#the moonstone 1996

[unchangingwindoww]

In little things and great, with people she loved and with people she hated — and she did both with equal heartiness — Miss Rachel always went on a way of her own, sufficient for herself in the joys and the sorrows of her life. Over and over again I have heard my lady say, "Rachel's best friend and Rachel's worst enemy are, one and the other — Rachel herself." — Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone

Keeley Hawes as Rachel Verinder in The Moonstone (1996)

[claudia1829things]

"THE MOONSTONE" (1996) Review

"THE MOONSTONE" (1996) Review

Following my viewing of the 1997 television movie, "THE WOMAN IN WHITE", I followed up with an adaptation of another Wilkie Collins' novel, "THE MOONSTONE". Like the other adaption, this adaptation had been produced back in the 1990s as a television movie.

Based on Collins' 1868 novel, "The Moonstone: A Romance", "THE MOONSTONE" was an early modern detective story that centered around the theft of a valuable gem. A young English socialite named Rachel Verinder inherits a large Indian diamond called "a moonstone" on her eighteenth birthday. The gem is a legacy from her uncle, a corrupt British army officer named Colonel Sir John Hardcastle, who had stolen it from a religious idol, while serving in India. The diamond is of great religious significance and extremely valuable, and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recovering it. Although Sir John's theft of the Moonstone had involved murder, he was never punished for his crimes. But he ended up shunned by society and his sister, Lady Julia Verinder. In retaliation for the shunning, Sir John leaves it in his will as a birthday gift to his niece Rachel, exposing her to the attentions of the gem's legal guardians.

On the night of her birthday party, Rachel wears her new present. Lady Julia, Rachel's cousin Franklin Blake and the local Dr. Candy all seem very anxious over Rachel's possession of the Moonstone. Especially since a trio of Indian jugglers had appeared at the Verinder estate. Later that night, the gem disappears from Rachel's room. Stolen. Suspicion first falls upon the three Indian jugglers. But retired Scotland Yard investigator, Sergeant Cuff believes the theft was an inside job. His suspicions fall upon one of the Verinders' servants, Rosana Spearman; and Rachel, whom he believes harbored plans to use the diamond to pay off secret debts.

I really do not know how to start this review, if I must be honest. I believe a good deal of my feelings originated from how I feel about Collins' story. I have never read his novel. But I have seen at least three adaptations of it to get a pretty good grasp of it. I must admit that director Robert Bierman and screenwriter Kevin Elyot did a very good job in setting up Collins' tale in this adaptation. They did not rush through the narrative in order to arrive on the night of the theft. And Elyot's screenplay also did an excellent job in exploring the novel's main characters - especially Rachel Verinder, her mother Lady Julia, the Verinders' major domo Gabriel Betterege and Franklin Blake. The movie also did a first-rate job in conveying the details of Blake and Cuff's investigation of the theft, along with Rachel's strange behavior. But once their investigation hit a dead end and the story moved on to the third act . . . I started having problems with the movie.

I could blame Wilkie Collins and his novel. Or I could blame the movie's screenwriter for trying to adhere as closely to Collins' story as possible. But after Franklin resumed the investigation of the Moonstone's theft a year after the incident, "THE MOONSTONE" seemed to be piled with nothing but contrived writing. I can only assume that Collins had wanted to deliver a surprise twist to his readers when he revealed who had taken the gem. I was certainly surprised when I first saw this film. And after three or four years, I have remained . . . dissatisfied with the revelation. I mean . . . seriously? And the series of events that led to the theft also struck me as contrived. But that was nothing in compare to the events that led to the Moonstone's final fate. To this day, a part of me wishes that the filmmakers had changed some of Collins' narrative for this movie.

At least I had no problem with the film's production values. Sarah Greenwood's production designs struck me as first-rate in her re-creation of Great Britain during the late 1840s. I was especially impressed by her creation of London during that period. Philip Robinson's art direction, the film's Art Department and John Daly's cinematography ably contributed to her work. I especially enjoyed Daly's photography of the marshes in Norfolk that served as the setting for one very memorable scene. I also admired James Keast's costume designs. His costumes struck me as a near accurate reflection of the film's late 1840s setting. I must admit that I found those costumes for the upper-class female characters a bit on the dull side. Was this dullness a direct reflection of elite women's fashion of that period? Perhaps someone can answer that for me.

Both Greg Wise and Keeley Hawes gave solid performances as the movie's romantic leads - Franklin Blake and Rachel Verinder. I cannot deny that the pair possessed some semblance of screen chemistry, especially during the film's first half hour. But they never really had the opportunity to develop that chemistry, since their characters spent most of the film at odds with one another or apart. The movie also featured solid performances from the likes of Scott Handy, Patricia Hodge, Anton Lesser, Peter Jeffrey, Paul Brooke, a menacing performance from Terence Hardiman as the slightly sinister Col. Sir John Hardcastle, and a rather entertaining performance from Kacey Ainsworth as the Verinders' holy roller cousin Drusilla Clark. Which leads me to my favorite performances in the movie.

One of those performances came from Peter Vaughan, who portrayed the Verinder family's steadfast majordomo, Gabriel Betterege. Not only did Vaughan did an excellent job in conveying Betterege's intelligence, but also the character's sharp humor. I really enjoyed his performance. Another performance that impressed me was Antony Sher, who portrayed the botanical loving former Scotland Yard detective, Sergeant Richard Cuff. I believe real life Victorian police detective Jack Whicher had inspired Collins' creation of Cuff. But Sher injected a touch of humorous eccentricity to the character that made his performance so enjoyable to me. One last performance had impressed me and it came from Lesley Sharp, who portrayed one of the Verinders' maids, Rosanna SpearmanR. Sharp gave an etheral, yet intense performance as the lovesick Rosanna, which left a haunting cloud over the story before the last reel.

Would I regard this 1996 television movie as the best adaptation of Wilkie Collins' novel? Hmmm . . . perhaps not. I have seen other adaptations that had delved into the narrative with a bit more detail. And the ending of this film seemed to rush a bit toward the end. However, I did managed to enjoy "THE MOONSTONE" very much. And thanks to Robert Bierman's direction, Kevin Elyot's screenplay and excellent performances from a cast led by Greg Wise and Keeley Hawes, I would have no problems doing a rewatch of this film over and over again.

[goldenlilium-ocs]

Winter 1995-1996.

December 8th, 1995.

Juliette had started feeling a little better over the past couple weeks. Perhaps it helped that Cormac’s humiliation and Potter standing up against Professor Umbridge provided the newest talk of the castle. Still, the witch had her moments where she needed to get away from the pitiful looks and soft words that lingered, so she made her way to the library. She headed to the back, but somebody was already at her table. He was all sharp angles, ruffled curls and every writer’s dream character. Juliette felt like she could see past that now. The rough edges were really soft bumps. Though she didn’t quite understand it, there was a shared pain between the two after the events of the summer.

