#p; emilio

[secondary-colorentimy]

What animal/mobian would Emilio Cruz be? Asking out of curiosity

he would like a dawg or sumthn 🔥🗣‼️

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

We're meeting again today to talk about a show that's very different from the ones I'm used to reviewing, but more importantly, different from the ones I'm used to watching, so I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity you've given me and for choosing it in the poll on Instagram (@theaddictedwatcherrewiews) last Saturday. The series I'm about to tell you about is an adaptation of Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 book of the same name, which was re-released in 2001 as The Way of the Gladiator. The book is said to have inspired David Franzoni's screenplay for Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000). The series' release on Prime Video at the end of July this year could also suggest that it is paving the way for the release of the film Gladiator 2, scheduled for November 2024. As some of you may have guessed, I'm going to tell you about Those About To Die.

And as usual, a short synopsis : Rome, year 79, a few years after the death of Princeps Senatus Nero. The population is tired and bored. Some are starving, mainly because of the slow arrival of grain from Egypt. The ageing princeps Vespasian, who had initiated the construction of the Flavian amphitheatre, tried to distract and entertain the people with gladiatorial fights and chariot races. All this kept many people busy behind the scenes, providing a real 'spectacle' for the people. The new amphitheatre also provoked jealousy among the Roman elite, who resented Vespasian's desire to share the site with the people. Vespasian also had to deal with the rivalry between his two sons, Titus and Domitian. Against this backdrop, we follow the fate of Tenax, a man who starts from nothing and tries to reach the upper echelons of Roman society. Along the way, he crosses paths with Cala, a mother who has come from Numidia to recover her three children, who have been forced into slavery and transported to Rome. And now a short technical presentation: - Created by : Robert Rodat - Music by : Andrea Farri - Starring: Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Rupert Penry-Jones, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, Emilio Sakraya, David Wurawa, Pepe Barroso, Gonçalo Almeida, Eneko Sagardoy, Lara Wolf, Anthony Hopkins.

As I said at the beginning of this article, this series is an adaptation of the novel Those About to Die by Daniel P. Mannix (1958, reprinted 2001) by Robert Rodat, the man behind films such as Saving Private Ryan (1998) and the Falling Skies series (2011), both directed and produced by Steven Spielberg.

In this work, which takes the form of a peplum, we find many of the codes found in other well-known productions such as the films Gladiator (2000), Spartacus (1960) and Ben-Hur (1959), as well as the series Rome (2005) and Spartacus (2010), to name but a few. The title of the work is a direct reference to the Latin salute given to the princeps during the games: Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant, which translates into English as 'Hail Caesar, those who are about to die salute you'. It's a quotation that is used almost systematically in all types of works dealing with gladiatorial fights, chariot races and, more generally, the Roman arenas, as in the comic strip Asterix Gladiator by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny (album published in 1964).

But let's stop for a moment. What is a peplum? The Latin name peplum is derived from the ancient Greek word péplos, meaning 'cloth used to cover the body to make a toga'. Since the twentieth century, it has been used to describe a genre of historical fiction films set in antiquity, particularly ancient Rome, ancient Greece and ancient Egypt. There are also biblical epics based on the Old or New Testaments. Its place in the history of cinema is proof of its importance. At once noble - because it deals with history and religion and uses authors such as Homer (The Iliad, The Odyssey) or Gustave Flaubert (Salammbô) - and vulgar, because it exploits violence and eroticism, the ancient genre is associated with epic, comedy, fantasy and even the miraculous through its use of various mythologies. The basic recipe for the American peplum was laid down by Cecil B. DeMille: a handsome hero, preferably muscular, a beautiful heroine, spectacular action (orgies, battles), lavish sets and costumes.

Now that we've looked at the genre, let's take a brief historical look at the characters and the various themes.

BACKGROUND

Before we begin, this section will probably contain some historical spoilers about some of the main characters, but you need to know a little history to understand what's at stake.

Although the series begins in 79 AD, under the reign of Princeps Vespasian, we need to go back a little to understand the socio-political context of the time.

Before Vespasian

After the death of Nero in 68, the Roman Empire plunged into civil war, known as the Year of the Four Emperors, and power was hotly contested, leading to a highly unstable political situation. While the usurper Vitellius took power during 69, the Roman legions in Egypt and Judea declared Vespasian emperor on 1 July 69. He marched on Rome with his larger legions and defeated Vitellius, ending the civil war and becoming the first representative of the new Flavian dynasty.

Princeps Vespasian - played in the series by Anthony Hopkins

On 20 December 69, it was announced that Vespasian had triumphed over Vitellius, and his appointment was confirmed by the Senate the following day. Vespasian's reign was marked by a series of financial reforms and ambitious building projects. His most famous project was the Colosseum, an amphitheatre the size of which had never been equalled. Through his delegate Agricola, Vespasian also pursued the conquest of Britain.

Vespasian was the first Roman princeps to come from a family of the equestrian order (the order that followed the senatorial order in the hierarchy of classes), and was also the first Roman princeps to be succeeded by his natural son, Titus, on his death in 79. His military career was the source of his fame (Roman conquest of Britain in 43, Roman domination of Judea - modern Israel and Palestine - during the Jewish revolt of 66).

Princeps Titus - played in the series by Tom Hughes

The son of Vespasian, Titus reigned from 79 to 81. Initially serving under his father, he rose to prominence as a military commander during the First Jewish-Roman War. Titus aroused the suspicion of the Romans when Vespasian became princeps, not only because of his status as prefect of the Praetorian Guard, but also because of his relationship with Princess Berenice of Judaea. Despite several breaches of Roman morality, Titus became increasingly popular after Vespasian's death in 79.

His reign, though short, was marked by a series of disasters. Having just come to power, Titus had to deal with the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and distinguished himself by his great generosity towards the victims. The following year he had to deal with a fire that ravaged Rome just as the construction of the Colosseum was nearing completion. Finally, he personally intervened to help the victims of a plague epidemic that killed thousands in the city. Considered a good princeps by ancient historians, he died of a violent fever on 13 September 81.

Princeps Domitian - played in the series by Jojo Macari

The youngest son of Vespasian, Domitian succeeded his older brother Titus as Princeps from 81 until his death in 96. He was the third and last of the Flavian dynasty. As Princeps, Domitian strengthened the economy by revaluing the Roman currency, reorganised the frontier defences and embarked on an ambitious building programme in Rome (including the construction of the Arch of Titus in honour of his brother). His foreign policy was marked by Agricola's campaigns in Britain and the wars against the Germans and the Dacians.

He is also remembered for expelling from Rome the philosophers who, by spreading their ideologies, were creating opponents of the regime. Domitian's government, and in particular his policy of centurionism, showed many signs of despotism. Indeed, he saw it as his destiny to lead the Roman people into a new golden age. This image was conveyed through propaganda developed on religious, military and cultural levels. In fact, Domitian was popular with the people and the army, but he was considered a tyrant by the senators, to whom he had left only vestiges of power. Domitian's reign ended in 96 when he was assassinated by members of the court. After his death, like Nero, he was condemned by the Senate to abolitio nominis ('suppression of the name'; the modern equivalent would be damnatio memoriae, which literally means 'condemnation to oblivion' but was not coined until 1689), and Latin historians such as Tacitus and Pliny the Younger published versions of Roman history in which he was described as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. Since then, modern historians have rehabilitated his reign, whose political, economic and cultural programmes helped usher in a flourishing era for the Roman Empire.

Berenice of Judea - played in the series by Lara Wolf

Berenice, also known as Julia Berenice, born around 28 BC, was one of the daughters of King Agrippa I. She was a descendant of the Herodian dynasty, being the great-granddaughter of Herod I of Judea. She was a descendant of the Herodian dynasty, being the great-granddaughter of Herod I of Judaea, known as Herod the Great.

