#Michael Sheen is perfect as Nero

[emotinalsupportturtle]

Michael Sheen is so so pretty as Nero, unfortunately I can’t screenshot it

[greekmythcomix]

Fantasy Odyssey cast

I’m working on the choose-your-own-path Odyssey book/game today, and I thought a good way of trying to write a bit faster (and stop being distracted by the fact that I have a day off from the world to do with as I like and I’m spending it stuck to the computer) would be to visualise the characters as actors I like. Or at least work out whom I have been visualising all this time. I’ll add to this list as I write other sections.

NB: I live in the UK, was a child in the 90s, and like comedies and dramas, so these are probably going to end up all British and aren’t necessarily going to be very exciting choices! Please feel free to make your own suggestions.

PS: I know there’s a film coming out with Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus and Juliette Binoche as Penelope coming out in a year or so, but that casting is just too serious for me (and Binoche is forever Antigone to me after using her NT run to teach the play for coursework, so…)

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Odysseus:

Michael Sheen

Odysseus is complicated. Apparently he looks like a country boob, but has a voice that commands all and speaks words like falling snowflakes. He can lie at a second’s notice, but is also loyal and magnetic enough for his wife to have wanted to wait for him all this time. The role needs Sheen: the sheer *range* of the man, who can be sweet *and* prickly inside one sentence. His Nero is terrifying yet also somehow vulnerable. He also looks excellently the part - stocky, sturdy, with a woolly beard and hair (perfect streak of weathered white through the front). He’d be captivating.

Telemachus:

Alex Lawther

I’m a bit sick of portrayals of Telemachus making him a total one-note whinge bag (you know which portrayal I mean in particular) and in the text he’s angry yet well-behaved and does a lot of growing up. He’s been brought up by only his clever mother and her loyal servants/enslaved people so he should be a little soft but sharp around the edges (the suitors are almost all the same age as him give or take a handful of years), and he also takes after his father - Homer really paints that comparison on thick - so he should be clever too.

That’s Lawther in a nutshell.

And, if you look at photos of a younger Michael Sheen, there’s a lot of similarity there, so that works too. (And they’ve both played Hamlet, so that would be fun to talk about)

Menelaus

Brendan Gleeson/ Brian Gleeson

The film Troy rather ruined this one, as Brendan Gleeson played Menelaus rather perfectly for me. Only I’m imagining he gets a lot nicer once he gets Helen back. However, he's rather aged out of the part, but his son Brian is almost old enough to play him (yes, nepotism). In Frank of Ireland he’s a lil bit daft and that’s how I’m seeing Menelaus in Book 4, all memories and wrapped around his wife’s littlest finger.

Helen

Right now, possibly Emilia Clarke, but I’m not certain (see below)

Helen is a confident trickster. She’s effectively been abused her whole life, treated as a prize and a sexual object since childhood, can’t trust anyone, and is now leaning into it (see Book 3). But all she wants is stability. It’s probably a choice a little influenced by Clarke’s former roles, but her apple-cheeked visage and winning smile suggest she can get herself out of trouble by getting men to fight eachother for the privilege.

EDIT: wait wait wait... let's go left-field and get Natasia Demetriou. Her Helen would be manipulative, dismissive, sometimes incredibly sweet and naive but only on the surface. She'll dope you to make sure you don't ruin a good time. She's in charge. Oh yes.

Penelope

Nina Sosanya/Olivia Colman

Our Penelope is so sassy, totally on it (Odysseus-in-disguise praises her as a ‘king’, the highest era-appropriate compliment on her rule he can give), but willing to make way for her son. She’s clever, no-nonsense, totally in love but also a realist. I couldn’t pick between these two brilliant actors so I’m picking bits of them: Sosanya’s needliness and Colman’s ability to dismiss you kindly and both of their wit.

Athene

Ruth Wilson

Calculating, sexy, kind of ruthless. Enough said.

