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foodfightnovelization · 6 months ago

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Every Real-World Brand Mascot in the Foodfight! Workprint

Hey everyone! So as mentioned in my last post, I'm going to be poring through the entire workprint and pointing out every single time we see (or hear!) a real-world brand mascot. If you've been following this blog for a while or just binged a bunch of my posts recently, you might remember we did this for the finished movie and it turned out there were only 18 real-world brand mascots in the entire film! But with this workprint being from 2005, several years before a lot of the larger brands pulled out from the project, there are bound to be tons more, right? So, let's dive right in and play another game of "spot the cameo"!

#1: Chester Cheetah: Okay so this one is obvious since he gets his own fully-animated segment set to "Bad To The Bone", but he's the first one you see in the entire workprint and honestly he looks great, with the squash-and-stretch style of the early animation suiting him incredibly well. This segment was also used extensively in the original trailer as well as a crewmember's animation reel, so it's one a lot of people are already aware of, but hey- I'm listing all of these, for completion's sake.

#2: The Vlasic Stork: Just like in movie, the Vlasic Stork makes his first appearance here crashing into Vlad Chocool while he's in the middle of flying, although here Vlad has the ability to turn into a bat, whereas in the finished film he's still in his human form and simply awkwardly flaps his arms. Of note is that I can't quite make out what he's saying as he crashes into him- it sounds like he's yelling "Summer fear! Here come!" but that's obviously not right, so if anyone has a keen ear please let me know.

#3: Mr Clean: Once again, just like in the finished film, Mr Clean makes his first appearance here being splattered with poo water as Lord Flushington jumps out of a manhole. He gets a few more scenes later on in the workprint, even getting a line at one point (he says "Dusting for prints..." while the Ikes are investigating a crime scene, and according to the script from around this time he was supposed to be using baby powder to do this. Funny!) He also makes an appearance in the Copabanana, talking with Aunt Jemima as Dex walks into the club. Speaking of which...

#4: Aunt Jemima: Here's one of the many real-world mascots who didn't make it into the finished movie. Aunt Jemima was the mascot for a popular brand of pancake syrup for decades, until the company rebranded in 2021 over concerns the character could be seen as racist. Which I'm sure is true, but what I'm more focused on right now is how baffling her design is here. She doesn't really look like the Aunt Jemima character herself at all, instead looking more like a personification of the old syrup bottles (which were vaguely in the shape of a person). But it's so uncanny because it's this weird hybrid between both- the model and shape is clearly that of the bottle design, yet they've textured her so that she has clothes and a face like the actual character. It's like this weird halfway point where it doesn't look right as either. She was ultimately replaced by Mrs Buttersworth in the final product, with a scene where she spills syrup on Mr Clean being identical aside from the characters being swapped out. Something worthy of note is that this is one of the early character models that was found during the production of ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight, and so is available for download on archive.org if you want to tinker with it.

#5: The Keebler Elves: The Keebler Elves, one of the only mascots seen fully animated in the workprint, are seen here witnessing Daredevil Dan crash his plane into their factory. In the finished movie they're replaced with creepy generic-looking gnomes, but it's clear they were always intended to be the Keebler Elves and were simply switched after The Keebler Company pulled out from the film.

#6: The M&Ms: By far one of the most recognizable mascots of all time, the M&Ms get a single appearance in the workprint, being led to a table by Charlie Tuna while the Green M&M tells the Red M&M she's suffering from "peanut envy". Of note is that in the script, it's the Red M&M telling this to the Yellow M&M, which I personally find bizarre as the joke doesn't land nearly as well if it's two guys having the conversation. If you're familiar with the Freudian concept of penis envy, it's a condition he alleged was a key part of female psychosexual development- and so the gag lands far better if it's the Green M&M, a woman, saying it. But even having said that, according to ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight they accidentally modelled the Green M&M as a guy anyway so... I don't know what kind of gender confusion you'd call that.

#7: Charlie Tuna: Just like in the finished film, Charlie Tuna serves as the maître d' at the Copabanana, leading guests to their tables (and later getting his tail stepped on by Lady X). Of course here he's leading the M&Ms to a table, whereas in the movie it's that whole thing with the Roman gladiator who shoves his head up a cow's ass, but let's not get into that again.

#8: The California Raisins: There's not much to say here, as the California Raisins made it into the movie with minimal changes. But if you want to know something interesting, did you know the California Raisins were supposed to get an NES game back in the early 90s ? It ended up never being released, and so was lost for over a decade until a collector named Brandon Murphy happened across a prototype cartridge in the early 2000s, uploading the ROM online so that everybody could play it. I'd highly recommend looking the game up for yourself if you want to learn more, as although it's an incredibly fascinating story, it's also deeply tragic and doesn't quite belong on a lighthearted blog like this.

#9: Rosarita: So this is a more obscure one, but the character Vlad Chocool flirts with in the Copabanana is Rosarita, the mascot for a brand of refried beans. I would've probably missed this character entirely, but there's a similar scene in the novelization where she;s simply referred to as "Rosa" due to not being allowed to name any real-world brands, and so when I was writing my analysis I speculated about who this could be referring to. Sure enough, when I read the early script it was confirmed to be the Rosarita lady, and so it was fascinating to finally see her onscreen in this workprint. The character is usually depicted wearing a wide-brimmed hat and so seeing her without it you might just mistake her for a regular woman, but the flower in her hair made her instantly recognizable to me because I've spent far, far too much time on this movie.

