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18:32, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

In a world where gaming were cool...

Posted by Sittingbull
Sittingbull
member, 153 posts
Don't you give me a link.
I use 24K dial-up.
Sat 23 Jan 2016
at 08:17
  • msg #1

In a world where gaming were cool...

all World of Darkness games would resemble Shadowhunters the tv show.
Eggy
member, 688 posts
Sat 23 Jan 2016
at 12:56
  • msg #2

In a world where gaming were cool...

In reply to Sittingbull (msg # 1):

Possibly Unpopular Opinion... I think gaming is cool and, in my social circles, gaming is a cool thing to do. Also, I didn't like Shadowhunters. I know that new shows can be a little clumsy straight out of the gate, so I'll give it another chance. But, no. I love OWoD and CofD/NWoD, but I don't want to play a game like this show. In fact, I got an RTJ this morning on a character whose mother mysteriously disappeared and she's caught between these secret organizations. I tried to let the player down easy.

What did you enjoy about the show? Were you a fan of the books? I'll watch the first two episodes again, but I want to keep my eyes open and feel the fan's love for it.
Sittingbull
member, 154 posts
Don't you give me a link.
I use 24K dial-up.
Sat 23 Jan 2016
at 21:12
  • msg #3

In a world where gaming were cool...

In reply to Eggy (msg # 2):

Never read the books.

I don't know, just gave it a chance.  It just feels like World of Darkness if role-playing were AS popular as going out on a date where teenagers are concerned.  That is what I meant by 'cool'.
Genghis the Hutt
member, 2391 posts
Just an average guy :)
Mon 25 Jan 2016
at 07:48
  • msg #4

In a world where gaming were cool...

I did a Google search for it and found http://www.shadowhunterstv.com...owhunters-characters which linked to http://www.shadowhunterstv.com...-in-the-freeform-app which seemed to indicate that it wanted me to download an app.  Screw that, I don't watch TV on my phone.

I then found http://freeform.go.com/shows/s...01/01-the-mortal-cup which let me watch it on my computer.

SPOILERS!!!!


SPOISSLDEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#

S:DIPFSD#!$&R#


Ok, so...

Episode starts out.  There's some old guy, being wary of what's following him? A young guy then walks up behind him then teleports away when the old guy turns to look.  The young guy is now a woman!  The old guy bumps into someone and takes on their appearance as a black man!  There's a song singing about hunting or something.  I pause the show to type this and when I go back there's a bunch of women strutting about in lingerie -- something called Pretty Little Liars.  Obviously this entire show/network is NSFW and I will not be talking about this show with anyone in real life.

Ok, unpause.  There's a whole new guy!  The black man (previously the old guy) bumps into a woman and takes on their appearance as a woman, then her eyes glow!  The female shapechanger (the original one who was a young guy, not the old man) then walks up to the new guy and some other new guy walks up.  I can't tell whether he's actually the first young guy and that person wasn't a shapechanger or whether he's a new new guy.  If what I just said confused you, don't worry, I'm confused too.  The song is all about monsters now.  Monsters!  They jump down and land in a crouch behind the old guy-> black guy-> young woman (and there's too many nameless shapechanging people, so this person is now Bob), making an audible woosh as the wind catches their clothes and an audible thump but Bob just struts on confidently in her high heels.  The second to last new guy bumps into a woman and she calls him out.  He gets confused and asks, "You can see me?"  This person is now named Steve.

Title Screen!

Flashback!

Some aspiring young artist walks into a place and the camera takes time to let us know that this is no ordinary building that she's walked into, this is an Academy of Art!  In Brooklynn!  She must really be aspiring!  This show lends itself well to the overuse of exclamation marks!  I think she is the same person that Steve will later bump into, but I'm not sure because she looked slightly different later.  Her name is now Jane, because I have no idea who she is and I'm tired of not having any names.

