It's another modern Sherlock Holmes adaptation. Ironically, it has received a lot of scepticism (read: hatred) from the BBC Sherlock fandom for "stealing their stuff!11!1eleventyone!11!", especially since the BBC show had been doubted prior to its first release by the fans of Granada and the ACD canon, etc.

(Some idiots still dislike the Sherlock fandom for being young and predominantly female; they think it's stuffed full of mindless fangirls who give Sherlockiana a bad name. Ignore them.)

Anyway, despite the initial scepticism, Elementary is actually quite a stellar show. It features Jonny Lee Miller (who, strangely enough, also played Frankenstein/the Creature opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Danny Boyle's Frankenstein) as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Joan Watson. Sherlock in this series is a recovering drug addict in New York City working with Captain Gregson on various cases. Joan Watson, an ex-surgeon (she lost her licence after one of her patients died), is hired by his father M. Holmes to be his sober companion. However, she goes from becoming a sober companion (which is really just a glorified babysitter) to his assistant on his various cases with the NYPD.

Most of the episodes so far have been procedural, monster-of-the-week sort of cases with plenty of plot twists galore which make each one worthwhile (as well as plenty of Joan and Sherlock bromance, of course). However, the most recent episode, "M", reveals the presence of Colonel Sebastian Moran and, of course, Moriarty, who apparently killed Holmes's lover Irene Adler. That promises to take up a couple future arcs.

Elementary is not BBC Sherlock. It doesn't follow ACD canon as closely (none of the cases are adaptations of the original stories), but there are plenty of shoutouts to the canon (Holmes is a beekeeper and quotes the canon quite often). Elementary's Holmes is also not as much of a cold deducting machine as Sherlock's Holmes - he's more human, even succumbs to emotion sometimes (and has daddy issues like woah). Joan Watson is also definitely not BBC's John Watson - despite the huge change to her backstory she still acts very Watsonlike, except she doesn't let Holmes walk over her quite as much as John does with Sherlock - some of the greatest scenes of Elementary involve a sass-off between Holmes and Joan.

Elementary also addresses, more subtly, the things that Sherlock lacks - there are more characters of colour in Elementary, more addressing of racism and sexism, more rounded out female characters (not to say Molly Hooper wasn't rounded - but parts of BBClock fandom seem to really hate on their Irene Adler and Sally Donovan and sometimes even poor Molly. One of the biggest complaints from BBClock about Elementary was Joan Watson being not just a woman, but an woman of colour).

I personally would just love to combine these two modern adaptations together, so I can get both my canon adherency and my racial/gender inclusion.

Anyway, ramble over. Thoughts?

Favorite episodes would have to be any with Gabriel or Balthazar. I'm especially fond of "Hammer of the Gods" because wow look at all those great pagan gods. (The infamous Tuesday episode is great too.)

Character-wise I'm gonna have to go with Meg because MEG. Kickass. She's such a good character. Ruby is also pretty neat, and Crowley. (Can you tell that I like the demons/sassy rebellious angels yet)

Dean's anime eyes come in a close second for "favorite things on the show".

What is Supernatural?
In short, it's a scifi/fantasy/SPOOKY series about two brothers named Dean and Sam Winchester who hunt all sorts of monsters. It also causes severe cases of feels traumas.


My favourites? ... I actually started watching it yesterday and have seen three episodes. But I've seen enough of it on Tumblr to generally know a lot about it (same thing happened with Doctor Who). XD

Favourite characters so far are Sam's hair, Castiel and Charlie Bradbury. Sam's hair is very majestic and looks almost alive I swear (or I just have a thing for nice hair).
Castiel consists of giant amounts of fluff and that's already enough for me. Also the epicness. So much epic. I don't even have right adjectives to describe him.
Charlie is just flamin' awesome, period. It was actually because of her that I finally started watching SPN, because the moment I heard "LARP episode" I knew I was done being in a fandom without having seen it. She's brave. Super smart. Supergeek. /Hacker/. Also sassy. Very sassy. I think I want to be her when I grow up.

