#Satirical comedy my beloved

[probablyanalienindisguise]

you made a post about it today but i want that bug sona of yours carnally i want it to **** on my **** till **** *** *****

I am them and they are me

[dogydayz]

I SCRAMBLED ONTO TUMBLR BECAUSE I JUST NEEDED TO EXPRESS THAT I SPENT 5 WHOLE MINUTES REELING FROM THE TOMATOPOTOMAS JOKE FROM SONIC BOOM HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT WHOLE SHOW IS JUST THEM TAKING THE PISS OUTTA SHIT AND I LOVE IT SO FUCKING MUCH

[kidukami]

☾┅ about me ┅ ☽

hi, call me mika! i'm 21+ and i go by they/them pronouns. i'm a se asian writer + aspiring literary translator based in the uk. this post is essentially a writeblr reintroduction as i am starting anew in the community with this blog, and i'm really excited to share my wips and connect with all you lovely writers out there! i'm also tag and/or interaction friendly (although my reply speed is... not the best especially for tag/ask games, but i'm trying!), so please don't be afraid to say hi ♡

☾┅ writing interests ┅ ☽

important note: my works may contain mature and potentially triggering topics. viewer discretion is advised.

╳ i'm mainly a prose fiction writer, although i may dabble in scriptwriting and poetry at times. ╳ genres: speculative fiction, historical fiction, thriller, literary fiction. ╳ themes: sociopolitical commentary, satire, dark comedy, angst/tragedy, tragicomedy, morally grey characters, queer romance. ╳ open to reading all genre and themes! you're more than welcome to reblog this with your wips or tag me in them, whether or not they feature any of the above. the above lists are not exhaustive because to this day i still don't know how my writing brain works. ╳ i take plenty of writing-related requests (beta/proofreading, critique, collabs, translation work, etc.)! please refer to my carrd for more info, or contact me directly for inquiries.

☾┅ main wips ┅ ☽

will o' the wisp :: adult sci-fi/thriller novel. ╳ award-winning talk show host and journalist noe crane is constantly treading a tightrope as he assumes his secret vigilante identity behind closed doors, but things get worse when his past comes back to haunt him. ╳ features: tragicomedy, morally grey characters, lgbt+ characters, complex relationships, modern setting, superpowers, conspiracies ╳ wip intro here!

the duña duology :: adult weird fiction duology. ╳ a troubled man in his 30s attempts to escape from his past and seeks refuge in a run-down inn, only to find himself caught up in a dangerous conspiracy against the world. ╳ features: adult (30+) characters, unlikeable protagonist, multiple universes, high concept, complex worldbuilding, retrofuturism, found family, conspiracies, aliens (?) wip intro coming soon! message if you want to be tagged.

a history of the tenshima gang feud (working title) :: new adult sci-fi/romance novel. ╳ when a national museum tour guide somehow travels back to the city's deadliest era in history as one of its disgraced figures, he will soon find that his beloved city isn't what it claims itself to be. ╳ features: time travel, alternate future, fictional setting, criminal underworld, ensemble cast, sociopolitical commentary, morally grey characters, lgbt+ characters, love triangle, lovers to enemies, friends to lovers, mcd, tragedy wip intro coming soon! message if you want to be tagged.

lilium carnage :: historical steampunk visual novel (collab with @nana7esque) ╳ four characters on two sides of the same coin. each of them are determined to deliver their own justice in the corrupted land of navona, even at the cost of their own lives, but little do they know that there will always be a bigger price to pay. ╳ features: alternate history, fictional setting, choice-based story, multiple endings, morally grey characters, lgbt+ characters, tragedy, enemies to lovers, complex chara dynamics wip intro coming soon! message if you want to be tagged.

☾┅ side wips ┅ ☽

shelved wips, wip ideas i have yet to develop, etc.

╳ by the kiss of the sleeping night :: thriller/romance webtoon collab with @nana7esque ╳ retelling of the nyi roro kidul myth ╳ modern setting character-driven script with each characters being an allegory to the seven deadly sins

feel free to interact with this post especially if you're also a writeblr! ♡

[birdmitosis]

Contrarian for the character bingo?

SO MANY BINGO !!!

(Seriously, that's at least four, five if you count getting all four corners...)

Look. Okay. I know I give way more attention to Paranoid. And I know I said that if Paranoid wasn't my blorbo, Cold probably would be. But that's only probably because there's this motherfucker-- (very very positive)

I love Contrarian. They are so good, they are so entertaining in every chapter they show up in (I'm not as big a fan of them in Wild if you take the Networked route, but whoo I turn around on them in that chapter if you go Wounded!), they have such amazing character development that it caught me totally off guard... I love them and I love all their character relationships, tbh.

(By which I mean, ContraHero is one of my TOP OTPs -- Shining Court my beloved -- secondary only to ParaCold, but I also ship BrokeContra/Sock and Buskin, CheatContra/Wildcard, ContraCold/Dark Comedy, ContrOpp/Yes And, specifically Swap AU!ContraPara/Whodunit, Contrarrator/Satire, ContraHeroNarrator, Contrarian/Stranger, ContraHeroWild [specifically Wounded], and various other OT3s [usually involving Hero] at least a little bit... But I also really love and want to see Contrarian's platonic bonds with all of those characters develop, as well as Contrarian & Skeptic, Contrarian & Smitten, Contrarian & Witch/Thorn, Contrarian & Fury/Adversary, Contrarian & Spectre, Contrarian & Damsel... Just a lot of dynamics I'd love to see explored!)

Also, absolutely "they didn't get bullied enough" but by that I mean that I am so glad Fury's getting expanded on and ALSO! Also!! I hope so much that we can get them in one of the new Chapter IIIs!!!!!

(Plus, just as a side note... Wow I love that everyone's given Contrarian the jester aesthetic. True and correct and makes me even more biased towards them... Jesters have gotta be one of my favorite genders <3)

[susandsnell]

What are your top five horror movies?

<3 thanks so much for sending this Mira! while some of my answers may appear a bit obvious in hindsight, narrowing it down to my top 5 was a lot more challenging than I thought!

Top Five Horror Movies!

Under the cut because I can be a wordy bastard!

5. Noroi: The Curse (2005), dir. Kōji Shiraishi: Ultimately, it came down to Noroi for me over Blair Witch because the mockumentary style lends it a lot more cohesion as a narrative and a very polished feel. Some cheesy effects notwithstanding, Noroi hits the platonic ideal of found footage in that it utilizes its multimedia elements and medium to craft a classic ghost story grounded and entrenched in modernity. I'm obsessed with the role of the archivist/the use of documentation in horror (as I've talked about many times, and as is the appeal of Dracula and countless other works), and that's on full display here with the pieces of the mystery coming together through reality television clips, talking head interviews, and a video-within-a-video archiving a ritual gone very wrong. The storytelling is methodical, spreading out the scares sparingly yet threading them together with such a crushing sense of dread. Like other works of Japanese horror, the thematic battle between the mythic and modernity, the consequences of modern alienation over the collective, and urbanization encroaching on the natural are at the forefront of the film, but the found footage conventions imbue it with such a subtlety you're too focused on the characters and their plight to even catch onto this on first viewing. (Should the spiritual be trifled with? Should the natural world give way to modern development? Should the outcast or the outstanding be made a spectacle of by those more integrated into society?) On that note, you grow an attachment to every single one of the characters and are right there with them trying to solve the mystery and hoping against hope they will prevail. And the atmosphere makes this one an absolute must for October watches; shades of analog horror used sparingly and delightfully, all the wanderings of Blair Witch, the supernatural desperation of Ringu/The Ring, and something that's just all its own. Some argue that found footage horror is stylistically limiting, but Noroi showcases what it can be at its best - that is, the bare-bones terror of stumbling on something horrific in broad daylight, and catching it on tape.

