Latimer: As a nineties kid, I always felt like we had the best cartoons – all the Marvel cartoons, Gargoyles, Animals of Farthing Wood, Mummy’s Alive, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, Batman… the list goes on!
Those cartoons had proper, involved story-lines.
But somewhere in the late nineties cartoons got fixed on this one episode, one story, structure, that I never liked. I always missed the ‘larger picture’, the big story arcs.
Then, around this time, I more or less stopped watching cartoons – so they remained, in my mind, fixed in that ‘one episode, one unconnected story’ structure.
In slightly later life, I swapped Western cartoons for Eastern ones. This would be around the time my obsession with anime kicked in. In anime, big story-lines never went out of style!!
I noticed early in the naughties Western cartoons started to taken on this East-meets-West style; an almost ‘anime but not quite, style’. I think it was due to the popularity of anime at the time.
That was probably what brought me slightly back to Western cartoons.
I think out of all those new ‘East-meets-West’ cartoon series, Avatar, has got to be one of the best.
Forget that terrible movie version. The cartoon is where it’s at!
Avatar is a great show. I was late to the game – I haven’t seen all of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but am a pretty big follower of Avatar: Legend of Korra.
I love the style, music and feel of Avatar… It’s a well-thought out story-line, with interesting characters, with interesting ethnic backgrounds. Basically the story is focused on a world where people have the power of controlling (bending) elements; water, fire, earth and air. The avatar is the one person in the world that can do all four and is sort of the, near as I can tell, spiritual and bending guide of the people. A big figure-head basically.
When the avatar dies, the next avatar is born and so on….
So, when the new Avatar Korra takes centre-stage, you know that the previous Avatar, Aang, is dead.
Which is pretty sad actually, given that the last time we see him is as this chipper 12 year old kid who saved the world. We don’t really get time to grieve over that, we just have to accept it, which is… yeah kind of rough!
But there’s lots of cool, funny characters in Legend of Korra too (and Korra is a very strong female lead, so that’s pretty cool!)
My favourite characters are Bolin and his little red panda Pabu – Bolin is just brilliant…
Okay, so maybe the best cartoons didn’t end with the 90s, maybe there are lots more to come! 🙂
Latimer: This week Ridley gets grilled with questions with too many caveats!
Ridley: My grilling…do I smell something burning!? Well here goes…!
1.Let’s break the ice (because it will get so involved later!)
A favourite book – why?Pride and Prejudice, just because no matter how many books come and go, and how many I’ve become obsessed over and loved, nothing really every reaches P&P’s pedestal to knock it off. Though Persuasion has always been a close second. A favourite movie – why?Technically I have two favourite movies, Hot Fuzz and Zoolander, no matter how many times I’ve watched them, and it’s been a lot, I still laugh at all the same jokes. If you quote anything from either of these movies, or you get my random mutterings of things like ‘Mer-man,*cough* Mer-man’, then I’m pretty certain we could instantly become great friends. 😀 Surely I’m not the only person who absolutely loves these? Also, I (am ashamed to admit) have not seen The World’s End yet, I’ve heard it’s good, so it could possibly become another top contender. Stay tuned!
Comfort food that you love: Chocolate, particularly Cadbury’s and anything with caramel, oh and I adore Reese’s peanut butter cups. I will readily say I’m probably addicted to the sugary goodness, add in a hot cup of tea and it’s heaven! Though, the last few weeks, I’ve banned myself from eating anything sugary (or basically fun), which includes Cadbury’s. Sad times. 😀
Currently what are you’re listening to:Hmm, right at this moment? Phantom radio on the television, it has a good oldie playing! Anyone remember this one? Loved this song when I was younger.
After that, this song has really caught my attention.I think it’s more the video, I sit there trying to work it out. I know it’s based on Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, but the ending confusts me something awful. Explanations are most welcome (though I suppose I could google it!).
Current/recent obsession:Not so much an obsession, but my new show is (or was) Orange is the New Black, I watched the whole series, I finished it Friday night with mixed thoughts. An interesting take on prison, really loved seeing why and how each of the characters ended up in jail. For some of them, it was really purely just wrong place and wrong time, or just one small wrong decision, other times it was wandering down a dark road from where there was really no return. I did start to really not like the main character, Piper, by the end of it though. Despite starting out looking like she was angelic and good and just didn’t belong in prison compared to the hardened criminals in there, the character developments were so fantastic we ended up seeing that a lot of the other inmates had far more good in them, were less selfish and more caring than she turned out to be. Looks can be deceiving! But that’s just my take! I look forward to season two to see what happens. (Netflix really has revolutionised my life, how could you ever be bored with it? (or get any work done with it!))
