#critical reaction

[criticallyobs]

Join us while Z rambles about being traumatised and M is insightful about episode 10 of Not Me... *whispers* "Here is the rest..."

Welcome to our Podcast Back to OG where we React & Critically Discuss OffGun's show Not Me.

Please note, there may be spoilers for Not Me, so please watch the show episode first then join us on the podcast. You can watch episode 10 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE!⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠We have a Ko-fi now, YAY!⁠⁠⁠

While we’re having a blast sharing our obsessions with you, it takes a lot of time and effort. If our podcast has ever made you laugh out loud, cry, or look at a scene in a new light, please consider buying us a Ko-Fi to fuel our future episodes.

Be sure to join us on Twitter or Tumblr ⁠⁠⁠@criticallyobs⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for keeping us company - Z and M xoxo

Previous Podcasts Episodes:

Not Me Playlist

Cooking Crush Playlist

[pilferingapples]

I’ve just finished reading The Ladies’ Paradise- the only other Zola novel I’d read was Germinal and. mon dieu. Similar themes but a bit of a shift in tone, eh? Did Hugo and Zola know each other?

Oh, good question! On a casual search--and I mean very casual-- I can't find any record of them meeting? It seems likely they'd have had a lot to talk about--they both hated NIII, for one, always a good start with post- coup Hugo! And Zola seems to have had a real fondness for Hugo's work? Their timelines would have allowed for a meeting, even in France-- I'm just not running across any evidence of one! As to Zola's own writing, I confess, I've not gotten even through Germinal--my last attempted read of it ran into a wall of Life Happening Extremely at me >< Definitely one I need to give another go, though!

I did find this excerpt of some of Zola's literary criticism, though, and really I'm kind of surprised by how positive he is about Hugo! Under cut for length:

(from the May 1879 edition of the Atlantic!)

 I remember my own youth. We were a few young boys in the heart of Provence, in love with nature and poetry. The dramas of Victor Hugo seemed to us like wonderful visions. After the close of school, I remember, ice-cold from the classic tirades we were obliged to learn by heart, we just warmed ourselves by committing whole scenes from Ernani and Ruy Blas. How often, on the shore of a little stream, after a long bath, we performed among ourselves whole acts! Then we fancied, Ah, if we could only see all that in the theatre! and it seemed to us that the roof rang with the ecstatic applause of the spectators. . . .

We remember with what wonderful light shone the verses of Victor Hungo at their first appearance. It was like a new blossoming of our national literature. Lyric poetry was unknown to us. We had only the choruses of Racine and the odes of Rousseau, which now seem to us so cold and stilted. Hence the impression produced on cultivated youth was very deep, and this impression has not yet disappeared. It seems impossible that any new tree should grow in our literary soil within the shadow of the huge oak planted by Victor Hugo. This oak of lyric poetry spreads its branches to all the ends of the earth, covers all the land, fills the sky, and there is not a single poet who would not come to muse beneath and carry away in his ears the song of its birds. They are fated to repeat the music of this all-pervading voice. There is no room for other songs in the air. For the last forty years there is but one poetic language, — the language of Victor Hugo. When any epoch receives so deep and strong an impression, the next generation must suffer, and must make repeated efforts before it can free itself and attain the possibility of developing freely its own creative power.

...Obstacles of every kind prevent one’s speaking frankly one’s thought when frankness would be almost rudeness. Victor Hugo is still living, and surrounded by such an aureole of glory, after so long and brilliant a life as literary king, that the truth spoken in the face of that ancient autocrat would seem almost an insult. True, we are far enough from romanticism now. For the drama, at least, we are posterity, and may pronounce our judgment; but I think respect will close our lips while Victor Hugo is alive and can hear us. . . . They have reproached me personally, that I am an ungrateful son of romanticism.

No, I am not at all ungrateful. I know that our elder brothers won a glorious victory, and we are bound by enthusiastic gratitude to Victor Hugo. But it angers me, and I begin to rebel, when partisans wish to bind French literature to romanticism. If you have won freedom, then permit us to use it. Romanticism was nothing else than a rebellion: it remains for us now to use the victory. The movement begun by you is continued by us. Is that wonderful? It is the law of humanity. We borrow your soul, but we do not wish your rhetoric.”

