Meme Response: Uneasy Lies The Head
1. Comment to this post with "I surrender!" and I'll assign you the basis of some tv show idea. (Science fiction show, medical drama, criminal procedure, etc...)
2. Create a cast of characters, including the actors who'd play them
3. Add in any actor photos, character bios and show synopsis that you want.
4. Post to your own journal.
(#4 is optional)
rodlox prompted me with: "if Inception ever had a kid with one of those dynastic programs (The Tudors, Edward & Wallace, Blackadder, etc), the progeny would be..." which is, you know, right up my alley. I took it as a sort of Tudors/Inception crossover, albeit in an alternative Tudor period.
Uneasy Lies The Head
Welcome to the court of King Henry IX, the son of the late Henry VIII and Queen Dowager Anne Boleyn, where nothing is sacred - not even your dreams.
(10 episodes on Showtime)
Starring:
Amanda Tapping - Anne Boleyn
Mark Sheppard - Rhys Llywelyn
Emily Blunt - Lady Mary Tudor
Sebastian Armesto - Father Elian Carriedo
Gaspard Ulliel - Julien de Chardin
Bonnie Wright - Princess Elizabeth, Dowager Duchess of Orleans
Alexander Ludwig - Edward Fitzroy, Earl of Hertford
Skandar Keynes - King Henry IX
Amanda Tapping - Queen Dowager Anne Boleyn
"I don't care what has to be done, Master Llywelyn. I want my power secure and my family safe. By whatever means necessary."
Anne Boleyn is a plotter and a survivor. She's held the throne for her son since he was crowned at almost ten, and before that she was the woman King Henry VIII turned his country upside down for. In a time when plots abound to replace the teenaged King and his still-hated mother, Anne will do whatever it takes to find out what her enemies plan and stop them before they can carry it out - even if that includes what might be seen as a deal with the devil.
Mark Sheppard - Rhys Llywelyn
"My duty is to you and your son, Your Majesty. But to fulfill that duty I will have to take what some might see as... inappropriate action."
Most think that Rhys Llywelyn's frighteningly good information comes from well-trained spies - and they would be right, but not in the way they think they are. He is a dreamwalker, someone who can enter another's dream at will and steal information - or, indeed, plant ideas to attempt brainwashing. His spies are his students. He has put these skills at the disposal of Queen Anne - but he is as dangerous an ally as he is a friend, especially if there's something he wants. After all, he can slip into anyone's dreams, and even if he's trained someone to protect their mind, they aren't safe from him. And no one knows what he truly wants.
Emily Blunt - Lady Mary Tudor
"I was born to be Queen, senor. And so I shall be."
Lady Mary Tudor is Henry VIII's eldest surviving child and firmly believes herself to be his heir and the true ruler of England. Having lived in the country since her father's death, Mary has not been idle. Though she is carefully watched, former Imperial Ambassador Chapuys saw to it that Mary was trained in dreamwalking. As such, she knows who will support her in a revolt and is carefully turning other great nobles to her cause. But the one man she trusts most could be either her greatest enemy or her greatest ally.
Sebastian Armesto - Father Elian Carriedo
"I must choose between love and duty, and either way I feel that I sin against God. How am I to know which is right?"
Father Elian Carriedo is Lady Mary's young Spanish confessor, placed in her household by Llywelyn. He himself is one of the Welshman's most skilled students, and it has been his job to shadow the Lady Mary's dreamwalking, to discover what she learns and who she is turning to her cause. But how can he continue to betray the woman he loves - how can he love her when he is a man of the cloth, sworn to celibacy? Whatever he chooses, Elian feels that he is damned, and prays for some kind of sign, some hope of divine guidance.
Gaspard Ulliel - Julien de Chardin
"There is something very wrong in this place. I do not know what, but there is something."
Julien de Chardin is the French Ambassador's assistant, a young man not important enough to be noticed, but close enough to plots to see everything. He watches as former enemies of the Queen Regent slowly become her friends, for no reason at all, as other courtiers leave the court and seem to no longer regard their King as ordained by God. His own master begs their King to stop championing the rights of his daughter-in-law Mary of Scotland and instead to support... But he can't seem to decide between the young King and the Lady Mary. The mystery only deepens because of the... presence he feels at night, as though some spirit were wandering the court, exerting its power over them. Julien means to find out just what is happening here - but he does not realize how deadly such investigations could turn out to be. He will, however, find a surprising ally who might be able to protect him.
Bonnie Wright - Princess Elizabeth, Dowager Duchess of Orleans
"All I want is my freedom. I have done all I was told for duty, and now I want my freedom. Is that so much to ask for?"
