#Alien Minotaur Prize

[pancakes-bookclub]

So... Deep breaths.

I'm starting on the Starlight Brides series, and... Oh boi. We have some issues.

So, the first book, Alien Minotaur Prize, by Hattie Jacks, is actually good. It's not on my top 10 books, but it's an ok and even fun read.

Again, it's a Mail Order bride, because you read one book like that and now Kindle thinks it's the only kind of book I like/want to read. At least until I actively look for another kind.

So, Ginny is being threatened, and has to sign up to the Starlight Lotteries, that no one really knows it's a Mail Order Bride program, thinking it will get her off the ship Brittania. So, baby girl ends up getting married to an Alien Minotaur king.

From scrubbing air vents for a living to a queen? I wouldn't complain either.

It's a good book. Some scenes could be taken off, as they're only there for the spice, but they're well written, and there are some time gaps that could be filled with some character and relationship development but I understand that it's just them falling into a routine so it doesn't really make sense.

Now, we get to book 2, Aliens Werewolf Prize, by January Bell, and... I couldn't write about this one without having something else as a reference, so I decided to put them both together.

Aileen works on the shittiest possible job at [Unnamed Space Station] where humans are the lowest of the low, cleaning a perv brain in a jar and caring for a sentient tentacle in an exhibit. She and her best friend registered for Starlight Lotteries years ago in search of better options, and they just got accepted! Now, she's going off to marry a Werewolf clan leader (they all have political agendas to look for a bride), and y'all know the rest.

However!

Ok, the Minotaur is not one of my top 10 books, but it's a good read.

The werewolf? Girl, we got some issues to work out here!

So, Book 1, we have many named characters, even if they don't even talk, we see that the characters have a relationship, respect and understanding for the people around them. Ginny got a full Entourage just so she wouldn't feel lonely!

Book 2? I think we have, like, 5 or 6 named characters, and most of them don't show up for most of the book. Like, my girl spent time in the kitchen, the chef made her food, and not a single word was exchanged in the whole scene! And we clearly see that time passed because the chef had to make her food from scratch! That was some wasted potential on world building and character development just... Defenestrated!

And he showed up to her with a FULL ON 50 SHADES SHIT ASS SEX CONTRACT! Like, I know that they're mail order brides, and that comes with a contract about their safety, a trial period, some money/dowry they'll get if things don't go as planned... And that's understandable. They're being thrown in a whole new situation and need a safety net.

But a sex contract? To establish their boundaries? No. That's a big ass no no and a red flag if I've ever seen one. Boundaries should be talked about and respected. There's no need for it to be written down on a healthy relationship.

Also, book 1? Ginny goes out. She spends time knowing the people, the cities, she pulls her weight for the position she now holds. She even spends some time with her new husband before getting officially married.

Book 2, is... Rushed. She gets the job, spends a day at a Starlight Hub Station Thingy to get prepared, gets in a shuttle to his homeworld, gets married, he takes her to a vacation house or whatever, they fuck and... That's it?

Also, darling, this is a werewolf romance book. Why the fuck is it that the only time we "see" his wolf form is when she's going back to the main home, and she vaguely mentions a) hearing distant wolf howls in the night when he's not in bed with her, and b) having his furry form cuddling her. Where's the fear/excitement that comes with seeing your werewolf partner change for the first time? Trying to comfort them because the change hurts? Bring unsure if you should tuck tail and run, or jump them?

And, as much as I don't really like it when a book is just sex scene after sex scene for bulk, shock value or "the horneez", we have one scene, that keeps jumping from POv, which is extremely annoying and breaks the immersion in the scene.

Ok, fine, the biggest sin this book committed is being too short. I want to know more about those wolves. I want to see them better, understand their lore and story.

"but Pancake, it's a romance book! Why are you complaining that they focused on the romance?"

Deep breath

That's not the point. The romance, although a bit rushed, is ok. It's not a bad romance (gaga ooh lala aah 🎵🎶)

But it lacks what makes it a good romance to me. And it has one red flag too many for my taste. Not even Dark Romances are that level with Boundaries!

Overall, book one is a 6/10. Not bad but could be better, I have a couple notes, but I understand that using them would make it into all but a slow burn series. And book 2 is a 4/10. Could definitely be better. Hell, could be 10 pages longer.

[squishysoftmonsters]

Imagine types

[NSFW] Meaning Naughty

[Fluff] Simply sweet wholesome vibes

[Fluff?] Kinda questionable but still cute

Imagines [FULL!🥵]

Tongue/Tentacle

You mean Everything [Fluff]

Tongue Summon [NSFW]

Failed Spell [NSFW]

Tentacle Girlfriend [NSFW]

Tentacle Husband [NSFW]

Tentacle Husband 1 [NSFW]

Good Samaritan [NSFW]

Otherworldly Rock [NSFW]

Carrier [NSFW]

Kid Kraken [NSFW]

The Tentacle Song [Fluff?]

Let Me Love You [NSFW]

Good Morning Stretch [NSFW]

Did You Cook? [NSFW]

Ghost

Ghost House [NSFW]

Ghost Top [NSFW]

Paranormal Orgy [NSFW]

Tentacle Ghost GF [NSFW]

To Catch a Ghost [NSFW]

One on One [NSFW]

No Chores Please [NSFW]

Werewolf

Sub Wolf [NSFW]

Furry Booty Slap [Fluff?]

Tired Hubby [Fluff?]

Magic Pregnancies [Fluff?]

Muzzled Partner [NSFW]

Desperate Human [NSFW]

Prized Human [NSFW]

You Don't Smell Like Me! [NSFW]

Dedicated Husband [NSFW]

Hide and Seek [NSFW]

Chill Wolf [Fluff]

Cuddly Sexy Boy [Fluff?]

Slime

Symbiote Slime Tentacle [NSFW]

Egg Beast [NSFW]

Breeding Frenzy [NSFW]

Radioactive Seed [NSFW]

Slime Birth Boyfriend [NSFW]

Slime Performer [NSFW]

Seductive Slime [NSFW]

Moth

Dom Moth [NSFW]

First Child [NSFW]

Moth Praise [Fluff?]

Abduction [NSFW]

Bearer [NSFW]

Vampire

First Date [NSFW]

Cooking [NSFW]

Helping The Count [NSFW]

Booba [Fluff?]

Drained but Loved [Fluff?]

Ogre

Breakfast [NSFW]

Mermen/Naga/Snake

The Heat [NSFW]

Dom Serpent Merman [NSFW]

Lucky Catch [NSFW]

Naga Lovin' [NSFW]

Merfolk Lust [NSFW]

WTF is wrong with you? [NSFW]

Mermeat [NSFW]

Singer [NSFW]

Sacrificial Offering [NSFW]

Seduced and Used [NSFW]

Alien

Alien Boyfriend [NSFW]

Overstimulation [NSFW]

Twisted Disneyland Guide [NSFW]

Loving you FOR you [Fluff]

Alien Husband [NSFW]

Alien Mother [NSFW]

Alien Girlfriend [NSFW]

Secret Admirer [NSFW]

Alien Girlfriend 1 [NSFW]

Alien Wife Shenanigans [NSFW]

Carpenter For Hire [Fluff?]

Werebear

Forest Meeting [NSFW]

Succubi/Angel/Demon

First Lick [NSFW]

Warfare [NSFW]

Slave to Lover [NSFW]

Unholy Coupling [NSFW]

Water

Bubbly Love [NSFW]

Harpy

Human Kidnapping [NSFW]

No love Today [Fluff?]

Body Worship [Fluff]

Stretched and Bred [NSFW]

Dragon

How to Train your Dragon [NSFW]

How to Tame your Human [NSFW]

To be a Queen for a Dragon [NSFW]

Plant

I REALLY like you! [NSFW]

A lick from Me to You [Fluff]

What it's like to be a Botanist [NSFW]

Demanding Plant [NSFW]

Orc

Hairy Hugs[Fluff]

Minotaur

Face Seat [Fluff?]

Taking it Easy [Fluff]

Gryphon

Just Wingin' It [NSFW]

Uncategorized

Keepin' it Warm [NSFW]

Therapy Monsters [Fluff]

Tender Nabbing [Fluff]

Party Hard [Fluff?]

No,You Can't come! [Fluff?]

Trying to Summon a Boyfriend [NSFW]

Kobold Pet [NSFW]

[shaymacmorran]

Listen. So I read @hattie.jacks new release, “Alien Minotaur’s Prize” (Starlight Brides Series) this evening… and I started wondering what a baby Minotaur would look like. Honestly? Idk if it’s the cutest OR most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen. 🙃 The point is, now I’ve made it YOUR problem, so. Enjoy! Also, check out Hattie’s new book! 🐮❤️🤷‍♀️

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 087

Yeah, Goku and 17 are fighting space poachers in this episode, but I want you to check out this cool kittycat that Marron is drawing. 

This episode has some really spectacular backgrounds.  Episode 86 did as well.  Just wanted to appreciate it a little before we get going.

All right, so Goku is at the nature preserve where 17 works as a ranger, and he’s trying to convince him to join the team for the Tournament of Power.   But 17′s not interested.  Goku’s made-up prize money, the threat of universal annihilation, nothing sways the guy.  Goku tells him about the Super Dragon Balls, but before he can get too far into that, a spaceship appears over the island and does an alien abduction on all the animals.

Goku teleports 17 aboard, where they find a bunch of alien creatures all stuck in cages.  17 guesses that these are space poachers, who go from planet to planet, capturing rare animals to sell.

Their leader seems to have a particular interest in the Earth’s minotaur, whose horns are said to be the ingredient in an immortality elixir.  Not that anyone knows if it would work, but he’d still make a fortune selling it to someone who believes. 

I like his top goons.  The standard issue goons aren’t anything special, but I like the pink laser swords and red armor.  It looks Ancient Roman without looking too Ancient Roman, you know?

While 17 confronts the leader, Goku has to handle the small fry.  I mean, they’re okay, I guess. 

Anyway, the head space poacher has a bomb in his body, and he threatens to set it off and kill everyone on board unless Goku and 17 walk away.  If they leave, at least some of the animals will survive, even if they aren’t returned.

After the commercial bumper, the dude presses the button and destroys the ship, but the colors are off, like it’s a flashback to some other episode.

Then Beerus wakes up, and it turns out that he had a nightmare about Goku dying in an exploding spaceship.  All righty.

Back in the real world, 17 tells Goku to give his regards to his family, then tackles the space poacher through the window and out of the ship.  His plan is to sacrifice himself to save the animals, but before it can come to that....

... Goku uses Instant Transmission to save them both, and takes them to King Kai’s planet.  He explains that this was where he dropped off Cell when he was threatening to self-destruct, so it seemed like the best move.  “It’s like poetry,” Goku says.  “It rhymes.”

Then Dende contacts Goku telepathically and informs him that the space poacher was bluffing about that bomb.  How would Dende know that?  17 forces him to press the button on the remote, and this causes fireworks and streamers to come out of his nose.  Okay...

He says something about his brother’s birthday party, but whatever.

So they call in Jaco, who impounds the poacher ship, and all the Earth animals are returned to the island. 

Jaco plans to take all the credit for this bust, as he’s been looking for these space poachers for years.  Goku complains that Jaco didn’t even do that much, but who cares?  He’ll probably stop for ramen again and all the space poachers will escape.

With that wrapped up, 17 tells Goku that he will be entering the Tournament of Power after all, since he always wanted to tour the world on a cruise liner with his family, and he could use the Super Dragon Balls to wish for his own ship.  I’m not sure anything in this space poacher adventure really changed 17′s mind, but we’ll just go with it.

17 finds it ironic that he’ll be teaming up with Goku, since he was originally designed to kill him, but Goku is used to this, since Tien, Piccolo, and Vegeta all started out as his enemies too.  So it all works out.

[unhclier]

consider this a dark monsterf*cker plotting call!! like this post and i’ll come to you to plot some stuff out, preferably to write on discord but i’m open to writing on here. below the cut are some monsters i’d love to write with and some plots, so bonus points for checking those out, especially if you give me some less common creatures/plots!!

MONSTERS I’D LOVE TO PLAY/PLAY AGAINST

werewolves, vampires, ghosts, dragons, orcs, elves, goblins, fae, satyrs/fauns, centaurs, minotaurs, mermaids, nymphs, sprites/pixies, ogres, angels, demons, aliens, incubi/succubi, demons, sirens, witches, shapeshifters, tentacles

PLOT IDEAS ( triggering content like nonc*on/dubc*on, kidnapping, violence, etc below )

-- anything with a huge size difference ( human/minotaur, pixie/human, fae/orc, etc ) -- breeding! a creature taking a human to breed, two species that hate each other breeding because of primal urges, a human wanting to be bred by a monster, etc -- a human hunter capturing a shapeshifter and making them change shape to please them -- a monster captured and kept in a private collection, kept on display and occasionally used for pleasure -- human sacrifice to a monster ( especially dragons, fae, demons, etc ) -- a human worshipping a monster -- classic alien abduction/medical kink tbh -- a world where monsters have the right to freely use any human they come across -- a world where humans can own monsters and keep them like pets -- a conquering army takes their prizes ( monster/human or monster/monster ) -- a pack of werewolves/den of vampires/any collection of monsters sharing a human amongst them -- a human accidentally summons a monster

[i800anime]

— seijoh four + yahaba and kyotani + demigod AU

pairing: iwaoi with slight matsuhana and implied kyouhaba 

description: oikawa meets the goddess of love, and can’t seem to figure out who she reminds him of.