4. American Psycho (2000), dir. Mary Harron: The best horror comedy out there to date! This satirical send-up of yuppie culture and consumerism's lending itself to the desensitization and dehumanization of oneself and others in the quest for meaning in a society where it all comes down to capital is beloved with good reason. Genuinely hysterical kills and endlessly quotable scenes aside, the use of music in this piece is a masterstroke that many other films utilizing needle drops have only barely tried to imitate, and it remains one of the most effective presentations/deconstructions of misogyny put to film. Christian Bale is at his best here, leading a whole cast who's at the top of their game; each scare is played to perfection, and I even love the ambiguity of the controversial ending - it serves to drive home the futility and meaninglessness the whole film slowly but surely draws back the curtain on as the underbelly of the life of the hyper-successful during the era. The final conversation being about Reagan drives it all home in a way that plays as a bit on the nose today, but like with the more provocative or controversial moments, is so delightfully so you can't help but dance along to Huey Lewis. 3. The Fly (1986), dir. David Cronenberg: Cronenberg's masterpiece! A guttingly romantic Kafkaesque tale of illness horror, reflective of the time's anxieties around the AIDS crisis but also classic horror themes of scientific hubris and shades of Faust and of course, Cronenberg's preoccupation with abjection of the body, this film is truly one-of-a-kind. The fear of intimacy and fear of illness, the destruction of your lover (all contextualized with deeper tragedy by the era in which the film was made) are woven together so deftly in a film that uses classic B-movie conventions to strike upon deeper truths while also remaining hilariously funny. Cronenberg is by no means subtle, but in an age where every horror film feels the need to not only be About Something but announce it's About Something and hamfistedness is the name of the game, I really do appreciate the elegance in the commentary on gender politics, relying on symbolism and the characters' relationship dynamics to convey ideas of toxic masculinity and female autonomy and queerness and alienation. It's sexy, it's wrenchingly sad, it's the absolute best.

2. Hereditary (2018), dir. Ari Aster: Aster's nearly-instant popularity has lent all his films greater scrutiny, but this film blew me away the first time I saw it. Toni Colette gives a tour de force (and frankly, Oscar-snubbed) lead performance as a disturbed grieving mother seemingly unable to escape the patterns of fear and abuse that make the 'family curse' that is the subject of this film take on dimensions all its own. The portrayal of grief as horror is something that speaks to me very personally, and this gorgeously shot work presents this concept at its most poignant. Everyone and their mother (please imagine Toni Colette barking the word with pure venom) has talked about the end of the first act 'twist', but the execution rocked me to my core upon first viewing. I will never forget the way the pit of my stomach dropped out watching the lingering shot of Peter's empty, frozen face drag out for over a full minute. Gore and jumpscares abound as is an Ari Aster mainstay, but they're used effectively here; what takes centre stage is the characters and their relationships, performed to pitch perfection by every single actor. Alex Wolff deserves a particular shout-out, balancing teenage ne'er-do-well impassiveness with the warmth of a genuinely caring big brother until the great tragedy and the slow, encroaching terrors of its aftermath slowly but surely push him into a regressive, childlike state of terror. It's about grief, it's about the family curse and family secrets, it's about becoming your parent, your grandparent, your sibling, it's about mental illness (and how it's not taken seriously in women), but mostly it's about the joys of a nice family dinner.

1. Carrie (1976), dir. Brian de Palma: You all knew this one was coming, but I can never run out of good things to say about it. While there are perhaps films that boast greater spectacles, feats of special effects, tighter editing, more profound themes or more abstract/debatable symbolism, Brian de Palma's Carrie is the horror film I will always rank as my favourite. Stephen King's inverted Cinderella storyof the hellscape that is adolescence is granted operatic tragedy grandeur by a perfect cast, an unforgettable score, mind-blowing setpieces and imagery that I am happy to say will stay burned in my brain forever. The use of tension and buildup through the entire Prom sequence needs to be taught in schools, particularly with how it leaves you laughing one moment, moved to tears the next, then gripping the edge of your seat. Each scene is given either a dreamy or nightmarish tone that makes it instantly iconic. The sensuality of blossoming sexual awakening contrasted with the gutting mundane horrors of bullying and abuse played relentlessly set up perfectly for the tonal shifts later in the story between the romantic haze of prom and the hellscape made by Carrie's act of vengeance. The camp moments of the film heighten the jarring scares of the final act, and the forays into 70s teen comedy (yes, even with the goofy split-screens and fast-forwards) ground it in a relatability that makes it the horror classic. Every adaptational change from the book is either for the better for storytelling flow, or is at least impossible to imagine the film without. (As sad as I am that we don't get the book ending with this Carrie and Sue having their moment of connection, there's something so shatteringly tragic of Carrie in her final moments sheltering in the prayer closet that was her prison, clinging to the body of the mother who tormented her for comfort, and the cutting to the angry painted eyes of Saint Sebastian is an instantly unforgettable horror image). The denomination/sect of Christianity followed by the White family is unclear from the book, but the choice of de Palma to make them offshoot Catholics allows for so much integration of art history and its frightening images -- the use of the Last Supper behind Carrie and Margaret's dinner scene! don't know if it's the absolute first horror film to employ the Final Jumpscare, but certainly, it's one of the earliest and most memorable examples. Sissy Spacek in the titular role is an absolute revelation and maybe my favourite performance in all of horror media. Much has been said about her study of Catholic martyr art to end every scene in the pose of a person being stoned to death, but she runs the full gamut of emotion, of teenage suffering, of victimhood and villainy, and you are with her for the entire ride. The Catholic martyr art is apt, because her expressions evoke Falconetti as Joan of Arc, and Carrie is nothing if not a subverted Joan. Many say she's far too conventionally beautiful to play Carrie, and while it's true Hollywood is going to Hollywood, no actress has so successfully embodied the aching sweetness, the haunting disturbance, the yearning for love and the burning divine retribution that make her at once one of horror's most memorable monsters and one of its tragic heroines. Piper Laurie is terrifying and campy and hilarious as Margaret White, our villain for the evening, Nancy Allen is delightfully loathsome as Chris, Betty Buckley gives Ms. Collins some real good-natured toughness (questionable methods of handling teens notwithstanding), and Amy Irving lends Sue the exact groundedness and good intent you get from her book counterpart. Carrie has been the refuge for many a queer and/or outcast teenager, and it will likely remain that way for years to come. Thanks so much for this!!

[rbbess110]

WIP intro: The Ring. A comedy in five acts.

Genre: romantic comedy, satire, Christmas comedy

Themes and tropes: fake dating, queer romance, family drama, miscommunication, sibling rivalry

Progress/Target: first draft, 95/~150 pages (see extra notes) More under cut!

