Thursday Thirteen - 224 - 13 Ways Richard Armitage Serves as My Muse

On Monday, the actor who serves as muse for my Scorpius character will turn 40. To mark this illustrious milestone, here is a series of 13 screencaptures from several of his projects that stand in for my own fictional character, Scorpius, featured in my Tuesday/Wednesday serial feature. You can CLICK HERE to read the boyhood backstory so far.

I wish Richard Armitage a very happy birthday with much gratitude, as he has given me a character whom I have grown to love deeply.

The synopsis for the adult Scorpius storyline:

Scorpius is freed from captivity and torture when the noble he serves is ransomed. Delivered to the service of the Lady Elysande, he rises to become Chamberlain of her Keep, just as the wars between the houses become secondary to a series of dragon sightings and attacks.

Elysande is an adept who works in secret to draw the essences she needs, in order to create enough power to summon a dragon. The terrorizing beasts will be the deal-breaking weapon that will end the wars and restore peace. But she requires pain and suffering in order to draw the right essences.

In Scorpius,she discovers a kindred spirit – but does he truly understand the limits to which she must push him?


















































Screencaptures from:
North & South
Spooks/MI-5
Strike Back
BBC's Robin Hood

Through the Opera Glasses - 31 - Season 3 of Robin Hood at Last

After an agony of waiting, BBC's Robin Hood finally began broadcasting across the pond on BBC America and BBC Canada.












I freely admit I've already watched the entire season 3 on You Tube. When it was first broadcast in the UK in the spring, kindly souls uploaded it for those of us who were frothing at the bit to get a look at Sir Guy.












The season 3 uploads disappeared from You Tube as the North American broadcast neared.











But there's nothing like being able to watch the full episode on TV, as opposed to the tiny version in ten-minute segments on You Tube. However, I am eternally grateful to those angels who allowed me to see it when it first aired. *kiss*

Things have gotten a lot darker in Nottingham since our heroes and villains returned from the Holy Land. Gisborne has a lot of mental sorting out to do after taking Lady Marian's life at the end of season 2.

"Frankly, I sort of despise him for what he did," the actor says. "But it's also interesting when a character can start to take responsibility for his actions and have an opinion of himself, almost as if he is stepping outside his body, and that's really what Gisborne does this season: He steps out of his old shell and starts to become somebody new because of that action." - John Crook, No more Mr. Nice Guy











Robin is understandably out for revenge.











The sheriff puts Much through the mill when Prince John demands more tax money.











Guy is not so easily bullied now that he's looked into his own abyss.












Not so easy being sheriff, is it, Vasey?












Robin's band acquires Friar Tuck and villager Kate.















Little John and Allen a Dale soldier on despite their own sorrows.

What becomes of Guy when his father figure turns his back on him? You'll have to catch the next episode to find out.





Shelley Munro says I haven't seen series 2 yet. I am behind!

VA Bookworm says When BBC America wasn't getting around to showing season 3, I downloaded the episodes off the net :o)

Thursday Thirteen - 110 - 13 Things I'll Enjoy Now That I've Got My Computer Back

I'm sitting at my desk in my living room, basking in happiness in front of my newly-restored computer. Sigh. It's been a lo-o-o-ong week-and-a-half while it was in the shop. And there's so many things I can do now!


1 - The first sign of trouble came when the latest Flash Player upgrade came up. I couldn't install the new version, no matter what. I suspected that a run-in with a virus a few months previously had corrupted some of my hard drive. And that is precisely what did happen.

My best friend's husband has rescued my computer and my sanity. He's got Flash Player installed and now I can watch video on the computer again.













2 - Before we handed our tower over to Mark, the little blue bar showing available memory on the C drive was the complete opposite of this new one. We had no memory to speak of. Yay! Thanks Mark!

3 - I can get back to my Robbie story. Haven't been working on that since the computer went into the shop. Instead, I've been concentrating on my Scorpius story, collecting pictures for a collage I'll be making on Saturday at the all-day writing workshop.


4 - And while I'm working on my Robbie story, I can listen to my YouTube playlists. Oh, how I've missed those!




5 - At last, at last, at last I can watch the third season of BBC's Robin Hood!! I've been watching bits and pieces at work while I kill time waiting for the bus at the end of the day. But now my husband and I can settle in and watch the whole thing!! Here's a preview.



6 - We can watch DVDs on our computer media player. Our regular DVD player bit the dust a while ago, so we watch movies on the computer. The computer is across from the couch so it's comfy, and we get a really good picture on the computer.

7 - I can visit racier blogs and sites at home than I obviously can at work. Yay, me! A writer needs a little inspiration...

8 - I didn't bother saving the image files I'd made up of my fictional characters. I figured they could all use a bit of housecleaning, so now I'll be on the hunt for new ones. I find it very relaxing to gather pictures.

9 - I can visit all of my favorite blogs again! My blog-hopping was down to nearly zero, as I attempted to continue posting from work during my breaks and lunch. That was only marginally successful, because it's been very, very hectic at work. I couldn't push my break times too hard - sometimes I needed a rest from it all.

10 - Considering that I went to film school, you would think I would have posted some video on my blog by now. Well, that lack of memory was definitely a deterrent to that idea. But we've got lots of new memory. Now, to figure out the whole uploading thing.