2. What was the very first profession you wanted to be when you were a wee nipper?
Ridley: Like you Lat, I wanted to be an archaeologist for the longest time, but I think when Jurassic Park came out it switched to ‘dinosaur digging up’ (a palaeontologist). Then I become obsessed with Egypt and I settled on becoming an Egyptologist. After a time I realised though if I did become one there’d be a lot crawling around in dirty spaces, hot sand, hot sun, sunburn, blistering, dust, dry throat, scorpions, beetles…and very low likelihood of ever finding anything, so one or two of those things might have turned me off the idea. Now I just feed the small Egyptologist-wannabe in me by watching the Discovery channel, with this guy, Zahi Hawass presenting
(he turns up in everything and anything to do with Egypt…it could have been me you know, he obviously just had less of a fear of bugs…*sigh*) 3. You are shipped to a desert island with no internet – you must stay for 2 months – you have food and clothes and all the necessaries, but you can only take two items to really pass the time – what do you take?
Ridley: A notepad and a pencil. I was going to say a pen, but could you imagine how frustrating that would be running out of ink half way through the first month!? I’d have to go fishing for a squid and try and steal some of its ink or something. But with a notepad and pencil, you can draw, you can write (imagine all the work you’d get done), you can start a little diary, with the paper you could make origami friends to keep you company and then play little paper games (of some type, I’m sure before I go to the island, I’ll have looked up all the games there are to play with a piece of paper). Though…do I have a little knife to sharpen my pencil if it breaks? O_O ….I’m sure I do, she does say ‘all necessaries’, that leaves a lot of things open, maybe I can bring my phone as well, though somehow I don’t think there’d be any sockets for charging it in the palm trees. 😦
4. I can tell you for 100% that one of the following is real, which one do you want to be real (and why)?
Werewolves and shapeshifters(Ridley: I’m thinking this one is my choice, mainly (and being selfish here) as all the rest, even if they’re real, I can’t really become part of the world-unless that’s part of it becoming real, can i suddenly be one of these things??- anyway assuming that’s not the case, at least if shapeshifters and werewolves were real, I could join them- werewolf love bite anyone? Haha…)
Hogwarts and magic(Ridley: ah…if only, but if it was real, I still wouldn’t be apart of it, I’m too old for my letter. I’m possibly a Squib though! 😀 )
The Doctor and all that world(Ridley: Be so hard to pin him down, it would become a very unhealthy search for him on my part. So probably best not…)
Angels and Demons, and demon and angel hunters(Ridley: So cool. I imagine they’d wear cool boots and leather jackets. And moody striking frowns. They’d never want me tagging along asking questions and grinning like a fool.)
Superheroes, mutants, X-men and Batman etc.(Ridley: All special people in groups of which I would not be a member, see option B for further explanations. Though if I thought I could become a superhero if this world was real…then possibly this one…god this question is too hard, and now I’m not playing the game right, changing and adding rules, Latimer is going to rap me on my knuckles. RUN! :D)
5. Well, it’s ghosts that are real for this question. Now, you have a choice… hehe…(Ridley: I dread seeing that ‘hehe’ it sends shivers of horror and unease through me…)
Spend 1.5 months in a one bed, really filthy hotel, with no internet access and a shared toilet that has never been cleaned and will never be cleaned. The location of the hotel is nowhere exciting, and you have to stay there too. You can’t get internet anywhere in the town
Spend 1 week in Mary King’s Close and 1 week in the Vaults. The alleged ghosts are definitely real (but they can’t physically hurt you). You will have blankets and you can choose where to sleep – but it must be in both places, you can’t hang around the visitor stairwells or anything!
You can leave both places at 9AM everyday but must return at 7PM.
Ridley: I think it would have to be ‘B’, you know me too well, that last line in ‘A’ got me. It was a hard choice, don’t like the idea of not sleep for a week due to all the bumps in the night I’d end up hearing. I was actually verging on picking ‘A’ but then no internet anywhere in town either? So cruel, that was the final straw – oh no, not the horrible bathroom, no no, it was limiting of my computers ability to check facebook, email and google…good to know I’ve my priorities right!! 😀
That was part 1, part 2 will come along….eventually!! By the by, join in if you want, we’d love to hear your answers!!
