Sanctuary Discussion (Spoilers for the most recent episode)

[Skydiver]

when it comes to Tudors, Lost, Dexter...the boxed sets all come out a week or two (sometimes less) before the new season is to premiere.

and i THINK bsg did the same, season 4.0 came out right before the last half aired

wouldn't surprise me if Sanctuary is the same way

[jckfan55]

^ oh but I want my dvds. The pain of waiting.

[JenniferJF]

It could have something to do with the fact that they give them the first five as a sort of teaser, hoping that it will prompt people to pay for Scifi channel to watch the rest in a timely manner, cause it's always about the money in the end.

I think Hulu gets shows when they're loaded to the main site. Sometimes Hulu doesn't 'notice' them right away, but I believe Scifi only uploaded Sanctuary to it's site for a short time 8 days after airing it. So I think that's what determines when Hulu gets a show, too.

And one can only assume it's the wise marketing folks at Scifi who figure folks are going to spend 90 dollars on cable to get to see their shows live as they air, complete with half screen network bugs, rather than wait 10 days to get them free and without annoying distractions iand n HD (Every time I even half way consider possibly getting cable again I remember those and realize, even with cable, you have to wait for Hulu, itunes/Amazon or DVD to actually *see* the show anyway.)

[Tracy Jane]

The important part of this post is that the Sanctuary Fiction Awards have opened voting, and you can vote by going here.

The rest is a crossover from the Sanctuaryfic LJ Community and is a prime example of TJ the Trollop on a Sugar High.

Spoiler:

16th March 2009 can only mean one thing. Nope, not one day to go until the special St. Paddy's Day Simpsons ep on Sky One (though that is pretty exciting too), no.... today is the opening of voting for the 2009 Sanctuary Fanfiction Awards! (Come on, I was expecting at least a woohooo!).

Right. It works like this. We have a lovely voting form, designed by the even lovelier antoa (clicky here), you fill in your name and email, choose the stories you want to vote for and hit submit. Seems pretty simple, right?

Well it is, as long as you're using a valid email address. Because then we'll respond to the voters, just to check that you're all real people. We will only tally those voters who reply. So make sure it's an email address you have access to!!

Just to explain the process... we'll keep a tally on a googledocs spreadsheet. The awards email will be accessible to all three of us (myself, Neep and Antoa) and all votes will be verified and so on, so there can be no cheating, favouritism or vote skewing. Not that we would anyway, but it's just to put the minds of our beloved tinfoil hat wearers at rest.

Voting will be open until 19th April 2009. Any votes received after this date (and we will work to midnight 19th/20th GMT) will not be tallied.

If you mess up and desperately need to change a vote, then I'd like to remind you that we are evil, souless b****es with hearts of ice (was there meant to be a "not" in there? Sorry, I missed the memo!). Seriously, send us an email at [email protected] and we will do everything we can to help you out and get you sorted. Antoa in particular is a pro at digging people out of a hole - she deals with me on a daily basis!

The nominations list can be found here on Livejournal, here on Sanctuaryfiction.net and you can follow our Author Spotlight series here

Any questions, queries, comments or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or comment here!

Notes for Authors

Spoiler:

We would love you to spread the news far and wide about the Sanctuary fic awards. Feel free to make banners and shout it from the rooftops (ellymelly has a beautiful banner that was just like the one I originally wanted to make for the awards, lol). However, we would ask that you don't beg, bribe, torture or maim people into voting for you (although my opinion might be swayed if someone were to offer polyamorous Five fic - Owww! Sorry, Antoa!). Asking is considered bad etiquette as well.

Basically, "Yay for the Fic Awards! I got X nominations" or "Sigh... I don't really get a choice on my Sanctuary fic voting because I was nominated in every category and it would be stupid not to vote for myself" is acceptable, if bordering on narcissistic with the second. However "Vote for Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" and "I givez u chocolate if u votez" are bad. "I will strip naked and perform a lapdance if you vote for me" depends on the author.

Hope that makes things clearer.

I'm off to find more sugar now.

[NZNeep]

And y'all know it's fair because I don't even like the other two. Keep them honest and all that.

[Tracy Jane]

And y'all know it's fair because I don't even like the other two. Keep them honest and all that.

Gee, thanks Neep. *rolls eyes*

Who needs enemies, eh?

[morjana]

Photo of Amanda Tapping, a mystery person, and Robin Dunne at the SciFi Channel's Upfront All Star Party today in New York City to announce the new name of the channel, Syfy:

Spoiler:

And more photos:

Spoiler:

Syfy's Mark Stern, Amanda, Robin, and Syfy's Dave Howe



Mark Stern, Syfy's Bonnie Hammer, Amanda, Dave, Robin

[Mousie]

Thank you for the photo's, as pretty as always.

[majorsal]

i am soooooooooooooo bored it's coming out of my eyes! THIS would be the perfect time for some *sanctuary season 1 dvds with behind the scenes lovelies and amanda tapping doing commentaries*...

monday night i have three shows in a row on tv, and tuesday is buried in the shadow of death or something...

SANCTUARY NOW!!!

[Rocky89]

i am soooooooooooooo bored it's coming out of my eyes! THIS would be the perfect time for some *sanctuary season 1 dvds with behind the scenes lovelies and amanda tapping doing commentaries*...

monday night i have three shows in a row on tv, and tuesday is buried in the shadow of death or something...

SANCTUARY NOW!!!

Honey, watch some SG-1 episodes .

Oh, speaking of which, my Stargate marathon continues in 35 mintues, gotta go...