Summary:

Sylwester is trying to be the perfect son for once in his life. After lots of experimenting, tons of fails and multiple wrong turns, he finally came out on top. With a stable career and a wonderful girl at his side, he actually might not seem like a disappointment next to his “wonderful” and “always beloved” older brother. Especially when he announces that he’ll be the first to marry out of his siblings! Because he definitely will – he already has a ring, and he is going to propose on Christmas Eve. It’s not like he’s been fighting with his fiancee-to-be for the past couple of weeks. Not at all… Patryk is trying so hard to be the perfect son he's always been. But expectations are changing as he’s growing older, and sometimes it feels like he isn’t good enough anymore. So when Sylwester’s mistake makes his parents think that he’s about to propose to his best friend- Maybe it’s not so bad at all? At least he won’t have to explain why he’s still single. He feels bad about getting Mikolaj all tangled up in this, but it’s not like it’ll change anything… Right? Klaudia has never tried to be the perfect daughter. And fairly, she isn’t planning on changing that. What she is planning on doing though, is watching her idiot brothers make fools of themselves trying to make their parents happy, and enjoy the chaos that unravels. For all she knows, Christmas this year is about to be a mess, but it also will be really fun.

In other words: the Kozlowski family gets back together for Christmas, and it turns out to be messier than anyone expects. With quite cliché romantic comedy shenanigans on one hand, on the other it’s a satire commentary of the expectations many families still set for their children, and the priorities they make them uphold.

Characters:

Patryk – 25 y.o., finishing his master’s degree in Data Science while working 9-to-5 as a programmer. Gifted kid in his childhood and teenage years, now a workaholic surviving only thanks to black coffee.

Sylwester – 23 y.o., working as a party planner and climbing up the ladder surprisingly fast for his young age. Looking forward to stop being second place in the family. Considered to be a bit of a “showman”, but who doesn’t like a tiny bit of drama here and there?

Klaudia – 17 y.o., high school student. The youngest and still considered to be the family’s baby, despite not being that small anymore. Well-known for causing chaos.

Anka (Anna) – 24 y.o., a journalist, known for her sharp tongue both in her writing and personal life. Sylwester’s current girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancee.

Mikolaj – 25 y.o., in the same boat as Patryk career-wise; Patryk’s best friend and co-worker. Too nice for his own good.

Mr. and Mrs. Kozlowski – the parents of Patryk, Sylwester and Klaudia. Can’t wait to have grandkids. They don’t have a favourite child, of course not, but have you heard that Patryk got promoted lately? He’s really amazing, isn’t he?

Extra notes: I’m writing it in a format of a play, in verse, so I’m finding pages a better way to track my progress than word count. I know it’s technically less specific, but word count when writing in verse doesn’t really… work the same way it does with prose, and it’s more confusing than anything. For reference, “The Ring” currently is at 10.5k words, but it’s 95 pages, with three out of five acts pretty much already written. So tracking progress in pages it is, thahah-

Also, this is my first project in a while that takes place in Poland. It makes sense, because I’m Polish, and this is satire, and I’m making a point by ridiculing certain social norms- it would be weird to try to place this in an environment I’m not personally familiar with, or ridicule social norms in a society I don’t personally know? Anyway hopefully all the painfully Polish names won’t hurt your eyes, thaha

[ilovemurdoc1990]

Help Wanted: Animaniacs Writers needed for a friend to help with a project!

Are you a witty wordsmith with a penchant for zany humor? Do you dream of writing for a cast of animated characters who defy the laws of physics and logic? Look no further! Our friend’s exciting project is seeking talented writers to join the creative chaos of the Animaniacs universe.

About the Project:

Title: Animaniacs: The Reimagined Adventures

Description: This fan-driven project aims to revive the beloved 90s animated show, bringing back Yakko, Wakko, and Dot for more slapstick antics, cultural references, and musical mayhem.

Format: Web series with short, bite-sized episodes (think mini-skits meets Looney Tunes).

Job Responsibilities:

Scriptwriting: Craft hilarious, clever, and occasionally absurd dialogue for our iconic trio. Bonus points if you can sneak in a pun or two!

Character Development: Dive into the minds of Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and their extended cast. What makes them tick? What drives their wacky behavior?

Song Lyrics: Yes, there will be songs! Compose catchy tunes that stick in viewers’ heads like gum on a hot day.

Pop Culture References: Stay up-to-date on memes, trends, and internet oddities. The Animaniacs thrive on parody and satire!

Qualifications:

A love for animated comedy and a deep appreciation for the original Animaniacs.

Creativity that knows no bounds (or gravity).

Ability to channel your inner Yakko, Wakko, or Dot (or all three simultaneously).

Familiarity with the Animaniacs’ signature catchphrases: “Hello, Nurse!” and “Goodnight, everybody!”

Perks:

Work from your own zany tower (or coffee shop, if you prefer).

Collaborate with fellow writers who share your passion for nostalgia and chaos.

Unlimited access to the Warner Bros. water tower (just don’t fall off).

Application Process: Send us your résumé, a brief cover letter (in verse, if you dare), and a sample script snippet where the Animaniacs encounter a time-traveling squirrel with a penchant for disco. Extra points if the squirrel moonwalks.

Contact Information: DM me and I'll give you my friend's contact info!

Disclaimer: This project is fan-created and not affiliated with Warner Bros. Animaniacs, but we promise to keep it as zany as the original!

Apply now and let the chaos commence! 🎩🎤🌟

[man-reading]

Alan Bennett

“Books are not about passing time. They're about other lives. Other worlds. Far from wanting time to pass, one just wishes one had more of it. If one wanted to pass the time one could go to New Zealand.” “Sometimes there is no next time, no time-outs, no second chances. Sometimes it’s now or never.” “Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all of us looking for the key.” "Mark my words, when a society has to resort to the lavatory for its humour, the writing is on the wall." "If you think squash is a competitive activity, try flower arranging." Alan Bennett - "don't call him 'a National Treasure'; he won't like it," as Frances de la Tour says - is a man Francis Wheen once described as “the nation’s favourite teddy bear”. He (and the nation) celebrates his 80th birthday today. Tom de Lisle in Intelligent Life described him perfectly:

A founding father of modern British satire in Beyond the Fringe, a master of the television play with Talking Heads, a pillar of the National Theatre with The History Boys, an affable memoirist with Untold Stories and a sardonic diarist on the London Review of Books. He was a bright boy - a butcher’s son from near Leeds who went to Oxford, got a first and taught history - but a shy one. He was 26 when he took up comedy (via cod sermons) and 34 when he wrote his first play, Forty Years On. The history never melted away: he has turned George III, Auden, Britten, Burgess and Blunt into drama, and led the way in putting words in the Queen’s mouth. He has survived cancer, recorded Winnie the Pooh, given his papers to the Bodleian ("in gratitude to the nanny state") and campaigned for less famous libraries. He is an old leftie beloved of conservatives, a cosy uncle whose pen is a double-edged sword.

When asked by Sir Ian McKellen in 1997 whether he was heterosexual or homosexual, he famously said: "That's a bit like asking a man crawling across the Sahara whether he would prefer Perrier or Malvern water." Nonetheless, he and his partner of twenty years (journalist Rupert Thomas, editor of World of Interiors) "tied the knot" once civil partnerships became law. From an article by Mark Lawson in the Radio Times:

As with much in his life, Bennett’s own civil partnership provoked a comic anecdote. “I’d written about how my parents got married at eight in the morning and then my dad went to work and my mam went home. And I think they went to see The Desert Song in the evening.” Eight decades later, although Alan and Rupert were among the couples making social history, family history weirdly repeated itself - minus a screening of the movie. “There were just one or two people there, relatives of Rupert. And we couldn’t think of what to do afterwards so we were going to have some coffee and we couldn’t find anywhere. Eventually, we did get some coffee, but that was it. So it was a replay of my parents’ marriage. But it wasn’t a landmark because sometimes we can’t even remember the date of it. At Camden Register Office at that time they were trying to jazz things up a bit. They said, ‘Do you want flowers?’ and we said not really. ‘Do you want music?’ Not really. Disappointment on every score.”

