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book--brackets · 4 months ago

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The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (1937)

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (2005-2009)

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe.

She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954-1955)

In a sleepy village in the Shire, a young hobbit is entrusted with an immense task. He must make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ruling Ring of Power - the only thing that prevents the Dark Lord's evil dominion.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (1950-1956)

Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie— step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1943)

The Little Prince is a classic tale of equal appeal to children and adults. On one level it is the story of an airman's discovery, in the desert, of a small boy from another planet - the Little Prince of the title - and his stories of intergalactic travel, while on the other hand it is a thought-provoking allegory of the human condition.

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (2002-2011, 2023)

When fifteen-year-old Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and, gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save--or destroy--the Empire.

Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle (1962-1989)

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

Wild nights are my glory, the unearthly stranger told them. I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.

Folk of the Air by Holly Black (2018-2020)

Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (2020)

France, 1714: In a moment of desperation, a young woman named Adeline meets a dangerous stranger and makes a terrible mistake.

As she realizes the limitations of her Faustian bargain-being able to live forever, without being able to be remembered by anyone she sees- Addie chooses to flee her small village, as everything she once held dear is torn away.

But there are still dreams to be had, and a life to live, and she is determined to find excitement and satisfaction in the wide, beckoning world-even if she will be doomed to be alone forever.

Or not quite alone-as every year, on her birth-day, the alluring Luc comes to visit, checking to see if she is ready to give up her soul. Their darkly thrilling game stretches through the ages, seeing Addie witness history and fight to regain herself as she crosses oceans and tries on various lives.

It will be three hundred years before she stumbles into a hidden bookstore and discovers someone who can remember her name-and suddenly, everything changes again.

Circe by Madeline Miller (2018)

the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not obviously powerful like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur; Daedalus and his doomed son, Icarus; the murderous Medea; and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or the mortals she has come to love.

#best fantasy book #poll #the hobbit #percy jackson #lord of the rings #the chronicles of narnia #the little prince #the inheritance cycle #time quintet #folk of the air #the invisible life of addie larue #circe

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rhysdarbinizedarby · 1 year ago

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Our Flag Means Death Season 2: Exclusive First Look

Vanity Fair joins Stede, Blackbeard, and the rest of the cast on set in New Zealand for an exclusive early look at the second season, debuting on Max in October.

BY SARAH CATHERALL (AUGUST 24, 2023)

Only the fans of Our Flag Means Death can determine whether they’ll be satisfied with the show’s second season, which debuts on Max in October. But if you ask Fernando Frias, who directed three of the season’s episodes, he sounds pretty confident: “If my life depended on saying whether it’s yes or no, I would say yes.’’

It’s December 8, 2022, and the principal actors on Our Flag Means Death as well as the 800-plus extras and crew members have three days left of their three-month shoot for season two. Things are starting to get emotional. “You’ve been the most amazing crew I’ve ever worked with,” says one actor as he wraps his final scene. Frias says it’s like leaving “a long summer camp,” adding, “it’s like a family.”

Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet. COURTESY OF NICOLA DOVE/MAX.

It’s “going to be unexpected and surprising, but also very pleasurable and satisfying for those who like the show,” promises executive producer Garrett Basch. It “doesn’t follow the expected route,” teases Con O’Neill, who plays Blackbeard’s devoted enforcer, Izzy. All that means is we’re not at liberty to share too much about what happened on set that day, which included emotional conversations, new cast members, banter with the Kiwi crew, and some seriously killer costumes.

“The viewers will see the scope of their world has expanded based on the fact we’re able to get to these amazing locations within a short travel time,” says executive producer Antoine Douaihy. “You will notice a marked difference between the two seasons in terms of the scope and the scale.’’

Minnie Driver joins the cast this season as Anne Bonny. COURTESY OF NICOLA DOVE/MAX.

There will be plenty of familiar faces too, of course. On set that day in Kumeu, New Zealand, a rural area about 20 miles outside of Auckland, are Waititi and Darby along their fellow returning cast members O’Neill, Vico Ortiz (Jim), Kristian Nairn (Wee John), Joel Fry (Frenchie), Matthew Maher (Black Pete), Leslie Jones (Spanish Jackie), Samson Kayo (Oluwande), Ewen Bremner (Nathaniel Buttons), Samba Schutte (Roach), and more. New onboard are two Kiwi actors, Madeleine Sami (most recently of the Australian mystery-comedy Deadloch), and Samoan-born Anapela Polataivao. And there’s one returning figure impossible to miss on the soundstage: The Revenge, the stately ship that Blackbeard—a.k.a. Ed—commandeered at the end of season one. In real life it was carefully transported across the Pacific Ocean from the show’s original Los Angeles soundstages.

The Revenge is vast and impressive, much larger in real life than it appears onscreen. But it’s not the only stunning scenery in store. There are around 50 sets involved in the production of season two, including the 30-acre forest behind the Kumeu Film Studio, Piha Beach, and the wild, black-sand Bethells Beach.

Waititi, who also executive produces the series, was part of the push to film season two in his native New Zealand. “Taika is an extraordinary talent and what’s really great about him with his international success is he’s remained very committed to New Zealand and very loyal to our industry,” says Annie Murray, the CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission. “The beauty of filming in New Zealand is that you can find incredible varied locations within a very short driving distance. [And] when you get to those locations you can turn your camera in any direction.’’

Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet, filming at New Zealand’s Bethells Beach. COURTESY OF NICOLA DOVE/MAX.

The scope of the season is very evident back on set, as well. There’s a whole other pirate ship in addition to The Revenge, plus sets for a floating market, Stede’s cabin (empty when we visit), and the Republic of Pirates first glimpsed in season one. Behind the scenes it’s a maze of wardrobe, wig rooms, and dressing rooms. In another facility, props are stacked on shelves, ready to be taken away to storage as soon as filming wraps—vases, plates, antique furniture, and piles of mannequins replicating dead bodies which were used in one of the battle scenes.

Costume designer Gypsy Taylor joined the production this season and has designed hundreds of costumes, checking with everyone on set that day to make sure everything is in place before cameras roll. Taylor says each of the principals have six to eight looks in this season, and that every item—every leather belt, wig, bit of jewelry, even a mermaid tail—has been made by her 60-strong workshop. The costumes this season have a “Mad Max, ‘streets of New York’ feel,” says Taylor. “David Jenkins was keen to give the series a cool rock-and-roll vibe…so we had these rock-and-roll elements with an 18th-century twist.’’ As is evidenced in the image below, even Stede’s crew winds up with some unexpected new looks over the course of the season.

Wherever it is these Revenge crew members have found themselves, there’s something that surprised them. COURTESY OF NICOLA DOVE/MAX.

Two armies are part of the action in season two, all of them needing elaborate costumes—around 150 Chinese pirates and a fleet of 100 navy officers. Even the breeches are in studded black leather, and punkified. Says Taylor, “The theory behind their costumes is they would’ve stolen from other pirates…. Although our Wee John has started to become quite the seamstress, so he’s knitting this season.’’ True enough: Nairn is wearing what looks like a hand-knit sweater on set that day.

Wee John isn’t the only pirate getting into crafts. Nancy Hennah, who has managed the hair and makeup for both seasons, points to Blackbeard’s wig—made in London—and tattoos as Waititi works on set. With 14 tattoos on his right arm and 10 on the left, plus plenty of scars, he needs at least an hour in the makeup chair. “Taika wanted most of the tattoos to look like he’d done them himself,” Hennah says. “Like on slow days on the boat when there’s nothing much to do, they sit around and give each other tattoos.”

She gives a hint of a storm in one episode: “One of the hardest days here in makeup was when they were caught in a storm on the back of the boat. [The cast] were saturated for a whole day, which caused havoc with things like tattoos and hair, wigs and beards.’’

Taika Waititi as Blackbeard, who begins the season with a broken heart. COURTESY OF NICOLA DOVE/MAX.

By mid afternoon, Con O’Neill is taking a break in his trailer. He pulls his slim, leather trousered legs up to a corner seat. A candle blazes on the kitchen bench as the veteran actor talks about the physical endurance required during the shoot. “It’s been frantic,’’ he says. His signature gray hair barely moves, frozen by the team of hair stylists who arrived on set around sunrise. (All interviews with actors in this story took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike).

Izzy “goes on a remarkable journey” this season, says O’Neill. “He understands what love is and whom he’s in love with.’’ On a series featuring a variety of joyful queer relationships—not just Stede and Blackbeard, but Black Pete and Lucius (Nathan Foad), Jim and Oluwande, and Spanish Jackie and her many husbands—Izzy’s unyieldingly straitlaced devotion makes him an odd man out. By the end of season one many fans speculated that Izzy was driven by something at the intersection of love and obsession. This season, according to O’Neill, Izzy gets even deeper into that dynamic. “Physically it’s been quite demanding, and also emotionally it’s been quite demanding to be playing a man enraged by unrequited love, who’s basically a hopeless romantic, and to be able to play all that and also remember that this is fundamentally a comedy.’’

Though the show is often warm and fuzzy when it comes to feelings—one of Stede’s mottos in season one is that when faced with challenges, “we talk it through as a crew”—Izzy represents the darker, more violent side of pirate life, which the show doesn’t shy away from either. “What I love about this show is it does allow itself to swing between the two,” O’Neill says. “We’re almost operatic in our darkness at times, and then we swing back to the sweetness of the simplicity of the love of our two guys. It’s been challenging just to get the tone right.”

