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Wilowy

By Wilowy
in Criminal Minds

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normasm

normasm

To my mind, the most important thing is turning out the vote. No matter whether you are for big or small government, no matter whether you think people should look out for one another, or just for themselves, no matter whether you think we're all in it together or are meant to go it alone, it's important to have a say in the process.

 

I work with a population that struggles to put food on the table, and to keep a roof over their heads.  There is a tendency to feel disengaged from the political process, or maybe they just don't have enough energy left at the end of the day.  For whatever reason, there is poor turnout, as they tend  to sit out one election after another.  

 

I don't talk politics with them (mostly).  But I do promote participation.  I've already gotten that stack of voter registration forms ready, and I am already wearing my 'Vote as if you life depends on it' button.  Because it does.  

Thanks, JMO. I haven't been able to post much here today, just don't have the energy anymore. But vote we must. Have regard for our neighbors, we must (and not just to tell them how they must live).

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Droogie
Droogie

I adored Hotch.  I think he was stoic and honorable and felt as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders.  And as Reid is my favorite character, it was always dear to me, how Hotch never le

Danielg342
Danielg342

They're called "normal clothes", and, yeah, I miss that too.

JMO
JMO

The discussion about the upcoming 'Derek', and the promo for that episode brought me back to our prior two agent kidnappings.  It seems like this current set of writers has become progressively more v

Old Dog

Old Dog

I am so angry right now.

I bought season 10 uk version because I wanted Mr Scratch commentary...it's edited, someone thoght it was a good idea cut it out!!! I waste my money and sooooo angry >(

No way! My son was going to buy this for me for a birthday gift as I wanted the Mr Scratch commentary! Who is the best person to write a blistering letter of complaint to?

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smoker

smoker

(edited)

No way! My son was going to buy this for me for a birthday gift as I wanted the Mr Scratch commentary! Who is the best person to write a blistering letter of complaint to?

Old dog, if you are living in Region2, Europe or UK, maybe German version got the commentary, it's just a theory, but it's the one with 966 minutes of running time, others only got 929 minutes. However, German version got 5 disks too. If I were you I would buy it in a place where you could return it without a problem, like amazon or some place like that

Another key is the number of disks, it looks like American pack got 6 disks, and every single one I've checked here got only 5 disks!

Edited by smoker
Bookish Jen

Bookish Jen

hahaha that's for sure!

 

I would love to know who cut off the most valuable extra in the whole season to save space, the cheapy bastard, because we are not saving money, it's as expensive as always xP

Clearly they are spending too much money on those beautifully spun wigs Tara Lewis wears.

 

Seriously, I've put off buying season 10 due to finances and because my DVD player just died. Yes, I know I can watch the DVD on my laptop but I like seeing CM on my TV.

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ReidFan

ReidFan

just checked my season tens...(I'm in Canada, but we get the same version as the US one. Mine is also six discs.) But the special features are spread along all the discs, and the Matthew commentary for Mr Scratch is on the same disc as the actual episode is. I just had to choose whether I wanted the commentary to play or not.

 

I don't see where a simple audio file would be that much more space on a disc. If they've truly removed it for the European audience, that's just wrong. On a somewhat related note (because I've seen this kind of 'exclusive to the US' thing before, is it not possible to order something from amazon.com rather than amazon.uk or amazon.ca or whatever? I've done that (divulges deep secret here....) I wanted a *gasp* BackstreetBoys cd that had a special feature for the American audience. I just ordered it from the US site instead of the Canadian one. It did cost me a little more cause it would end up being in US dollars and the shipping was more, but I. Needed. That. Song. O:-) 

 

just another suggestion. PM me for another one O:-)

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Cobalt Stargazer

Cobalt Stargazer

I saw that article as well, normasm, and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. On the surface, it sounds pretty shady, but one of the realities of Hollywood is that actors, particularly the unknowns who are waiting tables or whatever between auditions, have to make themselves known outside of the pool of dozens if not hundreds of people who are just trying to land a commercial.

normasm

normasm

To me, it's super shady, CoStar. It ensures that 1) that guy who is in charge of hiring you for your acting will only hire you if you pay him graft; and 2) actors who are poor will not get hired by this d-bag no matter how talented and passionate they are. Wrong and wrong, in my opinion.

 

Just the excuse that "they all do it" is not going to make it right, not that I'm saying you're saying that. But they said something like that in the article. Creepy.