She was married for the first time at a very young age. After this first marriage, Berenice spent some time in Alexandria until her husband's death. While still a young girl, she remarried her uncle, Herod V, King of Chalcis (south-eastern Roman Syria), with whom she had two sons. Widowed again around 48 AD, she married for the third time to Marcus Antonius Polemo II, the client king of Cilicia (in modern Turkey), whom she left to return to her brother Agrippa II in Jerusalem. At his side, she performed the duties of queen, a status that was recognised even though no wife of Agrippa is mentioned in ancient sources.

She became the mistress of Titus, the eldest son of Vespasian, while he was in command of some legions trying to crush all resistance in Galilee (northern Israel) between 67 and 68. Their relationship continued while Titus crushed the Jewish revolt of 66-70, known as the Great Jewish Revolt or the First Jewish-Roman War. Titus returned to Rome to witness his triumph (late 70s) and to help his father. Berenice joined him around 75. Because of negative rumours about the affair, he sent her back to her brother in Jerusalem when he became Princeps in 79.

The charioteer Scorpius - played in the series by Dimitri Leonidas

Flavius Scorpus, also known as Scorpius, was a famous charioteer in Roman times who lived at the end of the first century AD. Scorpus amassed 2,048 victories (that's almost 10 chariot races a week).

As one of the most famous chariot drivers in Roman history, Scorpus earned extraordinary sums of money; his income exceeded that of professional Roman sponsors.

Geographical context

A number of places are used in the series, and some of them have changed names over the course of the story, so here's a short list so that everyone knows where we're talking about:

Some of the characters are from Numidia, which now would be Algeria and part of Libya.

Berenice is from Judea, the kingdom that included Israel, Palestine and part of the modern West Bank.

CASTING

I'm not going to beat around the bush so I'll be quite honest about my feelings. This is just for me, and you are free, of course, to have a different opinion.

One of the main reasons that made me want to watch this series, apart from the subject matter, was the presence in the cast of Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Elephant Man, Dracula, One Life) and Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones, Misfits, Inhumans). The former, used to very charismatic roles, plays a Roman Princeps, so the casting could hardly have been more dreamy. As for the latter, whom many of you, like me, discovered in Game of Thrones, he plays Tenax, a secret crime boss and owner of the biggest betting tavern in Rome. It's a new role, full of duplicity and manipulation, and I was curious to see how it would differ from his role as Ramsay Bolton. So why not give it a go?

With the exception of them both, the entire cast was unknown to me, at least by name, and sadly I think for many of them, this isn't the show that will showcase their talents. And I'm not necessarily talking about a lack of talent, although some of the performances leave something to be desired, but I'm mainly talking about visibility. The show is packed with so many characters that the main cast of the show is also immense, and the distribution of screen time between each of them leaves them with only meagre moments of appearance per episode.

For my taste, the interpretations of certain characters are either too caricatured or too effete, and this gives the whole thing an unpleasant lack of harmony. In fact, when you go from a very intense scene full of political stakes to a scene of discussion between two pages (this is just an example, but I think it's representative enough), the emotion created by the first disappears and, with it, a large part of the viewer's attention as well.

However, I have to admit that I discovered some talented actors that I didn't know and who deserve to be seen more. I'm thinking in particular of Jojo Macari (Morbius, Sex Education, Harlots), who gives a brilliant performance as the ambitious and manipulative Domitian Flavius, the youngest son of Princeps Vespasian, and also as Aedile Ludi, the person who organises the gladiator fights and chariot races in Rome.

But I'm also talking about Sara Martins (Les Petits Mouchoirs, Petits Meurtres au Paradis, Alexandra Ehle), a French actress who plays Cala, a Numidian merchant and mother of three children - Kwame, Aura and Jula - who does everything she can to free them from the clutches of the Romans.

They're not the only two, of course, but their performances and complex characters contributed greatly in making me want to watch beyond the first episode.

Although the characters played by Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Rheon are both very interesting and their stories could be explored in greater depth. Their presence in the cast isn't enough to make up for the lack of material in the script. It's a flaw I've already mentioned, and I'll come back to it later in the article.

However, I would like to pay tribute to the work of the actors/stuntmen in the race scenes and the arena fights.

THEMES

There are several important themes in the series, and although they are not always tackled with sufficient depth or with a fresh eye, I won't list them all here as it would take far too long. Themes inherent to the genre such as politics, rivalry, but also slavery and arena fights as entertainment are all part of it.

However, I can't help but mention one of the key themes of the genre, and of historical works in general: the exploitation of sex. It's an interesting topic, not only because of the importance of understanding the sexuality of the characters, but also because of their sexualisation. In many works of this kind, when male homosexuality is depicted, it's not so much to show relationships between men as to show the decadence of Rome, whether through fascination or moral condemnation. While male homosexuality is suggested and (self-)censored, this is not the case with female relationships, which are instead shown with voyeuristic force to satisfy a male audience, as in Sapho, Venus of Lesbos (1960) or Sodom and Gomorrah (1962). When the characters are explicitly lesbian, they are portrayed as hating men, and it wasn't until Xena the Warrior in the 1990s that on-screen sapphism was appreciated and reclaimed by lesbian culture.

What I like about the show is that although there are - far too many - carnal relationships between numerous characters, they are mostly brief and often censored by a frame or a well-placed sheet. Sexual vulgarity in the primary sense is not necessary to understand the stakes of the story and therefore doesn't need to take up so much space. However, it is notable that the majority of relationships between characters of opposite sexes almost systematically involve some form of sexual relationship or exploitation, which prevents the creation of the slightest connection between the two genders portrayed.

Another important theme is rivalry, especially political rivalry. Whether it's the relationship between Titus and Domitian as they fight over who will inherit the title of Princeps, the factions trying to seize power from the Flavian dynasty, or the relationship between Roman rulers and their provinces - in this case Numidia and Judea - political rivalry abounds. And yet, for most of the season, I got the impression that none of this was more important to the characters than their choice of dinner.As I said in the casting section, the sheer number of characters leaves too little room for each plot to develop, which is a shame because politics is one of the two main themes of the series. In fact, that's why I was considering watching this series in the first place: to better understand the political stakes behind the Circus Maximus games and, more broadly, to better discover the era of ancient Rome. But here the relationships remain superficial, predictable and therefore, for the most part, rather boring. Nevertheless, as Roland Emmerich himself said when the trailer for the series was released, "So much of it seems relevant in today's society, from the intertwining of politics and sport to the disciplines of the games, which haven't changed much in the last 2,000 years. The most electrifying spectacles for the general public still involve two men in an arena fighting each other, and today's chariots are called racing cars, whose drivers still have accidents and often pay with their lives". And I quite agree, if you look at the dirty tricks played by our politicians - anywhere in the world - the way celebrities are stripped naked as if they were gods, certain aspects of life back then are easily transferable to our times.

Finally, the approach to slavery with Cala's family remains, in my opinion, one of the rare successes of the series. Although certain events remain unlikely for the period, the recruitment of her children into the service of the Roman Empire and their sale into slavery remains plausible. I particularly appreciated the writing of Cala's character, who, as a visibly single and black mother, knows how to use these two characteristics to her advantage in order to manipulate her environment and try to free her children.

She's a strong, determined woman; she doesn't back down until she gets her way, and for once I find it refreshing to see not only a woman fighting to save her family, but to see slaves in a position of strength, all proclivities aside, of course. Speaking about the series, actress Sara Martins - who plays Cala - says: "Narratively, it's a side of Rome we've hardly seen. It's not just about the rich, the patricians, the ruling family and their opponents. It's also about all the workers, the slaves, the wealthy… everything that's behind the curtains of a city like Rome, like all the slaves who built those beautiful buildings. It shows life in Rome at that time and on all social levels". And I agree that through her character's and other's journey, the show gives us a glimpse of that, and it's enjoyable.

PRODUCTION

With a budget of over $150 million for a ten-episode first season, the series marks the first venture into television for German filmmaker Roland Emmerich, known for his disaster films such as Independence Day (1996), Godzilla (1998), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and 2012 (2009).

