#Who was Peter Brook inspired by?
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Turning the Page
Now and Then
- Chapter 9-
Choices, The Royal Romance, AU
Series Premise: As Riley Brooks journeys through life as a single parent in New York City, an epiphany strikes as she contemplates the future for herself and her two-year-old son.
Turning the Page Series Masterlist
Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!OC Riley Brooks
All characters belong to Pixelberry Studios, except William Brooks (Rys) and Matteo Magro, who belongs to this series.
Category: On-going series, contains angst/fluff/depression. Cross-over fic with Choices, Perfect Match.
Rating: M🔞Warnings - Series will contain crude language, NSFW material – not Beta’d - please excuse all errors.
Words: 2498
Now and Then – 9
Chapter Summary: Riley and William arrive in Cordonia
Title & Music Inspiration:
Now and Then, The Beatles
When You Love Someone, Gretchen Peters, Bryan Adams
Wherever You Will Go, The Calling
A/N1: In this alternate universe, after King Constantine orchestrates two individual scandals to humiliate and entrap Riley Brooks and Olivia Nevrakis in shame, Madeleine Amaranth secures her position as the Queen of Cordonia. Riley, as the King’s mistress and Olivia, in self-imposed exile. Tariq is never found.
A/N2: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week#67, prompt #1 - “Nothing could ever change how I feel about you.”
A/N3: My submission for @choicesjanuary2024, prompt Day 25 - ‘Remembrance’ #choices monthly challenge @lilyoffandoms #choicesjanuary2024
A/N4: Damien Nazario has been assigned as William’s personal bodyguard.
In Flight, Cordonian Royal Jet, above the Mediterranean Sea
Looking out over the vast expanse of water below her, and under the clear blue skies above the Mediterranean Sea, no clouds were in sight ... not a white cloud, nor a black cloud.
Riley gazed out the large passenger window of the private jet, in solace, with her memories. Everything felt calm; almost too calm. The flight from New York to Cordonia was eight hours in duration, and even though they left early in the morning, they would not arrive at the palace until late in the evening with the change in time zones.
Trying to and not getting any rest, her thoughts returned to the events over the holidays.
...Remembering when Liam arrived at her door, in New York on Christmas Eve, a short week ago. The expression of elation on his face as she opened the door for him...
[‘Hello, my love,’ he tenderly smiled; He was standing there with an exquisite bouquet of long-stemmed red roses, as uniformed delivery drivers from the toy store waited patiently at a distance behind him, as the Royal guard performed a security check.��
Liam stepped over the threshold, leaning down to draw her in for a kiss on the cheek, as she accepted his gift. ‘Oh Li, these are gorgeous; thank you so much.’
At Bastien’s prompt, the delivery people entered the brownstone with prewrapped gifts and placed them under the Christmas tree, also filling the extra space in the living room very quickly.
Chuckling, Riley watched as Liam thanked them with a generous tip, as he closed the door after them.
“Our son will be so thrilled at what Santa brought him; wait till he wakes up tomorrow.”
Liam laughed, moving quickly to put his arm around her, pulling her to his side. “Who says all these gifts are just for him? Hmmm?” Riley turned her head towards him, as Liam bent to capture her lips in a passion-fueled kiss.
“Ah yes, your gift is right here.” Liam slipped his hand inside his coat to reveal a small box, wrapped in gold with a red ribbon. “This is for you.”}
Riley breathed out, shaking her head.
...Remembering wanting him so badly that evening ...as he kissed her forehead to say ‘good night’ before turning to the guest room; Leaving her feeling so confused, once again.
...Remembering how excited LiLi was when he saw his father again Christmas morning ... and the look of pure joy in Liam’s expression as he watched his son blissfully playing with his new toys.
...Remembering the look of adoration between Liam and his son; a private and sacred bond established between the two ... a bond only meant for them.
Riley looked down at her phone and smiled fondly at the picture of William. He was proudly standing beside his gingerbread house gift for Liam, alongside Daniel and Matteo, to smile at the camera. Riley marveled at how unequivocally her son loved his father, so quickly. As if two loose puzzle pieces finally clicked into place. There was never a doubt in her mind that William needed to be wherever his father was. The connection between father and son was undeniable.
...and with those thoughts, she agreed to return to Cordonia.
And now, she found herself on the Royal jet headed back, leaving behind her New York world for the place that shattered her ‘happily ever after,’ again.
Liam, being the new, ever-doting father was pointing out to his son the shores of Cordonia through the window. She saw the look of marvel in Liam’s eyes, as he watched his son’s reaction to seeing Cordonia for the very first time. They were sitting in seats across the aisle from her as she glanced over.
Catching Riley’s eye, Liam responded with a wink and a smile.
"Welcome home, love."
Riley smiled in return, as her heart skipped a beat.
Home...
It had been a while since she had felt this way about Cordonia. Another lifetime; so much has changed, and yet remained the same.
***
Damien Nazario, the Interpol agent who was now permanently assigned to be William Rys's personal bodyguard, was reviewing the Crown prince's dossier, and his duties to the Cordonian crown, his new employer. Bastien took a seat beside the young agent to answer any questions he may have, as head of the Royal guard, at the rear of the plane's cabin.
"So, Damien, any questions for me?"
"No, sir. I believe I have a handle on the situation.”
"Good, because you are now the official head of the security detail for Prince William, the future king of Cordonia."
"Understood, sir.” Damien was well aware of the complexity of a constitutional monarchy.
"Now, there's one more thing I need to discuss with you,” Bastien eyed the young agent.
"Yes, sir?"
"Madeleine Amaranth, the former queen of Cordonia. I have forwarded her updated dossier to you."
"Yes, I've read it through.” Damien paused, waiting for more information.
"Good, because she has expressed malicious intent towards Prince William and Lady Riley, should they return to Cordonia."
"Understood. I'll ensure her movements are tracked and reported inside and out of the country, sir."
"Thank you, Damien.”
"My pleasure, sir.”
Bastien, looking pleased, leaned back in his chair, checking the time on his watch, as he felt the plane begin its descent.
Cordonia, Capital
The jet touched down smoothly on the tarmac, as the engines powered down. The cabin door opened, and the stairs were lowered.
Riley could feel the warm breeze blow past her as she stepped off the plane.
Taking a deep breath, Riley looked around. The air was different here. It was fresh and clean. She closed her eyes and let the wind brush her cheeks.
Liam followed, with William sleeping in his arms.
"Is everything alright, love?" Liam’s brows were raised in concern, noticing her hesitation.
"Yes, I'm just taking it all in." Riley, looked down, unable to keep eye contact.
"Are you sure, Riley? You've been very quiet throughout the entire flight home."
"I'm fine, Liam. It is just a lot to process. I'm just a little overwhelmed."
"All right, I understand. Let us get to the palace, so you and William can get settled and rest ... okay?"
"Yes, thank you, Liam."
Liam glanced over at Riley with concern as he personally buckled his son into the car seat. It was quite easy for him to see and feel the apprehension in her mood. She could not hide her emotions from him as well as she always thought she could.
Riley had remained noticeably quiet during the ride to the palace as well, looking out at the passing countryside. Liam could not help but wonder if she was having second thoughts about returning to Cordonia, and/or to him.
As they pulled up to the palace gates, Liam looked over at Riley, noticing a small smile on her face.
"What is it, love?" Liam spoke softly, reaching for her hand.
Riley returned his touch with a squeeze. "This place...it's beautiful."
"Thank you, that, it is. Welcome home."
“William will be so excited when he wakes up.” Riley glanced at a still sleeping William as the SUV slowed to a stop.
"I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me.... to have you both here." Liam confessed.
"You're welcome, Liam. It's the least I can do."
Liam's heart sank at her words. He hated the distance between them. He wanted to take her in his arms and make everything right, but, for right now, he knew that was not the best strategy.
He had to accept that things had changed, and their relationship was different now. He had to be patient and give Riley the space she needed.
But he also had to make her see how important she was to him. He had to show her how much he had missed her ... that he wanted a future with her and William in Cordonia.
As the SUV door opened for her, Riley felt a sense of Deja vu. This was where she had started her journey with Liam in Cordonia all those years ago. And now, here she was, back again.
"Do you want me to take you and William to the guest wing, or do you want to stay in my chambers?"
"I would like to stay with you, if that's okay."
"Of course, Riley. I would love that."
It was surreal for Riley as she walked the pristine palace halls towards the Royal Chambers. Liam carried William, who was fast asleep in his arms beside her.
The memories of the past times she was here flooded her mind and her heart ached as she pushed the painful memories aside. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.
As they reached the large double doors of the entrance to the Royal east wing, the guards opened the doors for Liam and Riley to enter.
Riley stepped inside; the same chambers where she had spent so much time before. The familiar scent of Liam's cologne filled the air, sending a wave of longing for a past time through her mind.
Walking into her room ... it was exactly as she remembered it. Everything was in its place, from the elegant chandelier hanging above the bed, to the intricate paintings adorning the walls.
