#re: anatole manipulative ->

[thalassous]

there it is boys.

[inky-escapism]

Today is a good day for slaughter

Summary: Hebaron wants blood. But wine is good too.

Inspo: I remember reading a part where Sir Nirta mentioned that he would hold a loud and noisy training session below Ruth's tower when they get back from a raid. (My first attempt on writing for UTOT. Came across this book from the instagram ad and now I'm hooked! Wished more people wrote about Hebaron): )

~~~ sfv ~~~

"RRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the knight roared from the bottom of the stairs. Apparently, the raging knight's hair wasn't bright enough, and fire was needed to emphasize his striking orange aura. His thumping footsteps got louder fast and his sabatons amplified the vibrations on the floor as he charged up the tower.

"I'm going to die here." a small whisper left the mage's lips.

"Today is a good day for slaughter." The knight snarled as he kicked the door open, only to reveal a petrified lady shaking like a leaf.

"My lady." Hebaron stood aloof, and took a quick deep breath. "Please stop hiding that son of a gun from me." Hebaron grunted with much restrain, his eyes darting across the wretched room. Piles and pyramids of dusty books, fallen and scattered across the room, with close to no lighting despite the high noon. Makes one wonder how does reading even take place in a room like this. "He has to die right here, right now." Hebaron pointed at his burnt carrot top in a rancorous manner while trying his best not to glare and curse at the Lady of Anatol.

"B-b-but.." Maxi stuttered as she pulled on the sleeves of her dress out of nervousness. 'H-H-How ca-n-n-n I ha-a-and Ruth-h ov-ver when I'm-m the o-one who-o se-t-t you-ur ha-air on f-f-fir-re?' Maxi was crying in her thoughts. 'NO NO! I AA-CCI-IDENTALLY s-s-set yo-our hair-r-r on-n f-fi-ire. Please don't kill me-e.' Maxi shut her eyes tightly, wishing her husband would just burst in at any moment to save her from his friend's wrath.

Earlier that morning..

~~~

"No, manipulating elemental mana is far too advanced for you." Ruth shook his head, scanning about the floor hastily. "But I can h-h-heal now, and and and.. I can c-create shields too! Please-e let me t-try, Ruth!" Maxi's dark desires, to become a sorceresses parallel to Princess Agnes started leaking out shamelessly. But her pleas drowned before they could float, as the unperturbed wizard found the perfect book as his blanket for his day nap.

"You may dismiss yourself my student." Ruth waved his hands at Maxi, signalling her to leave. " Thanks to Sir Nirta's deep compassion for my ears, I need to prepare myself for a long shift at the infirmary tonight." Ruth yawned as he snugged into the books, his white hair and brownish garments blended in seamlessly with the room.

Unwilling to give up, Maxi sat down angrily on the study room's floor, determined to wait for Ruth's awakening for another lesson. She grabbed a nearby book and started reading, lying down on the floor in many positions. Grabbing a book as her pillow, she laid on the floor and mimicked Ruth's way of sleeping.

"How is this even comfortable? He's worse than Riftan. How much does one have to love the smell of old musky books to sleep well in them?" Maxi scrunched her nose as she swept off all the books on her body. Resting her small torso on the wall, Maxi sat up and sighed. "When will I e-ever be ready to f-fight beside Riftan?"

"I-is my mana still not s-strong enoug-gh-h?" Maxi brooded over her disappointment whilst fidgeting with the mana stone in her pocket. She propped her lady legs up with a thick book close by, and played around with her mana in that small corner of the room. A zap cackled along her fingertips as she concentrated on the fire spell Ruth once demonstrated in the library. "Wow" Maxi whispered exultingly. Boosted with confidence, Maxi walked towards the window and got behind the curtains.

'Ruth says that mana concentration will be better in places where the elements are abundant.' Maxi thought to herself as she started practicing at the window. The little zap transmogrified into a small fume as she leaned against the window ledge, being extra careful not to draw the curtains. Her curiosity lead her to more practicing and after a few more turns, she managed to juggle a ball of fire in her palms. Maxi beamed as she looked down, her eyes fixated at a certain knight who was training below Ruth's tower.

'One day, one day I can go with you too. Then we'll never have to be alone.' Her heart warmed at the thought of staying by Riftan's side, and as if hit by cupid's arrow, Riftan looked up and saw Maxi at the window.

