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lafcadiosadventures · 2 years ago

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Madame Putiphar Read Along: Prologue

so it begins!! :D

(I am using the Valdemar Gótica edition in charge of Mauro Armiño, and the french text in gutenberg dot org)

Prologue

(The work is dedicated to L.P., Lucinde Paradol, an actress Petrus had loved since 1831)

The Poet sets the scene within his sombre heart. 3 Knights battle in it for its dominion, with ceasless fury. The Poet’s agonic cries only increase the knight’s bloodlust. The struggle will be lifelong, the Poet knows he has no choice in the outcome, and he knows the victory of one of the Knights will be his doom.

The knights represent a classic allegorical theme: the Three Ages of Man. But also three attitudes:

-libertinage and artistic glory,

-religious or intellectual seclusion,

-suicide, a clean death before the world and its ways forces the Poet to compromise himself

They also reflect in a general structural way, the vital paths of our characters. This pattern of the three possible paths, the three ages of men, is very ancient. In western culture we usually start with greek philosophers and matematicians considering it the perfect number, a number that encompassed the three narrative acts. It’s a recurring theme in most religions, fairy and folk tales, and mythology. It is also a number that seems to appeal to how our brains work, easing the comprehension of decades spanning events in narratives: in fairytales, we usually get 3 attempts at the same magical action before the character succeeds, in cinematic editing when a character coughs 3 times, we know the illness is grave enough to be deadly.

Closer in time to Borel, and worth mentioning since we know the author is one of his influences, there’s a Diderot book, The Skeptic’s Walk, that follows this same format. Finished in 1747 but like most of Diderot’s fiction, it was published posthumously, in 1830. In it a philosopher and his friends get lost in symbollic garden paths made of roses, thorns and chestnuts, each representing pleasures of the flesh ->roses, agonies of futile religious deprivation ->thorns, and finally chestnuts-> the wisdom of Philosophy. In a pretty anti-enlightenment move, Diderot’s character ends up running into “the type of blonde philosophers should avoid”(a line that seems out of a noir) an escapee from the path of the roses, she urges him to choose the palpable reality of sensual joys. He agrees, and occasionally picks sensuality over intellectual pursuits.

But enough preambles, let us present our allegorical knights:

Our first knight is “young, fresh and alert” He wears a steel corselet which glistens under a net of green cloth like a glacier glimpsed from between pines. His color, green like the verdant, fertile forest of Youth. But what this luscious fields hide is the frozen desert of the glacier. He is blond, beautiful, his eyes reflect love. His portrait is adorned with refernces to Spain: rides an Andalusian horse whom the the Knight of Youth makes shiver when manipulating his dagger and rondell like a vain toreador. (I don’t feel confident enough yet to try and say what Spain means for Borel, but his feelings towards Spain, the Spanish language and hispanic cultures are usually very positive)(so let’s say these allusions render him more appealing)

Enter the Second Knight. His characterization is compossed of references to christianity and the gothic: He looks like a reliquary. His donkey’s protruding bones make the animal resemble a rosary, covered with a shorn horse blanket that would catch the eye of an antiquary for it could be that of Queen Isabeau, travelling from Bavaria to France (her attire for the occasion was especially lavish)

He is fat, greasy, his breathing: laborious and loud. The anthitetic starving donkey carrying the heavy knight makes the spectator think of Shrovetide carrying Carnival on its back. However, the knight himself is made of anthiteses and contradictions. He looks like a glutton, but wears the attire of a penitent monk. (foreshadowing perhaps a priest in the novel who is not as chaste as he should be) He drags his habit through the ground, staining the holy clothes. He wears the hood because in order to “sell himself to the heavens” he has to conceal who he is or perhaps what he does. While he preaches virtue, sitting with his legs wide open (the expression Borel uses, à califourchon, is possibly composed of the ancient breton word for testicules) on his frail donkey, he is inspired by Sabaoth, the avatar of the Lord when leading the armies of the angels in Judaism. (there are many interpretations of this version of God and this name, and I am not well versed in Judaism, but from the context, he seems to be preaching virtue while sitting in a somewhat obscene manner, inspired by a war-like deity of another religion) He insults, curses and swears, arrogantly challenging his two rivals. These insults are backed by a huge mace. This second knight is completely drenched in blood and kisses a crucifix. To sum it up, he is older, dirtier, bloodier, associated with phallic and christian imagery, his appereance of weakness is decieveing. His attitudes span widely between the pious or the violent.

We meet, finally, the Third Knight. He is like the Comander in the Don Juan mythos, a man of stone. (based on the spanish folk tale of the “convidado de piedra”, the guest made of stone is the funereal monument of the Comander’s grave, who Juan Tenorio mockingly invites to dine after realizing he killed him when the Commander tried to avenge the rape of his daughter. The commander famously represents Death, shows up to Juan’s supper and invites him to dine with him in Hell instead.) He is horrifying and lugubrious. When hit by the other knights, he makes the sound of a hollow tomb. He is pretty much a grim reaper made of stone, he carries a scythe, which weeps streams of blood, carries a hunter’s trap from which a hanged man swings, grimmacing in a grotesque manner. Instead of a scimitar he carries a fisherman’s hook, from which tiny nets filled with worms and larvae hang. (is this a reference to the fisherman imagery in christianity? With an ironic twist because the paradise the stony knight offers is the absolute nothingness of the grave)

The 1st Knight, represents our tangible world. He attracts the narrator with crowns of flowers, and gallantly covers any puddles the poet finds in his path with his cloak, and wipes off his tears.

Now it’s the turn for the knights to address the Poet, and the language becomes erotic: the knight of Youth wishes the poet to give in to him completely, without restraints or remorse. He wants him to dive into his chest, abandoning himself to the oscilations of the vermillion waves within it. He is the joyous, smiling side of the world, which opens itself to the youth of the narrator, revealing a future of magic from which the days of his glory will spring. It’s the world of stars and dreams but also the world of prostitution and voluptuosness. The knight of Youth offers all the pleasures of the World, he will fullfil all of the Poet’s possible desires: voluptuos women, banquets, dances, glory.

The second knight with the kindly air, serious attitude and a face made sombre by loneliness, repressents the Cloister, where the love of the Lord emmanates in streams. The Cloister Knight claims the narrator for himself, because the tangible, sensual World is a mirage, everything in it vanishes like a dream, glory and the dream of posterity are only masks pride likes to wear. It is a vain entreprise to raise onseself a living monument, because the world forgets it all. Carnal love is impure. He must join the Second Knight in the Cloister to presserve the virginities of his soul. The Cloister is not only religious, if meditation doesn’t captivate him, he can always explore wisdom and science, but never Philosophy, (the enlightenment group were notably called the Philosophes, -a word that was used to design an intellectual- and they usually opposed organized religion) which defiles the wonders of Christ.

The third Knight, the eternal leverler, the implacable reaper, whom the narrator strokes and secretly honors, (the only one of the Knights the Narrator tells us openly how he feels about) is the Void: Death. As he is ancient, he adresses the Narrator as a child, and invites him to probe into his earthy body, to drown in his muddy, shadowy chrysalis. He forgets to harvest no grape of the vine of humanity, so why wait until pain has shattered his heart to blow out his candle? Death, the Knight claims, is Our Lady of Joy and Salvation! The grave: the Promised Land. He urges our Poet not to listen to the rhethoric of the Cloister, it promises rest but Man is trapped by his obsessions in it, like Saint Anthony, who suffered tempted like a Satyr in the desert: The Cloister is the same as the World without the posibility of fullfilment or satisfaction. Joy is only possible underground where one is safe from fake friendship, ambition or lost illusions. Absolute nothing is an abscense, a dead lightning, a botomless sea, a void without an echo.

Thus, capitulates the Poet, have combated the three knights for years without quarter. His heart is wounded by this constant struggle because it’s doubtful, religious, crazy, mondain, and unbelieving at the same time. But it’s a matter of time, one of the Knights will vanquish the others and the Poet will perish, a prey of either the World, the Cloister or the Void, and he has no choice in the outcome.

We know all the knights’s paths are fake, Youth appears fertile but conceals a heart of ice, Cloister preaches virtue and science but is a licentious, violent man, Death promises rest, but is shown torturing its victims. The Poet is harrased by the three incarnations of paths he knows are purposely deceitful, attempting to seduce him with mirages. Life, he tells us at the beginning of the poem, is pain in bloom, nothing in life is real or worthy, except perhaps this struggle, and the Poet’s realization that these options are deceitful.

#madame putiphar #long post #text post #rape mention #suicide mention #this poem is such a vivid experience #i love it #beautiful use of language you just picture everything in your head #also worthyof mention: the subversion of the champions competing for the heart of the princess trope #putiphar posting #please feel free to chime in #q #got the à califourchon etimology from larousse online but i cannot make the link work :p #sainteverge and counterwiddershins are doing this as well

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trippie-redd-mansion-musik-album · 2 years ago

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IS HERE: Trippie Redd Mansion Musik Album Download zip file mp3 & lyrics?

Download : Trippie Redd Mansion Musik Album zip file mp3 & lyrics? | Trippie Redd is following up 2021’s Trip At Knight and the deluxe LP Neon Shark vs Pegasus with a new body of work. The Ohio rapper’s next record is called Mansion Musik and will be executive produced entirely by Chief Keef.

DOWNLOAD LINK :- https://www.hasitmusic.com/download-trippie-redd-mansion-musik-album-zip/

Redd took to social media to share the tracklist and features for the forthcoming project. Clocking in at 25 songs, Mansion Musik is scattered with a star-studded lineup of guest appearances from Future, Lil Baby, Kodak Black, Lil Durk, Rich The Kid, Travis Scott, Chief Keef and more. There’s also a posthumous appearance from the late Juice Wrld.