#10: Chiquita Banana: Similar to the Keebler Elves, the Chiquita Banana lady was originally going to play the role of the bartender at the Copabanana, before being replaced by a much less visually appealing character called "Lola Fruitola". This seems to be a trend with Foodfight!- whenever a brand drops out, their character is replaced with an unflattering parody of them. Real professional, guys. Chiquita Banana is a little more complicated however, as in the draft of the script from around the same time the workprint was created, she was already replaced with Lola Fruitola. It's possible these storyboards were just drawn earlier on, and they just didn't bother replacing them even after the company no longer allowed their character to be used in the movie, but I can't say for sure.

#11: Sugar Bear: This is Sugar Bear, mascot for Post's Golden Crisp cereal. There's not much to say about him, since he's only seen briefly a few times during the workprint and he never does anything notable, but he IS one of the few brand mascots seen fully rendered and animated in this version of the movie.

#12: Punchy: Punchy, the Hawaiian Punch mascot, plays the same role as he does in the finished film- during the barfight at the Copabanana, he performs his signature move of offering someone some "punch" before literally punching them in the face. There's not much else to say about him, so let's move on.

#13: Twinkie The Kid: Twinkie the Kid is seen in the background of various storyboards during the workprint, but ultimately doesn't do much other than look far more visually appealing than he does in the finished film. There IS some early animation featuring a fully-rendered version of him, but for some reason it wasn't included in the workprint.

#14: Chef Boyardee: There's not much to say about Chef Boyardee either, as he only appears in the background of a few shots and doesn't say or do anything notable. For shame! Such a highly-regarded culinary expert deserves better than a mere background appearance.

#15: Pepperidge Farm: This is an interesting one as you don't actually SEE the character onscreen, but during the USDA meeting you hear the following dialogue- "Salts and sugars been competing for snack food supremacy longer than I even I remember!" "Pepperidge Farm remembers!" This is obviously intended to be the Pepperidge Farm spokesperson, and presumably had animation been completed while the company still allowed the character to be used, we would've seen him onscreen as well.

#16: Oscar Mayer: Oscar Mayer gets a few scenes throughout the workprint, but I'm going to save discussing them for the second part of my analysis, as there's one in particular I think is far funnier than it has any right to be and I don't want to spoil it. I think it's one of the highlights of the workprint, and it's truly a shame he ended up being cut from the finished film.

#17: Mr Pringle: As mentioned in my previous post, Mr Pringle gets a scene set in the real-world supermarket where he reminds Kaptain Krispy not to lose his temper after his chips get stomped, but he also gets THIS later on in the movie during the battle with Brand X! I mean god damn, he's flying around on a giant Pringle like he's the Silver Surfer! I just can't help but find that hilarious and awesome at the same time, I mean how many times do you see someone flying around on a huge potato chip? It's kinda bizarre to see him with arms and legs though, I'm used to him just being a head.

#18: Tootise Roll Owl and Tootise Roll Man: There's hardly anything to say about these characters, as just like in the finished film the only thing they really do is stand around in the background. The Tootsie Roll Owl is part of the flying squad used to take down the Xobytes late in the movie, but it's not particularly noteworthy.

#19: Sonny The Cuckoo Bird: The mascot for Cocoa Puffs, Sonny's only role in the workprint is also as part of the flying squad used to take down the Xobytes. In the finished film, he was replaced with a character called "Jetpack Jeffery", some sort of elf with a big jetpack and an even bigger tumor sticking out of his head. I have no idea why- it's such an odd character design, and elves and jetpacks don't exactly mesh together well thematically.

#20: Mr Peanut: Mr Peanut, the Planters mascot, appears very briefly toward the end of the movie to hand Dex a message from Lord Flushington about their plan to take down Brand X. He doesn't say anything, and in the finished film it's instead Vlad Chocool who informs Dex about their plan. It really is wild how so many well-known mascots were in the movie at this point, compared to the finished film where most of the ones used are somewhat obscure.

#21: The Energizer Bunny: The Energizer Bunny, mascot for Energizer batteries, appears towards the end fighting off Brand X soldiers with some slick martial arts moves. While the Energizer Bunny does appear in the finished film (very briefly in crowd scenes) he never gets a chance to shine like he does here in the workprint, which is a shame because it would've been awesome to watch a tiny little rabbit beat the crap out of a bunch of grown men.

So that makes 21 appearances from real-world brand mascots in the workprint, only SLIGHTLY more than the finished film's count of 18. But the workprint has far more that are popular, recognizable and you'd actually see in most real grocery stores. The M&Ms, Pringles, Golden Crisp, Chiquita Banana. Compare that to Mr Bubble... Mama Celeste... Duncan Hines... you'd be forgiven for not even knowing who half of those are. Not that I necessarily think the movie would've been better if it had a scene where the M&Ms show up for 5 seconds to crack a penis joke, but I think it's a necessity if you're going to make a movie about a supermarket coming to life at night- for that premise to work you NEED to have characters and mascots you'd recognize from an actual supermarket, and so on that front the workprint succeeds where the finished film fails.

Seeing all these characters from existing grocery products makes Marketropolis actually FEEL like it's a supermarket rather than just a generic cartoon city. That being said, this whole thing is reminiscent of a kind of movie I've seen a lot of in recent years- I like to call them "Thing You Recognize" movies, because they're movies where they're clearly just showing off all the famous characters they own, in the hopes you'll like it because you saw a thing you recognized. You know what I mean, Ready Player One, The Flash, that horrible Space Jam sequel... they put Alex's Droogs from Clockwork Orange in the background of that one, like "Hey, remember the Droogs? You liked the Droogs, right?" And yeah, I liked the Droogs... when they were in A Clockwork Orange, not in your half-assed self-mastubatory children's basketball movie! I mean, what were they thinking? But I'm getting off topic now, and besides- Foodfight! isn't the cause of this kind of filmmaking, it's merely a symptom of it. I hope you enjoyed learning about all the cameos in this version of the film, and join me next time as I finish up my analysis of the Foodfight! Workprint!

