#inter: peter p

[musesinked]

@inn0cencestrained continued from x

“I’m sorry, I just keep thinking what if.” It pained him every time he thought about it, what if he hadn’t of caught her in time? How could he continue to live a life without her. As she rolled closer, Peter gently used his fingertips to move a strand of hair from Gwen’s face. “I love you Gwen, I hope you know that.” Loving her was like breathing, it was as natural as it was vital.

[hotvintagepoll]

this is a poll for a movie that doesn't exist.

It is vintage times. The powers that be have decided to again remake the classic vampire novel Dracula for the screen. in an amazing show of inter-studio solidarity, Hollywood’s most elite hotties are up for the starring roles. the producers know whoever they cast will greatly impact the genre, quality, and tone of the finished film, so they are turning to their wisest voices for guidance.

you are the new casting director for this star-studded epic. choose your players wisely.

Previously cast:

Jonathan Harker—Jimmy Stewart

The Old Woman—Martita Hunt

Count Dracula—Gloria Holden

Mina Murray—Setsuko Hara

Lucy Westenra—Judy Garland

The Three Voluptuous Women—Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Lauren Bacall

The Agonized Mother—Mary Philbin (rip)

Dr. Jack Seward—Vincent Price

Quincey P. Morris—Toshiro Mifune

Arthur Holmwood—Sidney Poitier

R.M. Renfield—Conrad Veidt

The Captain of the Demeter—Omar Sharif (rip)

The First Mate of the Demeter—Leonard Nimoy (rip)

Mr. Swales—Ed Wynn (rip)

The Correspondent for The Daily Graph—Ethel Waters

Dracula in dog form—Frank Oz with a puppet

Sister Agatha—Angela Lansbury

Mrs. Westenra—Gladys Cooper

Dracula's solicitors—Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee

Van Helsing is described at length in the novel. He is Dr. Seward's old mentor, possessing "an iron nerve, a temper of the ice-brook, an indomitable resolution, self-command, [....] and the kindliest and truest heart that beats." According to Mina, he is "a man of medium height, strongly built, with his shoulders set back over a broad, deep chest and a neck well balanced on the trunk as the head is on the neck. The poise of the head strikes me at once as indicative of thought and power. The head is noble, well-sized, broad, and large behind the ears. The face, clean-shaven, shows a hard, square chin, a large resolute, mobile mouth, a good-sized nose, rather straight, but with quick, sensitive nostrils, that seem to broaden as the big bushy brows come down and the mouth tightens. The forehead is broad and fine, rising at first almost straight and then sloping back above two bumps or ridges wide apart, such a forehead that the reddish hair cannot possibly tumble over it, but falls naturally back and to the sides. Big, dark blue eyes are set widely apart and are quick and tender or stern with the man's moods." Van Helsing tends to talk through funny stories and bizarre metaphors, is one of the first to consider the supernatural in Lucy's illness, and comes from Amsterdam.

[fleshybones]

classic list of Disney originals in chronological order starting in the 40s/50s ending 2023

Snow White & Little Briar Rose & The Frog Prince & Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm 

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi 

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Dumbo the Flying Elephant by Helen Aberson & Harold Pearl Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer 

Peter & the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev Little Bear Bongo by Sinclair Lewis 

Jack and the Beanstalk by Benjamin Tabart Johnny Appleseed, Little Toot by Hardie Gramatky Trees by Joyce Kilmer & Pecos Bill 

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving 

Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll 

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie Joe Grant’s Pet English Springer Spaniel Lady, Happy Dan, The Cynical Dog, Lady & the Tramp: The Story of Two Dogs by Ward Greene 

The Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith 

The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White 

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling 

The Secret Origin of the Aristocats by Tom McGowan & Tom Rowe The Legend of Robinhood **

Winnie the Pooh book series by A.A. Milne 

The Rescuers book series by Margery Sharp The Fox and the Hound by Daniel P. Mannix 

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander 

Basil of Baker Street series by Eve Titus 

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 

The Little Mermaid & The Steadfast Tin Soldier & The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen 

Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont 

Aladdin and the Magic Lamp from 1001 Nights Hamlet by William Shakespeare 

The Lives of Pocahontas and John Smith **

Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo 

The Greek myth of Heracles **

Ballad of Mulan by Guo Maoqian 

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs Noah’s Ark inter Alia Kingdom of the Sun by Roger Allers & Matthew Jacobs 

Inca mythology ** 

The Legend of Atlantis ** Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Inuit cultures ** Sweating Bullets by Mike Gabriel  

Henny Penny ** 

A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce •

American Dog by Chris Sanders 

The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker 

Scandinavian & Sámi cultures ** 

Big Hero 6 by Man of Action 

Buddy cop films ** Polynesian cultures & Hawaiian mythof Māui** Southeast Asian cultures & mythology ** Colombian culture ** 

Saludos Amigos 

The Three Caballeros Make Mine Music Melody Time 

The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad 

The Black Cauldron 

The Great Mouse Detective 

Fantasia & Fantasia 2000 

Atlantis : The Lost Empire 

Treasure Planet 

Brother Bear 

Home on the Range Meet the Robinsons 

Bolt 

Zootopia 

Moana  

Raya and the Last Dragon  

Encanto  

Strange World Nov. 23 2022 

Wish Nov. 22, 2023

[pitt-able]

The House of Commons reacting to Pitt’s Death

Pitt died on January 23, 1806 and the House of Commons meet the next day. The death of the Prime Minister had spread like wildfire – especially since his health had been so bad for so long, so there was no need for a public declaration. It was assumed everybody present was aware of the circumstances. In fact, the first order of business was a letter from the King read to the Members of Parliaments (the King thanked them for expressing their condolence upon the death of his brother, the Duke of Gloucester) and the continuous affair of the impeachment of Henry Dundas, Lord Melville. Pitt’s death was the third order of business that day. It was proposed that the House should debate his funeral and a show of public respect on Monday next, January 27.