She waved excitedly and showed him her new trick. Riftan was instantly flummoxed and almost took a hit from his sparing partner. Getting the hint, Maxi abruptly stopped juggling and dropped the fire ball, which landed on the edge of Sir Hebaron's head, causing the boisterous knight to storm up.

~~~

H-how about-t I heal your hair, S-S-Sir Nir-t-ta?" Maxi suggested, not daring to look up at his face. 'Ohh-h g-god, I mus-st sou-u-und stupid to h-him. How do I even h-h-heal ha-air?' Maxi wished she could take back her words, at wit's end she started trembling even more and took a peek at Ruth. 'How c-can he sl-leep so s-s-soundly afte-er that r-rukus?!' Maxi shouted in her head.

A dark figure loomed over her, totally blocking out her vision in the dimly lit room. Maxi held her breath, but decided to confess her crimes and forced her face to look up. Her eyes still shut from fear, she pried a peek at the person in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Riftan frowned, looking down, squeezing Maxi's cheeks with his fingers. "I… I t-thought you w-ere S-Sir Heb-a-aron. And-d he was y-yelling an-n-d.." Maxi muttered diffidently, pulling Riftan closer to her, hinting for protection against the vice commander. "I.. I acc-cidentally d-drop-ped the f-fire b-ba-ll.. And-d-d" her soft voice trailed off as she pulled on Riftan's tunic tightly. "He's going-g t-t-to kill m-me!" Maxi whispered loudly.

"You .. What?!" Hebaron squalled, his large eyes widened scarily whilst he subconsciously walked towards Maxi, knocking into an already shaky book pyramid.

The tumbling of books finally woke Ruth, groaning as he stretched and yawned nonchalantly, unaware of his prior death sentence by an unhinged Sir Hebaron.

"Hebaron." Riftan stood firmly between his friend and his wife, his hand on Hebaron's shoulders were harshly swept off by the burnt knight. Maxi squirmed behind Riftan as thoughts raced through her head, 'R-R-Riftan is not-t ca-alling him N-Nirta. I don't-t-t w-want to di-e-e.'

"She's my wife. I can't just stand and do nothing." Riftan sighed at a displeased Hebaron. "Riftan Calypse. I am your comrade for 14! LOOK AT MY HAIR!" Sir Hebaron spluttered. "It'll grow back in a week." Riftan tittered. Hebaron with his burnt hair was quite a sight to behold. "A dozen kegs of wine came in this morning. Take them while your hair grows."

Raising his eye, Hebaron pondered on the offer. "Ulsin gets my shifts while it grows back?" In defeat, Riftan nodded as he pushed Maxi behind him, shielding her from Hebaron's anger.

Seeing how guilty the Lady was for this mishap, Hebaron acquiesced. "Well then, my Lady. I shall accept the kegs and off-duties as compensation for MY HAIR." Extremely satisfied that he dragged Uslin down with him, Hebaron left the room, shuffling his hair as he bolt down the stairs for his mid-noon drink. Trying to take advantage of the momentum, Ruth joined in swiftly. "And I am your wizard for almost 20. What will I get?" "Ulsin's shift on the walls." Riftan growled. "Ugh, just get out." Ruth grouched and Maxi swear she saw his eyes rolled back to the moon and back as he pushed them out to continue his lazy mid-noon nap.

As they walk down the stairs, Riftan softly asked, "If you thought I was Nirta, why did you close your eyes when you looked up, like you're waiting for a kiss from him?" Jealously filled the air as the Lord and Lady of Anatol returned to their chambers.

[vampiresuns]

Aelius Anatole Radošević De Silva

Anatole has changed a bit as a character since i was around the first time, so he’s getting re introduced. His open to make friends.

art by @elizastarkart​

Name: Aelius Anatole Radoševic De Silva. He has two surnames because his mother is latina. He is a mixed Latine-Slav, with family that is all latine, vesuvian, and slavic. People he’s friend’s with call him Anatole (russian/greek pronunciation, he doesn’t acknowledge the French one). Only people he has a strictly professional relationship with, and his uncle call him Aelius.

‘Aelius’ means sun, while ‘Anatole’ means sunrise. He’s fully aware of this, he chose his name himself.

His nicknames are:

‘Nana’ is the most common nickname, and the one most people use.

His mother calls him Lilito, Nana, Nanito, Toly, Tolito, Tortolito.

His father calls him Lily or Lilu.

Toly, Tolytoly or Tolito are nicknames used by his maternal grandmother, his aunt, and his Vesuvian family.

He will not mind if you want to call him Toly, but you cannot call him Lily/Lilu if you’re not his father.

Asra came up with Nanatole, which he doesn’t like but lets Asra call him anyway. Asra also came up with Nana Banana and that is absolutely forbidden.

Family: on his father’s side both the Radošević, who are slavic (yugoslavic, specifically), and the Cassano, a prominent Vesuvian family who has had a hold of the Consulship for years.

On his mother side, the De Silva.

His father’s name is Vladislav, but everyone calls him Vlad, he’s an alchemist, a polymath, and works in what is most similar to biochemical engineering. He has one bother, named Valeriy, who you, however, might now as Valerius. Vlad’s biggest personality trait is being head over heels in love with his wife, and adoring his son more than he thought it was humanly possible to care about someone.

His mother’s name is Louisa De Silva (if you want to add her mother’s surname, it’s Lascal). The L-o-u spelling was a registry mistake she never changed. She moved half across the world while her native country suffer a military-civilian dictatorship to study Medicine. She swore never to go back as long as vestiges of said dictatorship remained in the country. She has two sisters: Paris, who lives in Vesuvia, and Alma, who remained with her parents out of her own choosing. Her medical experience include having been a volunteer war doctor. She didn’t change her surname when she got married.

