#they also butchered mikes personality
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Basket Case will be released on 4K Ultra HD on April 30 via Arrow Video. Sara Deck designed the cover art for the 1982 horror film; the original poster is on the reverse side.
Frank Henenlotter (Frankenhooker, Brain Damage) writes and directs. Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, and Beverly Bonner star.
The limited edition set comes with a double-sided fold-out poster and a booklet with writing on the film by Michael Gingold and a Basket Case comic strip by Martin Trafford, all housed in a slipcase.
Basket Case has been restored in 4K from the original 16mm negative by MoMA with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and original uncompressed PCM mono audio. Special features are listed below, where you can also see the full packaging.
Special features:
Audio commentary by writer/director Frank Henenlotter and actor Kevin VanHentenryck
Audio commentary by writer/director Frank Henenlotter, producer Edgar Ievins, actor Beverly Bonner, and filmmaker Scooter McRae
Basket Case 3-1/2: An Interview with Duane Bradley – Short film by Frank Henenlotter
Interview with writer/director Frank Henenlotter
Interview with actor Kevin VanHentenryck
Interview with actors Florence and Maryellen Schultz
Interview with actor Beverly Bonner
The Latvian Connection – Interviews with producer Edgar Ievins, casting person Ilze Balodis, special effects artist Ugis Nigals, and Belial performer Kika Nigals
Interview with film critic Joe Bob Briggs
Basket Case at MoMA – Footage from the 2017 restoration premiere
What’s in the Basket? – 2012 feature-length documentary on the Basket Case franchise
In Search of the Hotel Broslin – location featurette
The Frisson of Fission: Basket Case, Conjoined Twins, and ‘Freaks’ in Cinema – video essay by Travis Crawford
Basket Case outtakes
Belial’s Dream - 2017 animated short directed by Robert Morgan
Slash of the Knife - 1976 short film directed by Frank Henenlotter with optional commentary by Henenlotter and playwright Mike Bencivenga
Slash of the Knife outtakes
Extensive image galleries
Trailers, TV spots, & radio spots
Also included:
Double-sided fold-out poster
Booklet with writing on the film by Michael Gingold and a Basket Case comic strip by Martin Trafford
Slipcase
Duane Bradley seems like a pretty ordinary guy. His formerly conjoined twin Belial, on the other hand, is a deformed creature who lives in a wicker basket. Arriving in the Big Apple and taking up a room at a seedy hotel, the pair set about hunting down and butchering the surgeons responsible for their separation.
Pre-order Basket Case.
#basket case#horror#80s horror#1980s horror#frank henenlotter#arrow video#dvd#gift#80s movies#1980s movies#cult classic#sara deck#joe bob briggs#horror comedy#exploitation
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On Mcu!Wanda: I don’t have to argue cause I already know what her stans are gonna say 🙄
🔺She never hurt anyone on purpose!
Ignoring how she was literally a serial killer in MoM, she willingly agreed to work with a nazi organisation, she mind-r*ped all the Avengers in AoU, she was fine with helping Ultron murder the Avengers and only changed her mind when she realised he was gonna murder ALL humans (including her), she intentionally unleashed the Hulk on a town full of innocent people, she beat the shit out of Vision just so she could get out of house arrest for a legitimate crime she committed, she attacked Team Tony also to keep from going back to her temporary time-out in a giant comfy mansion, she held an entire town hostage and then tortured them when they begged to be let go, she attacked the people who were trying to help those hostages, and then she trapped another witch in an eternal sitcom just cause she was trying to get her to free said hostages. And that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head.
🔺Well, look what she’s been through! She’s lost more than anyone!
Literally every other hero in the mcu has lost someone. Most of them have lost more than her, in fact. Rocket lost his entire found family, Steve lost his entire life in the 40s (including his girlfriend, friends, teammates), Drax lost his whole family, Quill lost his mom and his life on earth, Gamora and Nebula lost their families and their worlds and their autonomy, Thor lost his entire realm, his entire family, his friends, his shield mates, and his eye……. And none of them went torturing homicidal psycho like she did.
🔺The writers for MoM butchered her character- she was never that selfish before. So the stuff she did in this movie shouldn’t be considered canon.
Ok, bestie. I hate Mike Waldron too. But here’s the thing.. all the way back in AoU she was indirectly mass murdering innocent people just to satisfy her thirst for revenge. In Civil War, when everyone else was fighting for their moral convictions, she was fighting to avoid an extremely lenient punishment for a crime she did, in fact, commit. In WV, she held an entire innocent town hostage- and I know she didn’t so it on purpose, but when she found out what was going on, she didn’t stop. She kept holding them hostage, tortured them, and said they should be grateful. And then she broke down because eVerYOne’S mAD at MeEeE!! She read the Darkhold even though she knew it was a shit idea. In MoM, she went on a multiversal murder spree, tortured a child, ruined an alt version of herself’s life, and was gonna steal the child’s powers to have for herself. Selfishness is a CORE aspect of her personality.
🔺Well, it was just the Darkhold corrupting her! She was basically possessed! You can’t hold her actions in MoM against her!
I can and I will! You know why? Cause she knew damn well the Darkhold would corrupt her if she read it, and she did it anyway. Like if you murder someone when you’re drunk, it’s true that that’s not how you usually are. But if you’re aware that you go into homicidal rages when you drink, and you choose to get hammered anyway, and then you kill a couple people…… 🤷♀️.
🔺All that aside, she had some feminist moments in MoM, we staaaaan a queen!
Where? I saw a few pseudo-feminist moments (you know, the ones the mcu specialises in). If you’re talking about her “You break the rules and become a hero, I do it and become an enemy. That doesn’t seem fair.” line, she’s not calling out the patriarchy there. She’s well into being corrupted by the book and that line is to show that her perception of reality has already been altered. Because, you know…. Stephen broke the rules to help a kid and then he tried to fix it. She broke the rules to get back the kids she never really had in the first place, and killed a bunch of people to do it. If you’re talking about the “Those kids aren’t real, you made them out of magic. Isn’t that what all mothers do?” line, then that’s also not an empowering pro-motherhood quote. That’s her being delusional again because she doesn’t realise that her kids weren’t real and she wasn’t being a real mother to them and real motherhood requires a lot MORE than magic.
🔺Character aside, she’s a complete badass! She can do literally anything with her chaos magic! She was beating Thanos by herself! She took out all of Kamar-Taj and The Illuminati alone! She was made to rule the multiverse!
*sigh* sure ok. Not really but whatever. Most of what she did in MoM was stuff she got from the Darkhold, and Doctor Strange repeated several of the more impressive spells she did later in the same movie. And even though, pre-Darkhold, she’s definitely pretty powerful, it annoys the hell out of me how a bunch of magic-y movies (The Craft, hello???) have this trope where some newbie stereotypically pretty young white girl just suddenly has powers that are strong af and dominates all the other sorcerers who have been practicing for literal decades/centuries. It’s such lazy writing and the “the attractive boring mainstream character will always triumph over the othered characters no matter how undeserving they are” through-line is not subtle at all. Ever notice how Ms Pumpkin Spice Latte seems to cause enormous suffering for black and brown people specifically? No? Just me? Mm.