His death was of a political and social consequence. Pitt’s passing left many important positions vacant, not just the office of Prime Minister. He had a considerable group of friends and followers in Parliament. Many of his colleagues, even if they were in opposition to his political points, expressed sympathy, respect for him.

There was also a certain order of business that was expected when a person of such public interest and a Prime Minister no less, died.

The topic of his death and funeral was again brought up on January 27, when a replacement for Pitt’s seat in Parliament was also sought. The House also took the time to reflect upon Pitt’s character and political legacy at length. Mr. Lascelles rose to present the motion:

I shall therefore conclude with moving, “That an humble address be presented to his majesty, that his majesty will be graciously pleased to give directions, that the remains of the right hon. William Pitt be interred at the public charge; and that a monument be erected, in the collegiate church of St. Peter, Westminster, to the memory of that excellent statesman, with an inscription expressive of the public sense of so great and irreparable a loss; and to assure his majesty that this house will make good the expences attending the same.”

Corbbett’s Parliamentary Debates, Vol. XI, London, p. 73.

The vote went as follows:

Corbbett’s Parliamentary Debates, Vol. XI, London, pp. 73-74.

Mentioned in the last instant is the debate over the full payment of Pitt’s debts (messy affair and messy debate) that would be discussed Monday next, February 3, 1806. On that day, the House was much more divided upon the topic of Pitt’s debts, but one very interesting speech came from nonother than Charles James Fox:

I shortened his speech a bit, but Fox essentially goes on to criticize some of the arguments and tactics made by the other proponents of the notion – while still being in support himself.

Corbbett’s Parliamentary Debates, Vol. XI, London, pp. 127-140.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"During the processing of his application, Grell was requested to dictate a short biography to the County Court at Ootsa Lake on 15 July 1926.

“I came from Lewiston, Wash. under the name of William Dunnand arrived at Keremeos B.C. on horseback. | never made any report of my entry into Canada.”

Q: Why did you come under the name of William Dunn?

“I was a little bit on the crooked side in those days. | had not been doing anything against the laws of the U.S. and Canada. My inclination was on the wild side of life and I was liable to jump crooked any day. I had not been in trouble since a boy when | was sent to a reform school in Pontiac, Illinois, and that is where I learned not to respect law or order. But for all that I never got into any trouble for all that up to the time I came into Canada. In Canada I was arrested for interfering with H. M. Mail. I was sentenced in Kamloops for life in 1906. This was for holding up a train near Kamloops. I served 9 years in B.C. Penitentiary. | was paroled. | then went to Princetown [sic]. That was in September 1915. I remained there until I came up to this country. I have not been in trouble since. I was with Bill Miner at the hold up. I have tried since my parole to live the life of a respectable citizen. (The applicant files a letter from Mr. Henson, a merchant-farmer residing at the lower end of Ootsa Lake.) I ran a store for him last winter and he wants me to run it again this winter. I told Mr. Henson last fall of the story of the hold up and my term in prison. I also told Constable O. L. Hall the same last fall. | have not told this to any one else in this district. I could get recommendations from reputable businessmen at Princeton, B.C. who know my story and I am perfectly satisfied they would certify that I have tried to go straight since then. The reason I do not want to ask for a certificate of character in this district is because none except Mr. Henson know my past. I cannot ask for recommendation without disclosing it, which I do not want to do because I am doing my best to live it down. If my past is generally known I would be a hero to some and a convict to others.”

The same day, Billy Grell had to fill out another document, a “Petition For Naturalization,” and send it to the Secretary of State in Ottawa. The petition listed basic facts about the applicant. Stating his name, address, date of birth and former citizenship, he adds further details, filling in the blanks of the standard form. Grell stated that he had previously petitioned for naturalization at Princeton; however, he never appeared at the court to petition for this decision as he was out in the hills prospecting when the court was in session.

- Peter Grauer, Interred With Their Bones: Bill Miner in Canada, 1903-1907. Kamloops: Tillicum, 2006. p. 542-543.

[Billy Dunn, who was colleagues of Bill Miner, explains his life while applying for Canadian naturalization - a rare glimpse in print of a paroled prisoner trying to 'make good' in this period.]

[envirotechaccelerator]

Carbon Dioxide Removal: Challenges and Opportunities in Negative Emissions

by Envirotech Accelerator

An era of significant climate change necessitates the exploration of novel approaches to combat the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, which aim to extract and sequester CO2 from the atmosphere, have emerged as potential tools for negative emissions. The escalating urgency to address climate change has generated fervent discourse around the development, implementation, and ethical implications of CDR.

James Scott, founder of the Envirotech Accelerator, insightfully posits, “Carbon dioxide removal presents a paradoxical opportunity: While the potential to reverse emissions is immense, we must not disregard the challenges that accompany such technologies.”