TRACKLIST: 1. MANSION MUSIK 2. ATLANTIS ft. Chief Keef 3. PSYCHO ft. Future 4. FULLY LOADED ft. Future, Lil Baby 5. KNIGHT CRAWLING ft. Juice WRLD 6. VAN HELSING 7. DARK BROTHERHOOD ft. Lil Baby 8. FREE RIO 9. KRZY TRAIN ft. Travis Scott 10. MUSCLES ft. Lil Durk 11. GOODFELLAS ft. Kodak Black 12. KILLIONAIRE ft. Kodak Black 13. HIGH HOPES ft. BIG30 14. DIE DIE ft. LUCKI 15. WHO ELSE ft. Rich The Kid 16. BIGGEST BIRD ft. Summrs 17. HIDEOUT 18. WITCHCRAFT 19. TOILET WATER ft. Ski Mask the Slump God 20. PURE ft. G Herbo 21. ROCK OUT ft. Chief Keef 22. ARMAGEDDON ft. Rob49 23. NUN ft. DaBaby 24. SWAG LIKE OHIO, PT. 2 ft. Lil B 25. COLORS ft. Kodak Black

The vast majority of the songs feature Redd alongside at least one other artist. After opening with the titular “Mansion Musik,” the rapper will team up with Chief Keef for “Atlantis,” followed by Future on “Psycho.” On the next track, Future and Lil Baby appear alongside Redd for the trio-led “Fully Loaded.” A release date for the project has yet to be announced, though Redd said he’ll share it if he gets enough love on his Instagram post of the tracklist. In other music news, Drake flaunted $3.3M USD of Pharrell’s jewelry in the new “J

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that-house · 4 years ago

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Viego Rant (villainy and character design and tragedy and all that jazz)

Introduction The more I think about Viego, League of Legends’ newest character, the more enamored I am with him as a villain (unrelated to his general sexiness, though that does tie in with what makes him such a good villain).

I’ve seen a lot of complaints about his design. The Ruined King, one of the greatest threats in Runeterra, the progenitor of the Shadow Isles, the lord of the undead, is finally released as a playable champion and he looks like this:

People were expecting another Mordekaiser (who is similarly an undead king with a ghost army), a lich-tyrant clad in iron, decayed flesh peeling from an aged face. What we got was an angsty anime prettyboy, and it was infinitely better than the alternatives.

Lore Viego isn’t a conquering king. While his combat abilities are indeed badass, his personality is far from it. He’s a whiny brat and that’s incredible. He isn’t bent on world domination. His character arc revolves around just how human, how fallible he really is. For those unfamiliar with his lore, I’ll paraphrase it here:

Viego was the second son of a great king. Overshadowed by his brother and with no expectations upon him and near-limitless wealth, he wandered around being an idiot fuckboy for the vast majority of his formative years. Disaster struck when his brother died in an accident, and Viego took the throne with no training, no experience, and no desire to be king. He was a shitty king. The worst king. Just all-around apathetic. Gave zero shits. Can you blame him? It’s a lot of responsibility to be thrust upon someone who isn’t much more than a child, and with no preparation. He didn’t care about anything, that is, until he met Isolde. She was a poor seamstress, but he fell in love with her upon their first meeting. Together they ruled the country but it was really just them staring longingly into each others’ eyes. His allies were kinda fucking pissed about that, and one day an assassin came from Viego. The assassin fucked up and stabbed Isolde instead, and the poison on the blade made her fall gravely ill. As she lay in her bed, slowly dying, Viego went mad seeking a cure. He ravaged the land seeking any knowledge that might help, pouring all of his money into finding an antidote. He failed. As a last resort, he brought Isolde’s body to the Blessed Isles, a place rumored to be able to resurrect the dead. It worked, to an extent. Isolde’s wraith, confused, afraid, and angry at being ripped from the peace of death, unthinkingly stabbed Viego in the chest with his own magic sword, creating basically a magic nuke that turned the Blessed Isles into the domain of the undead. Viego resurrected as the king of the Shadow Isles some time later, having totally forgotten that Isolde killed him. He controls a big-ass ghost army, could probably beat up any living thing in a fight, and has evil ghost magic. Now this stupid simp wants his wife back and if he has to kill every living thing on Runeterra, well, anything for his queen. He’s even a tier 3 sub to her Twitch.

Music His musical theme isn’t some heavy metal anthem or intense cinematic piece (unlike the Pentakill song named after his sword, Blade of the Ruined King). It’s mostly sad and slow, almost sinister, with a piano and a music box. It has its loud moments featuring violins and choral bits like any villainous music, but the song is mostly subtle. It is a banger though.

youtube

In the comments section of this video, someone pointed out that the music reflects his story from beginning to end:

Everything about this champion is so well done. Riot Games really outdid themselves on this one. Bravo, encore please.

Motivation While the Mordekaiser circlejerkers on r/LeagueofLegends won’t shut the fuck up about how powerful Mordekaiser is, Viego is the better villain. Mordekaiser may be a bigger threat to all life on Runeterra, but Viego is a better character. (There’s a guy on my League discord server who won’t shut up about Mordekaiser so forgive me for being pissed at Morde stans).

Mordekaiser is motivated by a desire for control, to rule the world. Viego is motivated by obsession and misplaced love. There aren’t a lot of Mordekaisers on Earth. Supervillains are rare in real life. But Viego’s motivations are a lot closer to home. People in positions of power that they don’t deserve can do a lot of harm (for example: Trump).

He’s a grieving husband who was never prepared to deal with anything more difficult than choosing what wine to drink with dinner, who is trying to get his wife back because the world had always complied to his every whim. He’s a funky mix between a truly hopeless romantic and a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum.

Obsession is scary. It’s a real-world emotional state that’s been the cause of a lot of murders over mankind’s history. In contrast, Mordekaiser’s cartoonish Genghis Khan XXL schtick isn’t something that we encounter often. Of course a superpowered ultradictator would be worse for the world, but if you give ultimate power to a random person, you’re more likely to get someone like Tighten from Megamind. Or, more relevantly, Viego.

Design His design is sexy and stupid, just like him. He wears an open shirt into battle and wields his sword like an idiot (I’ve seen all the rants about how that’s not how that sword is meant to be used) because he was never really a warrior. Even at his most violent, right before the end of his mortal life, he didn’t do much combat himself, leaving his military endeavors to his underlings. Even now that he’s essentially a god, he still has a colossal wraith army that causes far more devastation than he ever could personally.

Despite his slim build (by League of Legends standards), he easily wields his colossal sword because of the strength of his state of undeath. Like his political power when he was alive, his posthumous magical and physical powers were never something he sought out, they were just given to him by circumstance.

The big cool-ass triangle hole in his chest where Isolde stabbed him is the source of the Black Mist, which is evil ghost mist that ebbs and flows from the Shadow Isles, bringing with it hordes of the undead. The sadder Viego is, the more Mist he creates. Poetically, his invasion of the world is inspired by his sorrow at his wife’s death and enabled by his wife’s reluctance to return to him. His story is perfectly reflected by his design.

Isolde Isolde’s spirit took up residence inside a young Senna (who’s another League champion, not particularly important here). This led to some Black Mist-related shenanigans and at least for the time being, Senna uses Isolde’s power to fight off the servants of Viego which threaten all life on Runeterra.

It seems pretty clear that whatever love Isolde felt for Viego is gone by now. Whether or not she ever loved him or was just unable to say no to the king is up for debate, but I’d like to believe there was something there. In my opinion, Viego’s story hits harder if they really were a great couple at first, torn apart by circumstance and obsession.

Much like the Maiden of the Woods in that one comic that circulates around here, to whom the knight gave his heart and she was like “yo what the fuck i literally never asked you to do this,” Viego went a little too far in trying to save her. They may have once been happy, but the Ruined King ruined his own life, too.

Unless Isolde is a lot less morally decent than we’ve been led to believe, I doubt she can forgive all the massacring that her husband’s been doing lately. In the recent cinematic, she was shown to be pretty anti-Viego. Maybe she’ll get a bastardization arc, but it certainly seems unlikely.

All of Season 2021 is based around Viego, Isolde, and the Shadow Isles, so we’ll just have to see what comes next. It’s possible that we’ll get Isolde as a playable champion, which should clear a lot of things up.

Final Thoughts Unlike so many villains, he’s not fueled by rage or hatred, but rather by sorrow. He’s stuck in his past, unable to move on. He regrets the actions of his life but is set on his course now. The sunk-cost fallacy comes into play here; he’s put so much time and effort and blood into bringing back Isolde, that turning away from it would feel to him like an insult, not only to her but to the innocent lives he’s taken in her name.

His tale is a tragedy, a love story gone horrifically wrong. Viego has suffered throughout his thousand-year life. Despite this, he’s undoubtedly the villain. His permanent death would be a net positive for the world. In has rage and grief he’s destroyed multiple civilizations, and will burn down the world to get Isolde back.

His heart may be in the wrong place, but it’s in a very human place. I don’t think he’ll get the ending he’s looking for, but I hope he finds some closure in the end.

#League of Legends #viego #i swear no one's gonna read this #even if you dont care about League i tried to make this interesting #even if you don't like League as a game the lore is pretty fucking solid

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alayne-stonecoldfox · 4 years ago

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Westerosi babes: A study in who’s the flyest honey

So using a search of ice and fire, I documented each and every time the word ‘beautiful’ came up and in the text and was used to describe a person, to determine who is textual the FLYEST honey, backed up by anecdotes and numbers. I did not include ladies who had been referred to as beautiful only the once or twice in the text. So, sorry Jeyne Westerling. You were no doubt packing some kind of punch to make Robb Stark give up the trident for that wagon you draggin, but you simply don’t have the relevancy. ANYWAY, The following findings are:

Coming in sixth and essentially last of the best, is melisandre

She referred to as beautiful 3 times. By Stannis, Davos and Jon. But, all 3 men also claim she is terribly unnerving at the same time. A creepy hot weirdo.

Fifth, is Lyanna Stark

The hottest of the dead lady gang, the only one showing up posthumously a total of six times, remembered as beautiful by 5 seperate people, Ned, Robert, Arya, Kevan and Davos. Also an official ‘queen of love and beauty’ Lyanna must have had that something something, as Rhaegar lost everything throwing in for her and Robert still can’t get over her. Legend status. Lyanna said ‘Ashara Dayne’ who.

Fourth is Margaery

She’s called beautiful 8 times, by 6 different people. Joffrey, Cersei, Tyrion, Sansa, cat, and some random named crakehall. Notably makes Cersei so jealous she’s actively trying to have her arrested and executed. Thats when you know you’ve got heux’s pressed.

third is Daenerys

She is referred to as beautiful 20 times by 9 different people. Daario, Quentyn, victarion, Mollander, Xaro, Hizdar, reznak, and two different randoms. (surprisingly didn’t find a quote from Jorah? I guess it’s implied?) and a lot of it from the meerenese and xaro is shameless flattery that honestly Dany is low key VERY over, but regardless, she is gaining LEGEND status by word of mouth, with random commoners spreading the word far and wide that the dragon queen is the most beautiful woman in the world. Icons only.