The witch said nothing as she pulled out the chair opposite, dropping her bag beside it and taking a seat. She could feel Mattheo’s eyes watching her over his book as she pulled her ink and parchment out, opening her textbook to page 412, but she said nothing. Her fingers toyed nervously with the moonstone at her throat. She feared if she met his gaze or spoke a word, her resolve would crumble. He wasn’t forcing her either. After a beat, his gaze had returned to his book. Staying out of her business, just as she’d asked. Demanded, really. 

“Thank you. For not telling Snape. I don’t know what came over me. You could’ve turned me in, I wasn’t exactly nice to you.”

Mattheo glanced up. It seemed to take him a moment to realise she was instigating the conversation for once. “If you hadn’t done something, I would’ve. Though my methods would be far less entertaining. I’m sorry I got you kicked out the other day. You needed that space more than I did.”

Mattheo Riddle apologising. Juliette wondered how many times that had happened. She wouldn’t deny that he had been a prat, even under the guise of trying to help her. “You were an ass, but you were right. I’m not good at being on my own. I was festering in misery, even my friends fine me inapproachable.”

Riddle was watching her. Studying her. Juliette wondered if the caution in his eyes was because he didn’t want her to get mad again, or he didn’t want to scare her off and be left alone. “Misery loves company. But the lesser known part is that company doesn’t much care for misery. Maybe you just needed someone to be an ass. You were nice enough.”

“That didn’t give me the excuse to act like a raging bitch. I already told you it wasn’t your fault.” If Mattheo thought she had been nice to him, she’d seem like a damn saint when she wasn’t a wreck.

“So you don’t think I’m dangerous? That I’m a weapon waiting for command?” 

Maybe once upon a time she would have. It was common knowledge to stay away from Mattheo Riddle. Now though? “I think you’re just a boy born into a really shitty situation.”

At first she thought Mattheo would get up and walk away, but he just closed his book and nudged it between them like some kind of peace offering. “Shitty is simplifying it a bit. ”

She needed to change the subject. If she thought about Voldemort, she’d think about the tournament. If she thought about the tournament, she would start thinking about Cedric. “Do you really think I’m uptight?” 

Mattheo smiled, setting his quill down. He had a nice smile. “I think you’re a girl who went though a lot of shitty situations. It just made you work a little harder to be taken seriously and control the narrative.”

“I still don’t understand why you did it.”

He tilted his head, drinking her in with his gaze but she was the one left feeling intoxicated. “What exactly was it I did, Bishop?”

She shifted in her seat. She wasn’t uncomfortable, but the way he looked at her made her feel something that had been missing for a long time. “You made the effort to get through to me. Even if it was a questionable one.”

Mattheo chuckled. “Maybe I just wanted to get my table back.”

“No. You just cared enough.” She didn’t give him time to answer, preferring the version in her head in which his tough love act had pulled her from the darkness. It was better in the light, anyway.

His book lay facedown on the table. When Mattheo caught her eyeing it he made to take it back, but she had already made out some of the lettering on the spine.

“Is that Doctor Zhivago?”

He cleared his throat, glancing away. It didn’t hide the way his cheeks flamed. “Maybe. Don’t…”

“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”

December 15th, 1995

“You know, your dad’s a real dick.”

Mattheo’s lips parted in surprise, but then twitched upward into a smile at the mischievous glint in the witch’s eye. She’d sat down with him again at their little spot in the back of the library. This time, Juliette had shared her potions notes with him so they could work on the most recent essay Snape had set them. 

“So I’ve been told.”

It was nice, working together. Mattheo knew he had to be a better partner than Theo, and his side of the bargain was that he’d noticed Juliette’s grades slowly creeping up again. Cormac hadn’t bothered them at all either, not since Mattheo had let a boggart loose while leaving the changing rooms during his obnoxiously long shower.

They sat at that little table together in peace, working on individual essays until Juliette spoke up again. “Does is scare you? Knowing he’s back?”

Mattheo’s shoulders tensed at the question. He could’ve just told her to piss off and mind her own business. But one look at the genuity in her eyes and his shoulders dropped. “Terrified.” 

He looked her over. There was a new light in her eyes these days, and it looked as though she may have gone to the effort of curling the ends of her hair. Still, that didn’t mean she would ever forget that night of the tournament. “Are you scared, Bishop?”

She looked genuinely surprised, as if she hadn’t even thought it might matter what she felt. But in that moment of surprise he also noticed the way her breath hitched and her slender fingers whitened around her quill. “Terrified.”

He was overcome with an intense regret at what had happened to her at the hands of his father. He regretted what it had made her into over the last few months. The only thing that eased the ache was how soft she seemed in these moments, when the world had made her so unbreakingly hard. He’d be damned if she ever felt that kind of pain again. He was brought out of his stupour by a low rumble, causing him to look around before he realised it had come from Juliette.

“You didn’t eat lunch?”

She flushed, looking too cute when he was trying to escape her pull. “Everyone talks too much. They worry.” About her. Gossip usually moved on quickly, but not this time. 

“Hang on.” Mattheo pulled his bag into his lap, prising it open and pushing his books aside. “Aha,” He pulled out the chocolate frog and slid it across the table. He didn’t miss the way Juliette’s eyes lit up at the sight of it. A woman after his own heart no matter how carefully he guarded it.

“I love these.” Juliette murmured, carefully lifting the lid and catching the frog midair. No wonder she was a backup chaser.

“You’d have to be crazy not to.” Sure he had been saving it for Blaise as a way to bribe him to do his Care of Magical Creatures essay, but he would suffer through it. Maybe he could even ask Juliette for help.

Once she was eating, Mattheo went back to his essay. He and Juliette had gotten into a friendly little rivalry since their potions success, wanting to outdo each other. With the latter’s grades slowly creeping up there wasn’t much time to be sneaking muggle books into class.

“Thanks, Matty.”

He glanced up briefly and smiled. “No problem, Julie.”

January 6th, 1996

“You got me a christmas present?” 

Mattheo couldn’t stop staring at the wrapped package Juliette was holding out to him like it was a baby dragon.

“I know it’s late. I couldn’t find anything I liked in Hogsmeade before the break.” She’d wanted to get him something? “You’re supposed to open it, Riddle.”

She sounded almost nervous, so Mattheo quickly unwrapped it. It was a book. Plain black leather, but in the bottom right corner ‘Mattheo’ was embossed. No Riddle. The inside pages were blank. the grain fine. Sketchpaper, Mattheo noticed gleefully.

“It isn’t much.” It was everything. “I just noticed you doodle on your parchment a lot. Would probably be a good idea to keep your notes and drawings separate.

“Is this real leather, Bishop?” He ran his fingers over his name on the cover.

“Oh. Um, yeah. I think so. It wasn’t that expensive. It’s more of a stocking filler.”