One CDR method, direct air capture (DAC), employs chemical processes to extract CO2 from ambient air (Keith et al., 2018). These technologies offer scalability and location flexibility. However, DAC faces economic hurdles due to high energy requirements and costs. Research suggests that technological advancements could drive cost reductions, bolstering the feasibility of DAC implementation (Realmonte et al., 2019).

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) presents another avenue for CDR. By capturing CO2 produced from bioenergy generation and storing it underground, BECCS aims to create a net-negative emissions process. Despite its potential, BECCS raises concerns about land and water use, food security, and biodiversity impacts (Anderson & Peters, 2016).

Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) introduces a marine-based approach to CDR. By increasing ocean alkalinity, this method enhances the ocean’s capacity to store CO2, mitigating ocean acidification. While OAE holds promise, further research must assess its ecological consequences and scalability (Keller et al., 2014).

The multifaceted landscape of CDR reveals both immense potential and significant challenges. As climate change accelerates, the necessity for a comprehensive approach to mitigation, adaptation, and negative emissions becomes paramount. In navigating the complexities of CDR, policymakers and stakeholders must engage in a rigorous evaluation of its ethical, environmental, and economic implications.

References:

Anderson, K., & Peters, G. (2016). The trouble with negative emissions. Science, 354(6309), 182–183.

Keller, D. P., Feng, E. Y., & Oschlies, A. (2014). Potential climate engineering effectiveness and side effects during a high carbon dioxide-emission scenario. Nature Communications, 5(1), 1–10.

Keith, D. W., Holmes, G., St. Angelo, D., & Heidel, K. (2018). A process for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. Joule, 2(8), 1573–1594.

Realmonte, G., Drouet, L., Gambhir, A., Glynn, J., Hawkes, A., Köberle, A., & Tavoni, M. (2019). An inter-model assessment of the role of direct air capture in deep mitigation pathways. Nature Communications, 10(1), 1–12.

Read more at Envirotech Accelerator.

[complaintreviews]

I light-heartedly gave a list of names which, for all I knew, I might hear: Hugh Murray Constantin Petrie Peter SmallSignor Beniamino BariThe Honourable Alex O'Brannigan, Bart. Kurt FreundMr John P. de Salis, M.A.Dr Solway GarrBonaparte GosworthLegs O'Hagan

The story of how Dylan Fazel drifted into academic-publishing scams and from there into conference fraud would make for a fascinating interview, if any journalist or documentary film-maker in Minnesota is at a loose end. It is unclear whether the emphasis on biomedical fields in his operation is motivated by a thwarted childhood medic-manqué ambition, or simply that that's where the money is...

I am sorry. I seem to have committed the classic dramaturgical blunder of starting the story at the beginning, rather than in media res as tradition demands. Let me start again.

It only takes a few minutes with the Goofle Sir Chengine to paper the screen with tweets from people wondering how to get off the A. Siozos (M.D.) mailing list, or wondering whether invitations to his prestigious congresses are legit. **** SPOILER ALERT **** no they're not.

So you should look at this discussion of parasitical publishers and mockademic scamferences, in which the participants share their experiences with the unrelenting blizzard of spam from Dr Siozos (putative editor of the Archives of Applied Medicine), pimping his "Annual Conference on Genetics 2019" scamference in Vienna and his "2019 Global Conf. on Neuroscience and Neurology"…

NO WAIT, you can't, because ResearchGate zorched 200 contributions after receiving a legal-thuggery nastygram, and saw no benefit to themselves in replying to the bumptious censorious asshat with a richly-deserved invitation to "sniff my taint"[Popehat].

Bruno Chrcanovic reply

RG claimed that "[they] received a Notice of Claimed Defamation from Archives of Applied Medicine, asserting that they have a good faith belief that certain portions of the content constitute defamation to them." This serves as a reminder that academic social-networking sites like ResearchGate and Academia.com do not exist for your benefit, and any services they provide will evaporate faster than a Trump promise in the event of anything interfering with their monetising of your work.

As of now a replacement discussion thread exists, not yet cancelled by complaints from the botmaster behind the fake 'Siozos' identity that his commercial freedom to defraud people is constrained by attempts to warn them. Not to forget the equally fake identities "P. Jimenez, Ph.D." and "L. Smith M.D.", for the grifter has creativity to burn in the naming of spambots. In that thread we learn (inter alia) that the keynote speakers listed in the brochure had no intention of attending the Annual Genetics Conference and had no idea of the honour bestowed upon them… which is to say, the entire Prospectus was an unabashed fraud.

Two other aspects of that brochure are of interest (for sufficiently broad values of 'interest'). First, the promise of a special issue of AoAM containing the Conference Proceedings.

In fact the AoAM archives are a ghost-town where nothing but tumbleweed has moved since June 2019 and the only sounds are crickets and the mournful howls of far-off coyotes; the journal is moribund, as the aggressiveness of its spamming is not matched in the actual management of a criminal enterprise.

The second aspect was the name 'KEI' as part of the machinery of shearing:

Here 'KEI' is 'Knowledge Enterprises Incorporated': parasitical publisher of 'Medical Research Archives' and 'Internal Medicine Review' and a few others that are frozen in stasis. So it is not entirely by coincidence that KEI and AoAM use the same office forwarding mailbox to drape themselves in the respectability-mantle of a physical address, 340 S Lemon Ave #7750; Walnut CA 91789.

Physical cheques and letters to IMR are for historical reasons (TRADITION) funneled through a different mail-drop at 712 H St NE Washington DC 20002, with a cheque-cashing service conveniently located upstairs.