Late to the party, and I've only seen the first episode, but hey, I might as well jump in.
My Little Pony blew my mind.
I went into it with an open mind, because I have a friend who's a brony and I know a fair amount of PPCers are as well. And then my mind was blown at how NOT little-girly it was. It's a show about sparkly candy colored ponies, yet I didn't die from sugar overdose. The characters are interesting and the plot was good, albeit predictable due the fact that I read the wiki page on it ahead of time.
And to contribute to the Luna/Celestia debate, I feel that darkness is always asssociated with evil and light is always associated with good, so maybe Luna felt that stigma. But I like how Celestia accepted her again, because you need both light and dark to make a balanced world. Sure, Celestia took over the moon, but really, it was Luna's job. Balance between the sisters makes for balance in life.
(Gods, I'm going to get so into this.)

~HV

...is by far my favourite character from the show.

She's got one of the most adorable introduction scenes ever, and I really like the idea of a character that is scared of her own shadow normally, but still able to face down a dragon if she needs to.

As for the show itself, I've watched the first season or two, and I think it's really well written. There's an ensemble cast, but they all seem to get a decent amount of time in the limelight, and the recurring parables of treating people nicely and how important friends are never felt cheesy or preachy to me.

And the fact that it has such a wide appeal outside of its target demographic would seem to indicate that it is at least 20% cooler than other similarly targeted shows.

Only two this time, for simpler reasons.

First: Desert Rose, also known as that background pony with beige fur and a rose-colored mane and tail. She is adorable (i a bit airheaded) and she is modeled for my favorite lower: roses! Yay!

Second: Luna. She's the pony goddess of the night, she's the quieter, calmer, and I think the more composed of the two sisters (at the very least, her sense of humor is devious but harder to spot than Celestia's, and she doesn't gorge herself on sweets where little ponies with cameras might wander by). That, and she can dreamwalk. How awesome is that?

I think I love Jane the best, especially when she impersonates Darcy. That first time she did it with the fake texting bit was glorious. And she's so pretty and sweet and dresses so nicely, and I love the bit where she becomes "new Jane", because that's just beautiful to me.

Lydia's my second favourite; she's much more fleshed out here than in Austen and she reminds me of a friend of mine - really party-girl-like, yet still vulnerable on the inside, and I just want to hug her (especially given the falling out between her and Lizzie). Also, her antics are always hilarious. I just adore her.

Also, Darcy is an adorable dork. He wasn't exactly what I visualised, but he more than makes up for it in awkward adorableness. YouTube's right - he needs that pool scene, and stat.

I feel like LBD in general is doing for Pride and Prejudice what BBC Sherlock is doing for Sherlock Holmes - putting it into the 21st century, keeping everything relevant to the 21st century yet still giving shoutouts to the original canon and sticking by the original canon quite faithfully. It's given more depth to characters like Jane and Lydia, and offered a new perspective on the classic.

In short, it's a vlog series modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, created by Hank Green of Vlog Brothers fame.

Much like BBC's Sherlock, it was a quality modern adaptation that got me to read the original classic. As an adaptation it's spot-on and incredibly clever, and the acting is apparently amazing enough that some people actually mistook it for a real vlog. The various costume theaters that Lizzie and her friends perform to compensate for the fact that not all the characters would realistically appear on a show that's supposed to be a young woman's video diary are side-splittingly hilarious. They seem to know exactly what to do to tease their fans, such as never showing Darcy on screen until episode 60 or so when he shows up at the very end, standing up so we don't see his face.

The writing is excellent when it comes to adapting a Regency!England romance to modern-day America, from minor race changes such as making Charlotte and Bingley (Bing Lee, rather) Asian, and Colonel Fitz William (ahem, Fitz Williams) African-American, to other character changes like making Lydia an unashamed Valley Girl partier and having Darcy show shades of being a hipster.

Thoughts?

What is Star Trek?