Jane is being judged.  Oh, she introduces herself, she's Clairy-Fray.  That's a mouthful.  I'm going to stick with Jane.  She pulls out some old pen drawings copied from the 1st edition DMG.  Plus she has some pages of demons.  Definitely an AD&D artist.  The judges tell her, "We don't do roleplaying, you suck".  Actually the judge just says, "We don't believe in mistakes" but that was the gist.

Some thin guy says he'll end the judges for her, but of course he was kidding.  She or he was accepted to the academy, maybe?  But he was holding the paper, I'm not really sure what's happening.  the thin guy, now called Jake, has a girl who's a friend who likes him but he doesn't like her, and Jane calls him out on not noticing the person sitting there who likes the other person and he says he's not the only one!  He likes her!  And she doesn't realize it even though they've been working on this graphic novel for a while presumably!  His name turns out to be Simon and not Jake.  Deal with it, I'm not psychic.

A piece of bread does something and they talk about it  It's a drawing maybe?  I'm not really sure what's happening.

Scene change!

It's the Old Spice guy!  I was going to call him OSG but that's a mouthful so I'll just call him Oz.  There's a dead girl.  She's drained of blood.  Obvious work of vampires.  I don't know if this world knows of their existence or what but it's always vampires.  A police dog is barking until Oz looks at it and the dog suddenly whines and goes quiet!  Oz has powerz!  (Yes, for this show it should be powerz instead of powers.)  This is the 7th dead body.

Captain Barks walks up.  No, the dog isn't Captain Barks, this is a woman.  Oz has a partner named Al.  Nobody has yet mentioned Oz's real name yet.  Someone named Jocelyn calls and Oz hangs up on her.  He doesn't want to marry Jocelyn, though, because they're... Different!  Edit: Which seems kind of racist.  I mean, at this point that's the only difference that I can see and the show hasn't told me anything else.

Jane has a friend who's reading Tarot cards.  She doesn't know diddelysquat about Tarot.

Jane's friend might be stealing clothes from work.  Jane's friend then gets weird.  Jane doesn't know what's going on.  Neither do I!  Apparently Jane's mom is a cool mom because she uses Twitter!  Jane's mom gives her a birthday present and goes all serious.  It's a stele.  Woah, Jane is seeing things that make her mom feel weird.  Jane's mom has something to say but doesn't want to come out and say it.  There's something important!  Jane brushes it off and runs up.  Meanwhile, Mom is sad.

Flashback!  We're now 10 years in the past.

We see Jane's mom and some little girl who must be Jane.  A monster attacks!  Jane's mom uses the stele she just gave Jane to wipe over her arm and rescue Jane!  Then she goes to a hobbit door where a funky guy with weird eyes helps mom tie her to a chair.  Then they steal Jane's memories.  Unless Jane has magic reality-bending memories/powerz, I don't see how this would help, but whatever, not knowing is cool?  Yeah!  Edit: Maybe Jane is supposed to be Anna/Elsa from Frozen in one?  Come to think of it, if Elsa's ice powers had been pulled from memory, maybe she could have grown up with a normal childhood, then learned her powers as an adult, perhaps?

Cut back to Jane.  Oz walks in.  Jane's mom must be Jocelyn.  Oz knows.  He and mom will tell Jane soon.  Jane walks in and they go all simple and ignore all the important stuff that they have to talk about.  We get more hints about something super important.  Mom's going to put it off yet another day.

Cut scene to kids talking about Aliens, you know, monsters about to attack from the shadows. It's ironic because we just saw a monster attack from the shadows and we're probably about to see it again.  Jane's dad is dead.  It's just her and mom.  Jane talks with her friends and one suggests that mom could be hiding stuff.  Jane says no way.  Cut to mom.  Mom pulls out a bone thing and bam!  It's a sword!  Mom strikes a cool sword-holder pose!  Mom was totally hiding stuff!

Commercial break.  This is why I don't usually watch TV.  There's an ad for Pride & Prejudice!  With Zombies!  Why am I not watching that instead of this show?