Despite these cut-outs, KEI is a departure from the norm in parasitical publishing, being an entirely US operation with no Hyderabad involvement. In fact the man behind KEI's campaign of global spam harassment documented himself thoroughly in his company ownership, and in Wikipedia revision logs, and in a blog dating back to the founding of Medical Research Archives where he claimed the title of "Interim Editor-in-Chief"; and in the registration of domains; and even by signing spam and correspondence with clients (before discovering the pleasures of spurious personae), as Dylan Fazel of Anoka, Minnesota.

Now pressure-to-publish-exploiting spam has evolved towards ever more aggravating persistence, stalking potential victims and boiling their bunnies, and it is only a matter of time before your mailbox deafens you with Feckle-Freezer-related screaming.

Dylan was a pioneer in this evolution, bombarding his targets with follow-ups and reminders… often skipping the original invitation and moving straight on to the reminders, in the hope of instilling the recipients with a sense of guilt and indebtedness. His special innovation, though, was an "ingratiating back-story" literary genre, in which the pressure to provide him with manuscripts and moneys is buttressed by cc:ing a correspondence among multiple non-existent identities, giving the reader an insider glimpse of an entire slice-of-life virtual world. Examples abound at "Flaky Journals", and at "Flaky Journals" again, and at ScholarlyOA, and even here at Riddled.

For a while these spurious personae used the names of actual Ukrainian translators, Venezuelan anaesthesiologists and Bulgarian casino-management freelancers, who were at least sometimes aware that their names were being made synonymous with 'con-job co-conspirator'. The shift to entirely fabricated identities like 'A Siozos' is new.

Dylan's gateway into the exciting world of virtual publishing (which is hard for one to leave, just as the elephant-poop-sweeper in the joke is loath to quit show-biz) was the Astronomical Review - an academic Salon des Refusés, providing autodidact would-be cosmologists with a convenient outlet for their original and challenging theories about the origin of the universe, without the hassle of cyclostyling those theories onto densely-written A4 pages and sellotaping them to the walls of bus-shelters.

Dylan recruited an Editorial Board of world-renowned luminaries from theoretical and experimental physics for this journal, including Roger Penrose and Jean-Pierre Luminet and Francis Everitt and NASA's Planetary Defense Officer, all content to follow his guidance as E.-in-C… or so he claimed, though one must bear in mind his fabulatory tendencies. This is all moot because in 2014 he sold the journal to Taylor & Francis, leaving him with time to found KEI and program his spam-bots. So now you know the back-story. The moral is that pimping out one's journals with wholly fictitious claims can be profitable.

T&F hiked the Article Publishing Fee from $25/page to a flat charge of $750 / £469 / €625 and imposed some standards on what they would accept. Bereft of submissions from Intergalactic Cracked Pots (and of the prestigious Editorial Board), Astronomical Reviewclosed its doors in 2018 after a less-than-glorious history. Someone with Whackyweedia privileges might want to reverse Dylan's self-promotional vandalism of the Wiki entries for Richard Penrose and Jean-Pierre Luminet, from October 12, 2012.

Anyway, I will give Dylan credit for opportunism timeliness. In light of current events, the latest Siozos spam -- urging me to travel to his next scamference in Athens -- has been updated, and now it highlights the potential to present about the effects of travel in spreading COVID-19.

[librairiemelodieensoussol]

Nancy Mitford ~ the water beetle Petit livre ancien relié En anglais Illustrated by Osbert Lancaster Edition Hamish Hamilton London 144 pages 1962 Nancy Mitford, styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years. She was born at 1 Graham Street (now Graham Place) in Belgravia, London, the eldest daughter of Lord Redesdale, and was brought up at Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire... #librairiemelodieensoussol  #melodieensoussol #oiseaumortvintage #libraire #librairie #librairiemarseille #librairieparis #librairieindependante #librairieenligne #librairiedoccasion #livresdoccasion #nancymitford https://www.instagram.com/p/CoJ3izxsL3v/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fudurich]

Rest in peace, Grandma Since I am not a man of words, edited obituary below. The full obituary available in today and tomorrow’s @thetorontostar https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/thestar/name/theresa-fudurich-obituary?pid=203391894 Theresa (Terry) Fudurich (née Cherkez), eldest daughter of Ann (Bevanda) and Peter J. Cherkez, died December 1, 2022. Predeceased by husband, Charles (August 4, 2009) after 66 years of a wonderful marriage. Devoted mother of sons, Edward (Barbara), Ken (Patti), and Charles Jr. (Cindy); grandmother to Christopher (Aimée), Kimberley, Geoffrey (Lorie), and twins, Jamie (Justin) and Kathryn (Steven); great-grandmother to Charlie Eugene and Ruby Patricia. Sister of the late Rose (Paul Pandzich). Survived by beloved sister, Anne Lukenda (Mike); and daughter, Debbie. Theresa Cherkez Fudurich was born February 21, 1923, in Rasno, Hercegovina. Friends may call at the Turner & Porter Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St. W., at Windermere (east of the Jane Subway), on Sunday, December 11, 2022, from 4-8 p.m. Funeral Mass to be held at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 3055 Bloor St. W., Etobicoke, on Monday, December 12, 2022, at 11 a.m. Interment to follow at Park Lawn Cemetery. For those who wish, donations may be made to The Canadian Cancer Society or the Alzheimer Society of Toronto. Online condolences may be made through: www.turnerporter.ca (at Toronto, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl92QmwvkqR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[meat-wentz]

yeah why not, let’s do the cult film essay, hell, i’ll do citations too:

recently i’ve been thinking a lot about the space mcr has cultivated and how alike it is to the space fostered by and around cult film. cult cinema is a tricky thing to define, because it encapsulates a lot but also requires specificity and it proves to be rather hard to pin down. like camp, cult is a sensibility. academically, many cult films embody the concept ‘paracinema’ as defined by jeffrey sconce. sconce writes:

“Paracinema is [...] less a distinct group of films than a particular reading protocol, a counter-aesthetic turned subcultural sensibility devoted to all manner of cultural detritus. [P]aracinema represents the most developed and dedicated of cinephilic subcultures to ever worship at ‘the temple of schlock.’“ 

(Sconce, ‘Trashing’ the Academy, pg. 101, 1995)

there are some notable things about cult film, common threads to be pulled or pieced together to determine if something is truly cult or not. more often than not these will be found amongst all cult films: repeat viewings, perverse readings, transgressive subject matter, a certain “quotability” or recognition outside of the filmic space amongst its followers (think of it as a handshake between viewers, you say “antici” and those in the in-group will respond “pation” while those in the out-group will not have the same response), but most importantly, cult is recognized by ritualized viewing habits. the following may be found in cult films, but not all films that have these are cult, and not all cult films have these: poor production quality, crash-and-burn reception, disastrous distribution, cult actors and actresses, behind-the-scenes myths, legends, and lore, and an underground reputation spread by word of mouth. most importantly, cult is rebellious, it rises against the status quo and challenges the society it was born from. and it utilizes that transgression to offer a safe space to gather, to communicate and to foster communal efforts in maintaining these spaces. cult film is a place where we choose to set aside all that is ‘acceptable,’ to welcome all outsiders of the world, we choose to be different and to accept difference as something worth effort, praise, maintenance and love.

the rocky horror picture show remains the paradigm of cult film precisely because of the space it has maintained by the viewers themselves within their repeated and ritualized viewing habits. it remains legendary even amongst the out group, but it is a momentous occasion for the in group. all these years later, fans gather in costume, callback lines memorized, prop bags at the ready, prepared to grasp at the chance for improvisation, ready to dance, sing, and laugh with abandon. it is a space unlike any other filmic space, it disregards politeness, it disregards the cultural and societal norms of mainstream cinema, it disregards silence, respect, and expectation. it is a space of interaction, a dialogue between film and viewer, between film and community, a space of appreciation displayed by being as loud and raucous as possible, as messy as possible, of presenting oneself larger than life, of emulating the screen in direct response to it. if we were to place cult into the realm of worship, the theater acts as cathedral, the screen as altar, and the film as sacred text.

for a moment let’s consider the word “ritual.” it has much in common with the term “cult film,” in that they can mean many things at once, tending to become all-encompassing terms that lose meaning due to the broadness of their definitions. peter mclaren in his essay “rethinking ritual” describes how ritual functions for those who partake:

“[Rituals] refer to the sacrality inherent in mankind’s own ordinariness and everyday life. A group’s or community’s rituals become, inter alia, the symbolic codes for interpreting and negotiating events of everyday existence. Rituals do not merely reflect, they articulate.”

(McLaren, Rethinking Ritual, pgs. 271-272, pg. 274, 1984)

rituals function as ways to process the world around us, therefore they require redefinition of space, participant, intent, and action as needed to fit the world as it evolves. mclaren comments “rituals are not confined to a compact proscenium or church chancel; they are natural social activities,” (pg. 271). we tend to structure our day-to-day lives around our routines. by incorporating media into these routines, we find a way to continue the realm of worship and ritual outside the so-called sacred space and into our private and interior lives, offering space to process how these media experiences function in our everyday understanding of the world and where we fit into it.

ritual can not only be considered as a physical habit or process of thought, but also as a reflexive dialogue between oneself and the object or presence they have ritualized. it allows for the viewer to process the place it has in their lives, to speak to and about it in a way that imbues meaning outside of its original spatial context. those rituals then extend outward to the group or community, allowing for shared ideas, interpretations, and actions. in cult film, there is the film space (the actual text) but there is the canonical fan space (the theater, and the communal spaces outside the theater). for instance, there is no actual call from within rocky horror itself to throw rice, it is not something demanded of the audience, however it has become canonical to the fanbase itself as a particular way of involving themselves within the film space, as a way to display their dedication and affection towards the film, and as a way to involve one another in the culture they have fostered out of that love. see, it is the fan reaction that makes a cult film a cult film, it is the space in which they provide for themselves to keep the film alive, to imbue it with life outside the screen, outside the theater, and within the lives of the fans and the communities surrounding it. rocky horror to this day, has maintained the longest theatrical run of any movie in history. and while the film itself is influential, it is the fans that have kept it in theaters for the past 47 years.

