'stalgia Sunday: X-Men: The Animated Series

I grew up watching a lot of television, I don’t want to regale you of how I didn’t have that many friends and didn’t ‘play out’ often - what a fun tale! I was fine with it, it genuinely never bothered me. So, instead, I read a lot of books and watched a lot of television. 

TV shows when I was younger were great - Cartoon Network ruled the roost, with the likes of; The Powerpuff Girls, Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo etc, then I discovered Fox Kids. 

What a revelation. 

Fox Kids was great, unfortunately it ceased to be in 2002 and I remember being incredibly sad about this, for then, where was I supposed to watch one of my favourite TV shows? On repeat?!

X-Men: The Animated Series. What a show. X-Men are my favourite concept from Marvel. (Apart from the film franchise, don’t talk to me about the film franchise. EVER). This TV is the origin of my interest and I did all the research on the mutants and even read some comics online - the only comics I’ve ever read to this date have all been X-Men related. 

The TV show was great - yes it adapted and changed the comic storylines more than the films and yet because it sparked my interest I’m okay with that? I’m a massive hypocrite apparently. It featured the X-Men right however, their personalities were the focal point of this show. The gruff and moody Logan/Wolverine.The charming and smooth-talking Gambit. The calming and steadfast Storm. So many personalities, that the clashes between them were an appeal, just like real-life they had many differences, and they had to resolve those. It knew when to be serious and when to inject some humour in, a well-balanced show.
It was also all about team-work and putting as your differences and problems to come together to defeat the greater evil - even when that is your own teammate (Dark Phoenix Saga). 

Now, this is going to be a long one, a whirlwind of emotion as I talk to you about Rogue. No, no push that movie version from your mind, that is not Rogue. Rogue is not a moping, whining, sad woman. NO. Rogue is a bad-ass motherfucker, a southern belle that will beat you up for looking at her wrong. Rogue was my first and forever role model. 

The yellow and green suit, the green/brown cool-ass bomber jacket, the big beautiful curls. Rogue was/is everything. She was the best. She could and would take down any man, any mutant, anything. Why? Because she’s Rogue. She could fly, she could break down walls (literally), she could touch you AND KILL YOU.
Rogue was a great character for these reasons alone, but also because she was full of so many layers (like an onion…). She knew she could save so many lives, so she sacrificed every being able to touch a person - even just a hug, for the sake of mankind. How can you not love her?
That is the beauty of this show - so many of the leading characters were female, and they were powerful, they were equal, they were flawed - and that was okay! This was such a good show for me, as a female to grow up watching. 

Right, i’m going to move on from the outrageous love I have for Rogue. I mean, I definitely could’ve gone on, but you should just watch it and fall in love with her yourselves. 

Another reasons this show was one and still definitely is one of my favourite - superpowers. I always, always, always wanted a superpower, even just a lame one. C’mob this was a show about a school for people with superpowers (mutant gene - therefore just evolved humans but SUPERPOWER). Behind Hogwarts - I wanted to be able to go to Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. 

Essentially, for a kids TV show about people with superpowers - it was definitely accessible for adults. Hell, I found out it was on Netflix and binge-watched it in about 2 days. So you guys, go and do that. I mean, bring snacks and settle right in. You’ll thank me!

'Staglia Sunday: Heroes - The Rock

Know Your Damn Role.

Every week or so, we've decided that we want  to do what all the cool '90's kids do and do a throwback post (because the '90's was the best time, every body knows that. The fashion alone, I mean...). So we made a list of all the things we want to revisit from our  childhoods and each week one or both of us will pick something we want to talk about. This week for Throwback ...Sunday ('Stalgia Sunday? I'll work on it.) I've decided to pick Idols and Heroes.

I was never that kid who had one solid hero, I was far too indecisive (it is, by far, my worst trait. Second to my overuse of commas). I drew my inspirations from traits of all my favourite people - my humour was based on Jim Carrey, who I had begun impersonating from the age of three when I watched Ace Ventura for the first time. My love of books and my stubborn independence stemmed from my adoration for Matilda, and my boyish attitude and hatred for baths came from picking up a Beano comic every week at the local newsagents.

Growing up, even into my teen and eventually adult years, I kept most of those people as heroes and maintained most of the things I had learned from them. On my name badge at work, Matilda is still listed as my favourite film and when Liar Liar came to Netflix, I watched it twice in one day. And three more times since. (Although, I gave up my hatred for baths, I am now very fond of them. Sorry, Dennis!)

My indecisiveness on this, however, came to an end when I was six years old.  Yes, I still loved Matilda and Jim Carrey and Dennis The Menace. But in 1998, I saw for the first time, the man that would very quickly become My Hero. (yes, the caps are necessary.)

When I was six, I was introduced to The Rock. Now, I don't know if it was the long sideburns, the confidence, the eyebrow raise or just the way that he knew how to work a crowd. But at six years old when I snuck downstairs way past my bedtime and watched the little television in the corner of the living room that was mostly static and noise, I fell in love. On the screen there was a ring and in that ring there was a man who was yelling about something and he had the entire audience going insane all around him and he had them all chanting his name. I decided right there and then that I was either going to BE this man, or I was going to marry him.

At 23, I have to say that of all the decisions I made back when I was a child, that was the best one (Matilda was still a pretty solid choice, Mara Wilson turned out pretty great if her Twitter is anything to go by). I no longer wish to marry The Rock (though I wouldn't say no, who would?) and I no longer wish to be him, but I do continue to be inspired by him. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is not only one of the most successful men in the entire world, not only is he one of the most recognisable faces on the planet, he's also one of the friendliest. He's as loyal to his fans as they are to him and has never lost sight of who he was before his life changed for the better. He is a born entertainer and he just brims with positivity. A positivity that was, unfortunately, lacking in the years when I was growing up. My positivity and my happiness came in the form of Saturday morning TV, watching The Rock layeth the smacketh down on some poor, probably deserving soul.

Saturday and Sunday mornings were spent watching Smackdown and Raw, and those afternoons were spent practicing my own version of those moves with my then-step-cousin. We made wrestling rings out of our mattresses and covered ourselves in bruises trying to out-maneuver one another and, for a long time, those weekends made me the happiest I could ever imagine being. 

I wore The Rock's t-shirts proudly growing up, and I still do now. I watch his films and follow his Instagram and support him in all the ways I know how. I was a chubby, blonde haired tomboy from a small town in the UK and for some reason, I saw some kind of magic in Dwayne Johnson. I chose him as a hero and an idol then, and I continue to choose him as one today. He has been open about his struggles with depression and he is open with his fans, telling them stories of darker times and encouraging people, giving them the beliefs that they can get through their struggles, just like he got through his.  

More recently, I had a minor surgery that put me on bedrest for a week, and to get through it I surrounded myself, firstly, with good people and, secondly, with ice cream (because I was recovering and it's allowed). I then spent the rest of my time binge watching The Rock's old WWE matches and, I swear, they actually helped heal me. (Well it was that or the strong medication I was put on. It could be either.) (and yes, I'm aware that wrestling is fake, but ten year old me would've fought you over it.)

Coming up in the 90s and 00s nostalgia post (other than a better title, which will definitely, probably happen) we will be talking about our favourite shows, activities, our aspirations, favourite sweets (does anyone remember Fizzy Jerks?) etc. etc.

So until then - who are your childhood heroes? Are they still people that you look up to today? Let us know!