Alan Bennett will be celebrated in a special interview with Sir Nicholas Hytner, to be broadcast at 9pm on BBC4 tomorrow (10th May 2014). A direct clash with the Eurovision Song Contest. Alan probably loves that idea.

[world-cinema-research]

Blazing Saddles (1974) essay

Blazing Saddles is a beloved film that is audacious and hilarious and includes biting social commentary. The film covers the improbable journey of Sheriff Bart, a black railroad worker turned sherif. He faces racism and corruption in hilarious ways throughout the movie. This film without a doubt pushed the boundaries of satire as well as comedy as a whole. In this essay we will delve into the style, historical significance, critical reception, and the blend of the conventional and unconventional.

Blazing Saddles (1974) Original Trailer - Gene Wilder Movie (youtube.com)

The first thing that I will be covering is the critical reception of the film. This film polarized critics with its bold and irreverent approach to comedy. Many thought that it was a phenomenal piece of satire that pushed the boundaries on topics such as racism, others condemned it due to its political incorrectness and dark humor. In the review by Roger Ebert, he states ""Blazing Saddles" is like that. It's a crazed grabbag of a movie that does everything to keep us laughing except hit us over the head with a rubber chicken. Mostly, it succeeds". The New York Times criticized its reliance on "easy and obvious targets" for its humor.

The actual content of the film includes endless satire and gags that last the duration of the film. The writers of the film navigate through the topics of racism, sexism, and many other societal taboos in a way that many would say that is untasteful. In terms of style, the film is a Mel Brooks classic, pushing boundaries at every opportunity and challenging the viewers' expectations at every turn. In addition to the film's unrelenting gags, it also tacks a whirlwind of important social taboos such as racism, sexism, and many cultural stereotypes. The film covers these sensitive topics through its wit and humor, often blurring the line between hilarious comedy and hurtful truths, brutally exposing the hypocrisies and injustices of society. The film happily defies expectations and challenges its viewers to question many of their views about comedy as well as about the world around them.

The film, having been released in 1974, occurred at the same time as several significant historical events and cultural movements. One of the most significant of these events to the film was the civil rights movement. Because of the fact that Blazing Saddles takes aim at racism so heavily, it caused it to be a very important film at the time.

Another event that was happening at the time that was extremely significant for the film was the increasing awareness of the LGBT community. This is another topic that the film digs into heavily and pokes fun at, and in turn, brings awareness to.

Something that has come up multiple times in my research of the film is the fact that this film would be impossible to create in today's landscape. The films approach to satire would almost certainly face almost insurmountable challenges today, especially regarding its unapologetic use of racial and ethnic humor. Even at the time of its release it faced backlash, and if it was released today, that backlash would be increased tenfold. The norms of today's film industry prioritize inclusivity and representation which is something that is simply not present in this film. Although the film's intentions are quite clearly satirical, I don't believe that there is any way that this film would have even made it out of the board room where it was being pitched.

It is not possible to pigeonhole the film "Blazing Saddles" into simply one category when it comes to conventional versus unconventional. This is because the film seamlessly blends together many different aspects of both a conventional and unconventional film. Although the film does adhere to some of the classic tropes it also defies them with its irreverent humor and boundary pushing satire. It is very difficult to call a film with such offensive and groundbreaking humor as conventional, and yet it is also difficult to identify a film with such a loaded cast and popular director as unconventional.

In conclusion, "Blazing Saddles" stands as a testament to the irreverent genius of Mel Brooks, as well as his fearlessness in his exploration of the limits of film comedy. Despite all of the polarization due to the film, it still remains a beloved classic due to how funny it remains, even after all these years. Through its willingness to push boundaries, this film defies easy categorization into things like conventional or unconventional. I think that this film should be looked back on as an enduring masterpiece of comedy and social commentary.

[numbknee]

Enough of the suffering thru the asks abt all the other cartman ships, what abt your brain rot? 🥺 what *are* your thoughts on kyman?? Go ham dude

ooooh dear... where to begin with the kyman brainrot....... I guess I’ll start at the beginning. VERY LONG POST under the cut. this is basically my kyman meta magnum opus lmao

I’ve talked about this ad nauseam before, but I really, REALLY didn’t want to get into south park. I had only ever watched like 2 full episodes before 2021 and I simply did not understand the appeal. I just thought the draw to the show was the shock factors: gross-out humor, children swearing and committing violence, and blatant bigotry played for laughs. I didn’t understand how it could be so popular other than “well I guess there are lots of horrible people out there who like this horrible show.” 

I grew up in a very WASP-y town and had peers in elementary/middle school who learned about the existence of antisemitism and other bigotries through south park. because kids are stupid and don’t understand satire, many of them took it at face value and were able to have shittons of words added to their vocabulary to put people down and insult them. it was horrible tbh. and I hated the show for that, even as a young kid. I personally wasn’t perfect by any means but even as a snot-nosed, extremely sheltered little white girl I knew that you just shouldn’t do that shit. our school system in particular lauded the “golden rule” constantly (we had to do a school-specific pledge after the pledge of allegiance every day... yeah I know, very american) and I was like “cmon, you guys can’t even follow that ONE RULE to be a semi-decent human being?? really??”

anyway at the end of 2021, my younger brother asked me to watch the post-covid specials with him and he was very excited about it. I was immediately hesitant, especially because in recent years he has become alarmingly incel-y and took a hard turn to the right while I became a leftist. I reluctantly agreed to sit through it to try to understand him more because, even though his political ideology sucks ass, he’s still my brother and I do love him. 

so I watched the specials, and I came out the other side of it shell-shocked with how surprisingly good the writing was. THIS stupid show, the show that all this time I thought was bottom-of-the-barrel comedy, was... GOOD??? particularly regarding CARTMAN?? 

the only things I knew about cartman going into it were the following: he’s fat, he says the name “kyle” weird, and he’s a horrible antisemite. and they made him grow up to be a freaking RABBI. it completely caught me off guard and *gasp* actually made me laugh???? what???? 

there were plenty of other things I loved about the post-covid specials, like my depressed ass relating WAAAY too hard with stan, the extremely on-the-nose satire of the state of advertisement/capitalism with the stupid “denny’s applebee’s max” restaurant chain gag and all the old people being shoved into a giant prison retirement home once they aren’t productive anymore, kenny getting sick of the gang’s bullshit and writing “FUCK THESE HOES” on a beloved childhood photo, butters become a snake-oil salesman for NFTs, kyle being told to “think like a kid” and like 2 seconds later realizing they need to look up kenny’s ass. I could go on but you get the point. 