Along with Marco Kreuzpaintner (Trade, The Collini Case, The Lazarus Project), with whom he had worked several times in the past, Roland Emmerich had already been commissioned by the American network Peacock back in July 2022. The script was to be written by Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan, Thor: The Dark World, Kursk), with whom Roland Emmerich had already worked in 2000 on The Patriot.

But apart from the very ambitious technical aspect, which I'll come back to shortly, the production made a few mistakes which, in my opinion, are very detrimental to the series.

Firstly, the show jumps straight into the action without taking the time to set context, which is very important. The only introduction we get is a short monologue by Iwan Rheon's character, Tenax, who briefly explains how the circus games work and his role in them. As a result, viewers who aren't historians specializing in Ancient Rome - which is frighteningly specific in itself - will lack many of the elements needed to even understand who half of the main characters are and what's at stake politically in the series.

Secondly, the terminology is sometimes historically incorrect, although this may be done to help the viewer understand certain elements. For example, when talking about Andalusian horses, they should have said that they were horses from the Betic region, as it is incorrect to speak of the region of Andalusia 700 years before its creation. In fact, "Al Andalus" - which gave Andalusia its name - originated with the Arab invasions of Spain in the 7th century. At the time of the series, it would have been more accurate to speak of horses from Betica, a region created during the reign of Augustus [63 B.C. - 14 A.D.] by the division of Hispania Ulterior, which at that time covered the south of what is now Spain and roughly corresponded to present-day Andalusia. Its name derives from the Latin name of the Guadalquivir River, Baetis.

Finally, and this is perhaps the thing that annoyed me the most, but I've already mentioned it, is the over-numbering of characters, which drowns out the stories of all the characters, doesn't really bring anyone into the spotlight and loses its own purpose in random, superficial scenes.

Book adaptation

I won't go into too much detail on this, as I haven't read the book, but from what I've been able to skim through and understand from the various analyses of it, Daniel P. Mannix's work seems to cover several centuries of Roman history, and not just the principate of the Flavian dynasty, which may make it a more complete and complex work than the adaptation suggests. Indeed, on the very first page of the book, a single sentence briefly introduces the primary context in which the novel begins, as we are told:

"The situation here is out of control. The emperor is mad, the army is on the verge of mutiny, and the people are dying of hunger. For God's sake, get the sand! We must take their minds off their troubles! - Daniel P. Mannix, Those About to Die, Reed. 2024, p.7.

This only reinforces my feeling that the TV adaptation lacks a crucial introduction to the situation.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

I'd like to delve for a moment on the visual aspect of the series.

The series was filmed at the iconic Cinecittà Studios in Rome. This is one of the largest film studios in Europe and was originally a propaganda machine for Benito Mussolini's fascist government. It has been in operation for almost a century and has been used as the backdrop for classic productions such as Roman Holiday (1953), Ben-Hur (1959) and Cleopatra (1963). In fact, the site has become so popular with American film-makers that it has become known as 'Hollywood on the Tiber'.

The fact that the cast and crew of Those About to Die were able to film in the city where their story was set allowed the show's creators not only to shoot in the Eternal City, but also to immerse themselves in its history while telling a fictionalised version of real events.

"We shot the series in Rome and we're surrounded by buildings built by these emperors. You are constantly surrounded by their legacy. So you can read as much as you want and research as much as you want. But when you go into Domitian's bedroom, which is still on the Palatine Hill, there is nothing like it." said Jojo Macari who plays Domitian.

Of course, the production couldn't necessarily film in the actual bedrooms of Roman statesmen, so ancient Rome had to be recreated through sets and visual effects. The sets for the series were designed by co-production designer Laura Pozzaglio, a native of Italy, who was inspired by archaeological discoveries made in a number of important Italian cities, including Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Ercolano and Oplontis. Together with Johannes Muecke - the production's co-designer - and the production team, they worked with a number of museums to reproduce certain objects for the props. A team of sculptors also reproduced statues from the period and carpenters reproduced furniture they had seen in Pompeii or in history books explained Laura Pozzaglio in the production notes, underlining the effort made to achieve precision.

What could not be achieved in practice was left to visual effects supervisor Peter Travers, who used the Volume LED video wall technology pioneered by The Mandalorian. He explained that the digital wall used was huge: around 51 metres in circumference and eight metres high. It's made up of LED panels and can be stretched infinitely, so even the smallest conversation scenes could have the Colosseum or the skyline of ancient Rome in the background, giving the actors the impression of living in ancient Rome.

And it's true that although the sets - be it the various patrician residences or the outdoor settings such as the Basilica of Julia or the Temple of Vesta - are grandiose in their excess, there's a big problem with the lighting in many scenes. This problem of light contrast is very present throughout the season, and as a result we sometimes can't see what's going on or even the physical reactions of the characters.

There are also problems with the use of special effects. The green screens are sometimes visible in some of the distant shots - particularly the aerial shots of the city at the beginning of the series. And I'll just mention the CGI of the lions, which is absolutely terrible.

However, I must admit that most of the cinematography of the chariot races and gladiatorial fights - particularly in the last two episodes of the season - is quite beautiful, and the photography of the scenes in the Circus Maximus is reminiscent of works such as Ben-Hur. I also think that the athletic realism of the chariot races is due to the fact that the horses were real animals and the races were not digitised. Of course, they were choreographed and stuntmen were hired for the most dangerous scenes, but the actors, including Dimitri Leonidas - who plays the charioteer Scorpus - had to learn to drive a real chariot pulled by real horses. Of this experience, he said :

"Learning the several stages [of racing] before they let us get onto chariots and practice with the chariots was a lot of fun. And then finally when the stunt guys let us on the four-horse chariots to try and learn, the feeling is just incredible. There's nothing like it. Four giant Hungarian horses going all out. It's like riding an earthquake. It's hard to describe, to be honest. All I can say is those guys that do it, the stunt guys and then the guys like Scorpus who actually raced, you'd have to be insane. It's completely bonkers what they're doing. [...] I didn't go that fast except for one moment where we were sort of training and the horses decided they wanted to race and I just got dragged along. There's a great photo, actually, one of our set photographers took just as the horses went, and you can see me and one of the other actors just trying our best to stop them as we hit the turn on Circus Maximus. And he said to me that he stopped taking photos because he thought something bad was going to happen. To be fair, I was on the chariot and I thought something bad was going to happen. But that's why you do all that training. You have to just train as much as you can, hope that everything goes smoothly, but then trust that if something does go wrong, you know the protocols and you know how to make it safe. But I'm glad I got to experience it because that was the only time really that I got to feel them go full pelt was when I wasn't expecting it. And it's wild. It's completely wild. And gave me a newfound sort of respect for Scorpus and all those guys that were doing it." - Dimitri Leonidas in an interview for NBC on July 12th, 2024.

The colouring of the series is also of high quality. They make up for a lot of empty moments in the plot by captivating the viewer's eye with grandiose imagery, which, combined with the spectacular sets and opulent costumes, is one of the show's few strengths in my opinion.

COSTUMES

My penultimate stop is the costumes! This is one of the great strengths of the series, and one that I have no criticism for: the costumes in this series are breathtaking! Under the supervision of Gianni Casalnuovo as head costume designer, not only the characters' outfits, but also the armours are of the highest quality. With the help of costume supplier Peris Costumes - which is based in Spain but also has a branch in Rome - the production team had access to rare, high-quality pieces that were tailored to fit the needs of the show. No stranger to film and television sets, Peris Costumes has also worked on projects such as Gladiator II and House of the Dragon. Together they have created a costume collection that faithfully reflects the opulence and grandeur of the great age of Rome.

The only downside would be the blood splatters, prosthetics of severed limbs and gashes in the gladiators' flesh which at times look crude, but in the heat of the action are almost negligible details.

MUSIC

The soundtrack of the series, composed by Andrea Farri, is quite interesting and epic enough to seduce the viewer. However, if you listen to the music outside of the episodes, you won't always be reminded of ancient Rome. Nevertheless, the violin and cello compositions are very beautiful and will appeal to music lovers, even if they do not match the instruments of the time, as the violin and cello were only invented in the 16th century.