Second is Cersei

A hot mess on the inside, no one can discredit her outside, Cersei is referred to as beautiful 23 times by 11 different people, Jaime, Tyrion, Jon, Ned, Sallador Saan, Sansa, Petyr, Stannis, Taena, kevan and a random. The official fire and blood asoif lore book describes Cersei in her teens as the most beautiful girl in westeros. Even people who don’t like her at all describe her as beautiful. Too bad its fading fast and theirs a younger more beautiful queen ready to take all she holds dear, but Cersei in her prime even had her haters singing praises. The power in that.

and the FLYEST of honeys, first, number 1, is Sansa

Referred to as beautiful a total of 34!! times by 21 people. Tyrion, Petyr, Lysa, Cat, Arya, Joffrey, Cersei, Loras, Kevan, Marillon, Brienne, Mya, Myranda, Jeyne, Harry, and six other randoms such as maids, knights and courtiers. Seems like where ever she goes as a princess, a hostage or a bastard, basically everyone who comes across sansa goes ‘oh, damn’. Tall, tully blue eyes, red hair, she got men out here deserting their kings, KILLING their kings, just to marry her. And remember Cersei started to really hit her stride at sixteen, Sansa’s only just coming into her power. You heux’s WAIT till she’s out of her westerosi equivalent training bra, they aint ready!!!

Now. Is this study bias considering characters like Sansa and Cersei are POV characters and thus, would be the focus of a lot more talk on their looks? yes. . We KNOW there are legend status beauty’s like Ashara, Shiera ‘she must bathe in blood to be so hot’ Seastar, baddie Arianne Martell, all ladies who’s looks don’t really get to get mentioned, even if we know they no doubt have it going on. I’m just here with the hard cold figures ladies. And not to be that girl in the playground insisting HER barbie is no doubt the prettiest in the recess fashion show, but GRRM textually wants you to know, Sansa stark, my fave, like stacey’s mom, has it going on.

#you cant TELL ME my contributions to this fandom aren't valid #sansa stark #cersei lannister #margaery tyrell #asoiaf #lyanna stark #melisandre

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strawberryybird · 3 years ago

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ok ok half a leonie pinelli nonbinary gender fic. lets go lets go lets post vulnerable gender thoughts on the internet

oh god like i would love love love to write a fic about Leonie’s relationship to gender and how one of the things keeping them in the closet is their (stupid, in post-war hindsight) rivalry with Byleth, and how it would look so.. juvenile if they said sod the gender binary, just like byleth had quietly done all their life. Like, Leonie just heaps responsibility and inheritance onto their own shoulders, wanting to make their village proud, wanting to surpass Jeralt the Bladebreaker, wanting the equal-footing relationship with byleth that neither of them knew how to forge. And now, in the settling dust of the world they fought for, they have no idea how to live a life without the weight of other people’s expectations. When the rest of the deers are going on about freedom and new world order, Leonie’s stood there, wedged between Ignatz and Hilda, wondering if it’s worth saving the things they hold most dear - Jeralt, Byleth, the memory of her village. What of their past self is worth carrying forward? What part of themself does Leonie even want to keep in this brave new world? The war had been over for 3 whole months. It would be terribly selfish to think of the war as a spark of self-reflection, but Leonie had never pretended to be altruistic like that.

so here’s a little of that: warning for posthumous outing of gender questioning.

Leonie snags Ignatz after the meeting broke up, and they potter on up to the third floor balcony to watch the sun set.

She shares a bottle of good wine with himon the balcony, sun already half-sunk over the horizon. They talk about everything that isn’t the war, and then, once they get the second, nicer, wine open, they talk about the war. Because it had been three whole months, and yet it had only been three months. Far too much time to be breaking into cold sweats in the middle of the night and not enough time to have fully scrubbed Nemesis’ blood out from under her fingernails. Too short a time to be so self-centred in discussing the war, there would be time for self-indulgence later, and long enough that the construction of new world was already well under way. Stuck in this half-risen morning, cranking the wheel to reopen the stage curtain and start the second act.

They buried Dorothea’s body in a city that never appreciated her, and says as much out loud. Ignatz poured them both another glass of wine and clinked the glasses together.

“I thought we had put the toasts to rest as well?” Leonie leaned back on the stone to catch his eye.

He shrugged, his smile still a little soft after the war. “I think it’s how she’d like to be remembered, really. I’ve nearly finished her painting.”

Leonie drew a knee up to rest her wine on. The sunlight was dimming like a campfire without the familiar crackling in her ears, only the whip of the wind. “Ingrid, as well, then. She liked all that honour and tradition. A toast in her name seems like a way to remember her.”

“She wanted to be a knight, didn’t she?” Ignatz adjusted his glasses. “I wondered if she ever did change her pronouns.”

“What?”

“We used to talk about gender presentation, from time to time. Mostly in the greenhouse, it was one of the few times our lives crossed over.” He shifted and crossed his legs, the stone was getting pretty cold underneath them. “It wasn’t much, I don’t think, but I wanted her to have someone in her corner if she ever did want to..” He took another sip of wine. “- to present herself in a way that she wanted, or preferred, at least. We were lucky to have the Professor in our corners.”

Leonie washed down the sudden brick of envy in her throat with alcohol.

“Do you mean Ingrid was...” She tailed off, searching for something that wouldn’t sound like a desperate confessional. “Like you?” She tilted her head at him, in a bit of a clumsy question.

“It’s not polite of me to say this since she’s dead, but now there’s no one else alive to know this about her. She wasn’t sure, really. We spoke about a lot of things, but she never did make any announcements. I was too shy to suggest I use different pronouns for her, and looking back now I don’t think she would have ever asked me to. But we spoke a lot about it, especially right before..”

“Before the war.” Leonie filled in the gap.

Ignatz drank more wine.

The sun lingered in the far corner of the balcony, a brilliant orange puddle on the stone.

Leonie poured them both another glass.

“This afternoon.” She began. “With everyone talking about being better people. I was thinking - ”

Ignatz’s smile grew sharp again, and she punched his shoulder.

“I’m not sure I want to be who I was before the war. She wasn’t very nice, was young Leonie. Don’t look at me like that,” Leonie caught the glint behind his glasses, “I’m glad I was her, she got me through a war. But if Lorenz and Marianne are being better versions of who they are..” Leonie’s throat caught on itself again.

“I liked her.” Ignatz said, without looking at her. “She taught me a lot, and even if she wasn’t nice, she was kind to me.”

Leonie didn’t know what to do with that.

“Why did you tell me about Ingrid?” She asked instead.

The evening wind whistled through the carved stone rim of the balcony, not quite chilling after the scorching hot day. Ignatz shifted again, knees up to his chest.

“I didn’t say it to burden you further.” He said at last. “You already have Captain Jeralt, and Dorothea, and Ashe, and your village.” His hand nudged against hers on the floor. “You understood them more than the rest of us would. I know Hilda and Dorothea were friends, before, but you had different friendships with her. I wanted to give you Ingrid. Like you have your necklace, maybe. This world seems very new, now the war is over, but nothing really is. All those landscapes I used to paint had been seen before I drew them, and they’ll exist after me, too. I wanted to tell you about Ingrid so you could have that history, if you wanted. So you had something to inherit, or look back on. Like footsteps.

“I miss our school days, and who we thought we all were.” Ingnatz curled his knuckles in Leonie’s own. “But I’m glad we’re here now. Maybe Claude and the wine has gone my head, a little, but I think I believe him when he said we can be who we are in earnest, now.”

The catch in Ignatz’ voice was far more convincing to them than any of Claude’s charismatic speeches. Leonie grabbed his hand properly, both of them calloused and worn in the same way. It would be nice, to be themself, but Leonie hadn’t been nice before the war, and wasn’t sure if they even knew how to be. The world was being called brave and new, in all the grandstanding speeches made around the war council tables, and Leonie knew how to do that. The war had taught them how to be brave, if nothing else, and now Ignatz had said there was nothing truly new about them. It was something to be only new in yourself. They didn’t need to be as brave. The sun long set below the hillside, and Leonie held on tight.

#god this is dramatic. gotta love a bit of self indulgence.#ok i accidentally wrote a fic.#tw for poor trans etiquette #leonie and ignatz have gender feelings on a balcony with wine #i have a lot of feelings about leonie and gender. most of which i do not want to put on display for tumblr dotte comme #so uh have this? i'm sorry if its in very poor taste.#it certainly wasnt intended to be #okokokokok im going to post this intensely personal bit of unedited tumblr text post fic. here we go.#bird does fics. idk what my tag is.

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silent-era-of-cinema · 4 years ago

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John Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career. He was mostly in Western films.

Born and raised in Dothan, Alabama, Brown was the son of Ed and Mattie Brown, one of eight siblings. His parents were shopkeepers.[3] He was a star of the high school football team, earning a football scholarship to the University of Alabama. His little brother Tolbert "Red" Brown played with "Mack" in 1925.

After he finished college, he sold insurance and later coached the freshman running backs on the University of Alabama's football team.

While at the University of Alabama, Brown became an initiated member of Kappa Sigma fraternity.

Brown was a prominent halfback on his university's Crimson Tide football team, coached by Wallace Wade. He earned the nickname "The Dothan Antelope" and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Pop Warner called him "one of the fastest football players I've ever seen."

The 1924 team lost only to Centre. Brown starred in the defeat of Georgia Tech.

1925

Brown helped the 1925 Alabama Crimson Tide football team to a national championship. In that year's Rose Bowl, he earned Most Valuable Player honors after scoring two of his team's three touchdowns in an upset win over the heavily favored Washington Huskies. The 1925 Crimson Tide was the first southern team to ever win a Rose Bowl. The game is commonly referred to as "the game that changed the south." Brown was selected All-Southern.

Brown's good looks and powerful physique saw him portrayed on Wheaties cereal boxes and in 1927, brought an offer for motion picture screen tests[6] that resulted in a long and successful career in Hollywood. That same year, he signed a five-year contract with Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer.[10] He played silent film star Mary Pickford's love interest in her first talkie, Coquette (1929), for which Pickford won an Oscar.

He appeared in minor roles until 1930 when he was cast as the star in a Western entitled Billy the Kid and directed by King Vidor. An early widescreen film (along with Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail starring John Wayne, produced the same year), the movie also features Wallace Beery as Pat Garrett. Brown was billed over Beery, who would become MGM's highest-paid actor within the next three years. Also in 1930, Brown played Joan Crawford's love interest in Montana Moon. Brown went on to make several more top-flight movies under the name John Mack Brown, including The Secret Six (1931) with Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, and Clark Gable, as well as the legendary Lost Generation celebration of alcohol, The Last Flight (1931), and was being groomed by MGM as a leading man until being abruptly replaced on Laughing Sinners in 1931, with all his scenes reshot, substituting rising star Clark Gable in his place. MGM and director Woody Van Dyke screen tested him for the lead role of Tarzan the Ape Man but Van Dyke didn't feel he was tall enough.