Diomedes

Kayvan Novak

He’s not in it for long, though there’s potential for plenty of flashbacks. Diomedes is pretty serious, businesslike, a bit meat-headed, deadly as a sword between your ribs, and while Novak is a lot funnier than that I think he could pull off the character without being unlikeable.

Antinous and Eurymachus

Timothee Chalamet and… TBD

Ok so technically Chalamet is a teensy bit younger than Lawther rather than older, but it’s within tolerance. I think he could pull off older and haughtier, full of insouciance knowing how much he’s worth compared to the rest of them, and properly intimidating and manipulative. The murder plot the suitors attempt against Telemachus becomes a bit of a dark peer prank, with Chalamet as the leader of a group of obnoxious rich boys who only have one impediment between them as suitors and one of them as king, and I can see a face-off between Chalamet-Antinous and Lawther-Telemachus with Ruth Wilson’s delighted Athene bobbing between them.

Eurylochus and Polites

Simon Farnaby and Jim Howick (Ghosts, Horrible Histories)

Obviously these two need bigger roles than in the original text, so they pop up in the alternate storylines. Eurylochus is smarmy and annoying, and Polites is an adorable yes-man. At one point Odysseus wonders whether or not he should actually cut Eurylochus’ head off, and I can see Farnaby and Sheen facing off in my head. And there have to be some comedic characters in here to relieve the tension.

More like 20 years, amirite?

Eumaeus

Not sure yet. Eumaeus is such an important and underrated character, earnest and loyal to the last, but with the bearing of a prince (as he once was before becoming enslaved). I’m fluctuating between Idris Elba, Riz Ahmed and David Tennant, which is a bit mad, but I’m getting back to writing this bit soon and I may have a better idea after they’ve sat down for an interminable amount of time to eat roast piglet. But, now I've seen Good Omens 2, maybe just Michael Tennant with heart-eyes for Odysseus is pretty accurate.

I am desperate to get Matt Berry in here somewhere. I think he’s going to be Medon the herald, who has covered himself in an ox-hide and is hiding under a chair during the suitor-slaughter. BUT WOULDN'T HE BE BRILLIANT AS AGAMEMNON???

Proteus, god of the Sea

Proteus is both king of Memphis in mythology, but also a sea-god (like Nereus) who shepherds seals and cannot lie. I've made them different characters, but I think they could pull off being played by the same actor. Proteus of the sea is a shape-changer, changing into a lion, snake, water and fire (!), but is often thought of as being half-man-half-seasnake.

Hello Sir Derek Jacobi, I love you but am also very cross with you right now, be a seasnake-seal-shepherd.

I’ll edit this post when I think of more.

[potato-jem]

NERO MY BELOVED!!! <333

how are you doing?? how’s the semester going?? i miss you a lot!!!

also, look what i found!!! i was looking through the rwrb tag and this came up, with all the valentines cards!!! i had to share

i’m also sending you a big hug and a warm cup of tea <33

CECE MY BELOVED!!!! <333

i'm doing really well!!! i actually love living in the uk so much, i totally understand why you loved ireland on your exchange too. my classes are so fucking good and i've actually managed to make friends, which i didn't think i'd be able to do 🥺

actually your message came just in time for me to tell you how crazy my day was on wednesday, but i am still in the middle of processing it.

so i went into london on wednesday for wasia project (which they were PHENOMENAL). i managed to bump into michael sheen AND talk to him (i barely could say anything besides how much i loved him in good omens, my friend stopped him and spoke to him for me LOL). not only THAT, but i walked past where they were setting up for the mary and george premiere like four times and you bet if i didn't have a concert to line up for, i would have walked to my nearest waterstones, bought yet anothe rwrb and waited the hours for nicholas galitizine. london is fucking crazy dude.

those valentine's cards are perfect, i'll keep those for next year!! <3

and how have you been?? i hope work has been okay and not stressing you out too much!