“We’ve gone further this season than we did last season with those tones,” he continues. “So sometimes it’s quite interesting to remind yourself that you have to take your foot out of the tragedy—literally, your foot—and put it back into the comedy.”

With a season behind them to build the dynamics between the characters and the actors alike, on set there’s been “a lot more spontaneity and script revisions based on what’s happening day-to-day,” says Douaihy. “The cast are so comfortable with one another and their characters, that they move through it naturally.’’

Leslie Jones as Spanish Jackie and Taika Waititi as Ed a.k.a. Blackbeard. COURTESY OF NICOLA DOVE/MAX.

The way O’Neill puts it, they’ve also built trust with Jenkins, their showrunner, to follow some bigger swings. “I don’t think David Jenkins is ever going to follow an expected route. I’d hate to drive in a car with him.” Thinking of the fans who will greet the series when the show returns in October, O’Neill continues, “I think they’re going to appreciate what [Jenkins] wants. Season two does stick to the original premise that we created in season one, which is take it on to other levels.’’

One character leveling up in a major way this season is Jim, the quiet badass (there are knives involved) played by the nonbinary actor and activist Vico Ortiz. “Jim really evolves in season two,” they say. “They’re a bit more chatty and a bit more conversational…. Most of the first season you see Jim in disguise, hiding, but in this one you see them a bit more [thinking,] Oh, this is my chosen family, and I feel good. There’s a bit more zaniness and a bit more softness.’’

Like O’Neill and several other castmates, Oritz had attended their share of fan events by the time season two began filming, and the entire cast and crew returned to the high seas with a strong sense that their show had taken on a life of its own. “It’s so beautiful to see that people are finding community within the fan base. It’s about creating spaces where we feel safe and seen, and it’s so great to see that so many people watch the show and feel validated in their experiences, whatever that may be,” says Ortiz. “A lot of people that watch the show are like, “Yeah, I’m a guy and it’s good to see all these dudes being vulnerable.’ We can just shake up [ideas about gender].’’

Ruibo Qian joins the cast this season as Susan, a merchant with secrets of her own. COURTESY OF NICOLA DOVE/MAX.

Basch admits the fan following surprised some of the team, “but it made a lot of sense” too. After years of television shows and movies that built up the potential of queer romance only to stop short, Basch thinks the fervor for Our Flag Means Death “says that shows in the mainstream aren’t delivering that promise or that setup, and we have. That’s really why the fans have gone wild for it.”

That promise, it’s safe to say, is kept in season two, and then some. On set that day in December, for example, there was a major romantic moment between two key characters. But we’d risk Ed Teach’s wrath if we told you any more.

Source: Vanity Fair

#rhys darby #taika waititi #minnie driver #samba schutte #kristian nairn #matthew maher #ofmd #our flag means death #vanity fair #ofmd season 2 #ofmd s2 spoiler alert

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the-moon-devi · 2 years ago

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🍨What Flavor Cookie are you based on the BAKER ASTEROID? PT.2 🍡

🧁BAKER ASTEROID◇◇ 《2549》🧁

🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮🥮

DESCRIPTION: The baker asteroid is said to be the bakers asteroid for baked goods and even bakers themselves.

🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁

Baker in Libra/7th house: I just get a loving vibe from this placement, either baker in libra likes to bake for their partner or your partner bakes for you( especially if it's in the 7th house) you could sell baked foods because libra does rule over merchandise and businesses. Venus influencing this y'all could have very beautiful techniques when baking especially if you decorate your cakes, cookies,etc. this placement has the ability to get very creative as well. I feel like y'all baking can be very good but kinda on the healthier side as well. Also y'all could actually have a bakery store

Cookie: canestrelli cookies// madeleine cookies

Baker in Scorpio//8th house: imma keep it real this could go 1 of 2 ways y'all might either be a good or bad baker that's just what I was called to say. Or you could be good but you guys might add some sort of knowledge that you have leared abou/ baking or edgy touch into your baking. This could be a hidden talent you have. Unless this is in a certain house or sign it could vary. In the 8th house, I would definitely say like a hidden talent. A gift you inherited from your ancestors this could get really spiritual or occultic. Also you could constantly be burning your baked goods. But don't get me wrong here y'all food definitely could be very good just a little over cooked . I have this placement in the 8th house and I like baked sweets soft but a tad burnt. Y'all cookie will be interesting to come up with.

Cookie: white chocolate red velvet cookies/ brown butter Carmel cookie

Baker in Sagittarius/9th house: its kinda giving foreign baking vibes like y'all take recipes from foreign cultures. Very adventurous with your baking style. Exspansive flavourrrrrr 🤤, y'all give me professional chef/ baker vibes here . Blessed in baking, might even go to school for baking or travel to learn about baking. I feel like y'all can become experts in baking. My little alchemists got the perrrrfect recipes to make your tastebuds explode!

Not really a cookie but they're good asf : Galab jamun/Big Blue Monster stuffed cookie (he he he he 😉)

Baker in Capricorn/10th house : now if baker is in the SIGN Capricorn I feel like y'all baking can be good but very old school if you look at your cookie you'll see what I mean. If it's in the 10th house this could be your career or just something your known for. Baker here it may have taken you some time to master baking. But I feel like Capricorn/10th house could make some good bakers. Depending on aspects,degrees,house,signs it will vary. But like I said very old fashion but good. If it's badly aspected, I feel like the baking might be a little dry or brittle. But all in all you could be a professional baker.

Cookie: oatmeal raisins/loornadoone/ snicker doodle

Baker in Aquarius/11th house: Eccentric, creative, different. Aquarius can blow some minds away or may be horrible. (depending on aspects don't beat me up😓) . I feel like y'all a little spicy/tangy it's giving lemon meringue or like y'all the type to mix pb&j into a cookie or sum like that. This placement as well could make you very popular for your cooking online. Friends may know how to bake. Baking may even be a dream. You guys as well could have a bakers blog or just be popular on social media for that.

Cookie: churro chocolate stuffed cookies/ pb& j cookies

Baker in Pisces/12th house: it's either lost or it's found here, y'all have it all or nothing. You either can bake your a$$ off or not. If you happen to be a good one then I feel like your really good you definitely could have the ability to heal others through your baking. But also since Neptune is here and Neptune rules 🍷🍺🥃💊🚬 there's a possibility of **cough cough** (edib----🌿🌿) im just being mindful if there's any kids reading this. These bakers could make comfort foods. Maybe even holistic,chemical free baked foods. I feel like this placements food could taste good and take your your taste buds to outerspace. 🤗😇

Cookies: raspberry swirl cream cheese cookie/ cosmic brownie cookies

#asteroid #astro notes #natal chart #astrology posts #occult #baker's #foodstrology #astro community #libra #capricorn #sagittarius #scorpio #aqaurius #pisces

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lemon-slushie · 1 year ago

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Why I ship dark choco x madeleine (so my brain doesn’t explode)

I want to talk about them and kinda of explain why I ship it and also spread the agenda guys please hear me out PLEASE

- I think they would have a really interesting dynamic with how they interact and would learn from eachother

Since madeleine is practically everything that dark choco wanted to be, a hero and what not, I think it could be interesting

I like to believe the two met after madeleine left to explore the world and learn about other cultures he would run into dark choco who became a wonderer after leaving COD, maybe madeleine needed a place to rest and choco would lend a hand and let madeleine stay at his little campsite. With madeleine being himself of course he would probably go on to tell tales of his adventures and heroic deeds (ofc dramatized but whateves) and dark choco is really interested by these stories and gains an admiration for madeleine. This admiration would lead to dark choco allowing madeleine to stay longer for shelter during the night so they could continue talking and building a friendship, madeleine who is always eager to tell more stories but is also intrigued by dark choco with how reserved he is (kinda like with espresso except instead of trying to get his attention he wants to learn more about him). So as madeleine stays he slowly drifts the conversation onto dark choco and eventually asks how he ended up as a wonderer, dark choco is reluctant but is swayed by the odd charm madeleine has to him and tells him a partial truth, that he was apart of the cookies of darkness and was manipulated by those around him before he escaped their grasp and finally left. Dark choco anticipates a bad reaction from madeleine, but is shocked when instead madeleine is enthralled by the story and wants to learn more. This catches dark choco off guard but he declines telling madeleine that it is a hard subject, madeleine, though a little upset, drops it but continues talking to dark choco now very intrigued by him. They continue to talk, dark choco slowly slightly warming up more and adding onto the conversation. As night falls madeleine takes up dark chocos earlier offer of taking shelter with him, the next morning madeleine lingers a bit instead of leaving to continue his journey. Dark choco notices this and questions madeleine, after thinking for a minute madeleine asks dark choco to accompany him as he enjoyed talking to him and still wants to learn more of him (and is quite lonely after not having a traveling partner for so long). Dark choco is surprised to hear that madeleine wants to him to stick around, even though there have been some cookies that continue to stay by him it isn’t many so it’s still a shock to hear. Dark choco agrees to accompany him and they journey together.