Rechristened "Johnny Mack Brown" in the wake of this extremely serious career downturn, he made low-budget westerns for independent producers and he never regained his former status. Eventually he became one of the screen's top B-movie cowboys, and became a popular star at Universal Pictures in 1937. After starring in four serials, in 1939 he launched a series of 29 B-westerns over the next four years, all co-starring Fuzzy Knight as his comic sidekick, and the last seven teaming him with Tex Ritter. This is considered the peak of his B-western career, thanks to the studio's superior production values; noteworthy titles include Son of Roaring Dan, Raiders of San Joaquin and The Lone Star Trail, the latter featuring a young Robert Mitchum as the muscle heavy. A fan of Mexican music, Brown showcased the talents of guitarist Francisco Mayorga and The Guadalajara Trio in films like Boss of Bullion City and The Masked Rider. Brown also starred in a 1933 Mascot Pictures serial Fighting with Kit Carson, and four serials for Universal (Rustlers of Red Dog, Wild West Days, Flaming Frontiers and The Oregon Trail).

Brown moved to Monogram Pictures in 1943 to replace that studio's cowboy star Buck Jones, who had died months before. Brown's Monogram series was immediately successful and he starred in more than 60 westerns over the next 10 years, including a 20-movie series playing "Nevada Jack McKenzie" opposite Buck Jones's old sidekick Raymond Hatton, beginning with the 1943 film The Ghost Rider. Brown was also featured in two higher-budgeted dramas, Forever Yours and Flame of the West, both released by Monogram in 1945 and both billing the actor under his former "A-picture" name, John Mack Brown.

When Monogram abandoned its brand name in 1952 (in favor of its deluxe division, Allied Artists), Johnny Mack Brown retired from the screen. He returned more than 10 years later to appear in secondary roles in a few Western films. Altogether, Brown appeared in more than 160 movies between 1927 and 1966, as well as a smattering of television shows, in a career spanning almost 40 years.

Brown was married to Cornelia "Connie" Foster from 1926 until his death in 1974, and they had four children.

For his contributions to the film industry, Brown was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 with a motion pictures star at 6101 Hollywood Boulevard. He received a posthumous Golden Boot Award in 2004 for his contributions to the Western entertainment genre. In 1969, Brown was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Brown's hometown holds an annual Johnny Mack Brown Western Festival because “If anyone ever brought attention to Dothan, it was Johnny Mack Brown,” a city official said.

Brown is mentioned in the novel From Here to Eternity. In a barracks scene, soldiers discuss Western films, and one asks, "Remember Johnny Mack Brown?", resulting in a discussion.

From March 1950 to February 1959, Dell Comics published a Johnny Mack Brown series of comic books. He also was included in 21 issues of Dell's Giant Series Western Roundup comics that began in June 1952.

In 1974, Lester "Roadhog" Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys released Alive at the Johnny Mack Brown High School, a comedy album set at a fictitious school named after Brown.

Brown died in Woodland Hills, California, of heart failure at the age of 70. His cremated remains are interred in an outdoor Columbarium, in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery.

#johnny mack brown #silent era #silent hollywood #silent movie stars #golden age of hollywood #classic movie stars #classic hollywood #1920s hollywood #1930s hollywood #1940s hollywood #1950s hollywood #1960s hollywood

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dcbbw · 4 years ago

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WIP Wednesday 7-15-2020

Thanks for the tags @bebepac and @hopefulmoonobject!

You all know I have WIPs; too many of them. Below are sneak peeks of coming attractions. Many are still in draft stages and subject to changes before being posted.

Back Roads:

The last item to be cleared was the late King’s personal safe, which Bastien opened for them; it was protocol that only the monarch and the head of the King’s guard knew the combination. None of the friends knew what to expect, but nothing seemed untoward: certificates of marriage to his three Queens; a petition to declare his first Queen presumed dead; Queen Eleanor’s death certificate.

A plain wooden box simply labeled “The Walkers.” Everyone looked at the other, curious what was inside. Liam wordlessly handed the box to Drake, who looked suspiciously at the strongbox before lifting its lid.

Everything was neatly compartmentalized: The Cordonian Cross, awarded to Jackson Walker posthumously for “acts of the greatest heroism or for most conspicuous courage in circumstance of extreme danger.” The letter and certificate which had accompanied the Cross had been given to Savannah.

A copy of the Widowers and Children agreement, signed by Bianca; a copy of Jackson’s life insurance and pension plan. Drake and Savannah were beneficiaries to both with payments to begin when their stipend from the Crown ended. And a sealed envelope with Drake’s name written on it.

“Open it!” Olivia urged impatiently.

Liam handed him a letter opener, and Drake sliced the envelope open. His eyes quickly scanned the letter, one section leaping out at him:

In honor of his father’s selfless act of heroism, it is hereby decreed that Drake Walker shall be named a Knight of Cordonia and accorded the title of Sir Drake J. Walker, and afforded all the privileges of the Crown and Palace, with the exception that he shall retain commoner status when it comes the hierarchy of the Throne.

His sister, Savannah J. Walker, shall be named a Dame of Cordonia and afforded all the privileges of the Crown and Palace, with the exception that she shall retain commoner status when it comes the hierarchy of the Throne.

Maxwell, who was reading over Drake’s shoulder, let out a low whistle. “Wow … Drake, you’re … noble!”

Sister Someone, Chapter 3—Sunday, Bloody Sunday:

Harper breathed in Ethan’s scent: fresh, green, with just the slightest hints of mint and musk. She wanted Ethan to move in with her; it seemed … natural. He was already spending a lot of time there: He had clothes in her closet, and a toothbrush in her bathroom. Her fingers began a slow walk across Ethan’s chest towards the buttons on his shirt.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. With a reluctant sigh, she pulled it from the crevice between their bodies and felt her eyes widen when she recognized the number.

“Who is it?” Ethan asked, seeing the expression on her face.

“Work,” Harper said quickly as she declined the call. “I’ll call them back.”

She tossed her phone aside to pull Ethan to her. When Ethan suggested they go upstairs, Harper told hi to go ahead; she wanted to review some paperwork first. Once she heard Ethan climb the stairs, Harper returned the earlier call.

The steak was seasoned and laying on a bed of onions, peppers, and bacon when her phone vibrated. Harper answered tersely. “What?”

He caller gave a low chuckle. “And a good morning to you, Dr. Emery. Merely calling to confirm you’ll be joining my fiancée and I for brunch later today.”

Harper exhaled a low breath. “Do I have a choice?”

“There’s always a choice. This isn’t extortion.”

Harper ground her teeth. “I’ll be there,” she gritted out.

The caller’s tone was pleased. “Excellent! Lucy and I will meet you at Sonsie at 11:30. Bring Dr. Ramsey if you’re so inclined. I’m certain he and Lucy would love to catch up.”

The call disconnected.

Twenty minutes later, when Ethan entered the kitchen, Harper told him her plans for the day: going into the hospital and spending the afternoon with her niece, Aurora.

How I Met Your Wife:

One week before the wedding, Liam and Riley were having lunch at the restaurant when they began to bicker. Yu smirked to herself as the bickering progressed to a full-blown argument. The waitress was fond of both Liam and Riley; their love for each other was both evident and contagious, and she thanked Kei every day for seeing what she had not. The two cared, not only for each other, but for all Cordonia.

“YU!” Riley yelled.

Yu approached the table. “What is wrong, my dumplings?” she asked in a soothing voice, her hands lightly touching their shoulders.

“Sit down,” Riley patted the seat next to her.

Liam’s eyes were narrowed. “Don’t you DARE, Riley Brooks!”

Riley arched an eyebrow and leaned into Yu, pressing dark cherry painted lips against the waitress’. Liam scraped his chair back as he hurried around the table to break the kiss. Yu was stunned, but curious.

Good lip service indeed.

Before she could slip her tongue past the Duchess’ closed lips, she felt Liam’s hand on her shoulder, trying to pull the women apart. Instinctively, Yu’s hand squeezed the King’s ass.

She and Riley would not share tongue until the couple returned to the restaurant two months later, after surviving multiple assassination attempts, a wedding, a kidnapping, and a honeymoon.

The Queen’s Friendship:

Riley was chatting with Maxwell in the Delegates Dining Room at the UN, waiting for the gala to begin. Liam was at the head of the room, arm in arm with Madeleine. His eyes spotted Riley and he winked. Riley rolled hers and turned her back to him.

“Blossom, don’t act like this! You know he’s trying,” Maxwell begged.

“WE’RE trying! He’s kissing his fiancée,” Riley retorted. Her eyes scanned the room. “Oh, look … there’s Drake,” she stated before walking away from Maxwell.

Riley had no idea if it was Drake or not, she just wanted away. From Liam, Madeleine, Maxwell … Cordonia. Riley figured now was the time to make the break. She was back home in New York City. She still had her apartment, for the next month at least. She passed by elegantly dressed tables and came upon an hors d'oeuvres station; she paused to pile a tiny plate with even tinier bits of food when she heard her name.

“Riley Brooks?”

She turned, a disinterested expression on her face until she saw who it was. Riley hurriedly set her plate on the edge of the buffet table before wrapping her arms around Veronica.

“OH MY GOD, Ronnie! What are you doing here?” Riley shrieked.

Veronica hugged her old friend tightly. “It’s so good to see you!” The women separated. “You look great, girl! I’m one of the event planners, why are you here?”

Riley shrugged. “I’m with the band.”

Veronica shook her head in disbelief. “How did you end up with royalty?”

“I answered an ad to be a waitress.”

Paper Cut:

The two men moved in the kitchen quietly. It was Friday: refrigerator clean-out day. It was a ritual they had established when they first moved in together. When the tossing of old, expired, and smelly items meant they were making room for new groceries on Saturday mornings. When there had been hand holding, price comparisons, fresh produce from Farmer’s Markets and fresh cuts of meat wrapped in waxed paper.

When they were together and in love. Or what they thought was love.

Liam looked dubiously at the bottle of ranch dressing; he tried to remember when they first bought it, but memory failed him. He wanted to say the dressing been in the fridge when they moved in. He shook the bottle before uncapping it; a very distinct vinegary scent wafted from the container.

Liam poured some into a spoon he grabbed from the sink. The white creamy mixture was lumpy and slightly discolored. Grant Emerson turned from the trashcan, his nose wrinkled. “What the hell?”

“Trying to see if it’s still good,” Liam muttered.