sending some jaffa cakes and a big cup of tea <333

[julielilac]

Michael Sheen’s queer characters

Gallowglass (1993) - Joe who has an unhealthy obsessive relationship with his savior

Wilde (1997) - Robbie Ross, Oscar Wilde's lover

Bright Young Things (2003) - Miles Maitland, a perfect example of a gay man in the 30s

Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! (2006) - Kenneth Williams, a real person and a comedy actor with "barely consummated homosexual dalliances"

Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire (2006) - emperor Nero, this is ancient Rome and that says it all

7 Days in Hell (2015) - Caspian Wint, a talk show host who thirsted a young tennis player

Nocturnal Animals (2016) - Carlos, a gay man who married a woman

Good Omens (2019) - Aziraphale, an angel who is (mutually) in love with the demon Crowley

P.S. I'm also not quite sure about Castor from Tron: Legacy (2010), but he was a computer program, so... who knows.

All these gifs were created by me, please don't steal/repost them.

[ingravinoveritas]

Petal

(An Aziraphale/Crowley fic, inspired by these gifs of Michael Sheen as Nero. Fic is also available on AO3 here.)

----

"Mmh..."

Aziraphale inhales deeply, sighing at the decadent perfection of his surroundings. A private bath all to himself, obtained with just a gentle whisper to the guard with claims of distant relation to the Emperor, who would consider it a personal favor. Lavender oil perfumes the water, its fragrance wafting through the air, clinging to Aziraphale's porcelain skin. He'd reserved two little miracles for the occasion, the first of which ensures the temperature of the water remained just so, the heat never fading.

The second miracle is rose petals.

It's terribly indulgent and not at all becoming of a Principality, Aziraphale knows, but it hardly seems inappropriate when one is completely and entirely--

A set of footsteps pads across the marble floor, followed by a familiar voice. “Thought you were going to the Colosseum, angel.”

--alone.

Oh, God.

Aziraphale turns to face him, the sound of sloshing water echoing in the otherwise quiet chamber. He raises a hand to cover himself, false modesty as foreplay.

“Crowley. I...well, I was, but I got there and it was the children’s matinee. There was a little boy who didn’t have a ticket and I...I gave mine away.”

“You what?” Crowley doesn’t even attempt to feign surprise.

“I gave it away! It wouldn’t be right for a child to miss the show. So I, I put it in his hand and said ‘Off you pop,’ and off he...popped. Then I thought I’d just visit the baths instead! The water is quite lovely, but...well, I was given to understand this would be a private room...”

“Left a trail of denarii glued to the floor for the guard. He won’t be back for a while. Not happy to see me, mmh?”

“Oh, my dear, of course I’m happy--”

Aziraphale trails off, noticing for the first time that Crowley is nude, save for the little pair of dark glasses perched atop his nose. The steamy air clings to the fine hairs on his thighs and arse, lending his skin an unearthly glow. His cock is already half hard, curving up toward his stomach, covered in shimmering light from the reflected water.

“Well, are you just going to stand there like that?”

“Like what?” Crowley can’t keep the smirk from twisting his lips, head cocked to one side as he watches his husband grow flushed, cheeks pinking with barely-suppressed arousal.

“Like grand obscenity made flesh, that’s what.”

Crowley rakes his gaze up and down Aziraphale’s naked form, eye-fucking him over the rim of his glasses.

“Oh, me, obscene? What about you?”

“I am more than appropriately attired for these quarters--”

“Rose petals, angel. Perfectly scattered about the surface, without wilting. It’s almost...miraculous.”

Aziraphale rolls his eyes. “Barely counts as a miracle, really...”

“Your arse,” Crowley continues, stepping one foot into the bath. “I saw it when I walked in. You pretended it was hidden under the water, as if you weren’t showing it off. The curve of your back, the lines on your shoulders...” He can’t mention the wings, tongue choked and swollen at the thought of even describing their indescribable ethereal beauty unfurled.

