Cartoon Network Cartoon for Sorcerer

[JamesDJIII]

Just a quick heads up:

I was watching Cartoon Network with my son today, and we came across a show called (I think) "Life and Times of Juniper Lee."

Within the first 10 minutes of the episode, they had a Contact, a Summoning, a Binding Ritual, and a so on. Did the writers read Sorcerer?

As I write this, a Banishment is in progress (on the show).

Anyways, I'm not a big fan of children's TV cartoons, but this one may be fodder for all Adepts out there.

[Ron Edwards]

Hiya,

I see a lot of billboards and ads for this show on the public transit in Chicago. The illustration is practically a dead ringer for the Sorcerer cover except that the demons are cowering.

Best,
Ron

[Larry L.]

Time to cash in with Sorcerer Jr. I guess.

(I'm only half-joking.)

[dyjoots]

Hiya,

I see a lot of billboards and ads for this show on the public transit in Chicago. The illustration is practically a dead ringer for the Sorcerer cover except that the demons are cowering.

Best,
Ron

The lead character (Juniper Lee) is most definitely someone who fights against demons... I assume that this is a viable character decision in Sorcerer.  I could see some very intense moments when a Demon-fighting Sorcerer is confronted with a situation where the choice is between getting rid of a demon or another equally important action, like saving someone's life.  I actually have a one-sheet written up where banishing the demon in that situation would cause a Humanity loss check, because you are so consumed with Sorcerous activity, that you ignore human concerns.

[Mike Holmes]

I got a four-year old, so let me set y'all straight.

Yes, Juniper's job is to fight "monsters" but only to maintain a balance between the magic world and our world. Meaning that there's always a bunch of monsters about who aren't considered a problem. In fact they help her on occasion. The monsters and other magic people cause problems for her in a way that makes the show a very standard "My life is so hard because I'm so different from everyone else" sort of affair that's constantly aimed at kids (who, presumably, feel on the outs). So while she doesn't seem to keep any demons around permenantly, I think she certainly summons and banishes them regularly.

Humanity in this would just be about being a normal kid. Dealing with monsters in any way tends to get her a reputation for being weird that's a problem for her.


You want a show from Cartoon Network all about Sorcerer?

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

Oh . . . my . . . god. It's perfect.

Mike

[Ron Edwards]

H'm. I am considering all sorts of topics for the fourth print supplement for Sorcerer. I have the basic techniques topics down (actual play, dialogue, and a heavy grounding in film editing as a group dynamic), but not the content. Obviously, it was going to be Demon Cops, but now it's not. I was thinking about my necromancy game, and about a few other things ...

... but kid-Sorcerer does seem like a fruitful candidate.

Double h'm.

Best,
Ron

P.S. Jesse, if you don't get off your ass and put up "Sorcerer Unbound" as a mini-supplement, I'm just going to rip off the name.

[Larry L.]

Children & Sorcerer would be a natural follow-up to Sex & Sorcerer. (badum-ching!)

The original quip was supposed to suggest a product shamelessly targeted to cash in on the kiddie macabre trend, of which I presume this cartoon is a result. It would have looked nice next to that super-trendy 12-year-old girl edition of Trollbabe somebody suggested a while back.

But darn it, now ya got me thinking like a grown-up.

Merits of kid Sorcerer:

• Harry Potter and its ilk, ostensibly kidfic, are the biggest pop culture lit phenomenon since Lord of the Rings. Children need no longer suffer the Chronicles of Narnia.
• Evil kids are fuckin' scary. Village of the Damned, The Omen, Pet Semetary, all that. In start contrast to angelically wise children, who embody all that is good.
• Ripe with metaphor for coming of age
• Whole crapload of kid-centric horror games lately

I think Sex & Sorcerer covered the bases for children as demons, so I guess this would have to be kid wizards or something.

[Mike Holmes]

... the kiddie macabre trend, of which I presume this cartoon is a result. It would have looked nice next to that super-trendy 12-year-old girl edition of Trollbabe somebody suggested a while back.

The Life and Times of Juniper Lee is actually pretty upbeat in most ways.

For macabre, and I was just saying the other day that I don't know how this can be presented on Cartoon Network in a non "Adult Swim" way such that kids are likely to catch it, is The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. As I pointed out to somebody recently, there are these moments between the cartoons where Mandy will just be on a black background and quotes something. These have been getting more and more out there, starting with things as tame as "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" to one recently that I saw where she pops up and says, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."

I don't know about you, but when they're presenting Satanism to kids, you'd think that somebody would be shouting bloody murder.

Anyhow, TGABM is another candidate for Sorcerer treatment for sure (Grim AKA The Grim Reaper, is Mandy's demon). Mandy should be Stamina 1, Will 8, Lore 1. She scares other demons. A case could be made for Billy being a sorcerer, too, with his "relatives," his son the spider, and Nurgal, as his demons. To be played properly, however, one should use the Elfs rules to run Billy.

Another would be Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go! Chiro's demon is the Power Primate.

One comment that I've had about these is that they all have content that kids don't get. Mandy's quotes are a good example. The way Kids Next Door creatively parodies spy and action genres. Or the way Mojo Jojo talks in Power Puff girls, which is ten times funnier if you grew up on Speed Racer (to say nothing of the 70/80's apparel worn by GangGrene). So would Sorcerer & Kids be aimed at kids? Or, like Little Fears, be about kid stuff, but aimed at adults? Pokemon, and most Disney stuff is really aimed only at kids. Dexter's Laboratory and such are at least half for adults.

Mike

[Larry L.]

Mike,

Grim's got his own show now? I have not had TV in a while. Never really cared for the "& Evil" part of the show anyway. There is something wicked entertaining about the Grim Reaper putting up with the abuses of a pair of bratty kids because they're pretty much the only friends he's got. A Grim Reaper that has an Eastern European accent, of course.

Dexter's Lab, hmm? Filled with technological Object demons. His sister Didi is a Passer (making this a funny spoof on the demon-babe subgenre) who clearly has a Need to screw up Dexter's experiments.  His parents are just parents, but not being sorcerers they don't notice the Telltale that their little boy always wears a lab coat and gloves and speaks in an Eastern European accent. (And if you point out that it was established in the SRMTHFG canon that Dexter's mom is secretly the most powerful superhero, you are taking this far too seriously.) The other sorcerer is of course rival boy genius Mandark.

Given the source material you mention, I think you'd be targeting twentysomething stoners.