____

genre: alternate universe , au

wordcount: 2.0K

warnings: none

tags: aobajohsai au , seijoh four , haikyuu au

𝘼𝙐𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀: just a drabble of an AU me and my friends came up with. more content possibly coming soon if this does well!

— lowecase intended

. . . . . .

“i swear, do you have to be so DRAMATIC?” the group of five boys we’re currently walking up mount st. helens, and oikawa had just done something incredibly stupid.

“but it was annoying me,” the son of zeus waved his hand nonchalantly at iwaizumi.

“that doesn’t mean you SEND IT FLYING!” oikawa decided that since a nymph was nagging them about forest safety and he didn’t want to listen, he would use his powers to blast it to the other side of the mountain.

“i swear you guys bicker like an old couple..” matsukawa, their satyr friend; piped up from behind the two demigods. their other satyr friend, hanamaki walked beside him, trying to hide his laugh. he was doing this highly unsuccessfully. iwaizumi scrunched his nose up in disgust while oikawa cooed at the idea, throwing an arm around his best friend.

“imagine us iwa-chan, as an old married couple. though naturally, you’ll have wrinkles cause of all that frowning you do.” oikawa poked the boys forehead wrinkles and pulled away, marching ahead of the group. “now let’s go, people! we have a mirror to obtain.”

iwaizumi couldn’t help but roll his eyes, but nonetheless followed his unspoken “fearless” leader. although he may look untouchable to everyone else, iwaizumi always noticed the falter in his face when he was challenged with a hard choice, before plastering on a fake smile. he noticed that too. oikawa had only smiled genuinely three times in their life.

one, when he was awarded best setter in elementary school, before they got drug off to camp by matsukawa and hanamaki. two, when oikawa had gotten claimed. it was very ironic that the boy was the son of the most powerful god. and three, when iwaizumi had given him an alien plushie he’d bought at a store during a camp field trip.

iwaizumi couldn’t help but notice these things, as he’d grown up with the boy.

they we’re currently on a quest to retrieve aphrodite’s mirror that had been stolen by a group of cyclopes. a prophecy had been relayed by their oracle, and iwaizumi, oikawa, matsukawa, hanamaki and yahaba were on their way;

“three half bloods shall go west,

their friendly satyrs put to the test,

a love shall be revealed

the storm and wise used as a shield.”

it was obvious who was meant to take it, as everyone at camp had known about the groups story.

oikawa and iwaizumi we’re on the volleyball team with hanamaki and matsukawa when yahaba and kyoutani joined. their satyr friends seemed stressed by this, but the boys couldn’t figure out why. until one day after practice a shrilling shriek was heard behind them.

“i knew i smelled demigod! you’re gonna be a great full course meal!” the group turned to see the form of an old lady shift and churn before it launched into the air. oikawa immediately dove behind the bleachers and yahaba passed out. kyoutani ran over to the boy to catch him, setting him down in between the seats of the bleachers.

“what IS that thing?” oikawa yelled, peeking between his fingers.

“shit.” matsukawa and hanamaki said in unsion. the pair began to pull off their joggers, causing oikawa to scream again, and iwaizumi to close his eyes. when he opened, his two friends were sporting furry legs on their bottom half, pulling out silvers swords from their pockets. they charged at the monster as it dove and dodged, getting a few hits in.

“what the hell..” iwaizumi muttered to himself, staring at the scene in front of him. he glanced at oikawa shaking behind the bleachers, then kyoutani vigorously waving a folder over yahaba’s face.

the ace looked around for any type of weapon, before feeling a sharp pain on his side. iwaizumi cried out as he gripped the wound, feeling dizzy as he pulled his hand away and saw red. the flying lady gasped with delight, training her black eyes at him.

he stumbled back, glancing behind him to see his two friends with newfound legs scurrying over to him.

“iwaizumi! are you-“

a crack in the atmosphere cut his friend off, as the hairs on the back of their necks began to stand.

“you HAG! how dare you hurt my iwa-chan!” the three boys turned to see oikawa glaring at the monster, static forming in his hands. iwaizumi could feel the anger radiating off of the boy, as he watched in awe.

she looked almost worried as he approached, static growing more powerful with his every move.

oikawa almost seemed to glow as light produced off of him, eyes powerful as a hundred suns.

“you’re gonna pay for that!” he moved his hands in a downward motion and a lightning bolt broke through the ceiling of the gymnasium, slamming the monster into the ground. it immediately disintegrated, just as oikawa began to wobble in place. the static started to dissipate, and iwaizumi found himself running over to the him, just like his friend had.

“oikawa?” he put a hand on his friends back, leading him to sit down next to kyoutani.

“what just happen-“ kyoutani cut the boy off with a growl.

“the fuck was all that!” he stood and got into matsukawa’s face. “you mind telling me what’s going on?”

“maddog calm down-“ hanamaki started.

“don’t fuckin call me that!”

“GUYS!” oikawa shouted, immediately regretting it as he grabbed his head. iwaizumi immediately placed a hand over his in their laps. “let them explain, maddog. sit down.”

kyoutani grumbled but took his place back next to a sleeping yahaba.

. . . .

iwaizumi smiled at the memory, proud of how far him and his friends had come. they went from fighting that fury to fighting minotaurs. though the journey to camp was hard at just 14, they’d made it. it was crazy to think three years had passed.

he was drawn back to reality when oikawa was slowing down, beckoning the group forward with his hand.

the four boys crouched behind him to see what he saw. there were three cyclopes surrounding an object that reflected right into iwaizuni’s eyes. aphrodite’s mirror.

he glanced at yahaba, who had seemed slightly distracted during their quest. kyoutani couldn’t come with them, as he’d sprained his ankle during capture the flag. the son of apollo was oddly upset about his absence. during their years at camp, the duo had grown fairly close. they went on all their quests together, and this was the first one where they were apart. they were an odd pair, a son of the sun god and the son of the war god, but they made it work.

oikawa crouch walked around the clearing, diving behind rocks to stay hidden. the rest of them spread out, trying to create a proper ambush. the monsters climbed down the mountain, settling on a peak a few down from the mirror.

they all grabbed their weapons, oikawa with a dagger, iwaizumi with a spear, hanamaki and matsukawa with swords, and yahaba with a bow and arrow.

“hey onion breath!” oikawa called, stepping out from behind his rock. “mind giving me that mirror back?”

iwaizumi inwardly cursed at the boy, his bold tactics always taking him by surprise. the three cyclopes turned around, taking in the human beneath them.

“oh look, a snack!” one of them cheered. he had specs of brown hair on his head and a wide blue eye.

oikawa shook his head. “no, not a snack. but now that i think about it, i’d probably taste delectable.” iwaizumi could hear hanamaki snicker at this, and he couldn’t help his smile.

they watched the boy as he tried to reason with the cyclopes, trying to hide his nervousness.

oikawa was a pro at hiding his emotions, being a son of zues and all. as he stood in front of the one eyed family, he tried his best to put on a calm face.

“are you sure you can’t? i mean honestly what good is it doing you? you guys aren’t specifically known for your looks.” as soon as he said it, he knew he’d said the wrong thing. the one on the left roared and swiped a hand out at him, causing him to have to roll away to dodge.

he landed and hopped back on his feet, smirking as yahaba shot an arrow directly into the one in the middle’s eye. iwaizumi ran out, sliding between the right cyclopes legs, and swiping at its calf with his dagger. the monster roared, trying to stomp on him, but matsukawa ran by and pulled him out the way, stabbing its pelvic bone.

oikawa turned to face his own cyclops as iwaizumi and matsukawa’s disappeared into dust. he sidestepped as it tried to slash him, but he was a second to slow as it got a scratch on his shoulder. oikawa winced, internally grateful it wasn’t his fighting shoulder.

the 6’1 boy continued his assault, jabbing and slicing. as they fought, they climbed the peaks, getting closer to the prize. oikawa could feel his power rising as the altitude increased.

‘just my area of expertise,’ he thought. ‘the sky.’

once he was able to manipulate the wind enough to get eye level with the one eyed figure in front of him, stabbing it in the chest. it became a pile of dust and oikawa had to wave away the particles as he coughed.

he realized he’d fought his way up the mountain, his friends nowhere to be found.

a young lady appeared in front of him, making her way over. oikawa was taken a back by her beauty; spiky black hair with olive green eyes and thick eyebrows that were raised on her forehead as she took in his appearance.

“with looks like that i’m surprised you aren’t my child.” the lady proclaimed with a frown. the expression looked vaguely familiar, but oikawa could not place it.

“aphrodite..?” he uttered cautiously, backing up to guard the mirror.

“yes son of zeus. no need to panic.” she hummed and the boy exhaled in relief. “i see you and your friends have defeated the cyclopes.”

oikawa fought the urge to roll his eyes at the goddess stating the obvious. he himself had initially thought he was a son of aphrodite upon arrival to camp. but after being around her kids for a few years, he couldn’t believe he’d even thought that.

“yes we have.” he responded, placing his dagger back in its strap on his thigh. “this is your mirror, yes?”

the goddess smiles and oikawa swears his heart stops. she gives him a knowing look and goes to collect her belongings, just as his friends race up the mountainside.

“oikawa!” iwaizumi calls, looking around frantically, until he spots him and the goddess. the four boys bow as they watch her take them all in.

“son of athena.” iwaizumi looks up and his eyes grow wide. he then changes to a look of confusion before deciding his spear was more entertaining to look at.

“thank you demigods, for retrieving my mirror. your work will not be forgotten.”

she gave a wave of her hand, and a gold chariot with beautiful white horses attached appeared in front of her.

“here is how you will get back to camp. i grant you safe travels.” a cloud of pink smoke engulfed her, giving off scents of roses, then cedar, before it and the goddess disappeared.

“i HATE the smell off whiskey.” yahaba exasperated, cleaning his arrows off on his shirt. oikawa raised an eyebrow, as that wasn’t what he’d smelled.

“whiskey? smelled like rain to me.” iwaizumi said, his spear forming back into a bracelet.

“hm..” oikawa started, sitting on a nearby rock. “she looked.. oddly familiar? i couldn’t place it.” he played with his dagger, scrunching his nose up at the monster blood splattered on it. the brown haired boy looked up at his friends for any type of explanation.

iwaizumi hummed at his declaration, then frowned. oikawa froze. suddenly, he knew why the goddess had looked so familiar.

he’d heard stories about how looking at the goddess would have you gazing upon the one you love most. her magic could transform her face to look different for everyone who saw it. but oikawa had never thought that would mean he’d see his best friend.

[equalseleventhirds]

hi!!! would you be willing to talk about Anna and Mabel being each other’s monsters? My favorite trope is girl and monster (that is, a normal woman and the monster she’s adopted or fallen in love with or what have you) and lately I’ve been thinking hard about how both girls fit both parts of that trope... i would love your thoughts if you’d want to share!!

ohhh man oh MAN um um ok there’s a LOT to talk about here but let’s see what i've got

so first of all, the way in which both of them are simultaneously girl and monster in like, the most obvious ways (not to do with each other, just BEING): two human girls taken under the hill and turned into half-faerie creatures who cannot blend in among humans anymore, and now they are literally ruling over a faerie kingdom, like, that shit fucks. also, they are ‘monsters’ when they talk about how neither of them ‘acted like people’ (it’s a metaphor), but they also fall into the ‘girl in a fairytale’ role by being taken away and trapped; it’s a very ‘princess stolen by a dragon’ sort of thing.

(and yet, even when trapped into what would be helplessness, mabel herself rejects her role as ariadne and instead claims to be the minotaur, the spider in the web, etc etc, putting herself into the role of monstrousness when the story archetype she SHOULD be fitting is the maiden in the tower) (something something even the ‘monsters’ are trapped, something luna and vera and aconite and the king are all trapped in their own ways in spite of being also and definitely monstrous, and how fucking much did it rock that the big bad king was just as trapped in his role under the hill actually like how good was that shit)

actually the way even monsters are trapped may contribute to the whole girl-loves-monster dynamic (as opposed to ‘girl trapped by monster’ dynamic, altho like, obvs the faeries are ALSO trapping the girls, but that is both complicated and Different)

and that was like, the things i’d thought of before, bcos i’ve spent a lot of time thinking about them as human-and-monster and how much i love the subversion of what both of those roles are, but then you said ‘being each other’s monsters’ and that hit me like a goddamn TRUCK, how’s it fucking feel to galaxy brain that hard!!!

SO: how is mabel anna’s monster?

from the very beginning, we have mabel as a myth to anna, a figure in a story. and then that myth becomes someone anna resents - for never calling even tho she knows she’s listening, for seemingly abandoning sally so anna has to be the one taking care of her... that whole bit where she’s like ‘i bet mabel doesn’t have to bury dead animals’ is like! ok she was projecting her own frustration and grief, but. yeah.

and then she finally meets mabel, and yes she absolutely sees her as the helpless damsel in distress she has to rescue, but thomas says it, doesn’t he? by meeting mabel, anna has ‘gotten caught up in (the martin family’s) mess.’ mabel (being lured in by her, being caught by her metaphorically/emotionally) is now the reason anna went missing for days and had to handle all the fallout from that, mabel is the reason she’s still in the house... mabel is the reason she’s going to die.

