#and the voodoo doll pinned to the wall in the first picture is like my stuffed reaper in my room now

[fearofalling]

similarities between my childhood bedroom age 14 and my current apartment bedroom age 26

[limboni]

'Remember, don't summon that which is bigger than a summoning circle...or can't be destroyed with a flame thrower!'

-someone somewhere for sure

So I drawn my friend's oc! I really wanted to and this is the result! Took me around a month, but what can you do!

There are other characters around, but I yet don't know if those of our friends have Tumblr, when I find out I'm gonna ping them too.

But the pink haired witch person is oc of @teetkmost123

The little clown is an oc of @flowerytombx

The voodoo doll is oc of @leikolemon22

P.s. wanted to add alt text, but it was too long, so here it is. Beware of my overdetailed and in the same time not detailed enough description! Is there some other way to do it though?

Alt text/description of the comic:

The comic comprised of a few pictures. The first smaller ones show a few oddities in the witch's stuff. The golden hourglass with red send inside, with a few books on the left (only one is seen with a name "The art of War", and a black-gold snake slithering down, only part of it is seen, and it has two black feathers with golden highlights.

The next picture shows a yellow frog,that looks very much done with the situation, sitting inside s bottled bottle, with a skull of some creature on the side.

The last close up is on a clown, with yellow-orange clothes and looking straight at the audience. The eye is black with outline of yellow.

The next picture is showing the witch's working place. There is witch at the front, looking at the book in their hands, with their back to us. Most of what can be seen is their pink hair. They wear a big purple hat with a red spider lily and black underside filled with white stars. And purple cloth, under black long finger open glows, long black boots (unseen here), black pants, the corset over their belly, and corset like thing over their throat. There is also black little bag on their left leg.

Behind them is a bookshelf, field of already mentioned stuff, as well as a few potions on the down row (red one, green one, sunrise and night sky coloured), and more books under. The snake is more clear looking at the frogs bottle.

A bit on the left of the bookshelf:

On the wall there is variation of pages, seemingly taken out of books, and connected to the wall by knives, skotch, pinches. One is showing the structure of blue mushroom, a heart, a skull (that somewhat similar to the creature's skull seen before), and a picture of a seemingly a cat (looking smuggly at the watcher, with swimmingly no appendages, and a few question marks around - it's the one pierced by a knife).

Over the picture there is a witch's yellowish brown broom.

Under them - a yellow circled mirror, to which a black cat is slowly coming over. The cat can be seen in reflection of the mirror.

The cat is standing on a box with a small as the cat clown from before. They are looking at the cat, up.

On the right of the clown box, there is table with a few plushies like creatures and stuff (a seemingly voodoo doll of a person with black dress, black hair and eyes, and white highlights in the front. A few pins are put in it. In it's head.

Close by there is a cup with scissors, pencils. And a two plush like ghosts, one of blue colour sitting on the table and pink one off the table. Like two special agents in movies. They hold each other from falling of the with purple string of wool, the ball of which you is on the table.

Under the table a box with different coothes is seen. The most prominent one being a red hat with white stars around.

On the front of the picture another table with an orange pumpkin on a blue clothes is seen. With two golden candle holders standing close by, with not lit candles. And a big black couldron with some green glowing liquid.

The only light is a big black lamp that is on the bookshelf. And lightning mostly the bookshelf and the witch with the book.

The next panel shows close up to the witch, which now moved a right arm, to magic the candles to light. There now seen their back, with purple laces over the corset and some bottle with red leguid, on their hip, holden by a red string over them. Their hand has one ring, with a red skull on it. They are holding a purple crystal knife. And have red eyes.

The next close up is on their hands. How the witch is cutting their finger with the knife. It can be noticed that both arms have the same skull rings, on their pinkies.

The next close up is of the lighten up candles.

After which is once again close up of the witch. They are now in full front view. Their hair is seeming going all around them, they are now holding both the red book and the knife in their right hand. Their left hand is outstretched seemingly to draw something with their blood. Their mouth is open as if they are trying to say something. We can also see a necklace of theirs, of purple white skull on a red string. Their eyes are glowing even more red.

The pre-last close up is on the cat looking into the mirror. But in the mirror is some strange grey skinned creature, with black long hair and whitish cloths over their face. They are smiling with full teeth towards the cat. It seems to have been summoned by the witch on accident.

The last picture is splitting between the yellow eye of the cat and a smile over the creature. The creature it seems may have possessed the cat. Hooray? Summoning was successful...not of what was intended.. but shh, it's a secret.

[heyidkyay]

Proud Parent.

It’s a usual Tuesday when Aaron finally strolls into the dorms long after his last class has ended, having spent an hour or so in the library with Katelyn.

And it’s just after he’s ceremoniously dumped his bag by the door and gone to head into the kitchen that he pauses.

“What the fuck is this?” He asks the rest of the room, who have all seemingly conjugated in the living area, Andrew at the window, Neil in his preferred place- by his brother’s feet- wearing an all too gleeful smirk, Nicky cross legged on a nearby beanbag with his bottom lip pulled between his teeth to keep him from his obvious laughter, and Kevin, who’s sprawled out across the couch with his laptop having only just registered everyone else’s presence.

Nicky snorts from behind his hand and Aaron shoots him a venomous glare, he watches as his cousin’s eyes widen.

“What!” Nicky tried to defend with a squeak as he throws up his arms up in the air, “Don’t blame me, it was there when I got home!”

Aaron’s jaw locks, his gaze skirts straight over Kevin (knowing better) to where the remaining two sit in a calculated silence.

Andrew simply blows out the remnants of his cigarette and levels Aaron with a cool stare, but Neil opts for his all too favoured response when dealing with anything to do with Aaron.

“What’s the matter? I thought that by now you’d sorta be fond of all the orange. Suits you almost- mainly whenever your helmet’s covering your face.” Neil goads, ever the asshole, always wanting to push buttons.