What's more, the work on the show's theme music - which depicts rivers of blood running down the streets of Rome and its emblematic monuments - is reminiscent of many of the show's themes in recent years: Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Westworld and more. Set to music by Woodkid, the epic status announced by the show's synopsis is truly palpable.

CONCLUSION

Despite having called on some big names for this series, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. While the superb costumes and some of the sets may appeal, the lack of any real depth to the story leaves room for the clichés of the genre, which have already been exploited far too often. Even the presence of Anthony Hopkins isn't enough to restore the reputation of this epic, which is fantastic in name only…

I won't go through the whole review again, I think it's self-explanatory enough for you to understand that this series was a big disappointment for me. Although peplums are far from my favourite genre, I was looking forward to another chance to be proved wrong, to learn more about an era I know so little about, and what's more with Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Rheon in the cast! Well, what I'll take away from this is yet another disappointment that has the bitter taste of time wasted…

I was expecting the exploitation of the games to highlight the political issues of the time and this is partly achieved. However, I think they could have emphasised the politics and toned down the sexualisation of the characters. Perhaps this is due to the period chosen, which is not the most eventful in history? Perhaps another period of the Roman Empire would have been more suitable for a series?

So I won't be going to the cinema today to see the next Gladiator, and I almost hope that Amazon doesn't renew this series, because there's nothing really at stake in this dull story. It would save everyone time and money… If they do decide to renew it, maybe they'll choose to do a temporal ellipse and focus on a period where the stakes are potentially higher. They had the opportunity to diversify and innovate with the peplum genre and, in the end, they chose to stick with the outdated clichés it's full of. Hopefully this is a mistake they won't make again if the show is renewed for a second series.

That's all I have to say about Those About to Die. I hope that those who have made this choice will still be curious enough to give it a try, if only to see for themselves. Maybe you won't be as picky as I am?

I'd like to give a special thanks to my partner, who watches all these series with me. She proofreads each article, supports me and, especially for this one, was my historical advisor, as this is her field of study.

Until the next article, I hope you enjoy your viewing, have a great week and see you soon on Instagram (@theaddictedwatcherreviews) to choose the next article!

Eli

[geekcavepodcast]

Those About to Die Teaser

Set in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Vaspasian, Those About to Die explores the "dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most…blood and sport." (Peacock)

Those About to Die is based on the novel by Daniel P/ Mannix. The series stars Anthony Hopkins (Emperor Vaspasian), Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, David Wurawa, Pepe Barroso, Gonçalo Almeida, Rupert Penry-Jones, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, Emilio Sakraya, Eneko Sagardoy, and Romana Maggiora Vergano. Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner each directed five episodes.

Those About to Die hits Peacock on July 18, 2024.

[macabremoons]

Project Daycycle:

♡ "I'm too grown for your tricks; I know this isn't love." ♡

General info

Standalone or Series: series

Progress: drafting book 1/4

Tropes/Ao3-esque Tags: Enemies to lovers, slowburn, family of choice, team as family, morally grey characters, redemption arcs

Book one

Working title: First Rises the Night

Main character name: Menodora

Summary:

Hundreds of years ago the creatures of mythos struck a deal with mysterious elemental beings to even the score with humans. In the wake of that agreement is an earth especially tailored for the creatures of mythos, humanity not being able to use their magic, and an empire ruled by the iron fist of the elementals. Both creatures and humans cling to the prophecy that a great chosen one wielding the element of  light would fight to free everyone from the empire's grip. However, a chosen one of darkness was also foretold to oppose them.

In the present day, Menodora is still struggling after realizing that despite being human and having the ability of light, she is not the chosen one. On her journeys far from the place she once called home, she's recruited by the werewolf general, Thais, on a plan that might be crazy enough to actually overthrow the empire.  Will she be strong enough to help with their movement, or will ties from her past hold her down?

Quotes:

Author Notes

Why "Daycycle?"

The working titles are all themed around times of day. This is inspired by the eternal daytimes in certain areas of the world!

Will you publish it?

Don't know! Most likely yes.

Romance or Found Family focused?

So far it's found family. When I say slowburn for the romance, I mean it. It's so slow my writer friends are trying to convince me to speed it up a bit for my own sanity. This story is very character focused, so it's important to me that the romance takes its sweet time. That being said, found family for the win baaabyyyy

Where can I see what you've posted so far?

I try to put all my writing snippets (and finished works but they have a separate tag) under #my writing, though rambles and writings can be found under the #project daycycle tag.

All the character tags are #p. d: (character name) and there's the tag p. d: main cast when referring to the group at large.

Can I be on your taglist?

This question is highly presumptuous, but yes hypothetical stranger, you can! Just ask in the replies or tags.

[aa-weirdgirl-showdown]

Fuck wrong one

📷

Okay I have two

This is my Lock Screen whatever you call it thingy. As expected right

Then we have my super obscure special interest guy

He’s my favorite. I love him. He is such a bitch anyways I can explain more in the tags but he’s from the webcomic ghost eyes!

[gaydelgard]

used to give LS a hard time for their cgs (some of them were pretty awkward) but the ones from RC get sooo much worse lmao

[nicsalazar]

Everybody lost somebody || Emilio & Nicole

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Axis Investigations PARTIES: @monstersfear & @nicsalazar SUMMARY: A missing case in the National Park allows Nicole and Emilio to find out more about each other. CONTENT WARNING: Mentions of family death and alcoholism.

It wasn’t a matter she should be taking into her own hands, she was well aware. There were protocols to follow, a hierarchy to respect, and other bureaucratic crap that gave her a headache just thinking about it. Detectives were working on it, after all. So they said. Another missing case at the park. As always, it felt as if nobody cared enough to investigate. Eventually to be filed away as another unsolved case. She knew the drill.

Nicole was seeking a second opinion, that was all. An outside perspective. 

There was a certain... stench sticking to the walls of Axis Investigation that Nicole should’ve expected. The place had quite a reputation after all. As she navigated the short distance towards Emilio’s office, she briefly considered that maybe, some reviews held truth to them. But it was an entirely superficial issue, anyway. None of that mattered as long as the job got done. And she trusted Emilio’s abilities. He didn’t need anything fancier than this.

Leaning against the door frame (it felt rude to barge in, despite their relationship), Nicole knocked lightly. When their eyes met, she greeted him with a nod and the hint of a smile. It was nice to see him, despite the circumstances. “Thanks for making time to see me”. It was strange, to meet him without a single drop of alcohol in her system. Through sober eyes, he looked a lot more worn down than usual. Exhausted. And in turn—assuming Emilio hadn’t begun drinking yet—she was allowing him to perceive her anxiety like she hadn’t before. While she acknowledged the discomfort, she understood that friendships evolved this way. Her eyes scanned the precarious room, looking for anything to distract herself. “Like what you’re doing with the place,” she deadpanned, making a circular motion to gesture the office. “Very minimalist."

Most of his clients were strangers. He preferred it that way, of course. There was a certain distance that came with helping someone you’d never met before and would never speak to again once the case was over, a certain level of ease. Cases were easier to solve when the outcome of them didn’t affect anything more than your online rating and any extra cash the client felt like throwing your way, after all. Moving from one case to the next was so much simpler when the ending didn’t matter. 

But Emilio had never been particularly good at saying no to his friends, and when one of them asked for something… The answer was often written in stone before the question was fully in the open.

So when Nicole said she was coming by with a missing persons case she wanted him to take a look at, Emilio knew from the start that this was how he’d spend his day. He might not have a lot of friends in White Crest — or in general — but Nicole was certainly one of them. And she’d never asked him for anything before, so telling her no when she did? It wasn’t even a thought that crossed his mind.

He glanced up at the knock on the door, smiling faintly. There was a certain level of exhaustion clinging to him, because there always was lately. It didn’t make it any less good to see her. “Not exactly beating clients off with a stick these days,” he joked, pushing himself away from his desk. She looked a little different in the light of day, when he had a little less whiskey thrumming in his veins. (There wasn’t no alcohol in his system, of course; Emilio hadn’t been completely dry in years now. He tried not to think about it too much.) Less laid back, less at ease. Some of that, he figured, could have something to do with the thing that had made her seek the help of White Crest’s surliest private eye. 