Riley took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked around the room, taking in every detail.
She felt a pang of sadness as she remembered those past times.
After tucking William into his bed in the adjacent room, Liam came in and sat down next to her. He gently placed his hand on hers, and she looked up at him, their eyes meeting.
"What are you thinking about Riley?"
"I'm okay, Liam. I was just thinking about how much things have changed since I was here last."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her close. "I know it's a lot, but I'm here for you, and I'll help you in any way I can," Liam whispered.
"Thank you, Liam."
He pulled away and cupped her face in his hands, staring into her eyes intently. "You're welcome, Riley. Always. Nothing could ever change how I feel about you.”
He moved in to press his lips to hers, and she melted into his kiss.
It was soft and gentle, and full of longing.
He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. "God, Riley, I've missed you."
"I've missed you, Li."
He leaned down and kissed her again, deeper this time.
His tongue swept across her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth to him.
Their tongues tangled together in a dance that was familiar and yet new.
They were no longer the same people they were when they had last been together. They were both older and wiser, and the passion between them burned even brighter.
Riley pulled away and put her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath her palm.
"Liam, I..."
"Shhh."
He placed a finger over her lips. "Don't say anything, Riley. Just feel."
His lips found hers again, and the world disappeared. There was nothing but the two of them, lost in each other.
She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
She moaned into his mouth as he slid his hands down her back and pulled her closer.
He broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.
"Riley," he breathed. "God, I want you so much."
“Liam, I ...”
Liam pulled back and looked into her eyes, “stay with me tonight.”
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OFMD Stede Bonnet as a Macaroni: Wealth, Gender and Sexuality in the 18th Century Fashion World
Historical Inaccuracy in Our Flag Means Death? Never!
Historical inaccuracy! I hear you cry. A Macaroni in 1717!?! It is true macaroni fashion was really a late-18th century fashion trend, seemingly reaching its peak in the 1770s. However Our Flag Means Death is nothing if not historically inaccurate. Stede’s costumes seem to take inspiration from across the 18th century rather than worrying about what would have actually been worn in 1717.
Early 18th century suits tended to have round necklines, loose-fitting sleeves with wide cuffs, long waistcoats that stoped just above the knee, and coats with full skirts just a little longer that the waistcoat.
[Left: Matthew Prior, oil on canvas, c. 1713-1714, by Alexis-Simon Belle, photo credit: St John's College, University of Cambridge, via Art UK.
Middle: Matthew Hutton of Newnham, Hertfordshire, oil on canvas, c. 1715, by Johannes Verelst, photo credit: National Trust Images, via Art UK.
Right: William Leathes, Ambassador Brussels, oil on canvas, c. 1710-1711, by Herman van der Myn, photo credit: Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service: Ipswich Borough Council Collection, via Art UK.]
As the century continued we get standing collars and turned down collars but round necklines were still around as well, sleeves got tighter with smaller cuffs, the waistcoats got shorter and the coats lost their skirts.
[Left: Thomas ‘Sense’ Browne, oil on canvas, c. 1775, by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, photo credit: Yale Center for British Art, via Art UK.
Middle: Sir Brooke Boothby, oil on canvas, c. 1781, by Joseph Wright of Derby, photo credit: Tate, via Art UK.
Right: David Allan, oil on canvas, c. 1770, by David Allan, photo credit: Royal Scottish Academy/National Galleries of Scotland (Antonia Reeve), via Art UK.]
Stede’s collars are inconstant some are rounded but others are turned down and Ed’s purple suit has a standing collar. Many of Stede’s coats have wide cuffs, but most have little skirt to them. His teal suit from the pilot has a bit of a skirt but its paired with a short waistcoat.
Most of Stede’s waistcoats are short with the exception of his suits from both the wedding portrait with Mary and the the family portrait. Both suits are very straight giving him a boxy appearance and are pretty different from most of the suits we see him in.
All in all I don’t think they were aiming for historically realistic clothes but with the collars, short waistcoats, and lack of skirts I get more of a late-18th century vibe.
So what was a Macaroni?
A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), defined macaroni as follows:
An Italian paste made of flour and eggs; also a fop, which name arose from a club, called the maccaroni club, instituted by some of the most; dressy travelled gentlemen about town, who led the fashions, whence a man foppishly dressed, was supposed a member of that club, and by contraction stiled a maccaroni.
The macaroni club was said to have comprised of young men who had gained a taste for French and Italian textiles on their Grand Tour (a traditional trip taken tough Europe by upper class men when they came of age). The earliest reference to the club is from a letter from Horace Walpole to Lord Hertford on the 6th Feb 1764:
at the Maccaroni Club (which is composed of all the travelled young men who wear long curls and spying-glasses),
In his book Pretty Gentleman: Macaroni Men and the Eighteenth-Century Fashion World Peter McNeil suggest the club was actually Almack’s. Almack’s was a private club at 50 Pall Mall that was attended by prominent Whigs including Sheridan, Fox and the Price of Wales. (p52) While the name may have originated from the men at Almack’s it was soon used to describe any man who followed the associated fashion trends.
So what were these trends?
Hair
“Still lower let us fall for once, and pop
Our heads into a modern Barber’s shop;
What the result? or what we behold there?
A set of Macaronies weaving hair.”
~ The Macaroni by Robert Hitchcock
Probably the most iconic aspect of macaroni fashion was the hair. “It was the macaroni attention to wigs that caused most consternation” explains Peter McNeil. The macaroni hair “matched the towering heights of the female coiffure, with a tall toupee cresting at the centre front. The wig generally had a long tail at the neck (’queue’), which when folded double was called the ‘cadogan’, all of which required regular dressing with pomade and powder, sometimes in the colours of pink, green or red.” (p45)
The height of the macaroni hair was a point of particular fascination in macaroni caricature exaggerating it beyond what the macaroni were probably actually wearing. Compare below Tom’s hair in the satirical print What is this my son Tom to the self portrait of Richard Cosway, who was satirised by Mary Darly as “The Miniature Macaroni” (a reference both to his height and his career as a miniature painter).
[Left: What is this my son Tom, print, c. 1774, published by Sayer & Bennett, via The British Museum.
Right: Self-Portrait, Ivory, c. 1770–75, by Richard Cosway, via The Met.]
The way Stede usually wears is hair is not particularly macaroni nor particularly 18th century for that matter. The exception to this is his wig from The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well though even this doesn’t have the iconic macaroni hight.
Interestingly both Stede and Ed are wearing flowers in their hair. While there are certainly depictions of women with flowers in there hair I’m not aware of this being a trend in mens fashion at all. However macaroni were known for wearing large nosegays.
While the tall hair was certainly iconic not all macaroni wore their hair tall. Joseph Banks, who was satirised as “The Fly Catching Macaroni” by Matthew Darly, is depicted in his portrait with a fairly typical 18th century hairstyle. Its not the hair alone that makes a macaroni, it was just one aspect of the fashion.
[Sir Joseph Banks, oil on canvas, c. 1771-1773, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, via Wikimedia.]
Suit
“If I went to Almack’s and decked out my wrinkles in pink and green like Lord Harrington, I might still be in vogue.” ~ Horace Walpole to Lord Hertford, 25 Nov 1764
Menswear of the period consisted of the same basic elements; shirt, stockings, breeches, waistcoat and coat. What differentiated the macaroni from others was the fabric, cut, colour and trimmings of the suit. “At a time when English dress generally consisted of more sober cuts and the use of monochrome broadcloth,” explains Peter McNeil “macaronism emphasised the effects associated with French, Spanish and Italian textiles and trimmings”. Popular amongst macaroni were brocaded and embroidered silks and velvets, sometimes further embellished with metallic sequins, simulated gemstones and raised metallic threads. Popular colours included pastels, pea-green, pink, red and deep orange. (McNeil, p30-32)
Far from wearing “monochrome broadcloth” Stede likes a “fine fabric” and dresses in a range of colours, we see him in teal, pink, purple, green, white, red, peach &c.
Tightly cut French style suits known as habit à la française were popular with macaroni. (McNeil, p14) Stede’s suits vary somewhat in cut but some are very French. The peach suit Stede wears in We Gull Way Back particularly has a very macaroni feel to me. Compare it to the English suit (left) and the French suit (right).
From the back you can see the English suit has more of a skirt to it.
Both Stede’s suit and the French suit are somewhat plain but have been paired with a floral embroidered waistcoat, while the English suit has a matching plain black waistcoat.
[Left: English suit, wool, silk, c. 1755–65, via The Met, number: 2009.300.916a, b.
Right: French suit, Silk plain weave (faille), c. 1785, via LACMA, number: M.2007.211.47a-b.]
Fabric covered button’s were common in the 18th century, you can see them on both the French and English coats above. In contrast Stede wears a lot of metal buttons. Steel buttons were popular amongst macaroni, a trend that was satirised in Steel Buttons/Coup de Bouton.
[Steel Buttons/Coup de Bouton, print, c. 1777, by William Humphrey, via The British Museum.]