(isn’t that monstrous? to speak to someone for, what, a minute, an afternoon, and destroy their life, doom them to die?)

and when they are under the hill together, mabel continues to be strange to anna, speaks to luna as if she is faerie and anna is not, talks of rules and rituals that make anna feel alienated and clumsy and stupid (although she is not, we know she is not, and mabel knows it too)

then later we learn that mabel has been anna’s monster for so much longer than we realize. from back in nursing school, when she had visions of her and it was too much, terrifying and overwhelming to the point that she broke the connection. from long before anna had even heard her name, mabel was the monster she was running away from

(until she decides to run to her, instead, completing the ‘girl fears monster then discovers no actually she loves the monster’ arc)

now: how is anna mabel’s monster?

i could go through chronologically like i just with anna but actually no, bcos the very first thing that sticks out to me is that, for a significant chunk of the podcast, anna is able to literally control mabel. she doesn’t want to, and she tries not to use it, but she can and a couple of times she even does. and mabel reacts! poorly! obviously!! (what does it mean that ‘the mouth of god’ is the thing about anna that makes her a monster to mabel fjskdlfjs mabelpod said ‘fuck christianity’ thx. they did also say ‘sainthood but gay’ tho which also. valid.)

speaking of mabel’s autonomy and also sainthood (or, more specifically, heroics), how about that time anna tore mabel out from under the hill (where she was trapped, yes, but was also cared for, in a way, by the king; was also powerful and did not have to make herself small; was also away from sally and her cruelty and the house) and stuck in in the house she so loathed, in the human world she could no longer comprehend or love or fit herself into

(and, god, i do so love how mabel said that heroically rescuing the damsel in distress is not a good thing if you have not asked; she is not a prize, an object for your self-sacrificial satisfaction. i love how anna apologized for that, even tho she had good intentions, bcos she did not ask first. i also love how that comes at a time when they are learning that for anna to be king, mabel must be sacrifice and bound to her, and how mabel says, no in this case i will bind myself willingly, and only if you will have me, and this is what will give you the power of a king of monsters, and it is what i choose. how’s that for a girl choosing to love her monster! incredible!!)

BUT going back to anna-as-monster bcos there IS more: is it such a coincidence that veratrine was able to shake mabel so much, by calling her terrible things, by claiming that anna did not love her? is it such a coincidence that anna could scare her that much, not even being there, just the idea of her, the story of her? (monsters and stories about them again! hm!! what a fucking theme i love it)

and of course, how terrified mabel was when she finally met anna. ‘this is the girl who will eat my heart’, right? even before she knew anna would save her, she just saw her and was petrified by love. and you know what, what a fucking theme THAT is, that love is terrifying, love is monstrous, what you love will hurt you and maybe kill you and still you love it and cannot stop (you talked about ‘girl falls in love with monster’ but also mabelpod says ‘girl falls in love and in doing so makes her beloved her monster’ and fjsdkFDJSL wow! wow!!! and then they keep loving anyway!!!! like ok it didn’t work out for juniper but hot damn is it working for mabel and anna!)

[enigma-im]

Kindle Unlimited Recommendation

Dark Planet Warriors Series

Warning: Gore, violence, some situation of wrongful touching

Summary:

8 stories. The series begins with a bug infestation on the mining station outside of earth. A species called Kordolians are there to be the exterminators. After a meeting with a strange human our primary story kicks off while the bug story plays in background in some stories while being the main focus for several books. The consistent story for the other 8 books is a romance between the aliens and humans that results in a war for purity.

Person thoughts:

Great fuckin series. Almost every book has a different couple with only the very first couple being the focus several other times. First book is fantastic, especially the first sex scene. Its so good. The next few focus on the bug infestation till its dealt with then it gets back to the war. Don't skip them though, Riker is a treat that deserves to be acknowledged. My favorite one of this amazing series is Infinity's Embrace. That book has some dope characters. Electric Heart is my least favorite because it's like a real bad Watch Dogs (video game).

Rating: 9/10

Books:

Dark Planet Warriors

Dark planet Falling

Into the Light

Out of Darkness

Forged in Shadow

Infinity's Embrace

Electric Heart

Brilliant Starlight

Office Alien Series

Warning: Awkwardness, drug use, kidnapping (kind of)

Summary:

Three books about an office relationship with three different aliens. Each alien goes through the venture of courting a human woman. All of them succeed on confusing then educating these people on their culture. All the aliens come from the same planet that has been ravaged by a tough alien species that try to wipe them out with their superior technology. That isn't a plot point, its just an explanation. Each story shows the struggles of cultural differences and how education and understanding can help make the world a better place.

Person thoughts:

I adore this series. One book in this series actually got a perfect score from me, which is strange cause I'm a tough grader. The first book has a super awkward lad who just seems to hate everyone. Its really cute and I like them both though their relationship is filled with cringe. The second book I didn't much care for. The main love dude was kind of an idiot and was too blinded by acceptance to be a reasonable thinking alien. Still decent but Its not my cup of tea. The last one- sweet jesus- was amazing. It has a ‘my cousin Vinny’ vibe with their relationship where they fight often but its like their form of foreplay. So good. There is another series that’s super short that takes place 1 year later for each story. Totally worth a read after you read the series.

Rating: 8/10

Books:

The E.T. Guy

The New Guy

The Security Guy

(Christmas special)

Kraving Khiva

Warning: Sex workers, forced prostitution, abuse

Summary:

Eve is a virgin who is fed up with it. After her father's death she has been ghosting by in life with her best friend. After said friend points out a brothel of some interesting aliens she decides to give the place a try to finally rid herself of her virginity. After just one night she keeps coming back, falling for the sex worker. Romance ensues with lots of strife and abuse to keep the two from their HEA.

Personal Thoughts:

Man, this story represents everything I love in a story. Tons of fluff. It was a really good slow burn that I didn’t expect from a story about a prostitute. The cover gives the illusion of a typical middle aged mother romance - which I guess it is- but it has so much more. I only had one problem with the story, the ending. I felt they could have given more information but they just glossed over it. Besides that, hot book. The second one is really boring, just a slice of life that I couldn't get into.

Rating: 9/10

Books:

Kraving Khiva

Prince of Firestone

The Queen's Ransom

Warning: Near death situations, a lot of near death situations, gore

Summary:

432 pages. Long book. Jalia enters into a competition to win a great prize. The interest of great fortune is too much for her to pass up. Little does she know the treachery the competition hides or the actual prize. The king of Minotaurs is hosting an event to test the strength, endurance, and intelligence of potential wives. In a culture that values strength they refuse to accept a queen who hasn't been tried. Genius Jalia goes through challenge after challenge, nearly dying about every chapter while catching the attention of a charming king.

Personal Thoughts:

I generally don't have the patience for long books but this one never dragged on. Every chapter was captivating and riveting. The challenges were interesting and Jalia's solutions were pretty genius. The relationship between the king and her is pretty grand, I adore them greatly. My only problem with the book is all the potty humor and insults. She was a genius but her insults left much to be desired. Once her biggest annoyance is no longer in the picture does that kind of stuff end.

Rating: 9/10

Book:

The Queen's Ransom

The Kraken

Warning: Gore, racism, attempts of suicide(only 1 book), sassy AI

Summary:

A mysterious creature has lived in the ocean long ago, since the beginning of the settlement on this planet. After a nearly drowning woman is saved a series kicks off. Each book has a different relationship of humans and Krakens. Every book tells the story of how the krakens go from living in isolation at the bottom of the ocean to breeding with humans.

Personal thoughts:

When I first read this story I was just getting into monster romance. The love interests have fairly human tops but hella tentacle bottoms. So I was a little off-put by it but as I read on I didn’t care. The first one is pretty good for a start. The second one was decent, I didn’t really care for it. I actually skipped the 3rd one my first go around. Which is fine, it doesn't add too much and its short. Its still worth a read. The 4th one, fucking grand. 5th one? My all time favorite of the series! If you don't want to read them all at least read the 5th one. Like ask me for story details and I'll give you a cliff note for what's mentioned in that story then you can read in peace. 6th was ok, love the sassy AI. I didn't read the 7th one. Its two old people and I just can't

Rating: 8/10

Books:

Treasure Abyss

Jewel of the Sea

Hunter of the Tide

Heart of the Deep

Rising from the Depth

Fallen from the Stars

Lover from the Waves

Escaping Wonderland

Warning: Sexual assault, gore, lots of sexual stuff

Summary:

Alice is wrongfully placed in a psych ward that specializes in simulation therapy. She is placed in a pod then taken to the world of wonderland. This twisted version of the children's classic introduces a rapey mad hater and manipulative Red King. The main love interest is a playful lad who has more control of the simulation than most. The two run from the clutches of the Red King while trying to escape the simulation.

Personal thoughts:

I had very low hopes for this story. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. It was a twist on the beloved movie and book. Everything was rapey and creepy and I weirdly loved it. Of course nothing too terrible happened to the main lady so it made those situations more tolerable but only just. I adore the main dude, shadow. He was a playful little mischief maker and I would die for him. What made this book better for me was when everything hit the fan they didn't rid him of his sassy personality. Most books make the cocky, silly, playful personality as something that is bad and needs to change. This one they didn’t and kept it. So good.

Rating: 9/10

Books:

Escaping Wonderland

Infinity City

Warning: Abuse, gore, sexual assault, dope ass fighting

Summary:

A city where criminals are more in control than most people think. Each book takes the reader through different adventure of different people. All having the similarity of protecting the ones they love. The first is of an assassin protecting the only woman who has made him feel so strongly. The second is with a mob boss hacker who grows fond of a shy human. The third is the second in command of the mob boss hacker who finds a pregnant woman in a menagerie and discovers she is his mate. Fourth is one of the workers of the mob boss's security team who gets taken by some slavers along with a woman he was entertaining for the night.

Personal thoughts:

First book sucked. He was obsessives and pretty much took all her choices. It wasn't till the end that he was like "my bad, you can leave if you want". Bleh. Second book was fan-fucking-tastic. Arc is a charming idiot with an amazing backstory. I didn't like the girl in the beginning but she grew on me. I love that he focuses on her but still pays attention to work and his 'family'. The third was surprisingly good. I generally don't like stories where someone is pregnant because they get boring. This one was not that. She was never a hindrance or weak, she was a badass. With her big kitty man they made an amazing duo. Also any scenes with her man and the baby made me tear up. He was so sweet. Fourth was boring, it reminds me too much of a lot of other stories.

Rating: 8/10

Books:

Silent lucidity

Shielded hearts

Untamed Hunger

Savage Desire

------------------------------------------

While people watch TV or Youtube in their free time, I read. I have such a weird organization with everything i read because i tend to reread stories and forget i read them. the entire time i read it im like “have i read this before?”. so for books i write them down, rate them, then review them. i didn’t post the reviews here because it would be so many spoilers. Also i sort my favorite fanfics by fandom then relationship. i read so fucking much, its a problem at this point.

If you liked this recommendation drop a like, reblog, or reply. i will perhaps do another if you all like this. i have read so many books and i can post some decent ones and some god awful ones. perhaps you all can tell me how wrong my thoughts are on the ones i deem terrible. i think we will probably agree, ‘free’ books tend to have lower standards.

[doctorslippery]

Something bad is happening in Kansas. A strange meteor fell from the sky and the government has sent you to sort it out. A yellow brick highway leads between cornfields towards a distant green glow on the horizon.

This is a depth mechanic. Take a step into the zone by rolling d6 on each table and adding 2 for each step you've already taken. Keep going until you destroy the Super-Wizard. Or you could put it on a grid and treat it as a squarecrawl, it's up to you.

LANDMARK

Big white cross on the top of a hill. Crows circling overhead. Grants a blessing to anyone who's willing to kneel before it and commit their soul to Jesus Christ.

Gas station. Wizened old man with shotgun behind the counter. He'll sell you snacks and potions if you can convince him you're not a thief or a jayhawker.

Old-fashioned wooden grain elevator. The inside smells of sweet corn. Mutilated, rat-chewed bodies hang by necks from rafters. SLAVER written on walls in blood.

Row of oil derricks. Guarded by a creaky, rust-riddled mechanical man. The slightest disturbance to the pumps will cause an explosive gusher that spews crude oil everywhere.

Abandoned farmhouse. Haunted by spooky ghosts. In barn, covered by tarpaulin, strange machine of coiled glass that can project people into the Phantom Zone.

Corn maze. Grows new walls to trap sinners. Scarecrow men lurk in the corn. Farm princess trapped in the longhorn minotaur's central lair - only her kiss can slay the beast.

Wagon train. Pilgrims terrified of "Injuns", have circled their wagons to protect against surprise attack. On their way to ask the Super-Wizard to help them get to Oregon.

Cheap motel. Clan of desperate bank robbers hiding out in room one through four. Innocent travelling salesman in room five. Pimpled teen on counter reading comic books.

Revival meeting. Big white tent. Preacher baptising converts in a tin tub and inducting them into the Army of Gilead. Wants you to join and won't take no for an answer.

Baseball field. Overgrown. Mechanical men play ball, their rusty joints squeaking, in front of the empty stands. Score a home run off the batter and he'll spit out a prize.

Railway station. Glum hobos dwell in forgotton freight train, its wheels rusted to the track. Manic mechanical station-master insists on taking your ticket.

Sculpture garden. Grotesque scrap-metal caricatures of celebrities and politicians. Owner has declared himself the Kansas antipope and wears a tinfoil mitre.

Applebee's. In every way a fully-functioning, completely regular Applebee's. No trick whatsoever. Try the shrimp 'n' parmesan sirloin or the double-glazed baby-back ribs.