Mattheo didn’t believe that, but he did believe it had probably hardly dented her Gringotts account. “I uh, I didn’t get you anything.” He was an idiot. She had been searching for his gift for weeks and he hadn’t once thought about doing the same.

“I don’t need anything.” Mattheo met Juliette’s gaze. Her honeyed eyes were soft.

Eyes didn’t sparkle, but hers definitely gleamed. And she was smiling. Maybe he had given her something after all. He couldn’t give her the world, but he could give her a small piece of himself. It would be more than he had ever given anyone else. 

“You hate it.” Even when she was dejected she sounded heavenly.

“No, love. It’s perfect. Thank you.”

January 9th, 1996

“For you.” 

Mattheo slid the sketch paper across the table and watched Juliette pull it toward her. He could’t see the look in her eyes as she gazed down at the drawing. They had been the hardest feature to capture. Her smile had been the easiest. It graced his dreams and haunted his nightmares. 

“You did this?” Her lips parted in awe, pink and glistening. They matched the sketch perfectly.

“Hagrid’s tangents during class freed up some time.”

She chuckled at that, laying the artwork down carefully. There were a few baby hairs on the right that always fell into her face. He’d included them in his drawing. He wanted to see the perfection in her imperfections when she looked at it. 

“Do you draw all of the girls you find sulking in the library?”

“Only the ones who sabotage pricks in potions and inhale chocolate frogs.”

She smiled again, close lipped and soft. His fingers twitched, wanting to take the paper back so he could capture this new smile on the other side. Salazar, Mattheo was in trouble now. Of all the terrible things he’d ever accomplished, falling in love with a girl he didn’t deserve made the top of the list.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.19 (after 1930)

1937 – Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in seven hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds. 1941 – World War II: HMS Greyhound and other escorts of convoy AS-12 sink Italian submarine Neghelli with all hands 64 kilometres (40 mi) northeast of Falkonera. 1942 – World War II: The Japanese conquest of Burma begins. 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces liberate the Łódź Ghetto. Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, fewer than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation. 1946 – General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals. 1953 – Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth. 1960 – Japan and the United States sign the US–Japan Mutual Security Treaty 1960 – Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 871 crashes near Ankara Esenboğa Airport in Turkey, killing all 42 aboard. 1969 – Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire three days earlier in Prague's Wenceslas Square to protest about the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. His funeral turns into another major protest. 1977 – President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino (a.k.a. "Tokyo Rose"). 1978 – The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW's plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003. 1981 – Iran hostage crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity. 1983 – Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie is arrested in Bolivia. 1983 – The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced. 1986 – The first IBM PC computer virus is released into the wild. A boot sector virus dubbed (c)Brain, it was created by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in Lahore, Pakistan, reportedly to deter unauthorized copying of the software they had written. 1988 – Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 crashes in Bayfield, Colorado, killing 19. 1990 – Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley in Indian-administered Kashmir due to an insurgency. 1991 – Gulf War: Iraq fires a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries. 1993 – Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations. 1995 – After being struck by lightning the crew of Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C are forced to ditch. All 18 aboard are later rescued. 1996 – The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. 1997 – Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city. 1999 – British Aerospace agrees to acquire the defence subsidiary of the General Electric Company, forming BAE Systems in November 1999. 2007 – Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated in front of his newspaper's Istanbul office by 17-year-old Turkish ultra-nationalist Ogün Samast. 2007 – Four-man Team N2i, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance. 2012 – The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload is shut down by the FBI. 2014 – A bomb attack on an army convoy in the city of Bannu kills at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and injures 38 others.

[omniversecomicsguide]

The THUNDERBOLTS READING ORDER: BEFORE THE T-BOLTS (1986-1996) shows when this story took place in the pre-T-Bolts history...

HERE: Thunderbolts Reading Order (198 But you can find out more about the Masters’ assault on Avengers Mansion in the epic UNDER SIEGE (1986-1987)

HERE: Under Siege - - - ARTISTS: John Buscema & Joe Jusko (@JuskoArt) - - - FROM: Avengers: Under Siege tpb - - - FEATURING:  Gray Gargoyle, Baron Zemo, Screaming Mimi, Mister Hyde, Moonstone, Fixer, Goliath, Wasp, Thor, Captain America, Ant-Man, Hercules, Captain Marvel & Black Knight - - - UNDER SIEGE established Baron Zemo as a major threat.

[odinsson2021]

Here is the Playlist of my tonights Halloween Special Show!

Hope you join in again next Saturday at 8:00 o' Clock P.M.!!!!

Warren Zevon-Werewolves of London-Excitable Boy-Asylum Records-1978

Ramones-Pet Sematary-Pet Sematary (O.ST.)-Varèse Sarabande-1989

Blue Oyster Cult-Demon's Kiss-Bad Channels (O.ST.)-Moonstone Records-1992

Guns n' Roses-Sympathy for the Devil-Interview with the Vampire-Geffen Records-1994

Alice Cooper-He's back (The Man behind the Mask)-Constrictor-MCA Records-1986

Van Halen-Runnin' with the Devil-Van Halen-Warner Bros. Records-1978

AC/DC-Hells Bells-Back in Black-Atlantic-1980

Mötley Crüe-Shout at the Devil-Shout at the Devil-Elektra-1983

Crazy Lixx-The Witching Hour-New Religion-Frontiers Records-2010

Dangerous Toys-Demon Bell-Shocker (O.ST.)-SBK / Alive Records-1989

Murderdolls-She was a Tennage Zombie-Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls-Roadrunner Records-2002

T-Ride-Zombies from Hell-T-Ride-Intercord Record Service-1992

Chrome Division-Ghost Riders in the Sky-3rd Round Knockout-Nuclear Blast-2011

Hellfueled-For my Family and Satan-Emission of Sins-Black Lodge-2009

Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath-Vertigo-1970

David "Rock" Feinstein-Kill the Demon-Bitten by the Beast-Niji Entertainment Group-2010

Helloween-Halloween-Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1-Noise Records-1987

Ad Infinitum-Animals-Chapter II:Legacy-Napalm Records-29.10.21

Custard-Blessed by Baal-Imperium Rapax-Pure Steel records-3.12.21

Psychoprism-Devil in the Detail-R.I.S.E.-Pure Steel Records-3.12.21

Nightwish-The Phantom of the Opera-Century Child-Drakkar Records-2002

Iron Maiden-The Number of the Beast-The Number the Beast-EMI Electrola GmbH-1982

Ozzy Osbourne-Bark at the Moon-Bark at the Moon-CBS Inc.-1983

Fastway-Trick or Treat-Trick or Treat-Columbia-1986

Blind Guardian-Mr. Sandman (Single)-Virgin Records-1996

[vysjewelry]

Platinum, gold, diamond, moonstone, and pearl 'Spider Web' brooch, Marek Reysner, c. 1996 (at Merek Reysner)

[thedailydetective]

The #DailyDetective for 12 June 2021 was John Thomson in The Moonstone.