🔺But you at least like her as a villain, right?
No. Well, that’s a little unfair. If she had been narratively portrayed as a villain (including all of the consequences that come with it) ever since she was introduced in AoU, then yeah I probably would. Cause she’s been doing villainous shit since way back then. But the thing is, she’s been getting infantilised and excused and Pretty-White-Girl’ed into oblivion for like 7 years now, to the point where it’s too little too late. I don’t care if they’re finally admitting she’s Not So Innocent… at this point, I have no sympathy and no interest whatsoever… just get rid of the character.
🔺You like Loki but not Wanda? Isn’t that hypocritical?
Nope cause the writers and the other characters and even Loki himself remind us every 3 and a half seconds that he’s evil despicable terrible awful no good very bad… Wanda gets the opposite treatment. Loki’s definitely a villain, but everybody in-universe knows that and the writers know it and he knows it, and he’s faced consequences for it, and there’s a delightful honesty in his gleeful bad guy approach.
🔺Well at least admit that Elizabeth Olsen is perfect in the role.
Elizabeth Olsen’s annoying and I would’ve much rather had a romani actress play her, thanks. That’s not to say Elizabeth is a bad person, though. I’m sure she’s a sweetheart (idk, I don’t follow her).
#anti wanda maximoff#Wanda critical#anti scarlet witch#not Wanda friendly#multiverse of madness#mcu#marvel#PLEASE tag this as anti Wanda if you rb I’m not trying to deal with Wendy defenders
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MEAT above Melvin
@howtobecomeadragon and I have been exchanging a variety of ideas about what this sign could mean and we reached some interesting analyses!
This is such an intriguing shot because of that word alone. It’s directly, perfectly centered above Mike and El—perfectly centered in-frame (with the ‘S’ cut off) too. It’s a purposeful shot.
Obviously there’s the flesh monster as a present, looming threat that can be correlated here, but the monster itself isn’t a literal threat that poses to meaningfully separate Mike and El. It’s not like the shot of the very obvious #1 hanging right above (in-between if you imagine a frontal shot) Will and Mike specifically, in the same episode no less.
From this shot, I gather that One aims to get between and separate Will and Mike for his own purposes. Mike is constantly involved with thwarting One’s plans throughout the series, a big one being Mike’s interference with Will’s possession. Will opened up to Mike about feeling the Mind Flayer, and Mike said ‘maybe that’s good’ because Will was like a super spy. Mike later knew Will needed to be sedated when he was possessed because Will had able to open up to him previously. It was also Mike’s “it was the best thing I’ve ever done” monologue that got Will to break through enough to communicate via Morse code. All this to say that these interferences highlight the problem for One: Mike’s bond with Will. Henry is aware of Mike’s power in this bond, and so this analysis of the above shot holds weight.
But then there’s MEAT. Dragon mentioned that Mike and El could’ve been placed in an area where there’s health/nursing/pharmaceutical significance to represent taking care of their relationship, but we don’t get that. And unlike the #1 sign that points toward an outside force wanting to separate Will and Mike for a Henry-specific purpose, we can’t grab a similar analysis from MEAT/ the flesh monster. What can be understood is that Melvin’s relationship is compromised by themselves; Mike especially when breaking down what is about to happen after we see MEAT. One conclusion howtobecomeadragon and I came to is the concept of butchering/spilling blood in the way meat is prepared. It’s a messy, bloody process. ‘Butchering,’ by definition as an alternate description, can mean to spoil something completely by performing or dealing with a situation very badly.
Cue Mike. Howtobecomeadragon describes Mike as having ‘butchered’ not only his apology to El but also his messy attempt to say “I love you” to El. And of course, we have this very telling choice phrase from Mike (along with “Dustin, you’re breaking up”):
Mike and El have been going way too fast in their relationship and aren’t taking the time to understand each other (El is perfectly in-shot by Mike’s head when he says this, emphasizing that point). This truth is further emphasized by this next shot howtobecomeadragon pointed out to me:
A divider is between El and Mike, revealing a divide. The divider itself is not set perfectly between them either, once again depicting how El and Mike are not on the same page. Mike is placed further away from the divider, indicating he is not anywhere near resolving his issue. El is placed near the divider, and, though she isn’t on the same page as Mike, being close to the divider is indicative of her trying to listen/understand. Overall, it’s easy to notice the very clear divide within the divide represented here.
So Mike is butchering his words to El, dealing with their situation badly and even ‘performing’ the role of a boyfriend badly to his girlfriend. Of course, this goes deeper then just being a bad boyfriend. Pair the action of butchering with ‘spilling blood,’ a requirement when cutting meat. Blood is our force of life and, as such, contains our essence. Our essence is within the core of our beliefs, personality, and sense of identity: all that encompasses you. If you know the phrase “it’s in my blood,” this is part of your essence. It means you simply are the way you are/ are born the way you are.
Once again, cue Mike. It is my belief that because Mike says “blank makes you crazy” to El in this scene, Will is automatically bound to this scene due to “crazy” being a word in ST used synonymously with “love.” We know “love makes you crazy.” We know “Crazy together.” We know many examples. It should be clear that “blank makes you crazy,” and Mike’s inability to say “love” himself here, is all you need to understand that love for him is found naturally with Will but not with El. Regardless of your stance on Mike’s sexuality, the fact that Mike can be in love with and attracted to Will/to men is part of what makes Mike… Mike (“born this way”). Tie this with the spilling of blood—the spilling of your life’s essence, which is tied to truth. Your truth. Mike cannot spill his truth here. He cannot profess/‘spill’ “love” to El because that is not his truth. Bring this back around to ‘butchering,’ to spoiling something completely by dealing with a situation badly. Mike tries to force the word “love,” and so makes the situation more confusing (made infinitely worse in s4).
To further expand on this, puberty is a clear theme in s3. Puberty is a messy process. Howtobecomeadragon referenced Mike’s previous assertion to Will, that they aren’t kids anymore, and compared that to Mike trying to get El to say ‘love’ (as he clearly can’t say it himself) during this scene: “it’s what old people say to each other.” Dragon says Mike’s idea of romance stems from aging, which is correct because the presence of puberty in s3 is laying out what Mike believes getting older entails: having a girlfriend and leaving what’s believed to be ‘childish’/not ‘normal’ [in the process of growing up and assimilating into society] behind.
