(no subject)

[cblj_backup]

As Jean put it when she emailed me just now, I have a brief Radio Free "Now" for you that couldn't wait: Michael Zulli, an artist for Sandman -- he drew the funeral scene -- is raising money to pay for surgery for his dogs, both of whom recently had tumors removed. Jean's got more info here, including the (time sensitive) fact that all sales this weekend at Neil Gaiman's "Neverwear" store will go to the doggie fund.

So if you've ever wanted a creepy gothic t-shirt, there's never been a better time to buy one!

Talking of creepy gothic, I just finished watching Carnivale, an HBO series from back in the day. Admittedly partly for Tim DeKay, because he's awesome, and as a bonus he played "my" character, the loyal, smartmouthed, damaged sidekick (who usually dies, fuck all writers forever). It's a really enjoyable show in both visual and literary terms, and ties into this magical realism kick I've been on, but man was it dark.

I was intrigued by the wikipedia article's section on critical reception, which said that a lot of critics and viewers found the show inaccessible or obscure. I followed it just fine; there were moments that were vague, and some that were never explained because the plug was pulled on it four years early, but it didn't seem any more impenetrable than a Stephen King novel.

It does appear that the fandom was tiny, and there's not much fic that I've been able to find. Which is odd, because if ever a show screamed out to have frightening porn written about it, it's Carnivale. Incest! Orgasms that make it rain! Dubious consent via spiritual possession! Cornfields!

Jonesy's relationships alone are messed up enough to fill at least a page of kinkmeme, and his are arguably the least messed up. It's kind of glorious, really.

To sum up: 1. Tim DeKay, 2. Magical realism, 3. Messed up porn, 3a. Fic recs welcome (porn or otherwise).

Thus endeth my review of Carnivale.

Comments

[bluejeans07.livejournal.com]

Dude, you are AWESOME! Thank you so much! *HUG*

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

My pleasure :) I hope he gets the assistance he needs to cover the vet bills.

[priscellie.livejournal.com]

I watched that show a few years ago. I loved it! It's a show that really stays with you. And now, as I read Water for Elephants, I keep expecting creepy magical realism elements to pop up. :D Though this may also be because I rarely ever read straight-up fiction.

Man, now I want to watch it again. Saaaaaaaam! *shakes fist*

[mercurybard.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Carnivale ruined Water for Elephants for me.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I watched Carnivale as it aired and just loved it. The big critical cavil I remember is that it was "slow," but I loved the pacing. It was refreshing to have a show that didn't rush and constantly throw things at the viewer but instead demanded attention and thought. And I loved Jonesy, too, so whewn White Collar showed up, I was all "Hey! It's Jonesy!" Though I pretty much immediately saw Peter only as Peter.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I can see why some people would call it slow, because occasionally a scene does seem to drag out for no apparent reason, but the pacing of the plots definitely wasn't that slow. People can sometimes mix up cinematography and writing. :D

[calliope-jones.livejournal.com]

Oh, I loved Carnivale, and I never made the Tim Dekay connection! And now I'll have to go back and rewatch it! It was so broody and dirty and weird.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen Carnivale, but I've heard it's one of those shows that you actually have to pay attention to. So that puts it into the 'inaccessible' category for a lot of average viewers. And I wonder if cable fandoms stay smaller? I'm not seeing half the fandom I would have expected for Game of Thrones either.

[keestone.livejournal.com]

Apparently some critics of Game of Thrones find it "inaccessible" too (while concurrently saying it's a D&D ripoff for adolescent boys). Of course, when a critic can't figure out that a character whose brother is an average sized human probably isn't from a separate "race"of dwarfs, one might surmise that "inaccessible" actually means "critics are stupid." (Also see: Inception, which was totally straightforward and not confusing in the least.)

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I think cable fandoms do tend to be smaller, yeah. I mean, I don't have cable, so I have to do a fair amount of work to get hold of White Collar and Doctor Who, for example.

[allectofromlj]

Carnivale was lovely, and I didn't find it inaccessible at all. I was incredibly angry and sad when it was canceled.

Somehow, I completely forgot that Peter Burke was Jonesy, which I guess is a tribute to Tim DeKay's acting chops. (Also, probably, to the fact that I wasn't on prozac back then...) Must rewatch it now...

[dramaturgca.livejournal.com]

Dunno if you follow Sherlock flashfic, but I cannot recommend this fic (http://sherlock-flashfic.dreamwidth.org/18108.html#cutid1) which features Sherlock and Dr. Rachel Maddow, highly enough. It is teh awesome.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

It's a neat fic! Would probably make more sense if I knew who Rachel Maddow was. :D

[cluegirl.livejournal.com]

Sam.

You are more than welcome to launch the Traveling Kink Show and Fandom Tent Revival of Carnivale wondrousness, you do realize this, don't you? I've been itching to play about with Iris and Justin since I began watching this last year, and if you sic the Cafe on this concept (and spearhead a bit of it yourownself too,) then -- as they say, "If you write it, They Will Come!"