Bible museum. Sleepy tame dinosaurs inhabit a life-size model of the Temple of Solomon. Friendly pastor explains how God created them to show that evolution is a lie.

Saloon bar. Piano stops as you walk in. Whiskey-sodden desperadoes slump against the bar. Football plays on TV in the corner. High-stakes poker game going on upstairs.

Wal-Mart. Libertarian management policies have led to a civil war raging between the aisles, with every department ruthlessly competing for your business.

Meatpacking plant. Blood-smeared mechanical men herd screaming cows across the factory floor, slaughter them and extract their organs for use in Super-Wizardry.

Clockwork factory. Mechanical men labouring tirelessly to produce more of their own. Interlopers have their brains chopped out and used in grotesque experiments.

The Perfect City of the Super-Wizard. Lobotomised suburbanites with gleaming, drool-slick smiles shuffle between rows of identical green houses, watched by mechanical police.

The Atomic Fortress of the Super-Wizard. Citadel of green crystal, home to a legion of mechanical men. Grew from a seed in a crashed alien spaceship.

ENCOUNTER

Looming grey tornado, slowly rolling towards you. Cows and houses orbiting around it. Psychic baby with giant brain levitating serenely in the eye.

Jayhawkers from the Army of Gilead. Men in red trousers and floppy hats, armed with rifles and broadswords, hunting down pagans and industralists in the name of Free Kansas.

Satanist serial killer with mask made of human skin and swastikas carved down his arms, armed with an iron sickle, preparing to chop you up. Surprisingly stealthy for such a big guy.

Phalanx of mechanical men, armed with axes, out looking for human brains to extract and return to the Atomic Fortress so the Super-Wizard can make more of them.

Cynical teen genius with a laser gun. Perfectly bald. Cannot be restrained from denying the existence of God. Obsessively tinkers with every machine they can find.

Longhorn minotaur. Hideously overmuscled from bovine growth hormone. Twelve-foot hornspan makes doors difficult. Wants to bring you back to the corn maze and eat you.

Pack of masked harlequins with blood-stained teeth and wheels for hands and feet. Act like rabid wolves. Scarily quick on flat ground, but have difficulty turning.

Red-haired boy reporter looking for the story of a lifetime. Excitable. Prone to ludicrous bad luck but is never actually seriously hurt. Constantly needs rescuing though.

Stone-faced war preacher and band of jayhawkers looking for recruits for a military raid on the Atomic Fortress, intending to abolish the Wizard and all his sinful works.

Woman in aviator goggles and diaphanous white robes. Claims to be the rainbow's daughter, fallen out of the sky. Can only eat the purest dewdrops and is therefore slowly starving.

Shaggy-haired sasquatch in a battered top hat, wielding an enchanted magnet that compels people to love him. Depressed. Seeking someone more deserving to give the magnet to.

Robotic flesh-eating worm with the head of Hillary Clinton. Wants to take your guns, raise your taxes, drink the blood of aborted children and convert Kansas to Islamic communism.

Flock of yellow-fanged baboons with vulture wings, in comical blue jackets. Vicious, but crave discipline. Looking for a witch to govern them and keep their mischievous impulses in check.

Giant hungry tiger. Wants to kill and eat some big fat babies, but can't, because she's born again in Jesus Christ and very active in the pro-life movement. Won't stop talking about it.

Barber-surgeon with tuberculosis and a huge bushy moustache, looking for tooth-pulling work. Expert gunfighter but won't admit it, since he keeps getting challenged to duels.

Obese purple leech-mouthed parasite man that drains energy by touch, getting fatter and stronger as it goes. Leaves behind a trail of smouldering skeletons. Scared of eggs.

Four-faced brass helicopter heads kept in air by impractical Da Vinci corkscrews. Loudly announce their intention to devour you. Easily distracted by philosophical riddles.

Reverse-talking bizarro clones of the PCs with chalky white skin and inverted systems of morality. Want to do exactly the opposite of whatever the PCs want to do.

The Green Guardian. Secret weapon of the Super-Wizard. Muscled adonis in acrobat's tights with magnificent emerald beard and moustache. Impossibly strong, naive, refuses to kill.

The Super-Wizard. Toymaker in a checked waistcoat with pockets full of marvels. Pretends to grant wishes with holograms. Planning to conquer the world with mechanical men.

[caveartfair]

Brassaï, the Outsider Who Photographed Paris after Dark

Brassaï, Kiki de Montparnasse and her Friends, Thérèse Treize and Lily , ca. 1932. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris.

In one of Brassaï’s most famous photographs, a man and a woman canoodle in the corner of a Parisian coffee house in the early 1930s, smoke curling from a lit cigarette between the woman’s fingers. Mirrors on either side of the couple’s well-coiffed heads reflect their loving looks and blur the surrounding restaurant. His jacket and her thick sweater suggest winter weather, from which this single, cozy booth offers refuge. Titled Couple d’amoureux dans un petit café, quartier Italie (Loving couple in a small cafe, Italy district), the photograph exudes lust and old-world glamour, exemplifying just what made the photographer’s vision so enduring; more than eight decades after its creation, the image remains as evocative and seductive as ever.

While Brassaï (1899–1984) was a veritable polymath—he wrote novels, sculpted, and painted throughout his career—his pictures of Paris at night remain his career-defining masterworks. Before World War II struck the city, he captured foggy avenues with bare trees, the gate to the Luxembourg Gardens, bridges, and street façades. He snapped pictures of the meat porters and kissing couples of the streets, and the giddy inhabitants of restaurants and lounges. Lights from cars, windows, hotel signs, snowy grounds, and watery reflections enhance the sense of drama in his dreamy nocturnal shots. In a 1968 catalogue for a Brassaï exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, novelist Lawrence Durrell wrote: “He is very much a child of Paris, and in some ways the city’s most faithful biographer.”

Lovers, Place d'Italie, ca.1932. Brassaï Rago

Brassaï, On the boulevard Saint-Jacques , 1930–32. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris.

Yet a seminal stateside exhibition tells the larger story of both the man and his oeuvre. Organized by Fundación MAPFRE and former MoMA curator Peter Galassi, the show, entitled “Brassaï,” opened in Spain earlier this year and landed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) this month. The survey includes Brassaï’s pictures of street graffiti, female nudes, and his famous friends such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Self-portraits also populate the galleries. One, On the boulevard Saint-Jacques (1930–32), even captures Brassaï in his element: He stands on a snowy Parisian street in a heavy coat and a brimmed hat, cigarette propped between his lips, peering into a tripod-mounted camera.

“We should never forget that ‘the eye of Paris,’ as Henry Miller called him, was a foreign eye,” writes Antonio Muñoz Molina in his catalogue essay for the show. Indeed, Brassaï wasn’t a native Frenchman, but a Hungarian born in Brassó, Transylvania (in modern-day Romania, which was previously under Austro-Hungarian rule). After fighting in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I and studying art at Berlin-Charlottenburg’s Academy of Fine Arts, the artist moved to Paris in 1924. There, in 1932, he changed his given name, Gyula Halász, to a doctored version of his hometown’s name—his roots as a foreigner remained crucial to his vision and identity. Working as a journalist, Brassaï quickly integrated into the city’s cultural milieu. Throughout the 1930s, he met Picasso, Henri Matisse, and the Surrealists. Altogether, they contributed to the art magazine Minotaure, edited by Surrealist forerunner André Breton.

Brassaï, Salvador Dalí and Gala, Villa Seurat, Paris , 1932–33, printed posthumously. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris.

In 1933, Brassaï published around 60 photographs in Paris de Nuit (Paris by Night), which accompanied text by French writer Paul Morand. The book was a quick hit, and Brassaï received new commissions for publications ranging from the erotic magazine Scandale to Harper’sBazaar. In 1935, he published his second book, Voluptés de Paris (Pleasures of Paris).

Brassaï, Paris , 1930–33. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris.

Picasso Posing as the Artist with Jean Marais as His Model, 1944/1944c. Brassaï Contemporary Works/Vintage Works

Brassaï, Lovers , ca. 1932. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris.

Brassaï, Avenue de l’Observatoire in the Fog , ca. 1937. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris.

Despite his social clout and early professional successes, Brassaï still viewed himself as an outlander of sorts. “He was roaming a lot of the streets in the evenings, trying to really understand the communities, the activities that were taking place at night,” says Linde B. Lehtinen, a curator at SFMOMA. His photography wasn’t about exploiting Paris, but about assimilating to his chosen home.

Brassaï, View of Paris from Notre Dame, toward the Hôtel-Dieu and the Tour Saint-Jacques , 1933. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris.

Even when the Germans invaded Paris during World War II, Brassaï refused to leave the country. He briefly fled to the French Riviera, but quickly returned to Paris, where his negatives (and inspiration) remained. When the allies liberated the city in 1944, Brassaï leaned out of his apartment window to watch—he was, as ever, the fearless voyeur. According to Lehtinen, the French mistakenly thought he was a German sniper and shot at him. They missed, but the bullet shattered Brassaï’s mirror. Of course, he took a picture to document the damage, which Lehtinen included in the show.

“Things were very dire then,” she says. “I think that was a big turning point for him.” The world that Brassaï had photographed with such adoration was gone, though he continued to live and work in France until his death in 1984. By the end of his life, he’d published 17 books and even produced one film, Tant qu’il y aura des bêtes (As long as there are beasts), which was released in 1955 and won a major prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Brassaï, On the Outskirts of Mordelles (Rennes Region) , 1953. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris.

Brassaï, Billiard Player, Boulevard de Rochechouart , 1932–33. © Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris. Courtesy of the Estate Brassaï Succession, Paris;

Of course, Brassaï was just one of many photographers captivated by Paris. Fellow Hungarian native André Kertész and Frenchman Henri Cartier-Bresson were two of the major talents working with the same subject material in the 1930s. “What set Brassaï apart from Kertész, and indeed from all the photographers of Paris,” writes David Travis in At the Edge of Light: Thoughts on Photography and Photographers, on Talent and Genius, “is that he wanted to picture what was obscured from everyday view, what was dangerous, and, most of all, what was forbidden.” Brassaï’s camera lingered on prostitutes, gang members, and the queer community in the interwar era—he gained entrance to Le Monocle, a lesbian nightclub in Montmartre; and Suzy’s, a brothel, among other underground venues.

“We’re looking at these views of 1930s Parisian society,” says Lehtinen, “but they’re also these incredible reflections on broader themes of community, labor, sexuality, gender, class, solitude…alienation, strangeness.” The surface glamour and appealing sinfulness of Brassaï’s pictures may initially captivate us. Yet it’s their deeply emotive, cinematic quality that transforms his subjects into characters with intergenerational appeal—none more so than the city of Paris itself.

from Artsy News

[inhumansforever]

Inhuman of The Day

May 4th - Gorgon

Gorgon Petragon, the second cousin to King Black Bolt and the son of Korath, the former king’s brother.  Gorgon’s royal blood notwithstanding, he has remained something of a roughneck, much more at home at bars, brothels, and the battlefield than he is in the royal court. Exposed to the Terrigen Mist during his adolescence, Gorgon was transformed into a large, satyr-like hulk of a man, with greatly enhanced strength and durability as well as hoof-like feet that, when slammed down, can deliver devastating seismic waves.

The nephew of King Agon and cousin to the prince, Blackgarr, Gorgon was born into aristocracy.  Yet the plush lifestyle of royalty did not especially suit him.  He was a warrior through and through and was rarely content when not sparring and honing his skills as a fighter.  Gorgon became renown for his abilities as a combatant.  During the brief time that The Living Terrigen reigned as a stewardship king, Gorgon was promoted to viceroy and captain of the Royal Guard.    

Following Black Bolt’s ascension to the thrown, Gorgon maintained his position as viceroy and also acted as King Black Bolt’s personal bodyguard. When Maximus seized control of the Inhuman crown, Gorgon opted to remain loyal to Black Bolt. Gorgon’s father was killed in Maximus’ coup and his mother, Milena, was held hostage.  Maximus utilized Milena’s being his hostage as leverage that forced Gorgon to do the mad prince’s bidding.  To this end, Gorgon was sent to the world of the humans to search out Medusa.  Herein, Gorgon encountered the Fantastic Four.  After an initial battle with these heroes, Gorgon, Medusa and the rest of Black Bolt’s Royal Court teamed up with the Fantastic Four and together they were able to defeat Maximus and reclaim the throne for Black Bolt.  

Gorgon went on to prove himself an invaluable member of the Royal Family, serving valiantly in battles against formidable foes, including The Mandarin, Maelstrom, The High Evolutionary, The Sphinx, Psycho-Man, The Hulk, and many others.

He is by far the most headstrong and stubborn of the royal family; he never backs down from a fight and is by no means shy about speaking his mind, even in the presence of his king, Black Bolt.  His loyalty to his king notwithstanding, there have been incidents where Gorgon has grossly defied royal decree… first when he helped his Queen escape to Earth so to save her unborn child, and a second time when he conspired with his best friend, Karnak, to once more utilize the sub-caste Alpha Primitives as slave laborers.

Gorgon is additionally the most hedonistic among the Royal Family. He loves his drink and spends a good deal of time chasing potential bedmates. Although he is of high status within Inhuman society, it seems he often has rather poor luck in his romantic pursuits; likely a result of his frequently boorish conduct and the fact that he is something of a sloppy drunk. 

