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ebonysplendor · 2 months

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Infatuation 💰🏞️

TL;DR: What's worse than running away from one psychopath? Running away from six psychopaths. Even worse than that? They're rich psychopaths, with shmonies. Also, can we make a damn plan and stick to it please?!

Game Link: https://aspenglen.itch.io/infatuation

Notable Features: Self-Insert, Customizable (somewhat), Multiple Endings, Multiple LIs, Yandere LIs, 4+ hours of gameplay Spiciness: 2/5 -- It can get a little flirty and a little spicy here and there, but the main "spice" is when there's an unwanted advance from some of the LIs LI(s) Red Flags: 3.8/5 -- Kidnapping, drugging, nonconsensual sexual advances, tied up, branded, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, physical force

Wanna know more? Meh...I say not unless you're at least 16. There's not an age restriction, buuuuuuuuuut I don't feel like anyone's 12-year-old sibling should be playing this. That being said, I can't do much from behind a screen, so let's get into it!

Just a heads up, the game was long as shit, so this review is going to be long as shit;;

Oh hey. Didn't see ya there. Oh this? This is just my first post in about a month. Thought I'd just...sliiiiide on in here, get thangs swangin' again. Lol but no seriously. It has been a pretty crazy month, but I've finally got enough time and rest at the same time to finally make this review, and aha...

Respectfully...I understand that all good things must come to an end, but damn, I really miss that phase where I was running into all the really good visual novels...

That being said, I know what I said, but hear me out! The game isn't...awful...but I didn't really vibe with it. Like, I know why I didn't vibe with it, but I'd rather wait and get into all of that during the review portion. Hopefully, based on the summary I give you, the review and criticism I have will make sense.

Anyways, this game, interestingly enough, is actually a rendition -- am I using that word right? I believe I am...? -- of a story that was written on Wattpad, and don't act all brand new like you don't know what Wattpad is! You know damn well what Wattpad is because here you are playing and reading visual novels and reviews of visual novels about toxic ass men being a (forced) love interest. Don't try to play me. I'm getting distracted though!

So the name of the story on Wattpad, like the game, is Infatuation, and it's about...well actually, I'm gonna give you a summary of what it's about because this visual novel is based off of it! I was going to give the actual story a read after I finished the visual novel but, uh...

Almost a 24 hour read???? Yeah, no thanks, and you'll hopefully understand why I didn't have much motivation to give it a read after my review.

I'm pretty over yapping in the intro, though, so let's head into the actual game, yeah? As per the usual, I'm going to tell you as much about the game as possible without ruining the game itself. Without a better transition sentence, let's get into it!

So boom.

We're on our way to school, and we meet up with our -- quite frankly -- thirsty ass friends. They're pretty much raving about this new group of boys that had just transferred to our school, because, not only are they super rich, they are, apparently, extremely attractive.

We pretty much brush this off, though, because we're not looking for anything romantic. Honestly, we're barely looking for anything platonic; however, we agreed to be their wingman since we're essentially God-tier at picking up men that we don't want.

That being said, by some weird stroke of luck -- or misfortune, considering we know that this is all going to go very left as the story progresses -- we proceed to run into every single one of them. And I mean

every.

single.

frickin.

one.

of.

them.

Well, kinda? The blond one had a class with the blue-haired guy, us, and the bestie. The purple haired one -- even though it's more of a burgundy? -- was in the vicinity after we had pretty much asked the other boys about him because this was the one that the besties were simping over the most. But the rest? Pretty much had a one-on-one moment with all of them, even if one was extremely douchey.

Anyways, we're kind've going about our days and the besties are still thirstin', and, admittedly, we're getting closer to these guys -- too close. One of our other friends -- his name is Hiroko -- pretty much warns us about them because something just seems real sketchy to him about these guys. That being said, we just kind've brush him off, because it's, like, sir? Who are you to talk about someone being sketchy? Like, lmao mans is a full on delinquent with a whole ass gang and a criminal history with the police, and they can't stand his ass.

He's a good sport about it, though, because even though he's like "You're a full blown dumbass for that", he's like "True, true..." and just warns us to be careful around them. Now mind you, his concern is totally fair, because it's discovered later on that they pretty much fucked up this one kid's world -- you'll have to discover how during your own playthrough, though. I ain't tellin' you all that lmao.

Now, fast forwarding a lot here, shit lowkey starts hitting the fan because the bae comes back in town -- not official bae, but still bae -- and conveniently enough, he is the brother of our two besties

Everyone. This is Kenzen; the man that we're pretty sure is gonna be our husband and baby daddy one day, maybe not even in that order, but those things exactly.

Now, the reason why shit starts hitting the fan is because all of a sudden, the school boys are starting to realize that we already have our future husband picked out. Shit proceeds to get super tense once this knowledge it learned, and the boys are start to slowly but slowly lose their shit. Allow me to show you

Exhibit A: A most vicious side-eye competition

Exhibit B: The OG death grip and growl

and Exhibit C: The comply or choose death, but drunken

Oh, and let's just throw this one in for some added flair.

And definitely this one.

And why would we not add this one?

Yep, the fan was pretty much hit with shit so...yeah lmao. Go ahead and give it a go so you can see how we ended up with the most romantic gift of a necklace and a finger.

Lmao I wasn't joking about the finger by the way.

And now to air all of my grievances...

Lol nah, I'm joking, but also...there's a lot to unpack here.

First off, let's talk about the good!

So...our psychopathic LIs. Can we just acknowledge the diversity? Like, you had your pale guy, your dark guy, your tan guy, your fair skin guy, like...? I seriously appreciate that time was taken out to actually make all the LIs look different from each other and not some copy-paste, change the eye color and hair thing. I absolutely LOVED the diversity of the LIs.

Not to mention, the MC is diverse a well! Granted, like typical, we can't really SEE it except in the occasional CG, but it was just dope that there was even an option, ya know?

Also! The concept of the story was actually pretty solid! Some of the things that happened were interesting, and I definitely had a "...Well, damn ._." moment here and there.

Now for the...not so good.

This flowed like a stereotypical Wattpad story. That's obviously no fault of the dev, but, for me, the point of renditions is to take something and make it a little better or give it some extra flair without ruining what the OG creator intended -- that didn't really happen, and that was honestly what bugged me the most out of everything.

I didn't really care that there'd be strings and strings and strings of dialogue before the next choice finally came up nor did I care that, while it appeared to be choice heavy, it was actually just an illusion on choice where it didn't really matter how you responded to certain things; it just was. But yeah, the pacing was...well, let me expose myself a little (don't come after me. I'm a tiny and cozy blog lol)

If you make posts on tumblr, then you know what this is. For those that don't know and/or can't guess what it is, this shows the interaction that my blog gets or my "activity" more accurately. The reason why I brought this out was because...this was how the story's pacing was.

First, it'd be on a steady progression, and then it'd drone on and on and on into a plateau, but then -- out of no where -- shit will randomly escalate and just take off into this fit of drama...but then it'd quickly drop. There was no real flow, and when there was, it'd be super inconsistent. Not to mention, the wishy-washiness of the MC and the unpredictability of the LIs (which duh, right?), the pacing would just take off and then would come to a dead stop. It's like there was no balance between the narration, the drama, and the transitions to the next scene. Like, yeah, you've gotta story tell, obvi, but don't drone on for-- actually I can show you that as well.

Did you notice how long that clip was? Imagine how long it took to read...

That was just straight up narration, and there was multiple times where this happened. Nothing really happening, no choices to make, just straight up narration. Well, no, I lied a little. Things did happen, but once again, it'd come out of no where. It, quite literally, will go from having a normal conversation, and then the yandere side just comes out totally unprovoked. Like? It's honestly more for shock factor than for story, and it got to a point where I was honestly just tired of the game itself and was wanting it to end...but it ended up being 3 hours longer, and I'm not even joking about that. Once again, I can show you.

This was the point I started getting ill with the game but felt that I was towards the end and pushed on to finish it out

This was when I realized that I was clearly wrong about that being "almost the end" and took pretty much another 3 hours to get through.

And yes, for the most part, I played it in one sitting with the exception of when I got me a little snacky snack and went to pee. Oh? You're curious about what time I started playing?

Around 5 hours beforehand...

Notice that that all says 19 June 2024. I have never been so glad to see the ending screen...

It wasn't even because it was bad! It was just. so. extremely. long. And for, what felt like, no reason to be that long. Granted, I could've stopped and saved and came back, but it always felt like I was either getting to the end or to a good part, and it just never came -- not that there wasn't any good parts, but...never mind, I feel like I make it worse the more I try to explain...

Anyways, the game wasn't awful by any means, but it definitely could use some improvement. The whole thing had good potential, the pacing of it really just killed it for me, and had that been better executed? This would've been a great game, but it's honestly just...decent. It had multiple endings, but outside of each of the yandere LIs' ending? I didn't bother trying to get the others.

Even still, while I don't recommend the game, I think it's still worth giving it a casual playthrough! There's plenty of material to read, and there are some interesting parts! Like I said, it's just a pacing issue. Not to mention the MC was pissing me off with that wishy-washy bullshit. Like, bro, survival is at the top of the list. Why are you making a plan and doing the exact opposite of what you were gonna do? Like, what the fuck is you doin'?!

You'll understand it when you play it yourself so...give it a fair try? Here, I'll even put the link here! Heck, and give the dev some encouraging words and, even though I didn't see it, some monetary support! The game itself was honestly fine! It was just the storytelling needed some work, which lowkey isn't even their fault because it was based off of a Wattpad story (I'll link that again here, by the by).

Okay, this review is about to be the same length as the game. I'm going to go ahead and head out of here. Just to reiterate, the game is free! Giving it a casual playthrough never hurts! I mean, what've you got to lose except about 4 - 6 hours?

Okay, really, I'm out of here now! Remember! Drink water, don't be dumb, and hope to see you around~!

Infatuation

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mattdillon · 5 months

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the outsiders musical review round up

these are for reviews for the broadway version. i will compile the ones for the la jolla previews from a year go at a later date. i will add my opinions on these in a reblog.

[TheaterMania] Review: The Outsiders Becomes a Soggy Broadway Musical

The deluge arrives during the climactic rumble scene, perversely transforming this coming-of-age story about brotherhood and the gravitational pull of class into an Abercrombie & Fitch photoshoot. It adds nothing to the story and gives several of these tough (tuff?) boys the Sharon Stone wet look just in time for the show’s heartfelt conclusion. This may seem like a petty thing to highlight at the top of a review, but this expensive and superfluous scenic effect exemplifies everything that is wrong with The Outsiders.

[The Guardian] The Outsiders review – ’60s-set classic makes for a solid, if unspectacular, Broadway musical

SE Hinton’s novel, which was adapted by Francis Ford Coppola for film, makes for a competent yet forgettable stage show.

In musical form, The Outsiders is at times overly, achingly sad, sometimes curiously staid, and always feeling in debt to something bigger.

[The New York Times, archive link] Review: In ‘The Outsiders,’ a New Song for the Young Misfits

The classic coming-of-age novel has become a compelling, if imperfect, musical about have-not teenagers in a have-it-all world.

It’s a strange paradox of Broadway that its bigness, when used humbly, can honor quite delicate ideas. Whether it can sustain them is another story. In “The Outsiders,” they are not sustained; the structural problems mean its achievements don’t stick. But they’re still achievements, and a show need not be for the ages to be for the moment. In that sense it’s fair, citing Frost, to call it golden — nature’s “hardest hue to hold.”

[NY Daily News] BROADWAY REVIEW: S.E. Hinton’s gang classic ‘The Outsiders’ doesn’t cut it as stage show

This new Broadway musical is not all I had hoped. The show loses its narrative thread in a second act where the requisite narrative tension dissipates instead of intensifying, and the show, which lacks the humor of the structurally similar “Newsies,” gets stuck in an overly introspective and melancholic loop. It’s understandable why — the source novel is proudly reflective and ruminative, but musicals invariably have to be fueled by action, emotional change and resolvable determination.

[The Washington Post] Like many musical adaptations, ‘The Outsiders’ overexplains itself The new Broadway show adapted from S. E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s movie has great visual touches but falters when the characters open their mouths.

And therein lies the problem: The show overexplains everything, all the time. Hinton knew exactly how much to say and when — the paperback edition of “The Outsiders” is just 180 concise, evocative pages that let us discover things along with Ponyboy. Here, both the book and the songs tend to underestimate the audience’s intelligence. (This is surprising coming from Rapp, who is usually not afraid of ambiguity.)

[Variety] ‘The Outsiders’ Review: Broadway Musical Packs Heart and Soul but Little Punch

But a puttering feeling pervades even these climactic moments. The infatuation between Ponyboy and Cherry (Emma Pittman), which produces a couple of serviceable duets, feels perfunctory and fades into a melange of other conflicts. Hinton’s novel gallops with the muscular first-person voice of a tortured narrator, grabbing readers by the collar. “The Outsiders” musical takes a milder approach, peering under the hood of masculinity to the tune and pace of indie emo.

there are other reviews than these, but these are the major ones. some of them i don't include because, well, even in agreement that the show is bad, they have really bad conclusions in other spaces. broadwayworld features more but i'd exercise caution as some of the reviews they mark positive are actually middling at best.

#the outsiders #the outsiders musical #review round up

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blueheartbooks · 8 months

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"The Duality of Beauty and Decay: Oscar Wilde's Masterpiece, The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" unfolds as a decadent tapestry woven with the threads of beauty, morality, and the consequences of unchecked hedonism. Published in 1890, this novel is a timeless exploration of the corrupting influence of aestheticism and the intricate dance between art and morality. The title alone evokes a sense of mystery and allure, foreshadowing the dark and enigmatic journey that readers are about to embark upon.