The Radošević (pronounced Radozheveech) and the Cassano have been entangled families by friendship for generations upon generations, with some marriages between them. Notoriously: Vlad and Val’s father married a Cassano, Matilda, and his bother Mircea, Anatole’s great uncle, also married a Cassano: Florentino. Mircea’s brother and Matilda Cassano died when Vlad and Val were children still, so him and Florentino brought them up.

The Radošević are an overall eccentric family (think the european Addams family), whom are noted for: one, their self-sufficiency/self-preservation, which comes out in a very ‘eccentric people of the world unite’ manner. They appreciate people with character. Two, their leanings towards trades/professions, they do not conceive not doing anything (work hard to play hard). The Cassano, while sharing the quirk, they add the zest for life. It’s like they grabbed the Radošević and told them “you have forgotten how to live and we will remind you how.” Both of them are ridden with racially ambiguous bastard you cannot kill in any way that matters. They simply refuse to. Someone (either the courtiers or Lucio) compared them to roaches, they took it as a compliment.

This will tell you a lot about Anatole’s character.

On a last note, Anatole’s an only child. He has a good relationship with his parents, albeit marked by a sense of distance, solely because he was privately tutored from age 15 and on, which required him to travel a fair share. He was an argumentative teenager, but always cherished whenever he could see his parents. The older he gets, the closer they all become.

Favourite Food: Cake

Favourite drink: Coffee, in general.

Favourite Flower: Iris

Birthday: Nov 1st

Age: 29 (I calculate his age as if he had been born in 1991)

Zodiac:

Sun: Scorpio

Moon: Virgo

Rising: Libra

Mercury & Mars: Scorpio

Venus: Virgo

Patron arcana: Strength & Ace of Swords

Strength

Upright: inner strength, bravery, compassion, focus, Reversed: self doubt, weakness, insecurity      

Ace of Swords

Upright: breakthrough, clarity, sharp mind, Reversed: confusion, brutality, chaos

MBTI Type: INTJ-A

Gender: Transmasculine, but Nonbinary. Uses He/Him pronouns only

Orientation: Identifies as NBLM.

LIs: Julian, Muriel, @ilyamatic​‘s Andrico, @thelazaretmakesmesad​‘s Vishal.

“The sun-like strategist with a solution for everything, and a whole lot of hope in the future.”

More details under the cut!

Physical appearance:

art by @lesbianarcana​

5′4. As you can see in the sprite down below, while he’s slim but with muscle, out of doing a moderate to high level of physical activity. The man has a nice waist and inherited his mother’s hips, which he’s very proud of. He likes his legs and his butt the most about himself

Dark brown eyes, long eyelashes. His hair is naturally black, but he dyes it blond.

Has a mole over his right eyebrow, on the left side of the bridge of his nose, and on his left jaw. He has freckles.

An horizontal scar on his nose, which he got by getting hit with a wooden scaffold square in the face. His nose wasn’t broken out of sheer dumb luck. He has a smaller cut on his cheekbone, which was done by a fencing sabre which lacked the proper tip protection/button. It was done onto him by someone else.

The nose scar is how he met Julian before the plague, as he was the doctor which cured his face.

He has several tattoos:

Right arm: A rapier on his inner forearm. Over his elbow he has a black work band, and over it the words ‘THE SUN IS MY UNDOING’ in all caps, circling his arm.

Left arm: a snake wrapped around his forearm, near to the wrist. The Odyssey quote ‘let’s have a toast to the incompetence of our enemies’ under the inner crook of his elbow, and a floral half sleeve.

Chest and Torso: AMOR OMNIA VINCIT over where his heart is supposed to be. He has laurel leaves on the base of his waist.

Legs: ‘o serpent heart hid with a flowering face‘ in his upper, inner thigh, like really up his left inner thigh. A floral anklet on his right ankle.

Languages Spoken: Too many. He speaks nine languages.

Magic Specialities: His magic is connected to both light and languages (it is a play on words with ‘logos’) so he is both adept in photokinesis — he is able to create and manipulate sources of light — and language related magic — which includes incantation and language manipulation. He learns languages as a faster rate than most people, and while he cannot speak or literally understand a language unless he learns it, his magic allows him to intuitively grasp the meaning of words that are being spoken to him.

This capacity also makes him very good at recognising hidden intentions in people. This is not an ability that he broadcasts having, and when he later succeeds Valerius as the Consul, it is something which aids his diplomatic work but he keeps private.

His words tend to carry more weight sometimes because of his magic, something which he can’t always control — it depends on many factors — so he tries to choose his words carefully and with consideration.

His familiar is a Raccoon, named Antu.

Occupation: While he did study magic and is in touch with his magic, he studied politics, diplomacy and international relations. By trade, and out of will to help people, he is a political analyst and, later in life, a Statesman.

Personality/Trivia:

Willpower or Stubbornness? Depends how you look at it. Passionate, generally devoted, hopeful, independent and sometimes defiant. He is a people-oriented introvert. Competitive, but not aggressively so.

Smarter than he gives himself credit for. Overall charming, even debonair.

Curious by nature, hates having his decisions taken for him.

He is proper, sometimes even distinguished, but he is feral. A firm believer in being kind and compassionate with people, until you cross him one too many times, then nothing will make him taint his vindictive wrath.

Is he humble? For the most part. His humbleness comes from knowing his own limits and knowing he’s not infallible. He does have, however, a good deal of pride in himself and trust in what he can do, and he doesn’t like being underestimated.