And through being around eachother in their journey I think it could help build their characters such as dark choco believeing he could become a hero once again through madeleine’s encouragement and understanding. And I think madeleine could become more humble and grateful for how everything turned out for him after getting to know dark choco more. They can fix eachother while also accepting their flaws and issues guys I swear

Just some rando headcanons now

- dark choco likes how madeleine can continue a conversation between the two by himself with how talkative he is since dark choco can tend to struggle socially

- Madeleine loves how gentle dark choco can be

- Madeleine likes to brush out dark chocos hair

- Dark choco will unconsciously play or mess with madeleines hair when he’s by him

- Madeleine tends to hook his arm around dark chocos instead of holding hands

- Dark choco likes laying his head on madeleines chest and listening to his heart beat, madeleine will also rub dark chocos back and it helps him fall asleep easy

- Though madeleine is not the best at comforting he does his best to help dark choco, this has taught him that sometimes it’s just better to listen and not speak

- Madeleine likes taking dark choco out to cafes and buying him different sweets to try since the dark cacao kingdom only had bitter foods, dark choco doesn’t like things that are too sweet like the doughnuts but he does enjoy tarts since sour fruit balances the sweetness

- Madeleine is very clingy and will do things like wrap his legs around dark chocos when they’re laying down or sleeping, laying his legs over dark chocos when their sitting down or leaning against him

- Madeleine has a tendency to repeat stories because he forgets he already told them, dark choco will always listen no matter how many times he’s already heard it

- Madeleine bought dark choco a kitten for his birthday, it climbs up on dark choco and sits on his shoulders

- They cook together, madeleine has more experience from his aunts teaching him and dark choco has little to none, madeleine loves to teach him

- Madeleines family LOVES dark choco, they absolutely pamper him when given the chance

Bonus quick drawing

#madeleine cookie #dark choco cookie #crk #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #crk fanart #cookierun kingdom #darkeleine #chocoeleine #headcanon #fluff hcs #fluff #hcs #please hear me out #rarepair #crackship #??? maybe #idfk #artist on tumblr

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crazy-meringue · 1 year ago

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Donacien was not good at romance, but he always tried to please Madeleine with something. In addition to the money for the manuscripts, he shared sweets, fruits with her, poured her wine so that she warmed up a little in these icy and cruel walls. Madeleine loved to listen to the philosopher's stories about serving in the army, about the revolution, and other adventures. Next to him was...comfortably. He had an island of civilization in his ward, from where you could see the world. A world not limited to washing and rewriting church texts.

— Do you know what I dream about?

— About what, Marquis?

He puts his arm around her shoulders.

— So you can get out of here and travel! So that you would travel around all countries, eat delicious food, have many lovers and sometimes remember your old friend.

— What about you?

— And I have to sit here, read your letters and get covered with mold.

— No, we should both be free birds.

— We'll see, honey. Tomorrow a new doctor will arrive and everything will become clear...

#quills #quills 2000 #marquis de sade #geoffrey rush #kate winslet #they would have such a cute bromance

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spiralhouseshop · 1 year ago

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New at Portland Button Works and The Spiral House Shop!

Hellebore Issue 9: The Old Ways Issue

Step into the captivating world of HELLEBORE, a thought-provoking zine that delves into the realms of folk horror and the intriguing themes that fuel its inspiration. Delight in a curated collection of writings and essays that explore folklore, myth, history, archaeology, psychogeography, and the occult. Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of words penned by esteemed contributors such as Katy Soar, Niall Finneran, Kenneth Brophy, Francis Young, Verity Holloway, Madeleine Potter, Icy Sedgwick, and Darren Pih. Accompanying these literary treasures are mesmerizing artworks by Clare Marie Bailey and Nathaniel Hébert.

In this issue, titled "The Old Ways," we embark on a profound journey celebrating landscapes and the unique ways in which we navigate them. Uncover tales of pilgrimages and rituals of crossings, be enthralled by stories of malevolent lights leading travelers astray, discover the intricate patterns woven into the fabric of the land, and ponder the enigmatic forces that shape megaliths. Delve into the secrets of the sea, the mysteries of marshlands, the serenity of rivers and fields, the allure of stone circles, the vastness of moors, and even the captivating enigma of outer space. Through these explorations, we unearth the stories that both captivate and shape us, as we honor the intricate link between landscapes, our imagination, and our inner lives.

The concept of the "country of the mind," as referenced by Kenneth Grahame in his timeless masterpiece The Wind in the Willows, comes to life within these pages. Just as Grahame sought solace and embarked on "high adventures" during his solitary walks in the countryside, we too invite you to embark on a journey of the mind—a journey that transcends the physical and connects us to something profound and ineffable.

Join us as we celebrate the allure of landscapes, the narratives that surround them, and the intricate interplay between our perceptions and the ethereal realm that lies beyond. HELLEBORE's The Old Ways Issue is a testament to the power of storytelling and the indelible impact landscapes have on our collective consciousness.

Find this and many more fine publications online here!

#hellebore #witchy zines #the old ways #Occult Books #occult zines #folk horror

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bookquest2024 · 1 year ago

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100 Books to Read Before I Die: Quest Order

The Lord Of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

Under The Net by Iris Murdoch

American Pastoral by Philip Roth

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

A Passage to India by EM Forster

Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

1984 by George Orwell

White Noise by Don DeLillo

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Oscar And Lucinda by Peter Carey

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré

Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Ulysses by James Joyce

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Are You There, God? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Herzog by Saul Bellow

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes

A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul

A Dance to The Music of Time by Anthony Powell

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

Nostromo by Joseph Conrad

The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Little Women by Louisa M Alcott

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth

Watchmen by Alan Moore

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

The Trial by Franz Kafka

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Money by Martin Amis

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

#quest #book list

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pulchinelle · 2 years ago

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𝕮𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖆𝖓𝖆 𝕯𝖊 𝖁𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖙 & 𝕺𝖑𝖞𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖆 𝕯𝖊 𝕻𝖑𝖆𝖌𝖆 𝕯'𝕺𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖆

Name: Cassiana De Vaillant

Voice Actor: italian: Luca Vasta, eng: Olivia Olson

Nickname/s: Cass (most who know her),

Twisted from: Madeleine cookie

Gender & pronouns: female,she/her

Age: 19

Sexuality: sapphic

Birthday: March 30th

Star sign: aries

Hair colour: dirty blonde

Eye colour: light green

Height: 205 cm

Homeland: Kingdom of Heroes

Family:

-Cadmus De Vaillant (father)

Personality: Easygoing and quick to befriend, Cassiana loves to repeat stories of her various adventures and prides herself on her skills in combat. She has a strong sense of justice and doesn't hesitate to stand up for others. The only thing she' prockly about is her family. Often skips classes (and has repeated years) to chase after an opportunity to prove herself even more.

Affiliation: Hourglass Station Academy (@hourglassstationacademy )

Occupation: student

Dorm: Pastrierie (@rookvonhunt)

Grade: 2nd year

Best subject: Combat simulation

Club: Fencing Club

Favorite food: anything with honey

Likes: fighting,reading myths and legends

Dislikes: getting the cold shoulder,Duncan

Hobbies: Horseback Riding

Talents: balancing herself

Trivia:

•She's the illegitimate daughter of King Cadmus, but he allowed her to keep the family name

•Knows a lot more about myths from Twisted Wonderland than she lets on, can recite by heart all of the Seven's stories

•always liked to do things in grand, often offers to organize events

•He signature spell, Heaven's Shine, allows the user to heightend their abilities for a short period of time though it will exhaust them afterwards

□■□■□■□■□■□■□■□■

Name: Olympia D'Ostridea De Plaga

Voice Actor: eng:Wendie Malick

Nickname/s: Ollie (used only by her family)

Twisted from: Oyster Cookie

Gender & pronouns: female,she/they

Age: 21

Sexuality: Bisexual

Birthday: December 15th

Star sign: saggitarius

Hair colour: iridescent

Eye colour: aquamarine blue

Height: 185 cm

Homeland: Port of Valoar

Family:

-Salvador (distant relative)

-Varuna

Personality: Olympia is quiet and regal, almost intimidating at times how she rarely lets feelings show on her face. Despite this she can be a very gokd company, loves having long conversations and debating with others. She is very well informed on other land' royal families and nobles, though she likes to gossip about others she never says anything harmful

Affiliation: Hourglass Station Academy

Occupation: student, heir to her father's company

Dorm: Pastrierie

Grade: 4th year

Best subject: Alchemy

Club: Debate Club

Favorite food: any seafood

Likes: reading, drama movies,stargazing

Dislikes: losing her things

Hobbies: collecting trinkets

Talents:being able to trade anything

Trivia:

• loves studying merfolk, gets very giddy when she meets one

• Knows how to command a ship, when she was little she used to secretly get on trading ships and travel with them

•very proud of her family's origins as pirate hunters, even if she doesn't hate pirates she could still go on for hours talking about her ancestors' stories

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst oc #twst original character #oc #twisted wonderland oc #hsa oc #hourglass station academy #Olympia D'Ostridea #Cassiana De Vaillant

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londonspirit · 1 year ago

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The series created by David Jenkins was a surprise breakout hit when it debuted in the spring of 2022, building a fiercely devoted fan base with its silly yet emotional deadpan, and defiantly queer take on the adventures of real 18th-century pirates. Everyone involved in Our Flag Means Death is eager to preserve the surprises in store for season two, which kicks off with gentleman pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and softhearted bad boy Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) ruefully separated after finally realizing their love for each other at the end of season one. It’s “going to be unexpected and surprising, but also very pleasurable and satisfying for those who like the show,” promises executive producer Garrett Basch. It “doesn’t follow the expected route,” teases Con O’Neill, who plays Blackbeard’s devoted enforcer, Izzy. All that means is we’re not at liberty to share too much about what happened on set that day, which included emotional conversations, new cast members, banter with the Kiwi crew, and some seriously killer costumes.