At some unspecified time, Gorgon met and fell in love with a fellow Inhuman named Myrra.  The two were wed and had one or possibly two children together.  Myra was killed in an accident (the circumstances of which have yet to be revealed).  Gorgon was grief-struck over the loss of his wife and this seemed to contribute to his becoming mired in his decadent ways as well as his being a neglectful parent to his children.

Gorgon has fathered two children, a daughter named Alecto and a young son named Petras.  It is likely that Myrra is the mother to both of these children, but also possible that someone else is the mother to one of them.  In any case, the relationship between Gorgon and his adolescent daughter has been quite turbulent following the death of Myrra.  Things came to a head when Alecto ran off with her boyfriend, a young Alpha Primitive named Reyno.  Highly bigoted toward the Alphas, Gorgon forbade his daughter from seeing Reyno and this led Alecto to flee with Reyno to Earth where they sought out amnesty with The Fantastic Four.  Gorgon tracked them down and Reed Richards ultimately chose to return his daughter to Gorgon, deciding it was not his place to interfere.  

Alecto and Gorgon eventually made amends and Alecto broke things off with Reyno.  The two young lovers later rekindled their relationship and went to live in a settlement Black Bolt had established where Inhumans and Alphas could live together in peace.  It is unknown to what extent Gorgon still maintains a relationship with his daughter.

Along with Alecto, Gorgon also has a son named Petras.  It remains unclear who Petras’ mother is.  It may be Myrra.  After Myrra’s death, Gorgon had a brief affair with  Medusa’s handmaiden, Minxi, and it is possible Minxi is the mother of either Petras.

Among his other duties, Gorgon additionally acted as head instructor in teaching the younger recruits of the Royal Guard.  His students have included the winged Inhuman, Tonaja, the king’s son, Ahura, as well as his own daughter, Alecto.  Later, Gorgon has been put in charge of the training many of the newer Inhumans created by the detonation of the Terrigen Bomb.  These new trainees include Flint, Naja, Iso, and Inferno.  Gorgon and Inferno have established an especially tight bond and friendship based on their mutual love of heavy metal music.  

At the onset of the Silent War event, Gorgon led a mission to try to reattain a cache of stolen Terrigen Crystals.  Gorgon was captured during this mission and an unscrupulous human scientist used Gorgon as a test subject to see what would happen were an Inhuman exposed to Terrigenesis a second time. This resulted in Gorgon being transformed into a beastly creature, even more savage and powerful than before. The effects of this secondary Terrigenesis either wore off or were undone by Inhuman science and Gorgon has since returned to his former physical self.

Following the War of Kings event, when The Inhumans were temporarily made the lords over the Kree Empire, Gorgon served as the chief of security on the Kree planet of Kon-Tarr.  Gorgon’s valor and hawkish views made him very popular among the Kree people… to such an extent that it caused friction between him and Queen Medusa, the then ruler of both the Inhumans and the Kree.

Later, during the Infinity event, Gorgon became quite concerned that his young son was ill-prepared for the oncoming threat posed by Thanos.  He decided that Petras should be subjected to Terrigenesis prematurely, regardless of the fact that exposure to the Terrigen prior to adolescence entails a greater risk of unstable mutation.  Gorgon’s cousin, Triton, tried to dissuade Gorgon of this course of action, but Gorgon refused to be swayed.  Petras was exposed to the mists and it resulted in his being transformed into a minotaur-like being.  Although Petras was endowed with greater strength and power, his transformation was sure to be viewed as monstrous by Inhuman standards… dooming Petras to a life of alienation among his peers.  

The population of Attilan were evacuated during The Infinity event, taken through the portal of Elldrac to many places unknown.  Following the Inhumanity Event and the establishment of New Attilan, Petras and the other children had yet to be located and Gorgon was near hysterical with worry over the wellbeing and whereabouts of his children.  Petra and many of the other children were eventually discovered and reside on the Royal Inhuman Vehicle (RIV).  

Gorgon has maintained a close and longstanding friendship with his cousin, Karnak, despite the fact that the two are quite different in terms of temperament and interests.  Gorgon and Karnak have been on many adventures together and have had a very close bond.  After Karnak killed himself, Gorgon would not speak of the matter and it may have been that it was all simply too traumatic an issue for Gorgon to deal with… choosing instead to repress his feelings over the matter.  Karnak later returned to life but he and Gorgon have yet to rekindle their close friendship.  

Just prior to the Secret Wars Event, Gorgon was critically wounded by the treacherous Inhuman, Lineage.  Lineage shot Gorgon in the back, severely damaging his spinal column and leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.  Although Inhuman medicine is quite advanced, it was unable to effectively treat Gorgon’s injury and he has been sequestered to a wheelchair.  It has been an especially difficult challenge for Gorgon.  He has always been a man of action, decisive and often impulsive; and not being able to move and act in the ways that he had been accustomed to has caused him great pain as well as a considerable self-reflection.  Gorgon’s son, Petras, had been located alive and well, yet Gorgon has been not yet ready to see him, fearful of what it might be like for Petras to see his once mighty father laid so low.  

After more fully digesting the massive changes to his life, Gorgon has decided not to allow his injury cause him to simply wallow in suffering.  He accepted Crystal’s invitation to join her ambassadorial team aboard the RIV and has redoubled his efforts to continue training the younger generation of Inhumans.  The new Inhuman, Naja, has quickly become his prize pupil and he has also taken keen interests in enhancing the abilities of Flint, Grid, as well as the unwilling Inhuman recruit named Jack.  

Gorgon has been outfitted with a specialized wheelchair.  It can act as a standard wheelchair, but can also transform into a type of bionic exo-suit that affords Gorgon greater mobility as well as a limited capacity to defend himself.   Using this suit, Gorgon accompanied his pupil, Flint, on a mission to locate the lost Inhuman settlement of Utolan.  

The ambassadorial team recruited a new Inhuman named Ash, who later chose the Inhuman name, Panacea.  Panacea possesses profound healing powers which she used to gradually heal Gorgon’s spinal injury.  Although Panacea’s treatment has enabled Gorgon to walk and even function as a combatant, a certain degree of the effects of the injury remained.  The injury has left Gorgon in a state of chronic pain, pain that greatly intensifies whenever he uses his powers.  

It was discovered that Gorgon’s son Petras had been never negatively effected by his premature exposure to Terrigenesis.  The exact nature of Petras’ ailment has been unrevealed, but it has led to him being kept in stasis in a medically induced coma.  Panacea has been working on curing Petras of this unrevealed illness and it is hoped that he will awake from his coma soon.  

Gorgon had hoped to be at his son’s side when he finally awakes, yet duty called and Gorgon opted to join Medusa on a mission to the cosmos to try and discover a new source of Terrigen.  

Shortly after beginning this mission, Medusa revealed to her teammates that she was dying from some sort of mystery ailment.  She had chosen to destroy the Terrigen Cloud so to save the Mutants and end the Inhuman/X-Men War.  Somehow, the Terrigen existent in her own genetic fiber was taking a kind of revenge on her, causing her to slowly die.  

Gorgon was greatly stirred by Medusa’s predicament.  It caused him to realize that he has loved Medusa, been in love with her, for a long while.   Medusa ultimately took notice of Gorgon’s fawning and confronted him on the matter and he admitted that he loved her.    No longer married to Black Bolt and staring down the prospect of her own demise, Medusa did not want to be alone and no longer felt bound to her duties as queen.  She chose to be with Gorgon and the two had a short affair.

The team’s mission ultimately brought them to the World Farm, a strange planet that was home to The Progenitors.  These Progenitors were powerful race of beings who could mold life through the use of Primagen.  Primagen could be distilled into Terrigen and the Royal squad attempted to steal a portion of this Primagen to bring back to Earth.  

The team had underestimated the power of the Progenitors and it looked as though they were going to be destroyed before they could escape.  In the heat of the battle, Gorgon chose to sacrifice himself so that the others could get away.  

He placed his hands not he raw Primagen, which had the effect of amplifying his powers to an exponential degree.  Greatly empowered, Gorgon slammed down his foot creating a seismic wave the cracked the planet in half.  The others were able to escape yet it looked as though it had come at the expense of Gorgon’s sacrificing himself.     

The Primagen ultimately cured Medusa of her ailment and the team had succeeded at creating a new source of Terrigen.  Some time later, it was revealed that Gorgon had not perished after all and that he continued to use his enhanced powers to battle the Progenitors.

Preview images from the upcoming Death of The Inhumans series shows Gorgon reunited with the royal family.  It has yet to be shown how Gorgon managed to return home and hopefully the matter will be addressed in the future.  

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Manga Ch.30-32

Last time, Goku lost a match when his opponent, Toppo, kicked him in the dick.  Then he talks to Toppo, who informs him that he knows a guy who kicks people in the dick even harder.  Goku takes that news a lot better than I would...

With the Zeno Expo concluded, the Grand Minister lays out the rules and stipulations for the Tournament of Power.  He declares the Super Dragon Balls will be the prize, and asks Champa to surrender the three SDB’s he has on hand.  This was mentioned briefly in the anime, but I didn’t quite understand the timing of it.  I don’t know why Beerus is pissed at Champa for collecting them... oh, wait, he was mad at Champa before because he was trespassing in Universe 7 to get them all.

I thought Goku called Beerus a “slut” in this panel, so I just wanted to put this here for posterity. 

Toppo returns to his duties as the leader of the Pride Troopers, and he helps his team battle some big crab-looking alien.  He needs the whole team assembled for the Tournament of Power, but Jiren is handling a different case on another planet... or he was, but now...

Yeah, so Jiren not only wrapped up his own mission, but then he flew here to one-shot this monster.  Oh, and he flew here without a spaceship. 

He also has some weapon that compacts the bad guy into a tiny little capsule.  I guess that beats getting kicked in the dick, but not by much. 

Belmod is confident that U11 can win the Tournament of Power as long as they have Jiren on the team, but the problem is that Jiren is too fixated on justice.  He won’t want to leave Universe 11 unprotected, and he wouldn’t want to destroy the other universes, even to preserve his own.  But Belmod knows he can persuade Jiren by telling him about the Super Dragon Balls.

Hey, look!  It’s Cell, and Mr. Satan’s beating the fuck out of him!  This comic rules!

This is part of a TV interview with Mr. Satan, and one of the questions concerns evidence of a man who appeared at the spot where Cell was finally destroyed.  I guess that makes sense?  I never really thought about where 17 would be when he got resurrected.  I guess technically he died on King Kai’s planet, but it wouldn’t do for Shenron to put him there.

Of course, this is just a way to reintroduce 17 to the story while Goku seeks him out for the Tournament of Power.  Dende moves the Lookout to 17′s island, and we see him tell Goku about Uub, just like in the anime, except this version shows us Uub as a little kid.  D’awww.

In this version, Goku runs into the poachers first, and since he has no idea what 17 looks like, he mistakes the lead poacher for 17, and he takes off the guy’s mask because he thinks it gives 17 special powers.  Okay...?

So when 17 shows up, he doesn’t recognize Goku because of the mask, and by the time Goku removes it, he has to turn Super Saiyan 3 to keep up with 17′s attacks, so 17 still can’t tell who this is.  Things don’t settle down until Goku talks to him and 17 recognizes his voice.

In this version, there’s more than one minotaur, which is nice.

In the anime, I didn’t understand what convinced 17 to join the U7 team, but in this version, it’s Krillin, whom 17 feels indebted to for arranging to have the bombs removed from himself and 18. 

Mr. Satan returns from his TV interview to inform Buu about the Tournament of Power, but he’s already sacked out before he can even explain it to him.  I kind of like this way better. The anime version almost made it seem like Buu hibernated on purpose just to dick the others around.  At least this way it’s purely innocent.

Gohan doesn’t appear in this preliminary stuff until near the end, so there’s a greater emphasis on whether or not he’ll be able to deliver when the time comes. 

Meanwhile, in Universe 6, Cabba recruits Caulifla, and this version sheds a little more light on her gang.  She hijacks vehicles from the Sadala Army, and shares the spoils with the less fortunate.

She steals a necklace along with the rest of it, and Cabba swipes it back while demonstrating the Super Saiyan form to her.  Then Kale swips it back from him without him even noticing it, suggesting that Kale might be more than meets the eye.  They never try to teach her to become a Super Saiyan in this scene.  Cabba simply brings her along just because the U6 team needs all the fighters they can get.

Although, maybe he was impressed with the way she did that trick.  I don’t know.

Finally, we have this part where Vegeta greets the rest of the team while they wait for Goku to return with Frieza.  I’m kind of uneasy with how gregarious Vegeta is being here.  I half expected him to walk up to Frieza and give him a big kiss on the mouth. 

All right, that’s everything.  The waiting is finally over, and the Tournament of Power can finally begin.... Tomorrow, because I’m all liveblogged out tonight.  Later...

[clamatoes]

The Prophet of 'No' and the Priest of 'Yes': the Ambiguous Transcendentalism of True Detective and Hannibal's Neo-Pagan Priesthood

(What follows is an examination of the intertextuality of Hannibal and True Detective along with apposite philosophical thought. So, if you haven't watched Season 2 of Hannibal and Season 1 of True Detective (but intend to) be aware that this post has a couple of spoilers.)

NBC's Hannibal and HBO's True Detective were, for me, the most captivating shows on television this spring, and by a wide margin. Their acting, writing, direction, cinematography, sound, and overall artistry were magnificent, but it's the way these supported the development of vital characters who embodied complex philosophies that set them apart functionally from franchises of similar stature (Deadwood, Madmen, et al.).