#foodfight #dex dogtective #daredevil dan #m&ms #mr peanut #lady x #charlie tuna #pepperidge farm remembers #pringles #oscar mayer #chef boyardee #the california raisins #analysis

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misaki-toko · 1 year ago

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I went to see the Shiki Theater Company's cats in Nagoya on July 9th, so I reported it.

Ms.Saya's Jemima and Ms.Okudaira's Jellylorum sang "And who would ever suppose that... Was Grizabella the Glamor Cat?".

And they really mocked Ms. Kimura's character, Grizabella, and it was almost scary.

During the Macavity fight, Munkustrap, played by Kanamoto-san, made a very big threat of "Kah!!!". When I saw that scene, I thought, "He's completely a cat."

Kojima-san's Victoria, was so cute when her whole body was filled with an aura of joy during her solo dance.

↓ version without letters

#my art #劇団四季 #shiki cats #cats musical #gekidan shiki #キャッツ #cats japan #ヴィクトリア #ジェミマ #ジェリーロラム #マンカストラップ #shiki jemima #shiki victoria #jellylorum #cats munkustrap #report

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james-stark-the-writer · 1 year ago

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one quick note actually, Wollstonecraft can reason and understand why someone in a terrible state of poverty and with a horrible life could turn to stealing and justify that but not extend that same thought to why someone would do sex work? like ik Wollstonecraft doesn't expect you to agree with every thought Maria has but the weird slutshaming in this is grating when it seems to have so much empathy and understanding for the oppressed and marginalized in every other situation.

reading Mary Wollstonecraft's Maria, or The Wrongs of Woman bc i'm writing a paper on it for a class and jesus fucking christ i knew Wollstonecraft did not hold back at all in most cases and was very direct about her thoughts but my god this book is depressing as shit and really pointed criticism at just how much every system in society fails and traps women, literally and figuratively.

#james talks #mary wollstonecraft #maria or the wrongs of woman #james reads stuff #like ik Wollstonecraft is also making a point about how women keep other women down and Jemima's story had a whole thing about it--#but this isn't drawn attention to in the same way almost as if she's not understanding why someone would end up where SWers at the time did #it's just weird like i didn't expect Ms. Mary 'if you don't work you're useless to society' Wollstonecraft to be pro sex-work but to--#not even recognize that pattern is disappointing frankly and just a damn shame.

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angelfoodcake222 · 1 year ago

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Here's the Ms. Rabbitoid herself!

Another song that could have been her voice was Barbra Streisand's part of "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello Dolly instead of Anne's/June Foray's part of "Rag Dolly". I'm thinking of letting one be her default voice while the other is her voice when her emotions or herself is stressed somehow. Read on if you'd like.

Now, onto names. I had over eighty-some-odd choices to pick from but I trimmed them to this:

[If the image doesn't load or is lagging, have a typed list]

1) Ahira: Brother of the shepard/wrong/ unlucky.

2) Amasa: Burden.

3) Asa: Healer.

4) Bela: Devouring.

5) Bernice: she who brings victory.

6) Bethany: House of welcome.

7) Deborah: Bee.

8) Helah: Rusted.

9) Jael: wild mountain goat.

10) Janna: flourishing.

11) Jemima: dove.

12) Jordan: to flow down/ one who descends.

13) Mary: rebellian, bitter/ wished-for child.

14) Melea: supplied, supplying.

15) Ruth: friend, companion.

16) Sapphira: precious, beautiful.

17) Sheba: promise.

18) Shua: crying for help...

19) Zillah: shadow, shade.

20) Zina: [Greek] guest, stranger/[African] a secret spirit name...

I picked these because they sounded nice initially, but researching them sort of surprised me. Some of these fit so I'll just stick them to a wheel & spin the mess out of it. I'll have an expression sheet up sometime this week.

Have a sassy walking Jax for reading! 🙇‍♀️

#tadc oc #tadc fanart #tadc jax #any suggestions?#Any other names?

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russnightlife · 1 year ago

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For those who need it: a full list of every name in Toast of London. Credit here:

Full list of character names from the Toast of London Universe:

