens anymore, but it's still rolling along strongly in the form of original cast audio drama produced by <a href="http://bigfinish.com/">Big Finish</a> audio productions. They made a really great mini series that fell between the end of season two and Children of Earth/season 3 called Outbreak, and also season 5 that follows on from Miracle Day called Aliens Among Us. But probably the thing that I've been enjoying the most is the fact they've been able to duck and weave back into the timeline of the show and slot in new "episodes" that feature Owen, Tosh and of course Ianto.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_3p6_PSupNMnvdeaIsUc5gynSnCo5dl7h5-ujdBD8L004a52nmyjrp_cs0CMc8khzMiqxm8RbhAqq1OZ2Et7fe6fAv_tVxItrSMj6tosuPrujITeeRQTCWiQI5fxw53jZDsB9UDTcTNK/s1600/broken.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_3p6_PSupNMnvdeaIsUc5gynSnCo5dl7h5-ujdBD8L004a52nmyjrp_cs0CMc8khzMiqxm8RbhAqq1OZ2Et7fe6fAv_tVxItrSMj6tosuPrujITeeRQTCWiQI5fxw53jZDsB9UDTcTNK/s320/broken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">One in particular, titled Broken, runs alongside several episodes in the middle of season one, and deals with Ianto's personal fallout after the death of his girlfriend Lisa, while also filling in the gaps about how and when Jack and Ianto's relationship started, which was never explained in the actual TV series.<br />
The Torchwood fandom is still alive, maybe not as strong as it once was when it was on TV, but new audiences are discovering the TV series all the time thanks to Netflix (among other things), creating new fans as the old ones slip away. It very much seems to be a shifting sands of fandoms that I've never seen with anything else. And a lot of these new fans seem happy enough to embrace the alternate media in which this series had continued to exist. Unfortunately, as the years go by, the fandom is shrinking little by little, and these days things like online petitions or sending packets of coffee beans to the BBC (in honour of Ianto being the coffeeboy) don't do anything to sway anyone.<br />
Even with the considerable influence of <a href="http://www.doctorwho.tv/whats-new/article/john-barrowman-would-love-to-see-torchwood-return-to-tv/">John Barrowman wanting to get Torchwood back on TV</a>, the chances of that happening seem minuscule at best.<br />
But in all the fandom to-and-fro, the one thing that keeps coming up again and again, is the death of Ianto Jones. As new fans are come along, it creates a whole new group of people outraged over the character's death. This is fascinating to me from several different perspectives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Look, I will never agree that killing off Ianto was the right move to make, just as I believe that the Torchwood writers and show runners will ever believe they made a mistake. Or, on the small chance they did decide it was a mistake, they'd never admit to it, anyway.<br />
I think the fan backlash is exactly what tells the writers they did the right thing. The fact is that Jack and Ianto's relationship became that much more polarizing because of Ianto's untimely and sudden death. The tragedy of it makes the fans more invested, the wasted potential frustrates and upsets them, so in many ways, killing of Ianto worked fantastically for the series. Unfortunately, for the continuation of the series, not so much. There was a huge Ianto-sized hole in Miracle Day, and while some of the behind-the-scenes stuff I've seen and read about Torchwood, the creators/writers talk about Gwen being the heart and soul of the show (and in some ways was true) I think they completely missed the fact that Ianto was just as much this, if not more so. He was the warmth and comfort of the show, and without him, things just seemed kind of hollow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">With Torchwood continuing on through audio dramas, there's always going to be the possibility in the fandom's mind that characters can be brought back. In fact, for the next instalment of Aliens Among Us, the gossip on the internet is that Yvonne Hartman, who ran Torchwood One in London and was killed during the battle of Canary Warf, would be coming back. Of course, the fans will be all ready to jump on the "bring Ianto Jones back next!" bandwagon, but I think it would be a safe bet to say Ianto is the single character they will never, ever bring back, no matter what. Don't get me wrong. I'm right there with the bring-Ianto-back brigade, but there are any number of reasons I can see why the creators/writers wouldn't do it.<br />
I've seen a few ideas floating around the internet about how Ianto could be saved or brought back. Probably my two favorite are one; having the 13th Doctor save or revive him somehow. Or two, after the BBC audio drama House of the Dead, (spoilers! Just skip ahead if you haven't got to this audio drama yet and don't want to know what happens) there were fan theories floating around that Ianto had actually been fully resurrected and wasn't just a ghost.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhyKIGvtQUpNLPf5qK-BHlTHkjpb4NXH-b1LsTE-bLF-G32Ie7Hb_jQlatDrmJc0Y7420U6OyldIfgBTjpmQkXdBb2P1I6x9NQUve9WVZ32roji9-JRguqpMMQh_XnfSdDC4Goe5sE-qE/s1600/torch.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="615" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhyKIGvtQUpNLPf5qK-BHlTHkjpb4NXH-b1LsTE-bLF-G32Ie7Hb_jQlatDrmJc0Y7420U6OyldIfgBTjpmQkXdBb2P1I6x9NQUve9WVZ32roji9-JRguqpMMQh_XnfSdDC4Goe5sE-qE/s320/torch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;">When he stayed behind to close the rift, he got sucked into it and is now trapped between worlds, or possibly got flung out again in a different time. There's even been some theories that this could make Ianto immortal like Jack from absorbing rift energy.<br />
If they were going to bring Ianto back, I actually quite like this option, because I think it would give his character an extra dimension that would be amazing. He would still need to be the same Ianto, but his characters always did have those tiny hints of darkness, so you could only imagine that if Ianto did get spat out of the rift in a different time and was somewhat, if not completely immortal like Jack, he might have spent years or decades trying to get back, so his character could be a little edgier, a little darker. Plus imagine all the backstory of where he'd been and what he'd been doing for all that time that the writers could play with.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD01hA0ZnXw7u7rnyw6PXC-C12uHokgyTaWcbYa60hxWeHuX5JJjXBIuEYjARfI14bQf64y6D2LOepj4OXXTIbgMThl4xsai_f-li7sKTe7b4XqAFA1q0wUx0ZO8IKHBVtdb7kfoxK1Ccn/s1600/tumblr_o4wu7badRR1uwllovo1_250.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD01hA0ZnXw7u7rnyw6PXC-C12uHokgyTaWcbYa60hxWeHuX5JJjXBIuEYjARfI14bQf64y6D2LOepj4OXXTIbgMThl4xsai_f-li7sKTe7b4XqAFA1q0wUx0ZO8IKHBVtdb7kfoxK1Ccn/s1600/tumblr_o4wu7badRR1uwllovo1_250.gif" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">However, as wonderful as all that probably sounds to the hardcore #janto fans, if on the tiny, tiny chance Ianto did get brought back, I doubt the writers/creators would ever make him immortal, and it comes back to why they killed Ianto in the first place. Jack's immortality is meant to be a curse, and the writers have already stated that killing Ianto was meant to demonstrate this in a way nothing else ever had. To bring Ianto back would lessen the impact of this. To make Ianto immortal so he and Jack can be together forever? Yeah, not going to happen, because immortality no longer seems like such a curse. And I suppose that is where fanfiction will always fill the gaps. Go onto Ao3 and you can probably find any number of CoE fixit scenarios, or fictions where Ianto becomes immortal like Jack. But in the cannon of the the series still being overseen by Richard T Davies and being produced by Big Finish, sadly I feel Ianto Jones will stay dead and buried for good.</span><br />
<br />Jess Anastasihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01925359822909924087noreply@blogger.com0