Snorting as she gestured to the office, he glanced around. “I’ve got a… tree thing,” he insisted, motioning to the bonsai he’d bought from Teddy the first day he met him. “And posters. Plenty of decorating.” Making his way across the room to stand across from her, he shifted his weight. His expression turned a little more serious as he did so. “So, what’s the case? Must be something serious if you’re coming to me.” 

“I do like that one” she laughed as she pointed to the lone bonsai, fighting for to bring spark to the office. Despite feeling reluctant, Nicole appreciated Emilio's urgency to get to the point. If it were up to her, she would've stretched the conversation until she chickened out. There was a case. And Nicole wanted to help. Which meant speaking out. 

She hesitated to move forward, feeling the need to excuse herself from stepping inside his office. But she didn’t apologize. It was getting easier to figure out when her mind was trying fight her these days. And she could work on ignoring it better. “So…uh, yes”. Nicole pulled up a sheet from the folder she was carrying. Not the official case. Of course. She had some limits. She wasn’t as fond of her job lately, but still wouldnn’t trying to threaten her livelihood by meddling directly with the investigation. Instead, she wrote down all she knew so far. It was important for her to give everything she had in her hands if Emilio was to go ahead with this case. She took a seat, sliding the paper to Emilio's side of the desk. “Missing case” she stated, though Emilio was already aware of that information. “Happens everyday at the park, y’know….nothing new,” people signed a waiver at the entrance for a reason. With the park being critically understaffed, people were bound to go off the limits. Get lost. Get eaten by something that may or may not have two heads and five tails. Nicole had grown almost detached to the fact.

Almost.

“There’s not a lot of— I don’t know what police are talking to witnesses, but tourists at the park talk. Love to have an audience and just—” Nicole drummed her fingers against the desk, working out the explanation in her head. “So this family… they, uh… went trekking, at dawn, like most people do” nothing extraordinary about it. There was no better place in town to watch the sunrise than the park’s mountain tops. Nicole bit the inside of her cheek, leaning away from the desk. Deflecting how much she cared. “I was— it was my camping site when the kid showed up, after the sunset. Alone. He looked—” like he had seen something horrifying, “He was a little shocked, scared. Like maybe he dealt with… something” she exchanged a knowing look with Emilio. Something of the supernatural variety. “His parents haven’t come back yet… it’s been— Almost a week” enough time for Nicole to know, against hope, that a return was unlikely. But she had to try. She let out a sigh, and when she spoke again, her gaze was fixed in her hands. "I mean, no one this young should lose their parents…right?"

“It really brings the place together,” Emilio said dryly, as if the single tree could save the peeling wallpaper or cracked floor. There was the corner of the room where Silas’s plants still sat proudly on display, too, of course, but Emilio could still barely bring himself to look at them. Especially now. The guilt threatened to curl up in his throat and make a home there once again, and he was grateful for the case Nicole had brought him and its ability to provide him with some distraction. 

He nodded at her as she stepped a little further into the office, brow furrowed expectantly. He watched as she made her way over to the desk, settling back into his chair as she sat in the ‘customer’ spot across from him. The notes were a good touch; most clients who came through Axis’s door didn’t think to bring something like this along with them, preferring instead to simply recount the details of their case verbally. And they always forgot something when they did it that way. Important details always slipped through the cracks, emotions making the words harder to grasp than they would have been all laid out on paper like this. Emilio read over her notes as she began to speak, nodding along.

The further she got in the story, the more tense the hunter became. He knew he had a… thing about kids. He didn’t need anyone to point it out to him, didn’t need it to be said aloud. Every time a case involving a kid came through the door, every time Ari gave him that look that was half concern, half apprehension, he was reminded anyway. He shifted in his seat, staring down at the paper largely to give him an excuse not to look Nicole in the eye. “A week out, it’s pretty unlikely we find them in one piece,” he said lowly, throat dry. “But… Kid should have answers either way.” Knowing was always better than not knowing, even if the answer was something terrible. Emilio knew that well enough from experience. “What have the police done?” He was pretty sure the answer would be a whole lot of nothing. Missing persons cases in White Crest tended to fall by the wayside thanks to the sheer volume of them. That was why Emilio had a job. 

Emilio's assessment was nothing Nicole hadn't thought of herself. It was logical, given the circumstances. Yet she still felt the heavy sting in her chest as he agreed. Further confirmation that a boy had no parents anymore. Miracles didn’t exist at the park. She kept her gaze low, while Emilio immersed himself in the sheet. An overview of background information, physical descriptions, a chronology of the accident, and possible routes among other minor, possibly useless things. The silence felt too big. As if he would be able to spot in her meticulousness why this case had become important to her. 

“What have they done?” The question got a bitter laugh out of her, “came in a few hours later, closed the area, asked a shiton of questions around. Left— said they’d come around in the morning to search” she pinched the bridge of her nose trying to recall. “Uh, then… had a couple search and rescue units on the ground around day… three or four”. Aerial search wasn’t even an option. There weren’t enough people. It was the whole problem. And though her words were laced with bitterness, she would’ve liked to believe maybe, with more resources, more personnel, something could’ve been done. Getting lost in the park wouldn’t be a death sentence.“He should have answers” Nicole echoed his sentiment after a moment of silence. She always despised the phrase ‘ignorance is bliss’. I should have had answers too, would've screamed the angry teenager within.

“How you do it?” How could she carry on as if nothing had happened? How did she do it before? What was the line between how much she should care for each victim? Apathy used to be so much easier. “No bullshit, please...” It might have been easier to draw the line of professionalism if she had gone to someone else. But Emilio was a friend, not a stranger. “It just… was rough that day, with— Poor kid, you know?  When he first showed up… how he looked, and we couldn’t—I mean… it’s never fun when this sorta stuff to happen, obviously. But it’s different. Fucks you up in a different way, is all” Nicole hadn’t once, lifted her gaze back to her friend. “Fucks me up,” she repeated, really allowing the feeling to sink in. 

It was no surprise to hear that the police hadn’t been entirely helpful, though in a perfect world it might have been. Emilio had always had a healthy distrust for law enforcement, even when he was still living in his hometown. When it came to supernatural cases, the police tended to be a nuisance at best and an obstacle at worst. Some of them wanted to help, to be sure, but most of them weren’t equipped to. The system wasn’t built for things like vampires and werewolves. Emilio wasn’t even sure how much of it was the cops’ fault. 

That didn’t make it any less frustrating, of course. There was still a kid, lost and with no idea what had happened to his family. There were still people who should have helped him and didn’t. And there was still Emilio, left to pick up someone else’s pieces even as his own were still strewn across the floor in tiny shards. “So we’ll get them for him. We can do that. But…” He trailed off, thinking of those streets in Etla, of the blood seeping into the cracks in the concrete and the screams that never stopped echoing through his mind. “Don’t expect him to thank us for them. It’s better to know, but better doesn’t mean good.” There was no option here that meant good. No happy ending for this story. That was how stories usually went.

He considered Nicole’s question, not looking up from those papers. He’d already read everything on them by now, but it was far easier looking at those than it was to meet her eye. “Honestly? A couple bottles of whiskey a day and less sleep than my friends wish I’d get. There might be some healthy way to cope with things like this. I’ve never found it.” Some cases were easier than others, of course. There were people who were insufferable enough that he didn’t mind delivering bad news to them, as shitty as that made him. There were people who knew the answers to their questions when they walked in the door and were only there for confirmation. But there were also people like this kid. There were people whose stories would have been different in a better world. Those were the ones that kept Emilio up at night. Those were the ones that fucked him up, too. “I just… Try to help who I can. Whatever that help looks like. Can’t fix things like this, you know? It’s always going to be broken. But sometimes, you can sweep the pieces up so you can walk around without hurting yourself. Sometimes, that’s all you can do.”