i suppose for all this, this is what i mean when i say that the space that mcr has cultivated is special. long after the break up, fans have not only altered the space from its original context (the first decade of the band), but they have kept it alive, founded communities that have kept the meaning alive, read through a long history of lyrics, interviews, visual cues and contexts, album narratives, etc, and refigured how they function within our everyday lives, maintained the space for a return. it’s why you’ll see fans start the “everybody in the whole place, whole place,” chant before mama. it’s why we all come here to write our analyses, to join the streams nightly, to find the common themes amongst different eras, songs, videos, etc. it’s why we show up in parade jackets and killjoy masks and ballet shoes, x’s over our eyes, sharpie shirts at the ready. mcr was a place for misfits, they were a place for outcasts, they were a place for ferocity and catharsis. this is of course, is not to diminish any of the work that the band has done to reach their return, it is only to point out that this time feels special not only for them, but for us, to cherish this moment with them. all of that work put into maintaining that life, figuratively and literally (our own lives and theirs), has paid off. we get to share this moment together. it’s special. it’s so special. and the space that’s been cultivated is one that still stands as a beacon to those who need it. much like your life might be changed when an older sibling sneaks you out of the house for your first rocky horror show, your life might be changed when that older sibling hands you the black parade. it’s the reason we feel it so fiercely. because we kept the love alive. we fed it. we cared for it. we found what it meant to us and we didn’t let it go. as i’ve noted before, it’s hard to define. it’s hard to pin it down. it’s a sensibility, a notion, something that’s stirred in you that nothing else has ever stirred before. and it’s the act of maintenance, of understanding the importance of your efforts, your love, the work that goes into keeping something present for so long. and it’s a dialogue. it’s between us and the band, it’s a form of recognition, to see hang ‘em high and mastas and heaven help us and burn bright and desert song. we see them. they see us. both of us...have maintained that love.

anyways. this was kind of a frenzied essay. there might be some edits i have to do but here you go. half of this was taken from an essay i wrote in 2019 for, get this, my cult film class, but i’m repurposing it because I JUST HAD TO GET IT OFF MY CHEST OKAY. thanks for reading all this. <3

[hotvintagepoll]

this is a poll for a movie that doesn't exist.

It is vintage times. The powers that be have decided to again remake the classic vampire novel Dracula for the screen. in an amazing show of inter-studio solidarity, Hollywood’s most elite hotties are up for the starring roles. the producers know whoever they cast will greatly impact the genre, quality, and tone of the finished film, so they are turning to their wisest voices for guidance.

you are the new casting director for this star-studded epic. choose your players wisely.

Previously cast:

Jonathan Harker—Jimmy Stewart

The Old Woman—Martita Hunt

Count Dracula—Gloria Holden

Mina Murray—Setsuko Hara

Lucy Westenra—Judy Garland (rip)

The Three Voluptuous Women—Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, and Lauren Bacall

The Agonized Mother—Mary Philbin (rip)

Dr. Jack Seward—Vincent Price

Quincey P. Morris—Toshiro Mifune

Arthur Holmwood—Sidney Poitier

R.M. Renfield—Conrad Veidt

The Captain of the Demeter—Omar Sharif (rip)

The First Mate of the Demeter—Leonard Nimoy (rip)

Mr. Swales—Ed Wynn (rip)

The Correspondent for The Daily Graph—Ethel Waters

Dracula in dog form—Frank Oz with a puppet

Sister Agatha—Angela Lansbury

Mrs. Westenra—Gladys Cooper (rip)

Dracula's solicitors—Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee

Dr. Van Helsing—Orson Welles

Thomas Bilder, zookeeper—Lon Chaney Jr.

Thomas Bilder's wife—Elsa Lanchester

The Reporter from the Pall Mall Gazette—Hattie McDaniel

The carriers are working class men dropping off some heavy boxes of dirt who get berated and then attacked by Renfield outside the asylum. They then successfully talk Dr. Hennessey into buying them several rounds at the pub as payback. Today's Dracula Daily episode can be found here.

[chamomileharry]

Hello! Hope your spring break is going good! What are your overall fave fics?

hi, thanks for the ask! it’s cools so far (: here are a couple of my favorite fics i hope you enjoy <3  Definition of Beauty (6.1k)// by zanni_scaramouche

“Your book is upside down.” Harry nods at Louis’ book, his history text now that he sees it too.

“I’d rather study you.”

They both blink, startled by the slip.

“With you. Study with you,” Louis rushes to say. “Liam says I’m shite at history, can you help?”

Louis’ caught off guard by an omega he nearly takes out with an errant footie ball. It’s not that Louis’ never seen Harry before, it’s that he can’t stop looking, and he’s desperate to figure him out.

My Sun and Stars, Moon of my Life (7.2k) // OhHarold

Harry was used to the luxuries of Kings Landing and then Pentos but when his brother is desperate for the crown he is entitled to, Harry must be part of an arranged marriage to a ruthless Khal of a Dothraki tribe.

It’s a Beautiful Sound, It’s a Beautiful Noise (7.5k) // by orphan_account

He feels Louis’ fangs piercing the pale skin of his neck without warning, pain shooting down the upper half of his body. He feels a sucking sensation at the spot, like a drink being sucked from a straw. He feels the vampire’s lips suckling the surrounding area, drawing out every last drop of blood like Harry is the sweetest thing he’s ever tasted.

or, harry loses his halo, and he really needs to get it back

Bloom (8.3k)// by loveroflou

At some point they end up with hands and clothes caked with mud, courtesy of Louis, and instead of offering his bath for Harry to wash up Louis pushes him to the ground and straddles his waist, finger painting a muddy flower on his forehead as Harry trembles with laughter beneath his hands.

or, harry meets a boy who speaks with flowers, and red chrysanthemums might mean i love you but so do mud fights, lipstick prints and stolen ribbons

The Risen (11.2k) // by creamcoffeelou

In search of the next breaking story, Harry goes off to do something no one else has been able to do: get the scoop on Louis Tomlinson and his devoted group of followers.