Additionally, he and El can only be physical (kiss) without proper communication. Physical -> Meat -> Flesh -> Puberty, the process in which your physical body begins to change. More than just physically, you are expected to change. While Mike and El are in the convenient store, trying to communicate/figure out their issues, MEAT hangs above them while a flesh monster is out to get them [more symbolically than literally]. The physical truth is out to get them, looms over them, and the truth behind their issues—Mike’s hidden issue particularly (perhaps even expressed through the MEAT sign, as the ME part falls perfectly over Mike and possibly represents a ‘me’ issue for Mike + an abundance of Mike’s blue lighting takes up the center-aisle shot)—is the threat to their relationship. This hidden issue of Mike’s that ‘threatens’ to break Melvin up is not meant to be a bad thing for them (no longer being a couple is the best outcome for them both). It is, however, Mike’s truth that is a threat against him having the norm. His truth is a threat to what is socially expected of him, causing Mike to continue this [butchered] heteronormative performance.
#after all…#what if they don’t like the truth?#mike wheeler#anti m*leven#byler#meat symbolism#st set design#st3
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Hozier @ The Anthem (DC), 9/27/23
Madison Cunningham was the perfect opener, the best I've seen in the couple dozen concerts I've been to. Her voice was astonishing live, quite a range with a haunting quality. She had a 3-piece band, more of a rock sound than the acoustic tracks of her earlier work.
ALL LINKS OPEN TO VIDEOS
De Selby pt 1 - the first song of the night. The crowd did a good job keeping quiet during the gentle opener, and then we went right into De Selby pt 2.
Cherry Wine - the ground floor started cheering in the middle and Hozier got flustered.
Uiscefhuaraithe - Hozier did a little explainer before the song.
Damage Gets Done - a duet with Kristen Rogers, one of his backup singers for the tour. Glad to see it played even without Brandi Carlile there.
Almost - always a favorite of mine, but this show they had a long jam session in the middle, featuring solos from different musicians! Also, the video was showing the title of different vinyl records mentioned, to sync with the lyrics.
First Light - glad to hear it, but the placement could have been better? This was one of my highlights from the album, the hopeful ending. I love to do yoga to this song, especially in the sunshine.
The setlist for this night skipped many of the sadder songs - no Icarion, Butchered Tongue, or Who We Are (and Unknown came later). This suited me fine to have a more upbeat concert, but then First Light didn't feel quite "earned."
Take me to Church - the finale. The crowd passed up a pride flag saying "Protect Trans Kids," which he hung on the mike stand and then walked right up to the crowd. Everyone surged toward him trying to touch him, some pressing flowers, bracelets and other gifts upon him. Felt a bit Pentecostal.
Nina Cried Power - the first encore song after a short break, the crowd kept that energy going. Hozier did a little explainer and duetted with Melissa McMillan, his other touring backup singer.
Unknown - the next encore song, followed by singing Happy Birthday to tour musician Ryan Connor.
Work Song - the final encore, plus a surprised duet with opener Madison Cunningham.
So that was THREE encores and THREE duets.
Shoutout to the venue as well. I arrived about an hour after doors and went straight to the top floor of the GA area. View and sound were good, plenty of personal space up there, able to sit between sets and pee without losing your spot, pleasantly strong AC, short bathroom line, chill neighbors - ideal for the over 35 crowd.
Over all, the May pop-up show was a better fangirl experience: smaller venue = better view, the long time since the last tour, the chance to meet and great.
But the Unreal Unearth tour was the better concert - bigger stage, more intricate lighting design, the band was more practiced/experimental with the new music, amazing crowd energy.
video sources:
https://www.instagram.com/hozierlatam/
https://www.instagram.com/hozier_coicoi_welcome/
#hozier#unreal unearth#andrew please#the anthem#madison cunningham#work song#unknown / nth#nina cried power#take me to church#almost#first light#damage gets done#uiscefhuaraithe#cherry wine#de selby pt 1#de selby part 1
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ships: mechamiwa , Lucifer and mazikeen and angel and yoruzu
Thank you for the ask!
MechaMiwa
Don’t Ship It
Why don’t you ship it?
I do think they love each other and had romantic feelings for each other, but I'm not invested enough in their characters or relationship to actively ship it or seek out any content about them.
What would have made you like it?
Maybe if we saw more of them interacting casually or even opening up about each other in person, possibly even involving Muta getting a bit more vulnerable about his body. I don't know, just a little bit more to sink my teeth in.
Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?
I like the scene of Muta reminiscing about his friends and Miwa before he dies. It's very sweet.
Lucifer/Mazikeen
Ship It
Honestly, I'm surprised you know about them, but very excited to talk about them. This will be specifically about their dynamic in the Mike Carey comics and partially about what came in the continuation in 2016, not the TV shows, since that is how I like them most and where they get the most depth.
What made you ship it?
Hm, I don't think there is really one specific moment. The one where Lucifer kisses her before leaving hell is iconic, but I only really grew to like them as the story progressed and Mazikeen began to come into her own and push back against him. The time apart where they did their separate things (like creating a multiuniverse), but kept each other in mind is probably where I really started liking them.
What are your favourite things about the ship?
I think how ace their relationship is and it was probably also the first time I saw representation of both someone who could be read as asexual and what their relationship might look like. I like how much freedom there is in their relationship, both in a good an bad way. Lucifer doesn't tie Mazikeen to her or makes any grand statements about love, he just shows he cares (very unusual for him) through little gestures like restoring her demonic face or giving her his powers. No matter how long they are apart, his feelings for her don't change at their core and he's willing to go along with whatever she wants from their relationship except be there more often because that's her free will. It's what she starts to dislike about him, but that's what makes it so complex. I also like that she's allowed to have a life outside of him, even get a girlfriend because this way she can still get those romantic or sexual experiences he can't give her. It doesn't make her happy, but I like they are allowed to have that distance while still caring about each other.
Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?
I don't really like how they are depicted in the 2016 comics. Beyond the issue of Lucifer coming back at all, Mazikeen not (always) having his Lightbringer powers and that whole son debacle, I don't like that they made Lucifer's feelings for her more overtly romantic. It missed a lot of that tension and ambiguity that made them so interesting in the original comics, where Lucifer's outright show of affection is rare but meaningful. Idk, they seemed a lot more like Morticia & Gomez, which isn't really what I'm looking for in their relationship and seems very abrupt after how Carey's comics ended.
Angel/Yorozu
Ship It
What made you ship it?
Well, I already ship Angel/Takako and Yorozu/Takako, so I thought why not throw Angel into the mix too and with Yorozu's obsession for Sukuna, Angel also seemed like a good alternative and we know Yorozu knows her and although her opinion isn't very high of her, that might change if she's shown quite literally the light.
What are your favourite things about the ship?
I like Angel most when she shows her ruthless side, like when arguing with Yuuji over if they should kill the soldiers or when she talks about butchering Sukuna. And Yorozu loves gore as well and has a liking for extravagant ceremonies. I just need them to take their attention away from Sukuna and towards each other. Match made in heaven I think. This might be shallow, but I just want them to homoerotically tear each other apart. Yorozu would definitely be into it and I'm sure Angel can catch a liking to the weird intense bug girl as well. Yorozu would 100% die, but it would be a death she would be proud of and how she would want to go out.
Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?
Not really. Just rip to both of them I guess. Angel might not be dead, but Gege continues to rob her of relevance and personality, so all I got is hopes for a great Heian flashback and the fantasies of these two getting it on.
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hiiii can i just say i really really like ur characters and art and seeing it makes me so happy sorry if im coming off as weird or somethin
also who is ur favorite oc that you've made? or ocs if u have more than one u really like
i hope it's ok to respond to this publicly since u asked a q :-] thank u! i don't think it comes off as weird at all haha. i'm very used to it actually! (strangely? it just happens to me often for some reason)
my fav oc i've made for pmd specifically... varies. design-wise, i really like what i did with calamity (lombre), butcher (spidops), and violet (armarouge). i kinda like em all for different reasons, violet was a slight step out of my comfort zone haha. i actually like a lot of my pmd designs tbh. my number one fav oc ever would technically just be me! because that's me, and i like lookin like that. i rly like the design for my kerosona too bc he's kind of just a silly little guy.
for pmd specific favourites overall, my very silly unfortunate obvious answers are luwel (nuzleaf), keith (cacturne) and mike (breloom). even if they're pretty much just Guys With Clothes, they're very special to me, the last two specifically -- keith was my starter pokemon in a nuzlocke randomiser from ~2016-17 (not entirely sure) and i grew pretty attached to him. mike was the name of a competitive-ready breloom i was given during the gen 4 era, given to me by an old friend when i was maybe about 12 years old give or take (not entirely sure on the exact date, but pre-gen 5).
there's not anything overtly special about the two of them on the outside, but they're both just very important characters/pieces of my pokemon history personally. it's a little bit of being able to look back at two different eras of my interest in pokemon from when i was growing up, & being able to bring them "back" just has a Nice Feeling To It. i enjoy a lot of my ocs overall, i'm not really in the same boat as many other people who go "all of my ocs have a little bit of me in them" -- most of mine don't. i just make guys for fun, and sometimes i keep em and make stories with them. they're not all representative of me in some way, shape or form. some of them are! but most of them aren't. i just like messin around with funny guys. it's very difficult to give actual specific favourites haha
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What do you personally think a Monty Python version of "Ghosts" would look like?
To further illustrate my point, here's my personal MP & Co fancast of the Button House ghost gang:
John Cleese - Julian Fawcett MP
Michael Palin - Thomas Thorne
Terry Jones - Pat Butcher
Graham Chapman - The Captain
Terry Gilliam - Robin
Eric Idle - Humphrey Bone
Carol Cleveland - Lady Fanny Button
Connie Booth - Mary
Floella Benjamin - Kitty
Also starring:
Kate Bush - Alison Cooper
Lenny Henry - Mike Cooper
Actually I have nothing to add to this because if I stop and think rationally and critically about how you’ve slotted them into the roles, I would agree. I think you’ve choose accurately and wisely.
The only other person who is Python-affiliated vaguely who could possibly step in as Fanny would be Prunella Scales. Which would then potentially shift Carol Cleveland to Kitty.
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bbc ghosts,,,, i love u,,,,,
ok ok so my mum n i finally finished watching ghosts and i’m completely insane so erm. rvb ghosts au
carolina is alison (funny) and wash is mike (i don’t ship carwash, in this au im imagining they’re sibs just living together bc the economy’s fucked yk how it is) they inherited the house from their estranged dad, dr leonard church and after a near death experience carolina gains the ability to see ghosts
delano house (ok . if i was going by Actual logic with the character assignments it would Technically be called gene house but i don’t think he deserves that much credit, and i’ll explain this when i get onto simmons little introductory section) is inhabited by eight main ghosts (and a plague pit of zealots in the basement but dw about those guys) from a bunch of different time periods and they all sort of hatelove each other bc none of them can leave (unless they, by some miracle, ascend) so they kind of jst endure each others’ presence
anyway, without further ado: caboose is kitty (georgian noble), simmons is thomas thorne (victorian poet), tucker is julian fawcett (modern day mp), donut is stephanie button (edwardian noble), doc is patrick butcher (1980’s scout leader), sarge as the captain (ww2 captain), grif as mary (stuart era witch trial victim), lopez as humphrey bone (tudor noble) and locus as robin (caveman)
(more in-depth character stuff under the cut !!)
caboose:
caboose as kitty! i jst think their characters align really nicely, they’re both loveable idiots who follow their best friends around. i def think carolina reminds him of church (who is annie in this au who basically ascends a few hundred years before carolina is even born) so he follows her around like a miserable little duckling. the ‘sister’ that bullied him is fuckign miller from rat’s nest
simmons:
this pathetic worm is thomas !! he isn’t in love with carolina the way thomas is in love with allison, instead he sees carolina kinda like a big sister figure and always asks her for dating advice. his backstory is where things r interesting tho i think. in the show, thomas is in love with a woman called isabel, however her father is against the two of them being together, so when he attends an event where isabel is also present he wants to converse with her to make sure the two of them are still secretly an item but can’t find the opportunity to do so. his cousin, francis button, offers to deliver a letter to isabel with his feelings but backstabs him by faking the letters (saying they basically don’t love each other anymore) then tricks thomas into engaging in a duel that gets him killed (he then also denies thomas’ last request to see isabel by telling her he’s already dead). yikes. anyway. in this au, gene is francis button, and instead of simmons being in love with some woman he hears some guys slandering his own dad’s name (hargrove) and engages in a duel with them over it. the reality behind the situation, however, is that gene essentially orchestrated his death. the people he ‘heard’ talking shit abt his dad weren’t actually, gene jsut told him they were. when he then begins the duel, gene tells him it’s 20 paces when in actuality it’s only 10. once simmons is shot and requests to see his father one last time gene pretends to go do that but actually tells hargrove that simmons was dead when he got to him
okay !! so i mentioned that delano house should technically be called gene house if we were to go by the show’s lore. once francis tells isabel that thomas is dead, he then essentially woos her and marries her, moving into her home and which then becomes button house. so in the au ig it would technically be called gene house however i don’t rock w that because it would then later mean donut is called franklin delano gene which is wrong on so many levels. so instead, gene just takes the existing name of the house, delano. yk i’ve just typed all this up and realised that i’m probably the sole person in the world who actually cares about it. darn
finally moving on, tucker!