Crowley steps the other foot in, advancing slowly on Aziraphale like a shark toward prey. The water jostles with every word he speaks, breaking on the shores of Aziraphale’s body, and the angel shifts until the backs of his thighs press against the cool tile.

“Drops of water sliding over your arms. Your chest. Your hipsss. You, Aziraphale. Every blessed thing about you. You look like sin incarnate.”

Crowley stops moving when their mouths are a hairsbreadth apart, the tip of his long tongue darting out to trace the bow of Aziraphale’s lips.

“Oh...kiss me, dear. Won’t you?”

Crowley draws a hand down Aziraphale’s chest, pinching dusky pink nipples into hard peaks, making him gasp. Nimble fingers wrap around the admirable Effort he finds between Aziraphale’s legs, hard and aching.

“Was planning on doing a bit more than that...”

“Here? In the baths? What if someone sees?”

They’ve played this scene a hundred times and still Aziraphale manages to sound convincingly scandalized, even as he’s arching into Crowley’s grasp. His eyes flutter closed and open, long eyelashes lowering to the demon's lips as they kiss, sweet and urgently filthy all at once.

“Don’t worry, angel.” Aziraphale squeals as Crowley lifts his legs and throws them around his slim waist, grinding their cocks together beneath the water.

“If someone comes in, I’ll cover you with rose petals.”

[sherlock-is-ace]

hi! i love ur blog and i wanna watch more of michael sheen's stuff. i've only seen gomens and tinkerbell and the great fairy rescue (he voiced the dad, i cried laughing when i realized bc that movie was like. my childhood fav) anyway. what would you recommend starting with?

Hi! Thanks

That’s a good question, honestly all of Michael roles are perfection, because he is perfection so whatever you watch, you’ll love Michael in it :P That said, of the things he’s worked on my favorites are the movies Wilde and Music Within and the tv show Masters of Sex, I love all those for more than just Michael’s role, so if you wanna start with stuff that are actually good and not watch them just because of Sheeny, those are great! :D

Honorable mention is episode 2 of Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire where Michael plays Nero, that one’s great too :D

[fromwinnipeg2everywhere]

La Grassa Indeed

This trip was as “spontaneous” as we can get when it comes to travelling. As I mentioned before, we usually plan trips at least a year in advance, but this particular one only happened because Osteria Francescana was announced as #1 at the 2018’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards mid-June and we wanted to try two #1’s in a row (2017 was Eleven Madison Park), so we decided to go for it. First, we had to make sure that we can get reservations. Reservations become available three months ahead of time at 10am Italy time, and just like NOMA, you need to make a reservation literally the second bookings open. This means that we were up at 3AM refreshing multiple devices to get in the queue to reserve a spot. Finally, at 4AM we were able to get through and make a reservation for mid-October.

The next choice was where to stay, our choices were Florence and Bologna, and we already spent some time in Florence in 2015, so this time we picked Bologna, and I would rate it as one of the top ten decisions we have ever made as a couple. Bologna is a food-lover’s dream come true. Tagliatelle al Ragu, Parmigiano Reggiano, Tortellini en Brodo, Prosciutto de Parma, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, Amarone, Lambrusco – these all originate in Bologna or nearby towns within the Emilia-Romagna region (or Veneto for the Amarone). Bologna, itself, is a college town, home to the oldest university in the world – The University of Bologna was founded in 1088 – so the city felt like it was always abuzz with life and excitement. There were not a lot of the tour groups found in bigger cities, so the crowd size is just perfect. You can get into the popular restaurants and tourist sites with reasonable wait times.

Out of the seven days, we only actually got to spend one and a half full day in Bologna. Our first day was when we flew in, and although we got there early, it was a lot of running around trying to check in to our rental and buying groceries. We waited about half an hour to get into Sfoglia Rina for a delicious lunch and then we climbed the Duo Torre in the afternoon. It usually takes me a day or so to acclimate to a new city, but I instantly fell in love with Bologna.