Erm.

So to speak.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

LOL, I don't know if Carnivale would support a kink meme. I might write something at some point.

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

Hm, I think I have Carnivale on a hard drive... (/adds this to the list of Things I Can Do Now That School Is Done)

[iamshadow.livejournal.com]

Em and I watched a bit of Carnivale when it first aired out here, but we were a bit thrown by it because when we began watching, we assumed it was a mini-series. It felt like one. So when it didn't resolve in 3 - 6 eps, it threw us, and then I think we missed an episode and when you miss part of something that twisty, it's almost completely inaccessible.

I will admit that I have no memory of Tim DeKay's character in the slightest. Will admit that we were shamelessly watching it for Clea DuVall. And also the acrobatic twins, who we knew from When Night Is Falling (obscure and slightly confusing lesbian film FTW).

Surprised you hadn't seen Carnivale before, really, given it's magical realism.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Clea DuVall was fantastic in it. (If you remember the older man with the limp who was in love with her in S1, that's Jonesy, Tim DeKay's character.) Really they had a great cast in general.

It's weird, but because I struggled with magical reality for so long on the receiving end, I've spent a lot of time avoiding stuff like Carnivale. Not in the last few years, but before that, back when it was airing.

[scarletscarlet.livejournal.com]

Jonesy was probably my favourite character on Carnivale. Well, him and Rita-Sue <3.

Man, I loved that show. It really does seem like it would inspire fantastic fic! Must have a troll through Ao3 and see if I can find *something*.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I loved Carnivale when it aired and felt frustrated we never got the third season that was supposed to resolve anything. The only thing I really remember about it now was the episode with the gorgeous heavy blonde woman who dies/gets left behind in that town. It was so eerie and bad. I just remember my roommate looking at me during that episode and saying, "She's going to get raped by ghosts forever, isn't she?" Patty and I are planning to do a rewatch soon, but I'm sort of dreading it because of that ep.

[firesprite1105.livejournal.com]

OMG, I totally forgot about that til you just mentioned it! AHHHHH!!! That show really knows how to get under your skin, doesn't it?

[annemjw.livejournal.com]

I loved Carnivàle, but saw it, I think, too young to get full appreciation for it (much as I thought it was brilliant). I must get the seasons on dvd, I saw S2 a while back.

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, it's so hard to imagine the person who drew The Wake needing credit to take their dogs to the vet.

[misspearlygates.livejournal.com]

Carnivàle is AMAZING. I got both seasons on DVD at the same time as a present and watched the whole thing straight through in a couple of weeks. Jonesy is my TV boyfriend (and part of the reason that my next tattoo is going to be a ferris wheel). <3

[terrie01.livejournal.com]

Ah, Carnivale. Which ruined me for many shows that pretend to have a mythos, but are just making it up as they go along (I'm looking at you, Twin Peaks). You might like to know that, had the show not been canceled, Jonesy would have lived.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I went and looked up spoilers before even watching the show. The ONLY reason I could watch the finale was knowing he lived. Though I'd bet money he wouldn't make it to the end of the series as a whole. Either that or Libby wouldn't.

Not gonna lie, knowing how the S3 opener would have looked, I am totally writing fanfic in my head about Jonesy and Libby and their kid. :D

[stele3.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

I LOVED Carnivale. It was one of my favorites; I was heartbroken when it got canceled. People felt like it was slow but IDK, I loved its pacing. And the intense weirdness! And the amazing soundtrack! And Clancy Brown! And weird dreams you have to interpret via Bible quotes and prophecies and circus acts! SO AMAZING.

[tardis-stowaway.livejournal.com]

Man, Carnivale was amazing. Also deeply disturbing, but in an amazing way! The opening title sequence may be my favorite ever. I watched it when it first came out. While I certainly don't remember all the twists and characters, the general atmosphere and certain scenes have really stuck with me.

[natf.livejournal.com]

Carnivale and Millennium are two series of their time that I still miss. Something in me loves the dark and despairing.

[flamingsword.livejournal.com]

If you're on a magical realism kick, you might try The Fall (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460791/). Art direction by the same crew as The Cell, so it's visually rich as well as artfully strange. But the emotional journey is as theatrical as the visuals are cinematic. I have a personal weakness for stories about making human connections between people who have very little in common, an injured stuntman and the small daughter of an immigrant orange picker. He's telling her a story while on painkillers and you're seeing the story unfold through her imagination. It has this fairytale-on-drugs feel to it that stays with you after the movie is over, which is also one of my film kinks.

It's not a priority, but if you liked City of Lost Children or anything by Terry Gilliam, you'll probably like this.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I have to say that I tried to watch The Fall and couldn't finish it. Aesthetically it was absolutely gorgeous, but the story really dragged, and once I figured out the guy was using the little girl to get drugs, I felt like the one character I cared about just turned into a dick, so I ended up turning it off in disgust. The effects were really gorgeous though, definitely.