He’s not particularly loud, though when the chatterbox is on, then it is on, specially if he’s nervous. He is often never still. 

He’s known he has ADHD since he was seventeen.

Likes dancing.

He fences, almost every Radošević fences/sword fights, and he will let you know at the slightest chance. Which can be either him simply being hyper-fixated in fencing, him flirting, or him letting you know that if the occasion rises, he’s armed.

Friend shaped, lover shaped if you’re daring enough.

He wrinkles his nose when he doesn’t like something.

Speaking of which: he doesn’t like abuse of power, the Court, injustice, supremacists of any kind, unkind, hurtful and selfish people in general; he doesn’t like red meat (he says it tastes like metal or dirt), narrow minded people, incompetence, specially when displayed by people in positions of power, and purposeful apathy.

A mastermind archetype, but he draws his power from connection. He does not conceive a life not lived with others.

A bit of a bastard, he enjoys a good laugh.

He plays the piano and the harp, he sings, he cannot draw, he’s a lightweight when it comes to alcohol (which doesn’t really stop him), he likes the opera because he likes watching other people’s drama without being dragged into it, and his favourite season is winter. Also likes playing chess, reading, coffee, flowers, a well tailored outfit, learning, languages, the sea, mysteries, winter, a well laid argument, collecting quills, music, winning, knowing he loves and is loved in return.

When he was 7 he bribed his dad for more dessert, and he ate so much he vomited. His sweet tooth hasn’t gone anywhere, it is alive and well.

Perceptive little bastard, will knife cat you for the sake of it. He has a way more present sense of humour than what he comes across.

Would call himself a ‘trans masculine Mary Poppins’.

He is closest to his parents, his uncle, my other ocs Leonore, Medea and Sabine, his cousins Amparo Cassano and Milenko Radošević, Natiqa, Asra, Portia and Nadia.

If he liked women, he would be paired with Nadia. The possibility both terrifies and fascinates me.

@ilyamatic​, @viviae​, @gaybirdwrites​, @arcanaprentiss​ @apprenticeofcups​

[princeandreis]

great comet -- explained!

so I was talking to @viennaleia who just recently started listening to great comet, and I remembered how hard it was for me to figure out what was going on. it involved a lot of googling, re-listening, genius lyrics, and wikipedia summaries. a mostly enjoyable but rather difficult process. so I decided I’d make an easy summary for those of you who are as confused about great comet as we all were when we started out!

warning: there are obviously hella spoilers ahead for great comet (and war & peace), so read at your own risk!

a few things -- 

one, this summary goes song-by-song narrating the plot and filling in gaps. great comet is an entirely sung-through show, so you aren’t missing any scenes by listening to the soundtrack. 

two, I’m using the Broadway version of the soundtrack to narrate. I’m not sure how different the off-Broadway version is.

three, I’m gonna try to keep this as bare as possible. I love great comet with my whole heart and I could talk about all of the themes and motifs and everything forever, but I’m trying to keep this just as a summary so people have less of a hard time with the plot.

so here we go!! this is gonna be super long so buckle tf up!!

act one

prologue ~ introduces the characters and tells you what you need to know about them. pretty self-explanatory so I’m gonna leave this one here.

pierre ~ he’s so complex that he can’t be summed up in a few words like all the other characters, so he gets his own introductory song. puts pierre’s existential despair on full display.

moscow ~ natasha and sonya, the two cousins/bffs, arrive in moscow to spend time with natasha’s godmother, marya dmitrievna, who is well-respected in society. they’re there to pass the time before their fiances get back from the war (in the book the circumstances are a bit more complicated, but we’ll ignore that for now). natasha talks about how much she misses her fiance, andrey, whose family she’s about to meet for the first time. marya assures her that all she has to do is make sure she gets along with andrey’s sister, and everything will be fine.

the private and intimate life of the house ~ offers the audience a look into how things are at the house of andrey’s family (princess mary and old prince bolkonsky, their father). bolkonsky is abusive and manipulative, which has left mary feeling like she’s the only one who can take care of him. she expresses her loneliness, and she and her father discuss natasha, who is coming shortly for tea. bolkonsky shows off his crazies.

natasha & bolkonskys ~ natasha arrives for tea, and it’s awkward. I mean awkward. natasha and mary immediately hate each other, but try to mask it with cold politeness. bolkonsky shows off his crazies, pt 2, and is super rude to natasha. she leaves in tears, leaving mary feeling horrible.

no one else ~ natasha sings about her love for andrey, begging him to come home. it’s beautiful and sad and fantastic. she just really loves him, dude

the opera ~  marya takes natasha and sonya to the opera, which is natasha’s grand moment of coming out in society. she’s wearing a more revealing dress for the first time, since she’s now considered a woman. she is flattered and bewildered by the attention she receives for her beauty. helene and dolokhov come in together, and it’s revealed that she’s cheating on pierre (her husband, who’s not there) with dolokhov. the opera begins, and natasha doesn’t understand it. she becomes kind of intoxicated (idk this part’s super weird sghjfdkhsdjfmv) by the lights and the crowd. anatole enters in the middle of the opera, and natasha is captivated by his looks. the opera continues, and anatole and natasha ogle each other from their seats and it’s weird. the opera concludes and anatole enters natasha’s box.