Steven Toast

Jane Plough

Ray Purchase

Kenton Schweppes

Ed Hauser Black

Goodhouse

Cliff Promise

Clem Fandango

Kikini Bamalam

Beezuz Fafoon

Susan Random

Jemima Gina

Kika Brite

Acker Herron

Greta Cargo

Royce Coolidge

Mr Fasili

Ellen Toast

Mick Carriage

Howard Bugawitz

Martin Aynuss

Senna Poddington

Ricky Seasack

Derek Sibling

Danny Bear

Portia De Coogan

Thomas Ledger

Strawberry Wrathbone

Lord Fotheringham

Toby Hopkinson-Finch

Blair Toast

Commander Scott Gorham

Russel House

Chris Bread

Roy Highnock

Sookie Houseboat

Brooke Hooberman

Yvonne Wryly

Kate Kahn

Hamilton Meathouse

Poshdong Mingemuncher

Nick Swivney

Wendy Nook

Linda Praise

Warren Organ

Thumper

Lola

Paige

Ruby

Norris Flipjack

Duncan Clench

Bob Fennison

Mr. Cockatip

Ken Suggestion

Penny Traitor

Dennis Thwaits

Betty Pimples

Axel Jacklin

Basil Jet

Parker Pipe

Kerry Hammersnag

Sterling Porridge

Max Gland

Lindy Makehouse

Colin Skittles

Jackie Paper

Honeysuckle

Francis Bacon

Lorna Wynde

Una Length

Rob Continental

Sue Pressure

Peggy Plywood

Scott Chesnut

Penvelope

Rupert Howser Black

Col. Gonville Toast

Clancy Moped

Vic Titball

Pookie Hook

Bob Monkhouse

Larry Muggins

Dennis Fog

Derek Bildings

Shane Fulorgy

Frank Zammer

Ormand Sacker

Varity Map

Bill Purchase

Tony Excalibur

Champion House

Cocker Boo

Michael Prance

Church Weaver

Heathcote Pursuit

Kay Tightneck

Iqbal Achieve

Basil Watchfair

Nan Slack

Peanut Whistle

Dick Weerdly

Sal Commotion

Giuseppe Race

Howard Blackcap

Daz Klondike

Kai

Sola Mirrornek

Sue Pepkins

Neil Doobla-Decca

Des Wigwam

Dr Harold Shitman

Les Tipi

Chris Marquee

Rob Scouthut

Russ Nightlife

Kenny Ethnic

Hercule Razamataz

Ray Sober

Romley Compton

Dwight Difference

Billy Tarzana

Nina Armenian

Edward Fox

Shepherd Jerbîl

Professor Map

Sonny Sam Disco

Weech Beacon

Liberty Jerbil

Ben Egyptian

Jennifyer Madraass

Snorky

Will Willis

Phyllis Willis

Carmen

Richard Chickentoss

Hoop Kaaak

Ms Wisehunt

Mrs Greenflash

Bellender Bojangles

Barney

Hayley

Blondie

Gypsy

Old Timer Bill

Wildcat Lil

Doc Brown

Rusty Halloween

Agent Saucepan

Sorry Johnson

Wallace

Kelsey Perfume

Frank Succession

Tycoon Lancaster

Jesus Bond

August Burdock

Clint Legal

Tony Fabrizio

Hawk Fahrenheit

Mews Frumpty

Frank Forfolk

Chelsea Bladdersby

Oswald Mosley

Kate Lethargy

Fancy Alexander

Dinky Critenbers

Pig Shovely

Billy Stylish

Sir Norman Brocktight

Basil Stillborn

Kimberly Banana

DI Leonard Chaffich

Una Stubbs

Surely Residue

Warren Organ

Hissy Oversight

Ms. Crawshaft

Merrody Ferrybank

Allan Chance

Doug Birka

Martin Shore

Lolly Badcock

Jill Quear

Vigo Typhoon

Danny Laroux

Cool Black

S’en hammerstad

Gerald Selfish

Peter Nose

David Geurring

Haneth khorishi

Baz Ravish

Enty Strepsils

Comma Dora Green

Vaginta Staples

Aalan Aadams

Harvey Motel

Peter Thatchelwaite

Ryslip Tyres Dot Com

Donald Suckling

Stuart Pringle

Susan Bench

Cliff Stalways

Billy Sprayman

Trevor McGuelish

Earnest Gangly

Sydney Shipton

Barry Bouffant

Drayton Curfew

Septum Crowbar

Dick Circus

Liz Pulp

Rob Darby

Vanessa Fence

Vince Kendal

Mac Darby

Sally Joint

Welk Ashby

Maggie Gail

David Hammod

Leo Seer

Kit Blackcheek

Jackie Kak

Howard Tissue

Albert Eichborn

Peter Swaff

Rob Bonnet

Perry Bluehouse

Lee Bacon

Connie Sheik

Cliff Bonanza

Rula Bingo

Oliver Whasson

Watkins Winchester

Warwick Kineer

Ruth Lingum

Adam Haalal

Lionel Harshmaker

Gary the Plumber

Royce

#toast of london #toast of tinseltown #steven toast

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wamtorical · 1 year ago

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January 1898

Jemima wasn't nervous for school. She knew her mother worried for her wellbeing, but the world was about to become a lot more interesting and Jemima couldn't wait to meet more children her age. She'd already introduced herself to Minnie and Walter Reed, children of family friend and practically second aunt, Alma. They were nice, but slightly too co-dependant on each other; they were twins, after all. It was enough to make her feel left out.

The youngest of the Miller household next door was poor old Leonard Miller. Only a single year older, Leonard harnessed a very peculiar physical attribute - much like herself - in the form of what her mother called a 'lazy eye'. When Jemima heard about this, she was eager to meet the boy but to her disappointment, he did not return her wishes. She later found out Leonard despised going outside and letting anyone but his siblings see him, which Jemima couldn't understand whatsoever, but respected it nontheless. She would see him at school anyways. Other than them and Leonard's slightly older sister, Samantha, that was about it when it came to Jemima's friendships. She had two younger brothers to keep her entertained, after all.

Actually being there was a lot more daunting than she'd thought. Unfamiliar faces surrounded the building, all early and eager to learn - or rather making friends, as Jemima herself wasn't too excited to study anyhow. Not everyone was there, so she assured herself that the only reason the place was stacked with boys at the current time was because all the other girls had yet to arrive. And then she heard a voice calling after her.

"Hey, look!"

"Are you a burn victim?" the blonde boy sneered. Jemima had come to the realisation that this was, most likely, what her mother had feared most.

"N-no ..." She mumbled in response.