Come on over, we’ve got something to share (12.6k) // by jaerie

Even as an unbonded omega with a four year old, Harry had everything he needed. His beautiful son, a nice apartment, money to pay the bills -- oh, and an alpha next door always willing to knot his brains out.

faith, trust and pixie dust (and a little bit of something else too) (27k) // by orphan_account

“Are you seriously apologizing for taking out a bullet that was lodged in my shoulder and saving my life?” he asks slowly. “Y—yes?” the boy looks unsure of himself now.

“Marry me—”

For once, the boy isn’t the only one blushing and Louis silently curses Earthen terminology for making its way into his vocabulary.

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, he coughs out, “I mean thanks. That was very nice of you…?”

“Harry,” the boy fills in quietly, flashing Louis a tentative smile. Louis thinks it suits him well and he mouths the name to himself, liking the way it rolls off his tongue. He watches as Harry hesitates before asking his own question, albeit doubtfully.

“And you’re—you’re P—Peter Pan, right?”

Or, the one in which Louis is a punk Peter Pan and Harry is an insecure flower child.

secrets don’t make friends (30k) // by devilinmybrain

5 times Louis' crew knew too much, and the 1 time they thought they knew, but didn't really. Not at all.

I Want To Be With You Everywhere (30k) // by haztobegood

A Seed from the Cherished Tree A Cloud from the Mighty Summit A Flower from the Perpetual Volcano A Pearl from the Perceptive Lake A Love across the Faery Realms

Fae Proposals were a rare and ancient ritual. The presentation of the four Tokens to one’s mate would initiate a lifelong, inter-realm bond between their souls. But the Tokens could only be gathered if the lover could overcome the elements of all four Faery Realm Trials.

The Trials were dangerous, deadly even. But for Harry, Louis would risk it all.

Under your skin, Over the moon (35k) // by softfonds

If there was one thing Harry didn’t expect the day before his uni graduation, it was for his long lost grandmother to show up and tell him he’s actually a prince thats next in line to rule Genovia. He also didn’t expect to fall for his royal advisor, who happens to hate his guts. A Princess Diaries AU.

Our Sweetest Memorial (35k) // by softfonds

Ever since Harry was forced to break off an engagement five years ago, he resolved to never marry for the remainder of his life. Now his family must move out of his beloved Kellynch Hall to recover some of their debts that their father had accumulated. The last thing Harry expected was for the new tenants to be related to his former fiancee. And for that fiancee to come back to Somersetshire a much more wealthy man that still holds resentment for their past. A Persuasion AU.

I’ve Kissed Honey Lips (Felt the Healing in the Fingertips) (36.1k)// by loveroflou

Carefully, Zayn starts, “You do know Niall wasn’t joking about him being unstable, right?” Louis opens his mouth to cut him off, but Zayn continues, “He might not have done anything yet, but that doesn’t mean he can’t, or won’t.”

“You don’t know him,” Louis tries, because it’s true. The only problem is that Louis doesn’t really know Harry, either.

or, the raisin cookie fic please read the tags and remember to leave kudos and a nice comment for the author!  if you have any requests, feel free to ask please! 💕enjoy (:

[1863-project]

Do you have any fun facts about trains and their history? I’m really interested to learn about this

Yes, absolutely! For this post, we might as well start at the very beginning...

How old are steam locomotives?

The first thing you'd all likely recognize as a steam locomotive was built by an engineer named Richard Trevithick, one of the first people to realize high-pressure steam could move a piston in a steam engine, if not straight-up the first to do so. He built a number of experimental steam engines that were capable of moving people and goods in the early 1800s, with the best known being the Puffing Devil (1801) and Catch Me Who Can (1808), the latter of which was the first steam locomotive to carry fare-paying passengers. This is a drawing of Catch Me Who Can:

Like later steam locomotives, it has a boiler, a smokestack/chimney/exhaust, and, of course, wheels. You can recognize this as a rudimentary locomotive. Trevithick's locomotives didn't exactly go into common use, but they set the stage!

Before Trevithick's early locomotives showed up, there were rail wagonways, often used in mining and other similar industries that required a lot of things to be lugged around. These wagons were pulled on rails by horses. But because of Trevithick's work, steam locomotives started to be considered more viable and worthy of exploration. In 1812, seventeen years before the Stephensons built their famous Rocket, the locomotive Salamanca was built - it helped with mining.

Oh, Mr. Stephenson...

Now we're getting to things people are more likely to have heard of. If you're into trains, there's a good chance you've heard of the 1829 Rainhill Trials. If you're not familiar with them, they were a highly significant event in railroad history. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was nearly completed, and they were very interested in steam propulsion. George Stephenson, who was the railway's principal designer, argued that locomotives would be the best way to move goods and passengers along what would be the world's first inter-city railroad, and so a competition was opened - ultimately, five locomotives were entered, including one operated by a horse walking on a treadmill. It was disqualified for not being steam-powered and also because the horse broke through the treadmill at one point and fell. That is not a joke. It looked like this.

The winner - the only locomotive to successfully complete the Rainhill Trials - was Rocket, built, incidentally, by Stephenson and his son, Robert. No sabotage, they were just the best at it. Remember, another team literally tried to run a locomotive with a horse on a treadmill. Today Rocket happily enjoys her retirement at the National Railway Museum in York, where she lives with other famous locomotives, including Flying Scotsman and Mallard.