Aaron doesn’t give the walking voodoo doll the pleasure of a reply, instead he turns violently to rip the newly added picture frame from off their dorm room wall.

But before he can, a knowing tut cuts through the overwhelming grind of his teeth. Aaron pauses because he can’t not, fingertips only just having touched the frame’s cool metal.

“I wouldn’t.” Andrew deadpans and Aaron exhales quietly before he turns to face his twin.

“Why not?”

Andrew’s face is as apathetic as ever but there’s something about his eyes that pulls Aaron up short, they don’t quite match the rest of his stoney exterior.

“It stays.” Is all Andrew adds to the argument but that’s not enough for Aaron.

“Why! Why the hell would anyone, let alone you, want to walk past a picture of my mugshot each morning and every night?”

“I like it.” Nicky decides to pipe up, filling the silence Aaron is met with, he shrugs when Aaron’s attention snaps to him. “What? It’s sort of like a commemoration, no? Like when your mom sticks your first grade art project to the fridge.”

Nicky looks around at the rest of the room as though he’s waiting for someone to agree with his thoughts, he rolls his eyes dramatically when he gets nothing and stands.

“Whatever,” He waves off as he bypasses Aaron to head into the kitchen, “I just figured that it was Andrew’s way of saying thanks, or you know… something.”

Aaron feels his entire expression drop as he stares back at his cousin hysterically.

Nicky simply laughs at him and begins to sort through the food he’s gathered for dinner.

Kevin hums from over on the couch, he’s smiling ever so slightly when Aaron looks over. “Like a proud parent.”

Neil laughs loudly at that accusation and Aaron can only watch in astonishment as his brother flicks the back of the redhead’s neck in retaliation.

“Careful, Day.” Andrew warns.

Kevin turns back to his laptop, lips pursed to keep from saying anything else.

Aaron looks around at them all, then back to the framed mugshot pinned proudly on the wall. He closes his eyes for a brief second, attempting to centre himself, before he starts towards the bedroom.

“Fuck all of your unconventional asses!”

—

Idk what this is, late night thoughts I guess

Haven’t written anythingggg in a long while so… eh :)

[blondrichclosetwitch]

The mousy girl screams, “violence! Violence!” She gets hysterical because they’re both so mean..and it’s my favorite scene.

********************************************************************************

“No one is going to fuck with me tonight.”

“And I won’t see you again.”

“I’m feeling sad so many killed.”

“This is where the story ends.”

“You made me a believer I can see it in your eyes.”

“ I was just so confused. Like, what’s going on in your head? You’re calling me insane, but let’s get this clear: you are the crazy one in the situation. Like, you’re the maniac, you’re insane. I’ve had a few people think that it’s about me, and I’m like no. For once in my life, I am not being the insane one.”

“ The evidence on a wall behind a chair.”

Since idioteque with the bunker line played, stella thought we should share a picture:

”you think you’re funny, right?

Telling me truths that you know are all lies. You think you’re super sly. Now I’m gonna ruin your life.

You’re gonna wish you never harmed me.”

This last line runs pops into my mind quasi-regularly.

“Never a choice.”

And then psychoanalyst voodoo queen played. I remember when the Tarot Reader, the psychoanalyst voodoo queen and myself were in a 40 day project together, when they met. At the time, I thought she was in her 20s. I had no idea that she had grown up with my own analyst who I would meet the next year. Definitely didn’t know that she’d be doing spells on me. I don’t remember a lot of the conversations I had with her psychically in 2017, but I remember some details: like I was told that she was going to marry my brother, and I’m pretty sure I mention her on a couple of tapes. Oh and that she and I had dated guys in Ziggy Stardust & the spiders though I forget what our names were in that lifetime. the song mentions New Orleans, and from what I remember, the PVQ & the TR had quite the trip there. At least they took a lot of pictures of each other. Shrug. Wouldn’t you know pj Harvey’s Yuri-g just started playing, which talks about going to a medicine doctor who tells them to make a doll and stick pins into it, which of course was part of what K was paid a big chunk of money for. According to Stella, there were a few dolls. She keeps saying 7. But the lyric Stella’s spirit tool dropped on was “give me back my memory”. When I lost my memory in 2015. Bubbles, Kat, that was the first, am I correct? How much did that one cost?

“But the cruelty’s so predictable; It makes you sad on the stage.”

“ I found something.”

“ I hear the cries of children and the other songs of war.”

“ and last night you were in my room.”

“ and all this time, it was in front of you. And all this time you knew it, too.”

“ it’s never easy to admit that maybe you just want just to feel something again. You just wanted to forget that your heart was full of shit.”

“ he talks to me in my sleep.”

“ now do you hear that sound as the model breaks.”

“ you don’t own the situation, honey.”

“ i’m going to send a flood, gonna drown them out.”

“ you’ve got nothing to say.”

“ there’s a song playing on the radio and there’s a lifeline slipping as the record plays.”

“ all we see and believe is the DJ, and the debts dissolve.”

“ cuz on you, my tattoo will be bleeding and the name will stain.” I think of this lyrics so much, partially because I was told Jakk had that tattoo over his heart saying he was property of bubbles. considering we were about to be getting married (or so I thought) it freaked me out.

[Jean Seberg] Et puisque je suis méchante avec toi c'est la preuve que je ne suis pas amoureuse de toi

[Jean-Paul Belmondo] On dit qu'il n'y a pas d'amour heureux

[Jean Seberg] Si je t'aimais... oh c'est trop compliqué

[Jean-Paul Belmondo] Au contraire, il n'y a pas d'amour malheureux” (I love this bit. It’s from breathless and plays during “when all the lights go out in europe” which I discovered with my German when living in strasbourg. Basically he says, you say we don’t have a happy love, but there’s no such thing as an unhappy love.)

” I hear your voice, see your face, I don’t know where it’s coming from.”

“ Head for your daughter, head for your daughter.”

“ when everyone believes you, what’s that like? And I’m so sick of them coming at me again.”