I liked it way more than I thought I ever would. and obviously, I often find south park funny for different reasons than my brother does because matt & trey are very good at toeing the line of appealing to both sides of the american political spectrum, but it’s become a point of bonding between us in the year since I started watching the show and I’m grateful for that. 

of course, since i’m terminally on tumblr and ao3, I also started to dive into the fandom of south park. I had heard about the whole creek thing years ago and waved it off as a stupid gag but then I realized wait, holy shit, there’s actually a GIGANTIC shipping culture around south park??? at first I got into style because of the interesting concept of post-covid kyle and stan reconnecting after decades apart and not being the same people they used to be but trying to make it work anyway (I even wrote a fic about it ahahaa...) 

but after a while I got tired of the ship because as I watched the rest of the show, I realized their relationship just wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be. like they’re best friends but... why? because they’ve known each other forever? they both like video games? they make fun of cartman together? the fact they’re “super-best-friends” is kind of taken for granted by the show and the audience, but imo matt and trey never really explore the intricacies of their relationship very much. y’all can disagree with me on this but idk, all I know is that I got bored with style as a ship after like 2 months.

while scrolling through ao3 and tumblr, I ran across kyman fics/fanart for the first time back in february or so. at first I was appalled because... why the everloving fuck would you ship the blatant antisemite with the jewish kid??? really???? isn’t style a much better choice??? but sheer curiosity got the better of me, so I did what I always do when I’m curious about a ship: select for fics with kyle broflovski/eric cartman, sort by kudos, and read the first result (or in this case the second because the first had creek as the main ship). y’all know which fic that is if you’ve even slightly gotten into kyman. it was interesting, but I personally didn’t see them as the actual characters from the show in that fic. they were fandom versions of kyle and cartman, with their personalities changed enough to fit the standard mlm shipping dynamic that’s popular in fandom spaces (particularly regarding dom/sub aspects). I’ve seen it happen in plenty of other fandoms so I wasn’t surprised, but I still couldn’t see how it could possibly work if one were to use their canon character depictions. 

all the while I was making my way through episodes of the show cuz it’s long af, and over time I became more and more intrigued with kyle and cartman’s relationship. cartman quickly became my favorite character in the show because of how fucking complex and layered his personality is (see my tags on this post), and though kyle despises cartman in countless ways, he still is the only one who consistently tries to find goodness in him, tries to make him change for the better, saves him when no one else will, and remains his friend despite everything. it’s a remarkably complex dynamic.

little hints of kyman started creeping up on me: cartman being frequently queer-coded as a closeted gay kid. kyle getting extremely jealous of cartman and heidi’s relationship. both of them on separate occasions saving the other from death or injury without wanting any credit for it or lording it over each other. “we've been through a lot together, and... maybe that alone doesn't make us friends, but it makes us something” 

needless to say, I started to get it. and then I encountered the straw that broke the camel’s back: “know your enemy” by elsen on ao3. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve read that fic probably over a dozen times. it was shockingly well-written and so in-tune with the style and tone of the show that I was like “is this person spirit-channelling trey parker or something wtf???” and all of a sudden, I could see how, in a different universe, kyman could actually be an endgame ship. 

what sold me on it the most was how in-character it seemed for cartman to be a repressed, denial-ridden sub, especially regarding his desired relationship with kyle. there’s plenty of canon evidence that cartman has a secret crush on kyle (see this vid by johnny 2 cellos), but there’s no way that kyle could reciprocate those feelings, right?? imo kyle would probably rather die than enter a romantic relationship with cartman where he had to submit to him all the time, but if cartman would want kyle to be dominant over him??? where kyle has control and is able to curb cartman’s problematic behavior as he sees fit??? that opens up a whole other door of possibilities.

I think what kyle wants more than anything else in the world regarding cartman is for the goodness he sees deep down inside him to come to the surface, and for kyle to be the one to guide him (or force him when necessary) to becoming a better person through love and patience and inherent understanding of his fucked up little head??? I can definitely see kyle wanting that (especially since I see kyle as a repressed, denial-ridden sadist/dom lmao; see this post for my thoughts on that). 

it was all downhill from there. I found tons of other cool kyman shippers on tumblr and twitter whose writing and fanart helped suck me in even more and I’ve been stuck in kyman hell ever since. special shoutout to the asker for her kyman analysis posts that inspired this fic I wrote! love u boo <3

ANYWAY that’s how I became a whore for kyman lolololol ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ have a nice day everybody

[twistedtummies2]

The Price May Be Right - Number 13

Welcome to “The Price May Be Right!” I’m counting down My Top 31 Favorite Vincent Price Performances & Appearances! The countdown will cover movies, TV productions, and many more forms of media. Today we focus on Number 13: Dr. Phibes.

So, here’s a random fun fact for you Batman fans out there: apparently, this character was the inspiration for the version of Mr. Freeze that appeared in the seminal animated story, “Heart of Ice.” And, of course, that version of Mr. Freeze would become the inspiration for the character in nearly every other interpretation – both in and out of comics – to date. So, yeah, if you’re a Mr. Freeze fan, you can thank Egghead for it. :P ANYWAY…while Vincent did many, MANY horror movies – both serious and comedic alike – the one thing he never got was the chance to play a horror icon, so to speak. Which is to say, when you look at other great classic horror actors over the years, whatever else they do there’s always one specific character for whom they’ll always be remembered. For Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi, it was Count Dracula; for Boris Karloff, it was Frankenstein’s Monster; even with more modern actors, like Roger L. Jackson and Robert Englund, they have specific horror roles (The Voice of Ghostface and Freddy Krueger, respectively) for which they will always be most chiefly recognized. Vincent never had that; he never got that recognition of having a specific, classic monster he could be identified with. The closest we ever got was that he was so well-known for his work with the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, but that’s a bit of a different issue. However, in the 1970s, Price DID get a chance to ATTEMPT such a feat, in two films that were part gruesome, gory nightmare fuel and part witty, satirical humor-fests: these were the Dr. Phibes films. The titular character was a deranged musical genius, who wore a mask to hide his hideous skull-like deformities – all elements taken from the timeless tale of “The Phantom of the Opera.” However, the story of the good doctor is rather different: Phibes’ descent into evil began when his beloved wife, Victoria, was stricken with some unholy medical condition. In order to save her life, a risky surgical operation was needed, which was so tricky it required the aid of no less than nine people to even hope for a success. Unfortunately, something went wrong with the operation; as soon as he got the news, Phibes hurried in the direction of the hospital…but was ironically caught in a terrible car crash, and apparently burned to death in the wreck. Husband and wife were then interred together. The rumors of Dr. Phibes’ death, however, were greatly exaggerated. Phibes miraculously survived the crash, and later rose from the grave hideously disfigured by the accident. He brought his wife with him, and kept her body imprisoned in a sarcophagus filled with honey and special fluids, so that her beauty would forever remain intact. In the first film, “The Abominable Dr. Phibes,” the mad maestro goes on a killing spree, attempting to get revenge on the nine people he blames for the death of his wife and the ruination of his existence. In the second film, “Dr. Phibes Rises Again,” the musical maniac returns, now seeking to resurrect his beloved bride. The Phibes films were a bizarre sort of pair. In a way, I sort of see these as the precursor to both the Scream films and the SAW movies. Like the former films, the movies combine elements of parodical dark comedy with real chills and gory, brutal death scenes. Phibes, himself, is treated as a serious and tragic character, and the fear factor is upped by his appearance. The mask he wears to hide his deformities is basically just Vincent’s face with some uncanny valley makeup added to enhance the effect, giving Price a particularly ghoulish appearance. This combined with the special voice box Phibes uses to speak after his accident – which causes Price to speak in a robotic, mechanical, droning sort of way that is both odd and genuinely unsettling – makes the character truly chilling. At the same time, however, he’s a sympathetic villain, as everything he does is in the name of his precious Victoria, and while one recognizes he is the bad guy of the story, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him and understand his motivations. The methods through which he offs his victims are pretty messed up even by today’s standards, too. In all, I would say most of the scares from the film come from Phibes himself. The humor generally is the result of the other characters around him, as well as some the intentionally contrived elements of the plot that are meant to satirize various horror movie tropes. I’m a little surprised there weren’t more films in the Phibes franchise; if there had been, maybe Vincent could have had that one iconic horror character to be recognized by…but, on the other hand, one of the things that made Vincent so fascinating was that he wasn’t someone who could fit into a singular mold, so to speak, and instead had MANY roles for which any given person could recognize him for most keenly. Dr. Phibes was ultimately just one of those parts, but it’s a part well worth remembering. Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 12!