Pumps and Parasols
“Maccaronies who trip in pumps and with Parasols over their heads” ~ Mrs Montagu
High heels had been popular amongst men during the 17th century. The Royal Collection Trust explains:
In the first half of the 17th century, high heeled shoes for men took the form of heeled riding or Cavalier boots as worn by Charles I. As the wearing of heels filtered into the lower ranks of society, the aristocracy responded by dramatically increasing the height of their shoes. High heels were impractical for undertaking manual labour or walking long distances, and therefore announced the privileged status of the wearer.
(Royal Collection Trust, High Heels Fit for a King)
In 17th century France Louis XIV popularised red-heels by turning them into a symbol of political privilege, which in turn spread the fashion to England. But with the sobering of menswear in England around the turn of the century the high heel and the red-heels went out of fashion. (see Bata Shoe Museum Toronto, Standing TALL: The Curious History of Men in Heels)
The high heel had a bit of a resurgence in the 1770s with macaroni fashion. The Natural History of a Macaroni snipes that the macaroni’s “natural hight is somewhat inferior to he ordinary size of men, through by the artificial hight of their heels, they in general reach that standard”. (Walker’s Hibernian Magazine, July 1777, p458)
Red-heels were reintroduced to England by young men returning from their Grand Tours. A young Charles James Fox (satirised by Mathew Darly as “the Original Macaroni”) wore such French style red-heeled shoes. The Monthly Magazine recalls a young Fox as a “celebrated “beau garçon” with “his chapeau bras, his red-heeled shoes, and his blue hair-powder.” (Oct 1806) and The Life of the Right Honorable, Charles James Fox recalls him in his “suit of Paris-cut velvet, most fancifully embroidered, and bedecked with a large bouquet; a head-dress cemented into every variety of shape; a little silk hat, curiously ornamented; and a pair of French shoes, with red-heels;” (p18) And in Recollections of the Life of the Late Right Honorable Charles James Fox B.C. Walpole recalls him as “one of the greatest beaus in England,” who “indulged in all the fashionable elegance of attire, and vied, in point of red heels and Paris-cut velvet with the most dashing young men of the age. Indeed there are many still living who recollect Beau Fox strutting up and down St. Jame’s-street, in a suit of French embroidery, a little silk hat, red-heeled shoes, and a bouquet nearly large enough for a may-pole.” (p24)
Compare the French style red-heeled shoes of Louis XIV to Stede’s red-heeled shoes.
[Left: detail of Louis XIV, oil on canvas, c. 1701, by Hyacinthe Rigaud, via Wikimedia.]
However most macaroni were depicted wearing the more standard late 18th century low-heeled bucked shoes. Where they distinguished themselves was the size and decoration of the buckles. “Such buckles could be set with pate (lead glass) or ‘Bristol stones’ (chips of quartz), or diamonds if you were very rich.” Explains peter McNeil, “The new macaroni fashion was for huge silver or plated Artois shoe buckles which the Mourning Post claimed weighed three to eleven ounces.” (p90)
While certainly not as iconic has his heels Stede also wears these sorts of shoes. Compare below the shoes from a macaroni caricature to Ed wearing Stede’s shoes (I couldn’t get a good shot of Stede wearing them).
[Left: detail of How d'ye like me, print, c. 1772, published by: Carington Bowles, via The British Museum.]
“A great many jewelled accessories accompanied the macaroni look”, writes Peter McNeil, “They included hanger swords, very long canes, clubs, spying glasses and snuff-boxes.” (p68) Tragically we don’t see Stede with a fashionable dress sword or a cane but we do see him with another accessory popular amongst macaroni; a parasol.
Popular in France parasols/umbrellas were adopted by the macaroni. They were popular amongst both men and woman in France but in England they had a feminine connotation. (McNeil, p129) In the 1780s as umbrellas became more popular amongst men there was a cultural pushback to the perceived gender transgression. On the 16th of August 1780 the Morning Post complains of of the “canopy of umbrellas” bemoaning that “the effeminacy of the men, inclines them to adopt this necessary appendage of female convenience”. On the the 4th Oct, 1784, the Morning Chronicle published a letter complaining of “that vile foppish practice of sheltering under a umbrella”. The author of this tirade writes that while “the ladies should be allowed to secure their beauty and persons from the heat of the sun, or the inclemency of the weather,” because “it is natural, and has a striking effect”, that “to see a great lubberly cit, bounce from his shop, with a coat, hat, and wig that are not together worth one groat,” sheltering “from the influence of the solar beam” was “intolerable.” However:
The macaroni being of the doubtful gender, may in part claim a feminine right; his dress is too delicate to bear an heavy shower, perhaps his person is so too; but a coach, if a clean one is to be found would serve his purpose much better, as there would be less likelihood of his being washed away into the kennel, which he deserves to be kicked into for his d-----d affectation.
Wealth
Born from rich young men returning from their tours with a taste for French and Italian textiles macaroni fashion was expensive. Certainly a working class man would not be able to afford Stede’s wardrobe. Both the sheer amount of clothes he has as well has the fabrics those clothes are made of are indications of wealth. However to say that Stede’s wardrobe is only an indication of wealth would be missing part of picture.
Most rich upper class English men (including colonial) wore plain monochrome suits. Even amongst the gentry macaroni fashion was not the norm. Compare bellow George Washington (left) who was a wealthy planation owner, but notably not a macaroni, to Richard Cosway (right) who was a famous macaroni.
[Left: George Washington, oil on canvas, c. 1796, by Gilbert Stuart, via Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Right: Detail of The Academicians of the Royal Academy, oil on canvas, c. 1771-72, by Johan Zoffany, via The Royal Collection Trust.]
In spite of the expense macaroni fashion was not exclusive to the upper classes. “Macaroni dress was not restricted to members of the aristocracy and gentry,” writes McNeil, “but included men of the artisan, artist, and upper servant classes, who wore versions of this visually lavish clothing with a distinctive cut and shorter jackets. Wealthier shopkeepers and entrepreneurs also sometimes wore such lavish clothing, particularly those associated with the luxury trades, such as mercers and upholsterers -” (p14)
It was possible to copy certain aspects of macaroni fashion on a cheeper budget. The hairstyle in particular was achievable without braking the bank. And there were ways to replicate the effects of certain expensive fashion trends for cheeper prices. For example patterns could be printed rather than embroidered.
[Left: printed waistcoat, cotton, c. 1770–90, via The Met, number: 35.142.
Right: embroidered waistcoat, silk, c. 1780–89, via The Met, number: 2009.300.2908.]
The Town and Country Magazine complains “we now have Macaronies of every denomination, from the colonel of the Train’s-Bands down to the errand-boy.” (McNeil, p169) The Morining Post mocks macaronies that couldn't financially keep up with the trends:
The macaronies of a certain class are under peculiar circumstances of distress, occasioned by the fashion, now so prevalent, of wearing enormous shoe-buckles; and we are well assured that the manufactory of plated ware was never known to be in so flourishing a situation.
(14 Jan, 1777)
In 18th century England, class was about more than just how much money you had. It was about pedigree. “English society was particularly alert to those whom it felt were using clothes to achieve a social status they did not merit” explains McNeil. Richard Cosway was a famous macaroni from modest background. Born to a Devonshire headmaster he was sent to London to study painting at 12. He became a very successful miniature painter and grew rich from the patronage of the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and Whig circles. In Nollekens and his Times J.T. Smith writes of Cosway:
He rose from one of the dirtiest boys, to one of the smartest of men. Indeed so ridiculously foppish did he become that Mat Darly, the famous caricature print-seller, introduced an etching of him in his window in the Strand, as ‘The Macaroni Miniature Painter’
(McNeil, p105-14)
But it was not only the Darlys that satirised Cosway Hannah Humphrey mocks Cosway as a social climber in A Smuggling Machine or a Convenient Cos(au)way for a Man in Miniature which depicts him standing under the petticoats of his much taller wife Maria. In the background there is a picture of Cosway climbing a ladder that rests upon a woman (she is believed to either be Angelica Kauffman or the Duchess of Devonshire). Below this reads:
Lowliness is Young Ambitions Ladder,
Whereto the climber upward turns his Face
But when he once attains the upmost round
He then unto the Ladder turns his back,
Looks unto the clouds - scornin [sic] the base degrees
By which he did assend.
Shak. Jul. Caesar.
[A Smuggling Machine or a Convenient Cos(au)way for a Man in Miniature, print, c. 1782, by Hannah Humphrey, via The British Museum.]
Another famous macaroni not born into the aristocracy was Julius Soubise. Brought to England from the West Indies as a slave he was taken in by Catherine Hyde, the Duchess of Queensbury. She gave him a leisured childhood, in which he was taught to play and compose for the violin, was taught to fence by Domenico Angelo, and learned oration from David Garrick. “Macaroni caricatures of Soubise parodied a foppish upstart whose outfits and entertainments, financed by the Duchess, affronted both racial and social expectations of an African male.” Writes Petter McNeil, Soubise was satirised as “a Mungo Macaroni” an “offensive term meaning a rude or forward black man.” (p118)
[Left: A Mungo Macaroni, print, c. 1772, by Matthew Darly, via The British Museum.