Nicole lifted her gaze at him, even if he still couldn’t meet her eyes. She appreciated his willingness to take on the case. Find the kid the answers he deserved. She sighed, weary but grateful for his resolution. “I don't care for that,” she said calmly. No. She supposed no one could thank you for delivering the worst news imaginable. But she wasn’t invested in this case for the thank yous or the recognition. 

There were things Nicole didn’t talk about. Had always felt physically impossible to do so. The words didn’t want to come out. The more Emilio spoke, the more she felt dragged into the depths of her memories. Memories she had decided to leave alone before they destroyed her. “I see, got that one down I think” she huffed. Alcohol. That was another one of her issues. Something she kept kicking aside pretending it didn’t damage her anymore. She nodded silently at his explanation, finding it impossible to refute anything. His words rang true, in all the most desolating ways. The only thing they could do for this boy was sweep a few pieces and tie up some loose ends.

It was ironic, for a man who knew things stayed broken, to continuously try to piece things together. Make a living of it. Maybe it was his was of coping. Or his penance. Nicole didn't know much of his past. Just the implications behind previous conversations. Of the world and its cruelty they had spoken more than once. He was a broken man too. For his sake, she hoped he had done a good job sweeping his own sharp fragments. She slowly retrieved the sheet from Emilio’s hands, wishing someone had done this for her. That someone had provided answers when she returned to Somerset. Her heart pounded against her chest, stomach twisting in anticipation.  The words threatening to escape her mouth felt as dangerous as they did vulnerable. Those two, always hand in hand with her.

“I was seventeen…” she stated simply. Unprompted. “When—” Emilio, the smart man he was in Nicole’s eyes would follow the clues laid out for him throughout their chat. “I was seventeen when…” she exhaled sharply, focusing on her imperfect, almost childlike handwriting. Pinching the edge of the paper, she fought the urge to run. “They didn’t go missing— I did” Their family however, might had faced a fate even worse. “I did. And… when, uh— when I found my way back" six years later, five of those stolen by a—  "... home wasn't there". She clenched her jaw, swallowing against the knot in her throat as the emotions rose to the surface. It was the simplified version. The one that skipped the violence of the attack, the years exiled from her body, and the twenty two year old who had to piece everything together to relearn her own tragedy.

“Still feel… seventeen— in every shitty way, you know? I froze there and then, somehow” She wasn’t sure she’d ever really feel like an adult. She was walking this earth missing basic parts. Wired wrongly. Maybe not wired at all. Defective. Worst of all, Nicole still wished, against logic and reason that those she lost would show up at her door one day. “You mourn them… and the person you could’ve become without this— thing fucking everything” She had exhausted herself playing every different scenario in her head. The one where she was the first person in her family to attend college. Or the one where she went on to polish her athletic talent. Or where she found a nice partner and opted out for the quiet, farm life instead. Or where she travelled the world with her best friends and never settled in one place. “So… I know, it’s not gonna get better for this kid. But he’ll know… he’ll grow up knowing someone gave a shit about it. About him. And someone did the job”.  

“Me either,” Emilio acknowledged. He wouldn’t do this job if he were looking for gratitude, after all. Most people were more likely to take a swing at you than they were to fall down at your feet for giving them news they didn’t want, even if it was news they’d asked for. But he’d meant what he said. It was better to know than it was not to. It was better to have those answers, even if they were shitty answers to have. 

He smiled faintly as Nicole confirmed that his ‘solution’ was one she knew well. There was no humor behind the expression, though, and it didn’t quite meet his eyes. It wasn’t a good method to be familiar with, he figured, even if it was the only one he had. It wasn’t a good thing to know. On some level, he understood that he relied on it a lot more than he should, understood that the tremor in his hands in the morning and the sheen to his brow before his first drink spoke to a problem bigger than he knew how to solve, but… Something else would get him before that had a chance to. He’d always known that, too.

Nicole’s voice drew him from his thoughts, and his brow furrowed as she spoke. Seventeen. They didn’t go missing, I did. He thought of his own family, their bodies in the street, the way he ran after and didn’t stop running until his leg gave out, thought of learning the ending he’d already known through the newspapers the next day. Emilio had his answers. And they were awful, crushing answers to have, but he still had them.

Nicole didn’t.

Nicole had a fucking question mark where a family should be, and Emilio ached for her. He wished he could do for her what he was doing for this kid, wished he could find whatever answers were there for her. Maybe he would, someday, if she’d let him. Maybe there was something better to find, even if it seemed unlikely. (Years between sightings couldn’t mean anything good. There was only one ending to that story, and it was the same one he’d found in those newspapers. Nicole didn’t deserve for it to be true, but she did deserve to know. Everyone deserved that.)

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking at the wall behind her because looking at her would feel a little too real, in the moment. “I think… I understand it, in a way. Nobody went missing, for me. I know what happened to them. Where they all ended up. But it’s still…” He trailed off, uncertainty clinging to him like a physical thing, like a blanket draped over his shoulders with none of the comfort, none of the warmth. “It’s supposed to feel better, someday. That’s what people say. You’re supposed to… heal, or whatever. I’m still waiting to feel better. But… Maybe it’ll be easier for him. Maybe his head is less of a mess.” He paused, offering another small, sad smile. “Or maybe we find his family in one piece.” His tone made it clear that the optimism wasn’t something he really felt. 

Discomfort sinking into the pit of her stomach, Nicole rubbed her jaw and managed a low hum in gratitude. She didn’t regret revealing the real motive behind her interest in this investigation. It was obvious she cared. It didn't mean it was easy to disclose information about herself. Like there wasn’t a great deal of walls to knock down first. No regret, she insisted as dread threatened to rise in her chest. Emilio was her friend. In return, he gave away part of his story too. Concern etched her features, her forehead creased. It wasn’t surprising, unfortunately. White Crest had a way of dragging tortured people into its chaos. Her eyes darted across his face, taking on his age lines as curiosity demanded more information. How young was he? How violent were their deaths? 

Did it matter? It was just a different brand of fucked up. An equally traumatized person sat on the other side of the desk. It had altered him in different ways, maybe, but there was no ideal age to lose it all.

“Ah”. A breath. It was a single sound that carried much more than that. Laced with sympathy, recognition and understanding. Had she been a different person — the person she aimed to be one day— Nicole would have reached out. Pat his arm or something. It wasn’t something she felt liberated enough to do while sober. “Yeah… people don’t have a clue, do they?” she chuckled bitterly. There was also the fact that grief meant something different to each person. An experience as individual as fingerprints. So maybe, some did find their way towards healing. While all she could do was to remain stuck, envying them. 

“Well that’d be…” pretty fucking unlikely. Nicole knew that, he had stated so as well. His tone wasn’t dripping with hope either. But— “Something I’d like to see”. Maybe it said something about both of them, still willing to play pretend. What was that saying? She was always so bad with those. Fake it till you make it? Maybe one day their cynicism could be proven wrong. It could be this case. This kid. Who knew? “I will leave you this” she returned the sheet (she must’ve grabbed in at some point, her brain looking for ways to escape). “Let me know if you’d like to make a visit, search on site. Not letting you do that by yourself,” she arched an eyebrow at that, no room for debate. They could take one of the jeeps for that. She looked right at him, despite his affinity for avoiding her gaze. No matter what, they’d get to the end of this case. “And…” the ‘thank you’ died in her tongue, her eyes edging with gratitude she couldn’t quite articulate. So instead, she let out a weary sigh. “I wouldn’t complain if you opened one of those bottles of whiskey right about now”.