self explanatory, julian dies in the middle of shagging someone and is now doomed to spend the rest of eternity wandering round with no pants on. it’s so ridiculously in character. plus ig the whole ‘being able to interact wit the real world’ thing ties into tucker’s whole main character schtick
donut:
the lady of the house ! in life his mother, chrovos, was very insistent about marrying him off to a richer family to try make up for all their debt but all he wanted to do was become a famous fashion designer. maybe if his mother had let him follow that passion he might’ve made a brand famous enough to claw them out of debt but instead he got an early death from an adulterous husband (genkins)
doc:
pat my absolute beloved. he had taken out a group of kids (the ai) to the house’s grounds for a day of archery, however while going through the safety protocols o’malley accidentally let an arrow loose that got him straight through the neck. he then managed to traumatise the entire group by dying slowly in front of them ❤️
sarge:
again another character that’s just a perfect match, sarge doesn’t have a name, the captain doesn’t have a name, they’re both obsessed with a war that’s long gone, they’re both fruity asf. not even joking, the lieutenant that the captain has a crush on is one butch flowers in this au, sarge misses him but has started to find a new object of affection in wash (despite the fact that wash cannot see, hear or interact with him at all)
grif:
burned at the stake for being a witch ! in reality he was just a man passing through the town and everyone Thought was some sort of woman who was harbouring satan in her throat or something. his long hair and curvy form Tricked them all n he paid the price. his death kinda did a number on him though, and it took a while for him to come back out of his shell (essentially after church dragged him out kicking and screaming)
lopez:
the noble that managed to survive a coup only to immediately accidentally behead himself with a pair of decorative wall swords. unlike the show, lopez is the one that doesn’t speak english while his arranged wife shiela Does and planned the murder of the monarchy under his nose. he still loved her tho.
and last but not least, locus:
i definitely hc that his name was actually locust/lotus but the first few ghosts that met him kept getting it wrong until he eventually just settled on locus (in the same way robin is actually called ‘rogh’). he’s been there the longest, definitely took a Long time to warm up to other humans after being betrayed before his death (felix and sharkface, or lick and face, pushed him into what they Thought was a bear den so that they could escape but ultimately it lead to their deaths while locus managed to get away, only to be struck by lightning immediately afterwards)
i think that covers everyone who has a canon death thus far ! sorry for going a little insane over simmons
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BBC Ghosts/Alternative universe Monty Python fancast
In an alternative universe, BBC Ghosts was made in the late 70s/early-to-mid 80s, starring Monty Python and Co, of course. Here's my personal fancast of who would play who:
Robin - Terry Gilliam
Pat Butcher - Terry Jones
The Captain - Graham Chapman
Humphrey Bone - Eric Idle
Julian Fawcett MP - John Cleese
Thomas Thorne - Michael Palin
Kitty - also Eric Idle
Lady Fanny Button - Carol Cleveland
Mary - Connie Booth
(**Extra fan casting for the Coopers:**)
Alison - Kate Bush (maybe?)
Mike - Lenny Henry
Hope you like this post! Let me know about this hypothetical fancast in the comments! Thank you!
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any recommendations on comedic mods for new vegas? like quest/companion mods with a light tone since most mods wanna go the NVB approach. only one i've been able to find is the "new world parliament" series which is also kind of a horror mod by introducing a new terrifying species called "british people"
I know of some, but I don't play quest mods very often (since, y'know, they tend to go the NVB approach). But here are all the light/comedic ones I know off the top of my head/have in modlists that aren't edgy/super serious/dark;
MODS I HAVE PLAYED:
Benny Returns - The one and only Benny companion mod. Comes with a side quest. About as light in tone as the vanilla Benny sex scene but it deserves an obligatory mention from me.
Among Us But It's Fallout - Okay, this is literally a murder mystery. It can get kinda creepy. But like... it's Among Us.
The Caravan Tournament - A must-have mod for all Caravan enjoyers.
Boom to the Moon - Just as a heads-up, there IS some heavier content via terminal entries and the main quest revolves around finding a missing person, but overall this is one of the most fun mods I've ever played and the mod never takes itself too seriously.
Benrey Companion Mod - Brand new simple companion mod of Benrey from HLVRAI. I've only had him following me around for like a week and he's not even voiced nor does he have a quest but I fucking love him already.
Minimus Lanius - The Little Butcher - Imagine if Legate Lanius was like 3 feet tall and followed you around and he was being bullied by a 3-foot-tall General Lee Oliver. That's it, that's the mod.
Slimbo's Grand Day Out - Help a talking Centaur rescue his favourite teddy bear and acquire him as a companion. Very silly and one of the more entertaining mods I've streamed.
MODS I HAVE NOT PLAYED:
Rump's Presidential Race - I watched Zach and Mike at mikeburnfire play this mod and it's the first one that came to mind when you mentioned New World Parliament. I might not have included it on this list if it wasn't made by Jokerine, the creator of Boom to the Moon along with several other favourite mods of mine. I trust her with my copy of New Vegas and also my life. Anyway, this is a short satirical quest mod.
Sugarloaf's Christmas Adventure - Another Jokerine mod. I haven't seen anyone play this so I have no idea what it's like but it seems like a small, light-hearted holiday themed mod.
Buddy Chicken Companion - Gives you a tiny robotic chicken companion. Another Jokerine mod.
Dustworth - Classy Eyebot Follower - Another Jokerine companion mod featuring an eyebot wearing a top hat and monocle.
Bees For Sale. A Quest For Bees. - Short quest mod where you [checks notes] go on a journey to buy bees. I have no idea what this one's like but it's been on my To Stream list for ages.
This House Has Quests In It. - By the same creator as the bee quest I just mentioned, this quest is meant to be played in one sitting and features talking furniture. And that's all I know about it.
The Big Rescue - Another Jokerine mod where you rescue a stolen puppy.
Cooking in the Sand - Okay I have no idea if this one is actually light in tone or not. All I know is it's one big Breaking Bad reference.
#fnv mods#fnv modlist#sorry this is all ive got i really tend to avoid quest mods lol#and i havent streamed any in ages
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Country Living AOT town
Collab event!
So, I and a few other creators on Tumblr made a whole town! Each AOT member that people make oneshots on has a role within the town.
The following are those who worked with me:
@ladycheesington @postwarlevi @hauntedhousecat @chaotic-nick @lucysarah-c @levisbrat25 @charlotteplsdosth @levi-supreme @ack3rlady
Now we have a town, we can all have a little fun! Pick an AOT character and write a oneshot about them in this town. It can be with or without the reader, it can be self-insert, OC or just a nice story about how they interact with each other. You can pick anyone you want and write multiple ones!
Anyone can take part.
The townspeople and their roles:
Erwin: Mayor
Levi: Sheriff
@yakaaamoz Work here
Mike: Pub and inn owner
Hange: Doctor and pharmacist
Moblit: Art teacher and weekend firefighter
Sasha: Butcher
Jean: Vet also works at the local diner
Connie: Chicken farmer and grocer
Niccolo: Resturant owner
Eren: Firefighter
Mikasa: Firefighter
Armin: Librarian and town records
Historia: Teacher and volunteers at Hange’s practice
Yimir: Gas station owner
Hitch: Member of the town council
Marlowe: Judge
Zeke: Defence lawyer
Pieck: Herbal and tea shop owner, also teaches yoga
Porco: Mechanic
Marcel: Barber
Reiner: Personal trainer
Annie: muay thai instructor
Bertholdt: Baker and helps Pieck out sometimes.