Right: The D------ of [...]-- playing at foils with her favorite lap dog Mungo after expending near £10000 to make him a----------*, print, c. 1773, by William Austin, via Yale Center for British Art.]
The expense of Stede’s wardrobe is a key part of the narrative. Stede has nice fancy luxurious things. Ed wants nice fancy luxurious things. Ed was born a poor brown boy and while he may be rich now he can never truly change his class. He could be as rich as Richard Cosway or Julius Soubise but to the gentry he will always be that poor brown boy.
Gender
As we have already seen in the tirade against men using umbrellas the macaroni was perceived as being of “the doubtful gender”. (The Morning Chronicle, 4 Oct, 1784)
The Natural History of a Macaroni writes that there “has within these few years past arrived from France and Italy a very strange animal, of the doubtful gender, in shape somewhat between a man and monkey,” that dresses “neither in the habit of a man or woman, but peculiar to itself”. The author states that “they are in no respect useful in this country”:
that the minister of the war department would give orders to have them enlisted for the service of America: we do not mean to put them on actual duty there. Alas! they are as harmless in the field, as they are in the chamber, but they may stand as faggots to cover the loss of real men.
(Walker’s Hibernian Magazine, July 1777, p458-9)
A “faggot” being “A man who is temporarily hired as a dummy soldier to make up the required number at a muster of troops, or on the roll of a company or regiment.” (see OED)
[The Masculine Gender & The Feminine Gender, etching with touches of watercolour, c. 1787, Attributed to Henry Kingsbury, via The Met.]
The macaroni wasn’t just considered effeminate because of the way they dressed but also because of their interests and the way walked and talked. Famous for playing fops and macaroni, the actor David Garrick did a lot to establish the character of the macaroni in the public mind. In his poem The Fribbleriad Garrick mocks the men who were offended by his performances asserting, perhaps accurately, that they were offended because it was them he mocked. He portrays a group of angry effeminate men meeting in order to seek revenge on him for his portrayal of them:
May we no more such misery know!
Since Garrick made OUR SEX a shew;
And gave us up to such rude laughter,
That few, ’twas said, could hold their water:
For He, that player, so mock’d our motions,
Our dress, amusements, fancies, notions,
So lisp’d our words, and minc’d our steps,
The macaroni had become more than simply an effeminate man, he had become a new sex. Something not quite man or woman. Something in-between. A new description of a macaroni asks the question:
Is it a man? ‘Tis hard to say - A woman then
- A moment pray -
So doubtful is the thing, that no man
Can say if ‘tis a man or woman:
Unknown as yet by sex or feature,
It moves - a mere amphibious creature.
(McNeil p169)
Sexuality
Much like today in the 18th century effeminacy was associated with homosexuality. Men who had sex with other men were known as mollies. A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), defined a molly as “A Miss Molly; an effeminate fellow, a sodomite”. In the History of the London Clubs (1709), Ned Ward characterises mollies as follows:
There are a particular Gang of Wretches in Town, who call themselves Mollies, & are so far degenerated from all Masculine Deportment or Manly exercises that they rather fancy themselves Women, imitating all the little Vanities that Custom has reconcil’d to the Female sex, affecting to speak, walk, tattle, curtsy, cry, scold, & mimick all manner of Effeminacy.
“By the 1760′s,” explains Peter McNeil, “too much attention to fashion on the part of a man was read as evidence if a lack of interest in women”. (p152)
Macaroni were often portrayed as incapable or simply uninterested in sexual relations with women. This attitude is expressed by Mr. Bate in the following dialogue from The Vauxhall Affray; Or, the Macaronies Defeated:
Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I always though a fine woman was only made to be looked at.
Mr. Bate: Just sentiments of a macaroni. You judge of the fair sex as you do your own doubtful gender, which aims only to be looked at and admired.
Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I have as great a love for a fine woman as any man.
Mr. Bate: Psha! Lepus tute es et pulpamentum quæris?
Mr. Fitz-Gerall: What do you say, Parson?
Mr. Bate: I cry you mercy, Sir, I am talking Heathen Greek to you; in plain English I say, A macaroni you, and love a woman?
Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I love the ladies, for the ladies love me.
Mr Bate: Yes, as their panteen, their play-thing, their harmless bauble, to treat as you do them, merely to look at
While lack on interest in woman does not necessarily mean attraction to men, Matthew Darly takes the implication there in his 1771 set of macaroni caricatures which induces a print entitled Ganymede, a reference to Zeus’ male lover of the same name. Ganymede is believed to be a parody of Samuel Drybutter who had been arrested for attempted sodomy in January 1770. Darly also includes the character Ganymede in Ganymede & Jack-Catch. Jack-Catch is a reference to the infamous English executioner John Ketch. In the print Jack-Catch says, “Dammee Sammy you’r a sweat pretty creature & I long to have you at the end of my String.” Ganymede replies, “You don’t love me Jacky”. Jack-Catch is holding a noose with one hand and stroking Ganymede’s chin with the other. Jack-Catch is soberly dressed in typical 18th century menswear, while Ganymede’s dress is distinguished by his lace ruffles and styled wig. The print is not only suggesting that macaroni are sodomites but making a joke of the execution of them. The punishment for a sodomy at this time in England being death by hanging.
[Left: Ganymede, print, c. 1771, Matthew Darly, via The Met.
Right: Ganymede & Jack Catch, print, c. 1771, Matthew Darly, via The British Museum]
An anonymous letter to the Public Ledger (5 Aug, 1772) says blatantly what others had already implied. “The country is over-run with Catamites, with monsters of Captain Jones’s taste, or, to speak in a language witch all may understand, with MACCARONIES”. The writer warns macaroni who have “escaped detection” as sodomites and “therefore cannot fairly be charged” that they have not avoided suspicion:
Suspicion is got abroad-the carriage-the deportment-the dress-the effeminate squeak of the voice-the familiar loll upon each others shoulders-the gripe of the hand-the grinning in each others faces, to shew the whiteness of the teeth-in short, the manner altogether, and the figure so different from that of Manhood, these things conspire to create suspicion; Suspicion gives birth to watchful observation; and, from a strict observance of the Maccaroni Tribe, we very naturally conclude that to them we are indebted for the frequency of a crime which Modesty forbids me to name. Take warning, therefore, ye smirking group of Tiddy-dols: However secret you may be in your amours, yet in the end you cannot escape detection;
Bows on His Shoes
18th century shoes were typically buckled, laces and ribbons were simply unfashionable. As mentioned previously macaroni were distinguished by the size and decoration of the buckles. So are Stede’s bows simply ahistorical? Well there are references to 18th century men wearing laces and ribbons.
Towards the end of the 18th century laces started to come into fashion. Appeal from the Buckle Trade of London and Westminster, to the Royal Conductors of Fashion (1792) complained that despite how “tender and effeminate the appearance of Shoe Strings” the “custom of wearing them has prevailed.”
Perhaps the most intriguing reference is that of Commissioner Pierre Louis Foucault’s papers where he details the surveillance, investigation and entrapment of "pederasts” in Paris. It is important to note that the word “pederasty” was used synonymously with “sodomy” in the 18th century and did not denote age simply sex. An Universal Etymological English Dictionary (1726) defines “A pederast” as “a Buggerer” and “Pederasty” as “Buggery”.
Foucault and the men working with him identified particular clothing worn by men seeking sex with other men that he called the “pederastical uniform”. In Foucault’s papers men are described as being “attired in such a way as to be recognized by everyone as a pederast”, “clothed with all the distinctive marks of pederasty”, or simply “dressed like a pederast”. This “uniform” generally included “some combination of frock coat, large tie, round hat, small chignon, and bows on the shoes.” Jeffrey Merrick in his article on Foucault speculates that these men dressed this way to signal to each other. However when questioned by police they would understandably deny such a purpose, one man when questioned about his outfit responded that everyone “dresses as he sees fit”. (Jeffrey Merrick, Commissioner Foucault, Inspector Noël, and the “Pederasts” of Paris,1780-3)
Conclusion
I’m not saying Stede is intended to be a macaroni. If that were the case they would have given him the iconic macaroni hairstyle. However the costuming team has clearly pulled from fashion trends that were associated with effeminacy and homosexuality. While OFMD is evidently wholly unconcerned with creating period accurate costumes the costumes are still clearly inspired by historical fashions. Perhaps the curtains really are just blue but maybe Stede wears bows on his shoes because he’s gay.
#I had way too much fun doing this#our flag means death#ofmd meta#stede bonnet#queer history#macaroni#historical fiction#fashion history
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I was thinking about my favorite secondary couple from L. M. Montgomery's series, and my pick comes down to Phil/Jonas and Ilse/Perry, it's so hard to choose between them! What's your pick? :D
I feel like I need to do RESEARCH for this ask, like a deep dive into all of the books especially as secondary couples can abound depending on the book! Because I take any excuse to talk about lm montgomery I can (so thank you for this), I of course must go book by book and rank each couple accordingly. A monumental task, to be sure - but one I feel is well worth the effort.