The appearance of The Moonstone on the BBC daytime schedules of 2016 was a clear reminder that great TV exists outside of prime time. BBC One especially has a way with good afternoon drama on weekdays.

I put Cuff at the head of this post but the heart of the story is really the relationship between courting cousins Rachel Verinder and Franklin Blake, and how it is impacted by the theft of a precious diamond.

Maybe only the Holy Grail trumps the Moonstone for the title of Most MacGuffinest MacGuffin. Both Wilkie Collins' original novel, and this nifty adaptation, by Rachel Flowerday and Sasha Hails, coil all manner of plots and dramatic power-shifts around this prop.

This particular re-telling is structured around Franklin's interview-led investigation into the central mystery of who stole the Moonstone, how and why. It's an on-point way to adapt the epistolary novel but also keeps the drama focused on the stakes as Franklin feels them.

The BBC have adapted The Moonstone four times for TV, including a 1996 version with Greg Wise, Keeley Hawes, Peter Vaughan and Lesley Sharp. It was starry and swish, but missed a lot of the tricks of the witty, multilayered and resourceful 2016 version.

The most recent Moonstone adaptation I know of is a transmedia mash-up of Youtube videos, Twitter accounts and other bits of web bric-a-brac. It's certainly ambitious. The 2016 version is less formally blatant about being a story about stories and storytelling but it very much is, and all without sacrificing the mystery, romance and passion.

[sabrinasgrimoire]

Ostara

Northern Hemisphere Dates: circa March 19th - 23rd

Southern Hemisphere Dates: circa September 19th - 23rd

Similar Celebrations: The most obvious parallel for Ostara is the Christian Easter. This is the day when Jesus emerges from his tomb after sacrificing himself the previous Friday on Black Friday. Though doesn’t obviously have anything to do with Ostara, it deals with the same themes of rebirth, renewal, light, and love. The Jewish holiday of Passover also occurs at the time of Ostara. This is a very somber holiday that honors the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. Alban Eiler is the Druidic celebration of Ostara, which celebrates the time that crops are sown. This is known among the druids to be a very magickal time. Bacchanalia was a celebration in Ancient Rome that was in honor of the God of Wine Bacchus or Dionysus. This was a time of drunken revelry and sex.

Purpose: Though the Sabbat is named after the Goddess Eostre, historians debate if she was actually worshipped at all. A monk named Bede was the first one to introduce this Goddess, but other than his writings, there is very little writing or historical evidence of this Goddess. Although this is the case, many ancient peoples took note of the spring or vernal equinox. Many monuments and megalithic cairns have been built to display the position of the sun at the equinoxes and the solstices. Some examples are the Mayan El Castillo, America’s Stonehenge in New Hampshire, Fajada Butte in New Mexico, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and Mnajdra in Malta. The origin of Ostara is with Gerald Gardner, who took the idea of the spring equinox and mixed it with the Goddess Eostre and a few other existing traditions around this time. Despite the lack of historic celebration, we know this time to be a time of renewal, where new life is brought into the world, and the God is getting stronger and warming the world once again. This is also a time of beginnings and renewals, where we must continue to grow into our new selves.

Goddess and God: The Goddess is in the form of a maiden, and is fertile as she walks the earth awakened from her slumber and bringing new life to all she touches. The God is in the form of a young, lustful man who will soon become a father. He is the wild, green man.

Key Words: Agriculture, Balance, Beauty, Fertility, Growth, Life, Light, Love, Rebirth/Renewal. These themes represent the coming of spring. Because the vernal equinox is the first official day of spring, it is truly the time when we start to see new life in the form of sprouts and baby animals. The balance of this Sabbat is represented when the sun reaches its zenith and the day is as long as the night.

Decorations: The traditional decorations for Ostara are decorated eggs. This comes from a myth about the Goddess Eostre. It is said the Eostre was wandering the winter woods, and came across a dying sparrow. In order to help the poor bird, she tried to transform him into a hare. Unfortunately, the magick didn’t all together work, and though the bird looked like a hare, he still lay eggs. This is the origin of the Easter Bunny! Along with decorated eggs, baskets, seeds, and hares are symbols of the season.

Correspondence Chart:

Trees: Ash, Birch, Maple, Yew

Herbs & Spices: Daffodil, Gorse, Honeysuckle, Lily, Rose, Violet

Stones & Metals: Aquamarine, Moonstone, Rose Quartz

Animal Totems: Hare, Rabbit, Sheep (Ram), Snake, Cormorant, Hawk, Sparrow, Swallow

Deities: Aphrodite, Ariadne, Artemis, Astarte, Athena, Coatlicue, Cybele, Dememter, Diana, Eos, Gaia, Hera, Idunn, Iris, Ishtar, Isis, Juno, Minerva, Ostara, Persephone, Venus, Vesta, Adonis, Attis, Cernunnos, the Dagda, Sumuzi, the Green Man, Mithras, Odin, Osiris, Pan

Planet: the Sun

Time: Dawn

Season: Spring

Element: Air

Zodiac: Aries, Pisces

Colors: Light Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow

Ogham: Onn

Works Cited:

Sandra Kynes (2013), The Complete Book of Correspondences, Llewellyn, e-book, page 379

Scott Cuningham (1996), Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Llewellyn, print

Kerri Connor (2015), Ostara: Rituals, Recipes, and Lore for the Spring Equinox, Llewellyn, print

[bebemoon]

and maybe i should have sent this ask first but what are your favorite colors, gemstones, films, and flowers?

okay- !

colours ; sea green/monet’s pond green, jade vine, pale coral, lilac, swimming pool turquoise, cobalt, most blues, the mother of pearl colours, silver, shell pink 

gemstones/crystals ; moonstone, jeremejevite, selenite, kunzite, aquamarine, opal, iris agate

films ; titanic, malá morská víla, the handmaiden, legend (1985), ponyo, romeo + juliet (1996), la belle et la bête (2014), la belle et la bête (1946), the shape of water, kvitebjørn kong valemon (1991), la reine margot, ondine (1974), ruslan i lyudmila (1972), original star wars trilogy, and on and on-  

flowers ; the queen of poisons, snapdragon, blue foxglove, calla lily, sweet pea, water hyacinth 

[alcalavicci]

(Disclaimer: if you wrote this and don’t want it up, send me an ask and I’ll take it down)

Jill and Claire:

Jill: You mentioned that Dean directed a play called "Man With Bags" at the Pilot Theater in Hollywood in 1979. I find this information invaluable. I'm going to make sure it is in our Database here on the Sassies list. If you have any other info about obscure stuff Dean has worked on, please let me know. I mean it. I don't care if no one else is taking notes. I am.

Claire: I have the playbill from "Man With Bags." Russ Tamblyn starred, along with Sally Kirkland. I will photocopy for you. If you don't mind I'll have to send via regular mail, as my scanner doesn't work. I also have a playbill from a show he did in Albuquerque. This probably was early '70s sometime. I can't remember the name of it, but I wrote to the photographer at the theater and he sent me a bunch of photos and stuff. This stuff is packed away. I will look for it tomorrow when I get time. After I get it out, I can give you more information and you can tell me what you'd like to see.

