Overly Sarcastic Productions

Not to mention that not only are you defining a vague concept, you're now defining an even more vague concept by how it is not like a different vague concept. That just makes the definitions even more nebulous. Anti-hero unfortunately needs to be broadly defined like a 'foil' where the nature of what it is more specifically mirrors the concept rather than a mirror itself.

New Miscellaneous Myths episode, this time talking about Tantalus, AKA that guy who got punished for either killing his son and serving said son to the gods as a meal or stealing stuff from Zeus, AKA the god of hospitality:

Also even more stupid is the fact that he basically fed his son to his father.

I've heard it said that it was actually both, sequentially. The ambrosia stealing incident happened first and he was given a chance to atone so the party was thrown as a thank you or to show repentance and then the whole murder/cannibalism thing happened.

One of Red's best episodes. The asides are really great this time.

Also I hope that last comment was a hint at more acoustic covers, because I'd be down for that.

New Trope Talk episode, this time talking about mentor figures. Lesson learned: being a teacher is hazardous to your health.

Kinda surprised we didn't get a small recap on the Odyssey's Mentor.

Interesting no Iroh mention, especially when you remember that originally he was supposed to be an Evil Mentor who was supposed to teach Zuko wrong teachings by orders of his brother.

Well except he isn't evil, Iroh actually teach Z Uko what he need, not what he want.

Blue gives us some History's best couples, from the tragically all-but-erased romance of Achilles to the just plain tragic fates of Cleopatra and Mark Antony to two of the most effective (but squicky in one case...and Islamophobic in the other) power couples the world has ever known.

Edited by MorningStar1337 on Feb 14th 2020 at 5:19:21 AM

God damn, Red's spicy this episode, and it's great.

Edited by darkabomination on Feb 21st 2020 at 8:38:03 AM

So spicy she accidentally burns herself

You know, I wish I was surprised to learn that some male historians took potshots at her, but I'm really not.

oooh, one of the coolest ladies of the Empire.

Sounds like quite the interesting author.

Today's episode is Trope Talk, this time talking about MacGuffins.

"Baby Yoda is a MacGuffin and you all love him." Does that mean you don't Red?

I've really enjoyed Red's saucier takes as of late.

This episode is a Modern Classics Summarized episode, talking about Stranger in a Strange Land.

Oh boy, apparently I wasn't quite old enough to fully understand what I was reading when I read that book - because somehow I completely missed the homophobia. :/

Reminds me of when I got into Lovecraft and thought Shadow over Innsmouth's ending was supposed to be a happy one because I didn't know about the author's rabid racism yet.

I'm not very fond of Heinlein either as a person or a writer (there's a reason that the first Starship Troopers movie is essentially a satire of the novel) so this episode was amusing for me.

I wouldn't be too hard on Lovecraft racism, his grandmother who raise him even make the Klan uncomfortable with how racist she was. He basically an extreme version of that time period due to his trouble upbringing. Also Lovecraft for me is more xenophobic than racist, he hated everything that not his hometown.

Also kinda strange that you see that ending as happy. Wasn't the fish people basically kill a bunch of people, take over a town and waiting for their time to take over the world?

Edited by BattleRaizer on Mar 21st 2020 at 12:39:12 AM

Because the book ends with the narrator embracing his ancestry and choosing to live with his extended family instead of being committed to some asylum or killing himself.

So yeah, it does feel like a somewhat happy ending, if you're not aware of the "RACE-MIXING BAD" message Lovecraft intended the story to have.

I believe your own interpretation of the story is always trump over the author intend so it doesn't really matter for me what Lovecraft intention was. But the narrator joining his ancestor and will help them take over the world and killing people doesn't seem like too happy to me. It more like the narrator only way to escape the madness he had discoved is to embrace it, become what the monster that he fear. SF Debris is doing a review of Lovecraft work, he currently doing At the Mountain of Madness and that work certainly show some change in Lovecraft worldview in his last years.

Well, the more patently offensive/bizarre the work, the more Red has a field day, and by golly did she have a field day with this one.

You could actually hear her voice straining to avoid ranting or shouting at times.

I hope "Deep thoughts...with Heinlein" becomes merch at some point. It would make an amazing mug.