“So it’s okay if I’m Mad.”

“ how did I get here and how do I get back?”

“ Heard the voices and caught my breath. So close and yet so far from death. I wanted to get it right so badly that I always got it wrong. Don’t go blindly into the dark. In some ways that was simpler, being too fucked up to see.”

“ but the straw that broke the camels back was you.”

“ I was your Willing accomplice. And I watched as you fled the scene. One heart broke, four hands bloody. I defended you to all my friends. And now, every time a siren sounds I wonder if you’re around. All the things you did. Your favorite crime.”

“ my mother says that it’s all right.”

“ i’d say she was his sister but she doesn’t have his nose.”

“ why can’t I cry about this?”

“ There’s a radio in the corner. It’s dying to make us see.

”I’ve got the keys.”

“ that’s why they need me out the way, what you expect?”

“ i’m upset Hunnid thousand on my head, it’s disrespect. So offended that I had to double check.”

“ she gonna try and settle out of court and make a run.”

“ The past is a grotesque animal and in its eyes you see how completely wrong you can be.”

“And none of our secrets are physical. “ (I happened to be staring at the painting when I said this.)

“ we used to do porno‘s when you would come over but now you got morals and shit.” (i’m guessing this is a reference to the videos they took of me in my bedroom.)

“ somebody, somewhere, sex with me.”

“ I didn’t need these things, took them all to bits and left them on the floor, and ran for dear life through the door.”(it just dawned on me why they are playing so many songs by the band frightened rabbit. So many. Poor bunny!)

“ well it’s pretty clear when you’re not near me I am unhappy. I’ve come to know you had to go without permission. Because it was how I wore you down and how I dragged you round, my sole ambition.” (this has played a few times lately, wasn’t sure why, but finally got it’s from bubbles POV)

“ they just want to be one. Walk off into the sun. They’re not kissing. They’re not fucking. They’re just having fun. They were connected at the back of the head. They had a conduit. Their minds were the same.

This is the end of the song, and it is just a song, this is a version of me and you that can exist outside of everything else. And if it is just a fantasy then anything can happen from here. “

“ she was a January girl. She never let on how insane it was in that tiny kind of scary house by the woods.”

“ This is like a movie, but it’s really very lifelike.”

“ well he lived alone in his own little home. There were bottles too; one for me and you.”(bottle spells)

Don’t let the Sun go down on me is dedicated to Honza. I miss you so much. 

And express yourself is their way of telling me to write.

I’m going to end it with two songs. At 11:11 is this music? Played. At this point this song is a perfect example of spirit humor, as in is this really just music? It’s an instrumental piece by a band I love Teenage Fanclub. In the beginning I thought that really was all it was, coincidence. I obviously don’t think that anymore. And you shouldn’t either. You should start paying attention to what’s happening all around you. The universe Conspires to bombard you with blessings, as rob breszny once said.

Also Gitana played. Well K, I thought about calling you. Mostly I want to say what the fuck is your problem, and tell you I have never in my whole life met someone So Duplicitous. I think of every exchange between us, and realize how completely full of shit you were.

But how do you lie without stop to someone’s face who trusts you with her whole heart, who is taking your best friend’s course? How do you lie to someone who’s a devoted follower? That, K, is massively fucked up.

But then I think about the FALLS, and I realized you’re just plain heartless and you lack a conscience. I Know—-you thought I was dim-witted. You know what played at 7:22? Self-esteem. That was the only problem. And it doesn’t give you the fucking right to ruin my life. It’s disgusting, and I never did anything to you.

I want to know how you are going to make amends.

I’ll leave you with this song. I think it played yesterday also, but I can’t keep up with all the music. A girl gets tired and has to go to the ER to check her head trauma from time to time. But Stella had me sing this one. it was kind of funny, halfway through I was led to look at my picture of jakk when I sang “she’s got you mesmerized as I die.”

I always thought it was about me being mesmerized.

Bubbles, I’m putting an itemized list together for you.

And this was 12:34.

“Court cases got a bitch facing multiple digits.”

“watch them gossip in the silly game.”

“to all the motherfuckers speaking down on me, this is the night.”

(fear of trains 326, favorite crime 331, kickstand live at Jones beach 333, Poke 335, old old fashioned 343, race my mind 343e, I am upset 350, the past is a grotesque animal 400, TSU403, close to you 409, things 415, without permission 422, twin fantasy those boys 428,  three pear shaped pieces 429, black dove January 4 31, follow God 437, and it stoned me 437, don’t let the Sun go down on me live at live aid 444, express yourself 448.)

[michelles-garden-of-evil]

SP Influences: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Haunted Palace

CONTENT WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF RAPE (NOT JUST THE FANTASY METAPHOR KIND) AND SLAVERY. ALSO SPOILER WARNING FOR THE HAUNTED PALACE (1963), THE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD, AND BOTH THE FIRST AND FINAL ARC (INCLUDING THE ENDING) OF STRANGE PARADISE.

Although it never directly copied from other works, the 1969-70 soap opera Strange Paradise appears to have drawn inspiration from several classic works of Gothic fiction. Unlike its more famous cousin Dark Shadows (1966-71), which lifted most of its major plotlines from public-domain horror classics like Dracula and The Turn of the Screw with relatively few changes, the influence of other works on the plot and characters of Strange Paradise generally took a subtler form. Many of the early advertisements and articles promoting the serial compared its protagonist Jean Paul Desmond and villain Jacques Eloi des Mondes (both played by Colin Fox) to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, but--as Curt Ladnier has pointed out--there are only superficial similarities between the plot of the serial’s Maljardin arc and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, making the two works less similar than readers likely expected. Instead, the plot more closely resembles that of another, lesser-known story about a protagonist controlled by his evil counterpart: the 1963 Roger Corman/Vincent Price film The Haunted Palace, a loose adaptation of the H. P. Lovecraft novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