The side couples i can think of include (sure I might be forgetting some, but if I can't remember them are they really that great?) are below. I did skip out on some I remembered (sorry to Nan and Jerry!) because we know so little about them I didn't think it worth it. So, presenting, the top ten LM Montgomery side couples!
10. The Awkward Man/The School teacher (The Story Girl)
The Story Girl doesn't really have any romances (Felicity and Peter are really kind of the main one), but this is a mini subplot of the book. And, well, I was like meh. I liked the Awkward man (although, what a name), but for whatever reason this particular pairing didn't appeal to me. I think it's because it's thru the avenue of Sara; I would have preferred it as a short story.
9. Brook/Rae aka Cuddles (Mistress Pat)
I really shouldn't include them but I just love Cuddles so much, she's like the spiritual successor to Phil Gordon. I also love how after playing with so many boys' hearts she's like THAT one, so true queen! I think their pairing is also a fun contrast to Pat and Hilary's; poor Pat doesn't realize she's in love for like 15 years, and Rae is immediately like HE'S THE ONE.
8. Fred/Diana (Anne Series)
Cute, love them, but they're definitely outshined by the other couples. I do love how they kind of introduce Anne to the reality of romance, and the wincingly true to life fact that Diana is one of those girls who tells her boyfriend everything (which makes me wonder what Fred thought of Anne's escapades).
7. Leslie/Owen (Anne's House of Dreams)
I really like Leslie as a character, but Owen just kind of felt...there. Like Leslie's generic happily ever after. Strong "she's everything he's just Ken" vibes there to me. However, leslie's story is so wild it singlehandedly lifts this pairing up several ranks.
6. Jem/Faith (Rilla of Ingleside)
We learn very little about Jem and Faith but I love them; they're like that rad cool couple whose always traveling the world and being bold together. I think being this high up on the list is a bit of a cheat because it's more inspired by fanfic I read than the actual books, but the fanfic was based on the strength of the original pairing!! Gotta love two bold and charming hotheads falling in love. Also, I desperately want to know what Faith's reaction to Jem kissing Mary Vance was.
5. Sid/May (Mistress Pat)
Hold on a minute batrachised, you might be saying - aren't they like, kinda the worst? Like really toxic? Like the actual image of a really unhappy marriage? YES, and that is why I find them so interesting. Normally LM Montgomery shows us the happy couples; this is one of the few unhappy ones she shows who is very close to home. Pat has to live with May, and she also has to live with her brother's choices. The fact that Sid didn't get his happily after due to the mistakes he made is chilling, especially because it's so real! May is that one awful in-law we all can't escape. Poor Sid. But also, he's in a prison of his own making.
4. Ilse/Perry (Emily series)
they're just fun. Also I'd love to read a scene of their married couple arguments. Do you think Ilse calls Perry pet names like blithering centipede affectionately?
3. Una/Walter (ish - an extremely strong ish) (Anne series)
I'm going to be real here: I just love Walter so much that anything connected to him immediately gains +10 points charisma. Do we get virtually anything of this pairing? No. Do I still want more? YES. I'm one of the people who reads Walter as gay yet this pairing has a GRIP on me. I think it's because Walter and Una are both just so soft so it's sweet in the most bittersweet of ways. Also, something about how Walter fears violence/death and yet is savagely capable of it, and Una losing her mother at such a young age scratches my brain. They're soft, but they're not shallow; both of them have hidden griefs that shape their characters.
2. Phil/Jonas (Anne Series)
QUEEN PHIL QUEEN PHIL. I love how they balance each other out, I love how Phil leaves all her frothy wealth for a young man with large ears, i love how Jonas helps Phil decide things. Phil is just such a great character, and Jonas is the perfect foil for her, someone who appreciates her humor but also understands the concept of reverence. just *chef's kiss*
[blatant cheating] Alexander Abraham/Peter (Short Stories)
LISTEN I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS SHORT STORY. It is absolutely my favorite. I include it on the convenient technicality that it takes place in Avonlea and Anne is mentioned, so it IS a side pairing in the Anne series! Picture this: you have a spinster with no regrets, neat, tidy, involved in the community, who loves cats and hates men (never forget her famous quote, "The more I saw of men, the more I liked cats", icon) Then, you have infamous bachelor, hater of woman, lover of dogs, cantankerous and antisocial. AND THEY GET STUCK TOGETHER IN QUARANTINE. It's the ultimate enemies-to-lovers. "WHAT AN AWFUL WOMAN." makes me crack up. everytime. Peak comedy. Best side pairing ever. someone please read it and tell me what you think.
I love this ask so much, I'm turning it into a challenge: @gogandmagog and @no-where-new-hero I would LOVE to know ya'lls favorite secondary couples if ya'll care to share!!
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I was tagged by @peridotglimmer and this was one I haven't done before!
Rules: List ten books that have stayed with you in some way, don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard - they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.
A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer - I cannot express enough how obsessed I was with this book. I first read it when I was six which is probably too young but I would read it two or three times a year until I was sixteen. I adored the mythology, the Odyssey-like story, and the main character Nhamo. I admired her determination and her resourcefulness and how she questioned the authorities around her. Nhamo was my hero as a child.
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff - This book and a couple others on this list have a brilliant way of slowly unfolding the trauma, aftermath, and information about a defining event in the life of the main character. I adored the use of Hollis' art to tell the story, and it just sank into my bones and didn't leave.
Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay - this book was so funny to me, and I wished I had a family of such colorful characters who were offbeat but supportive. The idea that you will not get the answers you seek and must define for yourself who you are and where you belong resonated with me.
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie - the first Christie book I ever read, it hooked me and I fell deeply in love. I haven't recovered since. I started devouring murder mystery books after this but Christie was always my favorite.
World War Z by Max Brooks - anyone who's read my Buddie Zombie AU or has read the stuff about my Horsemen Quartet on Patreon will not be surprised, but this book blew the door wide open for me on zombies and the zombie apocalypse.
Maus by Art Spiegalman - I read this in high school, assigned by a teacher. Not officially assigned, it wasn't on the coursework, but she told us to read it anyway. That book taught me... not everything, because there's still so much learning and growing I've done since then, but some days, it does feel like everything.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - I read this in college and I don't know how to describe the emotions I felt other than "I was too haunted to even cry."
Out of the Dust by Karen Hess - This story is written as a collection of poems, and its bare bones, punch-in-the-throat prose stuck with me. The unflinching look at guilt and what life was like in the Dust Bowl in the 1930s was powerful, and in retrospect it's one of the few books that had a disabled protagonist that I think handled it really well - the anger, the frustration, the pain - without making it inspiration porn.
Define "Normal" by Julie Ann Peters - I learned only a couple years ago that Peters is gay, which probably explains why I could not put this book down as a teenager who knew something was different about her but was too scared to examine it closely enough to define it. The friendship between the two girls had a lot of queer undertones, in retrospect, and I think that's a big part of what led me to read this book until it fell apart.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - this was a book I snatched up from a relative's house and read when I was... thirteen? something like that. This was the book that taught me what nonfiction could do - just how entertaining and engrossing it could be, and that nonfiction was just as stimulating and fascinating as fiction. Certain passages are still burned into my brain.
Tagging @mistmarauder @captainofthefallen @givemeunicorns @extasiswings @catdadeddie @evcndiaz @qqueenofhades @oldshrewsburyian @devilsbrokerank @tulipfromtheinternet and @tripleaxeldiaz because I am deeply curious to know all of your books.
#tagging thing#about mads#'hey I'm sensing a theme of mentally ill parents and adoptive families...' NO YOU'RE NOT#wow look I actually tagged people this time
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The Raven
Roger Corman and Richard Matheson had enjoyed “The Black Cat,” the comic story in TALES OF TERROR (1962), so much they set out to do an entire feature in that tone. The result, THE RAVEN (1963, Criterion Channel), may never reach the inspired lunatic heights of a Leo McCarey or a Preston Sturges. It’s more on the level of Corman’s “schlemiel trilogy” (LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, A BUCKET OF BLOOD and THE CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA). And it’s an awful lot of fun. Medieval sorcerer Vincent Price is visited by a raven who’s actually a fellow magician (Peter Lorre) transformed by Price’s father’s oldest enemy (Boris Karloff). When Lorre lets drop that he saw Price’s deceased wife (Hazel Court) in Karloff’s castle, they set off to solve the mystery, accompanied by Price’s ditzy daughter (Olive Sturgess) and Lorre’s dim-witted son (Jack Nicholson, acting like Richard Crenna in OUR MISS BROOKS). The sets are re-cycled, thanks to Daniel Haller, as is a fire sequence that turns up in almost all of Corman’s Poe films. It’s all about as historically accurate as the script is faithful to Poe’s poem. Price lives in the Usher House, even if it’s more 19th than 15th century and a lot of the furnishing are Victorian. This is easily Price’s most over-the-top performance in the Poe films, and at times his mugging gets a little too obvious. Lorre is dryer and ad-libbed some of the film’s best lines. But the real comic honors go to Karloff, who reportedly had the toughest time making the film between the rigors of production and trying to adjust whenever Lorre changed the script. His line readings are so sincere and expertly timed, I was laughing almost every time he opened his mouth. The women also deserve credit. Sturgess is smart enough to play her role straight, which makes her character’s ditziness much funnier than if she’d played for laughs. And Court, who always said she preferred comedy, is delicious as the scheming Lenore. She’s both sexy (critics mostly reviewed her cleavage) and witty, with a sense of relish whenever she exercises the power her beauty gives her.