The franchise consists of five television shows, eleven (twelve in May) movies, and a plethora of non-canon books, comics, and games. Most fans - even very devoted Trekkies - have only seen a fraction of these. The first TV show was simply called Star Trek (now called Star Trek: The Original Series, abbreviated TOS) and when it came out in the '60s it was revolutionary. It was a sci-fi show that depicted an optimistic view of the future, with a United Earth as a member of an interstellar Federation, focused on peace and exploration. TOS focuses on the flagship of Starfleet, the U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, with the iconic Mr. Spock as first officer. The show ran for only three seasons, but gained enough of a following to spawn six movies and the rest of the spinoffs: Star Trek: The Next Generation (abbreviated TNG), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (abbreviated DS9), Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. TNG had a similar premise to the original, but had a whole new crew under the command of intellectual Captain Jean-Luc Picard (leading to the debate among Trekkies "Kirk or Picard?"). DS9 was the only series to focus on a space station and the only series to have a black captain, Benjamin Sisko. Voyager focuses on the adventures of a ship of the same name, under command of the only female captain of a Star Trek series, Kathryn Janeway, when it is thrown 70,000 light-years from known space. Enterprise is a prequel to all the others, showing one of the first Starfleet ships under the command of Captain Jonathon Archer. Fans of the 2009 movie are encouraged to at least watch the Original Series, considering that that's what the movie is a reboot for.

(I've probably rambled on way too long. In my defense, it's a huge franchise.)

My favorites:

My favorite series is TNG, but Voyager is such a close second that at times it surpasses it. TOS is good, but it didn't develop as many interesting characters as TNG and Voyager. Not that it it didn't develop interesting characters, it's just that only Kirk, Spock and McCoy were truly developed, while TNG and Voyager had large casts and recurring characters who were all given development. I haven't seen much of DS9 and none of Enterprise, and I can already tell DS9 is going to do the same.

On TOS my favorite character is Spock. Logical Vulcan, but with a human mother, so when he serves aboard a starship full of humans, he is torn between his Vulcan upbringing and his human side. This makes for a very interesting character. And, of course, being attractive is a nice bonus.

On TNG I like Data best. Another logical type like Spock, he is an android. He is therefore inherently logical, but his creator programmed him to be fascinated by humans, so throughout the series he is trying to become more human. This journey defines his character, and arguably makes him the most human character in all of Star Trek. And also makes him rather adorable.

In the Kirk v.s. Picard debate, I am firmly on the Picard side. Just listen to their voices.

On Voyager, Seven of Nine is my favorite. Yes, she's well known for being the sex appeal of the show, but she managed that while still being a really well-developed character. She used to be member of the Borg Collective, a mindless drone who killed thousands. Once she's separated from the Collective, she struggles to fit into human (well, non-Borg) society. Her journey is to discover her humanity, and come to terms with her Borg past. She was esssentially raised by the Borg, so she has to learn to let those ideals go or reconcile them with humanity. Very interesting character.

And then there's Q, a recurring character on both TNG and Voyager. My Little Pony fans will recognize him as Discord. A nigh-omnipotent being and "next of kin to chaos", as Picard puts it, the story's sure to get interesting if Q's around.

That's what I like best about Star Trek: the characters. It's a sci-fi show, but its real strength is using that sci-fi setting to create thought-provoking storylines and quirky characters.

There are so many reasons why I love this series, but the game that stood out to me was "Journey of the Cursed King". It was not only my first Dragon Quest game, but also one of my favorites. Good acting? Check. Sense of humor? Check. Punny? Check. Fun to play? GOOD LORD, CHECK. When I actually beat that game after so many years my eyes were watering. THAT RIGHT THERE is an accomplishment.
Also, who doesn't love Dragon Quest's Slimes? (Well, except for "Metal Slimes", but that's a different story.)

Some of the blood elves and pretty much all of the pandaren. That's about it.

I'll explain the easy one first: I love the pandaren because:

1. They live on a giant, sentient turtle whom they clearly love very much and with whom they are able to converse at need (although the game makes it seem like there's a bit more effort to it than three or four hours of gaming would have you think...)