The plot and characters of Strange Paradise have too much in common with those of The Haunted Palace to be mere coincidence. In particular, the character of Joseph Curwen and his characterization in the film strongly resemble the portrayal of Jacques Eloi des Mondes, enough to conclude that Curwen must have inspired his backstory and his interactions with the other characters. While it is likely that Lovecraft’s original 1927 novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward also directly influenced the serial, there is stronger evidence for indirect influence by way of the film adaptation.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

The plot of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward shares a common theme with the Maljardin arc: the evil ancestor from the seventeenth century who returns from beyond the grave and assumes the identity of his lookalike descendant. In both cases, the ancestor was involved in the occult during his lifetime and reviled for his rumored diabolical activities. During his lifetime--which he used magic to prolong--Curwen practiced necromancy, tortured knowledge out of the people he resurrected before murdering them again, experimented on living people, and summoned the god Yog-Sothoth for assistance in his occult activities using spells from the Necronomicon. Two fellow warlocks named Simon Orne and Edward Hutchinson assisted him with his occult studies, and were both still alive when his descendant Charles Dexter Ward brought him back to life. In the early episodes of Strange Paradise’s Maljardin arc written by Ian Martin, Jacques is portrayed as the literal Devil: an accusation about which he often jokes. He has many supernatural abilities, including possession, manipulation of electricity, telekinesis, the ability to magically alter messages written in sand, and--most importantly--the ability to resurrect Jean Paul’s dead wife Erica (Tudi Wiggins), which is why he frees his spirit in the pilot. He has an interest in voodoo, although he himself does not appear to practice it and instead fears its power. Unlike Curwen, no accomplices of Jacques’ return from the dead in the Maljardin arc, although it is possible that Martin intended for the seventeenth-century witch Tarasca, an earlier incarnation of wealthy widow Elizabeth Marshall (Paisley Maxwell), to fulfill this role after possessing Elizabeth.[1]

But these occult matters are not the only common interest that Joseph Curwen and Jacques Eloi des Mondes share. Both character were involved in the more earthly evils of the slave trade. A merchant by trade, Curwen also bought and sold slaves, importing enormous numbers of enslaved people from Guinea into his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island in 1766. He sold few of them, however, and Lovecraft heavily implies that he used most of them in his experiments. The televised version of Strange Paradise never explicitly references slavery (although Jean Paul’s immortal servants Raxl (Cosette Lee) and Quito (Kurt Schiegl) are implied to be Jacques’ former slaves), but the non-canonical book series by Dorothy Daniels does on occasion. In the second book Island of Evil, Jean Paul lists “black gold, another name for the importation of slaves” along with piracy and brigandage as one of the sources of the des Mondes’ family fortune.[2] A flashback sequence in Island of Evil confirms the past enslavement of Raxl and Quito, as well as an African voodoo priest whom Jacques forces to turn Quito into a zombie: the closest event in the Strange Paradise expanded universe to Curwen’s experiments.

Both Jacques and Curwen also met their ends at the hands of locals. In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, Ezra Weeden begins spying on Curwen because he suspects him of illegal activities including witchcraft. Eventually, he turns most of the prominent figures in Providence society against him and they band together to raid and destroy Curwen’s Pawtuxet farm. During the raid, Curwen dies for the first time, but only after devising a spell for his future resurrection. Likewise, in Strange Paradise, Jacques dies after the natives of Maljardin turn against him, although the trigger and cause of his death are different. When Jacques murders his wife, the princess Huaco, by pushing her off the island’s cliff, a group of natives including Raxl and the Conjure Man band together to kill Jacques using a conjure (voodoo) doll and silver pin. These weapons curse Jacques to throw himself from the cliff and keep his spirit "shackled to the Temple [of the Serpent, Raxl’s god]” until the day he tricks his descendant Jean Paul Desmond into removing the pin from the doll, thereby setting him free.

Jacques’ disappearing portrait from Strange Paradise Episode 12.

Also significantly, both The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and Strange Paradise give the evil ancestor’s portrait a prominent role in the plot. In both cases, this portrait hangs at the ancestor’s former residence and disappears either temporarily or permanently when he takes control of the man who resembles him. When Charles Dexter Ward is researching the history of Joseph Curwen, his sources lead him to an eighteenth-century townhouse at Orney Court in Ward’s hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, where Curwen settled after fleeing Salem, Massachusetts. He hires a restorator to restore the painting, has it moved to his study, and discovers some documents of Curwen’s hidden in the wall behind it. When he finally succeeds in resurrecting Curwen, the painting disintegrates into dust: an end which Curwen himself later meets. On Strange Paradise, Jacques’ oil painting sometimes disappears when he possesses Jean Paul, but the show is inconsistent about this cue from episode to episode.[3] In contrast to Curwen’s painting, Jacques’ portrait always returns after he leaves Jean Paul’s body and appears to be indestructible: when Jean Paul sets fire to Maljardin in Episode 65, the portrait survives and later re-appears in the attic at Jean Paul’s childhood home Desmond Hall in Episode 131.

In spite of these similarities, I should note that the method of resurrection differs from one work to the other. In Strange Paradise, Jacques achieves this by possessing Jean Paul: after Jean Paul frees him by removing the silver pin from the head of his effigy, Jacques’ spirit can enter and exit Jean Paul’s body at will. In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, the title character literally resurrects Curwen, his great-great-great-grandfather, using his essential salts, after which Curwen murders him. Ward behaves as though Curwen has possessed him--he has the speech and manners of a man of the colonial period and knows extremely specific details about the history of Providence--but the pit above his right eye which Ward did not previously possess and the lack of the olive birthmark on Ward’s hip indicate a different body. When Jean Paul opens his casket in the pilot, he finds only the conjure doll and silver pin; the absence of Jacques’ body is never explained and could be for any number of reasons, which we shall not discuss here.