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Bookish Jen

Bookish Jen

To me, it's super shady, CoStar. It ensures that 1) that guy who is in charge of hiring you for your acting will only hire you if you pay him graft; and 2) actors who are poor will not get hired by this d-bag no matter how talented and passionate they are. Wrong and wrong, in my opinion.

 

Just the excuse that "they all do it" is not going to make it right, not that I'm saying you're saying that. But they said something like that in the article. Creepy.

I'm with you. Obviously, actors and other creative types take classes on how to hone their craft. A friend of mine has writing workshops for those who want to write about food, drink and travel issues, which are her specialties. However, she would never ask them to pay her to get articles published in various publications. I was a paid writing tutor in college but no way would I ever take payment to write other people's papers or get special favors from their professors.

 

And good point about some actors being too poor or broke not getting hired because they simply can't hand over the cash to this dirty creep no matter how talented they are.

 

Sadly, this isn't uncommon in show business. And it isn't uncommon in other industries as well. I've seen this in Milwaukee's media scene, which can be very clubby and cliquey. It's often those flush with cash and the right connections (often through one's parents or a spouse) that gets them prime writings gigs. And believe me, these people are often not very talented or hardworking. And it's a shame I learned this the hard way a few years ago.

"Happy Wednesday, my nerds"

 

Words of wisdom from David Rossi.

 

writers-dont-get-mad.jpg

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Cobalt Stargazer

Cobalt Stargazer

To me, it's super shady, CoStar. It ensures that 1) that guy who is in charge of hiring you for your acting will only hire you if you pay him graft; and 2) actors who are poor will not get hired by this d-bag no matter how talented and passionate they are. Wrong and wrong, in my opinion.

 

Just the excuse that "they all do it" is not going to make it right, not that I'm saying you're saying that. But they said something like that in the article. Creepy.

 

Oh, I agree, it isn't right, not in the spirit of being right. And I don't even know if that makes sense or not, but the coffee hasn't really kicked in yet. :-)

 

I'm with you. Obviously, actors and other creative types take classes on how to hone their craft. A friend of mine has writing workshops for those who want to write about food, drink and travel issues, which are her specialties. However, she would never ask them to pay her to get articles published in various publications. I was a paid writing tutor in college but no way would I ever take payment to write other people's papers or get special favors from their professors.

 

Speaking for myself, I've taken writing classes before, both at a community college and at a local arts center, and maybe I just approach the creative process in a different way, but I'm not sure I really learned anything, per se. Considering that the last time I took one of those courses, it cost a hundred dollars, I probably wouldn't do it again. Not saying no one ever learns anything from it, but at a hundred dollars a pop I think they should offer a guarantee that you would.

Bookish Jen

Bookish Jen

Oh, I agree, it isn't right, not in the spirit of being right. And I don't even know if that makes sense or not, but the coffee hasn't really kicked in yet. :-)

 

 

Speaking for myself, I've taken writing classes before, both at a community college and at a local arts center, and maybe I just approach the creative process in a different way, but I'm not sure I really learned anything, per se. Considering that the last time I took one of those courses, it cost a hundred dollars, I probably wouldn't do it again. Not saying no one ever learns anything from it, but at a hundred dollars a pop I think they should offer a guarantee that you would.

Personally, I don't think you you're condoning the practice; you're just acknowledging that this is a commonality in show biz and in other industries. As for the coffee, girl, I feel for you.

 

As for your opinion on taking writing courses I get what you mean. I've gained a great deal of insight when it comes to certain technical aspects of writing like proofreading and copy editing, or how to reach out to editors and how to promote my writing. But when it comes to having a certain writing style or a voice, well, that depends on the individual. And either someone has a voice or they don't. You definitely have a voice, which is why I'm encouraging you to turn your CM fan fic into a novel.

Danielg342

Danielg342

(edited)

Getting offtrack a bit, how could CoStar and other wonderful ff writers here turn their stories into novels without running afoul of CM copyrights? Would they have to change the names and such in order to be published?

I actually did convert my fics into originals. What I did was change the names (obviously) and several other bits of the character I could to separate them from their CM counterparts as much as I could.

For example, Hotch became Aaron Fitchner, and he became a gay man, with Jack being his husband as opposed to his kid. I did this because a big part of Hotch's character is his family, so by changing his family- and his orientation- I make him less identifiable as Hotch.