Jill: Re: George Herms, you said "I knew he was a close friend of Dean's....." Yes, he was, but how did you know that? Dean wasn't exactly talked about much in the press between 1970 and 1979. Was he being discussed in Art magazines? And were you subscribing to these magazines? George Herms is the one who painted those symbols on Dean's torso for Dunwich Horror. But I bet you already knew that. Okay, I threw that out there for others who might not know.

Claire: Regarding Mr. Herms. Remember all those old movie magazines they used to have in the '60s and '70s. I believe one was called "Photoplay," and there were some others whose names I've forgotten. Well, they used to have pen pal pages in them. One time, they listed a girl who said she was the ultimate Dean fan. Her name was Geordie James. I wrote to her. She had already made contact with Dean, and believe it or not, he was working on his autobiography at that time. He sent it to her to see what she thought about it (I kid you not). She told me she was going to start a fan club for him and asked me if I wanted to be the secretary. I said, yes, and she promptly sent me the autobiography to type--for him!! It was in this biography that so much was mentioned. "Moonstone" is the film Dean directed with George Herms as his star. It's a film about George's art. And you got me, I didn't know George had painted those symbols on him in "Dunwich." Too cool. Back to the autobiography. I typed it up and was so excited. I sent it back to Geordie without making a copy. Something I came later to regret, of course, since he apparently didn't have it published, but I retained much of what was discussed in it in my head. That's how I already knew about George Herms. Geordie James later had a house fire (she lived in Utica, NY). After that, I never was able to get back into contact with her. I never told Dean I had typed his autobiography either. For some reason, I didn't want to come off (at that time) like Miss Ultimate Fan. It was a stupid "coolness" thing.

Jill: What is 'Moonstone?' Is it a short film? An art object? And why did Herms need Dean in order to show it?

Claire: As I said above, "Moonstone" was directed by Dean, starring George Herms. As I wasn't real artsy at the time when I saw it at George's retrospective, I don't remember a whole lot about it. I just remember it revolved around a gem called a moonstone. It was definitely a short film. Real art house stuff.

Jill: You mentioned that Dean walked in with Joy. I thought she didn't come to Hollywood to see him until 1981? You mentioned that he had just started dating her at the time (so this means he finally dumped Toni Basil by 1979?). And.................Big question here........how did you know it was Joy? Did he introduce you to her? I mean, how did you know At That Time that it was Joy Marchenko, and that they had just started dating? Or is this something other people told you later on?

Claire: Now you got me. I'm not really sure that it was Joy. Later when I saw Joy's picture (after they got married), I jumped to the conclusion that that was the girl he was with at the museum because she looked very much like her. But you're telling me the dates don't jibe, so I'm probably wrong.

Jill: Did you recognize Russ Tamblyn right off? Did you already know that Russ and Dean were friends? And how did you know that? Did you already know Russ' wife's name, or did you find that out later? Is this the wife Russ separated from, right about that same time, and then he and Dean became roommates? And where did that leave Joy? Come to think of it, are you positive that was Joy that Dean was with? And are you positive that was Elizabeth with Russ?

Claire: Right, I already knew he and Russ were friends. Russ also was the star of "Man With Bags," which I had just seen two weeks earlier. I knew Elizabeth's name from reading a "Photoplay" article about Russ. She also was at the play. They could have been separated for all I know, and he was just still taking her to things. I also saw Elizabeth around 1980 at Toni Basil's show at the Fox Venice. She was not with Russ at the time; she was with her mother. I know it was her mother because I was in the restroom at the same time they were and she called her mom or mum. I also did not see Dean at Toni's show.

Jill: Another good tidbit here....."about 5 years later, when he was appearing in a dinner theater production of "Relatively Speaking." Another item for my database. So you're thinking it was about 1984? When Dean was still living in Santa Fe? And where was this dinner theater production at? I'm thinking Los Angeles, since you were living in California. Unless this was one of those dinner theater appearances he did in Las Vegas?

Claire: The dinner theater production was in San Clemente, Calif. I have the autographed playbill. I will dig out tomorrow. It had to be before he moved to Santa Fe, so I'm wrong on dates. I can get more specific when I find the playbill. Sorry I was generalizing so much on dates. I know how important it is when you're trying to keep a database.

Jill: When you saw Dean at the restaurant.........how did you know he was with his manager? Did he introduce you? Or did you assume it? Or did you know his manager?

Claire: I assumed there, too. He seemed like a manager-type person. The person was very business-like. They appeared to be discussing business before I walked up to the table. It could have been the manager of the dinner theater. 

Jill: How did you know Dennis Hopper had dubbed him "Rainbow Razorbrain?" Where did you read that? Or did someone tell you?

Claire: Can't remember where I read it, but I know it was an article I read in a movie magazine before I moved to Calif. I believe it was around the time Dennis' "The Last Movie" was released and there were some articles on them at this time. Later Dennis talks about Dean in Roddy McDowell's photo book (can't remember the title). I'm thinking he mentions calling Dean "Rainbow Razorbrain" in Roddy's book.

Claire: Okay, I've gotten the questions out of sequence, let's go back. Regarding "Man With Bags." I found all the other playbills, but this one. I will keep looking for it, because it's special since Dean directed it. Also, now that I think back, Sally Kirkland was the stage manager of the play. Russ was the only "star" I knew who was in it. There was another girl, I believe her name was Kristen Larkin, who played the lead. And Patty ?? (forgot her last name, but she was one of the sisters in "The Beguiled" with Clint Eastwood. Hope that helps until I locate the playbill. Regarding the Sally Kirkland story, I had only heard that she lost her balance during the earthquake scene and hurt her back as a result. The "Dennis stabbing her" scenario is just a little freaky, but what's new. 

Jill: For some reason, I was being cross-referenced to the film "The Beguiled" just the other day, and I think it had something to do with Dean or a co-star of Dean's. Isn't that weird? I'll have to go over to IMdB.com and try and figure out what I was looking for.

Claire: I think that was awfully synchronistic you were cross-referenced to "The Beguiled," and then I mentioned it. Uh-oh, I think I hear the "Twilight Zone" theme.

Jill: The story of Sally Kirkland and her lawsuit is in the Archives, I'm sure, and I'll see if I can dig it up.

Claire: Thanks, that will be interesting to read.

Jill: I'm not sure where Joy Marchenko came from, but I know she was a ‘Textile Designer in Morocco.' I think that's from the People Magazine interview. And that's about that, unless you know anything else?

Claire: I don't really know anything about her either. I read somewhere that they had to move from Santa Fe because of her asthma. That's too bad, 'cause that's pretty country.