#horror comedy#roger corman#edgar allan poe#vincent price#peter lorre#boris karloff#jack nicholson#hazel court
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The writings of the Marquis de Sade (1740–1814) present a libertine philosophy of sexual excess and human suffering that refuses to make any concession to law, religion, or public decency. In this groundbreaking cultural history, Alyce Mahon traces how artists of the twentieth century turned to Sade to explore political, sexual, and psychological terror, adapting his imagery of the excessively sexual and terrorized body as a means of liberation from systems of power.
Mahon shows how avant-garde artists, writers, dramatists, and filmmakers drew on Sade’s “philosophy in the bedroom” to challenge oppressive regimes and their restrictive codes and conventions of gender and sexuality. She provides close analyses of early illustrated editions of Sade’s works and looks at drawings, paintings, and photographs by leading surrealists such as André Masson, Leonor Fini, and Man Ray. She explains how Sade’s ideas were reflected in the writings of Guillaume Apollinaire and the fiction of Anne Desclos, who wrote her erotic novel, Story of O, as a love letter to critic Jean Paulhan, an admirer of Sade. Mahon explores how Sade influenced the happenings of Jean-Jacques Lebel, the theater of Peter Brook, the cinema of Pier Paolo Pasolini, and the multimedia art of Paul Chan. She also discusses responses to Sade by feminist theorists such as Simone de Beauvoir, Susan Sontag, and Angela Carter.
Beautifully illustrated, The Marquis de Sade and the Avant-Garde demonstrates that Sade inspired generations of artists to imagine new utopian visions of living, push the boundaries of the body and the body politic, and portray the unthinkable in their art.
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40 years, 40 movies: My life through film
On Feb. 16, I’m turning 40. In honor of this milestone birthday, I chose my favorite movie (and a runner-up) for each year of my existence.
Some years were easy, as there was an obvious personal choice. Others, like 1994 or 1999 which are among the greatest years in film history, proved far more difficult.
What I discovered was there’s literally hundreds of movies I love from the past 40 years but my favorites are the ones that made the most impact and I, unequivocally, adore. The results are deeply autobiographical, so join me on a four-part journey exploring the movies that shaped who I am.
COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX
1983: “Return of the Jedi”
It was perhaps inevitable that I would become a “Star Wars” fan. I was named after Obi-Wan actor Alec Guinness. As my parents only had a VHS copy of “Return of the Jedi,” it was my first introduction to “Star Wars.” Given the episodic, serialized nature of the movies, I was able to just drop into the next adventure and fall in love with R2-D2, C3PO, Luke, Han and Leia. (Runner-up: “National Lampoon’s Vacation”)
COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES
1984: “Ghostbusters”
“Ghostbusters” remains one of the defining franchises for me. Movies, cartoons, comics, toys, clothes, it has been an obsession since I was a little boy. My baby teeth marks were on the box of the VHS tape my parents owned. My first day of kindergarten became less traumatic when I found two boys playing Ghostbusters and they invited me to join them. They already picked Peter (Bill Murray) and Ray (Dan Akyroyd), leaving me with the nerdy Egon (Harold Ramis). I was disappointed. Now I’m totally Team Egon. (Runner-up: “The Neverending Story”)
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
1985: “Back to the Future”
This is another seminal film from my childhood and typically my default answer for my favorite movie. The idea of time travel sparked my imagination as a child. I used to run around my backyard as a kid, humming Alan Silvestri’s theme, imagining I was traveling through time with Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve watched the film, but the final act still fully engages me every time. (Runner-up: “The Breakfast Club”)
COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES
1986: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
Any child coming of age in the 1980s and 1990s was hugely affected by the teen films of John Hughes, who was able to perfectly capture the angst of growing up. “Ferris Bueller” was the ultimate kid fantasy: Skipping school for a day in the city with your friends. Better yet, Ferris manages to outsmart all the adults, including snooty waiters, parents and the principal. As a kid, Matthew Broderick’s Ferris felt like the embodiment of cool. As an adult, it is undeniable that the anxiety-ridden Cameron (Alan Ruck) is my avatar. (Runner-up: “Labyrinth”)
COURTESY OF MGM
1987: “Spaceballs”
I had a major Mel Brooks phase in my adolescence. I even held a party dedicated to watching Brooks films. I vividly remember my friend Rebecca Howland telling me “The Producers” was good, but not as good as “2001” (the film it beat for Best Original Screenplay). Only four Brooks films have been released in my lifetime. Of those four, “Spaceballs” is the one I’ve revisited the most because its inspired lunacy is perfectly delivered by its cast, including Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis and Brooks, himself, in dual roles. (Runner-up: “The Princess Bride”)
COURTESY OF TOUCHSTONE PICTURES
1988: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”
This was a mind-blowing film for a kid. It was the first and only time Disney and Warner Bros. characters interacted together. It remains the definite seamless blend of live-action and animated characters. But the biggest mindfreak to my little brain was that Christopher Lloyd, my beloved Doc Brown from “Back to the Future,” was the evil Judge Doom. Years later, while studying film in college, I would write an essay exploring the film’s take on the film noir genre. (Runner-up: “Beetlejuice”)
COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY PICTURES
1989: “Say Anything”
Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a big Batman fan, so it probably seems insane that my No. 1 choice for 1989 isn’t Tim Burton’s “Batman.” Here’s the thing, I’m also a huge fan of actor John Cusack and writer/director Cameron Crowe. If you need any indication of how much I love this movie, “Say Anything” is tattooed on my right arm. “Say Anything” is the definitive 1980s teen romance with Lloyd Dobler being the ideal model of a boyfriend. (Runner-up: “Batman”)
COURTESY OF NEW LINE CINEMA
1990: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
There was a time when the ninja turtles were my everything. I had a tape with a couple of episodes of the cartoon that featured a trailer for the live-action film. I loved the cartoon but this was different. It was dark and atmospheric like the comic books that inspired the cartoon and toys, and the Jim Henson-created turtles looked real. The film deepened my love. I had a cassette of the film’s theme song, “Turtle Rhapsody” that I danced to constantly in my room. (Runner-up: “Tremors”)
COURTESY OF ORION PICTURES
1991: “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey”
I vacillated on what my first choice and runner up would be for 1991. I nearly chose “Addams Family,” but I prefer its 1993 sequel “Addams Family Values.” Alas, a certain dinosaur movie claimed that year. Ultimately, I went with another sequel that actually improves upon its predecessor. Sequels almost always just repeat the formula of the original, but “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey” largely throws out the time travel antics of “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and goes on a bonkers adventure through heaven and hell featuring evil robots and an alien named Station. (Runner-up: “Addams Family”)
COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT
1992: “Wayne’s World”
On the surface, Wayne and Garth (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) are clones of the dim-witted headbangers Bill and Ted, but “Wayne’s World” has more of a satirical edge than the “Bill and Ted” movies, with Wayne providing fourth-wall breaking commentary throughout that mocks filmmaking cliches. I’m a big “Saturday Night Live” fan, and this was my gateway to the show. My friend, Caleb Ring, had a camera and we recreated scenes as “Caleb’s World” and “Alec’s World.” Maybe they still exist in a dusty box somewhere. (Runner-up: “Reservoir Dogs”)
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL
1993: “Jurassic Park”
At 10 years old, I remember a mixture of excitement and nervousness about seeing Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Michael Crichton’s sci-fi novel about a dinosaur theme park gone awry. I wanted to see, but would it be too scary? I vividly remember sitting in a darkened theater watching the T-Rex attack. I was scared but also mesmerized by the groundbreaking dinosaur effects. It was also my introduction to Jeff Goldblum, and he has made my life better ever since. (Runner-up: “Mrs. Doubtfire”)
COURTESY OF MIRAMAX
1994: “Clerks”
“Clerks” wasn’t my first introduction to writer/director Kevin Smith (that was 1999’s “Dogma”), but working at both a convenience and video store, the plight of its New Jersey clerks spoke to me. I would even write my own script set in a video store that years later I would convert into a play that was performed in a New York theater festival. Last year, I was lucky enough to interview Smith and tell him that. (Runner-up: “Pulp Fiction”)
COURTESY OF DISNEY
1995: “A Goofy Movie”
Goofy has always been my favorite Disney cartoon character. This movie is significant because it is the first movie review I ever wrote. It was an assignment for sixth-grade English. I received an A, which sent me down the path to where I am today. It still remains one of my favorite movies for its strong father-son story, offbeat humor and the excellent songs by the fictional popstar Powerline. (Runner-up: “Before Sunrise”)
COURTESY OF DIMENSION
1996: “Scream”
Growing up, I wasn’t a horror kid. I was more likely to watch the Muppets take Manhattan than Jason. But by 1996, I was already a fan of Mel Brooks and Monty Python and had a growing understanding of parody. The idea of “Scream” being both a satire and an example of the slasher genre intrigued me. The humor made the scares more palatable and piqued my interest into further exploration of the horror genre. (Runner-up: “Jerry Maguire”)
HOLLYWOOD PICTURES
1997: “Grosse Pointe Blank”
