Tomorrow People Top Ten Lists

by Beth Epstein
Reasons Why TP Fans Want to Be TPs
Causes for the Original Series TPs to Lose Their Special Powers
Reasons Why the New Series TP's Forget to Teleport
Rejected Merchandising Ideas

by Beth Epstein & Maria Sloughter
Complications of Having Psionic Powers

by Kyrie Daniels
Reasons Why Hanging Out With Tomorrow People (New Series) Would Suck If You're Not One

by Kristy Fahrenwald
Things to Do When You Discover Your Child Is a TP

by Shaun Hately
Fashion Travesties

by Maria Sloughter
Why Knowing Calculus Is Helpful For Tps

by TPDIS
Signs You've Been Reading/Writing Too Much TP Fanfic (in progress)

Reasons Why TP Fans Want to Be TPs:

10. No more bus trips.
09. No more depending on email to communicate with other people who are as weird as they are.
08. Could get TIM to hack email accounts and figure out whether certain annoying saps are legit or not.
07. Three words: save the world
06. Biotronic computer cooking.
05. Surragate parents only a thought away.
04. Those Tomorrow People are too straight, only using their powers for saving the world.
(sorry,that's the number 4 reason why Alex Mack doesn't want to break out)
03. Funky geek watches that act like tricorders
02. Navigational equipment right on their wrists- no more getting lost.
01. Lawyers evidence could somehow disappear off the face of their computers.

Causes for the Original Series TPs to Lose Their Special Powers:

10. Plot convience
09. Barumin
08. Ask Kyrie or Amy
07. Roger Price felt like taking them away
06. Finals
05. Volumin
04. Sunspots
03. Electromagnetic background noise
02. Weird immortal pharohs
(oops, that's one of the top ten reasons why The Rameses Connection was a really confusing episode)
01. The entire world's minds kicking into overdrive at once!

Reasons Why the New Series TP's Forget to Teleport:

10. They had to fill another three minutes of the episode
09. Plot convenience
08. Discombobulation due to people who have no authority to confuse them
07. Adam always wanted to take up mountain climbing
06. Megabyte's too stubborn to be sensible
05. Ami's mum won't let her
04. Jade's too star stuck by the other TP's to think straight
03. Cathro/Pressman want the TP to lose their teleporting ablility, too
02. Nickelodeon didn't want to shell out the money.
01. That would be the smart thing to do, wouldn't it?

Reasons Why Hanging Out With Tomorrow People (New Series) Would Suck If You're Not One:

10. All that talk about how violence and killing is wrong takes all the fun out of discussing HL with them.
09. Guys like Megabyte trying to talk you into cutting all the time.
08. They're always too busy trying to rescue someone to do normal things like go to movies.
07. All that time they spend at Tapahini means they get better tans than you have.
06. Your friends just like scamming them out.
05. Two words: Corn Crinkles
04. That dumb Lucy still hasn't figured out why you're not returning calls about Adam yet.
03. Just because they say they can't read minds doesn't mean it's the truth....
02. Bumbling Villian rejects from Scooby Doo always an issue with them.
01. Can't ever simply mention the phrases "I have a headache" or "I have a migraine" without someone reading into it.

Rejected Merchandising Ideas

Rejected ideas 11-21
10. Newman Rollerblades
Perfect for chasing down those badguys.
09. Andrew's skein liegh
For cutting your way out of ropes when your powers are out- also a great steakknife!
08. Dr Culex's patented mosquito repellant.
07. The Great Mothers of Matra Stephen Jameson action figure
Alice in Wonderland dress and jaunting belt
06. Thargon Menace Geek Watch
Why walk into potentially dangerous situations when you can check the life content of a room before you enter it?
05. Stuffed Nola Bears
The morphing effect just wouldn't work
04. Hearts of Sogguth Drum Kit
03. Lunch Box Booze? Is this for Saps only?
(oh, wait, sorry, that's the top ten rejected Beavis and Butthead merchandising ideas (at least MTV has more sense than TGI Fridays))
02. Mike Bell Pacific Island Disguise kit
01. Tickle Me Elmer

Complications of Having Psionic Powers

Complications 11-15
10. Your friends think you are using TK to influence the dice rolls when you are playing Monopoly (or Yahtzee or insert-your-favorite-dice-game-here).
09. Imagine a whole school class of Tomorrow People. Imagine trying to keep track of them on a field trip.
08. Master Mind becomes pointless.
07. Your disapproving friend ruins your card games.
06. The testing system would have to be revamped.
05. Rock/Scissors/Paper loses all meaning.
04. Visitors could drop in at any time. This would be bad if you couldn't/didn't change clothes telekinetically.
03. Teleporting could create a tortise and the hare effect.
02. Out of town friends expect you to drop in on them.
01. All those mad scientists in Britain would be after you!