Ok, back to the show.  Someone in a super skanky dress.  She's dressing to impress demons.  I guess she's bait for a demon?  They're blaming the vampire attacks on demons.  They have a Matrix-style weapon rack!  You get a sword, you get a sword, everyone gets a sword!

They look at the target, the old guy.  Oh, it's Bob, the first flashback is forever?  Now we go to Jane that evening, is the flashback still going?  I'm not sure what's going on here.  Jane's comic friend is a singer in a band.  Dang, he's hot when he strips his shirt off!  Janes uses spray paint but goes all psycho and draws things she has no memory of drawing1  It's the show logo!

Steve runs into Jane.  Ok, the flashback is definitely over.  Steve tells Jane she has the sight.  Oh, Steve's name is Jake.  That goes well with Jane.  Jane's friends tell her that Jake wasn't real, that they didn't see anyone.  Jane runs off after the guy who isn't really real.  Bob is walking through the club as a woman.  Skanky chick is walking through.  Jake is walking through.  People are doing that TV "this isn't how people act at a club" dance.  Someone hands off blood.  There are literal Men In Black in the club.  They turn out to be Circle Members, whateve that is.  I have no idea what's going on.  Some guy they call a warlock goes Darth Vader on them and Force Grip a guy by the neck so hard the guy bleeds blood!  Jane follows Jake into the back skank girl is called Izzy.  She starts a strip show in front of a cool TV screen that's hynotizing or something?  I don't know what's going on.  Jane grabs a guy's arm and follow them back.

Jake wants blood or something and he starts chatting up Bob.  They're about to kiss or fight.  Then he flips out his sword blade!  Jane saves Bob!  Bob whips out Predator teeth and attacks!  Skank has a force whip like Iron Man!  Jane picks up Jake's sword blade and accidentally kills someone!  They turn to dust.  Jake throws another sword in slow motion.  things are dying all over!  Jane rns off.  She bumps into warlock then turns off.  People bump into her.  Jane's friends are all, "WTF, where are you going?"  She gets in a cab.  The MIB's follow her!

Commercial break.  Seriously, why am I watching this when I could be watching Netflix with no commercials.  This is why I don't watch TV, because I don't pay for TV and *also* watch commercials.

Jane goes home and starts talking to mom and mom shows Jane her arm markings!  Mom starts telling Jane the truth!  Jane thinks she's going insane!  She's 18 so no protection for her!  Jane's friend knows the truth and walks in!  The guy who wiped her memory is there now!  Jane should call Luke if she needs help!  I don't know who Luke is.  Mom gets freaky juice.  Friend opens a portal.  Mom shoves Jane in!  She gets warped to the police station!  At 2am.  The station is still open!  The Captain is there too!  WTF, why is the captain wandering around at 2am?  She asks prying questions, is she in on it?  I don't know!  I think Luke might be Oz.  The MIB come in.  The friend uses magic to fight them!  They start putting things in a bag.  An MOB kills the friend, maybe.  Mom lights up her hand then lights Jane's room on fire.  Then mom activates her swordblade -- did I mention swordblades are flat lightsabers?  Because they are.  Then there's a big swordfight!  Swoosh, zap!  People fighting!  Grunting!  They want the mortal cup.  I don't know what it is either.  Him wants the mortal cup.  Apparently Him is Valentine.  Yes, that's apparently a guy.  Mom drinks poison!  And dies, instantly!  It's magic poison so her stomach can't be pumped.  But I just met mom, so there's no emotional attachment.  I don't care.  It seems like mom could have just run or something?  I don't know.

Commercial break.  Again.  Hah, ha, TV teaches me that fat people are all funny clowns who teach skinny uptight people how to loosen up.  Then the same white teeth commercial I've seen each commercial break.

Mom's full name is Jocelyn Fairchild.  Oz says he doesn't care.  Oh, two people are chatting him up.  He throws them out.  Jane is watching from some stairs?  I think this is the same precinct in that Batman movie when the Joker took over the station, you know what I mean?  Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's the same.  Jane runs out into the rain.