Jill: You mentioned that you didn't know Dean and Joy were divorced until 2000. Well, you're already ahead of most of Dean's fans. I didn't become a fan until late 2000, and by early 2001 I was on the Internet, asking 'Where's Dean's wife, anyway?' Nobody seemed to know that they were divorced at that time. A member here, also named Joy, met Dean in Reno in Nov. 2001, and he said to her "Oh, you had to pick my ex-wife's name!" So, that was our first 'official' confirmation. But, like with just about everything else related to Dean, it wasn't written in stone. But things began to emerge. First, a member joined from France who happened to have a magazine interview from 1996 where Dean talks about separating from his wife. And, there is a lady who published a biography of Dean this year (you can buy it over the Internet - but pretty much everything in it you can find in our magazine articles here on the Sassies list - and she completely glosses over anything 'beatnik' or 'hippie' about Dean - there will be absolutely no mention of Toni Basil or George Herms in her book). Anyway, this lady briefly joined the Sassies list, and she had no idea that Dean & Joy were divorced, and pretty much denied it, by saying "Why wasn't it in the papers?" And I replied, "Why didn't any of Dean's fans know that his mother died in 1993?" (Another fact she forgot to put in her book). And then she unsubscribed. And then another (former) member on the Sassies confronted me with the fact that I have no proof that Dean and Joy were ever divorced (which I don't), and insisted that they're probably still living together, or are just separated. I'm getting pretty used to people calling me on things, and just take the facts as they are presented to me, and do with them what I can. So far, my hunches about things have been more right than wrong. 

Claire: I read a small piece on them being divorced somewhere around 2000. It shocked me pretty good. I can't imagine someone writing a bio on Dean and not mentioning the Beat/Hippie connection. This still is like the heartbeat of Dean (snap, snap).

Jill: You mentioned Toni Basil was backed by Devo in her show (and I would have loved to have seen this show! Sounds wild!). She was dating their bass player at the time. She was the one who gave Dean a tape of Devo to listen to, and then Dean gave it to Neil Young. Hmmmm............which came first.......Dean leaving Toni for Joy, or Toni leaving Dean for the bass player? LOL!

Claire:  Or Toni leaving Dean because of her enormous crush on David Bowie. That would have driven me bonkers!

Jill: Oh, and I have no proof that Toni and Dean were ever married, other than those two mentions. What do you think? My first hunch is to say No - that people (such as the musician that was quoted on the Internet) simply assumed they were married. Sort of a 'common-law' marriage, if you will. It's yet another mystery of Dean.

Claire: I kinda think they weren't married. Toni always reminded me of, how do I put this, if Dean had been a woman, he would have been Toni and if Toni would have been a man, she would have been Dean. I think they were too similar for their own good.

Claire: Regarding Dean's mentioning George, Millie, Dennis, Wallace, etc. They were mentioned only in context [in his autobiography] with the chronology of his life. There were no asides, unfortunately. Dean was still Dean back then, very secretive and protective about personal events and people in his life. He mentioned that he had married Millie and divorced. I believe he mentioned "Breakaway" and his collaboration with Toni and Bruce, but only in that context. He detailed Wallace's influence on him, and talked about directing "Moonstone," which I now know he began filming in 1963 with George. I have George's chronology of events from the book "The Prometheus Archives--A Retrospective Exhibition of the Works of George Herms," which I purchased at the show. The dates on my copy say the exhibit showed from June 2-July 22, 1979 at the Newport Harbor Art Museum. I will send the chronology to you.

[mmel]

books read in 2019

january

1.The Little Mermaid — Hans Christian Andersen (1837) (audio) 

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — F. Scott Fitzgerald (1922) (audio)

3. Jungle River — Howard Pease (1938) 

4. Lolita — Vladimir Nabokov (1955) 

5. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence — Robert M. Pirsig (1974) 

6. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Robert Louis Stevenson (1886) 

7. Crome Yellow — Aldous Huxley (1921) 

8. The Story of the Eye — George Bataille (1921) 

february

9. The Immoralist — Andre Gide (1902) 

10. 1984 — George Orwell (1949) (audio) (2nd time) 

11. The Catcher in the Rye — J.D. Salinger (1951) (audio) (2nd time) 

12. Animal Farm — George Orwell (1945) (audio) (2nd time) 

13. The Woodlanders — Thomas Hardy (1877) 

14. Descartes in 90 Minutes — Paul Strathern (1996) 

15. Jane Eyre — Charlotte Brontë (1847) 

march

16. Discourse on the Method (1637) (in Heffernan) & 16.5 The Search After Truth by the Light of Nature — René Descartes 

17. Bilingual “Discourse on the Method” & Essays — Descartes & George Heffernan (1994) 

18. Autobiography — John Stuart Mill (1873) 

19. Méditations — René Descartes (1641) 

20. Discourse on Method and Related Writings — René Descartes (Penguin Classics) incl. le monde et les règles 

21. Meno — Plato (385 BC) (audio) 

22. Crito — Plato (audio) 

23. Poetics — Aristotle (audio) 

24. The Apology — Plato (audio) 

25. Phaedo — Plato (audio) 

26. Five Dialogues — Plato (euthyphro, apology, crito, meno, phaedo) (2nd time except euthyphro) 

27. Ion - Plato 

28. The Art of Loving — Erich Fromm (1956) 

29. On Liberty — J.S. Mill (1859) 

april

30. A History of Knowledge — Charles Van Doren (1991) 

31. Why I am So Wise — Friedrich Nietzsche (Penguin abridged Ecce Homo) (1908) 

32. The Varieties of Religious Experience — William James (1902) 

33. Pragmatism — William James (1907) 

34. Candide — Voltaire (1759) 

35. Short stories by Voltaire — Zadig, Micromegas, The World as it Is, Memnon, Bababec, Scarmentados Travels, Plato’s Dream, Jesuit Berthier, Good Brahman, Jeannot and Colin, An Indian Adventure, Ingenuous, One-Eyed Porter, Memory’s Adventure, Chaplain Goudman (1747-1775) 

36. The Great Conversation — Robert M. Hutchins (1952) 

may

37. Aeschylus’ Oresteia Trilogy & Prometheus Bound (458 BC) — Laurel Classical Drama (1965) 

38. Sophocles’ Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes (~400 BC) — Laurel Classical Drama (1965) 

39. Euripides’ Medea, Hippolytus, Alcestis, The Bacchae (~430 BC) — Laurel Classical Drama (1965) 

40. Mythology — Edith Hamilton (1940) 

41. Erewhon — Samuel Butler (1872) 

42. The Iliad — Homer (850 BC) 

43. The Little Prince — Antoine de Saint Exupery (1943) 

44. Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound (2nd time), The Suppliants, Seven Against Thebes, The Persians (Penguin Classics) 

45. Teaching From the Balance Point — Edward Kreitman (Suzuki guide — 1998) 

june

46. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex (2nd time), Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone (2nd time) (Penguin Classics) 