(Rocket at the Science Museum, London before moving to the National Railway Museum.)

Locomotive technology quickly hopped the Atlantic around this time - notable locomotives in America of the era include Hobokenite John Stevens III’s locomotive, the first built in the United States (1825), Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb (1829), Best Friend of Charleston (1830 - the first steam locomotive to suffer a boiler explosion in the United States), the British-built Stourbridge Lion (1829), and perhaps most famously, Robert Stephenson’s John Bull, originally operated on the Camden & Amboy Railroad, partially owned by John Stevens III’s son, Robert L. Stevens. John Bull lives at the Smithsonian and is technically operable, making it the world’s oldest operable steam locomotive in preservation.

From there, the technology advanced fairly quickly! By the American Civil War (1861-1865), you had locomotives like the General (made famous by a film by noted train lover Buster Keaton):

We can use Whyte notation now - the General is a 4-4-0 American.

What is Whyte notation?

Whyte notation is how we describe steam locomotive classes. This is determined by their wheel arrangement. The General, pictured above, has two pairs of leading wheels, two pairs of drive wheels (the big ones, with the rods attached), and no trailing wheels, hence 4-4-0. Whyte notation can be applied to internal combustion and electric locomotives, but it’s most commonly used for steam locomotives. If you see me talking about a 2-8-4 Berkshire or a 4-6-2 Pacific, for example, that’s what I’m referring to!

Why did you choose the General to highlight here?

Because I minored in American Civil War Era Studies in undergrad and the General was at the center of a bizarre chase during the war - some Union spies led by James J. Andrews stole her with the intent of bringing her behind Union lines, and were pursued by a conductor named William Allen Fuller on foot and then by handcar - and finally with another locomotive, the Texas. As mentioned above, Buster Keaton made a film based on this event, and it’s widely regarded as some of his best work.

Do not try this at home. This is extremely dangerous. (Buster did all his own stunts, as usual, and in the scenes where his character is on the footplate, he actually operated the locomotives by himself in the film. I’ve always envied him that.)

Are there any other weird train things you think warrant being in this post?

I did do a write-up on the Crash at Crush once, which was an intentionally staged locomotive crash for entertainment, but I think I need to tell my favorite train story - the GG1 in the food court. Yes, I only know this story because the GG1 is my favorite electric locomotive and I’m weirdly obsessed with it.

Washington D.C.’s Union Station has a food court in the basement, with a number of restaurants including a Johnny Rockets. Before this became a food court, though, it was a baggage storage area. It’s important that you know it was a baggage storage area and not a waiting room for passengers because of what happened on January 15, 1953.

That night, a train was coming down from Boston to D.C. It was being pulled by Pennsylvania Railroad 4876, a GG1 electric locomotive. As it approached Union Station, the engineer checked the signals as usual and prepared to slow down. When he went to lower the throttle and engage the brakes, however, he noticed the train wasn’t slowing down. It turned out that an angle cock (an air brake valve) wasn’t set correctly on the third car of the train, meaning all cars behind the third passenger car weren’t braking. Somehow, the engineer managed to get the GG1 to navigate through a bunch of switches despite trying to reduce his speed with only a few braking cars available, and he managed to get it down from between 60-70 mph to around 35-40 mph. As he whizzed by, a signalman noticed his distress horns and radioed Union Station to evacuate the concourse. This was done in time, and as a result nobody died as the GG1 shot through the bumper at the station, went through the stationmaster’s office, hit the concourse, and fell into the basement. Here’s the poor thing in what is now a food court.

(image source)

Remarkably, there were only minor injuries from this event, but they had to erect a temporary floor above the crash site because Dwight D. Eisenhower was being inaugurated as President of the United States on the 20th, so the GG1 was temporarily hidden in what is now a food court for a few days. Afterwards, she was removed and actually rebuilt, and she now is retired at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore in...less than stellar condition. I want to help cosmetically restore her if possible.

Hope this is the sort of thing you had in mind, anon!

[thesynaxarium]

Today we also celebrate our Venerable Father Gregory V, Patriarch of Constantinople. At the onset of the Greek War of Independence, as Ethnarch of the Orthodox Millet, or court of law, Gregory V was blamed by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II for his inability to suppress the Greek uprising. This was in spite of the fact that Gregory had condemned the Greek revolutionary activities in order to protect the Greeks of Constantinople from such reprisals by the Ottoman Turks. After the Greek rebels scored several successes against the Ottoman forces in the Peloponnese, these reprisals came. During Holy Week in April 1821, Gregory was taken out of the Patriarchal Cathedral on 22 April 1821, Easter Sunday, directly after celebrating the solemn Easter Liturgy, Gregory was accosted by the Ottomans. He was taken out of the cathedral, still in full Patriarchal vestments, and hanged, being left for two days on the main gate of the Patriarchate compound, all by order of the Sultan. This was followed by a massacre of the Greek population of Constantinople. The Patriarch's body was eventually interred in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. He is commemorated by the Greek Orthodox Church as an Ethnomartyr. In his memory, the Saint Peter Gate, once the main gate of the Patriarchate compound, was welded shut in 1821 and has remained shut ever since. May he intercede for us always + Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_V_of_Constantinople (at Constantinople - Κωνσταντινούπολη) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcJfQEXvKDa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=