Scene change!  Chernobyl!  There are things in cells groaning and hitting the wall.  A bald guy with a syringe!  The MIB warp in!  They have mom and she's glowing in a force field!  Bald man is this series's Lex Luther apparently.  Mom smells like a mundane.  Lex plunges his syringe into the disrespectful man and whatever was in it dissolves him!

Cut to Jane running in the rain.  She goes home.  The place is a wreck.  Jane starts crying and screaming for mom.  Seriously, WTF do these teen books have against information?  It's like they all read Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality then set out to write all their teen books in exactly the opposite style.  Jane breaks down crying then picks up a battleaxe!  Things just got real, yo!

She walks around her apartment and finds the friend.  The friend isn't dead!  Shadowhunter something something, Jane doesn't know what anyone is talking about either.  The friend wants this cup too.  The friend also has Predator teeth!  Jane stabs the friend!  The friend changes into a demon and uses its Predator teeth to look at her scarily instead of going for the kill!  Jake suddenly kills it while it's posing!

Demons are apparently shapechangers.  Jane goes all weird.  So does the camera.  Apparently whatever affects Jane affects the camera, until Jane goes unconscious and the camera goes normal.  Jake picks her up and carries her off.  Obviously Jake has never carried anyone or been carried because that post Jane is in is super uncomfortable.  He should pull her arms across her stomach so her shoulders don't get all jacked up.

Commercial!

Yeah, this network/show is definitely NSFW, more people in lingerie with whips.  Some sort of baby daddy show.  They tell me ABC family is now Freeform.

Jane sees her mom in Lex Luthor's lab!  He's trying to wake her up!  He does sort of wake her up!  The skank is way too close watching Jane sleep.  Because that's where Jane is, in Jake's bed.  Oh, maybe Jake is Jace, I'm not sure.  The skank is still in Jane's lap.  Two guys walk in without knocking.  Jay, Jace, something.  The other guy is named Alec.  He's always serious.  Jay never says please, but he says it.  Because girls like bad boys so him not saying please doesn't set off alarm bells but makes Jane like him.  Skank pulls Alec out of the room, he likes Jane too!  Jay is all serious!  Jane is healed!  Jay isn't a warlock.  He's about to give exposition but Jane interrupts him because this show isn't for people who want to know what's going on!  Then Jay gives some info.  He basically says what I've said here but way shorter.  Jane starts breaking down and wants her mom.  Jay is all serious and shows no empathy.  Jane's comic-drawing friend calls her.  He's there where she is.  She says she has to get dressed.  Oh, she's only wearing a shirt.  She puts on skank's clothes who's super comfortable with her body.  Jane has a tattoo now.  It's what healed her.  It's not a tattoo, it's a rune.  Her drawings are runes.  We establish that she knows nothing.

Jay says that her stupidity makes her more attractive, which just, ok, this is a prank, right?  This is basically a TV Twilight with the immortal all-knowing magic guy who loves the girl because, hey, why not, just because.  This guy has a better reason than Twilight, though, because he loves him some unintelligent women.  This should raise red flags in anyone in that situation but instead we get a...

Commercial break!  There's apparently a show about people who lie about being in AA.

Jay has his swordblade!  He has a glamour so Jane's friend Simon can't see him!  Simon is like, "What are you wearing?"  Simon thinks she's going insane because he can't see the guy who's now fighting Jay.  In his defense, I'd think Jane is crazy too.  Jay-Jace-whoever kills the guy.  The dead guy's glamour wears off and a body appears as far as Simon can tell!  Then Jay lets Simon see him!  Jay tells Simon that they can't trust Luke, who I presume is Oz.

Simon says, "You don't know this guy, don't totally trust him."  Jane doesn't fill Simon in on why, she just expects him to trust her the same way that Jayce expects Jane to trust him.  It's ironic because Jane is acting the same way that she Jay is acting, but to a different person!

Cut to Lex Luthor.  He finds out Mom had a daughter.  He says he wants to speak to Jane.

Closeup of Jane's eyes.