“It’s expired. It went bad a long time ago.”

Liam wondered if Grant was talking about the salad dressing or them.

Grant huffed as Liam continued to inspect the product. “It’s practically curdling and smells to the heavens, Li! Toss it!”

“It’s garden herb. Maybe …”

He never finished speaking; Grant grabbed the spoon and the bottle, tossing both in the trash.

“It’s done.” He shook his head and continued to pull items from the fridge.

What are you working on: @ao719 @choiceslife @katedrakeohd @sirbeepsalot @bobasheebaby @jovialyouthmusic @thegreentwin @burnsoslow @pamelawalkerwrites @loveellamae @bbrandy2002

#kinda long post #dcbbw writes #WIP Wednesday #choices trr #choices trh #choices open heart

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greatworldwar2 · 4 years ago

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• Franz von Werra (Swiss Luftwaffe Ace)

Franz Xaver Baron von Werra was a German World War II fighter pilot and flying ace who famously was shot down over Britain and made several escape attempts from Allied POW camps.

Franz Baron von Werra was born on July 13th, 1914, to impoverished Swiss parents in Leuk, a town in the Swiss canton of Valais. The title of Freiherr (equal to Baron) came from his biological father, Leo Freiherr von Werra, who after bankruptcy, faced deep economic hardship. Because his relatives were legally obliged to look after the Baron's wife and six children, his cousin Rosalie von Werra persuaded her childless friend Louise Carl von Haber to permit the Baron's youngest, Franz and his sister, to enjoy the benefits of wealth and education. Werra joined the Luftwaffe in 1936 and was commissioned a Leutnant in 1938. At the beginning of the Second World War he was serving with Jagdgeschwader 3 in the French campaign. He became adjutant of II Gruppe, JG 3 and was described as engaging in boisterous 'playboy' behavior. He was once pictured in the press with his pet lion Simba, which he kept at the aerodrome as the unit mascot.

Werra scored his first four victories in May 1940, during the Battle of France. Downing a Hawker Hurricane on May 20th, two days later he claimed two Breguet 690 bombers and a Potez 630 near Cambrai. In a sortie on August 25th, during the Battle of Britain, he claimed a Spitfire west of Rochester, and three Hurricanes, as well as five destroyed on the ground for a total of nine RAF planes eliminated. The details of the actions are unknown, as the incident has not been found in British records. On September 5th, 1940, Werra's Bf 109E-4 was shot down over Winchet Hill, Kent. It is unclear who was responsible for this victory, which was originally credited to Pilot Officer Gerald "Stapme" Stapleton of No. 603 Squadron RAF. However, the Australian ace Flight Lieutenant Paterson Hughes was posthumously given half of the credit, awarding him a bar to his DFC. Werra crash-landed his Bf 109E-4 in a field on Loves Farm and was captured by the unarmed cook of a nearby army unit. Werra was initially held in Maidstone barracks by the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, from which he attempted his first escape.

He had been put to work digging and was guarded by RMP Private Denis Rickwood, who had to face Werra down with a small truncheon, while Werra was armed with a pick axe. He was interrogated for eighteen days at the London District Prisoner of War "cage" Trent Park, an country house in Hertfordshire. Eventually, Werra was sent on to POW Camp No.1, at Grizedale Hall in the Furness Fells area of pre-1974 Lancashire, between Windermere and Coniston Water. On October 7th, he tried to escape for the second time, during a daytime walk outside the camp. At a regular stop, while a fruit cart provided a lucky diversion and other German prisoners covered for him, von Werra slipped over a dry-stone wall into a field. The guards alerted the local farmers and the Home Guard. On the evening of October 10th, at around 11:00pm, two Home Guard soldiers found him sheltering from the rain in a hoggarth (a type of small stone hut used for storing sheep fodder that is common in the area). On being removed from the hut he knocked the lamp to the ground, extinguishing the light, then he quickly escaped and disappeared into the night. On October 12th, he was spotted climbing a fell. The area was surrounded, and Werra was eventually found, almost totally immersed in a muddy depression in the ground. He was sentenced to 21 days of solitary confinement and on November 3rd was transferred to Camp No. 13 in Swanwick, Derbyshire, also known as the Hayes camp.

In Camp No. 13, Werra joined a group calling itself Swanwick Tiefbau A.G. (Swanwick Excavations, Inc.), which was digging an escape tunnel. The tunnel can still be seen at the Hayes Conference Centre. On December 17th, 1940, after a month's digging, it was complete. The camp had forgers who equipped the escape group with money and fake identity papers. On December 20th, Werra and four others slipped out of the tunnel under the cover of anti-aircraft fire and the singing of the camp choir. The others were recaptured quickly, leaving Werra to proceed alone. He had taken along his flying suit and decided to masquerade as Captain van Lott, a Dutch Royal Netherlands Air Force pilot. He told a friendly locomotive driver that he was a downed bomber pilot trying to reach his unit, and asked to be taken to the nearest RAF base. At Codnor Park railway station, a local clerk became suspicious, but eventually agreed to arrange his transportation to the aerodrome at RAF Hucknall, near Nottingham. The police also questioned him, but Werra convinced them he was harmless. At Hucknall, a Squadron Leader Boniface asked for his credentials, and Werra claimed to be based at Dyce near Aberdeen. While Boniface went to check this story, Werra excused himself and ran to the nearest hangar, trying to tell a mechanic that he was cleared for a test flight. Boniface arrived in time to arrest him at gunpoint, as he sat in the cockpit, trying to learn the controls. Werra was sent back to the Hayes camp under armed guard.

In January 1941, Werra was sent with many other German prisoners to Canada on the Duchess of York, in a convoy departing Greenock on January 10th, 1941, guarded by HMS Ramillies among others. His group was to be taken to a camp on the north shore of Lake Superior, Ontario, so Werra began to plan his escape to the United States, which was still neutral at the time. On January 21st, while on a prison train that had departed Montreal, he jumped out of a window, again with the help of other prisoners, and ended up near Smith's Falls, Ontario, 30 miles from the St. Lawrence River. Seven other prisoners tried to escape from the same train, but were soon recaptured. Werra's absence was not noticed until the next afternoon. After crossing the frozen St. Lawrence River, Werra made his way to Ogdensburg, New York, arriving several months before the US entered the war, and turned himself over to the police. The immigration authorities charged him with entering the country illegally, so Werra contacted the local German consul, who paid his bail. Thus, he came to the attention of the press and told them a very embellished version of his story. While the U.S. and Canadian authorities were negotiating his extradition, the German vice-consul helped him over the border to Mexico. Werra proceeded in stages to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Barcelona, Spain and Rome, Italy. He finally arrived back in Germany on April 18th, 1941.

On his return to Germany Werra became a hero. Adolf Hitler awarded him the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. Werra was assigned the task of improving German techniques for interrogating captured pilots, based on his experiences with the British system. Werra reported to the German High Command on how he had been treated as a POW, and this caused an improvement in the treatment of Allied POWs in Germany. He wrote a book about his experiences titled Meine Flucht aus England (My Escape from England), although it remained unpublished. Werra returned to active service with the Luftwaffe and was initially deployed to the Russian front as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 53. He scored 13 more aerial victories during July 1941, raising his overall confirmed total to 21. In early August 1941, I./JG 53 withdrew to Germany to re-equip with the new Bf 109F-4, after which it moved to Katwijk in the Netherlands. On October 25th, 1941 Werra took off in Bf 109F-4 Number 7285 on a practice flight. His aircraft suffered engine failure and crashed into the sea north of Vlissingen. Werra was presumed killed, though his body was never found.

#second world war #world war 2 #world war ii #military history #history #wwii #german history #prisoner of war #battle of britain #biography

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lady-plantagenet · 4 years ago

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🌹🌹 back at you!

In response to: for every "🌹" received in my inbox i'll post one random sentence of a random WIP i'm currently writing (https://lady-plantagenet.tumblr.com/post/624973638402228224/for-every-received-in-my-inbox-ill-post-one)

Also tagging @houseofclarence with whom I have discussed this at length ;)

Thank you for sending it back ;5 <3. Since you posted quite a long one I decided to add onto what I had already written. It is an excerpt of this AU I started writing during my ‘A Bygone Era’ hiatus. The premise is: What if Elizabeth Woodville was the posthumous child of Jacquetta of Bedford and John Duke of Bedford? This excerpt takes place in 1452 and both her and Anthony are aged up (she by one year, him by two). It is often disputed whether she was Margaret of Anjou’s maid of honour, but in here I have made her so. There will be some minor tweaks in the narrative obviously (she will probably not marry John Grey), but since I believe in historical determinism some things will remain the same. I have kept the elements of the feud between Warwick and the Woodvilles which predated even the real Elizabeth’s marriage to Edward, and I believe her being of Lancastrian blood would further worsen matters. The sir Hugh John proposal was indeed a part of the real history, and her reaction here quite similar.

Elizabeth of Bedford (Might change the title to something less obvious?):

‘A welsh hero, a knight of Jerusalem..’ started Anthony, before the beggining of his offertory speech was drowned down by his half-sister’s ‘a lackey of Warwick, a suppliant of York’s and a man whose sword be his only fortune’. The proud voice thinned in its emphasis as it hinged onto the last, as if it were the act damnable, proclaimed in an attainder trial. Something unspeakable.

Anthony pulled her from the window seat. little good would it do her to continue staring at activity below, below where the griffin of Montagu flashed at Somerset’s red silkened form as they gestured as much as they spoke. ‘and you, a damozel with beauty as your only dowry, why not a sword to defend it?’. Queen Margaret’s fair daisy was never for want of admirers, for all the Anjou swan’s fabled harshness she unhesitatingly employed and held Elizabeth up. She smelted her, this sixteen year old daughter of her dear old friend, wound her into the finest of protégés.

Perhaps it was some errant strain of the chivalric romance that must have penetrated through that iron-clad skull. Certainly painting that union of her mother’s in a more forgiving light. That union to a knight of the breeds that inspired the poets such as Guilliame de Lorris at their writing desk when concocting their courtly romances. The daughter of the high-born lady, however, was no product of such lofty tales. Borne of the dutiful marriage, conceived in the wake of England’s loss of its French territories. Her goddaughter, her cousin-in-law, Elizabeth of Bedford.

‘My beauty- only? Ha! The name may not be my dowry, but if not that then let the blood. The royal blood of Lancaster, of Bedford’s only child. A sword alone cannot go far enough to protect this part of my dowry, but the golden spurs, the cloths of gold? These are the fortunes I elect in a husband who keeps me’ shot Elizabeth in the manner she had seen the earls of Somerset and Wiltshire affect. Her red-gold Plantagenet hair stirring from her escoffin as she spoke. Hair like the sunset for the forgotten princess damned to slip into obscurity with the imminent fall of Lancaster.