2. They don't seem like they have a very strict leadership - from what I've seen in the starting zone quests, it looks like they're led by whoever the oldest pandaren alive at the moment happens to be. Even if this isn't true, there is an insane amount of respect for their elders that isn't readily apparent with most of the other races I've played, and it's a refreshing change of pace to see that cultural element be so strongly interwoven with the actual game play (especially since, even with the tauren, any other race with a strong respect for their elders only seems to display it in the lore and very rarely in-game, if at all).

3. Pretty much their entire culture and belief system (as much as I've seen of it, anyway). I love the 'hello' and 'goodbye' quotes they give you ('Slow down; life should be savored!'), I love their focus on the betterment of one's self as well as the protection of one's people (rather than, 'You or your loved ones? Choose!'), I love how connected and ACTUALLY symbiotic they are with their surroundings (even Ji doesn't want to wipe out all of the hozen, which is why he directs his strike at their leader), I love how downright peaceful they are... I seriously want to live on Shen-zin su, now. And I've only played pandaren characters for a total of eight hours.

4. They are so fluffy. So very, very fluffy. I'm ashamed to admit I love them for their huggableness, but it is definitely a factor in how much I love these guys.

5. You get to punch Varian upon joining the Alliance. WORST REASON HERE, but you would not believe how refreshing it is after having to say goodbye to those pandaren you've played alongside for twelve-ish levels and who chose to leave with the Horde - especially knowing just how awful the 'join the Horde' scene turns out to be (as far as I'm concerned)...


As for the blood elves, the reasons are a bit more complicated, mostly because there's a different set or each character. Fortunately, I only really have four favorite canon characters: Regent-Lord Lor'themar Theron, Ranger General Halduron Brightwing, Grand Magister Rommath, and Archmage Aethas Sunreaver.

As far as Lor'themar is concerned, I have lots of reasons that really focus more on his personality than on his actual appearance (although, uh, there's something a bit fetching about the whole silver-haired-and-missing-an-eye thing, and I'm pretty sure he's the blood elven equivalent of a forty-five-year-old, so there's that...) Also, he's the only one whose good traits I already had written down, so he's the only one with a really extensive list at the moment~

To start with, Lor'themar comes across to me as being very fatherly towards those he leads. From what I've seen and read, he doesn't just look on them as "his people," he really does behave as though he understands that he is their ultimate defender and is willing to do, in his own words, "whatever it takes to protect Quel'Thalas and its people." In my mind, there are few figures more worthy of respect and admiration than those who feel as unfit for their position as Lor'themar seems to, yet willingly take on the mantle of the protector and leader for the sake of those people they claim as their own. Lor'themar wants nothing more than to go back to the days when he was a simple Farstrider, yet he does not once shirk or shrink from his duties as the Regent Lord, and to me that is a powerful thing to witness.

Additionally, he's sensible. He's not just practical, he's not cold and clinical, and he's certainly not impetuous; he actually sees and feels what his people are made to go through, understands what they want and what they expect, and is able to see and choose what he believes to be the most reasonable road to walk at the time, even if that road is painful for him. And he tempers that with a rare (for Warcraft leaders, anyway) understanding of what others deserve, despite how he feels about what they've done. Take his mission to the Quil'lithien Lodge in "In the Shadow of the Sun", for example: he went there not only because they were once his friends, not because he expected a warm welcome, but because he knew whether they welcomed him with smiles or blades, they were once his people, too, and they deserved to know that Kael'thas had died a traitor and that the Sunwell had been restored. That takes a lot of courage, especially considering how against the trip Rommath and even Halduron were.

Combine that with the way he reacts to Aethas's request in Shadow: Lor'themar carries the same anger as Rommath and Halduron, but Lor'themar does not jump into an argument with anyone over what the Six could have or should have done, nor did he allow his feelings to sway his decision overmuch. Instead, he essentially left the choice up to his people: you can fight under the banner of the Kirin Tor, or you can stay out of it under the banner of Silvermoon. Considering the emotions and the history between the sin'dorei and the Kirin Tor, I think he made the least explosive decision available to him, and I'm impressed at how easily he picked it out... even if it was partially to get on Aethas's nerves. And he didn't waffle - he made his decision and he stuck with it.