The Haunted Palace

A lobby card for The Haunted Palace asking the question, “What was the terrifying thing in the PIT that wanted women?” (Source)

In 1963, American International Pictures released The Haunted Palace, a loose adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward written by Charles Beaumont and directed by Roger Corman. Due to alleged executive meddling (a theme which should already be familiar to regular readers of this blog), the film was marketed as an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name, which Vincent Price quotes throughout the film. In the adaptation process, Beaumont made many changes to the source material, the most notable of which was the decision to have Curwen breed human women with the elder god Yog-Sothoth, as alluded to on the lobby card above.[4]

Though an entertaining and visually enthralling film, most of the changes made to The Haunted Palace weaken the plot. In my opinion, Beaumont added too many Hollywood horror conventions during the adaptation process, which did not always work effectively considering the unconventional source material, not to mention left many plot holes unfilled. The dated and sleazy sexual angle which he added to the film makes the cosmic horror of Yog-Sothoth less cosmic and more carnal; whether this makes him more or less frightening depends on one’s personal opinion, but I feel it contradicts his otherworldly characterization in Lovecraft’s works. For the most part, the talents of the director and the actors (especially Price, who is fabulous as always) make up for these problems, but I prefer--and highly recommend--the far more faithful radio drama adaptation by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society.

The most notable influence of The Haunted Palace on Strange Paradise comes from its characterizations of Charles Dexter Ward and Joseph Curwen. Despite many similarities with The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, the characterizations of both Jean Paul Desmond and Jacques Eloi des Mondes owe far more to the portrayals of the protagonist and villain in the The Haunted Palace than in its source material. In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, neither Ward nor Curwen shows any romantic or sexual interest in women whatsoever.  Lovecraft’s Ward only cares about antiquities, the local history of Providence, and the story of his ancestor; at twenty-six, he is unmarried and either asexual or simply too absorbed in his studies to pursue any romantic or sexual partner. The sexual orientation of Lovecraft’s Curwen is just as much of a mystery: although he took Eliza Tillinghast as a wife during his lifetime and their union produced a daughter, theirs was an arranged marriage for the sake of elevating Curwen’s social status within Providence society.

Both Price’s Ward and his Curwen, in contrast, show a marked interest in women. While their marriage is never outright stated to be a love match, Ward and his wife Ann (Debra Paget) appear to feel mutual love and devotion and have enough chemistry to imply a mutual sexual attraction. Like a dark mirror of Ward, Curwen shows a marked interest in the sexual and sexualized domination of women. In The Haunted Palace, the people of Arkham consider him a threat primarily because he lures local women to his palace to use in his rituals. While possessing Ward, Price’s Curwen rapes Ann--whom he later offers to Yog-Sothoth as well--and resurrects his former mistress, Hester Tillinghast (Cathie Merchant), who assists him in his sorcery in the film’s climax. If Lovecraft’s Curwen never did any similar actions, he does not mention them in his novella.

In Strange Paradise, romantic and sexual desire for women motivates both Jean Paul and Jacques. Jean Paul resurrects his ancestor neither out of an obsession with his history (as in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward) nor by accident (as in The Haunted Palace), but because Jacques’ spirit promises that, if the recently widowed Jean Paul frees him, he will restore life to his beloved wife Erica (Tudi Wiggins). Many episodes show Jean Paul mourning her death and narrating a tape-recorded journal to her, and he obsesses over protecting her cryogenically-preserved corpse from danger. Jacques romantically pursues several female characters over the course of the Maljardin arc--including Erica, her sister Dr. Alison Carr (Dawn Greenhalgh), and the wealthy widow Elizabeth Marshall (Paisley Maxwell) and her 20-year-old daughter Holly (Sylvia Feigel)--and makes many sexual innuendos about them. After resurrecting Erica, she obeys Jacques as though he were her husband and assists him by murdering most of the guests on Maljardin. This makes her character’s role comparable to that of Hester in The Haunted Palace.[5]

On a more superficial note, neither Jacques nor Curwen wears a costume appropriate to his era of origin. In his portrait and in flashbacks, Jacques wears a side-parted 1960s hairstyle and clothing, including a doublet and lace collar and cuffs, more appropriate for the 1630s than the late 17th century when he lived (1660-1689, according to the plaque beneath his portrait). Similarly out of place, Curwen has short hair and a beard and wears a historically inaccurate lace bib in his portrait and in the prologue at the beginning of the film. Unlike the others, this similarity is almost certainly coincidental.

An even greater similarity, however, can be found in the scene forty-five minutes into the film where Curwen speaks to Charles through his portrait.The scene occurs after the second instance of Curwen possessing him, during which he unearths Hester’s coffin and has his fellow warlocks Simon Orne (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and Jabez Hutchinson (Milton Parsons) deliver it to his cellar laboratory. Ann catches him down there and he sends her away, still possessed by Curwen. When Curwen leaves his body, they have this conversation:

JC: (from painting) "Charles Dexter Ward…" CDW: "Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!" JC: "I will never leave you alone. Your blood is my blood, your mind is my mind, your body is my body. It will do you no good to resist me. Your efforts grow weaker every day." CDW: "No! NO!" JC: "You cannot keep me out, Ward. My will is too strong." (he possesses Ward again) "Too strong for you, Ward. Too strong for you."

Similarly, most episodes from the Maljardin arc of Strange Paradise feature at least one scene where Jean Paul communicates with Jacques’ disembodied spirit, represented by his portrait. In some scenes, they use a shot of the portrait hanging in the Great Hall; other times, they superimpose Jacques’ painted face over that of his identical descendant. One of the earliest examples of Jacques referring to them as one comes in Episode 5, when he taunts Jean Paul about his attraction to Alison. “She’s so delectable a woman. How could I--you--we--ever resist or let her go?” he says, snickering throughout. During another such conversation in Episode 27, Jacques refers to Jean Paul’s body as “our body” and commands him to rest because he is tired. In still another scene ten episodes later, he complains to Jean Paul that he is “waiting for the use of our body” as Jean Paul begs him not to “enter”; the dialogue in the scene has undertones suggestive of fantasy-metaphor rape, which Jacques’ sickeningly sweet tone of voice underscores. These are only a handful of examples of the recurring theme of Jacques viewing Jean Paul’s body as his own and seeking to dominate it completely.