‘Then guard yourself for a future filled with misery and disillusionment, dear sister. For matrimonies are formed of gold and swords, and the less the blood commands, the more diminished its value’ said her half-brother in the grounded manner of his father. The only tone that was the antidote to Elizabeth’s hotness, the sing-song cajoles of their sisters and nurse only ever enboldened, encouraged. ‘To the great Earl of Warwick you will ever be the daughter of Richard Woodville, humble esquire. Should him and York grow powerful.. that is all you shall be’

‘And I ever do love Richard Woodville as a father’ she said cooled and more affectionately ‘and you as a full-blooded brother’ she added clasping his hands within her own ‘but to think how that fool Sir Hugh, believed he would win my heart and hand by having these Yorkist lords compel me for him, well, it is deeply insulting. As for you brother, suggesting I accept?’

He let out a snort at that last one ‘Nothing of the sort. I only think on how far a gesture of goodwill with such lords may serve’ he gave into a loud gulp before continuing, ‘How you may find your prospects even dowdier by the time you are of age. Heaven forfend’ he finished crossing himself. Ever as godly as he was clever, even steeped in shallow youth.

His sister knew for what the sweep of the cross, was dedicated. ‘Gods, again with the eerie premonitions of Lancaster’s fall? You worry for naught. Say, how many have there been like York? Stirring up old resentments? Calling into question the king’s council? Falling like flies during my grandfather Bolingbroke’s reign’

‘But how many had a claim like York’s?’ slipped in a third voice. Stern as it was motherly. The Duchess of Bedford passed from behind the twinned stools on which they were sat. The sarcanet of her ultramarine skirts whispering louder with each quickening pace. The famed beauty’s heart-shaped henin giving her the airs of both a Queen and their fabled ancestress, Mélusine, the spirit of springs and waters. ‘That man was certainly less prickly with his words. I think less prickly about his grandeur too than our great lord Warwick’ she added with all the fabled sardonicism of the French. ‘Now go Anthony, leave your sister to rest, a troubled woman’s chamber and company is no suitable place for a young boy’.

Unquestioningly, the dutiful boy took his leave with a curt bow before dashing to the sparring yard with those his age, or perhaps to a large branched oak, which would generously shade him as he read. ‘Yes, I daresay you were right mother, York sounded all the more like a beseeching father in his letter, rather than a lord to his serf’

‘It is the peace given to men when they are endowed with five sons: Edward, Edmund, George, Thomas and Richard, last we heard. Oh but the sacrifices I would have borne, to have given your father the same peace, my child’ she said gently as she placed her arm of the head that lay in her lap, Scarlett silk rustling against her blue, like blood diluted by the sanguine river. ‘Alas, god had seen what giving the brothers of Kings progeny and long lines of descent does to the stability of England, and must have thought, “houses of Lancaster, York be as you may, but by my leave there shall never grow to be a house of Bedford as there never was one of Clarence” and thus, they seized your inheritance for when I, at your age, refused to remain a widow’.

Elizabeth, acknowledged her mother’s plight. But on certain days, when the Queen’s position waned, and the tethers holding them frayed, the pragmatism confined within cursed her mother for acting on the passions of both their natures. Was I not enough, mother?

#elizabeth woodville #anthony woodville #jacquetta of luxembourg #🍷❤️#history AU #I wrote this #apologies if the writing is a bit tangled #(something to work on)#again #sorry everyone for the long post i’m on mobile

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blackkudos · 5 years ago

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Lisa Lopes

Lisa Nicole Lopes (May 27, 1971 – April 25, 2002), better known by her stage name Left Eye, was an American rapper, singer, music producer, and dancer. Lopes was a member of the R&B girl group TLC, alongside Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. Besides rapping and singing background vocals on TLC recordings, Lopes was one of the creative forces behind the group. She received more co-writing credits than the other members. She also designed the outfits and staging for the group and contributed to the group's image, album titles, artworks, and music videos. Through her work with TLC, Lopes won four Grammy Awards.

During her brief solo career, Lopes scored two US top 10 singles with "Not Tonight" and "U Know What's Up", as well as one UK number-one single with "Never Be the Same Again", the latter a collaboration with Melanie C of the British girl group Spice Girls. She also produced another girl group, Blaque, who scored a platinum album and two US top 10 hits. Lopes remains the only member of TLC to have released a solo album.

On April 25, 2002, Lopes was killed in a car crash while organizing charity work in Honduras. She swerved off the road to avoid hitting another vehicle, and was thrown from her car. She was working on a documentary at the time of her death, which was released as The Last Days of Left Eye and aired on VH1 in May 2007.

Life and career

1971–1990: Childhood

Lopes was born in 1971 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Wanda Denise (née Andino), a seamstress, and Ronald Lopes Sr., a US Army staff sergeant, who was of African-American descent. Lisa had a younger brother, Ronald Jr., and a younger sister, Raina Anitra (her nickname goes by Reigndrop). Lopes said her father was "very strict, very domineering" and that he treated the family like they were in "boot camp". He was also a "talented musician" who played the harmonica, clarinet, piano, and saxophone.

Lopes' parents separated when she was still in school, and she was raised by her paternal grandmother during the later years of her childhood. She began playing with a toy keyboard at 5 years old, and later composed her own songs. By age 10, she formed the musical trio The Lopes Kids with her siblings, with whom she sang gospel songs at local events and churches. She attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls.

1990–1998: TLC

In late 1990, having heard of an open casting call for a new girl group through her then-boyfriend, Lopes moved to Atlanta to audition. Originally starting as a female trio called 2nd Nature, the group was renamed TLC, derived from the first initials of its members at the time: Tionne Watkins, Lisa Lopes and Crystal Jones. Things did not work out with Jones, and TLC's manager Perri "Pebbles" Reid brought in Damian Dame backup dancer Rozonda Thomas as a third member of the group. To preserve the band's original name, Thomas needed a name starting with C, which is how she became "Chilli," a name chosen by Lopes. Watkins became T-Boz, derived from the first letter of her first name and "Boz" (slang for "boss"). Lopes was renamed "Left Eye" after a compliment from New Edition member Michael Bivins who once told her he was attracted to her because of her left eye, which was more slanted than the right eye. Lopes emphasized her nickname by wearing a pair of glasses with the right lens covered by a condom, in keeping with the group's support of safe sex, wearing a black stripe under her left eye, and eventually getting her left eyebrow pierced.

The group arrived on the music scene in 1992 with the album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip. With four hit singles, it sold six million copies worldwide, leading to the group becoming a household name. Two years later CrazySexyCool was released, selling over 23 million copies worldwide. TLC's third album, FanMail, was released in 1999 and sold over 14 million copies worldwide. Its title was a tribute to TLC's loyal fans and the sleeve contained the names of hundreds of them as a "thank you".

During the recording of FanMail, a public conflict began amongst the members of the group. In the May 1999 issue of Vibemagazine, Lopes said, "I've graduated from this era. I cannot stand 100 percent behind this TLC project and the music that is supposed to represent me." In response to Lopes' comments, Watkins and Thomas stated to Entertainment Weekly that Lopes "doesn't respect the whole group" and "Left Eye is only concerned with Left Eye." In response, Lopes sent a reply through Entertainment Weekly issuing a "challenge" to Watkins and Thomas to release solo albums and let the public decide who was the "greatest" member of TLC:

I challenge Tionne Watkins (T-Boz) and Rozonda Thomas (Chilli) to an album entitled "The Challenge"... a 3-CD set that contains three solo albums. Each [album]... will be due to the record label by October 1, 2000... I also challenge Dallas 'The Manipulator' Austin to produce all of the material and do it at a fraction of his normal rate. As I think about it, I'm sure LaFace would not mind throwing in a $1.5 million prize for the winner.

T-Boz and Chilli declined to take up the challenge, though Lopes always maintained it was a great idea. Things were heated between the ladies for some time, with Thomas speaking out against Lopes, calling her antics "selfish", "evil", and "heartless". TLC then addressed these struggles by saying that they are very much like sisters who have their disagreements every now and then as Lopes explained, "It's deeper than a working relationship. We have feelings for each other, which is why we get so mad at each other. I usually say that you cannot hate someone unless you love them. So, we love each other. That's the problem."

1998–2002: Solo career

In 1998, Lopes hosted the short-lived MTV series, The Cut, in which a list of aspiring pop stars, rappers, and rock bands competed against each other in front of judges. The show's winner, which ended up being a male-female rap duo named Silky, was promised a record deal and funding to produce a music video, which would then enter MTV's heavy rotation. A then-unknown Anastacia finished in third place, but ended up securing a record deal after Lopes and the show's three judges were impressed by her performance.

After the release of FanMail, Lopes began to expand her solo career. She became a featured rapper on several singles, including Spice Girl Melanie C's "Never Be the Same Again", which topped the charts in 35 countries, including the United Kingdom. She was also featured on "U Know What's Up", the first single from Donell Jones' second album, Where I Wanna Be, and she rapped a verse in "Space Cowboy" with NSYNC on their 2000 album, No Strings Attached. On October 4, 2000, Lopes co-hosted the UK's MOBO Awards with Trevor Nelson, where she also performed "U Know What's Up" with Jones. She also collaborated on "Gimme Some" by Toni Braxton for her 2000 album The Heat. She had previously featured on Keith Sweat's song "How Do You Like It?". In 2001, she appeared in a commercial for the fashion brand Gap. In July 2001, Lopes appeared on the singers' edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire along with Joey McIntyre, Tyrese, Nick Lachey, and Lee Ann Womack. She dropped the $125,000 question and won $32,000 for her charity. After her death in 2002, the episode she appeared in was shown and was dedicated to her.

Lopes created Left Eye Productions to discover new talent. She mentored the R&B trio Blaque, and helped them secure a record deal with Columbia Records. Their self-titled debut album was executive-produced by Lopes, who also made a cameo appearance in their music video "808" and also rapped in their second music video "I Do". Lopes was also developing and promoting another new band called Egypt. They worked with Lopes on her second album under her new nickname, N.I.N.A., meaning New Identity Not Applicable.

In 1996, Lopes created the UNI Studios for the purpose of recording solo projects. Lopes' family opened the studio to the public. Her brother Ronald is the general manager of the studio. Lopes had a dream of making new artists able to record music at a low cost, in a high-end studio at her house. Her family continues to operate it and fill it with new equipment.