For years, John Cusack was my celebrity man crush because he was the perfect balance of vulnerability, sarcastic wit and nonchalant coolness. All of that is on display here as Martin Blank, a hitman who decides to go to his 10-year high school reunion. Also, I often discover music from movies, and this film’s killer soundtrack (pun intended) introduced me to a lot of great punk and New Wave music, including The Clash’s “Rudie Can’t Fail,” The Violent Femme’s “Blister in the Sun” and The English Beat’s “Mirror in the Bathroom.” (Runner-up: “Good Will Hunting”)
COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT
1998: “The Truman Show”
Like many ’90s kids, I became obsessed with Jim Carrey’s style of comedy. I drove my family crazy shouting catch phrases like “allllll righty then” and “ssssssmokin’.” But ‘The Truman Show” was different. It was still funny, but in a more subtle, satirical way, and showed that Carrey had dramatic range. I was 15 when it came out, and it made me feel clever that I was able to pick up on the film’s commentary. (Runner-up: “The Wedding Singer”)
COURTESY OF FOX 2000 PICTURES
1999: “Fight Club”
My love of social critique and satire continued to grow with “Fight Club.” I clearly remember watching “Fight Club” in a theater and my jaw literally dropping upon getting to the big twist. Not many people saw “Fight Club” in theaters, so my friends didn’t believe me when I said it was great, especially since I couldn’t explain why without spoiling it. It’s a film that not only holds up to repeat viewing but benefits from it as there are Easter eggs hidden throughout. (Runner up: ”Dogma”)
COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES
2000: “Almost Famous”
Around this time, I made a decision that I wanted to be a film critic, so Cameron Crowe’s autobiographical film about a teenage rock journalist in the 1970s hit me in all the right places. The protagonist is an awkward, geeky kid in love with and in awe of the rock world and that was me with movies. When I became a journalist, I only learned to love this movie more for everything it gets absolutely right. (Runner up: “High Fidelity”)
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL
2001: “Josie and the Pussycats”
There are absolutely better films that came out in 2001 but I continue to stand by this silly satire of the music industry and consumerism. I’ve been a defender of this film since it came out. I even had the poster up in my college dorm room. It did not make me cool but, in a just world it would have. The original songs are genuinely great, and the cast, especially Alan Cumming as a villainous record label flunky, is perfect. (Runner up “The Royal Tenenbaums”)
COURTESY OF UNITED ARTISTS
2002: “Igby Goes Down”
Growing up in rural Maine, I didn’t have access to a lot of independent films, but that changed when I went to Keene State College to study film. Keene had two theaters that showed indie films: The Colonial Theatre and the on-campus Putnam Theatre. “Igby Goes Down” was one of the films I fell in love with while at KSC. It’s essentially a modern riff on “The Catcher in the Rye,” but with a more likable lead played by Kieran Culkin. There’s also an amazing supporting cast, including Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Claire Danes, Ryan Phillippe, Amanda Peet and Jared Harris. (Runner up: “About a Boy”)
COURTESY OF LIONSGATE
2003: “Shattered Glass”
While at Keene State College, I was able to go to collegiate journalism conventions. At one of them, there was an early screening of “Shattered Glass,” which tells the story of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), a journalist who fabricated dozens of articles while working at The New Republic. The film instilled in me a desire to be an ethical journalist with integrity. It also has one of my all-time favorite lines: “If I were to throw a party where all we did was play Monopoly, would you guys come?” It’s absolutely something I’d say. I just wish that it wasn’t said by Glass. (Runner-up: “Lost in Translation”)
COURTESY OF WORKING TITLE
2004: “Shaun of the Dead”
Edgar Wright has become one of my favorite directors for how perfectly constructed all his films are. His first film, a zombie movie set in England that he co-wrote with star Simon Pegg, is the ideal genre blend of horror, comedy, romantic comedy and drama. This is the first film in what became dubbed the Cornetto trilogy, a trio of genre-bending films directed by Wright and starring Pegg and Nick. While it is mostly played for laughs, the dramatic moments hit hard every single time. (Runner-up: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”)
COURTESY OF DREAMWORKS
2005: “Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit”
I was already a big fan of the stop-motion animation Wallace and Gromit shorts, so I was thrilled the English human and dog duo were making their feature film debut. I was in England getting my master’s in journalism at the University of Westminster when the film was in theaters. I went to visit my friend Natalie Toy in Hull to see it, and watching a film that is so thoroughly British in England is a memory I cherish. (Runner-up: “Batman Begins”)
COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES
2006: “Stranger Than Fiction”
This is a film that takes a high-concept — a man (Will Ferrell) suddenly finds his mundane life the subject of a voice-over narration only he can hear — and executes it with humor, heart and intelligence. A dialed back Ferrell gives one of his best performances, and he’s surrounded by a great cast, including Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Tony Hale and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The film features some of my favorite romantic moments, including Ferrell playing and singing “Whole Wide World” on guitar and giving “flours” to Gyllenhaal’s baker character. (Runner-up: “Little Miss Sunshine”)
COURTESY OF DREAMWORKS
2007: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Tim Burton’s film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical about a vengeful barber (Johnny Depp) and his partnership with the baker Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonheim Carter) was my first introduction to the material. While liberties were taken, Burton was the perfect person to transition it from the stage to screen. I immediately fell in love with it. I’ve since seen it on stage three times and had a Sweeney Todd movie marathon with my friend Brian McElhiney in which we uncovered other obscure versions of the story, including one from 1936. (Runner-up: “Juno”)
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
2008: “The Dark Knight”
Christopher Nolan's second film in his Batman trilogy is the strongest and is not only one of the best superhero films ever made but a great film regardless of genre. Heath Ledger’s Joker is an iconic film performance for the ages. His performance is the glue that holds the film together, but the rest of the cast, including Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, and the slick storytelling proved that a comic book movie could and should be taken seriously. (Runner-up “Iron Man”)
COURTESY OF PIXAR
2009: “Up”
Pixar has a history of making animated films that make adults cry, but with “Up” they weren’t messing around. The first 10 minutes, which shows the entire course of a relationship, has the power to crack even the most stone-faced viewer. The rest of the film is the charming adventure of a balloon salesman (Ed Asner) who attaches thousands of balloons to his house so he can fly to the mythical Paradise Falls. This film will always have a special place in my heart because it was the theme of my wedding. Adventure is out there everyday with my wife, Ashley. (Runner-up ”Inglourious Basterds”)
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL
2010: “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World”
Director and co-writer Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six-part graphic novel — a pastiche of comic books, video games, anime, romantic comedies, rock musicals, sitcoms, kung-fu movies and even a dash of Bollywood — immediately spoke to me. I became obsessed. I read the books, played the games, bought the toys, listened to the soundtrack and even got a tattoo of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers. I connected with it in a way that put it alongside my childhood favorites. As I get older, it only becomes more emotionally resonant. (Runner-up: “TRON: Legacy”)
COURTESY OF SONY PICTURE CLASSICS
2011: “Midnight in Paris”
My relationship with Woody Allen films has become a complicated one. What he may or may not have done in his personal life colors his work, but can you separate the person from the art? I have to because so many of his earlier works helped shape me. This whimsical time travel comedy with Owen Wilson hobnobbing with literary and artistic idols in 1920s Paris is Allen’s last truly great film. It is a funny and thoughtful exploration of nostalgia. (Runner-up: “The Muppets”)
COURTESY OF MARVEL
2012: “The Avengers”
Marvel Studios experiment in creating a shared universe of superheroes paid off with Joss Whedon’s “Avengers,” which brought together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) for the first time. For better or worse, Marvel has continued to further expand their cinematic universe and experiment with serialized storytelling in film, but this first crossover event still holds up and is wildly entertaining. (Runner-up: “Looper”)
COURTESY OF WORKING TITLE
2013: “The World’s End”
This the final installment of co-writer/director Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy, a series of genre homages starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. “The World’s End” lampoons alien invasion films but is also a surprisingly sincere exploration of alcoholism with Pegg’s Gary King trying to recreate the best day of his life: a pub crawl he did with his friends as a teen. This is Wright’s third film on my list. I adore his storytelling and visual style. Everything is carefully constructed and paid off. Plus, I regularly quote the “Let’s boo-boo” line from his film. (Runner-up: “Pacific Rim”)
COURTESY OF FOX SEARCHLIGHT
2014: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Idiosyncratic filmmaker Wes Anderson has a style all his own, including eccentric characters, deadpan humor, absurdist flourishes and a mise-en-scene in which everything is framed symmetrically. “Grand Budapest Hotel,” which centers on the misadventures of a hotel lobby boy (Tony Revolori) and a concierge (Ralph Fiennes), is possibly the most distilled version of Anderson’s particular brand of filmmaking. Anderson embraces the ridiculous and finds the beauty in it. (Runner-up: “The Lego Movie”)