But these exclusive new images give a hint of what is in store. There are fresh faces—Minnie Driver will guest-star as the real-life Irish pirate Anne Bonny, and Ruibo Qian joins the cast as the mysterious merchant Susan—and a lot of New Zealand actors and locations, now that the production has decamped across the Pacific. “The viewers will see the scope of their world has expanded based on the fact we’re able to get to these amazing locations within a short travel time,” says executive producer Antoine Douaihy. “You will notice a marked difference between the two seasons in terms of the scope and the scale.’’

By mid afternoon, Con O’Neill is taking a break in his trailer. He pulls his slim, leather-trousered legs up to a corner seat. A candle blazes on the kitchen bench as the veteran actor talks about the physical endurance required during the shoot. “It’s been frantic,’’ he says. His signature gray hair barely moves, frozen by the team of hairstylists who arrived on set around sunrise. (All interviews with actors in this story took place before the SAG-AFTRA strike.)

#our flag means death season 2 #our flag means death s2 #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 bts #making of ofmd s2 #ofmd spoilers #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd s2 spoiler #our flag means death #ofmd #vanity fair #first look at ofmd s2 #article #vanity fair article

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leagueofdccm-togo · 1 year ago

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💎♡ ⋆｡˚⁀➷Let a hoe know I ain't motherfuckin' sharing

She never knew exactly what it was. She just knew that she had something special. Something intangible. Something immeasurable. And she had that fucking confidence. A bitch takes & takes & takes. Living life on repeat, a broken record that starts to get a little boring when nothing exciting seems to be happening. Call it a blind date gone wrong, a handsome face in disguise, with a monster lurking behind his mask. A two face if you must. Making out with a stranger whose name she never paid any mind to, but a face she'll remember for eternity. For it is the face that took away her her life, her very soul and turned her into something dangerous, and blood thirsty. He would whisper in her ear how desirable she was, how it would be such a tragedy for a pretty face like hers to die old, to never been seen by the world as the beauty that she is. Maddy laughed, joked how if only she could live forever for the world to feast on her looks, and admire her stunning face, she neve saw the smirk that appears on his lips, or the fangs that sunk deep in her neck, it shocked her to the core, her breath halting, heart beat dropping lower & lower, the more blood he sucked, the less her heart beat. And then everything turned black, nothing---- everything around her turned into nothing.... until the sweet scent of something new clings to her, wakes her up.... she never did see him again, but she loathes him. Years upon years, she's still the pretty face she was in the very beginning, manipulating men, and women if she's feeling a little adventurous... but mostly devours the men that approach her, compliment her and feed her with pretty, pretty words. They build her confidence and become her meal. Sometimes she lays down besides the lifeless body, wonders of their life, wonders if they had a love one back home... or ever been in love. Feels jealous that they get to experience such feelings while she never had the chance to enjoy the idea of love, to be cared for in that way. To be married, to have children to be.... to be alive. The feeling she has is.... dead, like her. This life is unmoving, he once told her it would be exciting, that she'll travel the world and meet many humans, she'll come to love it. See as the world changes he said, but she doesn't love it. She traveled the world many times, seen many faces and has come to careless of said faces. she's numb, she's angry, she's lost... she's hungry. Can the dead feel? Can the dead even love? Life isn't full anymore, it's boring, it's old. The Vampire once mortal would leave, letting the body rot alone, walking the streets, the glow of the lights making her skin radiant. once the sun comes up again she knows it'll be the same thing again, same boring life, same boring everything. Her thrills are to capture and kill, to suck them dry, to bring joy into her life by consuming all the stupid men that dare. might as well make the most of it, who knows maybe she'll find a new toy that is worthy of keeping. for the mean time, she's a star among humanity, she's an idol to many, she's a movie star to the lesser ones. Least she can say she has one think checked off her list... being a STAR... being something that has power & control. Flashing her smiles, offering pictures and having the world fall into her hands, while taking them one by one... silly, silly they fall so hard. If only they knew monsters would be beautiful.

💎♡ ⋆｡˚⁀➷'Cause you're a one in a million

NAME : Madeleine Perez FACE CLAIM : Alexa Demie AGE : Uknown ( adult ) GENDER : Female SPECIES : ( Vampire ) DATE OF BIRTH : Unknown [ RELATIONSHIPS ] : N/A

NOTE .

Werewolves / Ghost / Demons / Angels / Etc. Will be involved in this verse A FEW DETAILS ON THIS VERSE:

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mountphoenixrp · 11 months ago

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We have a new citizen in Mount Phoenix:

Leto Leroux, a 32 year old son of Morpheus. He is a psychiatrist at Bodhisattva Counseling Center.

FC NAME/GROUP: Zhu Yilong CHARACTER NAME: Leto Leroux AGE/DATE OF BIRTH: 32 years. Born 21 December 1991. PLACE OF BIRTH: Avignon, France OCCUPATION: Psychiatrist, Bodhisattva Counseling Center HEIGHT: 5'11"/180 cm WEIGHT: 150 pounds/68 kg DEFINING FEATURES: High and sharp cheekbones, soft-spoken and languid speech with a southern French dialect and a gentle baritone, white jade bi necklace worn at all times.

PERSONALITY: Though very much an introvert and content with living the lifestyle of a solitary monk, Leto makes pleasant company. With a quiet demeanor, this soft-spoken psychiatrist is an attentive listener who tiptoes the line of gentle but brutal honesty, known for saying something that needs to be heard. He strongly believes in the creed of doing unto others as he would have done unto himself. Leto values his quiet time and solitude, not one for large crowds as they make him uncomfortable, and often comes off as guarded and withdrawn which may be misinterpreted as cold or disinterested. In reality, he has a kind heart that struggles to open up and make connections, but once he does, one may discover they have made a truly caring and supportive friend.

His hobbies are many including running cross country, hiking, piano, kalimba, collecting music boxes, stargazing, watercolor painting, and photography. When not dressed in suits for work, it is not uncommon to see him around the island in athletic outerwear. Leto, his apartment, and his office all have the distinct scent of warm amber, patchouli and vanilla musk. He keeps in touch with his mother and stepfather who still live in Avignon. Growing up in a bilingual household, he is fluent in both French and Mandarin; however, due to studying in Cambridge, he is also fluent in English. Since taking the position at Mount Phoenix, he is learning Korean, but currently has to utilize a magical artifact (his necklace) to actively translate the speech of those around him and his speech for them. Though one may expect his job to take a toll on his own mental health, Leto has a very healthy work-life balance, though he is not above making a house call at two in the morning for someone in need.

HISTORY: [Trigger warnings--Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Terminal Illness, Death]

His lineage was never any secret. His mother's family came from old money and his mother owned a very successful bed and breakfast in Avignon. A beautiful and creative woman, Madeleine Leroux had caught the attention of a guest whose extended stay lasted a month. Morpheus had been straightforward with his identity as well as his feelings, but when she relayed the news of her pregnancy, their relationship became complicated as Morpheus could not remain in the mortal realm for much longer. Nine months later, Leto was born during a partial lunar eclipse on Winter's Solstice. Father and son kept in frequent contact through the boy's dreams. When Leto was five years old, his mother married a travel author named Gregorie who brought his own child into the family, a seven-year-old son named Michele. Though Michele's extroverted personality starkly contrasted the quiet and shy Leto, the boys became fast friends once bonding over their love of music, stories, and running. Playtime became daily adventures as Leto discovered his powers, making their imagined situations all the more real and fantastical. Their youth was very happy. However, while Michele was quite the indiscriminate lover frequently in and out of relationships, Leto felt no attraction toward anyone. In fact, the moment he realized someone was 'catching feelings' for him, Leto felt exceedingly uncomfortable and retreated from interacting with them entirely. He began to think that something must be wrong with him, but Michele assured him that "your soul knows what it wants, and it's not them, so don't worry about it so much". There was no pressure to just give it a try, no reassurance that someday he would find 'the one', only loving support that Leto was just fine the way that he was.

Tragedy struck in high school when after a few minor falls, Michele was diagnosed with ALS. To someone so active and full of life, it had felt like a death sentence and Michele fell into a deep depression; believing his life was over as he withered away, he attempted to take his own life on more than one occasion; the entire family took the hit, but Leto tried to maintain some realistic optimism. He understood the depths of his brother's depression and the hell he lived in, but rather than let Michele surrender completely, Leto insisted his brother live as much as he could while it was still possible. The pair took a gap year from school and traveled the world, experiencing all the things on Michele's bucket list until he could no longer walk; but this time, despite being confined to a wheelchair, Michele had Leto to sculpt his daydreams into reality and experience entire adventures without even leaving his room. For Michele, death would be the greatest adventure of them all. One night, during a dream visit with his birth father, Leto asked Morpheus for a favor. Michele passed peacefully in his sleep dreaming of hiking through the Alps and watching the sunset. With his brother's death, a piece of Leto's soul died as well, but when his mother and stepfather thanked him for what he had done for Michele, it was through their gratitude that Leto found a new purpose in life: He would become a psychiatrist and specialize in palliative care, depression, and grief.