Supernova

Lopes spent much of her free time after the conclusion of TLC's first headlining tour, the FanMail Tour, recording her debut solo album, Supernova. It includes a song titled "A New Star is Born", which is dedicated to her late father. She told MTV News:

That track is dedicated to all those that have loved ones that have passed away. It's saying that there is no such thing as death. We can call it transforming for a lack of better words, but as scientists would say, 'Every atom that was once a star is now in you.' It's in your body. So, in the song I pretty much go along with that idea. ... I don't care what happens or what people think about death, it doesn't matter. We all share the same space.

Other tracks covered other personal issues, including her relationship with NFL football player Andre Rison. In 1994, before the start of Rison's fifth and final season with the Falcons, Lopes accidentally burned down Rison Atlanta mansion. Among the album's 13 tracks was also a posthumous duet with Tupac Shakur that was assembled from the large cache of unreleased recordings done prior to his murder in 1996. Initially scheduled for release on a date to coincide with the 11th anniversary of her grandfather's death, Arista Records decided to delay and then cancel the American release. The album was eventually released in August 2001 in different foreign countries. The Japan import includes a bonus track called "Friends", which would later be sampled for "Give It to Me While It's Hot" on TLC's fourth album 3D.

N.I.N.A.

After numerous talks with Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, Lopes severed her solo deal with Arista (despite remaining signed to the label as a member of TLC) and signed with Knight's Death Row Records in January 2002, intending to record a second solo album under the pseudonym "N.I.N.A." (New Identity Not Applicable). She was recording with David Bowie for the project, whom she was also trying to get involved with the fourth TLC album. The project was also to include several songs recorded with Ray J along with close friend Missy Elliott. After Lopes' death in April 2002, Death Row Records still had plans to complete and release the album (unfinished at the time of Lopes' death) in October 2002, but the album was cancelled for unknown reasons. In 2011, some tracks from the album were uploaded onto YouTube featuring artists from Tha Row Records. Lopes's unreleased songs were also sampled by TLC for their fourth album 3Dafter she died. Another track, "Too Street 4 T.V" (featuring Danny Boy), was released on the soundtrack to the 2003 film Dysfunktional Family.

2008: Posthumous honorary album

In 2008, Lopes' family decided to work with producers at Surefire Music Group to create a posthumous album in her honor, Eye Legacy. Originally set to be released October 28, 2008, the release date was pushed back to November 11, then to January 27, 2009. The song 'Neva Will Eye Eva' and "Crank It", both feature and were co-produced by Lopes' sister Raina "Reigndrop" Lopes. The first official single from the album, "Let's Just Do It", was released on January 13, 2009 and features Missy Elliott and TLC. The second official single, "Block Party", features Lil Mama. The album largely consists of reworked versions of tracks from the Supernova album. In November 2009, Forever... The EP was released which contained international bonus tracks not used on the Eye Legacy album. The EP was only available to download. An unreleased track featuring Lopes was uploaded to SoundCloud on the eve of the 10-year anniversary of her death by Block Starz Music.

Personal life

Lopes was often vocal about her personal life and difficult past. She readily admitted that she had come from an abusive, alcoholic background and struggled with alcoholism herself. These issues became headline news in 1994, when she was arrested for setting fire to Andre Rison's sneakers in a bathtub, which ultimately spread to the mansion they shared and destroyed it. She claimed that Rison had beaten her after a night out, and she set fire to his shoes to get back at him but that burning down the house was an accident. Lopes later revealed that she did not have a lot of freedom within the relationship and that Rison abused her emotionally and physically; she said that she released her frustrations about the relationship on the night of the fire.

Lopes was sentenced to five years' probation and therapy at a halfway house, and was unable to shake the incident from her reputation. Her relationship with Rison continued to make headlines, with rumors of an imminent wedding, later debunked by People magazine. Lopes revealed on The Last Days of Left Eye documentary that her meeting with a struggling mother in rehab left a big impression on her. She subsequently adopted the woman's 8-year-old daughter. She had adopted a 12-year-old boy ten years prior.

Lopes had several tattoos. Most prominent was a large eagle on her left arm, which she said represented freedom. Later, she added the number "80" around the eagle, which was Rison's NFL number while in Atlanta. She also had a tattoo of a moon with a face on her foot in reference to Rison's nickname, "Bad Moon", Lopes later added the words "Love U 2" in the musical notes on her foot for Tupac Shakur. On her upper right arm was a large tattoo of the name "Parron" for her late step brother who died in a boating accident, arching over a large tattoo of a pierced heart. Her smallest tattoo was on her left earlobe and consisted of an arrow pointing to her left over the symbol of an eye, a reference to her nickname. Lopes struggled with self-harm and even carved the words "hate" and "love" into her arm with a razor.

Roughly two weeks before her own death, Lopes was a passenger in a traffic accident that resulted in the death of a 10-year-old Honduran boy. As reported in Philadelphia Weekly, "It is commonplace for people to walk the roads that wind through Honduras, and it's often difficult to see pedestrians." The boy, Bayron Isaul Fuentes Lopez, was following behind his brothers and sisters when he stepped off the median strip and was struck by a van driven by Stephanie, Lopes' personal assistant. Lopes' party stopped and loaded the boy into the car, and Lopes "cradled the dying boy's bleeding head in her arms" while "someone gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as they rushed him to a nearby hospital." He died the next day. Lopes paid approximately $3,700 for his medical expenses and funeral, and she gave the family around $925 for any extra costs, although it was apparently agreed upon by the authorities and the boy's family that his death was an "unforeseeable tragedy" and no blame was placed on the driver of the van or Lopes. In the documentary The Last Days of Left Eye, Lopes is shown choosing a casket for the child from a local funeral home. Earlier in the documentary, Lopes mentioned that she felt the presence of a "spirit" following her, and was struck by the fact that the child killed in the accident shared a similar last name, even thinking that the spirit may have made a mistake by taking his life instead of hers.

Death

On April 25, 2002, Lopes was driving a rented Mitsubishi Montero SUV in La Ceiba, Honduras, when she swerved slightly to avoid a truck (it is not clear if the truck was slow-moving or stationary) then immediately to the right as she tried to avoid an oncoming car. The vehicle rolled several times after hitting two trees, throwing Lopes and three others out of the windows, and finally coming to rest in a ditch at the side of the road. Lopes, at the age of 30, died instantly of "fracture of the base of the cranium" and "open cerebral trauma", and was the only person fatally injured in the accident. A cameraman in the front passenger seat was videotaping at the time, so the last seconds leading up to the swerve that resulted in the fatal accident were recorded on video. Victims of the accident were taken to Liverpool Royal Hospital. Her sister Reigndrop Lopes was in the vehicle and survived the collision.

Lopes' funeral was held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, on May 2, 2002. Thousands of people attended. Engraved upon her casket were the lyrics to her portion of "Waterfalls", stating "Dreams are hopeless aspirations, in hopes of coming true, believe in yourself, the rest is up to me and you." Gospel duo Mary Mary sang their song "Shackles (Praise You)" at the funeral. Lopes was buried at Hillandale Memorial Gardens in Lithonia.

In a statement to MTV, producer Jermaine Dupri remembered Lopes: "She was determined to be something in life. She was a true rock star. She didn't care about no press. She was the rock star out of the group. She was the one that would curse on TV. She had the tattoos. You could expect the unexpected. When you see Lisa, you could expect something from her. That's the gift she carried."

Legacy

Lopes was in the process of setting up two educational centers for Honduran children. One was built on an 80-acre plot of land she called Camp YAC. The other center was called Creative Castle.

In 2003, shortly after Lopes' death, her family started the Lisa Lopes Foundation, a charitable group dedicated to providing neglected and abandoned youth with the resources necessary to increase their quality of life. Her spiritual motto was the one used for her foundation: "Energy never dies... it just transforms." Her foundation went into various underdeveloped villages and gave new clothes to poor children and their families. In August 2007, the foundation hosted a charity auction, selling items donated by celebrities. It raised approximately $5,000 for the Hogar de Amor ("Home of Love"), an orphanage in Honduras. In 2012, the foundation began hosting an annual music festival, known as "Left Eye Music Fest", in Decatur, Georgia.In the 2018 Boots Riley film Sorry to Bother You, members of a fictional activist group called "Left Eye" use as their symbol a stripe of eye black under the left eye, in an unmentioned reference to Lopes.

Posthumous documentary

A documentary showing the final 27 days of Lopes' life, titled The Last Days of Left Eye, premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival in April 2007, for an audience that included many of Lopes' contemporaries, including Monica, Ronnie DeVoe, 112, Big Boi, India.Arie, and Cee Lo Green. VH1 and VH1 Soul broadcast the documentary on May 19, 2007. Most of the footage was shot with a handheld camera, often in the form of diary entries filmed by Lopes while on a 30-day spiritual retreat in Honduras with sister Reigndrop, brother Ronald and members of the R&B group Egypt. In these entries, she reflected on her personal life and career. A calmer side of her personality was on display, showing interests in numerology and yoga. In January 2020, Lifetime aired an episode of Hopelessly In Love, a docuseries that captures the relationships of the rich and famous, about Lopes and Rison's tumultuous relationship. It showcased the complexity of their relationship and how she ended up with a felony arson charge for burning down Rison's Atlanta mansion.

#05/27 #04/25

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mindibindi · 6 years ago

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Jaime & Brienne (8x04 thoughts)

* * * * * S P O I L E R A L E R T * * * * *

Some people are calling it bad fanfiction but I thought it was perfect. Jaime and Brienne’s consummation scene had a little of everything that is quintessentially them: some snark, some awkwardness, some tenderness and some fragile hope giving way to extreme sexual tension. I loved how Brienne looked at him as she tried to figure out what the hell was happening. I loved how Jaime looked at her as she began to untie her top. And I loved how even when they were half-naked, they still looked each other straight in the eye.

What I didn’t love was what came next (cos it wasn’t them - boom, ching). A tender sex scene would’ve been much more deserved than it was with say, Jon and Dany, who I find boring as fuck (as a pairing). But GoT is more conservative with such scenes these days. And I can forgive that cut-away since I never really thought, way back in s2 when I started shipping these two, that they would actually become canon, they would actually be endgame. And despite the absolutely ridiculous turn the writers took at the end of this ep, I’m pretty sure they are still endgame.