natasha & anatole ~ natasha and anatole get to know each other a little. and by that I mean anatole is super thirsty and natasha doesn’t know what to do about it. she is frightened of how much attraction there is between them. anatole asks her to come to a ball that’s happening at his house soon, but she doesn’t give him a straight answer.

the duel ~ anatole greets pierre, his friend, and invites him to go to the club with him and dolokhov. pierre accepts. they go to the club, where a raucous party is happening. pierre drinks a bunch and talks about his alcoholism and sadness. anatole tells his sister helene (whom he’s probably sleeping with on the side OOF) and his friend dolokhov about how thirsty he is for natasha. he knows she’s engaged, but doesn’t care. it also turns out that anatole is also married, but it’s a secret to everyone except pierre, dolokhov, and helene. dolokhov taunts pierre about how he’s sleeping with pierre’s wife and everyone knows it. pierre drunkenly challenges him to a duel (for honor reasons and whatnot). dolokhov agrees, because he’s a bitch and a “crazy good shot.” pierre shoots dolokhov, but he doesn’t really mean it and regrets it right away. he stands straight up, fully ready to die, but dolokhov misses, and is taken away to be cared for. pierre is declared the winner. anatole asks helene to get natasha to come to their party, and she agrees. he helps the inebriated pierre get home.

dust & ashes ~ pierre reflects on his brush with death, and regrets how much of his life he’s wasted looking for truth in places he’d never find it. he also talks about love and stuff and it’s full of cool themes. it’s drunken existential crisis 101, but he decides he’s ready to change and live a better life. inspiring af 10/10.

sunday morning ~ natasha and sonya light a candle in front of a mirror and look into it, which is a russian fortune-telling tradition. natasha thinks she sees andrey lying down, and is frightened because she doesn’t know what that means. she reflects on what has happened with anatole, and wonders if she’s being unfaithful to andrey because of her confused feelings. marya leaves to confront prince bolkonsky about how rude he was to natasha. helene shows up while natasha is in her room trying on dresses.

charming ~ helene uses her charms and flattery (and a fair amount of bad logic) to convince natasha to come to the party at the kuragins’ (her and anatole’s) house. natasha agrees to attend.

the ball ~ natasha and anatole dance together, and anatole tells her he loves her. she resists his advances initially, but he puts a lot of pressure on her and kisses her. she admits she loves him, too, and they promise their love to each other.

act two

letters ~ people write letters. pierre writes to andrey at the war, updating him on life in moscow. he reveals that dolokhov will recover from his gunshot wound, and discusses natasha’s arrival in town. (if you didn’t know, pierre is super in love with natasha, who’s an old family friend, but he doesn’t really know that himself yet.) pierre talks about how he’s done a lot of reading as he searches for the meaning of life, and he’s used that study to do some funky math to “prove” that he’s meant to kill napoleon (yes, that napoleon. pierre really hates napoleon). natasha struggles to write a letter to andrey explaining what’s happened. she receives a letter from princess mary, who still feels awful about what happened between them and wants to try to be friends. natasha has no idea how to answer. anatole sends a love letter to natasha (which was written by dolokhov). he asks her to elope with him, and she agrees. she falls asleep with his love letter in her hand.

sonya & natasha ~ sonya finds and reads anatole’s love letter, and figures out what’s going on. she tries to convince natasha that what she’s doing is a terrible idea, and not just for her sake. sonya worries also for the sake of their family’s honor and wellbeing, since a scandal like this would ruin them. natasha doesn’t listen, and scorns her cousin’s advice, even telling sonya she hates her. she writes a letter in response to princess mary, telling her that things are over between her and andrey.

sonya alone ~ sonya resolves to protect natasha from ruin at all costs, even though natasha is extremely upset with her. she watches her cousin become distant and dreamy, and figures out that natasha has some kind of plan in mind with anatole. she misses natasha’s friendship, and will do everything she possibly can to keep her from harm.

preparations ~ anatole runs into pierre, and tells him he’s running off to get married. pierre, not knowing who he’s talking about, teases him since he’s already married. anatole and dolokhov prepare for anatole to abduct natasha, carry her off to poland, and marry her. dolokhov tries to convince anatole it’s a stupid idea, but anatole won’t listen and he relents. balaga, the driver they hired, arrives.

balaga ~ this is a fun song that’s just kind of a break from plot. it explains how balaga is a longtime friend of anatole and dolokhov’s, and is an absolutely insane driver who loves drinking (especially while he drives).

the abduction ~ anatole throws his “bachelor party,” so to speak -- it’s his last hurrah before eloping with natasha. pierre joins in, still unaware what exactly is taking place or who anatole’s running away with. the party sets out for natasha’s house, where anatole’s plan is set in motion. a maid leads him into the house to collect natasha, but he is stopped by marya. he and dolokhov make their chaotic escape.

in my house ~ marya scolds natasha for her actions, and sonya tries to comfort her. natasha throws a temper tantrum, and refuses to admit she or anatole did anything wrong. she goes back to waiting for him at her window.

a call to pierre ~ marya sends an urgent letter to pierre, begging him to visit her. she explains the situation, and he’s infuriated. he reveals that anatole is already married. marya asks him to send anatole away from moscow, and he accepts.