He studied harder than he had ever studied before, was accepted to and graduated with honors from the University of Cambridge, remaining as a psychiatry resident at Addenbrooke's Hospital specializing in hypnotherapy and grief counseling. As it was one of the most prestigious trauma centers and research hospitals in the world, he encountered patients of all kinds, including staff. In Fall 2023, Morpheus came to Leto in a dream and told his son that it was time to return the favor he had requested years ago, that Leto's services were needed elsewhere, that it was time to go to Mount Phoenix. Leto accepted this new mission without hesitation and tendered his resignation the following morning.

PANTHEON: Greek CHILD OF: Morpheus POWERS: Dream walking--When a person is unconscious, Leto is able to enter their dreams and observe as an outsider. While he is unable to influence the dream itself, he is able to notice details and information the dreamer may not remember which is helpful for individuals struggling to recall traumatic events or repressed memories.

Fantasy Sculptor--When someone is daydreaming, he can make the imagined setting as real as possible to the daydreamer, affecting all the senses, as though they are physically living in that fantasy world they created. It is an illusion only he and the dreamer can experience and he is limited by the dreamer's own mind, only able to create what they imagine.

STRENGTHS:

Creative--He has an overactive imagination that is abundant with ideas for nearly any occasion.

Compassionate--He will instinctively help out someone who needs it.

Adventurous--Leto is very open-minded when it comes to trying new things.

Supportive--Though soft-spoken, he is a proverbial cheerleader when it comes to supporting another's passions.

WEAKNESSES:

Flighty--Leto makes daily to-do lists and keeps several synchronized calendars to ensure he does not forget his obligations because he is easily distracted depending on the circumstances.

Withdrawn--Large crowds and new social interactions make him nervous.

Public Speaking--Anxiety takes the helm when he is made to speak in front of large groups.

Physical Intimacy--While he has no difficulty sculpting romantic scenes for the daydreams of others, personal intimate situations with him make Leto extremely uncomfortable.

#kpop rp #tumblr krp #zhu yilong #mp; welcome

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chillingcinemachronicles · 1 year ago

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Top 5 Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix

5. Predestination (2014)

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Alicia Pavlis, Annabelle Norman, Arielle O’Neill, Ben Prendergast, Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen, Cate Wolfe, Christopher Bunworth, Christopher Kirby, Christopher Sommers, Christopher Stollery, Dennis Coard, Dick York, Elise Jansen, Eliza D’Souza, Eliza Matengu, Ethan Hawke, Felicity Steel, Finegan Sampson, Freya Stafford, Giordano Gangl, Grant Piro, Hayley Butcher, Jim Knobeloch, Katie Avram, Kristie Jandric, Kuni Hashimoto, Lucinda Armstrong Hall, Madeleine West, Maja Sarosiek, Marky Lee Campbell, Milla Simmonds, Monique Heath, Noah Taylor, Noel Herriman, Olivia Sprague, Paul Moder, Raj Sidhu, Rob Jenkins, Sara El-Yafi, Sarah Snook, Sophie Cusworth, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Tyler Coppin, Vanessa Crouch

Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig, The Spierig Brothers

Rating: R

One of the most original time-travel thrillers since 12 Monkeys. A brilliant subversion of the Time Paradox trope, with enough plot twists to keep you entertained until well after the movie is finished. Predestination is an amazing movie with great performances from Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook. It’s a movie that will feel like Inception, when it comes to messing with your mind and barely anyone has heard of it. It is highly underrated and unknown, sadly.

4. Train to Busan (2016)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Ahn So-hee, An So-hee, Baek Seung-hwan, Cha Chung-hwa, Chang-hwan Kim, Choi Gwi-hwa, Choi Woo-shik, Choi Woo-sung, Dong-seok Ma, Eui-sung Kim, Gong Yoo, Han Ji-eun, Han Sung-soo, Jang Hyuk-jin, Jeong Seok-yong, Jung Seok-yong, Jung Young-ki, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Chang-hwan, Kim Eui-sung, Kim Jae-rok, Kim Joo-heon, Kim Ju-hun, Kim Keum-soon, Kim Soo-ahn, Kim Soo-an, Kim Su-an, Kim Won-Jin, Lee Joo-sil, Lee Joong-ok, Ma Dong-seok, Park Myung-shin, Sang-ho Yeon, Seok-yong Jeong, Shim Eun-kyung, Sohee, Soo-an Kim, Soo-jung Ye, Terri Doty, Woo Do-im, Woo-sik Choi, Ye Soo-jung, Yeon Sang-ho, Yoo Gong, Yu-mi Jeong, Yu-mi Jung

Director: Sang-ho Yeon, Yeon Sang-ho

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A zombie virus breaks out and catches up with a father as he is taking his daughter from Seoul to Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city. Watch them trying to survive to reach their destination, a purported safe zone.

The acting is spot-on; the set pieces are particularly well choreographed. You’ll care about the characters. You’ll feel for the father as he struggles to keep his humanity in the bleakest of scenarios.

It’s a refreshingly thrilling disaster movie, a perfect specimen of the genre.

3. Serenity (2005)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller

Actor: Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Carrie ‘CeCe’ Cline, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Colin Patrick Lynch, David Krumholtz, Demetra Raven, Dennis Keiffer, Elaine Mani Lee, Erik Weiner, Gina Torres, Glenn Howerton, Hunter Ansley Wryn, Jessica Huang, Jewel Staite, Linda Wang, Logan O’Brien, Marcus Young, Mark Winn, Marley McClean, Matt McColm, Michael Hitchcock, Morena Baccarin, Nathan Fillion, Nectar Rose, Neil Patrick Harris, Peter James Smith, Rafael Feldman, Rick Williamson, Ron Glass, Ryan Tasz, Sarah Paulson, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Tamara Taylor, Terrell Tilford, Terrence Hardy Jr., Tristan Jarred, Weston Nathanson, Yan Feldman

Director: Joss Whedon

Rating: PG-13

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Serenity is a futuristic sci-fi film that serves as a feature-length continuation of the story-line from the TV program Firefly (2002–2003). The story revolves around the captain (Nathan Fillion) and crew of the titular space vessel that operate as space outlaws, running cargo and smuggling missions throughout the galaxy. They take on a mysterious young psychic girl and her brother, the girl carrying secrets detrimental to the intergalactic government, and soon find themselves being hunted by a nefarious assassin (Chiwetel Ejiofor). The first feature-length film from Joss Whedon (The Avengers), Serenity is a lively and enjoyable adventure, replete with large-scale action sequences, strong characterizations and just the right touch of wry humor. An enjoyable viewing experience that stands alone without demanding that you have familiarity with the original program beforehand.

2. Sorry to Bother You (2018)

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Actor: Armie Hammer, Danny Glover, David Cross, Ed Moy, Forest Whitaker, James D. Weston II, Jermaine Fowler, John Ozuna, Kate Berlant, Lakeith Stanfield, Lily James, Marcella Bragio, Michael X. Sommers, Molly Brady, Omari Hardwick, Patton Oswalt, Robert Longstreet, Rosario Dawson, Steven Yeun, Teresa Navarro, Terry Crews, Tessa Thompson, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tony Toste, W. Kamau Bell

Director: Boots Riley

In the year of the Netflix TV Show Maniac, another absurdist title stole critics’ hearts. Sorry to Bother You is a movie set in an alternate reality, where capitalism and greed are accentuated. Lakeith Stanfield (Atlanta) is a guy called Cassius who struggles to pay his bills. However, when at a tele-marketing job an old-timer tells him to use a “white voice”, he starts moving up the ranks of his bizarre society. A really smart movie that will be mostly enjoyed by those who watch it for its entertaining value, and not so much for its commentary. It is like a Black Mirror episode stretched into a movie.

1. Ex Machina (2015)

Genre: Drama, Science Fiction

Actor: Alex Garland, Alicia Vikander, Chelsea Li, Claire Selby, Corey Johnson, Domhnall Gleeson, Elina Alminas, Gana Bayarsaikhan, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno, Symara A. Templeman, Symara Templeman, Tiffany Pisani

Director: Alex Garland

Rating: R

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Ex Machina is the directorial debut of Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later (and 28 Weeks Later). It tells the story of Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson from About Time), an IT developer who is invited by a billionaire CEO to participate in a groundbreaking experiment — administering a Turing test to a humanoid robot called Ava (Alicia Vikander). Meeting the robot with feelings of superiority at first, questions of trust and ethics soon collide with the protagonist’s personal views. While this dazzling film does not rely on them, the visual effects and the overall look-feel of Ex Machina are absolutely stunning and were rightly picked for an Academy Award. They make Ex Machina feel just as casually futuristic as the equally stylish Her and, like Joaquin Phoenix, Gleeson aka Caleb must confront the feelings he develops towards a machine, despite his full awareness that ‘she’ is just that. This is possibly as close to Kubrick as anyone got in the 21st century. Ex Machina is clever, thrilling, and packed with engaging ideas.

