In the last episode of Addicts Live, we came up with a couple of new terms that seemed to just burst from the womb of creativity of their own free will. The two terms were Pot Heads (Alissa’s) and Ninnieville (mine). To be clear, neither were meant as pejorative terms (really, Sam!) but were instead, merely adjectives used to define a group more easily.
OK. So even I’m not entirely buying that…and I made one of them up.
This TSTO event has been one of the most divisive since last year’s Christmas/Holiday/Pagan event. And perhaps sadly, represents an ever-growing thin-skinned-ness or unbridled open season on anyone different (depending on your purview), that seems to have cropped up since the 2016 elections. It’s ugly. It’s mean-spirited and un-apologetically destructive to the worldwide community.
So…take a knee or don’t take a knee…it’s time to finally get down to defending those who Alissa calls “Pot Heads,” (without actually going so far as to discuss pot).
Is this Event Hallow-Richard enough? (another classic from the Addicts Live…from Wookiee), or does it completely miss the mark of what we should expect from a THOH Major Event?
Well…to cut to the chase (using a rubber prop sword, as to not inflict any real injury), the basis of most of this event is from one segment of an ACTUAL THOH episode of the Simpsons. So, if “Grand Wizard Matt” and his crew at Gracie Films think that it is scary enough to be part of the Tree House of Horror (not to be confused with those who would slur the syllables on the last word to create a word that is FAR different than the original intention…and has nothing to do with the movie, “Pretty Woman”), then it MUST be SCARY!!! (much like Richard Gere in the aforementioned movie).
THOH XII was the the opening episode of season 13 (S13E1). And what I find SCARY, is that Harry Potter was already HUGE in 2001, the year that this episode aired. After Googling…”Harry Potter Books,” I came up with this interesting tidbit of information…
“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published by Bloomsbury, the publisher of all Harry Potter books in the United Kingdom, on 26 June 1997. It was released in the United States on 1 September 1998 by Scholastic – the American publisher of the books – as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, after Rowling had received US $105,000 for the American rights – an unprecedented amount for a children’s book by a then-unknown author. Fearing that American readers would not associate the word “philosopher” with a magical theme (although the Philosopher’s Stone is alchemy-related), Scholastic insisted that the book be given the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the American market.”
So. Yes. Americans are pretty simple folk. But, that is what the Publishers counted on, and got in spades! Harry Potter has amassed about a zillion “Pot(ter) Heads” worldwide. And frankly, if you haven’t seen at least one of the movies, or read one of the books, you are truly unique…or, perhaps someone who “just doesn’t want to accept that there is more to this world than graphic novels and shooter games.” But, I digress…
But back to the main point of this post, is the episode scary?? Let’s tally up the marks for, and against.
Well…if you think a perpetually barfing frog is scary (and I do!), then yes. It is scary. I hate to throw up. I will do almost anything to keep from doing so. And watching the result of Bart’s lazy wizardry hurl about every 15 seconds was almost too much to take! But we are getting ahead of ourselves, as we first have to set up the entire Premise of “Wiz Kids,” the third segment of the THOH from which this event is mostly derived.
It starts in Wizardry School…and some basic Wizardry by the class, who are practicing their “enchanting a frog,” From Wikipedia:
In a parody of Harry Potter, Bart and Lisa go to the “Springwart’s School of Magicry” in which young boys and girls are trained in the art of witchcraft, such as turning frogs into princes, with Lisa’s turning into a perfect British one while Bart’s results in a freakish, vomiting hybrid begging only for death.
FAIL...the Vomiting Frog Prince (from Halloween 2013) is NOT OFFERED in this Event…while countless other things are! **SUBTRACT 2 Points!!
Lord Montymort notices Lisa’s spells and he and his snake sidekick, Slithers decide to capture Lisa in order to increase his power.
Best Line: “Look at that Lisa Simpson…she’s got more Wicked Witchery than Stevie Nicks!”
**2 Points for Creepy..as we get Slithers in the game.
Also in a quick flash, “Magical Essence Sucker” is shown, attached to Ralphie…and we get it in the game…except that the one in the game actually looks more like something from Frankenstein, or Princess Bride.
**Fail. subtract two points.
Montymort looks for someone to assist him and chooses Bart, who agrees to Montymort’s proposal. On the night of the magic recital at Springwart’s School of Magicry, Lisa attempts a “levitating dragon trick” on an gigantic dragon that is released onto the stage.
Lisa is shocked to find that her spell will not work, and then notices that Bart has replaced her wand with a Twizzler. (That is scary…as I a more of a “Red Vines” kinda guy). The dragon morphs into a giant Montymort who captures Lisa and begins sucking up her power.
Bart casts a spell (to destroy the evil one) against Montymort, but is struck by lightning. In a last-ditch effort, Bart charges at Montymort and stabs him in the shin with his magic wand. Montymort dies (as his shin was the source of all his magic) and is eaten by a crying Slithers.
Bart and Lisa walk away, trying to forget everything that happened (unaware that the leprechaun from the first story is right behind him).”
So…**2 POINTS for CREEPY!! But, then **take one of the points away, because Slithers in our game doesn’t eat MontyMort (which would be sooooo coool, unless he also vomits).
When you do the final tally, I’m sad to report that the episode, and the event, lose by a single point!
It is that close folks…and because it is that close, we will have the Blissninnies (who live in Ninnieville), who LOVE everything POTTER, and for the most part, LOVE everything EA does, telling the rest of us (who understand polls, and numbers, and winning/losing/sad) that we need to “get over it” and just accept that we are stuck with this update, and better just make the best of it. Wait…we’re still talking about the game…right?
The programmers have made this update/event waaaaaaaaaaaay too easy. It barely keeps me tapping…and for an Addict, that is a scary thing indeed! As far as the Pot Heads? I think that there is plenty of scary stuff in the Potter books and movies…we just aren’t getting it all here…or even the Barfing Frog. So, yes…it’s a close call…but I have to side with the “This isn’t Hallow-Richard Enough” team. It just isn’t.
But the scariest thing of all?????? We still have weeks of this event left. Now…THAT’s Scary!
How do you Vote? Pot Head, or Meh-Ville (not to be confused with Herman Melville, who wrote Moby Dick, which is about a huge, whale….that in our games was 300 donuts! SCARY!!).
Let us know what you think…and then a bunch of people will likely disagree with you. It’s pretty much the “new normal.”