At the heart of the narrative is the titular character, Dorian Gray, a young and exceptionally handsome man whose portrait, painted by the talented artist Basil Hallward, captures the essence of his youth and beauty. Dorian becomes infatuated with the idea of eternal youth and makes a Faustian pact—his portrait will age and bear the consequences of his immoral actions, while he remains untouched by the ravages of time.

The novel explores the concept of aestheticism, a philosophy championed by Wilde himself, which emphasizes the pursuit of beauty and the rejection of conventional morality. Dorian Gray, initially an emblem of aesthetic perfection, descends into a life of decadence, indulging in every pleasure the world has to offer without regard for the ethical ramifications. Wilde's razor-sharp wit and satirical commentary on the superficiality of society are evident as Dorian navigates the underbelly of Victorian London.

Wilde's prose is a marvel, a poetic symphony that captures the essence of his aesthetic philosophy. The novel is replete with epigrams and witticisms that showcase Wilde's keen observation of human behavior and society's obsession with appearances. The writing is both ornate and cutting, creating a delightful tension that mirrors the duality inherent in the narrative.

The characters surrounding Dorian Gray add depth to the exploration of morality and corruption. Lord Henry Wotton, a charismatic and cynical aristocrat, serves as the catalyst for Dorian's moral descent. His aphorisms and influence on Dorian encapsulate the allure of a life unfettered by societal norms. Basil Hallward, the artist who initially captures Dorian's beauty, becomes a symbol of the internal struggle between art and morality.

The narrative is enriched by the symbolic significance of the portrait itself. As Dorian's sins accumulate, the portrait undergoes a grotesque transformation, reflecting the moral decay hidden beneath the veneer of youth and beauty. The portrait becomes a haunting reminder of the consequences of a life lived without moral restraint, a visual representation of the soul's degradation.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is not merely a cautionary tale but a profound exploration of the human condition. Wilde challenges the superficiality of societal values, prompting readers to confront the inherent tension between aesthetic pursuits and ethical responsibilities. The novel's themes remain relevant, inviting contemporary readers to reflect on the price of unchecked desire and the pursuit of an idealized, hedonistic existence.

In conclusion, Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" stands as a literary masterpiece that transcends its Victorian origins. The novel's exploration of beauty, morality, and the consequences of decadence remains as relevant today as it was over a century ago. Wilde's unparalleled wit, coupled with the timeless relevance of the novel's themes, solidify its place in the literary canon as a work that continues to provoke thought and captivate readers with its exploration of the eternal struggle between the allure of beauty and the inevitability of moral decay.

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is available in Amazon in paperback 11.99$ and hardcover 19.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 188

Language: English

Rating: 10/10

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

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blueheartbookclub · 8 months

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"The Duality of Beauty and Decay: Oscar Wilde's Masterpiece, The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is available in Amazon in paperback 11.99$ and hardcover 19.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 188

Language: English

Rating: 10/10

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

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nanowrimo · 4 years

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NaNoWriMo Editing 101

During our “Now What?” Months, we’re focusing on providing resources and information to help writers through the revision, editing, and publishing process. Today, Jes D.A., senior editor at Scribendi, a NaNoWriMo sponsor, is here to share some basic editing tips:

Before becoming a senior editor at Scribendi, an online editing and proofreading company headquartered in my hometown, and after completing my first ever NaNoWriMo, I faced a mess of a draft. As I reviewed my work, I was horrified. It was easy enough to give up on the story—and almost NaNoWriMo itself—forever.

This is not a unique situation. Many writers end up frustrated with their drafts (or themselves) after NaNoWriMo, forgetting, after prioritizing writing during November, that the editing stage is just as important as the drafting stage. As noted by Squibler, "Thorough and extensive editing is essential to any novel that makes it to the end of the publishing process."

When I wanted to quit, I had forgotten that NaNoWriMo was only the first step of my journey—that oh-so-important, and arguably most difficult, first step that helps so many writers embark on the stages of writing. But it is far from the only step in the writing journey.

Learned writers know that editing is integral to the writing process. They only allow editing to become a secondary goal to win NaNoWriMo because they know that polishing their writing is a requirement for later. In accepting that quality should always be improved, your imperfect writing can never cause fear. Instead, it feels natural.

As it should. As a professional editor and writer for over five years, I have never seen a manuscript that couldn't be massively improved upon. This is not a reflection of the quality of writing but rather shows just how powerful editing is. And how necessary it is.

Still, NaNoWriMo editing can be a daunting journey, what with so many words to improve, and especially after the considerable effort it took to write them in the first place. For that reason (and more to come), it is an excellent idea to . . .

Wait to Edit

It's a great idea to wait between the writing and editing stages. A long break is essential to ensuring you can read your manuscript anew, which is required for effective editing.

Some fear forgetting their work or its outline, for example, but revising as the writer will be much less helpful for your book than revising from the perspective of an outside editor. Fresh eyes are needed for a real evaluation of the quality of your work and the aspects of it that require improvement.

Stephen King, in On Writing, argues that you should let your manuscript sit for at least six weeks before beginning to edit it. For NaNoWriMo participants, this means you should wait until at least mid-January to begin revising your draft. I might argue that the end of February would provide an even fresher perspective. This will give you time for a true break in December and time to plan how you will tackle the editing phase of your NaNoWriMo journey. That means you will also need to . . .

Set Editing Guidelines

Since you are facing such a large draft to edit, it is a good idea to lay out a plan for your NaNoWriMo editing as you likely did for your NaNoWriMo writing. Even if you are a pantser, you had a daily word count goal of 1,667 words per day and the general outline used for all stories (beginning, middle, and end). Plans help to simplify any process, and an editing plan will certainly make the task less daunting.

At one time, NaNoEdMo was created to help writers through this editing process; the event traditionally occurred in March and specified 50 hours of editing time over the month. Choosing a similar goal or a word count-based goal, as you likely did with NaNoWriMo, is an excellent idea. And, as you may know as a NaNoWriMo participant, staying on track can mean the difference between a workable piece and a draft left finished and forgotten forever.

Don't let your manuscript collect dust for too long. Once you have had a proper break and set a schedule, you should get editing. If you're not sure where to start, it's time to . . .

Get Editing Help

Editing can feel like a huge undertaking, especially for larger works. Not knowing where to start is not uncommon, as is true when learning any professional skill. But right here at your NaNoWriMo home, you can find lots of help if you're not sure what to do after finishing your first draft. NaNoWriMo HQ provides "Now What?" resources, forums, and webcasts with advice on both editing and publishing. In addition, NaNoWriMo participants can swap novels for feedback or editing, join writing groups, and seek publishing and self-publishing advice in various NaNoWriMo forums.

There are also many online guidelines for novel editing. Scribendi's author blog, for example, outlines advice from experienced fiction editors and writers at Scribendi. For NaNoWriMo editing participants, "NaNoWriMo: Now What?" provides advice on how to actually begin editing your writing, while "Navigating the Publishing Process: A Guide for New Authors" is a helpful resource for when you're finished editing.

Another way many novelists seek help is by having a professional editor revise their first draft on their behalf. This is a good option for novelists who would like to obtain professional feedback before continuing with the writing process. It is also helpful for writers who simply do not enjoy editing and those who want to begin working on their next story while their current story is being edited.

If you're unsure if external editing would be beneficial for you, a few companies offer a free sample edit. This year, as a NaNoWriMo sponsor, Scribendi offered NaNoWriMo participants a free sample of 2,000 words of editing for their NaNoWriMo novel. If you participated this past year and would like to try editing for yourself, check out Scribendi’s NaNoWriMo free sample.

Onward!

A rough draft is called rough for a reason. It is more than natural for your winning NaNoWriMo manuscript to be a not-so-winning manuscript if you submit it before it is ready.

All novels require editing, and, though it might not always feel like it when the time for editing comes, a bad first draft is a wonderful starting place for writers. Giving yourself a true break and some breathing room away from your novel, setting guidelines for when it comes time to edit, and getting editing help can alleviate this common stress for writers and help them achieve a successful edit.

After all, NaNoWriMo editing can mean the difference between getting published and not, and your story deserves to be shared.

Jes D.A. is a Senior Editor and the Content Marketing Coordinator at Scribendi. She graduated from Western University with an Honors Specialization in Creative Writing and English Language and Literature. Her writing advice has been published on several writing blogs, including Writer’s Digest, and her creative and academic writing has been published in magazines. Jes is also infatuated with the visual arts, and her artwork has been featured in several zines.

#nanowrimo #writing #amwriting #editing #now what #by nano sponsor #scribendi #jes d.a.

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claudia1829things · 4 years

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"FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" (1967) Review

"FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" (1998) Review To my knowledge, there have been five adaptations of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel, "Far From the Madding Crowd". One of them is even a modern day adaptation. I have not seen this modern version of Hardy's novel. But I have seen at least three adaptations, including the 1967 version directed by John Schlesinger.

"FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" - at least the 1967 version - has been highly regarded by critics, moviegoers and fans of Hardy's novel for nearly five decades. It is the adaptation that other ones have been measured against . . . much to their detriment. "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" was a different direction for Schlesinger. It would prove to be the first of five period productions directed by him. Schlesinger and screenwriter Frederic Raphael stuck as closely to Hardy's novel as they possibly could. The movie was not a hundred percent adaptation of Hardy's novel, but it was pretty close. Anyone familiar with Hardy's novel know the tale. It begins with a young 19th century Englishwoman named Bathsheba Everdene, living on a farm with her aunt, Mrs. Hurst. She meets Gabriel Oak, a former shepherd who has leased and stocked a sheep farm. Gabriel falls in love with Bathsheba and eventually proposes marriage. Although she likes Gabriel, Bathsheba values her independence too much and rejects his marriage proposal. Gabriel's fortunes take a worse for turn, when his inexperienced sheep dog drives his flock of sheep over a cliff, bankrupting him. Bathsheba, on the other hand, inherits her uncle's prosperous estate. Their paths crosses again, and she ends up hiring Gabriel as her new shepherd. Bathsheba has also become acquainted with her new neighbor, the wealthy farmer John Boldwood, who becomes romantically obsessed with her after she sends him a Valentine's Day card as a joke. He sets about wooing her in a persistent manner that she finds difficult to ignore. But just as Bathsheba is about to consider Mr. Boldwood as a potential husband, Sergeant Frank Troy enters her life and she becomes infatuated with him. Frank was set to marry one of Bathsheba's former servants, a young woman named Fanny Robin. Unfortunately, the latter showed up at the wrong church for the wedding and an angry and humiliated Frank called off the wedding. Bathsheba finds herself in the middle of a rather unpleasant love triangle between Boldwood and Frank, while Gabriel can only watch helplessly as the situation develops into tragedy. "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" is a beautiful movie to behold . . . visually. One can credit the movie's sweeping and colorful look to its iconic cinematographer Nicolas Roeg. Thanks to the latter, the English counties of Wiltshire and Dorset never looked lovelier. Not surprisingly, Roeg earned a BAFTA nomination for his work. The movie also benefited from Richard Macdonald's production designs, which did an excellent job in recreating rural England in the mid 19th century. This was especially apparent in those scenes that featured Gabriel's arrival at Shottwood, and his attempts to get hired as a bailiff or a shepherd at a hiring fair; the harvest meal at the Everdene farm; Bathsheba's meeting with Frank in Bath; the rural fair attended by Bathsheba and Mr. Boldwood; and the Christmas party held by Mr. Boldwood. I will not pretend that I found Richard Rodney Bennett's score particularly memorable. But I must admit that it blended well with the movie's plot and Schlesinger's direction. I also noticed that Bennett added traditional English folk songs in various scenes throughout the movie. I have seen at least two movie versions and one television adaptation of Hardy's novel. And it occurred to me that the main reason why I ended up enjoying all three adaptations so much is that I really liked Hardy's tale. I really do. More importantly, all three adaptations, including this 1967 movie, did an excellent job in capturing the novel's spirit. With a running time of 169 minutes, "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" took its time in conveying Hardy's story . . . with a few little shortcuts. And thanks to Schlesinger's direction and Raphael's screenplay, the movie not only recaptured both the idyllic nature of 19th century rural England, but also its harsh realities. More importantly, the movie brought alive to the screen, Hardy's complex characters and romances. Hollywood once made a movie about a woman torn between three men in 1941's "TOM, DICK, AND HARRY" with Ginger Rogers. But the complexity between the one woman and the three men was nothing in compare to this tale. Especially, when the leading lady is such a complex and ambiguous character like Bathsheba Everdene. Another aspect of "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" that I enjoyed were the interactions between the movie's leads and the supporting cast who portrayed Bathsheba's employees. Like her relationships with Gabriel, Frank and Mr. Boldwood; the leading lady's relationships with her employees - especially the women who worked inside her home - proved to be very interesting. There was a good deal of controversy when Julie Christie was announced as the actress to portray Bathsheba Everdene. Apparently, the media did not consider her capable of portraying the tumultuous mid-Victorian maiden . . . or any other period character. Well, she proved them wrong. Christie gave a very skillful and nuanced performance as the ambiguous Bathsheba, capturing the character's passion, vanity and at times, insecurity. Terence Stamp was another actor more associated with the Swinging Sixties scene in London, but unlike Christie, his casting did not generate any controversy. I might as well place my cards on the table. I think Stamp proved to be the best Frank Troy I have seen on screen, despite the first-rate performances of the other two actors I have seen in role. He really did an excellent job in re-creating Frank's charm, roguishness and unstable nature. Thanks to Stamp's performance, I can see why Schlesinger became so fascinated with the character. Despite Christie and Stamp's popularity with moviegoers, the two actors who walked away with nominations and an award were Peter Finch and Alan Bates. No matter how interesting all of the other characters were, I personally found the William Boldwood character to be the most fascinating one in Hardy's tale. And Peter Finch, who won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor did a superb job in bringing the character to life. Finch beautifully re-captured the nuances of a character that I not only found sympathetic, but also a bit frightening at times. Alan Bates earned a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of the stalwart Gabriel Oak, which I believe he fully deserved. I think portraying such a minimalist character like Gabriel must be quite difficult for any actor. He is a character that required real skill and subtlety. Bates certainly did the job. The actor managed to convey the passion that Gabriel harbored for Bathsheba without any theatrical acting and at the same time, convey the character's introverted and sensible nature. The movie also benefited from some skillful and solid work from its supporting cast that included Golden Globe nominee Prunella Ransome, who portrayed the tragic Fanny Robin; Fiona Walker (from 1972's "EMMA"); Alison Leggatt; John Barrett; and iconic character actor, Freddie Jones. As much as I enjoyed "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD", there were some aspects of the production that I found troublesome. Earlier, I had pointed out that Schlesinger had seemed so fascinated by the Frank Troy character. And while this contributed to Terence Stamp's presence in the movie, Schlesinger's handling of the character threatened to overshadow the entire movie. Quite frankly, he seemed a bit too obsessed with Frank for my tastes. This heavy emphasis on Frank - especially in two-thirds of the movie - also seemed to overshadow Bathsheba's relationship with Gabriel Oak. At one point, I found myself wondering what happened to the character. Worse, the chemistry between Julie Christie and Alan Bates had somewhat dissipated by the movie's last act to the point that it barely seemed to exist by the end of the movie. And Schlesinger allowed the "ghost" of Frank Troy to hover over Bathsheba and Gabriel's future relationship by ending the movie with a shot of a toy soldier inside the Everdeen-Oak household. No wonder Stamp was credited as the male lead in this film. There were other aspects of "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" that either troubled me or failed to impress me. I am at a loss on how Prunella Ransome earned a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Fanny Robin. Mind you, she gave a very good performance. But she was on the screen for such a small amount of time that there seemed to be no opportunity for the narrative to delve into her character. Ransome's Fanny came off as a plot device and a part of me cannot help but blame Hardy's original novel for this failure. Although I cannot deny that Nicholas Roeg's cinematography was visually beautiful to me; I also found myself annoyed by his and Schlesinger's overuse of far shots. It reminded me of how director William Wyler and cinematographer Franz F. Planer nearly went overboard in their use of far shots in the 1958 western, "THE BIG COUNTRY". I read somewhere that Alan Barrett had earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Costume Designs for this film. I do not mean to be cruel, but how in the hell did that happened? I have to be frank. I was not impressed with the costumes featured in this film. Although I managed to spot a few costumes that struck me as a well-done re-creation of fashion in the mid-to-late 1860s, most of the other costumes looked as if they had been rented from a warehouse in Hollywood or London. Not impressed at all. Aside from my complaints, I enjoyed "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD" very much. A good deal of delight in the film originated with Thomas Hardy's original tale. But if I must be honest, a good deal of filmmakers have screwed up a potential adaptation with either bad writing, bad direction or both. Thankfully, I cannot say the same about "FAR FROM MADDING CROWD". Thanks to the first-rate artistry of the film's crew, a well-written screenplay by Frederic Raphael, a very talented cast led by Julie Christie; director John Schlesinger did an excellent in bringing Hardy's tale to the screen.