[the-scottish-costume-guy]

I would love to read your essays on the Barbie movie

Okay so to do a proper essay I'd need to watch the movie again a few times and it'd take me weeks if not months - in all likelihood I will not be able to convince anyone to publish it. That said my partner really wants me to write something so maybe I'll make the time. Until then: an extended kinda analytical review: WARNING: spoilers ahead:

Whenever looking at a movie like this its important to establish the genre and genre conventions before doing any analysis. The Barbie movie is a comedy, its satirical, and it’s a feelgood movie made by a corporation. Some of my gripes with this movie are personal taste, some are flaws inherent in these genres or production means, please take everything I say as personal opinion. (I say this because I have noticed people taking my opinions as law because of what I study before and please don’t’ they are just opinions.)

The Barbie movie could be analysed with a queer lens, and a feminist one. Queer theory is more my area, but the parts I’m going to be talking about often overlap with feminist theory. I’m not going to talk so much about the opening, but I will talk a bit about character. Following Stereotypical Barbie is a good choice for the film as it lets us analyse some parts of toxic femininity. This is more subtle than the films analysis of toxic masculinity, but it is present. The non-normative Barbie is ‘Weird Barbie’ according to the others, and nobody wants to talk to her. Our Barbie is ‘malfunctioning’ because she has thoughts that are wrong, her day isn’t perfect, her body isn’t perfect, and she doesn’t want to open her mind and do the work to change – she wants to stay the same. Non-conformance is undesirable. ‘Weird Barbie’ is unwanted and alone while the others have girls night every night and are beloved by Ken. The film doesn’t analyse this too far beyond a brief statement at the end that things shouldn’t go back to the way they are, and an apology to ‘weird Barbie’. I do think its interesting that the scene where Barbie is ‘malfunctioning’ is one of the only times her outfit isn’t pink. Instead she’s in blue. Blue is a colour that to my memory wasn’t used much in the film – and it did well serving to make our Barbie stand out in that scene. So obviously Stereotypical Barbie goes on her journey and discovers things about herself and others – learns the world isn’t perfect. I don’t know how I feel about the conclusion of her becoming human at the end. I understand the thought process here – Stereotypical Barbie can’t exist as she is, her perfection is unattainable. She needs to become human because Barbie does need to reflect humans more, its why there have been so many variations over the years. That said it felt cheesy, the montage about understanding what being human means felt hollow and empty – I remember a lot of women and girls laughing and playing, I do not remember grief, failure in amongst the success. If the warning is “understand what it means to be human” I would have expected the good and the bad together. I know there are differing opinions on the concluding scene, but I personally think it was a misstep. Having Barbie becomes real = Barbie gets a vagina, felt like it went counter to the previous message of “Human isn’t something I have to ask for, its just something I realise I am one day.” Barbie already became real because of her thoughts and feelings, making her have a vagina at the end felt weirdly essentialist.

Now, onto the Kens.

The Kens are a great example of what one author (Jack Halberstam if you want to find them) I’ve been reading calls ‘Kinging’. They draw the term from Drag Kings, as a parody of masculinity – a bit earnest at times, but often exaggerating and playing off masculinity for comedic effect. The examples they give in their book include Austin Powers – but honestly this movie feels like the best example. The Kens are childlike, they’re a bit stupid and at least at times well meaning. Our Ken learns about the patriarchy but doesn’t understand what it means and brings it back to Barbie Land anyway. The inversion of reality to Barbieland is an interesting one – the Ken are too reactive and too stupid for politics – something the film barely comments on or analyses beyond a tongue in cheek joke about the kens one day having as much power as women do in the real world. I don’t think this is a bad thing, inversion for the sake of a statement is fine – and if men watching don’t understand that ‘of course men aren’t actually like ken’ is the point that’s on them. Also ‘I’m just Ken’ has been in my head for a solid day now. There could be a discussion about how “Sugar Daddy Ken” and “Magic Earring Ken” were not subscribing to the instated patriarchy Our Ken brings back from the real world. I’m not sure if this was a good choice or not, very ‘Ladies and gays’ moment. That said the ‘Weird’ Barbies and Kens do have to break the normal Barbies out of their brainwashing so I suppose its more of a commentary on counter cultures recognising the flaws of society? Now onto where I really think the movie fell flat. The CEO and board of Mattel. For the Kens, being stupid, bumbling and a bit over the top made sense – they’re dolls. For the board of Mattel it came off much more as ‘if we make this funny its less threatening’ when actually no it should be threatening? In reality the board has one less woman then men, though the company is still predominantly male. This whole running gag just sat badly with me. It really felt like “no no no the corporation is harmless, honest.” At the end of the day nothing changes in the real world – and again I get that’s part of the point, the real world takes more work than one imagination and one movie. But our lead, real women don’t even seem to be that empowered by their experiences? Its implied that one remains at her day job and the other, although having a better relationship with her mother, doesn’t see the real world any differently. Theres a little bit of an element of ‘whats the point’ that feels counter to the films message. I’m probably being just cynical here – again change is slow, change takes communal effort. Finally, although touched on the film could have done much more to look at its own consumerist message. Its kind of a throw away line – and that Barbie is unattainably perfect is ‘solved’ by one request for an ordinary Barbie which Mattel agrees to because ‘it will sell’. The film barely grapples with this which is a shame because given how much of the rest of the film had really interesting dialogue on society, gender and personal identity, I think they could have done some interesting things with consumerism and capitalism. Anyway this is just from one watch through and a bit of time to think, I’d need a lot more time to solidify some of these ideas and work out a full analysis (ideally with more costume elements involved).

[scullysflannel]

do you know of any other critics who are (even slightly!) skeptical about succession? really interested to hear a variety of thoughts because i've mostly heard universal praise

they've all been sniped. no jk. they do exist! there were people who soured on season 3 because they thought the show felt stuck (like Sophie Gilbert at The Atlantic and Cassie da Costa at Vanity Fair). I think being stuck is the whole point of Succession (because it's a comedy) but they're not turning that into anything dramatically satisfying. Lili Loofbourow's take on this in Slate is my favorite; it's a good look at how repetitiveness might be "the point" but it's still draining the show of any real stakes.

what I really want to read is a good article on what it means that this supposedly pointed eat-the-rich satire is so beloved by so many rich people. shouldn't it comfort them less? I liked this piece in Vanity Fair by Richard Lawson, whose review of Season 1 was also skeptical, but Succession isn't the focus of that piece. but I agree with the idea that nobody's succeeded at going for the kill. honestly, I think Succession is closer to getting it right than any other eat-the-rich satire airing right now. (it's no Veep though.) I loved this feature from Alison Herman at The Ringer about how the designers and cinematographers make wealth look miserable. 

but if the idea is "rich people are miserable," the pity kind of dulls the satire. but it's SO hard not to make that argument sound media illiterate!! this article in The Week is technically asking the question I want to read about (does Succession hate wealth as much as it wants you to think), but most of the argument boils down to "it's hard not to sympathize with characters as you watch them suffer." which is annoying because it treats audiences like they don't have brains and feels dangerously close to "Breaking Bad glorifies meth" levels of not getting it. of course saying wealth is a trap for the wealthy doesn’t cancel out their horribleness. but artistically, yeah, as some reviews have pointed out (like Mike Hale at the New York Times and Darren Franich at EW), Succession has had a hard time balancing mockery and sympathy. it feels like two shows in one, and it’s better at being the funny one.

anyway, this one isn't remotely negative, but I think it sums it up: here's Kathryn VanArendonk at Vulture on why Succession is a great comedy.