#netflix #movies #film #top 5 #sci fi #science fiction

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nordleuchten · 2 years ago

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24 Days of La Fayette: December 14th - Joseph-Léonard Poirey

Joseph-Léonard Poirey holds a special place on this list for several reasons. First of all, he was no aide-de-camp. Poirey was La Fayette’s military secretary in America and after the War of Independence worked as a civil secretary for him. Second, I am not known to call real, adult, historic people that are long dead by overly endearing names or to compare them with a certain baked good containing cinnamon – but if I every were to call a real, adult, historic person who is long dead, adorable, it would be Poirey. You will see why in a minute.

Poirey came into the service of La Fayette because he was the cheapest option. Let me elaborate and introduce you to a certain Jacques-Philippe Grattepain-Morizot. Morizot was an attorney and became the manager of La Fayette’s finances in 1779 together with Jean Grattepain. They took over from Jean Gerard. Handling La Fayette’s finances was not a fun thing to do, let me tell you. Between 1779 and 1782, Morizot wrote several letters to La Fayette’s maiden aunt Madeleine, who managed her nephew’s properties in the Auvergne, that the Marquis was spending too much and that he had broken his promise to economize. His adventures in America especially were giving Morizot headaches on a regular basis. After much urging on Morizot’s part, La Fayette came to the conclusion that apparently having a French secretary would be cheaper … as far as I understand the issue, this made little difference, not at all because the expenses for a single secretary were not the problem at all.

Anyway, back to Poirey. He was born in 1748 and joined the French Army in 1770. He was originally scheduled to join La Fayette on L’Hermione on her voyage to America but was so afflicted by seasickness and rheumatism that he was obliged to return to Paris. He would arrive on August 16, 1780 in Boston onboard the Alliance. Major Charles-Albert de Moré, chevalier de Pontgibaud (another aide-de-camp for a later day), and Capt. Louis-Saint-Ange Morel, chevalier de La Colombe (an aide-de-camp as well) accompanied him as well as twelve other passengers.

La Fayette’s was not necessarily happy with the three men, Poirey included, because these gentleman had letter for La Fayette and they were not nearly hurrying as much as La Fayette would have liked it. He wrote to the Vicomte de Noailles on September 2, 1780:

We are tired of the whole thing, my friend. I have cursed about M. de Pontgibaud so much that I do not know what more to say, and I am stupefied by this miracle of negligence. Eighteen days to come from Boston! The only way to explain the enigma is that Poirey is with him, which I have learned from the gazette (because Poirey has been given full coverage in the papers), and Poirey stops at every wonder he sees here. I cannot tell you how much this delay distresses me. There are a thousand things apart from the public service that I would like to know; but I promise you at least that if I have any news I will not delay in sharing it with you.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 3, April 27, 1780–March 29, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1980, p. 156-159.

La Fayette again wrote on September 3, 1780, this time to the Prince de Poix:

The Alliance has arrived and brought me letters; I know they are in Boston, and the officer who carries them calmly entertains himself buying horses. Good God, if he did not have my packet in his pocket, how much bad luck I would wish him! This accursed man, M. de Pontgibaud, flanked by M. de La Colombe and friend Poirey, set foot on land almost three weeks ago. He said he had important dispatches to deliver to me, so important that he refused to confide a single letter to an officer of the French army who was returning to Rhode Island, and apparently he thinks they are too important to travel other than by easy stages. Meanwhile I am getting angry, and increasingly so as I see how useless it is. Only think, my friend, that the last letters from France were brought by M. de Ternay and since then not a word from my friends. If our neighbors in New York were a little further separated from us than they are by the river, I would have run after my letters a long time ago. But, my friend, I realize it is stupid to send you lamentations when the reason for them will be gone two or three months before my jeremiad is received; so let's talk about other things, because in order to relieve my ill humor and forget those worthless bogged-down couriers I absolutely must scribble you a few lines, and while Washington holds back General Clinton I shall tell you the big news, which is that I am fine and I love you with all my heart.

As soon as Poirey truly entered La Fayette’s service, the young General was very pleased. He wrote to his wife Adrienne on October 7-10, 1780:

Poirey is with me, seems quite happy, is astounded at everything, and has not yet been under fire but thinks that war is a fine thing. I am infinitely satisfied with him, and also with Comtois [a servant]. M. Morizot will be well enough satisfied with me, at least by comparison.

(Spoilers ahead: Morizot was not at all satisfied.)

Poirey served La Fayette in 1780 and 1781 and was most of the time with the General in Virginia. It was also there that he saw action for apparently the first time – and by all accounts, Poirey enjoyed himself. La Fayette wrote to the Vicomte de Noailles on July 9, 1781:

This devil Cornwallis is much wiser than the other generals with whom I have dealt. He inspires me with a sincere fear, and his name has greatly troubled my sleep. This campaign is a good school for me. God grant that the public does not pay for my lessons. Poirey behaved intrepidly, and I assure you he had a very lively time.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 4, April 1, 1781–December 23, 1781, Cornell University Press, 1981, p. 240-241.

The Virginia campaign proofed strenuous, and it became clear that Poirey had not been blessed with the most robust health. La Fayette wrote on August 24, 1781 to his wife Adrienne:

The Virginia sun has a very bad reputation, and people had made frightful predictions to me. In fact many people have had fever, but this climate is as good as every other for me, and the only effect fatigue has had on me is to increase my appetite. (It is not the same with poor Poirey, and for some time he has been afflicted with a fever that does not permit him to follow me. He has been infinitely useful to me, and I am more and more pleased with him. So, my dearest, I must thank you again for your good idea. It may not have been exalted to the point of making me think you were giving me a Caesar for courage. But I do not joke, my dear heart, and if you had seen Poirey on the sixth of July, with a portfolio on the front of his saddle, a portfolio behind, a large writing desk hanging on his left side, and in his right hand a saber that once belonged to General Arnold; if you had seen Poirey, I say, smiling at the bullets and balls that whistled by in great numbers, you would have judged that he shines on the Field of Mars just as much as in the scene where one puts a rose-colored ribbon around his neck.

Poirey returned after the Battle of Yorktown to France. He sailed once more on the Alliance on company of Louis-Saint-Ange Morel de La Colombe and they arrived in France in January of 1782. He soon began working for La Fayette in a civilian capacity … and La Fayette was as happy as a man can be. He wrote Adrienne regarding Poirey when he himself was again back in America on June 25, 1784:

Give my regards to Gouvion and Poirey. Under certain circumstances I would be very glad if the latter joined me, because besides having the pleasure of very detailed news through him, I would find him very useful.

Idzerda Stanley J. et al., editors, Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution: Selected Letters and Papers, 1776–1790, Volume 5, January 4, 1782‑December 29, 1785, Cornell University Press, 1983, p. 229-230.

There was no way that Poirey could join La Fayette – for he was once again ill. La Fayette wrote Adrienne on October 4-10, 1784:

I am quite distressed that poor Poirey has a nervous disorder, but if he is better, persuade him to learn to write in abbreviations, as quickly as a person speaks, and to have my library arranged.

Poirey had agreed to serve in America without pay, just like La Fayette did, and this decision later came back to bite during the French Revolution. Initially things seemed to look well for Poirey, he became the captain secretary general of the National Guard with the rank of major. The La Fayette’s had lobbied for him to be made an American officer and an honorary member of the society of the Cincinnati. Adrienne wrote to George Washington on January 14, 1790:

Mr Poirey the secretary of Mr De la Fayette and who is at present that of our national guard, loaded with kindness by you in America where he has had the happiness of meriting your approbation has not ceased since that time, to give to Mr De la Fayette testimonies of attachment, and he has rendered to this cause important services and above all very affecting to him. His ambition is to obtain the glorious distinction of an American Officer, the Ribbon of Cincinnatus is the object of all his wishes, and Mr De la Fayette would think he could not refuse him the permission, if you would deign to confer upon him, a brevet commission. I set a great value upon obtaining for him this favour, and it would be to me a great pleasure if I owe it to your goodness for me, I should recieve almost as much pride as gratitude from it, ⟨and⟩ that it would be the means of acquitting a little what we owe to Mr Poirey, and which I believe due to him more than to any other person, persuaded as I am, that his vigilant cares have contributed very much in the midst of the Storms to the preservation of what I hold most dear in the world. Mr De la Fayette approves my request, and will leave to me I hope the pleasure and the glory of having obtained the success of it from you Sir, and of joining on this little occasion the hommage of my personal gratitude, to that of all his sentiments of admiration, attachment and respect, which I participate with him (…)

“To George Washington from the Marquise de Lafayette, 14 January 1790,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 4, 8 September 1789 – 15 January 1790, ed. Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993, pp. 571–574.] (10/07/2022)

George Washington wrote to the United States Senate on May 30, 1790:

M. de Poiery served in the American Army for several of the last years of the late war, as Secretary to Major General the Marquis de la Fayette, and might probably at that time have obtained the Commission of Captain from Congress upon application to that Body. At present he is an officer in the French National Guards, and solicits a Brevet Commission from the United States of America. I am authorised to add, that, while the compliance will involve no expense on our part, it will be particularly grateful to that friend of America, the Marquis de la Fayette.