Both series center on a string of haunting ritual murders and the liminal hunters that circle our flock and pick us off one by one like wolves in the night. Critically, however, where Hannibal is named for its villain and takes us on a season-long tour through his thoughts, behavior, and relationships, True Detective doesn't reveal what it calls the "monster at the end of the dream" until its final episode, and only at the very climax of the finale do we hear what we're essentially told are the ravings of this quasi-religious lunatic, barely audible as they echo through stone corridors of his strange labyrinth. His creed and code are thus presented as mere appetitive grunts of a minotaur whose body may be human but whose head (and mind) are bestial and inexplicable.

True Detective's namesake and focus is rather the killer's antagonist, Rustin "Rust" Cohle, who is somehow portrayed masterfully by the real-life version of Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Matthew McConaughey. Rust is an over-read skeptic who peers out on a universe of death and decay and rejects its basic premise, grimly resigned to the unavailability of transcendence beyond time's "flat circle" (as the show's villain, the Yellow King, glosses Nietzsche's notion of the "eternal recurrence of the same") and the inescapability of brutality, despair, pain, and death - the absurd birthright of consciousness, which is little more than Fate's miserable bastard. What makes Rust loveable despite the fog of gloom that seethes from his mouth and envelops his every scene like Pig-Pen's filth-cloud, is his unwavering desperation for this transcendence he is certain is impossible, the integrity of his universal depression that doesn't soothe itself in the sardonic humor and supercilious irony of so many hipster cynics. Rust is an abstemious monk who waits without pleasure or distraction for a dawn he knows will never come, an inconsolable bereaved father who curses his own glaring flaws in endless self-flagellation and tries to set the world to rights as best he can.

Juxtapose the slippery-smooth marble edifice of Hannibal, who yields no foothold to our emotional attachment. He isn't Showtime's eponymous Dexter, who keeps his knife-work within the lines to avoid criminal consequences and cut the image of some sort of "dark avenger" who operates on behalf of society and its hackneyed "eye for an eye" juridical sensibilities. Hannibal is a skein of contradictions. He is an ascetic aestheticist, a diligent bon vivant devoted zealously to the curation of exquisite, epicurean delights, the most refined of which are the sumptuous feasts he derives out of the most brutal and repulsive acts we can fathom. A disciplined decadence, and a reverential, ritual hedonism link him as much to ancient mystery cults as the maenadic intensities of the High Romantic poet-priests, and reveal him to be Nietzsche's ideal man as a hale and rational animal, his desires and action fully integrated with each other. Hannibal's every act, none more than his stalking and butchery of human game, is fully sacrament, fully indulgence, and fully art, as much the demesne of Apollo as Dionysus, whom Nietzsche once told us simply cannot coexist.

Let us consider now the prodigy of Hannibal, what his appearance in our night sky means to us and toward us, rather than what his internal life, personal intentions and impressions might be.

Hannibal is of the Wagnerian-Aeschylean, Olympian god-aristocracy ruling by, enforcing, and embodying a draconian, but not arbitrary, ethics. We use "ethics" here in the Greekest sense of the word, as a matter of habit, character, nature,  inertial reference, or even of basic construction, an inflexible order, Lucretius' "way things are."  Ethics is thus a trope of limitation, the girdle of grim necessity or the serpent goddess "ananke" coiled around us. Birth and death, hunter and hunted, the cycle of the seasons, the anaphorized aphorisms of the Ecclesiast, are all of the edifice of the natural Order revered by Hannibal as one of Wagner's ideal and cyclically-recurrent and thus timeless aristocrats, simply because it is and must be so. 

On a Freudian grid, Hannibal is not a product of the ego, nor even of the id, but rather the id's ubiquitous "death drive" sublimated into an orderly and code-heeding superego of polite murder. He is the personification of nature's sublime will, which is antithetical and inimical to our own, the "will" of all that which lies beyond our Wordsworthian or Wittgensteinian solipsistic shell of self, all that is Kant's noumena, or Emerson's "not-me," doled out to us mortals by Fate. He embodies everything that is alien to our own control.

Hannibal is thus become death, one with the natural order any of whose characteristic operations or "ethic" is of course the definitional opposite of "hubris" (a word whose Greek roots denote violence and outrage, and which indicates any presumption beyond the stipulations of that very natural Order). 

In his cannibalism, he communes of us, and yes, of death, which he thus becomes in a trope of perfect Christology. But we too commune of him as our anti-Christ not in sanctioning his ethics but in becoming thralls to his estate of necessity and irresistible change through our deaths, not only into his stews and soufflés but wherever they occur and in whatever synecdochal skirmish along the full gamut of our powerlessness: from succumbing to murder, to losing coins in the couch cushions.

We invoked Wagner and his prized divine aristocracy as the template of Hannibal-as-Necessity. For Wagner, in accordance with contemporary historical fact, capitalism, the target for so much modern hatred over exploitation, was perfectly opposed to this feudalistic genealogical meritocracy, and this aristocracy defends its traditions and apotheosized aesthetics from the crude reductions of capital and commodity. The notion then of Hannibal as aristocrat is not one of acquisitiveness or egotism, nor of exploitation, but of a dread and sublime order, as the hunter who honors his prey and sees both as parts of a sacred world.

Nietzsche's "amor fati" ("love of fate"), and the High Romantic sublimation of death into beauty, is the moral regiment of Hannibal, the gauntlet tossed before us requiring answer in a universe which, for most of us, is devoid of other gods. Decidedly it is not the code of Faust or Paracelsus, or the Hermetic neo-Platonics, or even Descartes, who all seek freedom from the bonds of nature. They seek to overthrow the aristocracy in a Promethean revolution, whether of egalitarian or egotistical essence, the same sort of upheaval enacted by Christ, and (as we'll see) the Christ-figure of Rust Cohle.

Where Hannibal prepares us as the Eucharistic banquet of "This Present Age," converting his life and operations into our death, Christ gives himself as the banquet of "The Coming Kingdom," converting his death into our life and sustenance through the real presence of an apocalypse, as it foreshadows future and coming transcendence. This rejection of the way things are, the voluntary acceptance of the death of this world in the hopes of a better to come, is what unites all the foregoing codes as essentially transcendental.

Nietzsche and his son Hannibal revere the world rather as it is. They affirm the sacred dignity of their One True God, Fate. In a world without a personal divinity, however, Fate's essence is at risk. Without direction from a Lawgiver, events are surely chaotic, universal history a "tale told by an idiot."  In such a world, into which the infinity of unbounded time and space threatens to hurtle us, Necessity itself is hardly necessary, and there is no Fate without Necessity, and without Fate, no objective and external meaning in the absence of God. Hence Nietzsche's "eternal recurrence of the same" (glossed by True Detective's villains with "time is a flat circle") asserting that each and every occurrence, however minuscule, is a vital part of a spatiotemporal tapestry of events the course of which repeats and repeats, rather than meandering at random, through the infinite voids of time and space. 

Fate's fatality is saved by eternal recurrence, and each moment takes on the nature of a liturgical act, a ritual repetition intended (not by God, but by the god that is the cosmos itself in its necessary operation) and attended by the "amen, amen, amen" of its priests, Nietzsche and Hannibal, with difficult amor fati. The annual revisitation of the voluntary castration of Attis, the departure and return of Persephone from Dis, the rhythm of the seasons, death and sacrifice, life and rebirth that vivified the world of the ancient fertility cults takes root again antithetically in the essentially northern-latitude, huntsman religion of Hannibal. His monotheistic huntsman's God is Fate, and his polytheistic agrarian fertility-goddess is Death, on whom Change is begotten by Fate. 

That bleak and twilight noon that so defines the visual aesthetic of Hannibal, whose star (Mads Mikkelsen) is himself a Dane, is truly the boreal, severe sky of Kierkegaard and not of Gaughin's or Bizet's complex but blithe equatorial fertility. It is a sky carried on the backs of nomadic hunter religions and the monotheistic austerities of the High Protestants and their Arian precursors. Wodin's apocalyptic clairvoyance, psychopompic transportation upon Valkyries beyond the here and now, and the transcendent undercurrent of epochal overthrow in the fated and looming Ragnarök echo through its thin golden filaments. Such strains of north and south are as mutually antithetical as Apollo and Dionysus, but are wed just as well in the person of Hannibal by the artists who render him on screen.

These musings on ancient religion bear deeply on our modern spirituality. If one disavows literal transcendence, the final trampling down of death, as any atheist surely must, then, as Wallace Stevens puts it, the only positive credo must be "death is the mother of beauty," a cognate of amor fati. For to reject the motive force behind all change and the ephemeration which defines a purely terrestrial and atheistic notion of life - that is, to reject the substantiation of Necessity in Death - while simultaneously denying any hidden and supernatural transcendence, is to reject life itself and all beauty in equivalent extent, and to posit in their stead utter void as the meet nourishment of the human spirit. It is to cry out for the truth of the Gospel or Upanishads while steadfastly denying them. It is to posit a world in which the human is not even tragic, lacking sufficient nobility for tragedy, not even pathetic, lacking sufficient emotional credibility for pathos, but at best merely absurd.

And so with deep irony it becomes clear that the moralistic censor or restrainer of Hannibal (all of us who are appalled by his bloody career through the mid-Atlantic), who nonetheless shares his atheism (or perhaps, more precisely, his anti-transcendentalism), becomes himself the ego-directed, presumptuous, arbitrary, and nihilistic destroyer of our humanity, the hubris-spurred violator outraging the way things are meant to be and blotting out the last lusters of beauty that linger in the twilight of the idols. From our vantage, Hannibal is not wanton but rule-bound, a sober agent and exact representation of Fate: grim and horrifically beautiful in his deathly operations. Restraining him according to standards not his own is a reduction of the natural world which is, by the presumption of modern man, the only world. The grace, beauty, urbanity and sophistication this murderer cherishes in all realms of his life are not antithetical to his predation of his fellow man but in fact aspects and synecdoches of the same grand design of glittering death that Fate has etched between molecules and constellations.

Incidentally, this implicit tension in Romanticism is where Showtime's Penny Dreadful is picking up as well, taking the alternate tack toward a terrestrial resurrection, prizing Mary Shelley's vision of the half-transcendent Faustian power of that proto-transhumanist Dr. Frankenstein, rather than the proto-Nietzschean death-sublime and amor fati affirmation of her husband Percy's Adonaïs, who is the dark precursor of Hannibal. Where Hannibal confronts us with a vivid tableau of the only positive philosophical alternative to transcendental religion (positive in the logical sense), and bids us choose between "Heart of Darkness at the MOMA" or a morass of nihilistic abnegation at best verging on Frankenstein's futile fight against nature in the face of life's inescapable term limits, True Detective makes of its villain a transcendentalist, and forces its protagonist, Rust, to abandon his perfect nihilism and accept the very worldview of the ghastly Yellow King, albeit while rejecting the means he uses to pursue transcendental ends. 

Unlike True Detective, Hannibal ends spiritually right where it begins, with an "amen" to amor fati, forcing Hannibal to chose life, in its fullness of pleasure and pain, over its restriction, adulteration, and curtailment. To escape death or the confines of prison, which would of course spell death for Hannibal as Hannibal and as synecdoche of the stern and sacred beauty-terrors of the sublime world of fate, Hannibal must (at least attempt to) murder his best and really only friend, Will Graham. This stands in stark contrast to the slow spiritual transformation of True Detective, which inaugurates itself in Rust's nihilism and its opposition to the transcendental yearnings of the Yellow King, and ends with Rust's victory being found in his essential adoption of his enemy's transcendentalism after dispatching him to the (now plausible) afterlife.

In establishing its villain's transcendental cult on rites of child sacrifice (and also of course by linking the bizarre bayou syncretism to local churchmen), True Detective identifies the horrors of "Carcosa" with Christianity (likewise founded of course on the sacrifice of an innocent). This isn't a stretch through the world-weary gaze of Rust, who cannot reconcile himself to a natural order that would require the death of the unblemished lamb that was his daughter, blameless as Christ, and the inexplicable cultic rites of even, e.g., the Catholic Church, that eventuated so recently in the molestation of innocent children and that banish the unbaptized to limbo.

Cohle cries out desperately for transcendence while steadfastly declaring it to be impossible. He thus castrates the act of consciousness by rendering it willfully impotent, ultimately declaring it a cosmic mistake and thus nullifying any chance of his essentially nihilistic worldview's success by failing to posit even the possibility of value. He is the prophet of "no" to Hannibal's priest of "yes," the proponent of death where Hannibal holds forth life. That is, until he changes his tune at the very finale of the finale, seeing in the twilight what he reads ambiguously to be a new dawn.

The season ends with Rust (who is named after a physical trope of Fate: of ceaseless, inevitable decay) emerging from a brief (say, three-day?) sojourn through and conquest over quasi-death after slaying the Evil One to pronounce a guarded redemption over a universe of disintegration at its very midnight: a Rust no longer rust, and death trampled down by death. He limps with the fertile, life-giving, essentially self-inflicted wound not of Attis (who you might expect given his aforementioned self-castration), Attis who regenerated for the ancient vegetation cults a bloody world of constant death (the "flat-circle" world Rust rejected of Nietzsche's "eternal recurrence"); but rather, to be more anatomically as well as thematically accurate, it is the wound of Christ, whose salvific blood poured not from his loins like Attis, but from his heart. 