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glenrocklibraryteens · 3 years

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BOOK REVIEW: THE SONG OF ACHILLES

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Fiction - Historical Number of pages: 416 Rating: 4 - Great - better than most books I’ve read Spotify Playlist, curated by the reviewer, inspired by this book Reviewed by: anonymous

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a retelling of the classic poem, Homer’s Iliad. It is set in Greece during the age of Heroes. It tells the story of the exiled Prince Patroculus being sent to Myrmidons, where he meets the demigod, Achilles. He quickly becomes infatuated with Achilles' swift and perfect movements. As the novel progresses we see all the adventures the two of them go on, and how their friendship develops into something more.

This book takes you on a whirlwind of emotions from sorrow to joy. Through the beautiful writing we can feel the raw emotions of the narrator, Patrocolous. We see moments of pure love and devastation. Every detail is described through beautiful writing, allowing you to visualize everything in your head.

This book gave me a new perspective of heroes, and the price they pay to be that way. It humanizes them, no longer is Achilles just the greatest Greek warrior but also a person capable of love and loss. But it also shows how greed and pride can cost many lives, and be your downfall. The warriors wanted fame, and to feed their egos more than they cared for the lives of their men.

Another lesson I took away from the book is that what you cannot see in yourself, others can see in you. Since Patrocolous is the narrator we can hear all his thoughts on Achilles and his love for him. The novel shows the pure, unconditional love between the two.

The cover is beautiful just like the book, with a blue background and large gold helmet. Overall I liked this book for its writing style and themes. Ancient Greece, the Trojan War, and Greek Mythology have always been a topic of interest for me, so the book was perfect, and I highly recommend it to others with similar interests! Even if you don’t know much about the culture and beliefs of Ancient Greece, Madeline Miller made the novel very easy to follow.

#the song of achilles #madeline miller #homer #iliad #greek mythology #ancient greece #trojan war #book review #teen book review #glen rock teens #glen rock library #glen rock nj

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dorkery · 4 years

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Doushitemo Furetakunai (Live Action) - a review

I’m only writing this because I re-read the entire series, rewatched the movie, and was irritated by the constant fawning in the reviews of this movie.

Ok. As a rule, BL movies are pretty bad. They aren’t adapted well to the screen and the actors usually look really uncomfortable, unconvincing and/or constipated. The art direction usually tries to be in that overly sentimental, sorrowful palette but it usually never works out that way and ends up looking boring and dull.

Doushitemo Furetakunai is probably one of the best live action adaptations of a BL manga/novel. But that’s not saying much.

By its own merits, it is a very flat movie. Togawa (and to a minor extent, Onoda) carries the entire movie, and without him, it would be a completely incomprehensible piece of cinema.

Togawa’s actor is the only likeable and charming part of the movie, despite the various flaws on display in his character. He is expressive and takes initiative and is clearly well-liked. The movie portrayal of Togawa is clearly a different interpretation of Togawa from the manga, and it works. Movie Togawa is a bit more playful and childlike, less anchored to his childhood trauma than his manga counterpart. That levity is so important simply because of the portrayal of Shima.

Shima is supposed to be a tragic hero, AND THE CENTRAL PROTAGONIST, but the role was either miscast or the actor just couldn’t carry the part well. Shima’s actor is basically constantly frowning and looks constipated. Even the scenes in which he is supposed to be pensive or thoughtful, he just looks like he doesn’t want to be there. It just doesn’t speak to a lot of depth in his acting. I’m not trying to be harsh here, but the fact is, it’s a big role and he couldn’t play it.

Shima, at some point, clearly falls for Togawa despite obviously trying to avoid him. In the source material, you can see Shima actually being an active participant in any sort of relationship they have, while also displaying his key trait of belligerence. The script cut out a lot of tiny banter between Togawa and Shima - WHICH WAS A STUPID CHOICE as it is essentially the foundation of their burgeoning relationship and a key part of their dynamic (”Looks like you farted me off the bed”). In the movie, however, Shima just lets Togawa do whatever. He doesn’t react. He doesn’t say anything. Literally Togawa puts his arms around him, kisses him, and pushes him down, and he just.... lets it. He doesn’t even freeze up, mind. And if he did, it was NOT shown to the audience. The manifestation of his guilt and gay trauma just does not translate well in the actor’s portrayal of a constant thousand yard stare.

In general, this entire movie is about stuff happening to Shima with him being an unwilling participant. That may not be a bad thing BUUUUUT... here’s the thing: Even if you’re an unwilling participant in the centre of a series of events, you’d have to REACT to some extent, or to have some opinions or feelings about it. This movie made a VERY strange choice in removing monologues, which is a KEY part of any portrayal of Shima, because he thinks. A LOT. And because he’s quiet. He doesn’t speak much but you bet your ass his brain is reciting his true thoughts in a polite and annoyed stream. That being said, removing monologues isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But the problem is, they didn’t add in substitutes for expressing Shima’s feelings. They don’t show him acting worried. They don’t show him acting infatuated. They don’t show him acting like he’s pining or yearning or ANYTHING. They just make him a staring poker faced boy. A series of bad choices went into making this movie.

When you put out an overly sentimental asian drama where there are so many LONG DRAWN SILENCES, BY GOD, HAVE THE DECENCY TO INCLUDE SOME CLOSE UPS AND SOME MUSICAL DIRECTION SO THAT THERE IS SOME PORTRAYAL OF TENSION??????? Holy SHIT. There were so many scenes which were just long uncut shots and that just made moments which were very poignant in the manga fall flat on its ass in the movie. EXAMPLE? EXAMPLE YOU ASK? The scene where Togawa puts his arms around Shima and says “I’m so glad I met you” which is supposed to be an important counter to Shima’s ex bitchslapping him emotionally with his “I wish I had never met you”. THEY JUST??? DO A LONG DRAWN OUT SHOT. ALMOST FULL BODY!!! WHY DIDN’T THEY ZOOM IN ON SHIMA’S FACE? SHIMA LOWERED HIS HEAD!!! WE WERE DEPRIVED OF HIS FUCKING FACE JOURNEY!!!!!! THIS IS ROMANCE SCENE 101!!!!! I am going to guess it’s because (a) The Director is BAD AT DIRECTING and (b) Shima’s actor can’t fucking act.

FINALLY. Honestly speaking, I sense zero sexual or romantic tension between the leads. There is no chemistry of which to speak. (The sex scenes were also completely lacking in coherence and sensuality). Shima’s long stares at Togawa (of which we only see the back of his head) is awkward, rather than longing. We do not see, at any point, Shima falling in love organically with Togawa. On the other hand, I can tell you, exactly, when *I* fall in love with Togawa, and that’s when he grabs Shima or his stuff whenever he wants Shima to follow him wherever. That’s peak obnoxiousness. But Togawa is so cheerful and upbeat about it you can’t hate him at all.

You see lots of people fawning over this movie and those are all fujoshi and BL fans. There’s nothing wrong with liking this movie - again, it’s GOOD... for a BL adaptation. But it’s NOT a good movie.

From a critical standpoint, there were many mistakes made in adapting the screenplay as well as in the choices of scene direction. The visual storytelling SUCKS BALLS. Everything is in a tragic muted palette for no reason.

You had good organic actors like Onoda and Togawa - Togawa in particular proves you can have a Japanese actor willing to commit to a gay role - and then you have tunas like Shima and MAN it just does not translate.

#doushitemo furetakunai #yoneda kou #review

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years

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Pluralistic: 18 Mar 2020 (Ethopia's Jack Ma infatuation, Charter's infect-the-world plan, Trumpist firefighters dismiss covid, Flatter Me, aviation bailouts need strings attached, the only way through is together, ventilator sharing, explainers, patents vs respirators, covid stimulus, DIY TP, 1665 plague orders+

Today's links

Ethiopian factory sports Jack Ma quotes: Global trade currents are shifting fast.

Charter orders all workers to keep showing up: Even the 15% of its workforce who could work from home.

MAGA firefighters dismiss coronavirus as Democrat hoax: And/or a Chinese bioweapon.

Flatter Me, a compliments card game: Kickstarting now.

American Airlines blew billions, now it wants a bailout: Socializing losses, privatizing gains.

John Green's mutual aid manifesto: The only way through is together.

How to split a single ventilator for four patients: Peer-reviewed simulations.

Bigoted Republican Congressjerk votes against coronavirus relief because it might cover same-sex partnerships: Rep Andy Biggs wants to send us all to meet Jesus.

Epidemiology and public health in 14 minutes: An epidemiologist and an sf writer make an outstanding science communications team.

3D printed ventilator hero got a patent threat: Human rights vs property rights.

If nothing is for sale, how will covid stimulus work? Can you fix a supply shock with stimulus?

How to make your own toilet paper: A craft for your isolated kiddos.

Plague precautions from 1665: No feasting, but you can tipple in a bar until 9PM.

This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019

Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

Ethiopian factory sports Jack Ma quotes (permalink)

This pic was taken by researchers from Caribou Data at a textiles factory in Ethiopia. Every curtain on every window bore silk-screened quotes from Jack Ma's book (the name of the factory has been redacted to preserve the owner's privacy).

The researchers told me that 72 hours after Alibaba moved into Rwanda, every coffee farmer using the platform had sold out of their inventory.

It's a potent and visually arresting reminder of how global trade currents are shifting.

Charter orders all workers to keep showing up (permalink)

My local monopoly ISP is Charter. They're terrible in every single way. What's more, my city, Burbank, owns 100GB fiber that runs under my home's foundation slab, but I can't access it because of Charter's deal with the city. In addition to delivering slow-as-molasses connectivity at nosebleed prices (and relentlessly advertising upsells, dozens every week, print and digital), the company is also forcing all workers to show up in person during the pandemic – even those who could work from home.

They basically forced Nick Wheeler, an engineer who complained about this, to resign, calling his short, measured complaint about the policy "irresponsible," accusing him of "inciting fear."

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/charter-coronavirus-work-home/

Charter gives its workers a single annual week's worth of sick-leave. Workers have to use that leave time if they are worried about contracting or transmitting coronavirus. Medical advice for coronavirus infections is to self-isolate for two weeks, though.