"That's enough, Luke! You promised mother you'd behave!" the brunette (and seemingly his brother) next to him said, rising to her defense.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"That's obscene!" shouted the girl in the pink dress from across the grounds. Whilst Jemima had her supporters, the sheer amount of giggles that came out of Luke's remark didn't go unheard.

Just as he was about to talk back and undoubtedly throw another insult at her, Ms. Allenborgh - their full-time teacher - appeared from what seemed like thin air. Or maybe everyone was just too distracted to notice her arrival.

"Will someone be so kind as to inform me what's going on here?" Ms. Allenborgh asked, raising her voice so to announce her presence. That got him to shut up.

Cedric (as she'd soon learn was his name) offered to sit next to her, and after he'd come to her defense Jemima found it hard to say no. He seemed a nice boy, anyways.

"I'm terribly sorry about my brother. He's always causing mischief - I hope you weren't too effected by his words."

She stayed silent and pondered to herself, asking the same question. It came out of nowhere, that was for sure, but something inside Jemima churned uncomfortably. She couldn't let this stupid, ignorant boy get to her. In fact, it was embarassing to think that while he stood and ridiculed her, she did nothing. No; Jemima Pence would not let this boy hurt her feelings, and he would not ruin her first day of school. Not on her or anyones watch.

📜 next / previous / first

#The Pence legacy #ts4 decades challenge #Jemima pence #1890spence #pencelegacy #1898 #ts4 #1890s

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theimpossiblescheme · 1 year ago

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The entire village assumed that Ms. Grenaway was a witch, and this amused Tantomile to no end. Her mistress was the most painfully mundane, non-magical human she had ever met in this current life, with almost childishly dull eyes bereft of any glimpses of far-off cosmos or primordial sea, a voice that trembled with the age of a single lifetime, thoughts you could only sense if she spoke them aloud, and hands that only warmed if she held them over the stove too long. There was no hint of the spark, the little simmer of two charged souls recognizing each other, that she felt every time Mistoffelees or Hathor or little Jemima came to visit, and of course none of the resonance she felt with Coricopat. In fact, what she could see of the old woman’s soul was the same limp, watery color as any other human. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in Tanto’s eyes. It didn’t cancel out her excellent palate for chicken and seafood, her valiant attempts at conversation (humans didn’t have the tongue for it, bless them, but the effort was appreciated), and her lovely home with plenty of sunny patches and cozy dark crannies. It simply was--she no more expected magic from any human than she expected wings from any cow.

However, according to most humans, there was something odd about an unmarried, rather reclusive woman living off the beaten path in an old house with a sprawling, “overgrown” garden (and multiple cats, no less!). That, too, might have been a neutral statement, but different humans had different feelings on the matter. Adults, Tanto noticed, tended to be a lot more tentative. She heard quite a few whispers past the front gate about how “unnatural” it was, about how “a woman her age really ought to have settled down”... a ridiculous notion on its face. She’d like to hear someone tell Hathor she ought to drop her current life and find a mate just for the sake of having one. Many of the women commented how “sad” and “terribly lonely” Ms. Grenaway must be, as if she didn’t enjoy the company of her cats and her roommate, dear Mr. Lewis, perfectly well or find any contentment in her work. Even the humans who came to buy her herbal remedies treated it like something unsavory. It couldn’t be simpler in Tanto’s eyes–ginkgo for the heart, elderberry for the head and lungs, St. John’s Wort for sleep, turmeric for pain, and parsley for the blood and liver. No different than what she would give any of the Junkyard cats who came looking for healing (the rosemary for grey hair was quite another matter, and she resolved to study those effects a little closer to settle her skepticism). But so many humans held their newly-sold bottles and boxes like they were bombs about to go off. For all their head-shaking and finger-waggling about “superstition” and “unscientific nonsense”, they were certainly willing to give a great deal of money away, only to treat a handful of herbs like something sinister. Tanto couldn’t understand it and didn’t feel any great urge to waste her time trying.

The children, on the other paw… children had a very different reaction. Tanto noticed that their whispers about Ms. Grenaway’s so-called “powers” came with a hint of excitement, the same kind she’d hear from the kittens telling each other stories on the rubbish piles. One boy had insisted that she never married because she turned all her prospective husbands to toads for this or that offense, which gave Tanto a good chuckle at the mental image. A pair of sisters assumed the house was haunted and assigned her far greater abilities as a medium than she had in reality. And one imaginative little chap wondered where she kept her familiar, which they imagined to be a little devil or dragon that rode around on her shoulder. Sometimes they would flock together at the very end of the path or, if they were feeling bold, right up next to the front gate, hoping to catch a glimpse. And sometimes, if she had some free time and felt a more whimsical mood overtake her, Ms. Grenaway would invite them in for tea. She’d brew up enough chamomile and lavender and bake enough fruit cobbler to feed Jennyanydots’ entire class and sit the little ones down in the kitchen, answering questions and spinning yarns Gus would be proud of and letting them look at all her stock as they lay drying. There were always a few who took a genuine interest in what all the herbs and flowers did, and Tanto would drape herself around her human’s neck like a scarf as she gave an explanation. And those same few she could always rely on to give exemplary chin and ear scratches. If only they knew, if only she could tell them where the true magic of the house came from…

At the very least, she mused, she would have no shortage of stories for Coricopat later.

#Told you I'd write more about Tanto and Cori's owners one day <3 #cats the musical #tantomile

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long-suffering-little-spoon · 1 year ago

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Me and my friends' School of Rock headcanons!

Most of these are inside jokes that we somehow incorporated into the characters.