Kenny: Town drunk
I started this with the others because I wanted to do something fun together as a group. I wanted to write together and make this wonderful fun town filled with silly events and interactions. I wanted people to place themselves into this town and imagine what life would be like. It's just something fun for all to do and to collab on.
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if you want to talk to asks, not to drop my haterism here (just came across a horrible post), to each their own hcs, but i feel like you'll get me; i'm SO confused by the popular "Ted thinks Mike and Will are already dating, he doesn't know about El", "Ted will be revealed as an ally" ideas because they just directly contradict canon? as a headcanon i would just ignore it but i know a lot of people Genuinely believe it fits the show canon which is crazy to me
Ted's whole deal is that he's a proud patriot republican and doesn't really care about Mike or Nancy at all. and the only interactions we ever get of him with Mike are not only passive aggressive but also both carry homophobic connotations "see what happens", "our son with a girl"
i know a lot of people have that hc but i Really don't get where it even came from and this is one of these cases where hcs get framed to be feasible in canon, despite there being actual canon material directly disproving them (and meanwhile "you can talk to me" Karen is right there, but nooo Ted's Reagan conservatism is just his casual hobby he's secretly a queer ally parent)
those canon twister hcs bothers me every time lmao. i know you have some Opinions on canon getting conflated with fanon so i'm curious if you have thoughts on this specific canon butchering or if you've not seen much of it
much love and guten abend(nacht) 💖
OH. MY. GOD! Of course I have thoughts on this! How can I not?
It is one thing to not pick up on the queer coding for Mike through Ted at all, but it’s a whole other thing to not recognize/acknowledge that Ted’s remarks are said derogatorily! “Our son with a girl?” is ridicule. “See what happens?” is a warning.
Even the “Ted doesn’t care at all” headcanon is already not a possibility in canon because of the simple existence of his remarks.
If people wanna headcanon Ted to be like that that’s fine but I just wish those people would acknowledge that this is not how Ted is in canon. And it’s just so bizarre to me that people actually believe that it is a possibility in canon, because, as you said, it does directly contradict with what we see on screen. Ted makes derogatory remarks about Mike’s lack of interest in girls, he’s being insensitive towards Mike/almost entirely lacks empathy for his son, he belongs to the majority of people who overlook Mike’s struggles, in s4 he asks Karen if she can remind him when their children will become reasonable human beings, in s1 he tells Karen to trust the government because they’re on their side, he’s a Reagan supporter and he also didn’t care at all about Will’s disappearance even though Will disappeared on his way home from Ted’s house!
Ted being an ally makes zero sense.
I also don’t think that Ted actually assumes that Mike is gay. He does of course pick up on the fact that Mike does not show interest in girls but I do also very much believe that Ted just thinks that Mike is a loser whom no girl shows interest in either. Because that’s something that gets brought up in the story as well. But with the rumors regarding Will and Mike being so close to Will I do think Ted tries to get Mike away from “becoming gay”. I think his remarks are his way of making Mike “not want to be gay”. But his remarks also kind of strike me as his way of coping with the idea that Mike might not like girls which absolutely does not mean that Ted is open for it, nor that he has any kind of suspicion about Mike’s sexuality.
It’s kind of difficult to explain but I personally think that no matter how much fun Ted pokes at his son for not being interested in girls, at the end of the day he still expects Mike to like girls.
Moving on, I do agree that when it comes to Ted and Karen people should definitely focus more on Karen’s ally potential (as that’s the one that does exist) but I also think that we shouldn’t forget that Karen did not join the search party for Will either even though it was just as much her house that Will went missing from.
And no, I have not forgotten that Karen brought Joyce a casserole to comfort her, but that is something she did because she cares about Joyce, not because he cares about Will. And my point is not that Karen doesn’t like Will, I do think she actually does like him, but my point is that due to the gay rumors Karen didn’t find it necessary to go look for him. That he isn’t really worth the effort. Mike’s statement: “I’m the only one that cares about Will” was kinda very true regarding his family.
And while Mike thinks that being gay is only a bad thing if it’s him who’s gay, I can imagine that Karen thinks the other way around. Being gay is only okay because it’s her son who’s gay. And while Karen is obviously lacking in her role as mother she does love her children. She does love her son, and I don’t think that finding out that Mike is gay (if she does) would change that. To me it seems like Karen’s ally-ship will be very selective though, and she’ll have a whole lot of unlearning to do.
Thank you for the ask and much love to you as well and guten abend hahah🩷
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I agree with you on the B/yler thing! To me, it would be a far-in-the-future thing if it were to happen at all. Time would be needed to show the characters getting over the emotional fallout.
And also, the Duffers don't have a great track record with handling changing relationships. Just look at the way they butchered the S/tancy break up and J/ancy get together. There wasn't suitable closure for any of them.
If they pushed a B/yler get together, I can 100% see it being a repeat of the mess between Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan. There wouldn't be time for suitable closure for any of them, and El would be expected to be supportive and over it without time to process it. (and fans would absolutely villanize her if she didn't get over it instantly, or if she was hurt by the break up. The same way people villanize Steve for being hurt by the S/tancy break up.)
Yeah!! I love that there's that deep connection that can certainly bloom into a beautiful romantic relationship, but I think the beauty is that I don't think it needs to. Them getting together in their twenties or something with the UD behind them and Mike's potential break up with El well in the past would be lovely, but it can also remain and deep, loving, and loyal friendship. They'd have time to really figure themselves out as well as settle into a more mature friendship.
I think Will's arc would be satisfying if he were to come out and be accepted by his friends, feeling belonging and love.
And yeah. the track record with break ups and immediate new partners in the show? not good, unaddressed, villainizes the person dumped for no reason. Seeing the reaction of some fans to even the implication that El would be hurt about breaking up with Mike, let alone if Mike got together with her brother confirms that, should it happen in the show and she shows anything less than cheering support, they'll string her up. Blame her for the breakup being messy, say she wasn't in love with Mike at all, say she needs to get over it and move on because mike never loved her, etc. Like. do they even like El at that point?
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Chapter 7: The Yawning Grave
Death Lies In Wait
The whole night and next day pass and Mike has not returned to the house. Max had taken care of her chores, butchered and plucked a chicken and roasted it along with the last of their fresh vegetables in the oven all afternoon. Then she took the bones and made broth. She ate by herself, did some needlepoint and read her bible by the fire until she couldn’t stand it any more, making a mental note to ask Mr. Sinclair for a few books on his next journey out. He is due in a few days and Max is eager to see him again. With darkness starting to fall and her boredom and paranoia over last night's events rendering her completely agitated, there was nothing left to do except head upstairs to bed.