Even other telcos (AT&T, Comcast) are asking workers to work from home. Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has doubled down on his infect-the-world policy, because "While back office and management functions can be performed remotely, they are more effective from the office."

Charter is a tremendous beneficiary of public largesse. It gets access to our rights-of-way, something they couldn't hope to afford at market rates. It received billions in tax-cuts (which it squandered on stock buybacks). The company got Net Neutrality dismantled, and is given monopolies wherever it operates.

This largesse is predicated on the idea that Charter views itself as a steward and can be trusted with monopoly self-regulation. If you had any doubt that the company can't be trusted to pour piss out of a boot with instructions printed on the heel, this should dispel it forever.

What I'm saying is, if you ever have a Charter exec in your home, count the spoons before you let him leave.

MAGA firefighters dismiss coronavirus as Democrat hoax (permalink)

"IAFF Union Firefighters for Trump" is a 27,000 member Facebook group of first responders who split from their union over its endorsement of Biden; Trump himself has endorsed the group.

Today, it is full of firefighters and EMTs who say that coronavirus is no big deal.

Some of the group's members are posting evidence to the contrary from their working experience, talking about the devastation they're witnessing firsthand. Their colleagues reply with poop emojis and "Trump2020."

https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-firefighters-corona#179168

The group is infected with the conspiracy theory that coronvirus is a panic cooked up by Democrats to discredit Trump, or that it's a Chinese bioweapon, an idea that Trump and his Congressional and Senate supporters have tacitly (or explicitly) endorsed.

This is especially worrying as EMTs and firefighters are at high risk of contracting coronovirus. If they don't take the risk seriously, they could spread it to vulnerable people, or reduce emergency capacity while they are quarantined (they also risk their own health).

Group founder Kelly Hallman told Propublica that "There's never been this much hoopla given to the other things. They're doing it to crash the economy and make Trump look bad…If you had to point a finger at why the leftist media and the left in general has a smile on their face about this, it's the Dow. My wife and kids are scared, believing what they're seeing on TV. I'm telling them it's not as bad as the media makes out."

Flatter Me, a compliments card game (permalink)

Flatter Me is Ami Baio's latest kickstarted card-game: "a two-player game for all ages with 250 unique compliments to play with friends, family, and partners."

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amibaio/flatter-me-a-compliment-battle-card-game

Its creator Ami Baio specialises in games that turn on kindness and connection; her last project was "You Don't Know Me."

https://youthinkyouknowme.cards/

A $20 pledge gets you one Flatter Me deck, $35 gets a two-pack. The cards are also designed to be given as gifts: "given to friends who need a boost, tucked into cards or gift bags, or left for friends to find."

Baio is seeking $12k in pre-orders and is delivers in Oct.

American Airlines blew billions, now it wants a bailout (permalink)

Since 2014, American Airlines has accumulated a $30B debt. It did so while paying its shareholders $15B through stock buybacks, and while raising prices on fliers, nickel-and-diming on bag charges and other extras. Now its industry group – whose members spent 96% of their free cash-flow on buybacks – is seeking a $50B coronavirus bailout, with no strings attached. That's 300% more than the industry got after 9/11.

This is shareholder capitalism working as intended. As Matt Levine writes, "it is optimized to extract money for shareholders when things go well and minimize the amount of shareholder money that is at risk when things go very wrong."

http://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/join/4wm/moneystuff-signup

But as Tim Wu writes, bailouts should come with strings attached. The airlines engineered this situation for themselves. If we let them socialized their losses and privatize their gains (again), they'll do it again (again).

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/opinion/airlines-bailout.html

"Change fees should be capped at $50 and baggage fees tied to some ratio of costs. The change fees don't just irritate; they are a drag on the broader economy, making the transport system less flexible and discouraging otherwise efficient changes to travel plans."

"We should end the airlines' pursuit of smaller and smaller seats, which are not only uncomfortable and even physically harmful, but also foster in-flight rage and make the job of flight attendants nigh unbearable."

"Finally, we have allowed too much common ownership, permitting large shareholders to take a stake in each of the major airlines, creating incentives to collude instead of compete."

As Naomi Klein has reminded us, the Shock Doctrine (can) cut both ways: the Great Depression catalyzed transformative change and the New Deal. Let's not permit this disaster be seized by the people responsible for it.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/17/pluralistic-17-mar-2020/#disaster-socialism

John Green's mutual aid manifesto (permalink)

This video from John Green is a tonic: a reminder that humanity has a shared destiny and that cooperation is the human condition. and that mutual aid is key.

"The only way out is through, and the only way through is together."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh23nwxpfe8

How to split a single ventilator for four patients (permalink)

In 2008, Greg Neyman and Charlene Babcock Irvin published "A Single Ventilator for Multiple Simulated Patients to Meet Disaster Surge" in the peer-reviewed Society for Academic Emergency Medicine journal.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1197/j.aem.2006.05.009

In this video, Dr Babcock demonstrates how to split a single ventilator to safely and effectively treat up to four patients.

As she points out, there have been no studies of this, but it has been (temporarily) used successfully in the field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uClq978oohY

Bigoted Republican Congressjerk votes against coronavirus relief because it might cover same-sex partnerships (permalink)

You may not get paid leave during the coronavirus crisis in part because Rep Andy Biggs (R-AZ) voted against it because his homophobia was more salient than his empathy.

https://theintercept.com/2020/03/17/coronavirus-stimulus-bill-andy-biggs/

He claimed (wrongly) that this was novel federal legislation in that it included domestic partnerships.

He was objecting to the provision of assistance to family members, including "biological, foster, or adopted child, a stepchild, a child of a domestic partner."

As Lee Fang writes, "The exact same legislative text around domestic partnerships and committed relationships is found in several bills in Congress, including paid sick leave legislation proposed as far back as 2015."

Biggs also lied and said that he objected to coronavirus relief because it would repeal the Hyde Amendment ("Two provisions that have nothing to do with the coronavirus are basically thrown into this thing. That's par for the course for the left").

The bill does not repeal the Hyde Amendment.

The Republican Party, folks. The party of death and poverty and tragedy and hate. Remember that in November.

Epidemiology and public health in 14 minutes (permalink)

Epidemiologist Dr. Ross Kauffman and sf writer Tobias Buckell teamed up to produce this short video explaining the costs of a runaway coronavirus epidemic to explain the need for drastic measures to their local Ohio town council.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqgINxGQB5w

It's a spectacular piece of science communications: grave without being alarmist, calm and measured, informative and plainspoken. It's a really important piece of video and I hope you'll watch it.

3D printed ventilator hero got a patent threat (permalink)

Remember the heartwarming story of the Italian makers who volunteered to fix their hospital's busted ventilators with 3D printed parts that they designed and produced on the spot?

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/16/tiktoks-secrets/#3dp-breathfree

It turns out that these makers weren't just saving lives, they were also taking a legal risk. That's because when they asked the manufacturer for help with the project, the manufacturer countered by threatening to sue them for patent infringement.

https://it.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-manca-la-valvola-per-uno-strumento-di-rianimazione-e-noi-la-stampiamo-in-3d-accade-nellospedale-di-chiari-brescia/

The part they printed cost them 1 euro, while replacing the system would cost a reported EUR10,000.

In a heartfelt, and soul-searching post, one of the people behind the project says he won't try to distribute the files he created.

https://www.facebook.com/Ing.Cristian.Fracassi/posts/10222339428782713

I can't help but wonder if he's hoping to mollify the corporation whose threats he ignored to help save lives.

Postscript: If you're pondering the issues of open source/homebrew respirator design, check out this excellent thread on the material constraints and challenges of med-tech.

https://twitter.com/turzaak/status/1239544498553860096

If nothing is for sale, how will covid stimulus work? (permalink)

I'm a believer in Modern Monetary Theory and the idea that state deficit spending is not intrinsically inflationary – only when the state is trying to procure things the private sector wants, so they get into a bidding war.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/16/18251646/modern-monetary-theory-new-moment-explained

In theory, the covid contraction is a great candidate for MMT stimulus. If people are stockpiling cash and thus eliminating their discretionary spending (40% of US GDP!), then the state can procure the discretionary items without triggering inflation.

Or there could be a hybrid, such as distributing vouchers to the public, redeemable for discretionary purchases – instead of bailing out aviation, we could buy people plane tickets, for example.

But that runs into a big problem: there's another reason people aren't making discretionary purchases, which is that those goods and services aren't available (manufacture has been disrupted by social distancing) or aren't safe (flying is incompatible with social distancing).

In this case, it seems to me that stimulus spending runs the risk of being inflationary (when everyone tries to redeem their plane ticket vouchers at once) or useless (people throw away their vouchers). Stimulus + supply shock = ??

That's not to rule out stimulus altogether, but it does suggest that the stimulus needs to be targeted, especially considering the size of the bailout that Wall Street is bandying about: trillions, in a matter of days.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-coronavirus-calls-for-wartime-economic-thinking

The GOP is calling for a $1,000/person bailout, but as @yvessmith says, this isn't much when it comes to the immediate expenses that affected people need to cover, like rent, mortgage, and, of course, treating covid-related illness without insurance.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/03/why-sending-1000-checks-to-everyone-wont-solve-the-coronavirus

Maybe, instead, help to cover mortgage and rent, along with anti-eviction/foreclosure rules; help with utilities, expanded food aid, and swift Medicare for All. Then, once the crisis is passed, a big stimulus package – for people, not banks – that gets us buying stuff again?

TBH, I don't know. It's weird to feel skeptical of stimulus, given how valuable demand-side relief would have been over the past decade+. Obviously we don't want another 2008 plute bonanza giveaway, but we also don't want to inject ever more money to chase ever-fewer goods.

How to make your own toilet paper (permalink)

Making toilet paper at home is a pretty on-the-nose craft to try with your covid-isolated kiddos. You need newsprint, leaves/grass (as a cellulosic binder) and baby oil.

https://www.ehow.com/how_4514690_make-toilet-paper.html

Soak the paper until ink is mostly gone, slowly boil with leaves/grass, simmer 1h, bring to boil for 30m, adding water and skimming foam. Remove, ladle out excess water. Mix 4tbsps of baby oil in with pulp. Scoop pulp onto a towel, press with a rolling pin.

Gently beat out lumps with a rubber mallet, add another towel on top. Cover with a board and add weights. Wait 30m. Flip over, remove towel and leave to dry in sun. Cut into strips and use (sparingly).

Plague precautions from 1665 (permalink)

ORDERS CONCEIVED AND PUBLISHED BY THE LORD MAYOR AND ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF LONDON CONCERNING THE INFECTION OF THE PLAGUE, 1665

https://brucesterling.tumblr.com/post/612917764072636416/orders-conceived-and-published-by-the-lord-mayor

Every parish needs examiners. Refuse duty and you go to prison: "persons of good sort and credit chosen and appointed by the alderman, his deputy, and common council of every ward, by the name of examiners, to continue in that office the space of two months at least."

Examiners must "inquire and learn from time to time what houses in every parish be visited, and what persons be sick, and of what diseases…[I]f they find any person sick of the infection, to give order to the constable that the house be shut up."

Infected homs get 24/7 surveillance two watchmen: "these watchmen have a special care that no person go in or out of such infected houses whereof they have the charge, upon pain of severe punishment."

They'll also get you groceries and lock up your shop.

Women "of honest reputation" are appointed by physicians as "searchers" to inspect the dead and determine cause of death. Searchers are helped by newly appointed "able and discreet chirurgeons," charged with ensuring that "a true report made of the disease."

Nurse-keepers have to be quarantined for 28 days after their patients die.

If plague is found in a house, the whole household is locked in for 28 days. Prior to sequestration, their personal effects have to be aired, treated with fire, and then perfumed. Anyone known to have visited a plague house is locked down for 28 days, along with their household, with the same airing, flaming and perfuming business.

Plague-dead may only be buried after sunset and before sunrise, with no mourners in attendance. No sermons or eulogies allowed. Graves must be 6 feet deep. All funerals are banned. Personal effects of the plague-dead must be destroyed, not given away or sold.

Public notice: "Every house visited be marked with a red cross of a foot long in the middle of the door.. and with these usual printed words… 'Lord, have mercy upon us,' to be set close over the same cross, there to continue until lawful opening of the same house."

Cab drivers can continue as normal, but if they carry someone thought to have plague they have to retire their hackney-coaches for 5-6 days and give them a thorough airing.

[[I sense that this may be a weak spot in the whole plan]]

There's also new sanitation rules requiring regular sweepings and rakings of "filth" from the streets, with all the human waste being dumped far from the city and not in local gardens. Smelly or rotten food-sales are banned.

Cops are charged with sweeping up and punishing beggars, who are banned from the streets.

No live entertainment: "all plays, bear-baitings, games, singing of ballads, buckler-play, or such-like causes of assemblies of people be utterly prohibited."

All restaurants are closed. Feasting is banned.

Bars are OK, but under suspicion, and must close by 9PM. The rule covers "tippling in taverns, ale-houses, coffee-houses, and cellars."