One of the things I love about Italy is how close the next towns are by train and how cheap the train fares are. The next day, we took the train to Ravenna, a town just one hour and 20 minutes away, and the train fare was about 7 Euros. Ravenna is a small town and I will never forget how beautiful the mosaics that adorned its buildings. I have always been in awe by the diversity and uniqueness in culture, food, wine amongst the little Italian towns, and this is a prime example. I’ve been to a few towns in Italy and the mosaics are uniquely Ravenna’s. We also had a Piadina, which is basically a mortadella wrap, and this is also apparently unique to this town.

The third day, we took the earliest regional train to Verona. We left at 6AM and arrived in Verona shortly before 8AM. The fare was around 10 Euros. Verona was a very pleasant surprise for me. It reminded me very much of Florence. We visited the Arena, Giuletta’s Balcony, Piazza Delle Erbe, Castel San Pietro and Castel Vecchio Bridge. We had a snack of Prosciutto de Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano, and washed it down with some Aperol Spritz and Prosecco at a restaurant called La Tradision in the Old Town – I mean, can your day get more Italian than that? Well, the answer yes, because in the middle of everything, we also managed to take a bus to Piedemonte and do a winery tour at Tommasi. We sampled some Valpolicella wine, and of course bought a bottle of Amarone to take back home. Needless to say, someone (not me) was snoring on the train back to Bologna!

Day four is the reason why we were even Italy in the first place. The start to the day was a little later because we didn’t have to be in Modena until noon, and there didn’t seem to be much to explore in Modena. The train ride is only half an hour, and the train fare is just under 4 Euros. This was the first day we saw sunrise in Bologna. We arrived in Modena just shortly after 9AM and walked around the tiny town to explore. We visited the Modena Cathedral, Torre della Ghirlandina, Piazza Grande before heading over to Via Stella. There was quite a crowd waiting to get in for lunch, and many of them came from all over the world for the experience of dining here. Osteria Francescana has three Michelin stars and this isn’t the first time it won the honour of being the world’s best restaurant, and deservedly so. The service is top-notch, and the food was memorable. The one dish that stood out was the 5 ages of Parmigiano Reggiano. Basically, as the name implies, it’s five different ages of Parmigiano Reggiano, in five different textures – a 24-month demi-souffle, a 30-month rich sauce, a 36-month foam, a 40-month wafer and a 50-month “air” – and it was heavenly. I’m lactose intolerant but I learned that the aging process breaks down the lactose so now I know which cheese to buy if I don’t want to suffer afterwards! This was such a memorable dining experience but on top of that, I’m glad that because of this restaurant, we got to experience Emilia Romagna.

For our fifth day, we decided to give Venice another go. Last time we were in Venice, we didn’t really enjoy it because it was crowded, but we thought that maybe because it was the last two days of a two-week trip and we were just tired and sad about having go home. Sadly, the experience was not that much different this time around. We took the early train to Venice and took the ferry to Burano first. Burano is a pretty little town, but you must make sure you take the earliest ferry you can find to avoid the crowds. Every little alley or canal is picture perfect, with the pastel-coloured houses and little wine shops along the way. By the time we left around lunch time, it became hard to enjoy the views because the big tour groups started arriving. We returned to Venice and had spaghetti al nero di seppia (squid ink spaghetti) and it was just as amazing as I remember it from 2015. I have tried to find squid ink in Winnipeg to try and recreate this dish, and no luck. None of the Italian restaurants offer it so it will be a long while before I get to try this again. We tried to walk around Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco, but it was absolutely crowded and weren’t having fun, so we just decided to take the early train back to Bologna.