find anatole ~ pierre rushes around moscow trying to find anatole. he enters a club, where patrons are gossiping about the elopement. pierre shuts down the rumors, preserving natasha’s honor. natasha is told that anatole is married, and she is destroyed by the news. pierre returns home, where helene is with her brother. pierre insists on speaking to him alone, to which he agrees.

pierre & anatole ~ pierre confronts anatole about what he has done, threatens him, and demands any letters he has from natasha. (onstage, natasha poisons herself.) he then tells anatole that he must stay out of moscow forever. anatole leaves for petersburg.

natasha very ill ~ sonya reflects by herself. natasha has poisoned herself and is safe now, but is still very sick. andrey is due to return, and tensions in the house run high.

pierre & andrey ~ andrey returns, reunites with his old friend pierre, and they discuss what has happened with natasha in his absence. he has heard the rumor that she wanted to elope with anatole. andrey tells pierre that even though he knows it would be the right thing to forgive natasha and ask for her hand again, he just can’t do it. he leaves pierre with all the letters natasha had written him.

pierre & natasha ~ pierre visits natasha to return the letters. he fully intends to despise her for her foolishness, but his heart is broken by her childishly pitiable state. he does his best to comfort her, even though she despises herself for what has happened. he tells her that were he not a better man -- and unmarried -- he would propose to her right then and there. grateful, natasha gives him a loving glance and leaves the room in tears of relief.

the great comet of 1812 ~ getting into his sleigh, pierre reflects on all that has happened. something has radically changed within him because of the way natasha looked at him, and he feels hope for the future. he sees the great comet of 1812 in the sky. this specific comet is supposed to be an omen for terrible tragedy, but for pierre it symbolizes joy and new life. the show ends with a sense of peace, hope, and love.

[antifa-hulk]

Anatole Kuragin receipts as of 1812

Manipulated and seduced my dear family friend, who was engaged to another friend of mine, into almost eloping

Did the above despite being secretly married and neglected to tell my friend throughout their "relationship"

This led to the original engagement to be broken off, leading further to my friend's suicide attempt

Still associates himself with Dolokhov (who I've made a receipt for already)

RE: Anatole Kuragin receipt as of 1812

So I guess we're just going to ignore how OP was a fan of Napoleon 6 years ago??? Or why he was kicked out of Petersburg? Why don't you ask Helene how she likes being married to that hypocrite

imagine the drama if characters from classical literature engaged in tumblr antics

[helenekuraginaarc]

re dave malloy and hélène: there is actually profound and vast tradition of reclaiming the word slut, of both women and men embracing loose sexuality and eros. it is not lazy, it's real. please google "slutwalk" "slutsacrossamerica""the ethical slut" and "reclaiming the word slut"

i know, i said i supported it??? what i’m saying is that, while i approve of this tradition entirely, it is not one that applies to her character and, therefore, is mischaracterization. i understand the bending of her character to fit malloy’s view/distorted world of war & peace that he’s created, but in canon, it is part of her talent for cunning and manipulation that she hides her “promiscuity” and such, yknow? her Thing, that many recent adapted media of w&p fails to notice, not just npgc, is that she doesn’t want to be seen as a “slut” or really anything less than the absolute perfect society woman. how can you reclaim a word that you’re trying desperately not to be associated with? i have absolutely no problem with the reclaiming of that word, i love it, i support it, but it was not in malloy’s right to assign something to a character who would not have wanted to reclaim it in the first place??? if it was accurate to her character, i would be fine with it, but i’ve studied this character enough to know that it is not. not to mention, i’m extremely uncomfortable with the fact that the whole cast says it, not just hélène? like if he really wanted to say it was because she was reclaiming it, why have other ppl than herself say it abt her you know???? and i’m always uncomfortable with the way it paints her again anatole and the double standard it brings up. like…………. you’re telling me that the woman claimed to be the most beautiful woman in st petersburg, if not all of russia by tolstoy’s canon, someone who at this point had a near spotless reputation, having brushed up the scandal with dolokhov and blaming it on pierre, which pretty much everyone went along with, gets “slut” and anatole, her brother with a horrible reputation and literally known for being stupid and caring about nothing but sleeping around, gets “hot”???????? it bothers me. i just don’t understand how dave malloy thought it would be alright to use that word for her literal defining trait? like the prologue is, obviously, the first song everyone hears. it’s what’s in the audience members minds throughout the rest of the show when they’re shown these characters. idk just as someone who loves and feels so deeply connected to a character like hélène, it lowkey infuriates me

tldr; i recognize that it can be reclaimed, i support it being reclaimed, but in this case it seems more like a way for malloy to get away with calling a promiscuous woman a slut?????

[ladystylestores]

In Tight Race for Polish President, Andrzej Duda Is on Track to Win

WARSAW — President Andrzej Duda of Poland appeared on Monday to have narrowly won a second term in the closest presidential election since the end of communist rule in 1989, although the results could still be challenged if his opponent challenges the result by claiming voters’ rights were infringed.