[morjana]

i am soooooooooooooo bored it's coming out of my eyes! THIS would be the perfect time for some *sanctuary season 1 dvds with behind the scenes lovelies and amanda tapping doing commentaries*...

monday night i have three shows in a row on tv, and tuesday is buried in the shadow of death or something...

SANCTUARY NOW!!!

GASP!

Majorsal, you don't watch NCIS?

NCIS = SG1!

Stargate SG-1 - Team Leader: Jack O‘Neill (Richard Dean Anderson)

Military - Air Force

Grey haired fox

Sarcastic but a dazzling smile

Dead child, ex-wife

Commands a team consisting of a scientist (Sam Carter), a warrior (Teal’c) and a communicator (Daniel Jackson)

Goes on missions to protect and defend Earth

Sense of family within the team


NCIS - Team Leader: Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon)

Ex-Military - Marine

Grey haired fox

Sarcastic and a great smile

Dead child & first wife, 3 ex-wives

Commands a team consisting of a scientist (Tim McGee), a warrior (Ziva David) and a communicator (Tony DiNozzo)

Goes on assignments to protect and defend the United States

Sense of family within the team

[majorsal]

drool is fun, but i like to get into the leading ladies, and i can't stand that zira woman (whatever her name is) and that other silly chick. so no neat ladies (i liked kate well enough), and no me to stay with the show.

GASP!

Majorsal, you don't watch NCIS?

NCIS = SG1!

Stargate SG-1 - Team Leader: Jack O‘Neill (Richard Dean Anderson)

Military - Air Force

Grey haired fox

Sarcastic but a dazzling smile

Dead child, ex-wife

Commands a team consisting of a scientist (Sam Carter), a warrior (Teal’c) and a communicator (Daniel Jackson)

Goes on missions to protect and defend Earth

Sense of family within the team


NCIS - Team Leader: Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon)

Ex-Military - Marine

Grey haired fox

Sarcastic and a great smile

Dead child & first wife, 3 ex-wives

Commands a team consisting of a scientist (Tim McGee), a warrior (Ziva David) and a communicator (Tony DiNozzo)

Goes on assignments to protect and defend the United States

Sense of family within the team

[Skydiver]

i adore ncis. I think it, and classic stargate, are prime examples to show runners 'this is how you build an ensemble show'

how you let the characters work together, yet be different. they're a team and they take care of each other yet they are all individual characters in their own right, with their own issues and baggage. Thus far, there's a good balance between characters' private lives and the team solving crimes

What i think helps is....there is no 'this is the favored character, thus the show must revolve around him/her' issues like we've had in other shows.

one of the biggest crits of later SG1 and SGA is a marked preference by the writers for a pair or a handful or just part of the ensemble. it tends to divide and split the fandom, it alters the appeal of the show and narrows the focus (in other words, if you're a fan of the favored character(s) pair(s) you got it made, but if you like the others, there's not much to watch and enjoy)

I think it's a lesson that sanctuary is learning/aware of. They have an ensemble show, and if they really want it to have staying power and a broader base, then the focus needs to be split up a bit more.

i do think a lot of s1 was heavy on Will. which, my gut says, was a network directive. I have hopes with the plot twist revealed in the finale, that other characters will get a bit more of a focus and things will a bit more spread out

I do think another lesson Sanctuary can learn from Classic SG1 and NCIS is to build up a base of supporting characters. sg1 had dixon and reynolds and the tok'ra and the jaffa adn davis and siler and janet.....etc.

Ncis has the fbi guy and abby and ducky and ducky's assistant and others that show up as needed to fill in gaps. A broad supporting network of characters only makes the show stronger because you don't have to always take your main cast and have them be the 'victim' all the time to a plot twist.

[JenniferJF]

I think it's a lesson that sanctuary is learning/aware of. They have an ensemble show, and if they really want it to have staying power and a broader base, then the focus needs to be split up a bit more.

i do think a lot of s1 was heavy on Will. which, my gut says, was a network directive. I have hopes with the plot twist revealed in the finale, that other characters will get a bit more of a focus and things will a bit more spread out

I agree, and it's one of the things which has worried me generally since Sanctuary moved to Scifi. Cause the writers weren't the only thing that changed in the later years of SG1.

Though they managed to avoid this mostly, as you say, on Sanctuary so far. And I can see how, for a larger market, Will might have been the character The Suits felt the audience would most likely empathize with and so they did do a lot of work with him. I find it interesting, though, there seems to be less Will specific fanfic than anything else, indicating I think he tends to spark the imagination of fans less than others.

But, you know, who cares about that... these are, after all, the guys who thought changing I's to Y's was creative and clever (it's only creative when JM does it.)

[Tracy Jane]

I agree, and it's one of the things which has worried me generally since Sanctuary moved to Scifi. Cause the writers weren't the only thing that changed in the later years of SG1.

Though they managed to avoid this mostly, as you say, on Sanctuary so far. And I can see how, for a larger market, Will might have been the character The Suits felt the audience would most likely empathize with and so they did do a lot of work with him. I find it interesting, though, there seems to be less Will specific fanfic than anything else, indicating I think he tends to spark the imagination of fans less than others.

But, you know, who cares about that... these are, after all, the guys who thought changing I's to Y's was creative and clever (it's only creative when JM does it.)

On the fanfic issue, I personally find Will quite bland. For me, he's little other than a device. If I want a certain narrative perspective, I will use him, but I find him really difficult to peg. He doesn't really seem to have a voice to me, he's just an observer. But my other problem is that my personal fic obsession is way off in the past, before Will existed. Having said that, I think it's quite interesting that so many writers, including myself, find it easier to write Watson and Tesla than they do Will.