Comparison of a shot of Joseph Curwen glowering in front of his portrait with a similar one of Jean Paul glowering in front of the portrait of Jacques from Strange Paradise Episode 41.

Surprisingly, unlike in the novella, Curwen's portrait does not disintegrate when he possesses Ward. As Strange Paradise eventually started doing with Jacques’ portrait, Curwen’s portrait remains hanging until the end of the film, when it burns along with the rest of the palace (which begs the question of how it is even physically possible for stone to burn). Jacques’ portrait meets the same apparent end when Jean Paul sets fire to the château and flees Maljardin, but later returns to him at Desmond Hall, seemingly undamaged by the flames. It does not vanish for good until the final week of the show (Episodes 191-195), when a group of characters force him out of it by rubbing his brother’s ashes on his eyes and lips; this drives him out of the painting and into Jean Paul’s body, which he leaves at the end of the penultimate episode.[6]

Still another similarity comes from what is, in my opinion, Beaumont’s most ingenious change to the plot: the implication that all the human townspeople in 19th-century Arkham are reincarnations of identical people from the previous century, not just the necromancers. The same actors even portray their descendants: for example, Leo Gordon plays both Ezra and Edgar Weeden, and Frank Maxwell portrays both Dr. Marinus Willett and his ancestor Priam. Implied reincarnation figures heavily in the original outline for Strange Paradise, with Jean Paul, his sister-in-law Alison Carr, and the young heiress Holly Marshall all having dreams about previous lives on 17th-century Maljardin. Much like Jacques who possesses his descendant, Holly’s mother Elizabeth Marshall may have also been possessed by her previous incarnation, the native priestess Tarasca, under this outline, as foreshadowed in the clips in this video. The second Desmond Hall arc (Episodes 131-195), likewise, involves reincarnation from past ancestors (including the return of Jacques), but this final arc otherwise shares little in common with either The Case of Charles Dexter Ward or its adaptation.

Conclusion

There is strong evidence that Strange Paradise drew inspiration from both The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Haunted Palace for the story about Jean Paul Desmond’s possession by Jacques Eloi des Mondes. We see elements from both the book and its first film adaptation in the serial: Ian Martin’s characterization of Jacques, the possession, and the talking portrait owe more to the film, while the disappearing portrait and certain elements of Jacques’ backstory are more reminiscent of Lovecraft’s original novella. Despite this inspiration, Ian Martin added many other elements to the story of Maljardin that were not present in either work, including the conjure doll and silver pin, the strange circumstances surrounding Erica’s death, and secondary protagonist Holly’s pursuit by several male characters and victimization by a mysterious spirit. The result is a serial combining the plots of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and its adaptation with original ideas to create a unique and--yes--strange new story.

Notes

[1] For more information on the aborted Tarasca storyline, see “The Secret of Tarasca“ and the section of my review of Episode 40 titled “The Lost Episode 40.”

[2] Dorothy Daniels, Island of Evil (New York: Paperback Library, 1970), p. 45.

[3] The Paperback Library novels do not just portray this consistently, but portray the other characters as seeing an empty frame while Jacques is controlling Jean Paul’s body. See also my review of Episode 15.

[4] For an in-depth plot comparison, see the blog post “The Films of Charles Dexter Ward” by Fake Geek Boy.

[5] According to an early newspaper summary for Episode 35, Tarasca would have endangered the life of Jean Paul’s love interest Alison, also shows some signs of possible influence by this subplot. See also this video.

[6] Many of the events of the final month of Strange Paradise are unclear and/or unexplained, so this interpretation should be taken with a grain of salt.

[movietvtechgeeks]

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Regarding Dean: Best 'Supernatural' episode of Season 12, so far