Newly widowed, Princess Elizabeth returns home from France to find a court mired in intrigue. All she truly wants is to have her freedom, to live as she chooses and, should she marry again, to marry for love. But her mother keeps talking of a new marriage for her, of her responsibility to help bind allies to her brother. She too senses the strangeness in the court, and joins forces with Julien de Chardin to find out what they are. Unlike him, however, she knows what she will do once they have the answer; she means to harness this power for herself in order to achieve her goals. No one will ever command her again, but even she cannot command her heart. A foreign-born commoner is too low even with her dreams of a love match; but does she really care?
Alexander Ludwig - Edward Fitzroy, Earl of Hertford
"I am hated, not for myself, but for the blood in my veins. This is the only chance I have to change it."
Edward Fitzroy is the bastard son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, made Earl of Hertford by his father when he was just a toddler. Anne Boleyn has always despised him for being the child of her one-time rival, and her children follow suit. Since the death of his father, Edward has struggled to find some way of gaining favor, and he thinks that becoming Llywelyn's protege will give him the chance he needs. His brother the King is seeking an ally of his own, and with time Edward earns a place in one family member's heart. But will he change his mind when Mary makes him an offer of her own? Where should his love and his loyalty lie?
Skandar Keynes - King Henry IX
"I know there is much I don't know, but I am King. I should know, and I should be leading for myself. I have to find a way to take what is mine."
King Henry has never been a king in anything but name, and he is old enough now to begin to resent that. He does not know what his mother and her man Llywelyn are up to, but he knows that he is the ruler anointed by God. It's his job to run England now, not his mother's, but no one trusts him. His half-brother, Llywelyn's student, has the same gift, and it's a skill Henry needs in an ally... and perhaps, he needs a brother and a friend too. But when Edward might not be the friend he thinks, his full sister Elizabeth has her own goals and no interest in his, and his half-sister Mary is an implacable enemy, in the end he can rely only on himself to claim his birthright.
Notes:
The show takes place in a world where Anne Boleyn did not miscarry her son in 1536, and so continued to be Henry VIII's wife and Queen. However, during her pregnancy, Henry took Jane Seymour (his historical third wife) as a mistress, thus resulting in an illegitimate counterpart of their son Edward VI being born almost a full year ahead of his historical birthdate.
Historicallly, Edward Seymour, uncle of Edward VI and brother to Queen Jane Seymour, was named Earl of Hertford after his nephew's birth. Here, where Edward is a bastard and not a royal prince, Henry gave the title to him.
The real Elizabeth Tudor, during her mother's lifetime, was betrothed to Francois I of France's youngest son, the Duke of Angouleme, who became the Duke of Orleans after his oldest brother died and the second son gave up the Orleans title and became the Dauphin (crown prince). He died young, hence Elizabeth's widowhood in this story.
2. Create a cast of characters, including the actors who'd play them
3. Add in any actor photos, character bios and show synopsis that you want.
4. Post to your own journal.
(#4 is optional)
rodlox prompted me with: "if Inception ever had a kid with one of those dynastic programs (The Tudors, Edward & Wallace, Blackadder, etc), the progeny would be..." which is, you know, right up my alley. I took it as a sort of Tudors/Inception crossover, albeit in an alternative Tudor period.
Uneasy Lies The Head
Welcome to the court of King Henry IX, the son of the late Henry VIII and Queen Dowager Anne Boleyn, where nothing is sacred - not even your dreams.
(10 episodes on Showtime)
Starring:
Amanda Tapping - Anne Boleyn
Mark Sheppard - Rhys Llywelyn
Emily Blunt - Lady Mary Tudor
Sebastian Armesto - Father Elian Carriedo
Gaspard Ulliel - Julien de Chardin
Bonnie Wright - Princess Elizabeth, Dowager Duchess of Orleans
Alexander Ludwig - Edward Fitzroy, Earl of Hertford
Skandar Keynes - King Henry IX
Amanda Tapping - Queen Dowager Anne Boleyn
"I don't care what has to be done, Master Llywelyn. I want my power secure and my family safe. By whatever means necessary."
Anne Boleyn is a plotter and a survivor. She's held the throne for her son since he was crowned at almost ten, and before that she was the woman King Henry VIII turned his country upside down for. In a time when plots abound to replace the teenaged King and his still-hated mother, Anne will do whatever it takes to find out what her enemies plan and stop them before they can carry it out - even if that includes what might be seen as a deal with the devil.
Mark Sheppard - Rhys Llywelyn
"My duty is to you and your son, Your Majesty. But to fulfill that duty I will have to take what some might see as... inappropriate action."
Most think that Rhys Llywelyn's frighteningly good information comes from well-trained spies - and they would be right, but not in the way they think they are. He is a dreamwalker, someone who can enter another's dream at will and steal information - or, indeed, plant ideas to attempt brainwashing. His spies are his students. He has put these skills at the disposal of Queen Anne - but he is as dangerous an ally as he is a friend, especially if there's something he wants. After all, he can slip into anyone's dreams, and even if he's trained someone to protect their mind, they aren't safe from him. And no one knows what he truly wants.
