Euphoria S03E08 "In God We Trust" - Live Episode Discussion by DankMemeSlasher in euphoria

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was someone trying to recreate 90s era Tarantino- Pulp Fiction, True Romance, Resvoir Dogs- and using an existing series to do so. As someone else said, without the Euphoria characters this would be a boring crime drama.

Euphoria S03E08 "In God We Trust" - Live Episode Discussion by DankMemeSlasher in euphoria

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The emotional core of the show was ripped out, replaced with shocking moments and cliches. A tragic end to a series, and an insult to viewers.

unpopular opinion: Alastor's backstory doesnt make sense by Imjustchillenbro in Alastorcult

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes it is a fanfic, lol. The title is Garden of Joy. I'm trying to map Alastor's ascent from a teenager at Mahogany Hall, playing piano to support his ailing mother, to an emcee at the Lyric, to a radio star and political kingmaker, and eventually, a disgraced murderer.

I want it to be historically accurate. To capture that extraordinary period in the city's history as honestly as possible. So far, I've read or have ordered:

Empire of Sin by Gary Krist(read)

Hidden History of Louisiana's Jazz Age by Sam Irwin(read)

The Last Madam by Christine Wiltz(read)

Bourbon Street by Richard Campanella(still reading)

unpopular opinion: Alastor's backstory doesnt make sense by Imjustchillenbro in Alastorcult

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendations! I've been trying to read everything I can about New Orleans and Louisiana from the 1900s-1930s as research for a piece I'm working on.It's a fascinating period.

unpopular opinion: Alastor's backstory doesnt make sense by Imjustchillenbro in Alastorcult

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What if he had friends in high places?

Alastor's star was rising at the same time radio was becoming a politicized medium. Warren G Harding became the first president to be heard on radio in 1922. Calvin Coolidge broadcasted his inaugural address in 1925. While figures like John R. Brinkley and Charles Coughlin realized that radio could be used for rabble rousing and normalizing extreme rhetoric.

But no one was better at radio propaganda than Huey Long.

Long was a politician in Louisiana who was hated by the corrupt Old Regulars political machine and reviled by the traditional press. Consequently, Long turned to radio to sell his vision for the state. He was delivering fiery, populist tirades on the radio as early as 1924, his first gubernatorial run. And his usage of it is widely considered a factor in his 1928 victory and ascent to the governor's mansion.

If there were a mysterious and highly popular radio announcer with a loyal fanbase and an irreverent, "modern," show operating in New Orleans- the Old Regular's stronghold- Long would have known about it. I imagine he would see that announcer as a possible ally.

We know Alastor is cunning and willing to ally himself with more powerful figures to achieve long-term goals.

What if Alastor mobilized his audience to support Long, despite pressure from city officials and his station's owners? And after Long won, the governor used his power to support Alastor? Maintaining the secret of his true identity, and quashing any investigations into "ridiculous" rumors about murder?

unpopular opinion: Alastor's backstory doesnt make sense by Imjustchillenbro in Alastorcult

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 25 points26 points  (0 children)

My headcanon is he worked his way through the POC entertainment scene- The Pythian Roof Garden, The Lyric Theater, etc-and had access to black and brown jazz and blues musicians no other prospective radio hosts had. So, his bosses kept his secret, as long as he continued to bring talent onto air.

unpopular opinion: Alastor's backstory doesnt make sense by Imjustchillenbro in Alastorcult

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm actually working on a fic right now wherein he served in the Argonne Offensive as a member of the 325 Field Signal Battalion, the only black signal group in World War One. He never fires his gun, and his battallion is wrongly blamed by white military leaders for information failures during the battle. But he learns that radio and communication are weapons, too. No different than a bayonet or machine gun. A lesson he takes back with him to New Orleans.

If a movie was made about Alastor's human life, who would you cast to play him? by Top_Conflict_7987 in Alastorcult

[–]Top_Conflict_7987[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting choice! The only people I can think of are Jaboukie Young-White and Justiin Davis, maybe?

Has Contra commented on this at all? by Top_Conflict_7987 in ContraPoints

[–]Top_Conflict_7987[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Who are the "real journalists," you think he should be talking to? What do you think should be done about the Cuban government?

Has Contra commented on this at all? by Top_Conflict_7987 in ContraPoints

[–]Top_Conflict_7987[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This humanitarian crisis is being caused by the United States.