It may be that the light is waxing, as the season finale of True Detective suggests through a beautiful Manichean juxtaposition of light and dark in the midnight heavens, fashioning onto Eliot's "vacant interstellar spaces" where ranges Stevens' "secretive hunter" (surely an apt epithet of Hannibal!) among the "straight" lines "between the stars."  These lines are "much too dark and much too sharp," are "swift and fall without diverging," that is, without indulging in the swerve of freedom or chance, following cold, invariable Necessity. They fall "for their pleasure, their pleasure that is all bright-edged and cold" chants the Nietzschean Stevens in his early "Stars at Tallapoosa," in which he regards the severe, frigid, brilliant beauty of the deathly and inhuman heavens carving Fate's command into the tortured sentience of mankind. But when the background blackness is hobbled on the expectation of its mitigation in the warming light of a new dawn, those ancient stars lose luster, merge, blend, and decline, and the violent contrasts of pure midnight muddle into the drab dusk Rust fled in the first place, the merely half life of Frankenstein's monster and humanity's lie to itself that putting off death is meaning enough.

For to restrict life in its essence without offering anything new is to perform the limitation of fate upon fate itself, abbreviating the curriculum of the boundless universe, the snake ouroboros thus swallowing its tail and not regenerating worlds endlessly anew as the myths proclaim, but rather disappearing little by little. It is to see the sublime evanesce only to leave behind the base in residue. When we trample death by death but do not then return with "the Kingdom," we merely reduce death, "the mother of beauty," and hence the beauty of our world. The proof for this reduction is the utter lack of sublimity in the course of True Detective, where Hannibal bodies forth a full-blooded Aeschylean sublime with its grim circular seasonal arc.

Cohle (who, as a Christ-figure also draws on Mithras, the god whose energies of life sprang out of a "generating stone" like say, coal) realizes that the coal-black void is warm and filled with children's laughter and the sure embrace of all he once lost, like Odysseus waking up on the shore in Ithaca and diving tear-eyed into his possessions miraculously salvaged from the sea. Like Christ triumphant pulling Adam and Eve out of Hades, Rust returns from the blackness with his daughter and his father if not in hand then in heart, half-saved from oblivion. Hannibal as the hand of Fate guts the will (literally gutting Will (Graham) his best friend and the show's chief protagonist) just as the Yellow King guts Rust, but Hannibal escapes, while, in contrast, the bestialized mind of the Yellow King is blown to pieces by Rust's partner Marty's revolver. Rust thus scores a victory over Fate and time's "flat circle" that completes itself in his aforementioned return from the (near) dead, the season ending with Marty carrying Rust like Aeneas bearing Anchises out of the ashes of Troy and into the new Troy, which was destroyed only to be re-established as Rome in a better place and time. 

True Detective thus eschews the Greek-pagan tragic mode of an "ethical" (read: rigidly defined by a natural order) world that is essential flux, that bends only so far to our aims and snaps right back into place. Instead, it posits a linear, dualistic, and more Roman-Christian saga, the "Life->Death->Life Redeemed" trajectory of the Aeneid or the Harrowing of Hell over the "Nature->Hubris->Fall->Nature" course of Aeschylus or Sophocles. At the end of this nightmare, we all wake after "the monster at the end" (as Rust puts it) is slain to find our Christ, Rust Cohle, establishing a new Rome after demolishing the old: a new post-Christianity hopeful of transcendence, a renewed preoccupation with the guilt and innocence battle between the forces of light and dark, and an essential embrace of the eschatological dreams of the Yellow King to conquer death and Fate. 

Where Rust is Christ or Aeneas, sojourning in Hades, tearing down life by death only to raise it up again redeemed, Hannibal threatens to sack this Rome with irresistible, elephantine force - much like the Carthaginian general who is his namesake. He is thus not only a trope of Necessity and Fate, but the destruction of the Roman order as anti-Christ. But his name of course also offers us "cannibal" unavoidably, man feasting on man not only as a dark anti-Eucharist but an ouroboros: man devouring man and thus himself, ending and then regenerating itself as a cosmic order of Death and Necessity begetting more death and necessity - death indeed the mother of this "beauty". It is the serpent, ananke, sustaining itself upon itself. Hannibal thus embodies this endless cycle, akin to Nietzsche's "eternal recurrence" and the Yellow King's "flat circle" of time, which though infinite is yet reconciled to a finite and definite nature that preserves the necessity of necessity, the fatality of fate, and thus the integrity and sacredness of the natural order, as we discussed earlier. This is the perpetual generative agony that the image of a self-swallowing serpent so vividly represents.

Where Rust's true daughter is quasi-redeemed from death, Will's quasi-daughter, Abigail, is truly redeemed from death, appearing before him at the very climax of Season 2. Showing Will one he loved deeply and had believed dead, Hannibal stunningly declares "time did reverse."  Had the flow of fate inverted? Christ gave his body for food rather than taking food for his body and died for the life of the world instead of living by the unabated process of the world's death. This transcendent sacrifice reversed the very flow of time, the ouroboros serpent ananke no longer swallowing its tail but regurgitating it as the Buddha's endless appetitive cycle of "action and suffering" is overturned by an endless kenotic cycle of self-giving. The great snake that slithered through Eden is finally trampled underfoot.

Could the brotherly love of Hannibal and Will, selfless acts of mutual sacrifice in Hannibal's return of a prodigal daughter presumed dead and Will's protection against the police and the violent judgment of law like Christ intervening at the stoning of the prostitute, truly reverse time? Not in the neo-pagan sublime of Hannibal. Life is not redeemed and improved after death in Aeschylus as it is in Virgil: death is the beginning and end, brilliant in its middle with the singeing wings of Icarus tumbling through the sky. And so the fatal, necessitarian indulgence of jealousy, the severing of communion and termination of brotherly love renewed so incessantly since Cain and Abel simply reinaugurated the eternal recurrence and returned time and fate to their normal course. "I wanted to surprise you," Hannibal explains of this gift of transcendent resurrection which the presence of Abigail so vitally promises; "and you wanted to surprise me" he concludes, disclosing to Will that he has discovered what he thinks is his treachery in bringing the authorities in to capture Hannibal. The surprise, the unexpected, impossible escape from fate which the disciples of Christ encountered at the empty tomb, its source in the unadulterated purity of brotherly love even unto death, the hubris of somehow interrupting fate: this is the unthinkable sin that tragically snaps the natural Order right back into place. Hannibal slits Abigail's throat, and with no external, personal God to intervene like Yahweh staying Abraham's knife as it fell toward Isaac, Will (the will) is powerless to do anything but watch death lavish itself in the artful operation of its implements. 

In stark contrast, the ambiguity of Rust's transcendence, and True Detective's subsequent philosophical devolution into a simpering half-Christianity, weakens what still manages to end beautifully and poignantly, though certainly "not with a bang but a whimper."  If in fact the light's slow victory Rust proclaims is not transcendental, but merely the process of humanity slowly "getting its act together" interpersonally or enjoying "better living through chemistry," we are left in the grotesque Faustian tableau of Penny Dreadful or Frankenstein, and find ourselves betrayers of the sublime and addicts to biology, staggering only half-human with cadaverous pallor through a world only half-transcendent. 

Where there is no division of the sacred and profane, all must be sacred, or all must be profane. Hannibal worships at the altar of "all there is" and challenges us to show it something greater; it's unclear whether True Detective is able to answer the bell.

[ciathyzareposts]

Closing the Books on Crystalware

Crystalware was not the sort of company to let trademarks deter them, whether incorporating the Enterprise in their logo or marketing an unlicensed game called Imperial Walker.

            A year ago, I’d never heard of Crystalware. Then, someone rediscovered their catalogue and uploaded all of its games to MobyGames and my year became in large part about the company. But let’s face it: none of its games are really RPGs. They have some RPG “elements” in some of the inventory selections and random approach to combat, but there isn’t a single one in which the character grows intrinsically from his experiences except for The Forgotten Island (1981), and that was a basic “power” statistic whose rapid growth made the game fundamentally too easy.

        Most of Crystalware’s games instead occupy a strange subgenre that we might call “iconographic adventure.” Most adventure games are either all-text (Zork) or made up of graphically-composed scenes. Sometimes, the scenes offer a kind-of first-person perspective (Countdown, Timequest), and other times they feature the character in a kind of side-view perspective that I’ve taken to calling “studio view” (King’s Quest, Leisure Suit Larry). I’m sure there are adventure games with axonometric perspectives, although none come to mind. But something about a top-down iconographic interface screens “RPG!” even though there’s no reason adventure games couldn’t feature the same perspective. That’s really what Crystalware games are. They involve finding inventory items to solve puzzles and often escape a situation. Only a couple offer character attributes and none offer character development.

       I’ve been gamely trying them anyway, but the last few have been giving me trouble, and I’m not going to continue wasting a bunch of effort for titles that aren’t RPGs in the first place. I’m going to reject or “NP” the rest and suggest that MobyGames, which also cites character development as the primary mechanism for RPGs, remove the RPG designation although keep “RPG elements” under its gameplay elements.           

Crystalware’s catalog in late 1981.

          As we’ve seen, Crystalware was a remarkably high-quantity (if not high-quality) company for its brief 1980-1982 existence. Within those three years, they developed and published the following titles, not all of which are even on MobyGames:

            The House of Usher (1980)–also the name of the pop artist’s inevitable reality show–is a Gothic adventure based on the Poe story of the same name. I reviewed it in June 2019.

Labyrinth of the Minotaur (1980): Set on Crete. I haven’t been able to find much about the game, but it’s attested in their 1982 catalogue.

Sumer 4000 BC (1980): A text simulator in which you’re the King of Sumeria, trying to manage resources and make your empire survive another year.

Galactic Quest (1980): A space combat and trading simulator.

World War III (1980): A strategic wargame for two players, one fighting for Iran, the other Iraq.

Beneath the Pyramids (1980): An adventure game in which you explore some weird combination of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid at Giza for an artifact. I reviewed it in June 2019.

Waterloo II (1981): A two-player wargame in the Napoleonic Era.

CompuGolf (1981): A golf simulation.

Imperial Walker (1981): An unlicensed action game in which an imperial walker commander tries to shoot down rebel craft. (I think it really says something about the company that they conceived of such a game and made the imperial the protagonist.)

Laser Wars (1981): An action game in which you defend a city from alien attackers.

The Sands of Mars (1981): An adventure game in the style of Oregon Trail, in which you assemble a crew, purchase supplies, and try to make it to Mars and back. This one was categorized as an RPG. I tried to play it but couldn’t get past a takeoff procedure that required the Apple II paddles. (Multiple sites say that AppleWin emulates paddles, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out how.) The manual doesn’t make it sound like it has RPG elements. It suggests that there are multiple phases of the game, each involving a different interface and style of gameplay.

                 As far as I can get in The Sands of Mars.

            Forgotten Island (1981): An adventure game where you escape an island. It was renamed Escape from Vulcan’s Island when re-issued by Epyx. I reviewed it in October 2019.

Oregon Trail (1981): Some version of the classic.

Quest for Power (1981): An adventure game in which you try to prove your right to inherit Camelot from King Arthur. It was re-issued by Epyx as King Arthur’s Heir. I reviewed it in March 2020.

Protector (1981): An arcade game in which you fly a ship through caverns.

Fantasyland 2041 (1981): An epic multi-disk adventure game based on Fantasy Island. I reviewed it in October 2019.

Dragon Lair (1981 or 1982): As attested in this Hardcore Gaming 101 article, perhaps the first RPG in Japanese.

The Bermuda Experience (1982): An adventure game in which you have to navigate a ship around the Atlantic Ocean in several time periods. It is also known as Bermuda Triangle.

Treasure Island (1982): An adventure game in which you explore the Caribbean for map pieces.

The Crypt (1982): An adventure in which you must survive the night in a cemetery. This was also designated an RPG by MobyGames, and I tried to play it but ran into a bug where neither you nor an enemy ever dies in combat. Instead, the game happily takes you into the negative hit points as you pound away at each other round after round. Thus, the first combat you get stuck in ends the game. It otherwise had the same characteristics as other titles that I reviewed that weren’t really RPGs. It was re-released by Epyx as Crypt of the Undead.

             Combat among crypts in The Crypt (1982).

        Zardon (1982): An action game where you fly a ship, blow up enemy ships. This one was re-released by Avalon Hill after Crystalware folded.

The Haunted Palace (1982): An adventure game with RPG elements in which you try to solve a mystery. You can choose among characters who have RPG-like attributes but they never grow. It was re-released as The Nightmare by Epyx.

Clonus (1982): An adventure game in which you navigate the future as a clone with cyborg parts. A near-immediate Clonus II seems to be a re-release of the original rather than a true sequel.

            They also released two compilations of simple games like Hangman and Tic-Tac-Toe for kids, a diet planner, a yoga instruction program, a garden simulator, and a program to help cat owners diagnose illnesses in their pets.

Almost all of the company’s games were written for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and TRS-80. The company principals, John and Patty Bell, contracted a team of programmers who sometimes wrote original games, sometimes spent their time porting games created by others. About half of them were created by the Bells themselves. Almost all the adventure games hinted at a deeper mystery beneath the surface of the game and offered a cash prize to whoever was the first to solve it.            

By 1981, the company was putting out a quarterly newsletter.