Ms Sheinkopf (me!):

Her name is Emma and she's a 32 y/o lesbian

She teaches a subject that everyone hates, like Maths or Geography or smth

She tolerates most of the kids although she still yells at them, but she can't stand Freddie (she pokes him during Alma Mater) and Summer loves her and they get on the best

She goes to arts and crafts clubs!

Mr Green:

His name's Oscar and he's about 40

He's a trans man!

He teaches Chemistry

He's just a deeply awkward guy (Dewey goes to give him a fist bump and he tries to shake his closed fist)

Him and Sheinkopf are besties. They gossip together

Zach:

His full name is Zachariah Jebediah Mooneyham

He's bisexual but doesn't plan on coming out

He's a FNAF kid

When he's older he becomes a drag queen called Zach Mayhem (who I like so much that I drew her lmao)

Tomika (and Chanel):

She does the cha-cha slide in her free time

Tomika was doublecast! When Tomika 1 isn't Tomika she's Chanel, who is "Batman but a girl. And she's adopted."

Summer (and Jemima):

Summer was also doublecast

When Summer 2 isn't Summer, she's Jemima

Summer 2 earned her power via respect and responsibility; Summer 1 earned hers through fear (She pushes Freddie and some of the other kids in Time to Play and is just generally much more aggressive)

Mr (Mrs) Mooneyham:

(She was played as a woman in our production)

Zach's dad is her fourth husband. He mysteriously disappeared and she inherited his fortune

She wears all the wedding rings from her previous marriages

Might explain some of these at a later date, idk. Plus I'll post some of my Zach Mayhem drawings because I love her

#headcanon #school of rock #liz's catholic school of rock saga

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stereogeekspodcast · 26 days ago

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[Transcript] Season 5, Episode 5. Empire Waist Review

Empire Waist is a teen comedy-drama about loving yourself and your fat body, just the way your are. The Stereo Geeks fell head over heels in love with the empowering and heartfelt film. In this non-spoiler review, Ron and Mon share their thoughts on the film, why a film like Empire Waist is so needed, and what it means to see yourself represented onscreen.

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

Still from Empire Waist.

Ron: Hello and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks. Today, we’re reviewing the young adult comedy-drama, Empire Waist. I’m Ron.

Mon: And I’m Mon.

Ron: This review will not contain any spoilers so feel free to listen and then watch the film. Because you’re going to love it! Empire Waist is written and directed by Claire Ayoub. The film follows Lenore Miller, played by Mia Kaplan, a fat teenager who has been told all her life to shrink herself and be invisible. But when she meets Kayla, played by Jemima Yevu, a fellow student who is proudly fat and fabulous, Lenore’s world is turned upside down, as is her confidence.

Mon: So, I had not even heard of Empire Waist till the team at Kino reached out to me, inviting me to the Digital Premiere of the film. I’ve also not heard of Kino, which is an app for streaming premiere events that include cast chats. It took one quick skim of the synopsis for me to be like, oh yeah, I need to check this out.

Ron: I’ve been looking forward to Empire Waist since I first heard about it from fat activists I follow online. But I didn’t even know this film had already been screening in theatres. The last couple of months have been super busy but where on earth was the marketing? I thought it was going to be out later in the year. If I had missed this film, I would have been really upset. It’s still so rare to see fat characters on screen. To have a film that’s about being fat and taking joy in one’s fat body? I would have hated missing it. I’m so glad Kino reached out to you so we knew this film was available to watch.

Mon: Yeah, me too. I’m wary of high school films because it’s so far in the past for us, but what a lot of films and stories about any demographic gets wrong is that the story and feelings and growth should still feel universal. It should resonate with anyone and everyone watching. Empire Waist certainly does that. The focus may be on these teenagers finding themselves and getting over the hurdles high school, aka the world, throws at them, but their experiences are a microcosm of what we all have faced and do face.

Mon: So, in the film, we’re introduced to Lenore through her closet of hidden clothing – clothing that she’s made. We learn along the way why these clothes are hidden and how important designing is, not only to her, but to the people who are about to be pulled into her orbit.

Ok, let me rephrase that – once Kayla enters Lenore’s world, she’s like the freaking sun pulling people in. Kayla’s amazing. I love this character. But more than that, I love how Jemima Yevu plays the character. She’s loud, rambunctious, funny, sweet. If Yevu does not have this skyrocketing career in comedy and romance, I will be upset!

Ron: Jemima gives Kayla many memorable moments but there’s one that I absolutely adored. A fool tries to bully Kayla about her weight and Kayla does this incredible fake-crying-shocked face and is all astounded that she’s being called ‘fat’. I swear, the number of times I’ve wanted to have this exact reaction when someone comes up to us to talk about our weight. Do people honestly think fat people don’t know they’re fat? Like this fool is the first person to bring it to our attention? Making them feel small by overacting to that degree is exactly what they deserve.

Mon: That’s what I call a power fantasy!

Mon: And I want to talk about Ms Hall, played by Jolene Purdy. I mean, how can you not love this woman? First of all, she’s cute as a button with the best dress sense, but she’s so kind and invested in Lenore’s happiness. But, Ms. Hall is invested in a non-creepy way – she doesn’t push Lenore’s boundaries, she’s there to encourage her and be supportive. I love this character so much.

Ron: Yes! I love Ms Hall. May we all get a Ms Hall in our lives. She’s so understanding and she just wants to build friendships among her students. She’s not at all pushy but she does tell the bullies off. Jolene Purdy was such a delight to watch in this film.