I also gave him the quality of being a bit of a pushover when it comes to people above him, due to a high feeling of insecurity (something I think Hotch actually has). He can be an alpha when he's superior to others but not when they are superior to him.

(When I get home I can explain how I crafted the other ones, if anyone is interested)

Also, the beauty of CM's poor characterization is that, largely, because they're lightly drawn there's so many different ways to write the characters, so likely your fic characters already have some originality to them.

Edited by Danielg342
ForeverAlone

ForeverAlone

(edited)

Yes, Daniel, I'm interested in how you go about doing the "conversion. 

 

FA, what work are you speaking of?

Fifty Shades of Grey is literally Twilight fan fiction. It was originally posted on fanfiction.net, but EL James was somehow able to get a publishing contract. And we all know what happened after that. 

Edited by ForeverAlone
Danielg342

Danielg342

First of all, before I begin- I am not a lawyer. While I've read quite a bit about how to make my writing legal, please consult the proper legal authorities and perhaps have them vet your work if you actually are serious about turning your fics into novels.

 

To begin, a general comment about changing your fics into originals- the key concept is that when you change your characters, you have enough differences between the show's characters and your own that they can "stand on their own". The obvious first step is changing the names, but you need to do more. This could be as simple as changing their physical attributes (such as making them fat instead of skinny), their setting (like, say, space vs. Earth) or their backstory, or as complex as completely redoing their entire characterization down to their personalities.

 

The key, though, is taking the basics of the character and "tweaking" them so that they're similar but not exact to their fictional counterparts. I'll get to CM specifically in a minute.

 

Fifty Shades of Grey is literally Twilight fan fiction. It was originally posted on fanfiction.net, but EL James was somehow able to get a publishing contract. And we all know what happened after that. 

 

What EL James did was change the names and essentially the setting- instead of having Edward Cullen be a vampire wooing Bella at high school, he became Christian Grey, high powered billionaire who woos the single, young adult Anastasia Steele. Plus she threw in a whole bunch of BDSM that Twilight obviously did not have. As far as I can tell (I haven't read either Fifty Shades of Grey or Twilight), James didn't do much to change the personalities of the characters, just their physical attributes, and this, apparently, was enough to differentiate Fifty Shades from Twilight.

 

Yes, Daniel, I'm interested in how you go about doing the conversion.

 

When it comes to CM, the fact that these characters are lightly drawn is a bonus in the fic world- likely, because so many different interpretations can be made about the CM characters, likely the characterization is already unique in some way. It's not like we're dealing with characters as well known and as complex as Sherlock Holmes (who, by the way, is in the public domain, so you don't have to worry about changing him) or even Homer Simpson, where a lot of details about the character are already known. There's a lot of latitude already to add and "enhance" the BAU to fit your unique vision, so there's not a lot you'd need to do to make them "your own" anyway- they're pretty much already there.

 

The obvious first step would be to change the names of not just the characters but essentially anyone they've associated with, so their wives, their children, their friends, etc. Probably to be on the safe side, you'd need to do a bit more. The easiest way to do this is take the BAU out of the "real world FBI" and plant them in a unique setting, such as the military or making them vigilantes, or perhaps making them teens who are "high school sleuths". Or, if you really want to be daring, make them animals or "spirits within the ether" that help the human detectives solve their cases. Really, the only limits here are your own imagination.

 

You don't need to be that drastic, though. You could do something as simple as changing bits of the characters' backstory or their families, their ethnicity or even alter their physical appearance, and you'll have done enough. None of this has to come at the sacrifice of their personalities, and would really involve just minor tweaks (if any) to their motivations and goals. For example, if your version of Rossi- let's call him "Guiterrez"- is a fat Peruvian who loves steak and caviar, you can still keep Gutierrez as the wise agent who founded the BAU and essentially "mentors" the rest of the team. You might have to make him a big eater but it doesn't come at the sacrifice of the essence of Rossi's "character" while you're able to create someone who is demonstrably different. Arguably, two of Rossi's defining characteristics are his fit, slender build and his Italian heritage- by making your guy fat and Peruvian, you've altered the character enough so that he's arguably not Rossi without having to really change who Rossi really is.