[[Again, this seems like a weak spot]]

This day in history (permalink)

#15yrsago Andre Norton, RIP https://web.archive.org/web/20050318045717/http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/03/17/obit.norton.ap/index.html

#15yrsago Orrin Hatch is head of new IP subcommitee https://www.technewsworld.com/story/41548.html

#10yrsago Is the UK record industry arrogant or stupid? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/mar/18/digital-economy-bill-calculated-loss

#10yrsago Entertainment industry sours on term "pirate" — too sexy https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2010/03/piracy-sounds-too-sexy-say-rightsholders/

#10yrsago YouTube: Viacom secretly posted its videos even as they sued us for not taking down Viacom videos https://youtube.googleblog.com/2010/03/broadcast-yourself.html

#10yrsago Michael Lewis's THE BIG SHORT, visiting the econopocalypse through the lens of LIAR'S POKER https://boingboing.net/2010/03/18/michael-lewiss-the-b.html

#5yrsago Insider view of the cash-for-gold ripoff https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/swindle-fraud/we-buy-broken-gold

#5yrsago Terry Pratchett's advice to booksellers https://www.thebookseller.com/blogs/advice-booksellers

#1yrago Facebook's year-old "improvements" to the newsfeed have elevated enraging Fox News posts to the service's dominant form https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/03/one-year-in-facebooks-big-algorithm-change-has-spurred-an-angry-fox-news-dominated-and-very-engaged-news-feed/

#1yrago Electronic Health Records: a murderous, publicly subsidized, $13B/year grift by way of shitty software https://khn.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Mitch Wagner (http://mitchwagner.com/blog/), Kottke (https://kottke.org), Laurent Stanevich (https://twitter.com/LairBob), Naked Capitalism (https://www.nakedcapitalism.com), Slashdot (https://slashdot.org).

Currently writing: I've just finished rewrites on a short story, "The Canadian Miracle," for MIT Tech Review. It's a story set in the world of my next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. I've also just completed "Baby Twitter," a piece of design fiction also set in The Lost Cause's prehistory, for a British think-tank. I'm getting geared up to start work on the novel next.

Currently reading: Just started Lauren Beukes's forthcoming Afterland: it's Y the Last Man plus plus, and two chapters in, it's amazeballs. Last month, I finished Andrea Bernstein's "American Oligarchs"; it's a magnificent history of the Kushner and Trump families, showing how they cheated, stole and lied their way into power. I'm getting really into Anna Weiner's memoir about tech, "Uncanny Valley." I just loaded Matt Stoller's "Goliath" onto my underwater MP3 player and I'm listening to it as I swim laps.

Latest podcast: The Masque of the Red Death and Punch Brothers Punch https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/03/16/the-masque-of-the-red-death-and-punch-brothers-punch/

Upcoming books: "Poesy the Monster Slayer" (Jul 2020), a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Pre-order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_term=na-poesycorypreorder&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781626723627

(we're having a launch for it in Burbank on July 11 at Dark Delicacies and you can get me AND Poesy to sign it and Dark Del will ship it to the monster kids in your life in time for the release date).

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother book, Oct 20, 2020. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

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fasterthanmydemons · 5 years

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@littlelonewolfgirl

{out of breath} Well, it would depend on whether you are just looking for an entertaining watch in a movie, or you want to see his best performances as far as actual acting... because those are definitely not the same thing, heh. Some of his best performances are in movies that I would not call entertaining because of their subject matter. But anyway, here we go with some recommendations.

Godzilla (2014)

This is really great movie in my opinion. It takes an overdone and somewhat silly premise and puts a new twist on it that actually works. It’s exciting, it’s touching, it’s got really interesting creatures in it... the full package, heh. But besides that, ATJ is really good in it. He does an American accent and honestly, I never hear a mistake. That’s always impressive to me, haha. But he’s also very good as Ford, someone who is a soldier and has this great sense of duty and who is very brave and unafraid to go charging into danger, but who also has a family and worries about them too. So he brings a lot of emotion to what would otherwise be a simple, one-dimensional character. His character in this is also very likable, if that matters. Some of the same aspects people might like about Pietro (being brave, protecting children, being family-oriented) are seen in Ford as well. So if you’re looking for a decent acting performance, a character of his you can really root for, and a fun, entertaining movie, Godzilla is for you. I would rate this one as slightly more toward the entertainment aspect than a movie I would watch just for his acting alone, but yeah, I definitely recommend it. An added bonus is that Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff, is also in this movie in a supporting role as Ford’s wife, Elle.

Anna Karenina (2012)

If you are a theater fan, you love period pieces, or you are an artistic sort, you will love this movie. It is a very stylized version of the story based on the classic novel, done as a movie but as if the entire movie is done on theater stages and sets. It’s hard to describe, but it’s almost like watching a play the way the movie is shot and structured. Some people really didn’t like that and that’s part of the reason why it didn’t do that well with critics and reviews, but I personally found it to be an interesting way to do it and it was visually very beautiful. ATJ plays Alexei Vronsky, a count who becomes infatuated with and begins an affair with Keira Knightley’s Anna, married to Jude Law’s Karenin. The two really play wonderfully off of each other and that’s what makes the story work, because it is a very character-centric and emotionally driven story. It’s not a very happy story, though, so be warned. The ending especially is rather tragic. But ATJ is really on his game in this movie. He has his natural accent here, which is nice to hear. He emotes so much in a number of scenes and there were at least two or three points when he made me tear up. A very different character from Pietro or Ford, but still basically a good guy. You may not always agree with his choices in the film or like everything about him, but I don’t think you’ll hate his character. He’s a very sympathetic character, especially as the story progresses. So I would put this movie somewhere in the middle as far as... it’s entertaining at times but maybe hard to watch at others, but ATJ’s acting game is definitely bumped up in this one considerably.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Alright... let me start this off by saying that I really hesitate to recommend this movie to anyone because I don’t want to be responsible for truly upsetting someone... or worse, triggering them. So please, please, please, anyone who might want to watch this movie, read a detailed summary of it first to make sure you know what you’re in for. It’s a very adult movie with incredibly heavy and disturbing themes. Some of the potential triggers include gun violence, blood/gore, child abuse/murder, rape, and abortion just to let you know. So really not what I would call an entertaining film at all. However... it is a very well done film and the most impressive performance by ATJ I’ve seen thus far. He won a Golden Globe award for it, and I believe it’s his most significant win to date. He has a Texas accent in the movie and again, I don’t hear a single mistake, so that’s really noteworthy that he appears to be very adept at accents. But... you will not like his character at all. He plays Ray Marcus, a psychopath with a penchant for random, senseless, and violent murder. His character is crass, obscene, vicious, unkempt, sexist, lewd.... I mean the list goes on. But you really believe it coming from ATJ, and that’s saying a lot after watching heroic characters like Ford or Pietro or soft romantic ones like Vronsky... to then see him as a psychopath like Ray and fully believe the performance. You really end up hating his character and wanting justice to be done, and feeling like you need a shower after watching him, heh. ATJ’s acting is really incredible in this, though. I gained so much respect for him after watching this movie as far as pure acting ability is concerned. There were a couple scenes where I was just mesmerized by his facial expressions and subtleties in his voice and body language. Ray is a scary, insidious, and evil dude, and ATJ really knocks it out of the park with his portrayal. Also, the movie is a great psychological thriller with deep meaning and many layers to peel back, if that’s up your alley. I’m actually currently reading the book it’s based off of because I really enjoyed the overall story and the way it’s structure as a story-within-a-story type of setup. There are a lot of other really good actors in it as well, such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Isla Fisher, and Ellie Bamber. But I have been watching horror/thriller movies since age four and really not much ever shocks/upsets me... and the first time I watched this movie, I almost lost my cookies at one part because it was so sad. So let that be a warning before anyone embarks on this particular journey, but if you’re up for it, it’s a very good film.

Nowhere Boy (2009) / Kick-Ass (2010)

I know you said top three recommendations, and those are my top three up there, but if Nocturnal Animals is not your cup of tea, I’ll throw in a couple more. I have not actually seen either of these movies yet, but multiple people have recommended them to me and said ATJ was very good in them. Kick-Ass is a teen superhero type crime fighting movie I believe? So expect something light and entertaining, I’m guessing. And in Nowhere Boy, ATJ portrays a young John Lennon. I would like the see these movies myself, so if I can get my hands on them I shall, but maybe they could be substitutes for Nocturnal Animals if that’s a bit too much muchness for you.

#littlelonewolfgirl #{ out of breath } ᵒᵒᶜ

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remusreads · 5 years

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Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey || Book Review

This was a really, really adorable book. We follow Georgie, who is an up and coming children's entertainer that is never taken seriously by her family, her peers or her brother's best friend. We also have Travis, who is coming to terms with the fact that his beloved baseball career is over. Can Georgie possibly pull him out of the dark and show him what true love really is? This book has a little bit of everything that I adore in a romance novel: steam, fake dating, friends to lovers, tough guy to heart melter, and of course. It is fantastically written, fabulously paced, and hysterically funny. The writing is enchanting and Tessa crafts characters in such a way that you can't help but feel everything that they're feeling. I also really loved the way scenery was described too, and found myself even more immersed in the story because I could see everything the characters were seeing. It didn't feel wordy and descriptive but instead felt sharp and visual; and I was really loving that. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one and it really did put me through the ringer emotion wise - I felt so much throughout my reading experience; so much that it reminded me about the sheer plethora of emotions I can feel whilst reading. It was a really adorable read with a lot of steamy scenes spread throughout; all of which were drool worthy. There were numerous times in which I actually felt a little hot under the collar; and that is how I know that the romance scenes were written exquisitely. Their romance didn't feel rushed in any which way, either; it felt like I had been following their relationship for a long time. I enjoyed the way Georgie's decade long love for Travis was played, I loved the character of Georgie, and really resonated with her and connected with her on a multitude of levels. I understood her character and saw my personality reflected in hers here and there, which added so much more to the story for me. I also adored the character of Travis. I was immediately infatuated with him and found him to be the cheekiest, yet sweetest character and his rougher edge was the icing on the cake. Put these two characters together and you have a pairing that I just couldn't - and still can't - get enough of. The background characters are also infinitely intriguing and I cannot wait to get a glimpse of Rosie and Dominic's story in particular, but I sincerely hope that all of the characters get their own story (for which I have high hopes since this book seems to be part of a series). Some smaller points of what I loved throughout this story: - The humour. Oh god, the humour had me almost crying with laughter on numerous occasions. - The steam, wooh! The steam. I am thoroughly here for it. - The characters were amazingly well fleshed out, even the more minor characters. - The drama was there in little twinklings, but not enough to take away from the happiness and the sexiness of the novel, which I appreciated a lot. It didn't feel too much like a lighthearted read, but it didn't take me on a journey of sheer stress. There were some really important issues discussed such as gender roles, marriage issues, family problems, alcoholism. There were also probably more sprinkled around; but not in such a way that they were imposing on the sheer adorableness of these two. - There was just the right amount of Alpha Male in the character of Travis. I didn't feel like he was going to beat up everyone in sight for looking at her, but he was also protective in just the right amount. - Georgie was given a brilliant voice in this story. - Georgie's sisters! - The girl power is real in this one. Sisters are doing it for themselves! - The writing is top notch. - The sports addition. I really, really, really loved that. - I am also here for construction-based stories. Gimme, gimme, gimme! Now onto the bit that I don't really like adding to such a glowing review. I didn't like the constant emphasis of how Georgie is Stephen's younger sister, and how because of that Travis isn't allowed to be attracted to her. Nah, I just can't settle for that I'm afraid and couldn't get behind the whole best friend/brother argument. It just didn't fly - but I must comment on how Georgie continuously bit back at that and told Travis that she was not Stephen's property and it wasn't his right to decide how she lived her life. It was utterly fabulous. I also took a little bit of time to get into this story; I found it a bit slow moving in the first part, even though I was constantly laughing out loud (view spoiler) and really getting to love the characters. I just couldn't fully get to grips with it; but then I got fully sucked into the story and really loved it! I think it was possibly a case of the fact that I kept putting the book down and picking it back up, which made my reading experience very disjointed. So I didn't feel it prudent to remove more than .5 of a star, making this review a 4.5*. This was an utterly fantastic book and I cant wait to read more from Tessa Bailey! Go, go, go! //Thank you to Edelweiss/AbovetheTreeline for supplying me an ARC! Buy a copy here.

There were some spoilers redacted from the review published on my blog. Please see the entire review, including spoilers, here.

If you like my content, please consider buying me a coffee to kickstart my sleepy brain.

#book review #review #book reviews #book recommendation #book recommendations #recommendation #tessa bailey #fix her up #romance #romance book #booklr #book blog #book blogger #book reviewer #goodreads #advanced reader copy

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michelles-garden-of-evil · 5 years

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Episode 12 Review: Jacques’ Cape Appreciation Post

{ YouTube: 1 | 2 }

{ Synopses: Debby Graham | Bryan Gruszka }

{ Screencaps }

This is one of my favorite episodes, one that I’ve re-watched more times than any other--not because of the plot, nor because of an abundance of analysis material or any particular turns of phrase, but for a completely different reason. In this episode, Jacques is, in my opinion, at his most dashing and is wearing what I consider his best outfit: a black suit topped with a long matching cape that is the epitome of elegance.

Do you remember two episodes ago, when Jacques told Jean Paul he did not want any more guests on Maljardin? Well, the handsome devil changes his mind and, while possessing Jean Paul, decides to bring Elizabeth Marshall to the island--where, as you may remember, her daughter Holly is hiding. Jacques does not have to dress up for the occasion any more than usual, but he does so anyway, giving Jean Paul an evil makeover:

Sweet dreams are made of this.

Quito knows that something is up, but says nothing because, as a zombie, he can’t. While they prepare to sail to the mainland, Raxl is in the basement communicating with psychic and voodoo priestess Vangie Abbott via makeup mirror, pleading with her to help her fight Jacques. Vangie suggests that she contact her father, the Conjure Man, which Raxl does by...having Quito beat the drum in the Not-So-Hidden Voodoo Temple? I’m not sure.