There were things you couldn’t take back, once they were out there. In the grand scheme of things, really, the number of things you could take back were far fewer than those that you couldn’t. You couldn’t pull words back into your mouth once you’d said them, couldn’t untell a secret. But, even as Nicole’s eyes settled on his face with the vaguest retelling of his story hanging in the space between them, Emilio wasn’t sure he wanted to. His father said once that giving words to a thing made it a little lighter, a little easier to carry. Emilio thought it was bullshit at the time, didn’t think much differently even now, but… It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, sharing that story with someone who might understand it. Nicole knew what it was like to lose everything all at once. She knew what it was to watch the world come to an end around you and still be breathing on the other side of it. There were worse people to share your story with. There were worse things out there than this strange, less-than-comfortable notion of being understood. 

“They never do,” he agreed with a small nod, because they couldn’t. You could understand someone’s experience in pieces, the way he and Nicole were doing for one another now, but you couldn’t understand the full thing. Grief belonged to the individual. It couldn’t be shared, couldn’t be broken into smaller pieces and passed around the table. It was like that priest had told him in that suffocating confessional box — there were some things you just had to carry. 

His smile was small and humorless as Nicole spoke, a different kind of understanding settling between them. They both knew the odds of finding this kid’s family alive and well, after everything that had gone on in this town in the last few months, were slim to none. They both knew the difference between recovery and rescue, both knew which they were looking at here. But her words were true all the same. It was something Emilio would like to see, too. Even if he knew he never would.

He huffed a small laugh as she warned him against making a site visit on his own, waving a hand as if to acknowledge that he’d give her a call if he planned one. Surprisingly, he found that he meant it. After everything Nicole had suffered, everything Emilio knew she’d suffered now, he wouldn’t let his own disappearance rest on her conscience. Nodding, he tilted his head back slightly. “Stick around a while,” he offered. “I’ll get you a glass.” After all this, he figured, they’d both earned a goddamn drink.

[michaelcoffeysthoughts]

Watched Today: The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)

[haverwood]

La dama rossa uccide sette volte Emilio P. Miraglia Italy/West Germany/Monaco, 1972 ★★★ Beautiful giallo nonsense.

Alright, maybe not "beautiful" but.. you know.

[pasteilian]

Please teach us how you draw anatomy, and color like that 🥺🥺🥺

I’m gonna be honest with you little bro please don’t take anatomy advice from me you’re gonna ruin your art 😭✋

Imma drop the biggest artists that helped me on my art Journey, they will teach you far better than I

[geekcavepodcast]

Those About to Die Trailer

Set in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Vaspasian, Those About to Die explores the "dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most…blood and sport." (Peacock)

Those About to Die is based on the novel by Daniel P. Mannix. The series stars Anthony Hopkins (Emperor Vaspasian), Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, David Wurawa, Pepe Barroso, Gonçalo Almeida, Rupert Penry-Jones, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, Emilio Sakraya, Eneko Sagardoy, and Romana Maggiora Vergano. Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner each directed five episodes.

Those About to Die hits Peacock on July 18, 2024.

[macabremoons]

heads up 7 up tag

Thank you to @marigold-clouds for the tag. I will be pulling from daycycle and tagging @squarebracket-trick, @sugar-phoenix, @lyra-brie, and anyone else who wants to join!!

"Oh. Vampires don’t really consider themselves having ‘human roots.’” She rakes her hand through the grass. “There is a time where they were inferior to some or when they were themselves to others, but once you’re a vampire there is no humanity within you.” Emilio gives a bitter laugh. “That’s what they like to believe. But it’s obvious to everyone else that they were once human. Vampires are different after they change, there’s no doubt about that, but a society built on people with humane pasts will have humane influences.”

daycycle taglist (ask if you'd like to join): @squarebracket-trick, @serenanymph, @wrenofthewords, @kosmic-kore, @lyra-brie

[koriichanks]

Emilio Murkmere :P

[itsukismoon]

I Vow to You, the Shape of My Love - Chapter 3 (Cyrus)

>> chapter 4

The afternoon three days before the festival.

I was at the Church of Cheval to deliver some documents to Alex-san.

Emma: (I tried looking for Cyrus-san in the hopes we could take a break together, but I couldn’t find him…)

Emma: (Ah, there he is!)

Cyrus-san was standing in a fenced-in patch of grass with two horses.

Emma: Cyrus-san!

Cyrus: Emma, you came. Thank you for your hard work.

The two horses - one black, and the other white - who were grazing in the field turned to look at me.

Emma: Ah, that’s Orthos (*) and… Emilio’s horse, I suppose?

Cyrus: Yes, his name is Orthros (*). They’ve been especially close ever since they met (**)

(* Orthos is Cyrus’ horse, with its meaning being right/correct/straight; on the other hand, Emilio’s horse’s name, Orthros, is morning light/early dawn; I think the meanings are due to Cyrus being very rightful but with a “dimmer” light, more gentle and kind like the moon’s, and Emilio being compared to a blazing sun that scorches everything it touches)

(** this is SPOILERS!! For the twins’ past but…………. Notice how the horses aren’t related by blood? 🙂)

Emma: (So cute…)

Seeing the two animals grooming each other so intimately brought a smile to my face.

Cyrus: In Chevalier, there is a rule according to which you have to take care of your own horse… Or at least, that’s how it usually is…

Cyrus: Since Emilio is out on an expedition and couldn’t take care of his own horse, he’s left him in my care.

Emma: So that’s why you’re making them graze together like this.

Cyrus: Yes… horses are scared of me, but with Orthros around, Orthos is more docile.

Cyrus: It must be because they trust each other a lot.

Emma: Fufu, they really get along well.

Cyrus: It’s about time to put the horses back in the stables. Can you lend me a hand?

Emma: Yes!

Emma: By the way, after that… unless you have urgent plans, would you like to have lunch with me?

Cyrus: Yes, of course.

…

The sunlight filtered through the swaying trees onto the ham sandwich I took out of its wrapper (TN: so poetic for a ham sandwich LOL).

We were in the park near the church with some sandwiches and drinks we had bought from a store.

Emma: Mhh… this sandwich… it’s delicious, though a bit big.

Cyrus: There’s some sauce on the corner of your mouth.

Cyrus laughed merrily as he took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of my mouth.

Player’s choice: Thank you (+8 sun points) // So embarrassing (+8 moond points)*

Emma, blushing: Thank you.

Cyrus: chuckles …

Emma: …Is it still there?

Cyrus: No, I just thought it was cute that you got embarrassed.

Emma, still blushing: U-uhm… please don’t look at me so much.

Cyrus: I apologise, I didn’t mean to bother you. It’s just that you were so cute that I just…

Cyrus: No, if I say something like that, I’ll bother you even more.

Emma: P-please keep it moderate.

The time we spent together at lunch was very relaxing

After we finished our sandwiches, we slowly enjoyed the rest of our drinks.

Emma: The city is more colourful than usual. It’s so wonderful seeing many people wearing dresses and tuxedos.

Cyrus: I’m sure many want to celebrate Albert-sama and Mia-sama’s silver wedding anniversary.

Emma: (Silver wedding anniversary… 25 years of marriage is an amazing thing.)

I wonder if one day I too will get married to Cyrus-san, the man sitting right beside me.

Emma: (…I hope that happens)

With a vague longing in my heart, I gazed upon the town bustling with festive mood.

[gregor-samsung]

“ A Roma le notizie non sono buone. Lussu le racconta del tradimento dei capi dell’esercito e del rifiuto di dare le armi al popolo per difendersi. Lui è stato a porta San Paolo, dove, insieme a Longo, Vassalli, Buozzi, Amendola e Pertini, si è tentato di opporsi ai tedeschi radunando civili arrivati spontaneamente e armati alla buona e un manipolo di soldati rimasti allo sbando dopo la fuga del re, del governo e dei capi militari. Sono state fatte barricate con tram rovesciati, si è combattuto ma alla fine i tedeschi, superiori per forze e numeri, hanno avuto la meglio: sono morti molti civili (si conteranno quattrocento caduti tra i civili, di cui quarantatré donne), tra loro Raffaele Persichetti, un professore di storia dell’arte al liceo Visconti, che sarà medaglia d’oro al valor militare per la resistenza. La battaglia di porta San Paolo è considerata il primo atto della resistenza italiana ed è emblematica del momento, con la viltà del re e di Badoglio, le divisioni all’interno dell’esercito, l’eroismo della popolazione che sceglie di battersi contro il nemico, i capi dell’antifascismo politico che si uniscono per costituire un fronte comune di lotta e resistenza. Sulla mancata difesa di Roma da parte dell’esercito e del governo, Emilio scriverà il suo ultimo libro, poi uscito postumo. “

Silvia Ballestra, La Sibilla. Vita di Joyce Lussu, Laterza (collana I Robinson / Letture), 2022¹; p. 116.