Fashion Travesties

10. Lisa's pink dress in Origin Story. Personally I didn't think it was too bad. But she seemed to dislike it (just a little bit), so it makes the list.
09. The cowboy costumes worn by John and Stephen in A Man for Emily. If they had worn them in any other serial, they would have been much higher on the list.
08. Liz's Ambassadorial Robes from The War of the Empires although at least they hid her hair (that serial gave me a nasty shock)
07. Bubble Skin Jumpsuits. Any clothes that bad just have to be evil.
06. Stephen's kilt from The Doomsday Men. Although it did give me a good laugh.
05. The horizontal wavy-striped, semi-form fitting top worn by Adam in The Rameses Connection. Viewed objectively, it isn't as bad as some things - but I'm prepared to make allowances for the original series being in the '70s.
04. Mike and Hsui Tai's tourist clothing in The Thargon Menace.
03. Kevin's dress from Origin Story. It was so twee.
02. Tyso's leisure suit from Into the Unknown. He had been such a cute little boy.
01. The horrible, hideous one piece thing worn by Mike in A Much Needed Holiday. I still maintain that Liz and John must have stolen the poor boy's pants to get him into that. It actually extends my sympathy for Mike by two more episodes after The Dirtiest Business.

Why Knowing Calculus Is Helpful For TPs

10. Calculating Jaunts
09. Orbit Trajectories of Satellites
08. Confusing Mike
07. Fixing Tim
06. Checking TIM's calculations (if he can manage to burn the toast . . . )
05. Helping John with his inventions
04. Telepathically share all the answers to Calculus problems with your friends
03. Just in case a mad physicist (rather than a biologist) tries to take over the world
02. A mad mathematician
01. The Entrance Exam to the Galactic Trig school.

Signs You've Been Reading/Writing Too Much Fanfic

  • When, as you are reading/writing, you begin to create soundtracks to go with the story.
  • Your prof is discussing ascii text, shows a chart that has [/] and you think: what an odd thing to telepath.
  • You read someone else's fanfic and think, "But that's not the way it happened." because it contradicts something in your own fanfic.
  • You read someone else's fanfic and think, "Isn't that the story I'm writing now?"
  • You try to write a short story and the first two character names that pop into your head are Adam and Ami.
  • You're watching the 'Emilia' video 'Big Big World' on MTV, think's she looks rather like Ami, see her do two old series style 'jaunts' (the 'fade out without coloured lights' one) ... and try to remember which fanfic it was recorded from!

    Things to Do When You Discover Your Child Is a TP

    Discoveries 11-14
    10. Be a useful sap: Take a position of some importance in the military or business sector so that your advice & contacts may be helpful in ‘Save the world’ situations.
    09. Start an internet support group.
    08. Get a brochures for the Galactic Trig school. Inquire about housing for family members & start packing.
    07. Be a useful sap: Get some medical training & Feed the TP regularly (lumpy oatmeal will do).
    06. Put TIM’s secret phone number on speed dial. Be prepared to butter him up a bit... there is no one better to have on your side if you need to find a TP.
    05. Look on the bright side: You know who they are hanging out with... you just don’t know what continent (or even planet) they are hanging out on.
    04. Take Liz’s new TP parenting course to learn all of the techniques she & John have worked to perfect.
    03. Keep a close eye on your child for signs of mind control. Be particularly concerned if your TP has developed a sudden taste for unusual clothing or jewelry.
    02. Get a current copy of ‘Who’s Who Among Cheesy Villains and Mad Scientists’ for your reference library.
    01. Last Resort for serious discipline problems: Spend your weekends in a mine near Lock Ness. ‘You're grounded’ has a much more convincing ring when you have Volumin on hand.