Mon: I gotta say, I can’t believe Mia Kaplan, the main actor (though in reality Jemima Yevu as Kayla is the star of this film), revealed that they’re an extrovert in real life. That does not come across in this film, and that’s down to some superb acting. Kaplan perfectly captures the brokenness of someone who hates themselves and wants to disappear. And you see how Lenore is changing with her voice and smile becoming bigger and more confident. Wow, what a way to carry a film.

Ron: I think a lot of fat people will see themselves in Mia’s performance of Lenore. Kayla is very aspirational – she’s the fat person we’d all like to be, except for one horrible incident near the end of the film. But Lenore is how a lot of us went through life. The dark clothes, head down, no eye contact, introverted, terrified to express ourselves. I’m also surprised that Kaplan revealed they’re an extrovert. They captured introversion perfectly!

Mon: Yep, yep. And this is why you need more than one character representing an entire community in a story. No community is a monolith, and this film shows that.

Ron: Watching Empire Waist made me realise why I had so little interest in teen films when we were teens. There was a dearth of characters who looked like us. So the stories we were being shown had nothing to do with our experiences or journeys. But this film, and excuse me for being corny, it made me feel seen. I heard dialogue in this film that I’ve heard my brain say to itself. I saw character arcs that reflected so much of my lived experience. I went through a journey watching this film that, as a fat person, we go through regularly. Loving yourself, hating yourself, wanting to be thin, accepting that fat is a body type that doesn’t deserve hate.

Mon: I love the central message of the film – about loving oneself as you are. We have dealt with that kind of message in a few other stories, but the people saying them… well, they’re usually these Hollywood types, with conventional shapes and looks. Now, I understand that anybody and everybody can feel insecure in themselves, especially in a society that is created to break you down, but there’s privilege in looking a certain way, and if only those people get to enjoy loving themselves as they are, then the message is still the same – you need to look a certain way to deserve to love yourself.

Ron: Let’s dig into that. Insecurity is built in, especially for women. Societal expectations of how women should look, act, do, and how much space they should take up? We all experience that. But the degrees to which we experience those expectations are wildly different when you inhabit a fat body. So many people in the world are trying so hard to fight against hate but it often feels like fat bodies are still acceptable to hate, to punish, to laugh at. Now, I’m not saying that the world is perfect for everyone else. But fatphobia is accepted, even encouraged, by many people. Even, maybe especially, in the medical community. Somebody who’s thin, or even mid-sized, doesn’t have to fear going to the doctor as much as fat people do. It’s these experiences that make insecurities as a fat woman so different than those experienced by straight-sized or even small-fat people.

Mon: Yes, and the cast mentioned that, especially Jolene Purdy, in the after-screening talk. Purdy has dealt with that bullying, but so has her daughter, from people and the medical community. Fascinating to hear that from someone who is on our screens – I mean, Purdy was in a huge show like WandaVision – yet, she still has to fight for her daughter’s rights as a fat child. Ridiculous.

Ron: Another thing that I want to mention here, and I love how subtly the film addresses it, is that some people are just fat. Fatness is attributed to a moral failing, a lack of discipline, which is why it continues to be a bastion of hate. But human bodies are different. Some people’s bodies are thin, no matter what they eat or how little they exercise. Other bodies are fat, no matter how many small salads they eat or how often they exercise.

Mon: Yes, so it’s super interesting that the two main characters, Lenore and Kayla, who are both fat, mention that they gained a ton of weight as tweens – basically, they hit puberty and got fat. This is so important for people to see and hear. I don’t know what causes this to happen, but puberty, hormones, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, all that strikes around 11-13. And it strikes female bodies. Nothing one does seems to get the weight off, and nothing keeps it off permanently. It’s a constant struggle, and there’s no shame in giving up, as both Lenore and Kayla do, because you’re doing more damage physically and mentally with the dieting and exercise, than not.

Ron: Lenore and Kayla come from straight-sized families – they’re the only people who are fat in their families. And it’s impossible for their parents to understand their experiences because if you haven’t gone through the world as a fat person, your imagination can’t even begin to fill in the gaps of that existence.

Ron: One of the most interesting subplots in Empire Waist is the mother-daughter relationship. Lenore’s mother, Rachel, played by Missi Pyle, is a thin woman. She’s constantly working out. She has a strict diet and she controls Lenore’s food. As the film progresses, we get to understand where Rachel is coming from with this control – she’s basically doing to Lenore what her mother did to her. Except for Rachel, whatever she tried to do worked. Rachel is thin. She hates working out and diets but it’s worked for her. For Lenore, and so many fat people, it doesn’t work. And for Rachel, that’s not just Lenore’s failure, it’s hers.

Mon: Diet culture, man, the worst. Writer-director Claire Ayoub mentioned at the cast panel after the screening how early dieting leads to a lot of eating disorders for people. That’s what’s unhealthy.

Ron: During the pandemic, I found a few fat podcasts that have really helped me come to terms with fat bodies and loving my body. Sadly, a lot of them have gone off air, but their episodes can still be found. I highly recommend Maintenance Phase, which is still going, but also Fatties Talk Back, a short-lived but excellent podcast about fatness and disability. One of the podcasts that is no longer on air was She’s All Fat. In a later episode, one of the hosts invited her mom to have a frank conversation about dieting when the host was a teenager. And the mother mentioned how she was just trying to adhere to the conventional wisdom of the time to stop her daughter becoming fat. But that caused a lot of pain. Empire Waist captured that very real story through Rachel and Lenore’s relationship.