Emily Blunt - Lady Mary Tudor
"I was born to be Queen, senor. And so I shall be."
Lady Mary Tudor is Henry VIII's eldest surviving child and firmly believes herself to be his heir and the true ruler of England. Having lived in the country since her father's death, Mary has not been idle. Though she is carefully watched, former Imperial Ambassador Chapuys saw to it that Mary was trained in dreamwalking. As such, she knows who will support her in a revolt and is carefully turning other great nobles to her cause. But the one man she trusts most could be either her greatest enemy or her greatest ally.
Sebastian Armesto - Father Elian Carriedo
"I must choose between love and duty, and either way I feel that I sin against God. How am I to know which is right?"
Father Elian Carriedo is Lady Mary's young Spanish confessor, placed in her household by Llywelyn. He himself is one of the Welshman's most skilled students, and it has been his job to shadow the Lady Mary's dreamwalking, to discover what she learns and who she is turning to her cause. But how can he continue to betray the woman he loves - how can he love her when he is a man of the cloth, sworn to celibacy? Whatever he chooses, Elian feels that he is damned, and prays for some kind of sign, some hope of divine guidance.
Gaspard Ulliel - Julien de Chardin
"There is something very wrong in this place. I do not know what, but there is something."
Julien de Chardin is the French Ambassador's assistant, a young man not important enough to be noticed, but close enough to plots to see everything. He watches as former enemies of the Queen Regent slowly become her friends, for no reason at all, as other courtiers leave the court and seem to no longer regard their King as ordained by God. His own master begs their King to stop championing the rights of his daughter-in-law Mary of Scotland and instead to support... But he can't seem to decide between the young King and the Lady Mary. The mystery only deepens because of the... presence he feels at night, as though some spirit were wandering the court, exerting its power over them. Julien means to find out just what is happening here - but he does not realize how deadly such investigations could turn out to be. He will, however, find a surprising ally who might be able to protect him.
Bonnie Wright - Princess Elizabeth, Dowager Duchess of Orleans
"All I want is my freedom. I have done all I was told for duty, and now I want my freedom. Is that so much to ask for?"
Newly widowed, Princess Elizabeth returns home from France to find a court mired in intrigue. All she truly wants is to have her freedom, to live as she chooses and, should she marry again, to marry for love. But her mother keeps talking of a new marriage for her, of her responsibility to help bind allies to her brother. She too senses the strangeness in the court, and joins forces with Julien de Chardin to find out what they are. Unlike him, however, she knows what she will do once they have the answer; she means to harness this power for herself in order to achieve her goals. No one will ever command her again, but even she cannot command her heart. A foreign-born commoner is too low even with her dreams of a love match; but does she really care?
Alexander Ludwig - Edward Fitzroy, Earl of Hertford
"I am hated, not for myself, but for the blood in my veins. This is the only chance I have to change it."
Edward Fitzroy is the bastard son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, made Earl of Hertford by his father when he was just a toddler. Anne Boleyn has always despised him for being the child of her one-time rival, and her children follow suit. Since the death of his father, Edward has struggled to find some way of gaining favor, and he thinks that becoming Llywelyn's protege will give him the chance he needs. His brother the King is seeking an ally of his own, and with time Edward earns a place in one family member's heart. But will he change his mind when Mary makes him an offer of her own? Where should his love and his loyalty lie?
Skandar Keynes - King Henry IX
"I know there is much I don't know, but I am King. I should know, and I should be leading for myself. I have to find a way to take what is mine."
King Henry has never been a king in anything but name, and he is old enough now to begin to resent that. He does not know what his mother and her man Llywelyn are up to, but he knows that he is the ruler anointed by God. It's his job to run England now, not his mother's, but no one trusts him. His half-brother, Llywelyn's student, has the same gift, and it's a skill Henry needs in an ally... and perhaps, he needs a brother and a friend too. But when Edward might not be the friend he thinks, his full sister Elizabeth has her own goals and no interest in his, and his half-sister Mary is an implacable enemy, in the end he can rely only on himself to claim his birthright.
Notes:
The show takes place in a world where Anne Boleyn did not miscarry her son in 1536, and so continued to be Henry VIII's wife and Queen. However, during her pregnancy, Henry took Jane Seymour (his historical third wife) as a mistress, thus resulting in an illegitimate counterpart of their son Edward VI being born almost a full year ahead of his historical birthdate.
Historicallly, Edward Seymour, uncle of Edward VI and brother to Queen Jane Seymour, was named Earl of Hertford after his nephew's birth. Here, where Edward is a bastard and not a royal prince, Henry gave the title to him.
The real Elizabeth Tudor, during her mother's lifetime, was betrothed to Francois I of France's youngest son, the Duke of Angouleme, who became the Duke of Orleans after his oldest brother died and the second son gave up the Orleans title and became the Dauphin (crown prince). He died young, hence Elizabeth's widowhood in this story.