If the decision stands, Mr. Duda will be able to continue on the path set by a conservative nationalist government that has fought to control the courts and media, while stoking fear of gay people, the European Union, foreigners and, recently, Jews.

Mr. Duda fended off a fierce challenge from Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw. The country’s electoral commission said that with 99 percent of the actual vote counted, Mr. Duda had secured 51.21 percent of the vote. Mr. Trzaskowski won 48.79 percent.

Marcin Matczak, a constitutional expert who has been critical of the sweeping changes to the judicial system, said that the courts would get involved if there is a claim of an infringement by either party, and that it would not be hard for either side to find grounds to do so.

Mr. Trzaskowski, he said, could point to obstacles to voting abroad because of the coronavirus pandemic and the use of public television propaganda against him.

“We still do not have full numbers, so the official result cannot be announced,” said Sylwester Marciniak, the head of the Polish Electoral Commission, although he suggested the result would not change.

Sunday’s runoff election was the closest contest in Poland’s post-communist history.

The president’s re-election would ensure that the governing Law and Justice party, which also controls the Parliament, would be able to continue to reshape the nation in ways that critics contend undermine open political debate and the rule of law, and put it at odds with the European Union, which has accused Poland of damaging democratic values and institutions.

Mr. Trzaskowski had cast the election as a fight for the soul of the nation. He promised to end a government that uses state media to promote its views and silence opposing voices, manipulates the courts and uses fear and division to build support.

The mayor, whose campaign rallies were as likely to feature the blue and gold of the European Union flag as the red and white of Poland, said he wanted to live in a country where “an open hand wins against a clenched fist.”

Mr. Duda, however, dismissed concerns about Poland’s illiberal drift as an invention of foreign interests looking to exert control over the nation. He cast himself as a defender of “traditional families” and attacked Mr. Trzaskowski over his support for L.G.B.T. rights — powerful arguments in a staunchly Catholic country, particularly outside its cosmopolitan cities.

The incumbent received a boost recently from President Trump, who met with him at the White House just days before the election and all but endorsed Mr. Duda. “He’s doing a terrific job,” Mr. Trump said. “The people of Poland think the world of him.”

An already bitter campaign turned even uglier in the final days before Sunday’s vote, with Mr. Duda, the Law and Justice party and its supporters in the right-wing media launching a barrage of attacks on Mr. Trzaskowski.

In the pro-government weekly Sieci, the Warsaw mayor was accused of supporting pedophilia. State television, which has been turned into a propaganda machine for the government, suggested that Mr. Trzaskowski would be controlled by Jewish interests in complicated questions related to restitution of property dating from World War II.

Xenophobic arguments are nothing new for Law and Justice, which took power in 2015 on a campaign against accepting migrants, has described itself as defending Christianity against foreign forces, and has tarred the European Union as a threat to national autonomy. But appeals tinged with anti-Semitism, in a country whose Jews were largely wiped out in the Holocaust, were generally off-limits until recently.

Independent news outlets faced escalating attacks during the campaign, with the governing party claiming that Germany and other outside powers were trying to meddle in the nation’s affairs.

“Have you ever heard such homophobia, such anti-Semitism, such attacks on everybody who is brave enough to say ‘We have had enough’?” Mr. Trzaskowski asked supporters on Friday.

“It’s now or never,” he said.

Monika Pronczuk reported from Warsaw, and Marc Santora from London. Anatol Magdziarz contributed reporting from Warsaw.

Source link

قالب وردپرس

from World Wide News https://ift.tt/2Zmy1QS

[notesonfilm1]

Sorry Wrong Number is about a woman — bedridden, confined, and isolated — who overhears plans for a murder on a crossed telephone line and comes to realise that the victim of that murder is herself. It´s based on the eponymous radio play from 1943, one of the most famous of its time, in which Agnes Moorehead gave such a legendary performance that she would forever more be associated with it. She did many versions. The one that aired on CBSon  9/6/45 can be listened to here. Lucille Fletcher fleshed out her play for the movies, not too successfully. The film, a big hit in its time, remains a good watch, though it does drag in the last third, and there are too many unnecessary asides (the police inspector with the black child is particularly annoying).

It´s hard for me to think of any film star other than Barbara Stanwyck in the part of Leona Stevenson. Who else would have dared come across as so unlikeable? Leona is a spoiled, selfish, rich girl. A daddy´s girl used to getting everything she wants. And she´s not above buying her husband, Henry (Burt Lancaster) and then feigning illness to keep him. I was surprised to see Sorry, Wrong Number does not get even a mention in Andrew Klevan´s otherwise excellent Barbara Stanwyck from the BFI´s Film Star series (London:2013).  There are of course so many other great Stanwyck performances to choose from (Stella Dallas, Double Indemnity, The Lady Eve, and this to mention only a few that Klevan does deal with).  But this is one of her most famous and one of the four she received an Oscar Nomination for (Stella Dallas (1937), Ball of Fire (1941)and Double Indemnity  (1944) being the others.