[hiding-under-the-willow]

thoughts on Eric and his place in the markiplier tv office dynamic? also Bingand Google? I love ur rants abt them all!!!

This is the point at which I have to be completely honest with you. I know Eric is deeply beloved by a lot of people, but I really do not have many thoughts on him. His whole thing came out like. Slighty after my exit from the fandom in middle school. So I remember watching his stuff when it came out, but he never got like. Absorbed into the canon in my head. So. Uh. Apologies on that one. Maybe I'll go back and rewatch his stuff at some point and come back with some thoughts.

Google and Bing on the other hand I can absolutely talk about.

So I think I vaguely mentioned their roles at the network in one of my previous posts but I'll elaborate lol. Google is Dark's assistant essentially, he's mostly in charge of finances and tech stuff around the office, but he also has some other responsibilities. I think out of everyone in the office there are two other people who know the exact reason for Dark's whole thing with Mark, who know the extent of his anger and his motivations. These two people would be The Host, bc well, kind of unavoidable, better to have an ally there than to just let it go unspoken, and Google, who knows because he is constantly helping Dark with his different revenge plots. He's constantly on the look out for opportunities for attack on Dark's end, stalking casting lists in different productions for jobs Mark might've taken, scanning forums and socials for mentions of him, hacking into security feeds and police records. He is The information guy for Dark.

Bing on the other hand kind of has no fucking clue about all that shit, cause he's working in PR, which means he's out working more so with the actual people in the studio, and more directly with Wilford. He's the guy behind the scenes making sure all of the deranged idiots he works with aren't doing shit so insane on air that they get the network shut down. Every script runs by him, every ad Ed makes, all of Bim's ideas for segments on his show, every story the Jim's pick up. All of it. That doesn't exactly stop the things the channel is producing from being completely unhinged, but i think Bing is aware of the public perception of the station enough to shape it in a way that won't get them in too much trouble.

See i think Bing was built with more of a understanding of human emotions than Google was. I think Google is more focused on hard data, while Bing was made more so with the application of that data in mind. Like. If you need government records that are probably not so legal to obtain. Google's your guy. If you want to use the data from those records to persuade the public to feel a certain way. Bing is your guy. You want to do some biometric scans of some guy to figure out stuff about his health? Google has that shit handled. You need to break some heavy news found from those scans to said guy. Bing knows how to handle it gracefully. That's the vibe on these two.

The thing is though. It's not that either of them were built to feel human emotions, even if you'd think it looking at Bing. He just happens to have been built with a better ability to understand, and therefore effectively act out said emotions.

This makes Bing really good at his job, because he's basically playing both sides in the office. He has a complex enough understanding of the view of the network by the public, as some kind of satire art project, and he leans into shaping that public image as much as possible, because that creates a stable market of pretentious art nerds and satire comedy enjoyers. He knows if the public were to realize the sincerity and reality of half the shit on the station they would lose their audience and get in a shit ton of trouble. But then he doesn't tell anyone in the office, who thinks they've got a genuine viewership base who understand their art or whatever, what perception the public has of them. He just makes the edits he needs to to their scripts, nudges them away from more dangerous bits, keeps everything under control, and let's both sides believe they've got what they want.

And this is the really interesting part, because I think the longer they spend in the office, the more they deviate from their original objectives to work for Dark and Wilford, the more they evolve. And I think Google does it faster. You'd think Bing, with his deeper understanding of human emotions and better capabilities at replicating them, would be more likely to see a more rapid decay of his more machine like tendencies as he begins to show more humanity. But bc so much of Bing's job at the studio is playing on his intented use of handling data and using it to manipulate people, he takes much longer to start breaking down those barriers. Google on the other hand, as much of his job is data oriented, something about seeing Dark in his most intense moments, of anger, of sorrow, of regret, or satisfaction, wherever his revenge journey leads him, that does something to him. Because he wants to understand the emotions that would lead someone to go to the lengths Dark does so badly. And that leads to a certain jealousy of Bing's understanding of human emotions. Only for him to realize that the jealousy itself is a human emotion. That he should not be able to feel. And things spiral from there. Anyways I think he probably developed a deep emotional attachment to Dark and his revenge journey meanwhile he's trying really hard to keep up the appearance that he is still the data driven machine he's always been.

Bing meanwhile I think is slowly starting to realize some shit is up with Google, and he's realizing there's something wrong with Wilford and Dark, something he doesn't know that he decides he needs to know if he's going to keep the public image of the studio up. I think it'd be really fun to see Google, the mechanical data driven one, attempting to appeal to the humanity and emotion of Bing, who is supposed to be the more human between them, because Bing is getting too carried away with the manipulation involved in his job.

[dan6085]

To determine the top 50 Broadway musicals of all time, we can consider various factors such as box office success, critical acclaim, cultural impact, and lasting popularity. Here is a list of 50 musicals that excel in these areas:

1. **The Phantom of the Opera** - A timeless love story with memorable music and stunning visuals[1][2][3][4][5].

2. **Les Misérables** - An epic tale of redemption and revolution with powerful songs and a gripping narrative[1][2][3][4][5].

3. **Hamilton** - A groundbreaking hip-hop musical about American history and identity[1][2][3][4][5].

4. **The Lion King** - A spectacular adaptation of the beloved animated film with unforgettable music and puppetry[1][2][3][4][5].

5. **Wicked** - A reimagining of the Wizard of Oz story that explores themes of friendship, power, and prejudice[1][2][3][4][5].

6. **Cats** - A whimsical and imaginative musical about a community of cats seeking a new life[1][2][3][4][5].

7. **Chicago** - A seductive and cynical musical about crime, fame, and justice in the jazz age[1][2][3][4][5].

8. **The Book of Mormon** - A hilarious and irreverent musical that satirizes religion and culture[1][2][3][4][5].

9. **The Producers** - A farcical musical about a failed Broadway show that becomes a massive hit[1][2][3][4][5].

10. **Rent** - A rock musical about love, art, and community in the face of adversity[1][2][3][4][5].

11. **Miss Saigon** - A tragic love story set during the Vietnam War with stunning music and spectacle[1][2][3][4][5].

12. **Beauty and the Beast** - A magical musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale with memorable songs and characters[1][2][3][4][5].

13. **The Music Man** - A charming and nostalgic musical about a con man who falls in love with a small town[1][2][3][4][5].

14. **Sweeney Todd** - A dark and thrilling musical about a vengeful barber and his accomplice[1][2][3][4][5].

15. **Jersey Boys** - A jukebox musical about the rise and fall of the iconic singing group, The Four Seasons[1][2][3][4][5].

16. **Oklahoma!** - A classic musical about love, community, and the American frontier[1][2][3][4][5].

17. **My Fair Lady** - A romantic musical about a Cockney flower girl who is transformed into a lady[1][2][3][4][5].

18. **Fiddler on the Roof** - A heartwarming and poignant musical about a Jewish family in Tsarist Russia[1][2][3][4][5].

19. **Evita** - A powerful musical about the life and legacy of Argentine first lady Eva Perón[1][2][3][4][5].