I don’t think Jaime is going back to Cersei and I do think he is heading south to help the right people, although I’m not hoping he’s the one to actually kill her. He’s already taken out one monarch and had it haunt him the rest of his life, and that wasn’t even someone he had a close connection with. I wouldn’t want him living with his twin’s death for the rest of his days. (I suppose there is the highly depressing possibility that he will resume his place at Cersei’s side, eventually turn on her, kill her and die in the process, leaving Brienne to forgive him as he dies or posthumously. There would be some poetic, full-circle moment in that, I guess.)

With the idiotic way it was written, I totally understand people trying to interpret Jaime’s parting with Brienne as an act of love and protection. After all, he so clearly adores her. One woman is so clearly good for him and the other not. One relationship is so clearly superior to the other, boasting a healthy love, respect, admiration and loyalty. It doesn’t make sense for him to act this way towards this woman, within the context of their relationship. To me, however, trying to understand Jaime’s actions this way is pointless because it’s just piss poor behaviour. Not that I blame the character. I blame the writers. This is hardly the first time they’ve fucked up Jaime’s character arc, but they’ve been doing such a stellar job this season that I really didn’t see this coming.

Some folks have pointed out that Jaime & Brienne’s relationship arc has been mirrored in Arya & Gendry’s. So I guess we should’ve seen it coming as soon as Arya dumped Gendry. Personally, as much as I like Arya and Gendry as a pairing, I am actually okay with Arya taking off to take care of unfinished business because, 1. she’s female and it’s a rarer plot to see a young woman heading off on a quest of justice and leaving a man crying in her wake, 2. she’s young and young people do dumb stuff that hurts the people who love them and 3. Arya’s journey has never been about her discovering she’s not an immoral killer but a decent, honorable person. (Her journey has been the opposite: discovering that she’s not an honourable lady but a ruthless assassin. Go girl). Even since meeting Brienne, Jaime’s character arc has been about realising he is a good man who is worthy of the love and devotion of a good woman. This arc stalled slightly when he fell back under the influence of his tyrannical father and psychotic sister but kicked back into gear when he finally left King’s Landing to fight for the living, Brienne’s words no doubt ringing in his head. Just like in the old-fashioned books, Jaime is a knight who must earn the pure and constant love of his lady. He knows he doesn’t deserve it as he is, so he must better himself with acts of internal improvement and prove himself with acts of external valour. This is something he has done, many times over. Fighting beside Brienne at the Battle of Winterfell was the culmination of this journey of improvement and proof. He has earned her love and, even more importantly for him, her respect. He has redeemed himself in her eyes -- again.

Every time Jaime is in Brienne’s presence, he stands a little taller, he looks a little clearer, his heart opens a little more. His honour revives, his resolve steels and his belief in his worth is confirmed. You can actually see it happening, thanks to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s amazing performance. And sure, we all backslide occasionally into destructive behaviours of the past. But he has earned this time with Brienne and he knows it. He wants it so badly, values her so dearly. If he still has thoughts like the ones he expresses in their final scene together, he wouldn’t let them ruin that time or impact her. He wouldn’t make life-altering decisions based on them. Not necessarily because he trusts himself so completely, not when he’s in that dark and doubtful place, but because he does trust her. If she tells him he’s a good man, he believes her. If she wants to be with him then he believes he’s worthy of her. If she believes he’s not a killer, a destoyer, an immoral coward, then Jaime knows he can trust her judgement. Because she would never let him close enough to wound her.

Which is, of course, what he does at the end of this ep. Now, if they had to get Jaime out of Winterfell and down to King’s Landing there would’ve been a way to write that that was still heart-wrenching but that also honoured these characters and their connection. Jaime could’ve spoken to Brienne in a loving, mature and respectful way. He could’ve spoken to her in a way that befitted a man of his mature age and improved character. And yes, she may have fought him. But I don’t buy the cruel-to-be-kind explanation. If it is true, then it’s not just OOC, it’s over-dramatic, unnecessary and ridiculous. It’s the writers trying to create drama where it doesn’t need to be. It’s them trying to elicit a reaction rather than write organically from the truth of the characters. This is, in my mind, the ultimate insult to the characters, actors and audience.

#game of thrones #got #jaime x brienne #braime #brienne of tarth #jaime lannister #nikolaj coster-waldau #gwendoline christie #got spoilers #got8

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elizasvintagemoviesblog · 5 years ago

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Dirk Bogarde: Denial and daring...a star with a secret never told

https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2011/07/16/16/624945.bin?w968

David Benedict on an actor, soon to be celebrated at the BFI, who let his choice of roles do the talking

Sunday 17 July 2011

Hot Hollywood agent Diane is in crisis: her cute movie star client Mitchell is on the rise, on magazine covers and, to her horror, on the brink of coming out. It's time for straight-talking. "Are you British? Do you have a knighthood? If not, shut up!"

The laugh that gets in Douglas Carter Beane's 2006 play The Little Dog Laughed reveals its truth. Take Sir Ian McKellen and Rupert Everett out of the picture and now try naming another out gay male movie star. You can't? That's because there aren't any. None. With secrecy and the fear of discovery still engulfing gay actors in 2011, is it any wonder that the career – and life – of the entirely closeted Dirk Bogarde was a conundrum and a contradiction?

A seriously handsome, bona fide star who had made 35 films by the age of 40, Bogarde was both British and knighted and made more arrestingly bold choices than any actor of his generation, taking name-above-the-title roles in The Servant and Accident with Joseph Losey, Death in Venice and The Damned for Luchino Visconti, The Night Porter for Liliana Cavani, Providence for Alain Resnais and Despair for Rainer Werner Fassbinder. All that from a man who as early as 1958 was the biggest draw at the British box office – pulling bigger audiences than Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley.

In addition, by the time of his death, in 1999, he had reinvented himself. He published six novels, plus collections of correspondence and criticism, and, crucially, seven best-selling volumes of memoirs throughout which he staunchly claimed to be straight. Actress Glynis Johns, a contemporary most famous as the suffragette mother in Mary Poppins, tartly observed, "I never believed more than one sentence of what Dirk wrote." She should know: she was once married to Tony Forwood who had divorced her and subsequently lived with Bogarde as his "manager" for almost 40 years.

Bogarde's position was, initially, understandable. Born in 1921, for his first 46 years homosexuality was against the law. Any man caught in "homosexual acts" faced imprisonment. That prohibition was ruthlessly policed. In 1955, 2,504 men were arrested for "homosexual offences", ie, about seven people every day. Even Ian McKellen, 18 years younger, didn't come out until 1988, when he was 49. Bogarde never did.

Although fully entitled to privacy, his blanket denials on television, radio and in print post-1967 legalisation became, for me, increasingly hard to stomach. Posthumously, the man behind the painstakingly maintained mask was uncovered in home movies and commentaries from family and friends in a BBC documentary The Private Dirk Bogarde (2001) and John Coldstream's biography. The great irony of Bogarde's position, however, is that no other screen actor has given such affecting and extraordinarily powerful gay performances.

Even now, the industry regards playing gay as being potentially career-damaging, an act so "brave" that your Oscar virtually comes with the contract – step forward William Hurt for Kiss of the Spiderwoman (1985), Tom Hanks for Philadelphia (1993), Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote (2005), Sean Penn for Milk (2008). Probably the only reason Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal didn't win for Brokeback Mountain was that their dual presence cancelled one another out.

Regardless of the authenticity – or lack thereof – of those performances by straight actors, they pale beside the still astonishing impact of Bogarde's shockingly truthful performance back in 1961 as a barrister embroiled in a secret gay affair in Victim.

Bogarde plays married barrister Melville Farr who discovers that a blackmailed young man who loved him has hanged himself in police custody rather than reveal their relationship. Realising Farr's intention to uncover the plot, the blackmailers threaten to expose him. In the central scene – whose dialogue was rewritten to more explicit effect by Bogarde himself – Farr is confronted by his distressed wife (played by Sylvia Syms).

Shot in high-contrast black-and-white, edged with the darkness of a sitting-room at night but trapped in a fierce spotlight, Bogarde is mesmerising. Crisply suited, dry-voiced and on the edge of tears, he painfully stifles the emotion threatening to destroy him. With the camera locked in close-up, he lifts his chin ever so slightly in defiance, his eyes widening into a glare of triumph that costs him everything.

"You won't be content until I tell you, will you, until you've ripped it out of me. I stopped seeing him because I wanted him. Can you understand – because I WANTED him."

I can still remember being transfixed – and terrified – by that moment when I first saw it by accident on television one night. It was the 1970s, I was a guilt-ridden, fiercely closeted teenager and I had never, ever seen or heard a man on screen or off express such piercing desire for another man. I felt physically torn between an absolute need to keep watching and the cramping fear that my parents would come in and instantly understand why I was watching something so incriminating.

Bogarde always maintained that the camera photographed thought. Nowhere is that more true than in that scene. It wasn't just this teenager who recognised the staggering truth behind that performance and its implications for the actor.

In a television interview to promote the film, he was asked the not-so-veiled question: "You must feel very strongly about this subject to risk losing possibly a large part of your audience by appearing in such a bitterly controversial film?"

With manufactured insouciance, Bogarde counters, "I don't think so, no. This is a marvellous part and in a film I think is tremendously important because it doesn't pull any punches: it's quite honest. I don't have to use any old tricks for the fans, it's a straightforward character performance."

Necessarily disingenuous as that was, in hindsight it's also seriously unconvincing due to his immensely camp "who me?" manner, his left eyebrow arched, his fingers playing with his ear and chin.

Being able to pinpoint a scene that changed a career is rare, but that's what that Victim scene did. And having just engineered his release from his constraining 14-year-old contract with the Rank Organisation, Bogarde accelerated to an international reputation taking on increasingly complex roles with adventurous directors. Contrarily, the finest of those performances were in roles amplifying his hidden sexuality.

He was memorably viscous as the vicious Barrett, the manservant manipulating imperilled, upper-class James Fox into sex-and-power games in Losey's superbly elliptical (and Pinter-scripted) The Servant. And, in 1971, he crowned his career with Death in Venice, playing a man who falls fatally in love with the ideal of beauty exemplified by a beautiful boy. With almost no dialogue, the film amounts to a 125-minute reaction shot. As casting director Michelle Guish observed of Helen Mirren the day after the first Prime Suspect aired, no other British actor could have played that role that well because no one else had that depth of screen experience.

Was it arrogance that pushed the controlled Bogarde to the brink of self-exposure in this and other defining roles? He destroyed almost all of his personal papers, so we'll never know. Whatever conclusion we try to draw, the screen evidence survives.

'He Who Dared', a two-month Dirk Bogarde retrospective, begins at the BFI Southbank on 3 Aug

source: independent

#DB #Dirk Bogarde #a charming man #article #vintage collection

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