She sits at the little dressing table that was sure to have been hers . He had called her El in his sleep , and she wonders how she earned that nickname. It was intimately familiar and the way it fell out of his mouth and onto her cheek the previous evening sounded so incandescently… cherished .
Now El’s dressing table is littered with the few trinkets Max has brought from her parents’ home. There is a framed picture of her mother that sits up on one of the small shelves, a decorative flower hair comb her father had given her the summer before he died that she only wore on holidays and special occasions, a tiny figurine of a bird Billy had gifted her one Christmas, crudely whittled from wood, and her favorite childhood book who’s passages now only serve as a place for her to press flowers. Max scoops a bit of the salve she uses out of a glass jar and rubs it along her cuticles and into the skin of her palms where her calluses are dry and fights how it conjures up the same sensation of the mysterious creature’s fingers slipping along her skin and how her brine soaked lips felt when she kissed her.
Max blinks the images away and removes the pins from her hair. It falls down her back and glides over the laces of the corset she hasn’t removed yet. She rubs her fingers along her scalp and sighs contentedly at the sensation of her hair finally being free from its confines. She takes hold of a large section of it and starts working the tangles out with her hair brush. One stroke then another and another, her eyes wandering out the window towards the darkness that has entombed the house tonight. The two oil lamps are lit up brightly and they cast a rich, warm flickering glow to the room, and the cookstove and fireplace still raging downstairs has made the air hot and close.
Max catches sight of herself in the small wooden table mirror. Her skin is painted in yellows and orange hues that brings out her thick orange lashes and hair cascading around her shoulders. Her eyes are light blue like the sky on a fine day and she has a splattering of light freckles across her face and along the ridge of her nose. She finds them ruddy and unattractive, but her mother always scolded her for thinking so; for vanity was not something any respectable Quaker should harbor.
“God does not care what your earthly body looks like, Maxine. He only cares for the beauty in your soul,” she would say.
She was right, of course. And yet, the bitter part of her wishes her mother would also have lived by her late father’s example of fighting for women’s rights. As any admirable Quaker would. Max wishes she would have challenged her step-father’s wishes of sending her off to marry to a stranger against her wishes with a little more gumption. It went against every one of the teachings she had been brought up with. It felt like cowardice. It felt like a betrayal.
Even so, her mother was right. Vanity held no place in a respectable person’s life. Growing up, Max had no notion really of the need to feel pretty, didn’t think it of much importance. Any life she imagined for herself held no need for it. And certainly it was inherently useless to a lighthouse keeper’s wife, left on this spit of land to the raging wind and salt and loneliness.
#death lies in wait#max mayfield#madwheeler#byler#lumax#mileven#eleven hopper#mermaid au#gothic au#historical au#lighthouse keeper mike#mermaid will#arranged marriage au#madwheeler fic#mermaid fic!#2011 jane eyre vibes#poly vibes#stranger things fanfiction#multiship fic#justmyname
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An article by Linda Simensky on Ed, Edd n' Eddy, published in the summer 1999 edition of Take One magazine. Full issue here. Transcript under the cut.
One day in 1996, I got a fax at the Atlanta head office of the Cartoon Network where I am vice president of original animation. It was from Vancouver animator Danny Antonucci. Danny had sent me a drawing of threee goofy looking guys, with the title Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy, and the tagline: "They're friends because they have the same name." "What do you think?" he wrote. Hilarious, I remember thinking. I remembered that back in 1974, I used to hang out with two girls in my neighbourhood, Linda J. and Linda V. We didn't have much in common other than living in the same neighbourhood and having the same name. I immediately identified with the concept and series as a whole.
Well, actually there were several more steps before that last part happened but they were easy. I showed the fax to Mike Lazzo, the senior vice president of programming and production at the Cartoon Network, and he laughed. "Can we see more? Is there a bible?" he asked. The series bible came through by fax, a few pages at a time, over a period of the next few months. After an affirmative response from Betty Cohen, the president of the Caroon Network, the legal paperwork and deal making began. Not long after, a start-up meeting was held poolside at Chateau Marmont, the one moment of Hollywood glamoue we'd experience. "How soon can you have it ready?" asked the general manager and I watched Danny's eyebrows go up. Thus the Sisyphean task of producing the series began. Up to that point, the Cartoon Network had only produced shows through Hanna-Barbera in Los Angeles. Even shorts that were produced in smaller studios in other cities were produced through Hanna-Barbera. This would be the first show to be produced outside that system and the first to report directly to the Cartoon Network. The fate of our working with independant studios rested with this show. Nothing like a little pressure! In addition, every series we had done had started with a seven-minute short, but this time we were so sure we were on the right track that we jumped right in to serious production.
At that point in time, the Cartoon Network had been putting a great deal of effort into finding properties that weren't just animated sitcoms but were actually cartoons. Visually eyepopping, gag-laden, character-driven and most importantly, funny. Those were our cartoon goals. We were also trying to produce the cartoons by setting up units which would be creator-driven and self-contained. The old Warner Bros. "Termite Terrace" was our model since, as far as we were concerned, that's how the best cartoons were made. In the mid-1990s, Hanna-Barbera produced a series of 48 cartoons. The Cartoon Network went into series production on three of those shorts: Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, and Johnny Bravo. We were in development on our next show, Powerpuff Girls, with the Dexter unit, and were starting to put several other projects into development, when we decided the Eds should have their own series.
Antonucci's earlier projects had made him a household name among animators. Lupo the Butcher, his animated short from the lates 1980s was, to some degree, the South Park of its time. I can remember a tape of Lupobeing passed around the office back in 1988, as people told each other, "You got to see this!" A few years later, in 1994, Antonucci started up his own studio, a.ka. Cartoon, in Vancouver to produce his show The Brothers Grunt for MTV. Following that, he spent the next few years doing commercials, promos, network IDs and the opening for MTV's Cartoon Sushi.
He decided to remain in Vancouver and expand his studio to accommodate series production. After working out of a small, five-person studio, a.k.a. Cartoon moved into a loft in the Gastown section of Vancouver and began hiring a full staff to work on the first 13 episodes. Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy is the story of three best friends bound by the same name, gawky social graces and an overwhelming desire to fit in. The series takes place during summer vacation, as the Eds search the cul-de-sac where they live for adventure, acceptance and money to buy candy. Ed is into monster movies and model kits. Edd is the really smart, really quiet and the unnatrually polite one. Eddy is the ringleadrer who loves being the centre of attention. The Eds are driven by their constant quest for cash, mostly for buying jawbreakers.
Their schemes -- childhood ventures -- optimistic profit margins -- and oddball twists.