The priestess and the Conjure Man’s daughter communicating through the latter’s mirror.

Quito beating the drum during the ritual in the temple.

All Jacques knows, however, is that Raxl is in the basement, because he still hasn’t noticed the incredibly obvious "hidden” door. Probably thinking that she is just checking on the cryonics capsule or dusting the coffins of his descendants, he expresses his disbelief at her fondness of “the dark morbidity of that crypt.” Then he says this line, with which I wholeheartedly agree:

Once again, a man after my own heart.

Quito watches Jacques as he heads to the boathouse. I think that, despite being a zombie, he can still think for himself and he knows that Jacques is controlling Jean Paul.

So he and Quito sail to the mainland to get supplies, including “a few little goodies” that Jacques adds, which I assume refers to Elizabeth Marshall, the widowed, greedy mother of his guest Holly. They go to the French Leave Café so that Jacquet can meet with her. He arrives shortly after a heated argument between her and Matt that leads Vangie to comment, “No wonder Holly’s running.” Between her money-hungry, jealous mother and Reverend Stalker stalking her, I have to agree.

The red lining is lovely, even more so than the gold lining on his other one.

As he walks in, he cuts quite a lovely figure, his cape swishing as he turns. He stares at a young woman in a minidress who, surprisingly, doesn’t seem to notice him, when you would think that he would turn the head of everyone in the room. You would think that even people who aren’t sexually attracted to him would think, “OMG IT’S JEAN PAUL DESMOND THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD AND OWNER OF MALJARDIN” and stare. Maybe I’m alone in thinking that his outfit is one of the sexiest ever, but even if you don’t agree, you still have to admit that it’s one that would stand out almost anywhere, especially in the tropics where wearing all black with additional layers is highly impractical. So, logically, it should attract a lot more attention than it does. But maybe this isn’t the first time anyone in Jean Paul’s body has worn a cape to the mainland. Who knows? Before Erica’s death, Jean Paul might have shown up regularly at the Café in full Liberace regalia, for all we know.

I wonder what that string is near the top of the screen? It appears in other episodes, too, so it has to be part of some piece of equipment.

Filler scene with Holly commenting on Jacques’ resemblance to Jean Paul, with the portrait visible. They never should have established the rule of his likeness disappearing whenever he leaves the painting if they didn’t plan on showing that consistently.*

“A tonic water, please,” the handsome devil orders once he arrives at the bar. “Very cold.” Then, looking at the camera, he adds, “I don’t know what it is, but after all this time, I still can’t stand the heat.” I don’t believe you, Jacques. If you truly can’t stand the heat, then what are you doing dressed like that in the Caribbean? You must be very hot, in the literal as well as metaphorical sense. According to the first Paperback Library novel, the French Leave Café is air-conditioned**, and I’ve speculated before that the Château de Maljardin might be as well. But Jacques, surely you would have gotten hot on the boat or while walking from the dock to the Café, so don’t go around complaining about the heat when you’re walking around wearing a heavy, lined cape made of some suiting material. Besides, I’m sure Hell was much hotter.

Very practical clothing for a tropical climate. Not. But devilishly dashing!

He pulls out Alison’s letter to Dan and tries burning it in the ashtray (remember those?). Vangie, suspicious, deliberately bumps into him and spills his tonic water on the flames, then pretends it was an accident. “I’m charmed by your concern,” says Jacques, grinning.

“It goes back a long way,” she replies.

“Purely out of curiosity,” he asks, still grinning, “how long?”

“To your childhood!” she answers while staring at him and enunciating the words as though she intends to let him know that she knows.

“That’s quite a few years ago, depending on what you refer to by ‘how long.’“ He knows that she knows.

“It would be ungentlemanly to add up the years. As a woman, I would be the loser.”

“I never count a woman--any woman--a loser.”

She asks him about Holly and whether she is on Maljardin, and he replies in the affirmative. Soon after, Elizabeth arrives at their table, asking Vangie about Holly. “Vangie, who is this charming lady?” Jacques asks, so Vangie introduces them.

If such a dashing man were to kiss my hand, I would probably fall in love with him forever.

They chat about her and Jean Paul’s acquaintances for a minute, Elizabeth flirting with him all the while, before he changes the subject. “I have a confession to make,” he says, giving her Bissits Face™. “I’m harboring a fugitive on my island. A very charming one. Your daughter.”

Bissits Face™!

He notices Vangie eavesdropping and asks her if she wants anything, to which she responds, “It’s too late now.” This scene is really well-written and well-acted by Strange Paradise standards; nearly every line of dialogue is loaded with subtext, which the actors do a good job of conveying. We don’t need to be told that Vangie and Jacques recognize each other, nor that Elizabeth wants to marry Jean Paul or that Vangie is hurt because he just betrayed her trust. The subtext shines through. It’s the sort of scene that occurs in a lot of Ian Martin’s episodes once he gets the hang of writing the series. It’s also proof that Martin could be subtle when he wanted to be, which makes his choices to include over-the-top references to Jacques being THE DEVIL and obvious foreshadowing in certain episodes all the more perplexing.

Look at Elizabeth’s hair! A truly impressive bouffant.

They flirt some more and it takes little effort on Jacques’ part to persuade her to come with him to Maljardin. After all, her wealthy husband is dead and her daughter is set to inherit all of his fortune, so, in her mind, it’s the perfect opportunity to convince Jean Paul to marry her so that she can continue to live her fabulous high-society lifestyle as the new Mrs. Desmond. Also, she can capture Holly again and put her in another institution like Westley House, preferably run by someone who isn’t infatuated with her. She says that she is going to retrieve Holly, but hints that "[she] might want to stay forever.”

Two ladies, and he’s the only man.

On their way out, Vangie suggests that he invite Matt as well, but he refuses understandably. And after Jacques, Elizabeth, and Quito are on their way back to Maljardin, she retrieves the letter which Jacques has completely forgotten about (because of lust, perhaps?) and calls Dan. Meanwhile back on Maljardin, Jacques continues to flirt with Elizabeth and Holly realizes that her attempt to escape her mother has failed.

You can run, but you can’t hide!

Jacques doing that cute thing that his descendant does often in the Desmond Hall arc.

I think that I may have gotten carried away in this entry with all the screencaps of Jacques’ cape, but what can I say? He’s a gorgeous man who wears gorgeous clothes, and this is the only episode in which we see this particular outfit. It’s also a damn good episode--one of Ian Martin’s best--and I enjoyed reviewing this episode almost as much as I enjoy watching it.

Coming up next: Jacques and Elizabeth bond over some booze and Tim begins his ridiculous commission to paint Erica with Holly as his stand-in.

Notes

* One could argue that the characters do not actually see the portrait missing and that the blank canvas is only a visual cue so that the viewers know that Jacques has possessed Jean Paul. However, in the Paperback Library novels, the characters comment on the missing portrait, indicating that, at least in the books, the vanishing portrait is diegetic (in other words, that the canvas is literally blank from the characters’ perspective and not just the audience’s). I plan on eventually writing a post about diegesis in Strange Paradise, analyzing which effects are diegetic and which are not, because there are many things in this series that could go either way and I want to take the time to analyze them.

** Dorothy Daniels, Strange Paradise (New York: Paperback Library, 1969), 20. Daniels also states that the sun outside the Café is “mercilessly hot,” which should logically be true about the climate on the nearby isle of Maljardin as well.

{ <-- Previous: Episode 11 || Next: Episode 13 --> }

#strange paradise #gothic soap opera #week 3 #episode 12 #maljardin arc #review #favorite episodes #ian martin #bissits face #costumes #diegesis #evil makeover #hot as hell (best of jacques)#jacques/elizabeth #the not so hidden voodoo temple #that cute jean paul thing

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kainosite · 5 years

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Les Misérables 2018, Episode 4

If I post the review before the next episode airs in the US that counts as “timely”, right?

The Good

• Extremely South London Éponine is the best thing in this series. From the moment she steps into Marius’ room, their interactions are absolutely perfect. Her crass attempt to offer herself to him and her delighted wonder when it fails, Marius’ appalled, half-paralyzed bewilderment at the whole situation and his awkward charity, Davies’ made-up slang for the écu, “You’re a star, are you sure!?”, Éponine code-switching at the end and then grabbing the bread on her way out, even the noncanonical, nonconsensual kiss – the whole scene is spot-on from start to finish.

As is her reunion with the rest of the Thénardier clan. The coarse sisterly banter and Azelma’s look of joy when Éponine hands her the stale bread, Thénardier’s petulant ranting, his violence towards Éponine and Mme. Thénardier’s weary indifference to it, his immediate attempt to crush Éponine into submission when she shows any sign of independence or self-worth – it all paints a vivid picture of Éponine’s world, and the juxtaposition to the scene with Marius makes it very clear that her infatuation with him is not about a crush on a boy but rather about getting the hell away from all this. And I love that she grabbed her five francs back at the end.

• It’s interesting that the miniseries with the most graphically awful Toulon also has the most determinedly reclusive Valjean, and it’s consistent with his experience in Montreuil-sur-Mer as well. In the novel Madeleine’s fall is precipitated by his carelessness towards his subordinates, first with regard to the consequences of his factory’s morality policy and then with regard to Javert’s feelings. But that’s all pretty indirect, and Brick Valjean could reasonably feel that he was the victim of an arbitrary misfortune and that if he’d been a bit luckier everything would have worked out fine. Westjean, on the other hand, was hunted from the moment Javert showed up in town and was personally responsible for Fantine’s downfall. From his perspective, his attempt to participate in society must seem like a catastrophe. He might well wonder whether it’s possible for someone in his position to do any good at all, given the debacle in Montreuil. Both guilt and prudence suggest it might be better to just give up and become a hermit.

• Cosette’s little convent friends. This miniseries has consistently gone out of its way to place the female leads in community with other women, and it’s nice to see.

• Rivette continues to be excellent even with a silly moustache.

• The Mabeuf + Marius timeline continues to be nonsensical, but I enjoyed their meet-cute and Marius was charmingly obtuse. I also enjoyed Davies’ commitment to Georges Pontmercy/Mabeuf, which is the only explanation I can think of for why Mabeuf might keep a collection of old newspaper clippings about Georges in his attic.

• Gillenormand is still pitch-perfect.

• This episode was not Quinjolras’s finest hour, but he was extremely done with Marius’ shit, which though not particularly Brick-accurate is a quality I always appreciate in an Enjolras. Giving him Combeferre’s “To be free” line was inspired. I’m also impressed by his ability to adjust his rhetoric to match his audience – “Think of the poor veterans living in poverty!” is the way to win Marius to the side of revolution, if anything will.

• The juxtaposition of Javert’s lonely, cheerless bedtime routine and Valjean broodingly watching Cosette at the piano could have been filmed by a Valvert shipper (Look! They’ll never be complete without each other!), which in a way I suppose it was.

• The police patrolling the Luxembourg Gardens while Cosette is looking around in raptures was a nice subtle touch. This series plays up the Valjean vs. Cosette conflict more than I might like, but it does a very good job of showing you where they both are coming from.

• THE HANDKERCHIEF SCENE!

• I do appreciate Westjean’s ongoing commitment to self-branding. Also the fact that they included the chisel scene makes the Coin of Shame a nice piece of foreshadowing.

The Meh

• I suppose it makes sense for a Cosette raised by Shouty Valjean to shout a lot herself. This Valjean + Cosette pair actually articulate their needs and desires and communicate them to each other, instead of repressing everything and sinking into silent depression.

On the one hand, that’s healthy. Good for them. I know people are concerned about the tenor of their relationship, but frankly Westjean has done a better job than Brick Valjean of raising Cosette out of the unquestioning silence of her abuse. They both adopted a kid who “had suffered so much that she feared everything – even to speak, even to breathe”. Only Westjean has a kid who doesn’t exhibit the exact same trauma symptoms six years later.

On the other hand, who are these people?

• I do not appreciate Javert’s medal, but I very much appreciate Javert’s resentment of his medal while there’s still a Valjean on the loose. If we’ve gotta go Bread Crimes let’s really commit to it.

• Sister Simplice is convinced the outside world has become more dangerous. Sure, I guess? 1823-25 when they came into the convent was a relatively calm period, and there has just been a successful revolution. Still, this seems like a good time for the show to mention that.

• “Wow,” I thought, “What a perfect choice for the Rue de l’Homme Armé!” Oh wait, it’s the Rue Plumet which is still mostly orchards at this point. That said, the garden is fantastic.

• Marius’ wet dream was actually okay. After the Éponine Peep Show Incident I feared the worst, but there was nothing terribly wrong with it. Marius had vaguely sexual thoughts about Cosette, his subconscious pulled a bait-and-switch and transformed her into Éponine, at which point he went “Nope nope nope DNW!” and awoke in a cold sweat. This is not at all an unreasonable thing for Marius to dream, especially in an adaptation that’s dangling Éponine’s sexuality in front of him as aggressively as this one is. The key theme of Marius/Éponine from Marius’ end, which is that he’s not attracted to her because he understands it’s immoral to fuck starving child prostitutes, comes through loud and clear.

• What a weird way to do the Chaîne scene. I can see it happening: most Valjeans would never intentionally expose Cosette to a sight like this, but because Westjean is stuck with a Cosette who actually asserts her needs, he has to push back much harder than usual in order to maintain their secrecy. He doesn’t show her the Chaîne to punish her or upset her – it’s clearly an ill-judged attempt to convince her The World Is Bad and win their argument from the day before, and perhaps also to start a conversation about his own past which will explain why he’s a paranoid recluse. A bit manipulative perhaps, but that’s well within Valjean’s repertoire, and he’s thoroughly punished for it by the narrative since the whole scheme ends up backfiring horribly on him. Cosette is not just appalled by this glimpse into the brutality of their society but repulsed by the convicts themselves, and the viewers get an explanation for why Valjean will be so adamant later that Cosette must never learn his true history.