Regarding Dean has to be one of my favorite Supernatural episodes this season – it shows, distinctly, what great actors we have in Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Of course, Jensen gets the lion’s share of the scenes in this episode (it is called Regarding Dean, after all), but Jared’s role definitely doesn’t get lost – his skills are too great for that to happen. My first impression of Gideon Loughlin (played by Justin Turnbull) was that he was the victim of some unknown monster; I’m sure that wasn’t an uncommon thought. This scene was one of the few this episode where we see classic Dean – a confident Dean that knows what he’s doing. One of the things I noticed that was done with wardrobe was the state of Dean’s jacket – when he’s chasing Gideon, it’s the Dean we know and love – clean but still a bit rough around the edges. When it comes to the next scene, with that absolutely adorable bunny, Dean’s jacket – and Dean himself – is definitely more rough than not. I’m about 99% positive that the restaurant location used for the breakfast diner is an IHOP (if anyone knows for sure, I’d be interested in confirming this). I’ve been to many in Vancouver, and they all have a certain … look. This scene has one of my favorite lines in this episode – after Elka (played by the lovely Lindsay Winch) slaps him – “Yup, epic night.” The two trot off to the morgue to investigate their case – in which an accountant suffocates on a pile of money -- to find out that with a hex bag involved, it’s indeed one of “their kind” of cases. So far Sam has thought that Dean was still recovering from an all-night bender, and it isn’t until Dean can’t figure out how to reverse Baby – much less remember which key to use – that he gets the inkling that something just isn’t quite right. (Makes you wonder how many times Sam and Dean have been in this situation before. Probably a lot.) Both Jared and Jensen’s acting in this scene, the one in Baby, are totally spot on. At the beginning, Sam’s just laughing it off … but when Dean forgets his name (only for a second, but still) it’s obviously become a serious matter. Sam realizes that he needs some assistance, and – inadvertently -- ends up calling in for recruitments, in the nature of our favorite red-headed witch – Rowena. Although it’s a small scene, I quite enjoyed the one of Rowena playing poker. It gives us an insight into what she does when she’s not casting spells – although, her magic still comes into play when she turns her cards into a set of aces. Quite a good trick, that. What I love about this episode is that it could so easily become strictly serious – however, there are many lighthearted moments (Dory, anyone?) that just made me giggle. Also; I wonder how long it took Jared to write all those sticky notes? After talking to Rowena, and finding out the only way to get Dean’s memory back is to kill the witch, Sam and Dean set out to retrace Dean’s steps, and return to the accountant’s office. Kudos to the crew for the fast forward through the door to the accountant’s office – that was very well done. I also learned something about our Dean – who knew the guy liked cigars? Dean apparently went for burgers after the accountant’s office (surprise, surprise) and continuing to retrace Dean’s steps, they end up at a bar where we again see Elka. The look on Dean’s face when he forgets how to explain he and Sam are FBI agents was picture perfect. And Sam rolling his eyes when Elka says Dean was amazing? Priceless! There are many good guest star roles in this episode – and Elka’s is one of them. Lindsay’s tone of voice and facial expression when she talks about taking advantage of Dean (and following which, Dean’s reaction) was hilarious … and I have to wonder if “Now salsa you mittens!” was Jensen actually trying to read his own lips, or if that was scripted. Either way – kudos. Sam’s “Now that’s comedy” is another favorite line of mine – poor Dean, not being able to remember his time with Elka …. They find the video footage from the bar the night before, and of course, Dean can’t remember a thing about what’s on the screen … Now. As a fangirl, I have to say I love fourth wall breaks – and “Watching myself on Netflix” gets me each of the three times I watched this episode. I love it when the show gives us viewers a wink and a nod … it’s great to be validated! Back to Sam and Dean. They’ve found out who the witch is, and set out in the woods to continue retracing Dean’s steps – after Sam gives Dean “the talk” – yes Dean, there are monsters. The look that comes over Sam’s face when he realizes that he is giving Dean the same talk that they’ve given to uncountable civilians is … well, indescribable.  It’s almost in disbelief, like he can’t believe it’s happening. The boys traipse through the woods (another one of my favorite lines occurs here – “Our best friend’s an angel. Whaaaaa?”) to find Gideon dead – there goes the easy way to fix Dean – and some Celtic runes on the tree (anyone else find Sam’s knowledge on esoteric things amazing?). This next scene – back in the motel room – was an emotional roller coaster. I went from giggling at Dean’s comment on Rowena’s bouncy hair, and her “Do we have to fix him?” to utter sadness when Rowena says that Dean’s going to die … and then back to laughing again when Dean says, “Sucks for that guy!” During this exchange, and the next one in the bathroom, Jared’s acting is perfection. His look of loss when Rowena says that Dean’s going to die, and after telling Dean his life story – him staying strong for his older brother, and still trying to look on the bright side of things and saying, “We’ll figure it out.” It breaks my heart. This episode review would not be complete with a comment on Jensen’s acting in that bathroom scene. Speechless. That’s what it left me – looking into the camera/mirror and strictly with facial expressions alone conveying a complete and utter loss of memory. Wow. I love this show – and I love our boys. Back in the motel room, Rowena and Sam are discussing what to do next. This line? It was so epically Supernatural … about our brothers, about the family … “I’ve seen my brother die. But watching him become not him … this might actually be worse.” That’s some heavy stuff. The unshed tears in Sam’s eyes – and the frustration when Rowena mentions getting the spellbook … that’s damn good acting. Sam sets off to get the spellbook from the Loughlin siblings, and Rowena’s left back at the motel room babysitting Dean. Literally – Dean’s like a five-year-old, getting into everything until Rowena gives him a voodoo doll and some pins to play with. (Of course, she carries around voodoo dolls. This is Rowena we’re talking about.) Rowena’s role in this entire episode definitely gives us some idea of what she’s thinking – she tells Dean about meeting the Loughlin's back when she came to the country and being thrown out by them. She talks about power, and how if God and his sister can’t be happy, what hope is there for her? It’ll be interesting to see where that storyline goes … Meanwhile, Sam has found the Loughlin house – and I have to take a second to say I hope this library is real because the reader in me is absolutely lusting after it. I want that library! Anyway, Sam confronts Boyd and Catriona and ends up being tied to a chair. Again. What is with Sam and chairs in this season? Really? Sam’s inner goodness – and willingness to see the goodness in everyone – comes to play in this scene. He’s tied to a chair, yet he still tries to appeal to Boyd’s better side (if he has one) … trying to convince Boyd that he doesn’t have to play by his sister’s rules. Of course, it would be no fun if Boyd agrees, so we find out that Boyd and Catriona are planning to switch Sam’s soul for their dead brother’s. Lovely. We cut back to the Impala to see Dean waking up to yet another sticky note – one explaining that his brother has been kidnapped (Dean’s repeat of “stupid car” made me smile – even when he’s losing himself, he still knows Baby is definitely not stupid) and one saying “Stay.” (I do believe that is actually Ruth Connell’s writing. Very apropos.) I have to mention that I absolutely adore Tirra Dent’s character (Catriona). The use of her sing-song when she has Rowena up against the wall? Perfect. And Rowena’s line – “Nothing heals old wounds like opening fresh ones” is so obviously Rowena. Back at the Impala, Dean has bypassed the “Stay” and has made his way to Baby’s trunk … where there’s a very large NO on the rocket launcher (loved that touch) and a “Witch killing bullets” and “This gun.” Rowena is still up against the wall, and Dean – who has lost his ability to speak -- walks in pointing a gun at Catriona … his raised eyebrow after raising the “Witch killing bullets” sticky notes … well, it was wonderful. So Dean kills the witch(es) … Rowena casts the spell … and Dean’s back to normal, right? “Who’s this hippy?” and its effect on Sam was funny in a very evil way. Not surprising though, considering the pranks that the boys play on each other. It’s obvious – to me – how much Sam has grown. He says he was a little jealous – at first – of Dean because Dean couldn’t remember a thing about being a hunter. But I think he saw just how much of being a hunter is Dean – and himself, for that matter – and losing that would be like losing a part of himself. The scene ends with a grin to make Sam fans’ heart flutter, and a reminder to Dean that the Impala’s key is the shiny one. To wrap this up – I truly believe Dean remembers everything from what happened during his memory loss. I might be wrong, but the fact that he says “Blank, mostly” to Rowena and the look on his face – and the montage intertwined with Dean riding the bull (thanks for that, by the way) … it just makes me think that everything is still there. What do you think? This is my first Supernatural episode review – so my apologies if I miss anything. As with any family, I'm sure someone in the #SPNFamily will find something to say.