47. The Odyssey — Homer (850 BC) 

48. The Secret Garden — Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911) 

49. Coraline — Neil Gaiman (2002) 

50. The Lost Art of Reading — David Ulin (2010) 

51. Sophocles’ Ajax, Electra (2nd time), Women of Trachis, Philoctetes (2nd time) (Penguin Classics) 

52. The House of the Seven Gables — Nathaniel Hawthorne (1851) 

53. The Awakening — Kate Chopin (1899) (audio) 

54. Straight is the Gate — André Gide (1924) 

55. Wuthering Heights — Emily Brontë (1847) 

56. Journey to the Center of the Earth — Jules Verne (1864) (audio) 

57. East of Eden — John Steinbeck (1952) 

58. Sons and Lovers — D.H. Lawrence (1913) 

59. Grapes of Wrath — John Steinbeck (1939) (audio) 

july 

60. Attached — Amir Levine (2010) (audio) 

61. The Prophet — Khalil Gibran (1923) (audio) 

62. The Four Agreements — Don Miguel Ruiz (1997) (audio) (2nd time) 

63. The Transparent Self — Sidney Jourard (1964) 

64. The Return of the Native — Thomas Hardy (1878) 

65. The Souls of Black Folk — W.E.B Du Bois (1903) (audio) 

66. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) (audio) 

67. The Call of the Wild — Jack London (1903) (audio) 

68. The Importance of Being Earnest — Oscar Wilde (1895) (audio) (2nd time) 

69. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz — L. Frank Baum (1900) (audio) 

70. The Picture of Dorian Gray — Oscar Wilde (1890) (audio) 

71. Justine — Marquis de Sade (1791) 

72. Love and Will — Rollo May (1969) 

73. Nine Stories — J.D. Salinger (1953) 

74. The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution — P.D. Ouspensky (1950) 

75. The Good Earth — Pearl S. Buck (1931) (audio) 

76. The Symposium — Plato (385-370 BC) 

77. Children’s Stories by Oscar Wilde (1888) 

august 

78. Plato’s Apology (3rd time), Crito (3rd time) ; Laches, Gorgias (audio) 

79. Plato’s Greater Hippias, Phaedrus (audio) 

80. The Scarlet Letter — Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850) (audio) 

81. Plato’s Phaedo (3rd time), Euthyphro (3rd time); Charmides 

82. Eyeless in Gaza — Aldous Huxley (1936) 

83. A Little History of the World — E. F. Gombrich (1936) (audio) 

84. Waiting for Godot — Samuel Beckett (1953) 

85. Anna Karenina — Leo Tolstoy (1877) 

86. A Little History of Literature — John Southerland (2013) 

87. Sartor Resartus — Thomas Carlyle (1831) 

88. Macbeth — Shakespeare (1606) 

september

89. An Apology for Idlers — Robert Louis Stevenson (Penguin Great Ideas collection of essays) (1877) 

90. The Cloister and the Hearth — Charles Reade (1861) 

91. How to Read a Book — Mortimer Adler & Charles van Doren (1972) (audio) 

92. Robinson Crusoe — Daniel Defoe (1719) (audio) 

93. The Story of Art — E. H. Gombrich (1950) 

94. The Moonstone — Wilkie Collins (1868) 

95. Emma — Jane Austen (1816) 

96. Daughters & Mothers: Mothers & Daughters — Signe Hammer (1975) 

97. Looking Back — Edward Bellamy (1888) 

98. Franny & Zooey — J.D. Salinger (1955) 

99. Persuasion — Jane Austen (1817)

100. Sense and Sensibility — Jane Austen (1811) (audio and 2011 Annotated edition!!!) 

101. The Aspern Papers — Henry James (1888) 

october

102. Death of a Salesman — Arthur Miller (1949) 

103. Brave New World — Aldous Huxley (1932) (audio) 

104. Dhalgren — Samuel R. Delaney (1974) 

105. Mansfield Park — Jane Austen (1814) 

106. Northanger Abbey — Jane Austen (1817) 

107. Rebecca — Daphne Du Maurier (1938) 

108. Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen (1813) (second time) (audio) 

109. The American — Henry James (1877) 

110. Washington Square — Henry James (1880) 

111. The Europeans — Henry James (1878) 

112. Watch and Ward — Henry James (1871) 

113. Roderick Hudson — Henry James (1875) 

114. Confidence — Henry James (1879)

115. Portrait of a Lady — Henry James (1881)

116. I’ll Never Be French — Marc Greenside (2008)

117. The Bostonians -- Henry James (1886)

118. Henry James short stories Vol. I 1864-1874 -- A Tragedy of Error; The Story of a Year; A Landscape Painter; A Day of Days; My Friend Bingham; Poor Richard, The Story of a Masterpiece; The Romance of Certain Old Clothes; A Most Extraordinary Case; A Problem; De Grey: A Romance; Osbourne’s Revenge, A Light Man, Gabrielle de Bergerac, Travelling Companions, A Passionate Pilgrim, At Isella, Master Eustace, Guest’s Confession, The Madonna of the Future, The Sweetheart of M. Briseaux, The Last of the Valerii, Madame de Mauves, Adina

119. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul -- Douglas Adams (1988)

120. French Children Don’t Throw Food -- Pamela Druckerman (2012)

121. Au Contraire: Figuring Out the French -- Asselin & Mastron (2001)

122. Henry James: The Young Master -- Sheldon Novick (1997)

123. Henry James short stories Vol. II 1875-1884 Professor Fargo, Eugene Pickering, Benvolio, Crawford’s Consistency, The Ghostly Rental, Four Meetings, Rose-Agathe, Daisy Miller, Longstaff’s Marriage, An International Episode, The Pension Beaurepas, The Diary of a Man of Fifty, A Bundle of Letters, The Point of View, The Siege of London, The Impressions of a Cousin, Lady Barberina, The Author of Beltraffio, Pandora

124. The Trail of the Serpent -- Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1860)

125. The Silent Language -- Edward T. Hall (1959)

[manicr]

Villains <3

I’ve just reread all of Sandman + The Dreaming (1996) and started The Dreaming (2018) and damn if it’s not reminding me how much I love The Corinthian, literal Gay Nightmare, the Dark Mirror Archetype.

Even more befittingly, he’s The archetype of a villain that I love.

I love fun villains, villains who are fun to watch and are having fun in their awfulness. The guys, gals and pals who bounce back from their defeats, ass-kickings, failures, mental breaks and the tragedy of their lives into a smile and a laugh at the next horrible thing they do. They enjoy being awful. And seeing/reading someone having fun is fun.

They are also mirror archetypes, evil counterparts, aka. what our hero “might/could be“, inversions of their good parts or amplifications their worst traits, their bad parts and mistakes all rolled into a package that gleefully laughs back at them and challenges them to be better.