Latimer: Hope you guys liked Ridley’s grilling – hehe 🙂
Latimer: My love of comic book characters comes from the past; the not so, and yet so, distant past. Back in the mid 90s, Saturday mornings were filled with marvel cartoons. Ah yes, despite it being a non-school day I would be up at the crack of dawn to see them, my favourite being X-men (and come on, I can still hum that epic opening tune!).
Sometimes I had to watch Spiderman, or The Incredible Hulk, to get to X-men; now Spiderman I didn’t mind, but God, the Incredible Hulk left me feeling so depressed (even as a child). Nothing ever, ever, went right for Bruce Banner.
I traveled with him, though he didn’t notice, and every episode the promise of a hulk-cure made me feel elated along with Bruce and we’d go together to the place of promised salvation, only to find it wasn’t what we thought and then we’d leave – him with ripped clothes and inevitable fleeing from the army, and me, with a broken heart and dejected for about an hour afterward.
In my reality of Saturday morning cartoons, ‘Earth 90s’, Bruce never found a cure. Also, his cousin became the She-Hulk… Which, by the way, what the hell was the deal there?
How come she became this buxom babe with full control of her powers (remained a practicing lawyer) and Bruce… Bruce was essentially this instinct-driven beast. Well, in the cartoons a least this was never explained (only that she was really, really happy to be the She-Hulk, well in fairness, she looked amazing, of course she didn’t mind!).
Then there was Spiderman, where I left him… let’s see, vaguely I remember he was searching for Mary-Jane (she had gone missing, then he had found her again, for a while, only it turned out she wasn’t really Mary-Jane she was a water clone! Yeeaah…).
A water clone who evaporates and is no more! It was horrific to me at the time, honestly it still kind of is…
He never found the real Mary-Jane in my Earth 90s. Either I stopped watching (that’s unlikely!) or they stopped showing it (more likely!).
The X-men was the same; I remember lots of stories. I remember I really didn’t like boring, boring, Jean Grey (she was always collapsing – always – even though subsequently I found out that she is one of the strongest mutants in Marvel – what the…?!).
Oh my God, and I remember Jubilee… argh, she was so pointless (sparks… seriously? You are lucky Wolverine was your friend, that’s all I’m saying!).
Rogue and Gambit – now this is me all over; perfect couple, I shipped them all the way! I also remember Cyclops and Jean Grey got married (okay I didn’t like her but I shipped them – I still ship them, ships are hard to leave).
fantastic fanart by New Moon Night Mike Choi
Now in Earth 90s, Gambit and Rogue never kissed and couldn’t touch, because of Rogue’s powers, but in comics… love must’a found a way! I’m fan-girl squee-ing even after all these years…
They brought the X-men cartoon back; years and years later and I watched it, but it just wasn’t the same anymore. Spiderman’s not the same, and God, I’m not watching the Hulk. There’s a time for everything and my days of watching them had passed – unless it’s my other thought, that 90s cartoons were just better.
This brings me full circle; recently I’ve being sticking a toe (here and there) back into the Marvel world, via comics. There is some absolutely beautiful, gorgeous artwork in comics too…
Stunning image of Magneto (who survived a concentration camp) by Marko Djurdjevic… Stunning
I’m now skirting around the great cosmic comic-world windows, peaking in and going; ‘ohh, err, can I come in? I think I’m ready!’. This I should warn you, is how obsessions start for me!
In preparation for my skipping into comic books (baring in mind, I know very little and these are just random nuggets I uncovered!) – I have found out some strange things about the heroes I actually never knew at all…
Firstly (and shockingly) Peter Parker… is dead… seriously… You killed Peter Parker…. What…?
There are only like 200 mutants left in the Marvel universe following a big ‘event’ (an epic arc of a story that crosses across lots of titles etc)… WHAT?! NOOO, they are the coolest thing in Marvel!
Jean Grey is dead… Do I care…? Argh, yes, with age I now care, because she married Cyclops and damn it, a ship must not sink while part of me is still on it, or I turn into a pumpkin! Save me Marvel!