I therefore nominate M. de Poiery to be a Captain by Brevet.

“From George Washington to the United States Senate, 31 May 1790,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 5, 16 January 1790 – 30 June 1790, ed. Dorothy Twohig, Mark A. Mastromarino, and Jack D. Warren. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1996, pp. 446–447.] (10/07/2022)

The nomination was confirmed on June 2, 1790 and Washington replied to Adrienne on June 3, 1790:

It gives me infinite pleasure, in acknowledging the receipt of your letter of the 14th of Jany last, to transmit the Brevet Commission, that was desired for Mr Poirey. Aside of his services in America, which alone might have entitled him to this distinction, his attachment to the Marquis de la Fayette and your protection added claims that were not to be resisted. And you will, I dare flatter myself, do me the justice to believe that I can never be more happy than in according marks of attention to so good a friend to America and so excellent a patriot as Madame la Marquise de la Fayette.

Endnotes of “To George Washington from the Marquise de Lafayette, 14 January 1790,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 4, 8 September 1789 – 15 January 1790, ed. Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993, pp. 571–574.] (10/07/2022)

Poirey was very happy about the kindness bestowed upon him. He wrote to Washington on February 8, 1791:

M. de De la Fayette m’a remis le Brevet de Capitaine au service des Etats-unis d’amérique que vous avez eu la bonté de lui envoyer pour moi: permettez-moi de vous en faire mes remerciements et de mettre à vos pieds l’homage de ma Reconnoissance et du Respet avec lesquels je suis de Votre Excellence le tres humble et tres obeissant serviteur.

“To George Washington from Joseph-Léonard Poirey, 8 February 1791,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 7, 1 December 1790 – 21 March 1791, ed. Jack D. Warren, Jr. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1998, p. 323.] (10/07/2022)

My translation:

M. de la Fayette gave me the Certificate of Captain in the service of the United States of America which you were kind enough to send to him for me: allow me to express my thanks to you and lay at your feet the homage of my gratitude and respect with which I am Your Excellency's very humble and very obedient servant.

La Fayette later reported to Washington on March 7, 1791:

You Have Made Mr Poirey the Happiest Man in the World for which Mde de Lafayette and Myself are Very thankfull.

“To George Washington from Lafayette, 7 March 1791,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 7, 1 December 1790 – 21 March 1791, ed. Jack D. Warren, Jr. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1998, pp. 518–521.] (10/07/2022)

The Revolution, after 1792, was not kind at all to Joseph-Léonard Poirey. He was not imprisoned alongside La Fayette, to my knowledge, he never left the country, but I sadly have no greater detail on Poirey’s whereabouts during the Revolution. But by 1796 he and his family had hit a bottom low and Poirey felt himself forced to seek compensation from America for his unpaid service. He wrote to George Washington on May 12, 1796 after having sent a previous letter and an official petition in April of 1796:

(…) Without hope of advancement in my own Country, destitute of resources, and of fortune; permit me to ask your support, and to beg you to do with Congress, that which the General would, were he near you. I am indebted to your goodness for my official Brevet and admission into the Cincinnati. These honorable marks lead me to address myself to Congress. It is you, my General who can render homage to the truth, and who can ask of them for me that which would have been allowed me on my departure from america, and which modesty prevented me from soliciting of them.

Endnotes of “To George Washington from Joseph-Léonard Poirey, 27 February 1793,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 12, 16 January 1793 – 31 May 1793, ed. Christine Sternberg Patrick and John C. Pinheiro. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2005, pp. 229–230.] (10/07/2022)

The petition was laid before the Congress and was debated over several days in a “Committee of the Whole”. Both James Madison as well as then-Secretary of War James McHenry (another one of La Fayette’s aide-de-camps that we will be covering in his series) were deeply invested in Poirey’s cause. Richard Peters had written to Madison on February 4, 1796 and given him (and us) some more background information:

This young Man never had a Commission tho’ he did the Duty he mentions. He came to this Country & left it with the Marquis. The Facts he states can be ascertained by those he refers to. If you think it necessary Mr Ternant will call on you. Monsr Poiret is a Citizen of the present Republic of France. He lives at Paris & maintains a Wife & 2 or 3 Children by the Labour of his Hands. I believe he is a Writer in some Office but whether public or private I know not. At any Rate he is poor & deserving a better Situation.

“To James Madison from Richard Peters, 4 February 1796,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 16, 27 April 1795 – 27 March 1797, ed. J. C. A. Stagg, Thomas A. Mason, and Jeanne K. Sisson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989, p. 212.] (10/07/2022)

Despite appearing to agree on the matter, it took Congress until the year 1819 to pay Poirey a compensation of $3,486. The House of Representatives passed the bill first on January 15 and the Senate passed the bill on February 17. Part of the problem seemed to be, that the statute of limitation had expired and that any move from Congress would solely be a gesture of goodwill. It was feared that Poirey’s treatment could create a precedent. One notable opponent of Poirey’s was Henry Dearborn. Poirey’s exemplary service and his close ties to La Fayette won Congress over in the end. Madison made two strong comments on the matter in Congress on January 9 and 11, 1796:

Messrs. Madison (…) supported the cause of M. Poira. They urged it as a singular case. It was asserted that M. La Fayette, and his family, were the only persons who had served in the war, with a previous profession that they would receive no pay. They denied that it was a claim of Justice; in that case, they allowed the statute of limitation would have barred it: It was a claim upon the equity and generosity of the nation. This gentleman, like his master, they said, had been overtaken by misfortune, and to refuse to afford him that relief which Justice must have paid him had he asked it at an earlier day, would be derogatory to the honour of the nation.

“Petition of Joseph-Léonard Poirey, [9 January] 1797,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 16, 27 April 1795 – 27 March 1797, ed. J. C. A. Stagg, Thomas A. Mason, and Jeanne K. Sisson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989, pp. 451–452.] (10/07/2022)

Mr. Madison observed, that if he saw any danger from the precedent of making this provision, he should not be for it; but he believed the precedent could not be extended to any other case. This officer, he had learnt, would have been put on the foreign list, had it not been that he was so wrapped up in the conduct of his general, as to consider it indelicate to receive any payment. He relied upon the prosperous fortune of general La Fayette for recompense. This had failed him. If, said Mr. M. any thing could afford comfort to the general in his present unfortunate confinement, it would doubtless be to find that the United States had extended their liberality to the relief of his faithful servant.

“Petition of Joseph-Léonard Poirey, [11 January] 1797,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 16, 27 April 1795 – 27 March 1797, ed. J. C. A. Stagg, Thomas A. Mason, and Jeanne K. Sisson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989, pp. 453–454.] (10/07/2022)

Madison’s second comment especially is interesting, for it shows us that Poirey and his family must have fallen on hard times before the La Fayette’s did, if he had previously been recompensated by them. By 1819, Thomas Jefferson had also invested himself in the case and it was he who could finally related the good news to Poirey on March 8, 1819:

I am happy in being able at length to send you a copy of the act of Congress authorising the compensation of your services which has been so long detained. you may on probable appearances suppose that a part of this delay has flowed from me. but it is not so. the office of Secretary at war was vacant a whole twelvemonth, and I knew it would only defeat your claim to let it be brought forward by a head-clerk, acting par interim. the present Secretary at war came into office on the rising of Congress so that he could not propose it till they met again for the following year. it was then presented, but as they never get thro half the bills before them, this laid over another year, and at their last meeting has got thro’. thus has this claim been unavoidably delayed three years. I presume it will now be necessary for you to state your account, get it certified by M. de la Fayette, and to send it to some person at Washington with a power of attorney regularly legalised according to the forms of your laws. perhaps some member of your diplomatic mission here. I am sorry I cannot offer you my services, but besides that my distance would occasion delay, the hand of age is pressing heavily on me, and the right wrist, which I dislocated at Paris, is become so stiff as to make writing a slow and painful business, & has obliged me to discontinue nearly all correspondence. but if you have no other resource, and will inclose to me a blank power of Attorney, I will fill the blank with the name of a faithful and attentive agent who will recieve & remit you the money. your papers are in the war office & I will see that they are safely returned to you. I salute you with great esteem & respect.

“Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Léonard Poirey, 8 March 1819,” Founders Online, National Archives, [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series, vol. 14, 1 February to 31 August 1819, ed. J. Jefferson Looney. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2017, pp. 110–111.] (10/07/2022)

And last but certainly not least, yes, we do have a handwriting sample from Poirey – I am glad you asked. :-) Here is a short letter form Poirey to Thomas Jefferson on December 6, 1803:

Joseph Poirey to Thomas Jefferson, December 6, in French. -12-06, 1803. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress. (10/19/2022)

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the-haylien · 1 year ago

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In a search for humorous science fiction, I found St. Mary's. It is an entertaining frolic, true to the cover description: "...the disaster-magnets of St. Mary's...hurtle around History." Just One Damned Thing After Another is the first book in an ongoing series by Jodi Taylor.

Time travel has been invented, but is limited to a few groups of people. The main character, Dr. Madeleine Maxwell is a historian. She is a very likable character and has some good flaws. She started working for St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research. The Institute sends historians into the past to observe and verify facts of important events.