Evidently the romance with us has entered upon a period of triumph such as it never knew even in the time of Balzac. It may be said that the two great currents of our age, the scientific research for which Balzac made the beginning, and the artistic rhetoric created by Hugo, have become one. The romantic element has lived its life; history begins. I speak of the universal history of man, of the significant pile of human documents [sic] heaped up at the present time in the realistic romance. What a mass of facts, of observations, of documents of every kind, are scattered, for instance, in the Nabob; with what strong pulse life beats in them! At the present time the romance has become the instrument of the age, the great investigation of man and of nature.

there is...so much I have questions about around this (for one big thing , I want to know who the "partisans" were who were trying to pin French lit to Romanticism, given that by 1879 most people I'd consider to have any frontline claim to Romanticism were, y'know. Dead.) but again: more positive about the old guard than I'd been expecting! If I'd grown up trying to be a writer under the shadow of Victor Main Character Hugo, I'd probably want to go all Montresor on him XD

[olessan]

"While you were out and about, trying to just spread your legs a little bit - OOP - spread your wings - aah oh no -"

"I was spreadin' my legs ALL over town-"

[wheezing]

"I was trying- I was trying to say- I was trying-"

"It was a scissoring of wings and legs-"

[letaliabane]

People absolutely trashing and being hateful to CR need to read this snippet from Sam's interview about "The Legend of Vox Machina."

Just important to know the cast of CR had no idea the season was going to be renewed for S4! Hence why Bard's Lament was probably changed, why a lot was pushed into the ending and an almost "farewell" sort of ending was given to us. They did what they thought was best in case they weren't able to return!

I've seen people on here saying CR have no idea how to write their characters or respect their fans to tell the story "correctly" and have an obligation to because of the kickstarter campaign. Maybe take a step back and think of the other factors that may have had some involvement in the making of this season.

[johnnyspells]

Downfall: Part Two

[clemnoir]

the new ladyblog merch is … polarizing

[pocketgalaxies]

I'm gonna miss our little cottage, though. (insp. by @lightningtitties)

[c-kiddo]

waow

[readerofdragons]

Imagining Orym reassessing the Wildmother in particular. I don't feel like her wildness would shock him, but her so clearly missing the spouse who should be fighting alongside her and yet getting on with it anyway will increase his sympathy for her, and impact his understanding of her outreaches to him.

Also imagining Essek trying to explain what he saw of Melora to Caduceus and Fjord. Fjord getting nearly as flummoxed as Essek is in the retelling, until Cad just soothingly says something like, "Yeah, she's great." Fjord and Essek aren't sure why, but find themselves both calmed and more appreciative of the Wildmother anyway.

[curapicas]

I'm aware this is part of the trend of snarky, snappy dialogue we see for banter on the american television. But I like that it's also Cassandra's little sister instinct shining through - every time we see her in season 3 she's being a leader, a lady, someone who deserves to be at the discussion table; and that's all well and good. Except whenever she's one on one with Percy she's smart mouthing him, being snarky and lovingly annoying him, lol. I think that goes to show how she leans on her big brother, and does so in a way that brings out a more comfortable and youthful side of her. As much as the De Rolos are not huggers, he was clearly all the family she had left :(((

[luminousstardust]

i’d like to personally thank aimee and aabria for being voices for all of us this four sided dive 💕💕

[criticallyobs]

So we did a thing...it is what it is. Check out our podcast for part 1/4 of episode 10 Not Me...

Welcome to our Podcast Back to OG where we React & Critically Discuss OffGun's show Not Me.

Please note, there may be spoilers for Not Me, so please watch the show episode first then join us on the podcast. You can watch episode 10 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE!⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠We have a Ko-fi now, YAY!⁠⁠⁠

While we’re having a blast sharing our obsessions with you, it takes a lot of time and effort. If our podcast has ever made you laugh out loud, cry, or look at a scene in a new light, please consider buying us a Ko-Fi to fuel our future episodes.

Be sure to join us on Twitter or Tumblr ⁠⁠⁠@criticallyobs⁠⁠⁠.

Thanks for keeping us company - Z and M xoxo

Previous Podcasts Episodes:

Not Me Playlist

Cooking Crush Playlist

[oddthesungod]

got over my initial knee jerk reaction so canon braius sketch just to feel out his design in my style, and ngl i see the vision mr riegel

[bietrofastimoff23]

criston with aegon:

unlike your father, i will always be on your side.

unlike your grandfather, i will always defend your honor.

unlike your mother, i will not spare your enemies.

unlike your brother, i really care about you.

the only person who sincerely supported aegon, treated him with respect, glorified his name with conquests of castles and was eager to avenge jaehaerys. and how determined he was to get to the fallen aegon at any cost, even though he could barely stand on his own feet ?? criston, you're not just the dad that stepped up, you're EVERYTHING.

[criticalyasha]

Behind the scenes from C3E65 post-Imodna scene with our CR cast

[kerosene-in-a-blender]

The newly arrived archivist: My name is Seth Domade

The entire cast: Sure Essek