Cyclops was unfaithful when married to Jean Grey – okay, hold on a damn minute, I’m not happy about this! He is now, subsequently, having a relationship with the mutant he was having an affair with – a mutant called Emma Frost (who was played by January Jones in X-men: First Class). Main thought here; ‘Oh NO you didn’t…!’ Of course on the other side I wouldn’t be surprised if Jean Grey had a fling with Wolverine… I can tell relationships in comics will hurt me
Jean Grey is not happy when she finds out! In this instance, I am with you Jean, even though I don’t like you really…
Weirder still, Cyclops has turned into like a revolutionary leader for mutants (where Magneto is almost his second in command!) and he’s – my thought? ‘When did Cyclops get so interesting?’
What the hell… Cyclops has gone mad! MAD!
AND Cyclopes killed Prof X… buh?
Don’t just stand there! This isn’t going to end well Prof!Hard to know how permanent that is, he’s died ALOT apparently! As has Cyclops!
Cyclops is in jail… look at this. God, what happened to him, what made him turn into this character? I really want to know! What a spiral from the pure boy scout I remember!
Psychologically what the hell happened to you?
Wolverine is on the opposing side to Cyclops. He also runs a school for mutants…
Okay this is weird, but I’m intrigued by this school (there seems to be some interesting characters there)…
There are so many stories that happened before and after my time; the world of the Marvel characters is far bigger than I realised. Earth 90s was an introduction and I thought it was the story. It’s funny really, but I’m starting to wonder again about all those crazy characters. I love a good story and I really did love those characters.
Okay, it may be time to open the door to that comic book world, step in and have a look around 🙂
Ridley: Have many of us ‘follow’ random channels on youtube? It’s amazing (in a fantastic way) that some of these people have become internet celebrities through uploading interesting and often times funny videos. They make their content so worthwhile, that internet users willingly spend their precious free time viewing them. They deserve their ‘famous’ status far more than some of the ‘famous because I’m famous’ types that are always splashed across our magazines.
When I watch them, a small part of me often wishes I could be part of this youtube community, where all the top youtubers seem to know each other and do guest appearances…it just all seems like a lot of fun! These people are without a doubt extremely hard-working; they put long hours in, not only thinking up content to video, but sometimes drafting their script, taping it and then editing it.
It must be quite labour-intensive (though of course work isn’t work if you enjoy it, just an extension of your hobby really)!
But I think I’d have one main problem to overcome to be one of them…this problem leads me to think that these video makers are brave.
Brave, how so?
freedigitalphotos.net
Well, have you ever tried to stand in front of a camera and just talk, basically to yourself? These youtubers are able to face the world and talk to us, without any awkwardness or inability to express themselves.
Most of the time, there’s no one else there with them- it’s just you, in a room and the round black hole of the camera lens, spearing you with its unending angry gaze…I suppose you’d have to try envision someone at the other end, watching you….but then that gets kind of creepy. So I’d rather not! (I’m now picturing ‘The Eye’, the all seeing Red Eye of Mordor. Run Frodo, I mean me! Run Ridley!)*shudder*
I tried once to do a video. It was just with the little HP webcam thing on my laptop. I was never going to uploading anything, it was just for fun. Even still, I clammed up completely and become really self-conscious. I felt like an eejit. I had no intention of ever showing it to another soul, not even one of my dogs, and yet I just couldn’t be myself. The result was very cringe-worthy- me, smiling like a buffoon, one sweeping wave with the words ‘Hello, world!’
It will go with me to my grave.
Mind, I am one of those people that throws numerous suspicious glances at any camera in my immediate vicinity. Photos of me nearly always consist just of a blur or a random limb- an arm or a foot or a lock of my hair-as I dive out of the shot. So the invention of camera phones, like my beloved iphone, is both a blessing and a curse.
freedigitalphotos.net
However, I am also aware that writers today are expected to create an ‘author platform’. We are expected to put ourselves forward, to become a brand. Look at Stephen King, that’s a prime example of a branded author. (Though saying that, if your work isn’t good enough and people don’t enjoy it, no amount of selling yourself will bring you any success) Despite this notion of the ‘author brand’, compared to an actor, I can still duck down behind my typed words.
Now, getting back to these youtube citizens and away from my numerous ‘issues’, I do have a few people that I love to follow online. Mostly because they make me laugh or because they’re very insightful and thought provoking…mostly I laugh…
Wong Fu Productions
Ted, Wes and Phil are three friends that make up Wong Fu, they work together as film producers. They write, film and edit all their own stuff. Their official film shorts are beautiful; a lot of them have a romantic slant though there’s a good bit of comedy too. I love their stuff. (Truly, they often inspire me and sometimes make me long to be able to write and produce our work this way. I’m certain Latimer and I could come up with quite a few nice ‘moments’ and shorts. Maybe one day….though I won’t be in them, I’d be the disembodied voice off to the side!) Saying that, Wong Fu are extremely talented, there is a lot of planning and effort injected into each of their projects. They also do Wong Fu weekends, random fun video blog uploads, which make me jealous betimes at the fun they have together. Whether it’s driving tanks, visiting anime conventions, buying Christmas trees, food fairs or just playing games together in their office, they really seem like they enjoy life to the full and are doing what they love. Plus they have merchandise for sale that includes cute chibi-like stuffed animals!