The other neighbourhood kids round out the stories. Sarah is Ed's whiny younger sister. Rolf is the first-generation immigrant of unknown origin who eats strange things and has a pet goat. Jimmy prefers hanging out with Sarah and finds the Eds too rough. Kevin, the neighbourhood cynic, finds the Eds' ideas stupid. Nazz is the neighbourhood heatthrob and the mysterious Jonny 2x4 has a best friend that is a wooden board named Plank. Rounding out the cast are the neighbourhood bullies, the dreaded Kanker Sisters. The characters are loosely based on Danny's two sons, assorted friends and people he's known throughout his life.
Each half-hour episode is comprised of two, 11-minute cartoons. Typical episodes range from the Eds crashing Nazz's sprinkler party, to dealing with cycles of fads that blow through the cul-de-sac, to Sarah's newfound crush on Edd. Each cartoon is produced "the old-fashioned way" to guarantee the maximum number of laughs. Danny works with the story editor/head writer Jono Howard and a few other writers to generate the story ideas. Each writer then produces one-to-two page outlines with the beats of the story. The outline is handed to two storyboard artists who work out the actions and the gags. The storyboards remain up on the wall for the big pitch, at which point the artists pitch the storyboard to Danny and everyone else in the studio. The receptionist, the accountant and any visitors that day are all included in the pitch audience. The gags and beats that get laughs are keepers. The ones that fall flat get feedback or are reconsidered.
Season one, which premiered January 1999, is doing remarkably well in the ratings. Every now and then the Cartoon Network produces a show that has an impact on popular culture or day-to-day life. Recently, a journalist in Tallahasse, Fla., wrote a column in his local newspaper about his search for the huge jawbreakers his kids saw on Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy. In the April 19 issue of People magazine, in the crossword puzzle, the clue for #45 down was the cartoon show, Ed, ___ 'n' Eddy. Fan Web sites are starting to spring up.
The show has started to appear in other countries via international cartoon networks. A second season has already been ordered for a November 1999 broadcast date. Apparently, puberty is as international as it is unforgiving. Will the Eds ever be shown in their own backyard? Will Canadians ever get to see the "Canadian Squirt Gun" episode in season two? Probably. While Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy will hopefully be acquired for air on one of the Canadian cable channels, for now you will have to rely on tapes from friends in the United States.
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Rome, Part 1: The Worst Show Ever
I have, rather recently, gotten into the history of ancient Rome. It wasn't that I was unaware of history--I knew the highlights of course (I read Julius Caesar in high school, I have a dad obsessed with Roman history, I exist in the world), but I have, at the behest of my oldest sibling, begun listening to the History of Rome podcast by Mike Duncan, and subsequently, have been wiki backreading and etc to fill in some gaps. I have yet to read primary sources, though I am excited to, but I think the podcast does an excellent job of covering the important bits and the little bits in between.
But this isn't about the History of Ancient Rome. Or rather, it is, but only in so much as it applies to my subsequent rewatching of what I think I can safely say is the Worst Show I Have Ever Seen.
I generally think of myself as somewhat lenient on moralizing in television. I don't think our media should be scrubbed clean of subjects which are upsetting or disturbing, and in general I fully support the idea of media being viewed as media--a show does not endorse a thing simply because it features a thing.
I also generally quite enjoy shows where the main characters are...less than stellar examples of human beings. While I am, somewhat notoriously, famous for falling in love with what amounts to Human Cinnamon Rolls, I also quite enjoy a character who is really just an awful person. A character does not have to be good to be enjoyable. I loved the Americans, for example, and Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings are hardly models of humanity and temperance. I also think that dark subjects can, and should, be addressed with humor. Four Lions is an excellent example.
So when approaching the HBO series Rome, which I had first watched maybe 10+ years ago, with fresh, newly learned eyes, I expected to be disappointed by historical characterization--a not uncommon thing for me, as most historical movies/tv butcher important figures in the desperate bid to create a better "story" than history did, but I did not expect to be so thoroughly and completely disgusted by, well, literally every aspect of this show.
I spent my spring/summer watching Once Upon a Time, which I believe I declared as The Worst Show Ever, but I was, in fact, completely wrong. The thing about terrible tv shows is that most of the time, the shows know they are bad. OUAT was deliberately cheesy, and though my primary complaint was that it didn't have to be, it was. Cheap costumes, shitty writing--they weren't trying to achieve greatness.
Rome was HBOs masterpiece. It was their pride and joy. It was their Game of Thrones before Game of Thrones (which was also shit but I digress). At least until it became prohibitively expensive to produce anyway. But it was really at the dawn of "prestige television", pushing the envelope, going to for historicity, drama, humor, and an attempt at telling the truest story of Rome, by elevating the stories of both the common man, and the women of Rome.
Rome was...a disaster. It fact, it's honestly the type of show that I genuinely don't know how you can enjoy it, unless, like my dad, you turn off your brain and don't really think about characters, accuracy, or anything beyond what is currently happening on screen. (My dad, it should be noted, is not a thoughtless man. Nor is he I a deep thinker. He is incredibly intelligent--he just doesn't ever really think deeply or introspectively about the media he watches. Ever. As long as it has funny moments and some sort of "stompy army", he's good. I both respect it, and find it infuriating. But I digress).
Rome not only fails to tell an accurate historical story (with almost all historical figures changed beyond recognition, dates switched, and timelines muddled, as well as major players simply gone), but it fails to even tell a story that makes a show itself. I know the history of Rome, and I was left confused more often than not about what the hell was actually happening, and when I attempted to forget the little I did know, I was left even more baffled than before.
It is also deeply, disturbingly misogynistic. And look, I'm not one to complain about misogyny, particularly in media, but Rome actually got to a point where watching felt deeply uncomfortable--and not because it was dealing with uncomfortable subject matter, but because the writers themselves didn't seem to realize that their main characters were the villains, not the heroes, and that all their women fell into one of two camps--evil harpy bitch, or drippy useless wet blanket (though the latter applies almost exclusively to Octavia, as the other women are almost exclusively manipulative evil harpies, who rule men through their womanly wiles and overt manipulation). The main character is a horrific domestic abuser, who shows little remorse for the way he rules his family through fear and the threat of both physical abuse (and death), and mental abuse he heaps on them. And the narrative doesn't seem to realize this at all.
Additionally, the costumes are godawful. Again, it wouldn't be so egregious if they weren't claiming historical accuracy. It was so distracting that at some points in the show I found myself concentrating more on how on earth they could have possibly managed to weave that fabric or achieve that neckline, rather than concentrating on the story at hand.
I'll dive a little more deeply into my next post, though it reality, it probably deserves at least 3--one on the accuracy (and overall story), one on the disgusting treatment of women, and a further one on the overall aesthetic, but we shall see how tired I get after the first two, lol.
#hbo rome#just roman things#in which djem watches more tv shows and then complains#also yes im on a roman history kick now bc apparently im a sucker for fuckups of history#anyway stay tuned for part 2 coming idk when
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