[ashleywool]

For the last few days, I’ve been getting really into How To Dance In Ohio and, my goodness, I adore the cast EP and have watched and re-watched every YouTube video about it I can! But, from what I could find, there isn’t a Wiki page or anything like that with information about the characters! If you can, I would love to know some fun facts (maybe pronouns, likes, dislikes, whatever else!) about the seven lovely autistic people we follow in the show!

I’m hoping to see it sometime next year! 💛

Hey there!

The Wikipedia page does exist, although it's still pretty sparse as the show is still in previews and there are rules about what the updates are allowed to be. Everything has to be substantiated by a published article on an established platform or a first-person interview.

Here's the character breakdown from the Equity Principal Audition, with some of my own notes added for context. I've included some of the nicknames we've come up with for the characters also, some of which are canon.

Johanna: 40s-50s, she/her, powerful mezzo-soprano. Caroline’s mother, perky and positive, keeps a watchful eye over her daughter, artsy mom vibes. (Note: it's pronounced "yo-HAH-na.") Also known as: Jo-Jo (pronounced "yo-yo;" not canon) Currently: played by Darlesia Cearcy, and understudied by Marina Pires. (Note also: Darlesia's name is pronounced Dar-LEE-see-ah.) Fun fact: Darlesia isn't much of a public social media user, but when I looked her up on Twitter, this is the first thing that popped up, from her time in Shuffle Along. If I were her, I wouldn't even bother with a headshot and resume anymore, I'd just hand casting directors a copy of that tweet. It pretty much says it all.

Terry: 40s-50s, she/her, powerful mezzo-soprano. Jessica’s mother, patient, loves leopard print, gives her daughter lots of space, cool mom vibes. Also known as: Ter-Bear. (not canon) Currently: played by Haven Burton, and understudied by Marina Pires. Fun fact: Haven plays my mom but she's only seven years older than me in real life. Marina P is four years younger than me. Best of all: when we were premiering in Syracuse, this role was also covered by an SU junior (Elana Babbit). She didn't get to go on, but if she had, I would've had a mother who was almost half my age!

Michael: 40s-50s, he/him, mid to high tenor. Marideth’s father, blue-collar, doing his best, is anxious in new social settings. Also plays: "Derrick," a pharmacy technician employee at Columbus Community College, who has a brief interaction with Caroline (and may or may not be a murderer). Currently: played by Nick Gaswirth, and understudied by Martín Solá.

Amy: 40s-50s, she/her, soprano. Drew’s mother, cultured, a housewife with a master’s degree, adept at managing her husband and son’s needs. Also plays: Shauna Parks, a super hawtt reporter from the Columbus Gazette. Currently: played by Melina Kalomas and understudied by Marina Pires.

Kurt: 40s-50s, he/him, mid to high baritone. Drew’s father, white-collar, conservative, a bit formal, has high expectations for Drew. Also plays: Hawkins, Mel's manager at Paws and Claws Pet Shop, who's kind of a douchebag, and Rick Jenkins, a blogger (not a reporter) who has no idea how to write about disability with any shred of respect. Currently: played by Carlos L. Encinias--who calls his collection of roles "The Villain Track" though I assure you is an exquisitely kind and funny anti-villain in real life--and understudied by Martín Solá.

Dr. Emilio Amigo: to play 50s, he/him, high baritone, Cuban-American. A clinical psychologist, founder and director of Amigo Family Counseling, great at his job, charismatic, full of empathy, recently divorced, at a crossroads. Currently: played by Caesar Samayoa, and understudied by Martín Solá and Carlos L. Encinias.

Ashley Amigo: to play 22, she/her, mezzo-soprano with a strong mix, of Cuban-American. Amigo’s daughter, a dancer recovering from an injury, is at a crossroads. Currently: played by Cristina Sastre, and understudied by Marina Pires and Marina Jansen.

Drew: 18, he/him, mid to high tenor, autistic. He needs structure, a bit formal, knows a lot about electricity and electrical grids, is looking for deeper connections in life, possibly romantic, on track to go to his dream college. Also known as: Drewby (by his mom; canon) Currently: played by Liam Pearce and understudied by Collin Hancock, Jean Christian Barry, and Hunter Hollingsworth.

Marideth: 18, she/her, alto with a strong mix, autistic. Raised by a single dad, loves to research facts, hates shoelaces, doesn’t like to be touched, is anxious in new social settings. Also known as: Wolf (not canon) Currently: played by Madison Kopec, and understudied by Marina Jansen and Ayanna Nicole Thomas. Fun fact: Marideth isn't the first canonically autistic character originated by Madison Kopec. I first heard of them back in 2019 when they were cast as Emma in a reading of a new musical called Indigo, which eventually had its world premiere last summer in (funnily enough) Ohio.

Caroline: 19, she/her, soprano with a strong mix, autistic. Perky and positive, goes to community college, is best friends with Jessica but is obsessed with her boyfriend. Also known as: Menace (not canon) Currently: played by Amelia Fei, and understudied by Ayanna Nicole Thomas and Marina Jansen.

Jessica: 20, she/her, full-voiced mezzo-soprano, autistic. Wants to live on her own, loves fantasy but is surprisingly practical, has a flair for drama. Also known as: Rachel Berry (obviously not canon as that's copyright infringement) Currently: played by Ashley Wool (yours truly) and understudied by Ayanna Nicole Thomas and Marina Jansen. Fun fact: Lol. 20. That's adorable. I'm absolutely not 20.

Mel: 24, she/he/they, earthy alto, autistic. The oldest member of the group, a seeker into self-help and mindfulness, a natural leader, works at a pet shop. Also known as: Head of Reptiles (technically canon, but we also just like to imagine Mel as a mythical creature with a reptilian head) Currently: played by Imani Russell and understudied by Marina Jansen and Ayanna Nicole Thomas. Fun fact: way back in 2021, when they were casting the first reading of the show, my agent at the time submitted me for Mel--the character was initially conceived as a cis woman on the breakdown--but I had already gotten a callback for Jessica from my self-submission, and I had a gut feeling that there was somebody better out there for Mel. I couldn't have been more right--after Imani was cast, it was largely thanks to their creativity, insight and influence that Mel evolved into the distinctive non-binary icon (non-bicon?) we know and love today.

Remy: 18+ to play 16, he/she/they, mid to high tenor, autistic. Into cosplay, makes a How-To costume and makeup tutorial videos online. Currently: played by Desmond Luis Edwards, and understudied by Jean Christian Barry, Ayanna Nicole Thomas, and Hunter Hollingsworth. Fun fact: Dez's involvement in HTDIO is the ultimate "Cinderella story." In 2021, Jacob Yandura was running a summer camp in Florida, and Dez was a student there; upon finding out Dez was autistic, Jacob said, "hey, I think you'd be a good fit for this musical I'm writing." The first time I heard Dez sing at the rehearsals for the reading, I was like, "you're SEVENTEEN?! I quit." How many actors out there go from their third high school musical DIRECTLY to Broadway? Another fun fact: Dez created all the cosplay designs we used onstage in the Syracuse production. Check out his art account here!

Tommy: 22, he/him, mid to high baritone, autistic. Funny, self-conscious, studying to get his driver’s license. Currently: played by Conor Tague, and understudied by Hunter Hollingsworth, Collin Hancock, and Jean Christian Barry. Fun fact: In real life, Conor does not drive and is staunchly anti-driving.

Ok, I gotta shower and head to the theater for work notes, but I'll happily add more later!