20. **A Chorus Line** - A groundbreaking musical about the hopes, dreams, and fears of Broadway dancers[1][2][3][4][5].

21. **West Side Story** - A modernized version of Romeo and Juliet set in New York City, with a score by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

22. **Into the Woods** - A Sondheim musical that weaves together several classic fairy tales, exploring the consequences of wishes and the complexities of life.

3. **The King and I** - A Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about a British schoolteacher who becomes the governess for the children of the King of Siam.

24. **Annie** - A heartwarming musical about a young orphan who finds a home with a wealthy businessman and helps him to rediscover the meaning of love and family.

25. **Grease** - A fun and energetic musical about a group of high school students navigating love, friendship, and identity in the 1950s.

26. **Guys and Dolls** - A classic musical comedy about a group of gamblers and their romantic entanglements, set in New York City.

27. **Pippin** - A magical and whimsical musical about a young prince searching for meaning and purpose in his life.

28. **A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum** - A farcical musical comedy about a slave who tries to win his freedom by helping his master woo a courtesan.

29. **The Pajama Game** - A romantic musical comedy about a labor dispute at a pajama factory, featuring the hit song "Hernando's Hideaway".

30. **Kiss Me, Kate** - A musical comedy about a divorced couple who star in a production of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, with Cole Porter's classic score.

31. **Man of La Mancha** - A musical about the life and adventures of Don Quixote, featuring the iconic song "The Impossible Dream".

32. **Cabaret** - A dark and provocative musical about the decadence and turmoil of pre-World War II Berlin, featuring the hit song "Cabaret".

33. **Sunday in the Park with George** - A Sondheim musical about the life and work of artist Georges Seurat, exploring the relationship between art and life.

34. **Assassins** - A Sondheim musical that explores the lives and motivations of historical figures who have attempted to assassinate U.S. presidents.

35. **Falsettos** - A musical about a gay man, his lover, his ex-wife, and their son, exploring themes of love, family, and identity.

36. **The Light in the Piazza** - A romantic musical about a young American woman and an Italian man who fall in love in Florence, featuring the hit song "The Light in the Piazza".

37. **The Full Monty** - A musical about a group of unemployed steelworkers who decide to become male strippers to make money, featuring the hit song "Let It Go".

38. **Avenue Q** - A puppet-based musical about a group of young adults navigating love, friendship, and career in New York City, featuring the hit song "The Internet Is for Porn".

39. **Billy Elliot** - A musical about a young boy who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer, set against the backdrop of the 1984-85 British miners' strike.

40. **Next to Normal** - A musical about a suburban family dealing with mental illness, exploring themes of love, loss, and healing.

41. **The Drowsy Chaperone** - A musical comedy about a man who listens to a cast recording of a fictional 1920s musical and imagines the show coming to life in his apartment.

42. **In the Heights** - A musical about a community of Dominican Americans living in Washington Heights, exploring themes of identity, community, and ambition.

43. **The Color Purple** - A musical based on the novel by Alice Walker, exploring the lives and struggles of African American women in the early 20th century.

44. **Grey Gardens** - A musical about the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Little Edie, who were the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

45. **The Bridges of Madison County** - A musical based on the novel by Robert James Waller, exploring the love affair between an Italian-American housewife and a traveling photographer.

46. **Fun Home** - A musical based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, exploring the relationship between a cartoonist and her father, who owned a funeral home.

47. **Dear Evan Hansen** - A musical about a socially awkward high school student who becomes embroiled in a lie that spreads throughout his community, exploring themes of mental health, identity, and connection.

48. **Come From Away** - A musical about the true story of the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, which took in thousands of stranded passengers after the 9/11 attacks.

49. **Hadestown** - A musical based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, exploring themes of love, loss, and the underworld.

50. **Jagged Little Pill** - A musical based on the music of Alanis Morissette, exploring themes of family, addiction, and identity.

These musicals have stood the test of time and continue to captivate audiences with their compelling stories, memorable music, and innovative productions.

Sources

[1] List of highest-grossing musical theatre productions - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_musical_theatre_productions

[2] 15 of the best stage musicals of all time - Classical-Music.com https://www.classical-music.com/features/works/best-stage-musicals-of-all-time

[3] The Most Popular Broadway Musicals Of All Time - Ranker https://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-popular-broadway-musicals-ever/constance-bennet

[4] Top 50 Best Broadway Musicals - Facts.net https://facts.net/best-broadway-musicals/

[5] Top Ten Best Broadway Shows Ever Made - NYTix https://www.nytix.com/articles/top-ten-best-broadway-shows-ever-made

[oshootwaddup]

I slept on Electric Bastionland far too long.

When I first heard of it I was in my OSR infancy, having just come off reading Old School Essentials for the first time, I considered the aggressively rules-light approach an insulting pitch. To think that anyone would want to, *gasp* not have to roll to hit (one of the clunkiest mechanics in the universe) was anathema to me. Where was the action? I attempted to read Into the Odd only to have my suspicions confirmed, it wasn’t for me, the oversimplified thing. I understood why people said the OSR was emulating horror.

Now fast forward to now, I’m a seasoned scallywag of tabletop, I know my shit, and I’m happy to say that I was so so wrong about Electric Bastionland!

A little background on me hubris, before I get into the book

What struck me immediately was how text-light the whole thing is. Forget rules, I want a book that reads well enough to use at the table, and this is one of those. Crispy design through and through, excellent usage of heavy blacks in the artwork makes the whole vibe of Bastion feel, well, dark. And this darkness, I immediately came to realize, was something I craved.

Before this I was running a campaign loosely entitled “space game”. It was a series of one and two shots, each featuring one of two PC’s piloted by the same player each week. So essentially week to week that’s 8-10 PC’s, 4-5 Players. The goal of the space game was simply to nail the genre: one that I’d cautiously label as pulp-science-noir. We had the inane, clunky, outdated tech aesthetic of Cowboy Bebop, (the live action show not the anime suck my testicle) the sleek, quippy, bad-assert oriented action of something like Bullet Train (2022) or Polar (2019), while also shooting for the stars in terms of power level and challenge, thanks to @jelloapocalypse’s anime campaign ruleset, epithets on half the cast and most of the villains makes for a wonderful anime-inspired backbone that brings home the comedy elements of a group that has its roots in improv. Needless to say based off my enthusiastic description, it worked well.

What does this have to do with Bastion?

Well friends, what I found within those hallowed pages was something wonderful; 100 backgrounds that brought my mind immediately to my most beloved sworddream, Troika. Troika succeeds, for me, at achieving the ultimate science-fantasy, one that makes spelljammer look like, well, like dnd.

And suddenly I realized what Bastion COULD BE, it could be anything, especially, if I wanted, something pulp-science-noir… except what if this time I brought out that fantasy element, hmm? Bastion had me covered there as well, the Underground and Deep Country, even the city itself, all provide the aura of mystery, the bizarre and the uncanny, and perhaps, if I wanted it to be, a hint of the universe I wished to play in, the genre I wanted to engage. The book details heavily just how to create the atmosphere for Bastion, the player motivation, what, or more likely who, keeps each little microcosm spinning on its axis, and what each of them might do to retrieve their prizes.

The fantasy of Bastion is screaming to escape, it’s tearing at the edges of metal paneling, trying it’s best to pry its way in to the industrial, satirical wonderment of a dreaming city like this one. I like imagining old bugs drive down the road next to unicyclists, what more can I say about it.

Afterword

Many thanks to Chris McDowell for making me eat my own words, and subsequently making the next several months of prep in my life absurdly, wistfully breezy.