 

As for what I did:

 

First, when I wrote my fics, I had the team "current" to the end of Season 5, so anything that happened after that I didn't use (with a few exceptions). I also tweaked quite a few things, not just to convert them to originals but for storywriting purposes, because I felt they made more sense than what the show told me.

 

Secondly, this is set in an alternate world. So, already the setting is different in that the BAU isn't a unit of the FBI and subject to American law. My BAU- which I've spelled using the Canadian version, the Behavioural Analysis Unit- operates under the auspices of the FBII, which stands for "Foederatio Borealis Indigatores Imperiale" (Latin- or I think it's Latin- for "Federation of Northern Imperial Investigators"), which is the main crime fighting unit of the North American Union (NAU). The NAU is a European Union-style arrangement that came about because, basically, in my world the Cold War led to the Third World War which led to the collapse of both the United States and the Soviet Union. The NAU was set up by the Roman Empire (which, in my world, never fell), hence why the FBI's abbreviation is in Latin (I should say I originally maintained the FBI until I bought a Hallowe'en costume that said "FBII" on it- so I took that abbreviation and ran with it).

 

Basically, not only does the BAU have to operate in different locales that actually have different laws, they have to do so in a North America that is basically a Roman "puppet" state that is still trying to piece itself back together after the Cold War exhausted its finances. So the BAU isn't just dealing with your normal middle class families and your average state of bureaucracy- they've got to deal with the meddling Romans who care more about their own territories across the Atlantic as well as a NAU populace upset at the Romans because of this, as well as upset that they're essentially living in an economically stagnant society that is anything but "The American Dream". The only good part is that the BAU, since the FBII is funded by the Romans, has access to a wide array of technology, but the local police forces, because of North America's depressed nature, does not.

 

Not only that, but a big part of the BAU's backstory is that the police forces of the NAU have, for years, created a culture of "hero justice" where law enforcement really only sought after criminals who were "high profile" but easy to catch, because LEOs were more about the prestige and honour than actual justice. This is because the '90s and '00s saw TV networks glorify actual crime fighting units (such as the BAU) by creating fictionalized versions of them (which became the TV shows we know, such as Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, and CSI). Essentially, this got to the LEOs' heads, including the BAU's, which led to the Milner Report and major reforms across the North American crime fighting landscape. One of those reforms was the BAU getting split up, with one half of the team going to Rome to join the actual Imperial crime fighters.

 

Unfortunately, what this meant in North America is that LEOs- including the BAU- got demoralized and many of them stopped really doing their jobs as a result. This led to a movement online, called "The Virus", where crimes are committed as a source of political protest. Of course, Rome's enemies have used this unrest for their own ends and...that's as far as I'll go.

 

Sorry for the ramble, but I needed to explain part of my changes involved changing the setting and the challenges the BAU has to deal with.

 

My team:

 

North America

 

-Aaron "Fitch" Fitchner, BAU Chief. He's like Hotch except that he's gay and Jack is his lover, not his son. He also has a crippling sense of self-doubt, constantly questioning how good he actually is as team leader because his backstory is that he became Unit Chief because he "fell into" the role, not because he beat several other qualified candidates. Fitch is sensitive and cares very deeply, but is scared of those above him. Thus, though he is not averse to being in the field, he's increasingly become a "desk jockey" because he is obsessive about completing his reports. He can, however, boss his underlings, as his insecurities make him desire control and being Unit Chief gives him that control, and he is great at his job, because profiling is the one thing where he gets confidence from.

-Claudio "Pooch" Pucci, second in command. Rossi's counterpart who is jaded and, while counting himself as Fitch's best friend, he also finds him frustratingly incompetent. He still has the fire to be in the BAU but his patience is tested regularly, especially because of the meddling of Fitch's bosses and Fitch's inability to stand up to them.

-Jason Simeon, the team's "profiler". The Gideon counterpart essentially serves more as Fitch's actual friend than Pucci is, as Simeon believes in the upside of everyone. Often, he's the team's "peacemaker" when things go awry and often mentors the rest of the team.

-Emily Proctor, fourth in command. The Prentiss clone who still had her liaison with Ian Doyle (renamed Patrick Boyle, who became the chief suspect after the bombing of the Boston Garden well over a decade ago), but this wasn't a long, drawn-out con: Proctor only met Boyle for one evening at a restaurant and seduced him to gain his confession, which she did. Except Boyle realized the ruse and nearly killed her. The Garden bombing was the event that led CBS to commission Criminal Minds in the first place, since it was the first time profiling captured worldwide attention. Proctor also dated Oldrich James (my copy of Patrick Jane) and serves as not just the team's muscle but also its intellect, as she is a master interrogator. She, like Pucci, is easily jaded and has started drinking, though she's not yet as frustrated with Fitch as Pucci is.