I do think the Chaîne scene is important for explaining Valjean’s Cosette Issues so I’m always glad when an adaptation decides to include it, but on balance I think it works better when they stumble across it by accident.

• The attempted kidnapping at the Gorbeau tenement was fine. Points for including the chisel and all the “neighbors” slipping into the room, minus points for Valjean punching everyone. I’m not sure why Valjean thought paying off Thénardier would help anything, but then Valjean has never been the king of good decisions and this Valjean less than most.

The Bad

• I appreciate Valjean’s aspiration to spend the rest of his life hiding in a hole. I do not appreciate the hard sell on Cosette taking the veil. It just makes him seem selfish and inconsiderate of her needs, to a degree that he isn’t in the novel. His “I thought we’d found a home here together where you could grow up and I could grow old, and you could grow old, and I could die, and you could die, and we’d be buried and we’d be together forever! :D :D :D” line is hilarious and adorable in the way it expresses the tragic limits of his aspirations, but I would sacrifice it in order to lose this scene.

• After holding down the fort on costumes and set design for two episodes, the Prefecture of Police sadly let us down this episode. You guys were doing so well! No uniforms, no illegal tricolors in 1823 like some adaptations we could mention *cough2012cough*, but now it’s 1832 and suddenly everyone is dressed like an officier de paix and Javert has a medal and they’ve still got the fleur-de-lys up. Also that blah jacket of navy serge is not what the Prefect of Police’s uniform looked like in the 1830s, lmao. I mean, for fuck’s sake, it’s fancier than that now. That thing Chabouillet was wearing in the 1978 movie is also not remotely what the Prefect’s uniform looks like, but at least they bothered to slap some gold braid on it.

I will grudgingly accept the uniforms as a visual representation of the increasing professionalization of the police, Not!Gisquet’s Légion d’honneur is a reasonable reward for him apparently allowing the July Revolution to happen, and I do appreciate them swapping the portrait of Louis XVIII for Louis-Philippe inside, but there’s no excuse for Javert’s medal or the flag.

• Surely the entire purpose of casting Josh O'Connor as Marius is so Marius can be shy and stiff and awkward, and emphasize these qualities by having a face that consists primarily of nose and ears? Otherwise you could cast someone who actually looks like Marius.

I know everyone shouts a lot in this and he probably needs to be able to shout back to keep up with Cosette, but from his very first words to Gillenormand he’s far too assertive and confrontational. Part of the charm of Marius/Cosette is how isolated and naive they both are, and how these victims of childhood abuse are able to find in each other a safety they might not find in anyone else. (Marius’ damage is obvious, and while Cosette’s is more subtle her tendency towards unquestioning acceptance would leave her incredibly vulnerable to the Tholomyèses of the world.) This adaptation portrayed this kind of mutual refuge very well with Valjean/Fantine, of all things, so it’s weird they didn’t think to do it here.

Of course, Bambersette is healthier than Brick Cosette in some ways so maybe she doesn’t need it so much, but they still need to sell us on the pairing somehow. Meet-cutes in the Luxembourg are all very well, but handkerchief sniffing can only get you so far.

• I see Fantine’s inability to put her hair up like a respectable woman is hereditary.

• If we have to see this much of the principal-tenant of the Gorbeau House I want to see some parrots, dammit.

• Éponine has a job and we have no reason to assume she’s bad at it, so I’m not going to say she wouldn’t do a sexy peephole dance for her new neighbor the law student. At this point she knows nothing of Marius’ virtuous chastity; all she knows is that he’s young, male, richer than her, and she’s probably going to be forced to sleep with him for money at some point. This scene could happen.

But we sure as fuck didn’t need to see it. Stop sexualizing the starving child prostitute, Davies. It’s disgusting.

• Speaking of things not to sexualize, why the hell does the dressmaker assume Valjean is Cosette’s sugar daddy and not her actual relative? It made sense that everyone thought so last week because Valjean was being super shady. It makes sense for Thénardier still to think so, because Thénardier is Thénardier. It makes absolutely no sense for random strangers to assume it. It’s the nineteenth century! People die in childbirth! There’s a cholera epidemic! Teenage girls need their fathers to take them clothes shopping because all their female relatives are dead. This is not such an unusual scenario that anyone would remark on it, or make highly offensive insinuations about a customer. And why doesn’t Valjean just introduce himself to people as her father???

Mild, mild Valjean/Cosette is Brick canon and I don’t think we can justly criticize an adaption for including it, but every random passerby shouldn’t be remarking on it.

• On my first viewing of this episode, I assumed that its portrayal of the Amis as tiresome drunken louts could be explained by the fact that Andrew Davies simply didn’t like Enjolras, and probably not the other Amis or the June Rebellion very much either. The superb barricade sequence in the subsequent episodes demolishes that theory. Never has it been portrayed so well, and certainly not in any English language adaptation. But that leaves me at an absolute loss to explain what Davies was doing here. This is our first introduction to the Amis: they should be likable, so that we will like them. They are not.

The irony is that it’s not particularly hard to prosecute a case against Enjolras, if you want to complicate his heroism a bit. Enjolras is ridiculous and slightly insufferable! Enjolras is a guy who thinks “Citizen, my mother is the Republic,” is a coherent and comforting response when his best friend musically drags your Napoleon eulogy. I mean, just look at these twats in hats in the Théâtre de la Jeunesse adaptation. They are highly mockable! And on a more somber note, Enjolras led a revolutionary cell that misjudged the public mood so badly it got a hundred people killed to no useful purpose.

But Enjolras is not deliberately trying to orchestrate a battle to the death over France’s system of government. Enjolras had the chance to battle to the death only two years ago, and he’s still here. What Enjolras wants is to jump up on Lamarque’s casket and have all the National Guards and the troops of the line wave their muskets in the air and say “Yeah, fuck that pear-faced buffoon! Down with the king! Vive la république!” That’s why his side have been quietly trying to propagandize and subvert every military unit in Paris for months, which Davies knows, because Enjolras mentions it himself in Episode 5! If the monarchy could be overthrown without any bloodshed at all, that would be ideal.

And Enjolras has too much dignity to throw food at anyone, even Grantaire. If we must take a swipe at Enjolras through the medium of food fights, Courfeyrac should throw food at Grantaire and Enjolras should give him a pious lecture about wasting food when so many are starving. That wouldn’t be in character either, but it’s at least within shooting distance of proper characterization and it highlights annoying qualities the characters actually have.

• Speaking of annoying qualities characters don’t have, when Courfeyrac is coming off as sleazier than Tholomyès you are doing it wrong. Courfeyrac knows girls you don’t have to pay, beyond the usual ‘showing them a good time’ expenses. He does not have to take his dorky virgin friend to a brothel to get him laid!

• Grantaire is a drunk, but he’s a grandiloquent drunk. That is... his entire characterization. How could anyone get this wrong?

• That fucking brothel scene. WHY.

If you must do a Sexual Awakening of Marius plotline, and evidently Andrew Davies must, I think the correct sequence is this: Courfeyrac and Grantaire take him out beyond the barrières and try to set him up with cute girls. Marius is having none of it, of course; he’s too shy and awkward, girls are scary, he doesn’t want a fling. Then he sees Cosette in the park and he’s smitten.

A visit to a brothel Courfeyrac is too classy ever to patronize is not in the cards. The sole redeeming feature of this scene was the fact that Enjolras declined to attend.

This episode was a return to form, and by form I mean the Thénardiers were fantastic and everything else was incredibly fucking uneven. While I can’t say that this Gavroche will make fun of Enjolras’ rubbish beard, I can say this Gavroche would make fun of Enjoras’ rubbish beard, and that’s what really counts.

#Kainosite's timely episode reviews #Les Misérables 2018 #Les Mis Adaptations #Les Misérables

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claudia1829things · 4 years

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“BECKY SHARP” (1935) Review

"BECKY SHARP" (1935) Review

Being something of a film history buff, I have been aware of the 1935 adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's 1847-48 novel, "Vanity Fair" for a number of years. But I have never been inclined to watch the film, until recently.

I cannot say what led to my recent interest in "BECKY SHARP". But it was a book on David O. Selznick that made me first aware of the 1935 film. John Hay "Jock" Whitney and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney had founded Pioneer Pictures in 1933 as a means to produce color movies. "Jock" Whitney was close friends with Selznick. He even co-financed Selznick's production company, Selznick International, in 1935. Between the creations of Pioneer Pictures and Selznick International, the former released the first feature-length film to use the three-strip Technicolor process. "BECKY SHARP" is the sixth of eleven film and/or television adaptations of the Thackeray's novel. It is the first in color. "BECKY SHARP" took its title from the novel's main character, a poor, but educated young English lady who struggles rise in the ranks of Britain's social classes during the early years of the 19th century. Becky Sharp is the orphaned daughter of an English painter and French dancer, who graduates from Miss Pinkerton's Academy for Young Ladies with a friend named Amelia Sedley. Since Amelia is the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Becky manipulates her way into her friend's household, where she meets Amelia's portly and jovial brother, Joseph "Jos" Sedley. Before Becky can sink her hooks into Jos, the Sedley patriarch put an end to the budding "romance" by sending Jos away to India. Meanwhile, Becky finds employment as a governess at the estate of Sir Pitt Crawley. She eventually wins the heart and hand of Crawley's playboy son Rawdon, an officer in the British army. When news of Napoleon Bonaparte's escape from Elba reach Britain, Becky is reunited with Amelia, who has now married her childhood sweetheart George Osborne. The two women's husbands and William Dobbin are deployed to Belgium to face Napoleon's Army. But the last stages of the Napoleonic Wars proved to be the first of many crisis thrown Becky's way. Judging from the movie's title, it is clear to me that screenwriter Francis Edward Faragoh had deleted a great deal of Thackeray's novel in order to write a screenplay with a running time of eighty-four minutes. I found it odd that a film adaptation of such a famous epic novel would have such a short running time. Other epics and movie adaptations of literary works had running times that sometimes went past two hours - including "A TALE OF TWO CITIES", "MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY", "THE CRUSADES", and "CAPTAIN BLOOD". I can only assume that a minor and newly formed production company like Pioneer Pictures could not afford to produce the first Technicolor feature film with a running time close to or over two hours. If that was the case . . . if the Whitneys were that determined to produce the first full-featured movie in color . . . they could have chosen something that was not an adaptation of a famous epic novel. I find it ironic that Mina Nair's 2004 adaptation of Thackeray's novel had received a great deal of criticism for not being truly faithful to its source. I have encountered less criticism of "BECKY SHARP" than I did for the 2004 film. Yet, the latter is more faithful than the former. One of my problems with "BECKY SHARP" is that I thought the producers, director Rouben Mamoulian and screenwriter Francis Edward Faragoh did a piss poor job of adapting Thackery's novel to the screen. I just learned that the 1935 movie is actually an adaptation of Langdon Elwyn Mitchell's 1899 play, which was an adaptation of the 1847-48 novel. I hate to say this, but the movie's running time of eighty-four (84) minutes did not serve the story. There is so much in "BECKY SHARP" that was left out. Most of the narrative that focused upon Amelia was deleted, especially her fractious relationship with her father-in-law, Mr. Osborne. In fact, George's father never made an appearance in this film. I suspect the same could be said about Mitchell's play. The only time the movie focused upon Amelia's character arc was when Becky was personally involved . . . namely George's infatuation with Becky before the Waterloo battle and Becky forcing Amelia to face the truth about George in the movie's last fifteen to twenty minutes. It is not surprising that the movie's title was based upon the main character's name. Not only was much of Amelia's personal story deleted, the movie also rushed through Becky's stay with the Sedley and Crawley families. It seemed as if Mamoulian and Faragoh could not wait to focus on the impact of Waterloo and the marriage between Becky and Rawdon. Between the handling of Amelia's character arc and the rushed narrative in the movie's first half, it is no wonder that I found "BECKY SHARP" particularly unsatisfying. I found other aspects of "BECKY SHARP" unsatisfying. The sound and visual quality of the movie's DVD version low in quality. The photography and color struck me as faded. And the sound is scratchy. For once, I am not blaming the movie's filmmakers. Whoever had possession of "BECKY SHARP" after Pioneer Pictures had failed to maintain its original quality. But I can blame the filmmakers on other aspects of the movie. In it, the Jos Sedley character returned to Europe with a little Indian boy in tow as his personal servant. Only the "Indian servant" was portrayed by a young African-American actor named Jimmy Robinson. To this day, I am still trying to figure out how the producers and director Rouben Mamoulian saw nothing wrong in an African-American kid portraying an Indian kid. Hollywood's casting for non-white characters seemed really skewed in this film. And then . . . there was the acting. I am surprised that "BECKY SHARP" led to a Best Actress Oscar nomination for actress Miriam Hopkins. Granted, she handled the character's questionable morality, desperation and charm very well. Yet, Hopkins engaged in so much hammy acting that I found myself wondering why of all her performances, she ended up earning a nomination for this particular one. I wish I could say that the rest of the cast gave better performances . . . but I cannot. Other cast members gave equally hammy performances. Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Alison Skipworth, G.P. Huntley and many others were equally hammy. I could not accuse Colin Tapley of hamminess on the same scale. But I found his portrayal of William Dobbin rather dramatic. And I am not being complimentary. The only cast members who actually impressed me were Frances Dee and Cedric Hardwicke. Dee gave a surprisingly subtle and convincing performance as the sweet and passive Amelia Sedley. Thanks to Dee's performances, audiences saw both the positive and negative aspects of Amelia's passiveness. Hardwicke was equally subtle as Becky's aristocratic "benefactor", the Marquis of Steyne. Even though Steyne is an unlikable character, Hardwicke was no mustache-twirling villain. The only reason I would recommend "BECKY SHARP" to anyone is for historical purposes. Because this is the first feature-length motion picture in color, I would recommend this movie to any film buff. Otherwise, I would stay clear of "BECKY SHARP" and consider other adaptations of William Makepeace Thackery's novel.