But perhaps Klevan didn´t appreciate the performance. In Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman Dan Callaghan deems it her most flagrant Oscar bid: ´the showy role of bedridden neurotic Leona Stevenson calls for something more along the lines of the scenery-chewing style of a Bette Davis or a Joan Crawford than it does Stanwyck´s best life-or-death realness. …As of her high-pressure work in Wrong, Number, I’m glad she didn´t win for this atypical, sloppy picture; it´s not at all representative of her talent, her artistry, or her overall style'(p.175). Perhaps, and Callaghan does a great job of dissecting what he sees as the weaknesses of Stanwyck´s performance in his book. But I don´t agree. It´s a fearless performance. She plays an unlikeable, controlling, possessive and neurotic woman so well, the audience ends up disliking the character whilst eliciting pity that a love that is deeply felt should take that form. I suppose I *can* see Crawford and Davis in the part but I can´t imagine them being better.

Callaghan notes that ´Lancaster is íll at ease in his role — great to look at but still green as an actor, (p.174). Callaghan´s criticism, that he lets Stanwyck push him around in their scenes together, is to me part of his success in the part.. However, according to Kate Burford in Burt Lancaster: An American Life: ‘When (Hal) Wallis described Sorry, Wrong Number — Henry Stevenson, a boy-toy weakling, tries to get out from under the control of his rich invalid wife, Barbara Stanwyck´s queen bitch, Leona, by having her murdered — Lancaster said, ´Why not me?’ Wallis objected that he was too strong for the part of Stevenson, but Lancaster insisted that the audience would be more interested in watching a strong man become weak. In the first of what would be a series of roles in which the star was cast against type, Wallis gave in. It was also the beginning of another career motif for Lancaster: getting himself cast opposite strong, experienced, intimidating women’ ((loc. 1695 on Kindle edition).

Burton himself was happy with his performance: ‘I really sweated bullets on that one’, said Lancaster. ‘This was the first part with which I couldn´t identify Lancaster on the screen. Usually there´s some movement, some characteristics which you recognise as your own. But not this one. Ten minutes after I walked into the theater I gave up looking for Lancaster. Seemed like a different person up there. It´s a good movie´ (Minty Clinch, Burt Lancaster, 1984,  pp.24-25)

  The scene above is critical in establishing the dynamic between Leona and Henry. The camera moves in on Leona and dissolves on the voicing of Sally Hunt (Anne Richards), with a gleeful little smile as we dissolve into her memory of how she first met Henry. We see a crowded dance-hall as Henry and Sally come into view and we´re made to see Sally´s adoring look and Henry´s response to it: they´re a couple in love. And then of course Leona cuts in. This is a critical scene in that we need to see that Henry´s gorgeous, that he´s happy, and that he´s happily involved with Sally. This is the moment where Leona will begin to ruin his life. The film has to communicate what Leona sees in him, which as you can see in the scene above and in the gifs below, it does very well.

  Henry´s handsome, taken, ostensibly independent. But someone who can and will be bought. As the poster tell us, ´Heiress to millions….who bought everything she wanted…Including this man!

The ability to buy anything, including love, means however that Leona is never sure whether he loves her or just her money. Thus the the increasing and not entirely psychosomatic illnesses: Leona gets progressively bedridden but it is tied to her not getting what she wants at all times,. It´s her way of manipulating people´s responses to her needs, which is all that she sees, acknowledges and thinks about; and will be what drives Henry to plan a murder he too will come to regret in the end.

Sorry, Wrong Number was a prestige picture: and adaptation of a popular and critical success from another medium. According to Michelangelo Capua in Anatole Litvak: The Life and Movies, ´(it was) a 22 minute radio play….made popular by Agnes Moorehead in a tour-de-force performance in 1943. The play was so successful that it was rebroadcast seven times and translated into fifteen languages´(p.78). It is also, however a noir, with Burt Lancaster as the homme fatale, an interesting counterpoint to his Swede in Siodmak´s The Killers (1946). It´s about desire cutting through class, murder, a connection to the underworld, the night, drug trafficking, and, in its own way, an ode to the telephone. Visually, cinematographer Sol Polito encases the whole film in a world of shadows with a restlessly moving camera, evoking the jitteryness of things that lurk, are half seen, as is demonstrated in this great scene below

  But the scene above though crucial — it happens just before the murder — is not an isolated instance and Polito tries to capture a consistent look and use of lighting throughout (see image capture below)

    It´s a film that looks great, has terrific use of sound, a legendary central performance from Barbara Stanwyck, and one  that makes the most of Burt Lancaster´s appeal. However, it does also feel like a film that´s padded out, filled in, with sequences that seem extraneous. These are mostly the ones with Lancaster and it´s not his fault. These are the scenes that were largely added in to flesh out a short radio play into a feature-length film. I´m not sure how I feel about Anatole Litvak´s direction, some of the shots like the one I giffed above of Burt peeking, are superb, but this is yet another of his Hollywood films — like All This and Heaven Too, City for Conquestthat feels narratively bloated: terrific shot to shot but unsatisfying taken as a whole, inflated plots, convoluted structures, lethargic pacing.

  José Arroyo

  Sorry, Wrong Number (Anatole Litvak, USA, 1948) Sorry Wrong Number is about a woman -- bedridden, confined, and isolated -- who overhears plans for a murder on a crossed telephone line and comes to realise that the victim of that murder is herself.