11 - The endless research - do you know how many times I thought 'Oh, I'll go look that up on the computer' and then realized I didn't have access to the internet? For curious need-to-know people like me, it's such a relief to be able to google again.

12 - I'll be able to Twitter again - not too much of that this past week-and-a-half, since I don't have a cell phone or a blackberry.


13 - And I can update my Facebook, too. That's been pretty haphazard lately. A break and a lunch goes by awfully quick if you're trying to blog, Twitter and Facebook. Ah, the luxury of not having to check the clock, check the clock...

Alice Audrey says I have a sudden urge to back up my files.

Carleen says I can't imagine life without a computer anymore.

Chris says I recently experienced a week without my computer and it was hard!

Through the Opera Glasses - 15 - It's Authentic Historical Costumes For Me, Or Nothing

I'm a huge historical fan, both in books and in film & television. When I worked on my own student films, I was a real stickler for authenticity, even on my no-budget budget.

So it's almost physically painful when I watch a show based in an actual time period that tries to 'modern up' the look. Unfortunately, the costume designer for the first two seasons of BBC's Robin Hood did just that.

Frances Tempest was a big fan of making Lady Marian look like a 2000's chick.

WHY?!?















What the heck is this? It does not evoke medieval to me in any way, shape or form.


















This is about the best costume Ms. Tempest gave us for Lady Marian.


















Robin Hood wasn't too bad - she kept his costume fairly simple.













The Sheriff of Nottingham didn't fare too badly - I always liked his ceremonial ermine costume.













But if there was something that made my teeth grind in frustration during every episode, it was this hideous swirling detail on Sir Guy's shoulders.












This was a fantastic scene between Lady Marian and Guy of Gisbourne - but there it is again! That shoulder swirl detailing. *clutching my head*


















As long as it was covered up by his leather cloak, I could handle Guy's costume. The leather tunic wasn't bad if not for that 1980's rock star vibe.

But this season, Ms. Tempest was replaced as costume designer by Howard Burden.

Let the bells ring throughout the land!














See? It's not so hard to give a medieval woman a medieval gown.













Sir Guy's sister has arrived on the scene, along with a new look for Gisbourne.













Sir Guy is not the man he was when we last saw him in season 2.












It's fascinating to note that Guy has acquired a more armoured look, as he is an emotional wreck for season 3.













I love the simple tunic and leather wrist guards.













And he seems to have traded in those trademark leather pants for this pair of more textured pants. I like the rugged feel to this new look.













Thank you, Howard Burden for Sir Guy's magnificent new costume. Season 3 is now airing in the UK, and I'm still waiting to see it over here in Canada. But I've seen segments thanks to YouTube!

And no more teeth grinding for me.

Nikki says You look into so much detailing. :)

Kim Richardson says I love Robin Hood! It's been awhile since I've seen anything on it!

Ms Snarky Pants says I drive my poor hubby crazy when I pick movies apart. hehehe

Wordless Wednesday - 61

The Gray Character

Here's a preview of the writing craft session I'm giving at the writers' retreat near White Point Beach tomorrow.

I'm looking at characters who show equal aspects of light and dark elements. They end up being very gray. And not very predictable, which is their biggest draw.

A hero, no matter how complex, is definitely recognizable as a shiny character. When the chips are down, this character will reveal himself as having a solid moral core. He will do what is necessary, do what is right, no matter what it may cost him.

The villain, no matter how sympathetic, will be recognizable as a dark soul. When push comes to shove, this character will stoop to incredible lows to get what he wants. It's all about him, and there's no room for anyone else as he squeezes through his rat hole to escape.

So what happens when a character reveals heroic qualities one moment, and dastardly qualities the next moment? Does he count as a dark hero? How about a tragic villain?


For my workshop, I'm taking a look at one of my favorite characters, Sir Guy of Gisborne from BBC's Robin Hood. Guy is presented to us as a villain. He terrorizes the peasants and acts as the enforcer for the Sheriff of Nottingham.




Is Guy prepared to lay down his life for the woman he loves? Definitely. That's kind of heroic, though, isn't it?




Do we feel for Guy when he's treated miserably by the Sheriff? Yes, we do. Do we normally feel bad for villains? Hmm...





Are we shocked when he taunts his enemy, Robin Hood, even when he's at Robin's mercy? Not really, no. Do we actually admire him for his bravado? To be honest, yes.




Are we surprised at the lengths he'll go to attain power? You'd have to be daft. So is Guy a villain? Or a dark sort of hero?





Isn't it heroic to stop the Sheriff's men from putting boys to death?





Why does Guy put up with so much abuse from the Sheriff? Is he a coward? Is he that desperate for power that he considers the Sheriff's treatment an acceptable price for his ambition? That's not terribly heroic.












Are we impressed by Guy's unshakeable loyalty to the Sheriff, even after everything he's had to endure? Yes. Not to mention confused. Heroes aren't generally confusing. Villains aren't, either. The Sheriff certainly doesn't behave in any other way than we expect him to. Nor does Robin.



Do we forgive Guy his horrible behaviour because he's sexy?

...maybe...

I leave you with some clips from Season 2 of Robin Hood. I'll let you know all about the retreat when I get back. Ciao!