St. Mary's rival is a group that wants to monetize time travel; securing the integrity of the timeline be damned. The competition leads to violence, bloodshed, and death. Has the timeline been damaged? Will they be able to tell if the timeline gets damaged? No one is safe from injury or death in this book.

I liked the book for the most part. However, it seemed a bit repetitive in the action. The middle is full of filler and unimportant mysteries that don't pan out. Also, I had no sense of how much time was passing in the present. I was surprised near the end of the book to read that Maxwell had been at St. Mary's for five years.

There was not much in the way of character growth. That's difficult to pull off in a long series, but I think somebody in some era should have been changed in a profound way by this big adventure. Maybe it was that dinosaur.

If you like time travel romps you will like this book. Will I read more in the series? I would like to, but probably not. Sorry Ms. Taylor, but I currently own more books than I could possibly read before I die. The author, Jodi Taylor says Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, and Jennifer Crusie are her influences. I thought that was an odd mix, but you know, it does show in her writing.

#book review #jodi taylor #books #writing #writers #reading #read #science fiction #scifi #time travel #timey whimey #just one damned thing after another

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rhetoricandlogic · 2 years ago

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Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye is a sharp study of a very female torture

As we approach the novel’s 30th anniversary, it’s hard to think of many characters who have endured pain like Atwood’s Elaine

One of the first things you notice when embarking on the unsettling experience of reading Cat’s Eye is that its narrator, Elaine, is herself unusually observant. Her memories of her messed-up childhood are more than vivid. On the first page, she remembers her brother studying while standing on his head (he claims that this will make the blood run down into his brain and nourish it), while wearing his “ravelling maroon sweater”. We are introduced to Elaine’s teenage friend Cordelia, who has “grey-green eyes, opaque and glinting as metal”. Cordelia is on a streetcar with Elaine and they wear: “long wool coats, with tie belts, the collars turned up to look like those of movie stars and rubber boots with the tops folded down and men’s work socks inside. In our pockets are stuffed the kerchiefs our mothers make us wear, but that we take off as soon as we’re out of their sight … Our mouths are tough, crayon red, shiny as nails.”

And on it goes: everything about the way people look and present themselves is precisely rendered and catalogued. The smells Atwood describes are especially evocative: that streetcar “is muggy with twice-breathed air and the smell of wool”; Stephen “smells of peppermint LifeSavers” over his usual scent of “cedarwood pencils and wet sand; the alcohol her entomologist father uses in his work “smells like white enamel basins”. As Elaine even tells us, with typical wryness: “We remember through smells, like dogs do.”

At first, this vivid act of time travel makes for a pleasant adventure, with Cat’s Eye feeling like a portrait of the artist as a young woman. This is a type of novel so well recognised that academics have even borrowed a German word to describe it: Künstlerroman.

While we’re among the academics, I might even invoke Roland Barthes, who once suggested that “the sense of the object always trembles – not that of the concept”. Which is roughly to say, physical descriptions can resonate with us more clearly than ideas. It was eating a madeleine that brought on Proust’s emotional flood of memories, not just missing his grandma. And in Cat’s Eye, it’s very often the physical world that helps us see how Elaine is feeling.

Most notably, when she is nine, she bites her lips, chews her hair and peels the skin off her feet, going “down as far as the blood”. For her, the pain “gave me something definite to think about, something immediate. It was something to hold onto.”

The pain in Cat’s Eye sets it apart from any standard notions we might have of what should happen in a Künstlerroman, for Elaine has endured torture that feels unusual in literature even as we approach the novel’s 30th anniversary. She has been bullied by female friends – and moreover, bullied in a manner precision-engineered just for her.

As Elaine carefully observes the world, her tormentors are observing Elaine. When we first meet the teenage Cordelia on those opening pages, we are told she has an acute sense for detail. (“Cordelia can tell cheap cloth at a glance. ‘Gabardine,’ she says. ‘Ticky-tack.’”) But it’s when we see her as the 10-year-old chief instigator of Elaine’s suffering that her powers really come to the fore. She constantly monitors Elaine, demanding to know what she has in her pockets, enlisting accomplices to report back on her behaviour, deportment, conversation – in all of which she finds fault. Worse still, Cordelia makes Elaine scrutinise herself: “Cordelia brings a mirror to school … She takes it out of her pocket and holds the mirror up in front of me and says ‘Look at yourself! Just look!’ Her voice is disgusted.”

Though this cruelty feels very specific to Elaine, there’s also something universal about it. Elaine realises that women are always judged and “there is no end to imperfection”. The details that have been building up over the course of the book start to feel ever more oppressive. As critic Molly Hite once noted: “They reinforce the imputation that growing up female, even growing up as a white, middle-class female in a prosperous North American country, is different only in degree from living in a police state.”

Pain can be found everywhere and in everything. “The toaster is on a silver heat pad,” Elaine tells us. “It has two doors, with a knob at the bottom of each, and a grid up the centre that glows red-hot. When the toast is done on one side I turn the knobs and the doors open and the toast slides down and turns over, all by itself. I think about putting my finger in there, onto the red-hot grid.”

If you think that sounds nasty, read what happens when she encounters a wringer. When you are always being watched, your own powers of observation can extract a terrible price.

#Margaret Atwood #Cat's Eye #mahreviews #long post

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adamwatchesmovies · 1 year ago

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A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

A Wrinkle in Time proves the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Ava Duvernay is a talented director. Looking at this film, it's clear she had enthusiasm for this project and put more than a little bit of herself in it. This is the first movie with a budget of $100+ million to be directed by a Black woman (shocking that it took us so long) and it contains a wholesome message of female empowerment, self-acceptance and love. If only it could also be good.

Four years ago, revolutionary physicist Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine) vanished, leaving behind his wife Kate (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), son Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) and daughter Meg (Storm Reid). When three extra-dimensional beings come to Meg and explain that her father is held captive by a spreading force of darkness called “The It” (voiced by David Oyelowo), she, her brother and friend Calvin (Levi Miller) travel to a faraway realm to save him.

Though I've never read the original work by Madeleines L’Engle, I have taken some time to research the story, I've seen this film twice and have reviewed the 2003 TV adaptation of the novel (also by Disney). I can make an educated guess as to why this film doesn’t work and why it isn’t a good adaptation of the novel. So much of this story depends on inner monologue and on us understanding the characters. Meg is a teenager profoundly disturbed by the disappearance of her father. She feels ugly, stupid and alone. She lashes out at the world as a way to mask her pain. Why does her angst make her worth all the attention of the three space Mrs.? It doesn’t.

What’s been eliminated is her little brother’s genius-level intellect and his developping telekinetic abilities. In the novel, the Mrs. want him. Unfortunately, he’s too young to fight. They compromise by bringing a trio of children with them on their adventure, believing that Meg can help Charles Wallace. They understand the It - a composite of two characters from the novel. The force of darkness represents/is responsible for all of the world's greed, selfishness, anger, etc. At the plot's core is the relationship between Meg and her brother. How can she love him and help the boy overcome the evil of the IT if she doesn’t even love herself? All of this is not in this film. Instead, Charles Wallace is an annoying smart-ass whom you have no attachment to whatsoever. Although you understand why Meg is upset, you don’t latch onto her like you should. Right away, you don’t care. The cringe-inducing dialogue given to the performers - most of which are not very good - does not help.

This movie desperately wants to fill you with sensations of wonder but it neglects the story’s foundation. Unless you go in knowing what A Wrinkle in Time is all really about, you won’t understand any of it. Mindy Kaling plays Mrs. Who, one of the astral women who speaks entirely by quoting other people… unless she doesn’t. Apparently, she’s evolved past the point of being able to form her own thoughts? That makes no sense. As does the behaviour of Meg’s father pre-disappearance. Despite his wife’s protests, he tried to convince his peers that he could use his mind to teleport halfway across the galaxy. They laughed. You do too, even when you know he's right. The Mrs. can’t fight the IT by themselves so they recruit a trio of kids to help them? It's a real head-scratcher, particularly considering Calvin contributes nothing to the plot.

At least you can see all the money on-screen. The costumes, makeup and the strange worlds Meg and her friends travel to look great. Sometimes it feels a little bit weird for weirdness’ sake (I don’t know why they insisted on having Oprah Winfrey’s Mrs. Which appear as a 30-foot woman, for example) and other scenes of action and peril make it obvious screenplay writers Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell were too in love with the source material to cut out scenes that ultimately mean nothing. Reese Witherspoon’s Mrs. Whatsit transforms into a flying leaf creature and gives the children a ride but you’d trade that scene for some genuine emotions or some much-needed exposition in a heartbeat.

The writing is plainly awful. Dialogue is stilted and the exposition we get goes down as smoothly as a spoonful of rusty nails. And then, it’s over. It doesn’t happen often that a 109-minute movie feels too short but the conclusion is so abrupt and so easy it undermines everything that came earlier.

The more you scrutinize A Wrinkle in Time, the worse it looks. This is a bad fantasy dish someone tried to save by drowning it in special effects sauce. Its heart is in the right place but when audiences are paying for this movie with their time and money, all that ambition doesn’t mean anything. (January 3, 2020)

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