Here’s a video short that they’d directed and filmed together:
Here’s one of their fun WongFu Weekend videos:
Aardman studios
Purely because I love everything that they do, they can do no wrong in my eyes! Here’s a great video, with Bill Bailey as one of the voice actors!
NigaHiga
Ryan Higa, he’s funny and very random. Originally from Hawaii, he’s been around youtube for a very long time. He’s the second most subscribed youtuber, after some other guy that, to me, just shouts a lot (Ray William Johnson-he gives you the highlights of the week on youtube)
KevJumba
He is also just as random as Ryan, he chats about his life and his Dad is very funny (he’s starting to amass his own following too!). Kevin often brings him in to do skits and videos.
DavidSoComedy
This is someone I only recently started following. He’s only been on youtube for about a year, but has amassed quite a number of fans. He’s a Korean comedian, with such expressive features as he delivers his lines, you can’t help but laugh!
Natalie Tran (communitychannel)
The most subscribed Australian youtuber (by the by, if anyone knows who the most subscribed Irish youtuber is, let me know. I tried searching once but came up with nada!) She’s extremely funny and turns every day observations or her own thoughts/phobias/habits into amusing tales. She has my sort of humour really, she always makes me laugh. She would be really one of my favourites. She also has a few videos with Lonely Planet’s youtube channel, where she reviewed travel destinations such as Paris, Singapore, Egypt, Jordan to name one or four.
HISHEdotcom
A brilliant channel with animated videos, How It Should Have Ended, creates alternative endings to the most popular television shows, movies and games out there, from Men in Black, Jurassic Park to Assassins Creed and Warcraft.
How X-men: First Class Shout Have Ended:
Charlie Is so cool like
A British guy who basically shares his opinions, likes and dislikes. He likes science, a lot. You could learn something while you procrastinate! He’s another extremely popular youtuber. He also has a Stephen Fry voice over at the end of his videos, which is pretty impressive by itself! Also along the same lines would be these two guys, Danisnotonfire and Amazingphil, also British!
Mr Weebl-particularly his Cat Face series
Another channel with great animated videos, some of which are extremely weird. In particular, I like his Cat Face series!
And his song, Tiny Japanese Girl
Chester See
A singer, he promotes his music online, he has one or two really great songs. He’s also taken part in a few fun videos with other youtubers such as with Kevin Wu (KevJumba) and Ryan Higa (NigaHiga). Quite a number of well-established youtubers here and there frequently pop into each other’s videos. They all seem to be friends. Wong Fu have also collaborated with Ryan in the past. I think some of this collaboration and friendship is due to the fact they’ve all taken part in an ISA event. ISA is a concert events company set up by Wong Fu and Far East Movement, which ‘showcases the bright and most talented rising artists of the Internet Generation’.
One of Chester’s music videos, I quite like this song.
Just an example of the collaboration between these particular youtubers I was talking about!
Vlogbrothers (Hank and John Green)
Two American brothers who began their youtube channel by video blogging to each other and uploading it. Very interesting way of creating youtube videos, they’re not necessarily chatting to an audience, but to the other brother, perhaps this makes it easier to just talk to the camera? Honestly, I’m new to watching these guys though.
Here’s Hank, the younger brother, speaking with Charlie (as in Charlie is so cool like)-see they’re all friends!!
This is John Green, the older brother of the two:
Harvard Sailing Team
More comedy, I particular love this video series of theirs….Boys will be Girls and Girls will be Boys…totes!
Anyway, I thought I’d just share a few of the fun places I hang out at during my procrastinating moments. You can’t go wrong with any of the above channels, hours of entertainment there! That said, anyone else a fan of these youtubers? What videos are your favourites? I’d love recommendations if anyone has new people for me to follow! Just let me know, I’ll pop onto them and then tell you what I think!
And yes, I am one of the millions of people that watch the cat videos. They’re just so cute!!
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Carwicky 