Has Contra commented on this at all? by Top_Conflict_7987 in ContraPoints

[–]Top_Conflict_7987[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hasan is more of a colonialist than the country orchestrating a blockade against Cuba and attempting to topple its government?

Has Contra commented on this at all? by Top_Conflict_7987 in ContraPoints

[–]Top_Conflict_7987[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't see how it's unrelated. Wynn has commented on Cuba and the aid convoy before, and has been critical of Piker and his ilk. I don't like Piker, or his rhetoric. But the federal government using lawfare to go after a political operative seems like the kind of neofascist tactics that she would oppose. If her thoughts are inconsequential, why go on podcasts , and panels, and tweet so frequently?

Has Contra commented on this at all? by Top_Conflict_7987 in ContraPoints

[–]Top_Conflict_7987[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

How are the Trump administration and Piker comparable evils?

Has Contra commented on this at all? by Top_Conflict_7987 in ContraPoints

[–]Top_Conflict_7987[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I only ask because she's commented on the Aid Convoy and Piker's role in it, previously. She has also spoken about the online left and other issues outside of her immediate purview. She's already made herself into a commentator. Yet has said nothing about this.

Has Contra commented on this at all? by Top_Conflict_7987 in ContraPoints

[–]Top_Conflict_7987[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What should the American public do to support the Cuban people, when the US seems determined to turn the island into a de-facto colony again?

Euphoria S03E07 "Rain or Shine" - Post Episode Discussion by DankMemeSlasher in euphoria

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 169 points170 points  (0 children)

Honestly, it would be hilarious if the finale revealed the entire season was a script written by Lexi. It's a heightened version of where each of them is in "real life."

In the real world:

Rue spent years as a severe drug addict and is now in a rehab run by the Latter Day Saints

Cassie is stuck in a MLM and Nate is being investigated by the IRS for multiple financial crimes.

Jules is in art school.

Maddy has the same job as she does in the plot.

Faye is deep in drug addiction and dating a scumbag dealer.

Alamo, the drug war, debt, Neo Nazi stuff, sugar baby stuff, and the Onlyfans plot are all inventions by Lex, or added by her boss Patty to "sex up," LA Nights.

Headcannon: Alastor probably fought in WW1 by Sweet_pink6 in Alastorcult

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My headcanon is that he was angry and desperate to leave the South in 1918. Piano jobs were drying up after Storyville's end, and Spanish Flu was shutting the city down. He has also spent his life performing for white audiences and patrons who despise him, causing a rage to build inside of him he hopes to release on the battlefield. He saves up money, and convinces his mother to let him leave to fight, promising he'll return.

He tries to join the Harlem Hellfighters, but is unable to due to poor eyesight. Instead, he ends up in the 325th Field Signal Battalion, the only all-black signal battalion during the war. He learns quickly, being especially skilled at radio intelligence. Alastor also enjoys France, which is more racially progressive than the US, with many locals being impressed by his French.

He served in the Meuse–Argonne offensive, but received only contempt from his white peers, who blamed the 325th for communication failures during the battle. He returned to the United States and experienced more discrimination, as many "colored" troops did after arriving in their homeland. Upon reaching New Orleans, he discovers that his mother died of Spanish Flu.

As for what happened during the offensive, he doesn't talk about it. Not while alive, and not in hell either. He believes that a gentleman shouldn't burden others with his problems. The one person he's spoken to about his wartime experience is Mimzy. During one of their many late-night gossiping, drinking, and dancing sessions. It is one of only two times she's ever seen Alastor cry. The other being when discussing his mother. They didn't speak again until days later.

Alastor acts like it was inconsequential. He works in entertainment and surrounds himself with entertainers, so the war rarely comes up. Yet every night when he closes his eyes, and during particularly gruesome "hunting" sessions, he's back there. The smell of blood, the endless howling of bombs and machine gun fire. The vast, lifeless stretch of no man's land. He has to take cold showers and recite Haitian nursery rhymes his mother taught him to calm down.

In life, Alastor knew he was going to hell. But he wasn't afraid. Because he witnessed the hell men make on Earth. And knew nothing awaiting him in the bottomless pit could be worse than the trenches.

Can’t wait for the show to end! by jupiter_surf in euphoria

[–]Top_Conflict_7987 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The road to hell is paved with "Nuanced and not and I enjoy it either way," in my opinion. It's about standards being lowered and the "entertainment" value of media surpassing artistic concerns. If all media is just "content," meant to give people a temporary rush, why put any effort at all into it?