Ron: I also want to mention the dad character. Rainn Wilson plays Mark, Lenore’s dad. He’s her champion. He’s the reason Lenore loves designing. He doesn’t want to restrict her eating or force her to work out. But he’s also unable to stand up to his wife. For all his love and affection for his daughter, he doesn’t intervene on her behalf. He still wants to be the fun parent – let Rachel be the bad guy. But it’s not a great way for a child to grow up – she’s getting mixed messages.

Mon: One thing I noticed was that the dude characters in this film, they’re kinda cowardly, right? They’re scared to stand up for anything, that was an interesting choice.

Ron: Lenore’s love interest, Charlie, played by Aric Floyd, is probably the only man with a backbone in this film. He makes some mistakes but he never causes hurt.

Mon: Yeah, Charlie’s mistakes are cute – he’s not offensive, he’s just a smitten kid.

Ron: Charlie also isn’t in positions where he has to stand up for Lenore or Kayla or their group. He’s by their side but there’s no active fighting involved. The other men though, when they’re asked to fight for the fat ladies, turn out to be complete disappointments.

Mon: Yeah, totally.

Mon: While watching this film I was thinking about the Rebel Wilson-directed film I watched at TIFF this year, The Deb.

Ron: Yes, I wanted to see how you would compare Empire Waist to The Deb. I haven’t seen that yet.

Mon: I reviewed The Deb at WWAC – there are some similarities between the two. The Deb is also about young adults, bullying, dressing beautifully and loving oneself, but my issue with that film had been that we only had the one plus-sized character; everyone else was really thin or slim. I’d argue that Empire Waist is a step above so many other stories dealing with body positivity because the film intentionally casts multiple fat people as fat characters. I love that about this film. I mean, we meet Lenore in the first scene, but you and I literally gasped out loud when Kayla blasts through the classroom door, because, a) she’s the polar opposite of Lenore’s shy, cowed self, and b) because we weren’t expecting a story about a fat teenager to include… get this, two fat teenagers!

Ron: Yes. Two fat teens in one film? And the Earth’s still spinning? Say it isn’t so! Jokes aside, when Kayla appeared, and yes, we gasped out loud, but how can you not? The confidence. The fabulousness. The beauty. We all wish we could be Kayla. But in all honesty, I wish we’d had a Kayla when we were in school. In a way, as you said while watching this film, we were lucky to have each other. I can’t imagine going through school as the only fat girl.

Mon: When you watch a film like Empire Waist, which has three fat characters wearing a range of amazing clothing and being very different people, and you’re like, wait, why isn’t this the norm? It’s so easy to have these plus-size people in the film. While Lenore and Kayla’s storylines are connected to being fat, their teacher Ms. Hall’s story has nothing to do with her body shape. She’s an amazing person and super-kind, and she just happens to be fat. We should have that all the time.

Ron: We should talk about the clothes. After all, that’s the driving force of this film.

Mon: We should. A lot of them we wouldn’t wear, because there were a lot of dresses on here. But of course, that’s just us. We’re pants people – for the Brits listening, we mean trousers. But the colours and cuts, can’t argue with that. I’m not a fashion person, but we have always always always struggled to find nice clothes to wear, so this film is like a fantasy – your own personal tailor making you amazing clothes to fit your body.

Ron: Yes. Show me a fat person, or a person with a disability who hasn’t struggled to find clothes. I’ve accompanied non-fat friends as they’ve gone shopping and have marveled at their ability to walk into any store to buy clothes. All they have to worry about is the design of the clothes and the price – other than that, the clothing world is their oyster. Us? One store in the entire city. And the prices are through the roof. It’s like living on a different planet.

Ron: Watching Lenore make these beautiful, colourful clothes that perfectly fit her friends’ diverse bodies, it was cathartic. As fat teenagers, our clothing choices mostly were black and baggy, or the alternate choice, brown and baggy. We thought huge denim shirts were a godsend for the longest time! Colourful, figure-hugging clothes? Who could imagine such a thing?

Mon: I’m so glad our wardrobes have improved, but it’s an uphill, and annoyingly expensive, battle to fill our closets, even now.

Mon: I keep trying to dig around for some criticisms of this film, and I’m blanking. Like, I loved Empire Waist so much.

Ron: I tried to put my critical thinking cap on. And I’m usually able to do that, whether I love a film or not. But with Empire Waist, I can’t think of anything I’d change. The dialogue is smooth, hilarious, heart-felt, and real. The chemistry between the cast is believable and enjoyable. I awww-ed so many times seeing Lenore and Kayla’s friendship blossom on screen. I think I finally realise why so many people are uncritical of films. When the majority of films are catering to your lived experience, you don’t need to be critical.

Mon: So true. I’m so glad we got to watch Empire Waist. But this isn’t enough. One movie that’s got hardly any marketing isn’t enough to showcase how important a story about plus-size people, especially women and girls, is. We need more – and we need more fat people in stories that have nothing to do with their fatness. It’s like that one episode of The Mandalorian that had fat people in it, and they weren’t hideous bad guys. I wrote about the importance of that episode for Huffpost, but there hasn’t been much change when it comes to fat representation in sci-fi and fantasy since that episode came out. I’d really love for films and tv to normalize fat bodies, because they exist and live and just go about enjoying life. Show that to people, because that’s the only way to humanize the invisible.

Ron: Go watch Empire Waist. It doesn’t matter what size you are, you’re going to get a lot from this film. But if you’re a fat person, you’re really going to love its message of empowerment and loving yourself just the way you are. Because you’re fat and you’re beautiful.

#stereo geeks #podcast #empire waist #mia kaplan #jemima yevu #film review #fat positivity #fat acceptance

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