-Vincent Chestnut, fifth in command. Hired by Fitch to replace Pascal Yves (my version of Reid), Chestnut is a completely original character. He's fat, lazy and only pretends to be smart, with his lack of abilities and awareness obvious to everyone else on the team except Fitch, who feels that if he fired Chestnut his bosses would come down hard on him (if not fire him for his incompetence at hiring).

-Jenna Jayme "JJ" Cooke, media liaison. The JJ clone, she uses her warmth and friendliness as a cover for her own insecurities, highlighted in no small part to her failed marriage to Will LaMond, which was a marriage of convenience because they had Lucas. LaMond is a perpetual drunk and a deadbeat dad whom Cooke has to constantly support, draining her energy within the marriage.

-Andi Morales, Technical Analyst. My version of Garcia, whom I haven't really developed too much. The only change I made was her physical appearance- she's not a heavyset woman like Garcia is but a slender, blonde bombshell- though still dorky and quirky.

 

FBII Director (and Fitch's boss): Lucius Black, an original. A former military investigator, he's a fatherly type who does what he can to look after his underlings, but most of his caring is really only about saving his own hide. Pucci suspects that Black keeps Fitch around because Fitch is a pushover that Black readily takes advantage of.

 

North American Prefect (and Black's boss): Eva Avita, another original. Appointed by the Romans because of The Virus, she's the "no-nonsense" type- however, her crime fighting priorities are less "grounded in reality" and more concerned with protecting the grander Roman interests from their enemies.

 

Roman Team- the Roman Behavioural Crimes Unit

 

-Zeke Coleman, Unit Chief: The "Morgan", a lifelong bachelor who treats women well but can't commit, due to his previous sexual abuse as a youngster at the hands of Carla Buford. A former football player, Coleman brings that ethos to his job, doing his best to maintain a high level of energy and optimism, succeeding at his job because he is relentless at performing his duties and always seeks to go above and beyond what he needs to do. He's a very "hands on" kind of leader, often helping his team on the field and thus being often behind in his paperwork. He's still adept as a tackler and a fighter, but because of his position, he doesn't do it as much as he used to.

-Pascal Yves, second in command (tied with Parkes): The "Reid", he's not sexually incompetent, but he is still sensitive. Unlike Reid, he's not averse to expressing his feelings, which he often does with his two best friends, Coleman and Zoe Parkes, and Yves does not drive, as he does not own a car or have his driver's license (much to Coleman's chagrin). Still the team's encyclopedia, knowing every fact there is, his knowledge is his greatest asset, and he often makes up facts to throw off others in conversations because of this fact. He gets a lot of confidence from his knowledge, but he is prone to letting his emotions get the better of him. He is okay at interviews, but his real strengths are in observation. He is also a native of Montreal.

-Zoe Parkes, second in command (tied with Yves): She's essentially an original, since I took the CM character of Zoe Hawkes and expanded on it. She's essentially the female Reid, but more sociable and thus is better able to handle interviews and interrogations. She is a staunch feminist- this is why she pursued crime fighting in the first place- and came to the BAU before it was split at the behest of Pucci, who helped save her from Eric Poulsen (Eric Olsen) with the help of Coleman and Yves. Her and Yves have become great friends, sometimes straddling the line between romance and friendship, but, for the most part their love is platonic.

-Gaia Maria, fourth in command: Haven't thought much about her but she's an original and is supposed to be the team's muscle now that Coleman is the Unit Chief.

-Oldrich James, fifth in command: The counterpart to Patrick Jane, he's not an uncaring, manipulative psychopath that The Mentalist described but rather someone who can appear cocky and superficial on the outside but inside has a lot of warmth and empathy. He is essentially there as the team's primary observer, though he will use mind games to trip up suspects.

 

I apologize, it's quite a bit.

 

There are other parts but that's my team(s). I do have a version of Red John, as "Randy Joe", which is more properly a criminal organization than one guy, with the organization having ties to the Zodiac Killer and Ted Bundy (and others).

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