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Gobliiins: Underneath a carrot patch

By Ilmari

I had managed to get in wizard’s house, but then I had no idea what I was expected to achieve. Time for plan B, that is, random clicking around. What I soon found out was that the big skeleton was very ticklish and dropped a skeleton key, if I used a feather on him. I couldn’t take the key right away, because the skeleton was guarding it.

And he was mightily pissed

Then again, he is easily amused

With the skeleton distracted by cup and ball, I could take the key and open the small cage. A small mouselike creature emerged and escaped through the window, but I still wasn’t closer to completing the level.

Time for more experimentation. Spelling the feather turned it into a flyswatter. A fly was buzzing around, so I naturally let Dwayne swat the animal. With no better idea, I let Hooter enchant the dead fly, which turned into a dart. What should I do with this thing?

Click it on everything and hope something works

Throwing the dart on wizard’s picture opened up a cupboard containing the voodoo doll used for enchanting the goblin king. I picked the doll up – and I still hadn’t completed the level! Turns out I had to also pick up a random bottle of elixir to finally move forward. Quite a messy level: no clear goal and the puzzle solutions made no sense even with hindsight.

At least now I have a new goal

Next level had a tighter design. I obviously had to find my way past the wizard, who would zap anyone trying to walk by the opening in the wall. Dwayne was carrying the elixir from the last level, and drinking it made him invisible. That should have made it easy for him to sneak past the big baddie.

You had to step on the horn!

Perhaps I should do something with those eggs?

You can’t make an omelette…

…without breaking an egg.

Maybe a spell?

I think I see where this is heading

Splash!

After exhausting other options I noticed there was something hidden under roots of the tree. Hooter’s spell lifted the roots and Dwayne found a bird call underneath. Blowing it called a bird, which depending on where Dwayne stood either dropped an egg on his head or hatched one of the eggs in the nest. When Hooter enchanted the hatched egg, he got a lift to safety.

If I were the wizard, I’d definitely take a notice of the flying egg

With Hooter on the other side, he could easily use his magical powers to move the horn couple of inches, so that Dwayne could use the invisibility potion without being noticed. Now I only had BoBo to worry about. There was a carrot lying about, with which I could gain the attention of a rat, peeking from a hole in the ground. Hooter then turned the rat into a pin-up lady for a few seconds. While the wizard’s gaze was transfixed in her, BoBo could walk to his comrades.

My task was to find Shadwin, good wizard, who lived under a carrot patch. Here I was on one but I still had to figure out how to get under it. After couple of minutes I found out that Hooter could enchant a rock, which would grow into a sort of ladder, with which I could climb to the top of the slab. When I used a stick that was lying around on a differently coloured point on slab, a watering can appeared.

When I watered the small sprouts, they grew into large carrot tops. It was up to Hooter to spell the carrots completely out. Most of them were monstrous creations, which destroyed the health of the goblins.

Except this one. This one improved their health

One of the carrots looked like an alligator with a key on its nose. When hit, the carrotgator dropped the key, which could then be used in another carrot with a keyhole. I had found my way underground.

Why would you put a cannon in your house?

The good wizard Shadwin was very sleepy and I had to find a way to awaken him. There was a box of matches lying around, and if BoBo hit the pile of balls, Dwayne could pick one of them up. Maybe I should then use the cannon and hope that the old man would hear its sound?

This wasn’t what I meant

I had to first change the direction of the cannon by letting BoBo hit it. Now the cannon was pointed more upwards and ball wouldn’t hit Shadwin. Instead, it hit roof above and a carrot landed. Carrots were Shadwin’s favourite, so maybe I should put the carrot in the pot.

Of course, I must use the cannon for this

The smell of carrot stew soon awakened Shadwin. Problem was that he was hard of hearing and couldn’t understand a word of what we were saying. With no other avenues to explore, I repeated the exact procedure for finding carrots and let Hooter enchant it this time.The result was an ear trumpet, through which Dwayne could speak to Shadwin.

And still I was stuck on the same level! I picked up a stick that had just appeared on the floor and used it with the big gong. The gong turned into a dimensional portal after hitting it, and a small pendulum appeared.

After picking the pendulum, gobliiins were ready to move to the next level through the portal. Shadwin explained that dragon’s fire would be essential in destroying the voodoo doll. Since this post is long enough, let’s stop here and leave the dragon for the next one.

Session time: 4 hours 25 minutes Total time: 9 hours 30 minutes

Request for Assistance

I am currently stuck at a spot somewhat further from where this post stopped. Since I have a hunch I am close to the end, I’ll ask for a hint now, instead of leaving it for the next post. So, V nz ba n yriry jvgu n qentba. V’ir sbhaq n ybt naq n ont bs frrqf naq V’ir sbhaq bhg gung ybt pna or genafsbezrq gb n fcenl pna. Jung arkg? Vf gurer jnl gb trg orlbaq gur ovgvat oevqtr? Fubhyq V hfr gur frrqf be gur pna fbzrjurer?

Remember to give your hints in ROT13, arranged so that you first give only a nudge, then a clearer hint etc. and final solution on the last spot.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/gobliiins-underneath-a-carrot-patch/