TV Series Thread

[Cassia]

The reason I was not interested in the HP books and movies as they came out was because to me, they were "boarding school sagas" more than anything. After horrible years of Catholic school (including Mass every fucking day), right on through High School, the last thing I was interested in was anything like a school drama.

And yeah, as I suspected, the HP faculty in the movies gave me some "clergy vibes" but the movies were so well done I still enjoyed them.

[Hydra009]

I know she studied folklore and so I assumed the house elves were derived from "Brownies". Here's the twisted part. They had autonomy. She turned them into slaves.

A brownie or broonie (Scots),[1] also known as a brùnaidh or gruagach (Scottish Gaelic), is a household spirit or hobgoblin from Scottish folklore that is said to come out at night while the owners of the house are asleep and perform various chores and farming tasks. The human owners of the house must leave a bowl of milk or cream or some other offering for the brownie, usually by the hearth. Brownies are described as easily offended and will leave their homes forever if they feel they have been insulted or in any way taken advantage of.

I will concede that stereotypes are useful in day-to-day life. We all rely on them, but Holy Hell those Gringotts goblin bankers.

I have no idea why she went the slave route when the original material is so interesting.  Faerie folk in general and house elves in particular are notorious for demanding a certain amount of compensation/respect or they will absolutely get up to all sorts of shenanigans at your expense.  That's their whole vibe.  (My personal favorite are bluecaps, faerie miners who are hard-working but solitary and will help the crew find rich veins but demand payment no more or less than the other miners)

As for the goblin bankers playing closely to *certain* stereotypes, that's why D&D has it so that a particular tribe is notoriously evil or greedy or whatever, but they're not all like that.  It's a lot harder to smuggle bigotry into a setting if the nuance is hard-coded.  It also helps the author not paint themselves into a corner and invites readers to come up with their own tribes.

[Hydra009]

Latest Rick and Morty was actually really good.  Jerry episode, so it's a little bit more mellow and basic, just like Jerry :P

Jerry gets a bad rap, but he's just a normal guy in a family of badass geniuses.  Like a golfer who sliced when he should have hooked at the PGA, Jerry has it rough!  Jerry gets crapped on for not being able to work with polarity plating or disarm a neutrino bomb or even hold the bad guys at gunpoint when Rick says for everyone to drop their guns (he just did what Rick asked) but almost nobody would be able to do that.

While some Jerrys do indeed eventually become badasses, usually after losing one or more members of the family, our Jerry is just a regular guy who likes golf jokes, the titanic, rum raisin ice cream, collectible coins, camping, ovenless brownies, and the whirly dirly roller coaster ride.

And to be perfectly honest, it's fine to be a regular dude with regular tastes.  The universe is a gigantic, crazy place and it's just a big hassle out there.  Who needs that?

Absolutely nothing wrong with just being an average joe and going on regular adventures to nowhere important and chilling out with your bud on the roof while drinking some room-temperature shower beer.

Much of the time, I get the impression that Rick is actually secretly envious of Jerry - Jerry has a somewhat carefree life surrounded by a family that loves him and he's comfortable being who he is and enjoying the simple pleasures in life.  Hats off to Jerry!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The reason I was not interested in the HP books and movies as they came out was because to me, they were "boarding school sagas" more than anything. After horrible years of Catholic school (including Mass every fucking day), right on through High School, the last thing I was interested in was anything like a school drama.

And yeah, as I suspected, the HP faculty in the movies gave me some "clergy vibes" but the movies were so well done I still enjoyed them.

My second wife, Brenda, wanted to be a children's librarian. So she bought two copies of the first Potter book and made me read it. Then we started ... discussing ... where Rowling would go with this. Bought two of every book after that. Had two sets, all first editions, of each book. Like every other horder in the US, so practical value was always going to be low, maybe not even return on the purchase price. Signed books were another matter. HOWEVER when Brenda died and my brother his wife came around to help move me down here to St. Louis she noticed the Potters and I said, sure, have anything you want. She claimed they couldn't keep them on the shelves at the school where she volunteered (teaching assistant?). I read her better than bro had, obviously, but at I was realistic about any serious return on that "investment".