As a matter of fact, the whole story in Shadow really showcases to me his ability to separate his own thought process into sections - to detach himself when he needs to and see things from his own standpoint and still see the bigger picture. He doesn't easily allow himself to be swayed by his own emotions - or the emotions of those such as Rommath - which I think makes him a much more reliable leader than, say, Kael'thas, who's a bit infamous among the fanbase for having a somewhat quicker temper. At the very least, Kael certainly vented more passionately than we've seen Lor'themar do so far, and in my mind some emotions are better left controlled (as Lor'themar does beautifully) than spoken aloud for your followers to hear (as Kael'thas did once or twice even before he joined forces with the Illidari).

And, of course, there are tiny, less important things, like the fact that he's missing an eye and gives few - if any - indications that he even notices it at this point; the fact that he wields a kickass two-hander in one hand; the fact that he is the rare white-haired pretty boy who has not turned evil; and the fact that he was a Farstrider long before he was Regent Lord.


As far as Halduron goes, I love him more because he is able to act as a voice of reason when Lor'themar needs to bounce his thoughts off someone; he very easily slips into the role of silent supporter (again, I'm referencing Shadow here); and he has the ability to read Lor'themar well enough to know when arguing with him isn't going to work (not that this necessarily stops him from doing so every time...)

Pair that with Halduron's hotter temper (I have to admit, where I dislike it in leadership roles, I love it in generals and archmages) and his ability to make what he believes are intelligent militant decisions regardless of what Rommath might have to say about it, and Halduron's an appealing character for me. I just wish there were more canon sources involving the man...


With Rommath, it really comes down to his loyalty to his people - even over the prince he very clearly would have followed to the grave, had certain events not taken place. My Country, Right or Wrong might be an irritating trait to put up with sometimes, and Rommath is definitely old-fashioned when it comes to the traditions of Quel'Thalas's leadership, but he's an admirable character for it - even if he is as snobby as a magister can get sometimes. Plus, he has long hair. I live for men with long hair~


Aethas is pretty much the hotshot kid fresh outta college, at least as far as the others are concerned. I like that he's got spunk, even if he is a bit childish in comparison to Kael'thas. I also think he gets some of the worst rotten luck - not only do he and the rest of the Sunreavers get forcibly removed from Dalaran, but Lor'themar manages to lose his cool just long enough to (essentially) publicly demote/humiliate the poor man. Aethas needs a hug and more fans. And then he and Rommath need to sort out their issues with each other so that they do not have to spend every minute in each other's presence fighting like cats and dogs.


I also have a bit of a soft spot for Magister Astalor Bloodsworn, Lady Liadrin, and Voren'thal the Seer, but more than anything the only reason I even started to like them is because of wanda von dunayev, who is a demi-goddess of fanfiction writing.

I also have a soft spot for Koltira and Thassarian, but that's more of a fanon-induced soft spot than a canon-induced one. They make the world's most adorable undead pair...


/end book.

What is Pokémon?

It's a Nintendo-owned game that focuses on the adventures of you, a young boy/girl who receives their first Pokémon and goes out to become the best trainer in all of the land. Each of the games' plot is rather formulaic, but the inclusion of new 'Mons, non-battle related competitions, and crime syndicates in each generation keeps things fresh. The franchise is composed of the games, a manga series, and an anime.

Why do I like it so much?

The game itself can be enjoyed on multiple levels ranging from simply playing through the single-player story to building a team, EV and IV training them to perfection, and challenging a friend to a showdown. Some people even organise Pokémon tournaments! As a not-very-competitive player, I particularly enjoy talking about team-building and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of individual 'Mons.

With all of that said, what's your favourite Pokémon and type? I favour Glaceon for its absurdly high Special Attack and water-types in general for their good balance between defensive and offensive attributes.