           With each game costing $39.95 and up, Crystalware must have been doing well even if they only sold modest amounts. But that’s nothing compared to the company’s plans. A company newsletter from late 1981 shows that future offerings would include Glamis Castle, a three-dimensional adventure game in which you could explore the famous Scottish landmark, an RPG based on Lord of the Rings called Wizard and Orcs, and an epic hub-and-module adventure called Galactic Expedition. Each module would sell for $29.95 and contain the ability to explore a different planet or moon.

     Oh, but that isn’t nearly all. The company was planning to release a series of home-schooling programs based on the “Crystal Theory of Alternative Education” (CTAE). They were working with Universal Pictures to provide realistic computer program “props” for an upcoming film called The Genius (it seems to have never been filmed, although the associated producer, David Sosna, is a real person). They were working on the first “videodisk fantasy” for the PR-7820-2 Videodisc Player from Discovision. They were starting a “lonely hearts club.”

      Best of all, Crystal Films was being born! They had a named producer, script supervisor, costume designer, and key grip on their masthead. They had three productions in the works: Haunted (a horror film), Fantasyland (based on the game), and Sarah, about the life of the eccentric Sarah Winchester, who built that sprawling monstrosity of a house in San Jose.            

Apparently, Haunted was to be filmed in an actual haunted house, not just a set that they made appear haunted. I guess that’s one way to save on special effects.

                      The newsletter, in short, feels like it was dictated by someone in the middle of a manic episode, and what happened to Crystalware next suggests that it all came crashing back to Earth. I haven’t been able to find an official, comprehensive account of the company’s last days, but we can piece it together from evidence. First, I have an anecdotal report from a reader who owned a computer store in the area at the time, saying that Crystalware’s finances were essentially a giant house of cards and someone was destined to lose. To clarify, I don’t think the Bells were deliberately scamming anyone. One programmer I spoke to, Henry Ruddle, said that the company always paid him well and on time. Another, Mike Potter, has posted online that Bell fired him when he questioned his royalties, but did pay him and also gave him back the rights to one of the games he’d developed. The issue is more that they seem to have been leveraged beyond a sustainable debt. 

           We know that in 1982, Bell sold the rights to his games to Epyx, which re-published them, often under different names, with absurdly elaborate manuals. We see the company changing addresses several times in 1982 and finally abandoning “Crystalware” altogether and publishing the last few games under the name “U.F.O. Software.” As we’ll soon see, John Bell also seems to have (at least for a time) changed his own name.          

Towards the end of its life, Crystalware briefly became U.F.O. Software.

             John Bell is an enigmatic figure (although not as enigmatic as Patty, about whom I’ve been able to find nothing). He claims to have worked for Lockheed in 1966, which is hard to reconcile with the best candidate I can find, who was born in 1948. Even that candidate has used both “A” and “F” as his middle initial. Crystalware used several addresses in Morgan Hill and San Martin (both south along the 101 from San Jose) during its existence. I think the Bells first owned a computer store, Crystal Computers, in Sunnyvale or Gilroy, before they decided to get into software development and publishing. 

        I corresponded earlier this month with Henry Ruddle, a programmer who did most of the TRS-80 adaptations of the game. I had hoped he would confirm my suspicions that Bell was something of a lunatic, but the best he would offer is that he was “charismatic, loud, and very eccentric.” 

           John was very creative and could not stop thinking . . . or talking. [He] would tell wild stories about getting high on amphetamines or cocaine and staying up for three days cleaning his bathroom with a toothbrush . . . He often talked about his wild ambitions [like] a plan to create a virtual reality booth with 360 degree views projected on the walls using “laser cameras.”

      Of Patty, Ruddle remembers that she was polite and very quiet, heavily into New Age philosophy and astrology.

           There’s a long period of silence after the collapse of the company, but in the late 1990s, Bell, now using the name “J. B. Michaels,” started promising an upcoming game called Clonus 2049 A.D. It never materialized, but you can read about it–sort-of–on the Crystalware Defense and Nanotechnology Facebook page, where an “actress from Hollywood” has recorded the incomprehensible opening text. Yes, John Bell is still using the Crystalware name. His various LinkedIn profiles give him as the CEO of Crystalware, CrystalwareVR, Crystalware Defense and Nanotechnology, or just “CDN.” The address is listed in Charleston, West Virginia. On the various pages associated with Bell and these companies, we learn that James Cameron’s The Terminator was plagiarized from the original Clonus, that Bell had a heart attack in 2018, and that he’s working on a virtual reality game called World of Twine.         I haven’t rated any of Crystalware’s games very high, and I was actively angry by the time I got to Quest for Power, but in retrospect I have to give the company credit for originality and a certain amount of sincerity. Most of Crystalware’s titles show no dependence on any previous game or series. Instead of generic high-fantasy settings, they went with unique, specific settings based on history or literature. Adding a “mystery” and cash prize to each title (even if I never really understood what they were going for) was an interesting touch, and letters to their newsletter (if authentic) suggest that they did pay. The thorough documentation that each game received, the manuals full of backstories and lore and quotes, the newsletter with so many promises, all suggest that the company was mostly unaware that it was a sausage factory. This was in the “dark age,” after all. Wizardry and Ultima were released in 1981 but hadn’t really made an impact yet. From the testimonies above, it’s easy to see John Bell as an Ed Woodish character, willing to wrap and print anything, in love with the process of creation that eclipsed his own abilities as a creator. But I suppose there are days when I’ll take that over auteurs so obsessed with quality that you end up waiting a decade between titles. Every genre needs its pulp.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/closing-the-books-on-crystalware/

[inhumansforever]

Inhuman of The Day

April 19th - Gorgon 

Gorgon Petragon, the second cousin to King Black Bolt and the son of Korath, the former king’s brother.  Gorgon’s royal blood notwithstanding, he has remained something of a roughneck, much more at home at bars, brothels, and the battlefield than he is in the royal court. Exposed to the Terrigen Mist during his adolescence, Gorgon was transformed into a large, satyr-like hulk of a man, with greatly enhanced strength and durability as well as hoof-like feet that, when slammed down, can deliver devastating seismic waves.

Gorgon was made King Black Bolt’s personal bodyguard. When Maximus seized control of the Inhuman crown, Gorgon opted to remain loyal to Black Bolt. Gorgon’s father was killed in Maximus’ coup and his mother, Milena, was held hostage.  Maximus utilized Milena’s being his hostage as leverage that forced Gorgon to do the mad prince’s bidding.  To this end, Gorgon was sent to the world of the humans to search out Medusa.  Herein, Gorgon encountered the Fantastic Four.  After an initial battle with these heroes, Gorgon, Medusa and the rest of Black Bolt’s Royal Court teamed up with the Fantastic Four and together they were able to defeat Maximus and reclaim the throne for Black Bolt.  

Gorgon went on to prove himself an invaluable member of the Royal Family, serving valiantly in battles against formidable foes, including The Mandarin, Maelstrom, The High Evolutionary, The Sphinx, Psycho-Man, The Hulk, and many others.

He is by far the most headstrong and stubborn of the royal family; he never backs down from a fight and is by no means shy about speaking his mind, even in the presence of his king, Black Bolt.  His loyalty to his king notwithstanding, there have been incidents where Gorgon has grossly defied royal decree… first when he helped his Queen escape to Earth so to save her unborn child, and a second time when he conspired with his best friend, Karnak, to once more utilize the sub-caste Alpha Primitives as slave laborers.

Gorgon is additionally the most hedonistic among the Royal Family. He loves his drink and spends a good deal of time chasing potential bedmates. Although he is of high status within Inhuman society, it seems he often has rather poor luck in his romantic pursuits; likely a result of his frequently boorish conduct and the fact that he is something of a sloppy drunk. 

Following the War of Kings event, when The Inhumans were temporarily made the lords over the Kree Empire, Gorgon served as the chief of security on the Kree planet of Kon-Tarr.  Gorgon’s valor and hawkish views made him very popular among the Kree people… to such an extent that it caused friction between him and Queen Medusa, the then ruler of both the Inhumans and the Kree.

Gorgon has fathered two children, a daughter named Alecto and a young son named Petras.  The mother or mothers of these children remain undisclosed.  The relationship between Gorgon and his adolescent daughter has been quite turbulent and came to a head when Alecto ran off with her boyfriend, a young Alpha Primitive named Reyno.  Highly bigoted toward the Alphas, Gorgon forbade his daughter from seeing Reyno and this led Alecto to flee with Reyno to Earth where they sought out amnesty with The Fantastic Four.  Gorgon tracked them down and Reed Richards ultimately chose to return his daughter to Gorgon, deciding it was not his place to interfere.  Alecto and Gorgon eventually made amends and Alecto broke things off with Reyno.  The two young lovers later rekindled their relationship and went to live in a settlement Black Bolt had established where Inhumans and Alphas could live together in peace.  It is unknown to what extent Gorgon still maintains a relationship with his daughter. 

Along with Alecto, Gorgon also has a son named Petras.  It remains unrevealed who is the mother of these children, but it has been intimated that Alecto and Petras have two different mother.  Gorgon had an affair with Medusa’s handmaiden, Minxi, and it is possible Minxi is the mother of either Petras or Alecto.  In an interview, the series writer for The Royals, Al Ewing, revealed that Gorgon is actually a widower; that he was married and that his wife had died at some unspecified time int he past.  The details of this tragic revelation is likely to be told in future issues of The Royals. 

Among his other duties, Gorgon additionally acted as head instructor in teaching the younger recruits of the Royal Guard.  His students have included the winged Inhuman, Tonaja, the king’s son, Ahura, as well as his own daughter, Alecto.  Later, Gorgon has been put in charge of the training many of the newer Inhumans created by the detonation of the Terrigen Bomb.  These new trainees include Flint, Naja, Iso, and Inferno.  Gorgon and Inferno have established an especially tight bond and friendship based on their mutual love of heavy metal music.  

During the Infinity event, Gorgon became quite concerned that his young son, Petras, was ill-prepared for the oncoming threat posed by Thanos.  He decided that Petras should be subjected to Terrigenesis prematurely, regardless of the fact that exposure to the Terrigen prior to adolescence entails a greater risk of unstable mutation.  Gorgon’s cousin, Triton, tried to dissuade Gorgon of this course of action, but Gorgon refused to be swayed.  Petras was exposed to the mists and it resulted in his being transformed into a minotaur-like being.  Although Petras was endowed with greater strength and power, his transformation was sure to be viewed as monstrous by Inhuman standards… dooming Petras to a life of alienation among his peers.  

The population of Attilan were evacuated during The Infinity event, taken through the portal of Elldrac to many places unknown.  Following the Inhumanity Event and the establishment of New Attilan, Petras and the other children had yet to be located and Gorgon was near hysterical with worry over the wellbeing and whereabouts of his children.  Petra and many of the other children were eventually discovered and now reside on the Royal Inhuman Vehicle (RIV).  

Gorgon has maintained a close and longstanding friendship with his cousin, Karnak, despite the fact that the two are quite different in terms of temperament and interests.  Gorgon and Karnak have been on many adventures together and have had a very close bond.  After Karnak killed himself, Gorgon would not speak of the matter and it may have been that it was all simply too traumatic an issue for Gorgon to deal with… choosing instead to repress his feelings over the matter.  Karnak later returned to life but he and Gorgon have yet to rekindle their close friendship.  

Just prior to the Secret Wars Event, Gorgon was critically wounded by the treacherous Inhuman, Lineage.  Lineage shot Gorgon in the back, severely damaging his spinal column and leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.  Although Inhuman medicine is quite advanced, it was unable to effectively treat Gorgon’s injury and he has been sequestered to a wheelchair. 

It proved an especially difficult challenge for Gorgon.  He had always been a man of action, decisive and often impulsive; and not being able to move and act in the ways that he had been accustomed to caused him great pain as well as a considerable self-reflection.  Gorgon’s son, Petras, had been located alive and well, yet Gorgon has been not yet ready to see him, fearful of what it might be like for Petras to see his once mighty father laid so low.  

After more fully digesting the massive changes to his life, Gorgon decided not to allow his injury cause him to simply wallow in suffering.  He accepted Crystal’s invitation to join her ambassadorial team aboard the RIV and has redoubled his efforts to continue training the younger generation of Inhumans.  The new Inhuman, Naja, has quickly become his prize pupil and he has also taken keen interests in enhancing the abilities of Flint, Grid, as well as the unwilling Inhuman recruit named Jack.  

Gorgon has been outfitted with a specialized wheelchair.  It can act as a standard wheelchair, but can also transform into a type of bionic exo-suit that affords Gorgon greater mobility as well as a limited capacity to defend himself.  

 Using this suit, Gorgon accompanied his pupil, Flint, on a mission to locate the lost Inhuman settlement of Utolan.  

The ambassadorial team recruited a new Inhuman named Ash, who later chose the Inhuman name, Panacea.  Panacea possesses profound healing powers which she used to gradually heal Gorgon’s spinal injury.  Although Panacea’s treatment has enabled Gorgon to walk and even function as a combatant, a certain degree of the effects of the injury remain.  The injury has left Gorgon in a state of chronic pain, pain that greatly intensifies whenever he uses his powers.   It was discovered that Gorgon’s son Petras had been never negatively effected by his premature exposure to Terrigenesis.  The exact nature of Petras’ ailment has been unrevealed, but it has led to him being kept in stasis in a medically induced coma.  Panacea has been working on curing Petras of this unrevealed illness and it is hoped that he will awake from his coma soon.  

Gorgon had hoped to be at his son’s side when he finally awakes, yet duty has called and Gorgon has set out with the other Royals on a mission tot he cosmos to try and discover a new source of Terrigen.