Haven't checked lately, are first editions, signed, going for any serious money these days?

[Nobody]

Not as much as they will in 50 years, but who wants to wait that long?

[the_antithesis]

Haven't checked lately, are first editions, signed, going for any serious money these days?

Turns out the HP collector's market was mostly trans.

Was.

[Cassia]

Turns out the HP collector's market was mostly trans.

Was.

I could see how a trans kid would relate to orphan Harry or Luna Lovegood (or any half-blood for that matter) and get lost in that fantasy world. JKR even came out post movies and said headmaster was gay. They feel betrayed, I bet. I'm not saying JKR has not pointed out real issues, Hell we all know there are some real issues that need to be delt with. It's the cruelty that bothers me.

Some of the people I most admire are Trans. Brilliant Wendy Carlos is the main reason I play synthesizers.

Fran, at Fran Labs (who makes famous guitar pedals) speaks to my electronics heart.

Fran recently posted a sad video. She is afraid to leave Philly, for her safety.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

JKR even came out post movies and said headmaster was gay. They feel betrayed, I bet. I'm not saying JKR has not pointed out real issues, Hell we all know there are some real issues that need to be delt with. It's the cruelty that bothers me.

I remember that interview/photo op.

Kid: Is Dumbledore gay?
JKR: Of course he is. (With a big smile/smirk.)

While he wasn't that flamboyant in the movies his character gave off vibes at times that had me and the wife wondering.

[Cassia]

Excuse my straying away from TV shows but I mentioned Wendy Carlos below. Here is a snippet of her soundtrack from "A Clockwork Orange" and from Ludwig's 9th. When I first heard this at a midnite movie, the sound of it was life-changing for me. I was already a good piano player. I sold my green gas-guzzler Olds 442 Cutlass to my cousin (I could still use it, LOL) and bought a synthesizer.

[the_antithesis]

Some of the people I most admire are Trans. Brilliant Wendy Carlos is the main reason I play synthesizers.
[/quote]

Jay, now Jamie Fenton. Made GORF. This footage is all we have of the unfinished sequel, Ms GORF, oddly.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Excuse my straying away from TV shows but I mentioned Wendy Carlos below. Here is a snippet of her soundtrack from "A Clockwork Orange" and from Ludwig's 9th. When I first heard this at a midnite movie, the sound of it was life-changing for me. I was already a good piano player. I sold my green gas-guzzler Olds 442 Cutlass to my cousin (I could still use it, LOL) and bought a synthesizer.

Our neighbor across the street bought a 442 hard top brand new and commenced to terrorizing the neighborhood. I pulled out my 1967 Chevelle SS 396* and showed him why he shouldn't have bought a grocery carrier.

*Tonwanda Racing Team engine factory installed.

[Cassia]

Our neighbor across the street bought a 442 hard top brand new and commenced to terrorizing the neighborhood. I pulled out my 1967 Chevelle SS 396* and showed him why he shouldn't have bought a grocery carrier.

*Tonwanda Racing Team engine factory installed.

Who we kiddin. All those cars were junk. My next car was a RS Camero. 50% chance of starting. The water pump leaked, radiator leaked, hoses cracked, belts split, overheated, steam city, clogged carbs. How 'bout those vinyl rusty roofs. Tires lasted 10K miles, LOL. Built-in obsolescence. Then I got a Datsun. Actually started

'Edit: I wanted to mention my silly mother came home one day driving a super sport Nova, a used police model she bought at auction. My lil brother ended up with it. That car was fast. Junk, but fast.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

My Chevelle was nuts. Charleston South Carolina to just north of Anderson Indiana, 795 miles on the odometer, eight hours thirty minutes on the road. I could pass anything but a gas station.

[Nobody]

Ah, yes, Charleston, SC, the beautiful city where I was born that I have absolutely no memory of.

[Cassia]

Ah, yes, Charleston, SC, the beautiful city where I was born that I have absolutely no memory of.

It really is. Savannah is too. Planning on a short getaway to one or the other in the Fall, barring any late troppy storms. The folks in Savannah are a quirky lot. They can really dis you with extra sugar.