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gascon-en-exil · 6 years

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So Who’s the Queen?: A Chess of Blades Review (Part 2)

Part 1

With the general overview out of the way it’s time to jump into a critique of the real substance of this game: the four men who can fall in love with Rivian and turn him into the champion bottom he was always destined to be. As with last time I’ll be avoiding major plot spoilers but will spare no detail when I turn my discriminating eye toward the game’s scenes of sweet, tender lovemaking...or raw, kinky fucking, whatever floats your boat. Some of them could go either way.

Fun fact: my silly subtitle for the sex scenes comes from a Japanese expression jokingly proposed as an alternative source for the word yaoi. I thought it only appropriate given what I’m judging here.

Arden

It took some effort for me to ignore that this guy shares his name with the least fuckable bachelor of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, but eventually I managed. It helps that the two have nothing else in common, up to and including preference of sexual partners.

Arden is the best friend romance of CoB, the only one with whom Rivian has an established history. Thinking back to the similarly positioned Ian in Coming Out on Top, this is a visual novel character type that presents a unique challenge for the writer(s) in that there has to a be an explanation for why the two of them don’t shack up until the events of the game. I rather like CoB’s reasoning for this, as it’s one that plays into both Arden and Rivian’s insecurities and explains why Rivian is so prickly to a supposed close friend during the shared prologue. Arden is clingy and overly expectant, and the game allows this to feel off-putting even partway through his route (which is shared with the “secret” fourth love interest, in a scenario where Rivian decides that he and Arden have grown into such different people that reconciliation is impossible). This is an unusual but not unwelcome way to lead into what is undoubtedly the fluffiest of the romances, in which Arden has to be open about his self-conscious reservations and Rivian has to be willing to forgive. Arden’s protectiveness of Rivian also becomes less grating as the route goes on and the two start to face genuine danger, and as Rivian points out that kind of dedication is actually quite sweet when it’s wanted. The only really awkward thing about the construction of Arden’s route is that, because most of their relationship drama comes from the fallout of their youthful infatuation, it has very little to do with the main plot of a kidnapped little girl. It is at least the most morally straightforward of the routes, one that brings out both Arden’s loyalty to Rivian and to his kingdom (even though he is a bit dense about it, in the tradition of most lawful good paladin-esque type characters) and Rivian’s buried affection for his family. Like I said, it’s pretty fluffy on the whole.

The “Ow, my ass!” rating: Mild. As might be expected Arden’s sex scene is the most vanilla in the game, which is fitting because 1) it matches the more innocent passion of a childhood romance gone horizontal(ish), and because 2) Arden is also a virgin somehow, despite having spent several years in a military environment in a setting where no one cares if guys hook up with each other. There’s no lube, but I can excuse it because Arden both fingers and rims Rivian beforehand. More significantly, Rivian rides Arden’s cock which is not only the most active he ever is in a sex scene but also a great position for the inexperienced to get accustomed to the feeling of taking a dick. Don’t get the impression that this means that Rivian is taking a dominant role, however; the term “power bottom” is more about attitude than positioning, and Rivian is still very much lacking in that department. Also, they have sex on a chair and I have no idea why, since there’s a perfectly serviceable bed in the same room. I like to be able to hold onto my partner’s shoulders when I’m riding him to help keep my balance, but I don’t think that’s worth having to angle myself around the arms. Kind of a toss-up there.

Franz

According to the developer notes in the artbook Franz was the first of the love interests to be designed, and they had a specific exotic flavor in mind that in practice feels very much like how I think Anglos see Continentals collectively. German first name and French family name aside, I get a more Iberian feeling from him personally. Maybe it’s the thing about his country being known for chocolates, or maybe the (very late in coming) self-flagellation...not literal, mind you.

Even leaving aside his real world cultural inspirations, Franz is very much the aggressive rogue type of love interest, the “perverted foreigner” as Rivian describes him more than once who introduces himself by grabbing Rivian on his balcony and practically dry humping him while dropping some foreshadowing regarding the plot. The above image is a comparatively benign moment early on in Franz’s route proper, but it goes to show just how casually grabby the guy is and how Rivian is essentially forced to get used to it. That may be unsettling for some players, but I happen to like a man assertive enough to go for what he wants - although the fact that Franz is vastly hotter and wealthier than many of the men who’ve groped me certainly plays a role there too. In any case the plot of his route - that of the murder of an ambassador in which Franz is curiously interested - plays into the idea of him as a man of mystery gradually revealed to be driven by something other than sensual indulgence, and getting his good ending requires that Rivian learn to trust and care about Franz even as he’s not at all forthcoming about his identity or motivations up until the very end. Franz’s route is unique in that his sex scene appears before the determination of whether or not you’ll get his good ending and even before certain major revelations are made regarding his character. This suits his roguish appeal just fine, even though the scene itself is kind of...well, see below. Honestly Franz is probably my favorite of the love interests by a narrow margin; he’s rich, hot, aggressive, and shown to be very open-minded about kinks while also capable of genuinely affectionate moments. That’s a rare combination and prime wish fulfillment fodder.

The “Ow, my ass!” rating: Uncomfortably high, sad to say. Props to the guy for being suave enough to lead Rivian through a masquerade ball one minute and then drag him into a storage closet to fuck his brains out the next, but it’s a massive understatement when he assures Rivian that he won’t be gentle. Franz fucks Rivian’s mouth on a cold stone floor and then only takes the time to briefly finger him with spit before impaling the boy. You really have to be into the controlling top persona to enjoy his scene, particularly as there’s little to no (onscreen) aftercare. I was also left feeling disappointed at how conventional Franz’s sex scene felt, after he’d previously teased Rivian about wanting to collar him - he calls him “kitten” throughout their interactions - and enjoying the sight of a cross-dressing Rivian. I definitely enjoy the idea that Franz is into both pet play and feminization, but it turns out to be a case of telling and not showing. At least Franz retains most of his Dom demeanor up through his epilogue, as I would have really rolled my eyes if his kinky tendencies mysteriously vanished after he and Rivian made their big romantic confessions.

Linnaeus

I’m still not sure how I feel about Linnaeus. Part of this is that I’m missing out on the reference; developer notes make it clear that his appearance and personality were modeled after those of characters in the Ace Attorney series, which I’ve never played. I can at least acknowledge the allusion found in his narrative, which reaches its (non-sexual) climax not with a violent confrontation in a mysterious setting as in the other routes but with a courtroom trial. The Steam achievement for winning the trial is even called “Rivian Wright,” at that.

More than that however Linnaeus is a man whose appeal as a love interest exists (in my opinion) on a less visceral or emotional level than the others’. Archetypically speaking he’s the defrosting tsundere who initially seems to not like Rivian very much at all and only gradually comes to enjoy his company after they’ve been thrown together by apparent coincidence in the case of a foreign duchess’s stolen diamonds. Linnaeus is a haughty intellectual and very much a sadist both in and out of bed, but later explorations of his character add depth to his talents as the king’s inquisitor and zeal for bringing criminals - especially the members of the anarchistic Disciples of Ignatius - to justice. Throw in some friction with an estranged cousin who also wants to woo Rivian and might want Linnaeus’s job as well as some earnestly romantic gestures masked by smart-assery and in one case a literal mask and there’s definitely material here for a satisfying romance. There’s some hiccups - the trial is not difficult at all to win, and there’s an optional tarot card reading scene that adds nothing to the route but unneeded foreshadowing and feels out of place besides - but it’s by no means a bad story. Maybe Linnaeus just likes to screw with Rivian too much for my taste, or maybe I’m just not into tsundere types.

The “Ow, my ass!” rating: Of a reasonable threshold, but that doesn’t mean I really care for it. Linnaeus’s sex scene involves edging, begging, and light bondage, three things that I tend to find more annoying than sexy in my own encounters. I do like that he’s a kinky guy and that the game is more willing to show that than it is with Franz, and I also like that Linnaeus comes prepared not just with rope but with lube (finally!). This is more my personal taste than anything, as objectively there’s nothing illogical or inaccurate about their encounter. No doubt their future liaisons become even more maddening, as in the epilogue Linnaeus remarks that he has “instruments” he enjoys using on Rivian. That’s just...not my preferred type of Dom, I suppose? Additionally, for whatever it’s worth Linnaeus’s naughty bits are not visible in either of his erotic CGs due to angling and his fondness for humiliation, which is kind of a letdown.

And no, Rivian never gets to yell “Objection!” during this route. Another missed opportunity, Chess of Blades.

Sabre

Sabre is the guy on the left. The one on the right is Kieran - keep him in mind for later.

This is the secret love interest. His route branches off from Arden’s and cannot be accessed until you’ve completed Arden’s route once. There’s a good narrative reason for this, and on the surface Sabre seems like a great option for a bonus romance. He’s got tons of raw sex appeal, a unique role in the story, and a social status that separates him from Rivian and the other love interests, such that while the other three are each likened to a chess piece protecting Rivian as the king Sabre’s route is more akin to upending the board entirely. Rivian falls in love with a common brawler, ultimately opting to leave the treacherous games of the court behind him. There are two very large problems with this route though:

1) Sabre has the worst voice acting of any of the characters without question. He’s got the accent problem I brought up last time, in his case doubly so because he affects a thick Scottish brogue for his fighting persona which contrasts against his uncharacteristically refined normal voice, but whether due to the VA or the audio recording equipment his volume modulation is also highly erratic. Most of his lines are either screamed so loudly I was tempted to remove my headphones or are so quiet that they’re barely audible, especially at the end of some lines where he just trails off into near-silence. There is very little middle ground, and the combined effect is extremely distracting. It doesn’t help either that Sabre is lumped in with the supporting cast in the volume settings unlike Rivian and the other love interests whose voices can be adjusted individually, so muting him will mute everyone else.

2) Then there’s Kieran, who represents a more complicated issue with Sabre’s route. The two are introduced as close friends and sparring partners who share a healthy rivalry, and even though the romantic focus of the route remains on the developing relationship between Rivian and Sabre Kieran gets in some flirty banter of his own with Rivian and makes it clear that he wouldn’t turn down the nobleman’s admiration. Somewhat shockingly, this actually does culminate in a threesome, even though it’s staged more like the way some straight guys talk about M/M/F threesomes wherein the two men (tops in this case) have their way with the woman while having minimal interaction with each other. As someone who’s engaged in my fair share of threeways with two tops I don’t necessarily object to this arrangement, and in fact I like that it continues to play up the sense of rivalry between Sabre and Kieran. What I don’t like is that after they’ve had sex and Rivian has bid farewell to both of them the epilogue drops Kieran entirely. He’s not mentioned or referenced at all, and everything comes back to Rivian and Sabre rekindling their relationship a year later under noticeably more conventional circumstances. Perhaps a true poly relationship is beyond the capabilities of a visual novel with romance routes like this, but it would have been a welcome addition to the ending if it was mentioned that the two of them get visits from Kieran from time to time and that they’re all working it out. As it stands Kieran just feels like eye candy and a tool for Sabre’s development, which is a real shame since he’s an affable character in his own right (and more competently voiced, that’s for sure - funnily enough by Franz’s VA, using what sounds more like his natural voice).

Combined these two problems really limit how well this route lives up to its potential, but I found that I could grit my teeth through Sabre’s performance and use some creative license in the ending to get around its shortcomings. It definitely feels less well constructed than the three main routes, but as an alternative to Arden’s storyline it adds a fair bit. But then....

The “Ow, my ass!” rating: Off the charts - Rivian should be dead after this sex scene. True, they use lube and Kieran eats him out first, and spit roasting is a common and reasonable practice in a two tops/one bottom arrangement, but then there’s the double penetration. Allow me to remind you that Rivian is a virgin and has apparently never stretched his hole before this encounter, and yet somehow he’s able to take two well-endowed men simultaneously. I’m not buying it, and even worse the position he’s in - sandwiched between two hulking men twice his size as they drill into him from above and below - makes me wonder that he’s more likely to die of suffocation than rectal hemorrhaging. There’s a moment during the narrative climax where Kieran bear hugs a man almost to unconsciousness, so the writers clearly must have known it was a possibility - but nope, the delicate noble boy somehow survives taking two dicks at once while being smashed between two mountains of muscle. Oh, and did I mention that said mountains of muscle have no refractory periods? They both cum from the spit roasting, and then immediately Sabre is hard again and raring to shove his way into Rivian’s poor overtaxed hole alongside Kieran. Rivian’s inner monologue lampshades this downright inhuman stamina, but that doesn’t excuse it when you take everything else that’s off about this scene. I fully understand that this is a wildly hot fantasy for anyone into beefy guys, but more than anything else in CoB this sex scene is decidedly not something to try at home.

In conclusion...

Arden is sweet, Franz is hot and surprisingly romantic, Sabre comes with issues (and Kieran) but is undoubtedly sexy, and Linnaeus is...something. Good selection on the whole but too bad about Rivian’s hole.

#Chess of Blades #M/M visual novel #BL novel

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