Our sixth day in Bologna was arguably the best day, in my opinion anyway. We booked a small group food and wine tour, and it was so worth it. There was about a dozen of us in the group, and we toured Emilia Romagna in a little air-conditioned van. Our tour guide’s name is Max and he reminded me of a young Michael Sheen. The first stop was the Parmigiano Reggiano factory where we learned how it is made. So, first things first, Parmigiano Reggiano must be aged at least 12 months for it to be considered Parmigiano Reggiano, and even then, it needs approval by the consortium. You can tell real Parmigiano Reggiano by the printing on its rind. The cheese barrels that does not meet the consortium’s standards are grated and sold as “Italian Cheese” - Parmesan is NOT Parmigiano Reggiano. Our next stop was a prosciutto factory, and although I found the process of making it interesting, all the pig legs hanging everywhere made me uncomfortable. I wouldn’t call myself a vegetarian, but I do avoid meat as much as I could. I wish I could be better and avoid it entirely. Our next stop was at Maranello for the Ferrari Tour. Indeed, what we signed up for was the food and wine tour, but we were given the option to skip the winery and test-drive a Ferrari in the streets of Maranello instead. I was already tipsy from drinking so much Lambrusco at the cheese and ham factory, and driving a Ferrari probably was a poor choice, so I decided to double down and go to the winery and drink some more. This is where my husband ditches me and chooses the Ferrari. I can’t say I blame him. We leave the Ferrari group and we went to the winery where they make Lambrusco. It was already October and harvest season was done, but we got to walk around the vineyards and ate some grapes off the vines. We also saw how Lambrusco was made and bottled. They fed us some more cheese and prosciutto and gave us more wine, and there were only five of us so there were lots to go around! The last stop was a Traditional Balsamic Vinegar factory where we learned the painstakingly long process of making balsamic vinegar. When I say balsamic vinegar, I mean what they call black gold, and not the stuff you get for $10 at the grocery store. We got to taste balsamic vinegar on everything – ice cream, cheese, bread. We got to taste a 30-year old one and I can’t possibly put into words how divine it was.

We also stopped for lunch at a local restaurant where they served tortellini, tortelloni, tagliatelle al ragu, more cheese and more Lambrusco. We met our fellow travelers from all over the world such as Sweden, Australia, Netherlands and the US. The most heartbreaking story was shared by an American man from New Hampshire. He was a retired teacher who has never travelled outside the US before in his life. He and his wife planned this trip for after they retire, but then she passed away in July, before they could go. He still decided to go on the trip and follow the itinerary that she prepared for them. Stories like this makes me realize that we should try to live life to its fullest. Life is temporary and tomorrows are not guaranteed. We need to enjoy it, be kind and make sure we leave this world in a better state than when we found it.

Our last full day was spent in Bologna. Each day we would return from our day trips, everything would be closed, so this day we got to visit Teatro Anatomico, the library, the cathedral, the towers and the shops. We ate more tortellini, tagliatelle, gelato, prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano. In the evening, we sat on the church steps at Piazza Maggiore and just laid there, looked at the stars and wished that the trip didn’t have to end. The following day was another adventure. From Bologna, we only had 40 minutes of layover in Munich where we could catch our Air Canada flight to Toronto, before heading home to Winnipeg. Just like their rail system, I also had 100% faith in Germany’s airports, so I was not worried. Besides, what is the worst-case scenario? We get to spend a night in Munich – not really the worst thing that can happen. We made it with minutes to spare in Munich (only because the Toronto flight was late), and then they almost wouldn’t let us board the plane to Winnipeg because we got into Toronto late and they were convinced our luggage wouldn’t make it on time, and they were right because the luggage were not on the carousel in Winnipeg and they had to deliver it the following day. We were very worried about the luggage because our bottles of Amarone were in there!

I know I say this about every trip, but this trip was a very pleasant surprise. We learned so much about the Emilia Romagna region and as food enthusiasts, this trip opened our eyes and palates to new tastes. Once quarantine is over, I will probably make Emilia Romagna one of the first places I will revisit.