That is the Corinthian’s literal job as a nightmare. To reflect the darkest parts of you back at you. Bullseye does that too to Daredevil, if less obviously. They share similar traits, less than great childhoods, mental illness, an attraction to violence, and that contrast of the blind man vs. the perfect shot. As villains Sabretooth and Daken have similar, if more complicated, relationships to Wolverine and X-23. The “version of you that had it worse” story, by either giving into their rage or by never being saved. Moonstone is another who played off on Captain Marvel.

I’m not against redemption and growth of villains into something else, but where I’m as a reader having the most fun with a Villain its when they do not desire redemption. I like the versions where the glee and joy is still there.

These characters are usually not sane. I have a fascination and a catharsis in that too, being both neurodivergent and struggling with mental illness myself. But as a villain, I don’t ask for them to get better, I don’t want them to even dwell on being unwell, just to roll with the chaos and smile. They don’t have to carry the pain and angst. They are damn grinning nightmares out to get you and they remind you, darkly, of yourself. And damn if that doesn’t make for a compelling story.

[omniversecomicsguide]

The road to the Thunderbolts continues with the THUNDERBOLTS READING ORDER: BEFORE THE T-BOLTS (1986-1996)

MORE: Before the Thunderbolts 1986-1996 - - - Follow the histories of Baron Zemo, Beetle, Moonstone, Goliath, Screaming Mimi and the Fixer in the days before they became... 'heroes'?

[newhavenhq-blog]

¡Has llegado a New Haven, Jude! Ha sido un largo y escabroso camino, pero ha valido la pena. No bajes la guardia, porque los muertos no descansan, y tanto ellos como los vivos son un peligro. Fíjate bien en quien confías, porque aunque parezca que estás a salvo, el camino al infierno está lleno de buenas intenciones.

¡Bienvenida, Moonstone! Agradecemos tu interés en el proyecto y esperamos que tu estancia sea agradable. A partir de este momento cuentas con 24 horas para enviar la cuenta de tu personaje. Si necesitas una extensión de tiempo, no dudes en solicitarla.

// FUERA.

Nombre o apodo: Moonstone.

Pronombres: she/her.

Edad: +18.

País o zona horaria: CST.

Nivel de conexión (1 al 10): 6/10.

¿Algo que desees agregar?: Nunca me han interesado temáticas de zombies, pero esto está tan bonito que dije WHY NOT? Gracias por tanto.

// DENTRO.

Nombre completo: Jude Holvin.

Edad y fecha de nacimiento: Veintidós años. Mayo 18, 1996.

Faceclaim: Maika Monroe.

Personalidad: (+) Metódica, analítica y previsora.                          (-) Frívola, rencorosa y antipática.

Tres a cinco datos sobre su vida antes de la plaga:

Jude llegó al mundo de una manera tan inesperada y sorprendente como después se caracterizaría su personalidad, siendo la hija más joven del matrimonio Holvin y quién traería más dolores de cabeza que nadie. A pesar de ser una familia grande en números, habiendo tres hermanos más, el cariño y las atenciones no se vieron disminuidos en ningún momento.

Enérgica y dinámica, dos adjetivos que la definen a la perfección en su infancia, buscando conocer todos los sitios nuevos posibles y hablar con todas las personas que cruzaran en su camino. Fue así como la integraron a los seis años a un campamento de verano y fue ahí donde descubrió su verdadero amor y pasión: el mar. Como si ese fuese su verdadero habitad, la paz que se extendía por su interior y la calma que el agua le ofrecía no eran comparables con cualquier cosa que hubiese experimentado en el pasado, o que fuese a experimentar en su futuro, es que decide que a eso se quiere dedicar.

Muchos cursos de natación, buceo y salvavidas después decide mudarse permanentemente a la costa, decidiendo dedicar su vida a salvaguardar a las personas de la inmensidad del mar. No es la gran cosa, no le produce los grandes ingresos económicos, pero es feliz y es lo único que le importa.

Logra conocer a una persona con la que desea compartir su vida, la dinámica entre ambos va de maravilla y el entendimiento mutuo es envidiable. Lastimosamente, esa mañana de Febrero, todos los planes se los llevó la marea.

Tres a cinco datos sobre su vida desde la plaga hasta su llegada a New Haven:

Aún no sabe cómo es que sobrevivió a la masacre que ante su mirada se desarrolló, solo recuerda el caos y los gritos y como las personas que conocía se transformaban en seres completamente irreconocibles. Más allá de ello, como una manera de la mente de defenderse de los traumas, todo lo demás resulta completamente borroso.

Estuvo bajo el resguardo de un grupo grande de personas, todos ocultos a la orilla de la playa pues descubrieron que las criaturas eran incapaces de nadar. Armados con todo lo que tenían a la mano (palos, escobas, redes, ganchos, cuchillos y algunas armas de bajo calibre) lograron sobrevivir hasta que el anuncio fue transmitido por la radio. Existe un debate entre todos los miembros de la agrupación, se discuten los peligros y las oportunidades de viajar a la tierra prometida. Los víveres están escasos y su fortaleza no durará más que unas semanas más; armados hasta los dientes es que deciden emprender la aventura.

Muerte tras muerte en el largo camino hacia New Haven en una lucha interminable con aquellos que ya no estaban con vida. Jude no sabe pelear, sabe usar un arma pero no desea usarla. Para su mala suerte, y como un impulso, tiene que usarla por vez primera cuando reconoce aquellos ojos que lograron enamorarla en el pasado; ahora, sin vida, con sed de sangre, estaba el cuerpo de aquél que había amado. Bastó un disparo certero para acabar con él. No era quién había conocido.

La personalidad de Jude dio un giro de 180°. Ya no es la chica sonriente que disfruta de conocer personas y establecer charlas triviales, ahora es una persona observadora y callada que prefiere mantenerse alejada del resto para evitar establecer lazos innecesarios. Y la sonrisa que portaba todos los días en su rostro no se ha vuelto a ver.

[adapembroke]

Hello, I saw that you were doing past life readings. If you're done then i totally get that, but if not I was born November 10th, 1996 at 11:17 am in Bangor Maine.

You were born when the sun was shining in the highest point of the sky, as bright and visible as it ever gets... at the dark of the moon, in Scorpio the sign of darkness.

Bringing light into the darkness is a theme in your chart, Moonstones. It’s no wonder you identify with stardust. 

In your past life, you were an exorcist. Your job may not have literally been to expel evil with holy water or shamanic tools. You might have been a journalist who specialized in special investigations or a detective or a prosecutor. Whatever you did, you were a person who made evil visible. You talked fast, thought on your feet, and didn’t have time to really think deeply.

This, naturally, left you with a lot of questions, questions that are tickling around in the back of your mind. “What is the meaning of life? Is there any meaning in suffering? How do you ask questions of the darkness and understand its answers?” 

Building a life that is calm and peaceful enough for you to consider these questions is soul medicine for you this time around. And with the wisdom and experience you’ve carried along with you, I hope you’ll share what you find with us.