The end.
This message was last edited by the user at 14:39, Mon 25 Jan 2016.
GammaBear
member, 539 posts
Gaymer
Mon 25 Jan 2016
at 07:53
  • msg #5

In a world where gaming were cool...

I loved the books. I didn't read the spinoff series, but I loved the City of X books. My love for the books is why I haven't watched the movie or the TV series. I just don't like the look. Makes it seem too Twilighty.
Townsend
member, 24 posts
Mon 25 Jan 2016
at 15:49
  • msg #6

In a world where gaming were cool...

In reply to Genghis the Hutt (msg # 4):

I'm having you review all my TV shows from now on. That was hilarious!

Seriously (if that could even apply), it sounds as if the TV series is as dreadful as the movie was. I haven't read the original series (City of... books), but I read the pseudo-prequel trilogy. It was kind of fun, if highly predictable.  At any rate, I thus had some kind of clue as to what the movie was about -- and I could still barely make sense of it. Very easy to see why it took the express lane to video!

Sounds as if the series needs to do the same thing. :P
This message was last edited by the user at 19:55, Mon 25 Jan 2016.
McLugh
member, 9 posts
Mon 25 Jan 2016
at 19:00
  • msg #7

In a world where gaming were cool...

As someone who read the books (Orignal City of X Trilogy) and unfortunately also watched the film, this was a delightful review of exactly what I expected to come from the newly rebranded Freeform. Please please keep watching and wrote more. But going back to the Orignal point of the author, trying to make gritty urban fantasy appeal to teenagers just seems to always miss the mark.
Genghis the Hutt
member, 2394 posts
Just an average guy :)
Tue 26 Jan 2016
at 10:40
  • msg #8

In a world where gaming were cool...

Thanks, Townsend.  I have actually read the books.  I didn't remember them at first -- I guess that's how much of an impression they left, but as I watched the TV show I found myself remembering who this Valentine guy is and some more salient points of the plot.  I read about a thousand words a minute (a little over three hours for the last Harry Potter book), so I usually read a lot and things that don't stand out just sort of fade into the background, and that's what happened to those books.

The TV show, though, eh... I'll probably watch another episode when I have nothing better to do, just to give it another chance, but at this time I'm not really the biggest fan.

If that story is what you like, there's a web serial that I used to read called the (if memory serves me correctly) Reserve: Cookie series?  All I get are results about web cookies and webpages, though.  I'll see if I can find it.
Townsend
member, 25 posts
Tue 26 Jan 2016
at 17:02
  • msg #9

In a world where gaming were cool...

In reply to McLugh (msg # 7):

Do teenagers actually want a gritty urban fantasy? Or is that just a spin-off assumption due to the popularity of HP and Twilight?

I work in a HS library, and there is certainly a lot of urban fantasy YA here, but I'm not sure it's any more popular than contemporary fantasy (aka contemporary fiction). So is it the shadowed theme that appeals, or is it just the teen angst/romance that (still) appeals? I'm suspecting the latter. HP paved the way for the popular-with-adults urban fantasy angle to feed into YA, which the Twilight series ran with quite effectively, but still, most I've read are basically the generic rescued good girl redeems rescuer bad boy (who was never really that bad) story.

Various authors ply that theme with more finesse than others with setting, plot, and/or characters, of course, but still, is it the setting, or the angst/rom that matters? Because re: the OP, if it's the setting, then more shows with that angle would be likely, vs the Disney-esque fluff that seems more popular (based on the shows I most often find on the TV at friends' homes).

Translating that into making gaming cooler... non-console gaming requires a certain degree of intelligence to fuel the creativity necessary, as well as the interest.


In reply to Genghis the Hutt (msg # 8):

I'm also a voracious reader (no TV or net at home), thankfully not quite as much as you; I have enough trouble keeping up with my appetite as it is! Working where I do, I read a lot of YA fantasy of various genres, and some is as good, sometimes better, than any adult-aimed fiction, albeit generally with softer plot complications and simpler language.
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