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
2015: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
Director George Miller returned to the “Mad Max” franchise 30 years after the previous installment, but this is not a shameless cash grab. This is pure action filmmaking of the highest order. “Fury Road” is a visceral, nearly non-stop chase. But this isn’t faceless or mindless action. The film has personality to spare, including a character playing a flame-throwing guitar. As there’s little dialogue, this is also an example of strong visual storytelling. (Runner-up: “Inside Out”)
COURTESY OF SUMMIT
2016: “La La Land”
After coming out of “La La Land,” I posted this on Facebook: “For anyone who has ever created something, done something artistic or has simply been passionate about something, ‘La La Land’ will speak to your soul.” After seeing writer/director Damien Chazelle’s exuberant, funny and ever-so-slightly heartbreaking musical about a jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) and an actress (Emma Stone) trying to find success and love in Los Angeles, I wanted to create. I began rewriting an old script that would eventually be performed in New York City in 2018. (Runner-up: “Yoga Hosers”)
COURTESY OF MARVEL
2017: “Thor: Ragnarok”
This is my favorite film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to director Taika Waititi providing a much-needed tonal shift to the Thor (Chris Hemsworth) character. Waititi is a quirky filmmaker with an offbeat sense of humor that managed to shake things up at a time when the Marvel formula was starting to become a bit too familiar. “Ragnarok” remembers that comic book movies are supposed to be fun. It is colorful, funny and ridiculous, but also has strong character moments. Plus, Jeff Goldblum at his most Goldblumiest.(Runner-up “Baby Driver”)
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
2018: “A Star is Born”
Co-writer/director/star Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born” is the fourth filmed version of the story of a fading star meeting and falling in love with an undiscovered talent (Lady Gaga), and using what pull he has left to make her a star. The first 30 minutes are pretty much perfect and the rest of the film builds on that promise. I’ve only seen the film once and I can still vividly visualize scenes and the emotions attached to them. (Runner-up “A Simple Favor”)
COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES
2019: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Writer/director Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite filmmakers. I even taught a class on him for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. “Once Upon a Time,” Tarantino’s love letter to Hollywood in 1969, is basically a hang-out movie centered on a has-been TV actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman (Brad Pitt). In the background, Tarantino offers a revisionist history of the Manson family. It’s rich with location and character detail, and is both hilarious and unexpectedly poignant. (Runner-up: “Booksmart”)
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
2020: “Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”
Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn was the best thing in 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” but this film is what made Harley one of my favorite DC characters and led to a further exploration of the character. Robbie is joined by an assortment of strong female heroes, including Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to face off against the sadistic Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). This is the first comic book film directed and written by women, and the strong female perspective makes it unique and vital. (Runner-up: “Freaky”)
COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES
2021: “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”
As previously mentioned, “Ghostbusters” has been a huge part of my life, so I was thrilled when this long-awaited second sequel was announced. (For the record, I do genuinely love the 2015 remake). While the original ghostbusters only make a cameo appearance, this is a loving tribute to the late Harold Ramis (who co-wrote the first two films and starred as Egon) that passes the torch to a group of kid ghostbusters led by the amazing Mckenna Grace. This is nostalgia done right. Plenty of laughs, action and, yes, tears. (Runner-up: “The Mitchells Vs. the Machines”)
COURTESY OF A24
2022: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
This completely bonkers multiverse adventure is difficult to describe but is a fully engrossing mix of sci-fi, martial arts, comedy and family drama. It is a terrific showcase for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu. Its sincerely sold themes of optimism, kindness and love gives it weight and heart. Quan was in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies” in the 1980s, but hadn’t acted in 30 years. He’s so good here, it makes me sad that we missed on decades of performances from him. (Runner-up: “Glass Onion”)
#turning 40#Return of the Jedi#Ghostbusters#Back to the Future#ferris bueller's day off#Spaceballs#Who Framed Roger Rabbit#Say Anything#Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#bill and ted's bogus journey#Wayne's World#Jurassic Park#Clerks#a goofy movie#Scream#grosse pointe blank#the truman show#fight club#Almost Famous#josie and the pussycats#igby goes down#shattered glass#Shaun of the Dead#Stranger Than Fiction#Sweeney Todd#The Dark Knight#up movie#Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World#everything everywhere all at once#mad max: fury road
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Her Odyssey: Character Creation
Welcome to Actual Tays, the blog where I (@taylorannnx) play solo games and write them down like I'm back in my teen days writing fanfiction. (Please note, none of this content is sponsored, I just miss writing fanfiction but also TTRPGs are my life now.)
Today we are starting Her Odyssey by S. Kaiya J, which is a solo journaling RPG powered by Caltrop Core (created by @titanomachyrpg).
Her Odyssey is a solo journaling RPG about a wanderer trying to return home - or find a new home. Built on Caltrop Core, this game allows you to build a rich world, create a character backstory, explore an ongoing adventure, or all three at once - with nothing more than a deck of standard playing cards and a handful of d4s.
As inspiration beyond the loose parameters of the game, I'm going to be using the Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks to help me with worldbuilding and inspiration for story elements. Will this game be cliché heavy? Probably, but you've been warned.
You can vote on which game variation I play with over on Twitter.
In Part 0 of this game, I will be creating my character by assigning stat points and answering the awesome "Who Is Your Wanderer?" prompt questions.
The Character: The Stats
In this game, you have 11 points to assign across three statistics: Vitality, Quickness, and Fortitude.
Vitality (fire; bodily strength and force of presence): 2
Quickness (air; cunning wit and dexterous body): 4
Fortitude (earth; steadfastness and self-belief): 5
The Character: Introduction
"My name is Alba Clarke, I use she/her pronouns, and I am looking for my husband, Peter Clarke. He is an officer in the tenth battalion of the fifty-first regiment. Have you seen him? I'm his next of kin and no one will tell me where he is."
The guard, in their dust-smeared tangerine uniform, pushed air disdainfully out from their nose but otherwise ignored the short woman standing in the ruined street before them.
"Please," Alba continued, clutching the grimy knit shawl around her shoulders as a gritty breeze began to pick up. "I've been walking for days. I left behind anyone who survived to find him. I need your help."
The guard shifted and raised a weathered hand to lift their neckerchief over their mouth. Their eyes seemed unfocused, resting on a disintegrating flyer clinging desperately to a downed telephone pole across the street.
Alba grumbled and kicked the deflated tire of a rusting green car as she turned away. The impact sent a shock up her leg, and she winced twice: once from the pain, and again from the embarrassment of the high-pitched squeak that surely did not escape the guards notice. Clutching the strap of the worryingly light satchel around her shoulder, Alba stalked off down the cracked pavements, careful not to trip on the weeds bursting up from the ground.
She thought of her husband, and of their home, a place of love and safety, now lost to intentional destruction and endless waves of the undead. The wooden stairs that had been lined with their wedding photos and post-it note reminders. The glass was all smashed now, scattered like caltrops on top of splintered steps that prevented anyone from reaching the top floor. The notes reduced to ash in an attempt to start a fire. She remembered the bedroom, bright and open with cream walls and large windows to curl up reading books. Now they were blackened with mould, and the windows had been taped up with cardboard, then taped up again to stop anything from seeing movement from within.
As the whistling of the wind swelled into a roar, the bang of a bin tumbling over startled Alba out of her thoughts for long enough to notice a shadow looming from behind her in the afternoon sun. She turned, and saw a familiar shambling shape turn into the road. Her chest tightened and her knees quaked as she heard the guard shout something into a walkie-talkie before retreating rapidly down an alley. Quickly averting her eyes, Alba quickened her pace away from the animated remains of her mother and on towards the next orange speck in the distance who might hopefully be a little kinder.
Reminder: You can vote on which game variation I play with over on Twitter.
#actual plays#actual tays#solo gaming#solo journaling game#original character#where is my husband#zombie survival guide
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Elemental | Official Trailer
Watch the new trailer for Disney and Pixar’s Elemental
Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” an all-new original feature film that transports moviegoers to an extraordinary place called Element City, where a host of elements live and work. The trailer showcases each element—air, earth, water, and fire—and what sets them apart according to Ember, a quick-witted and fiery woman who’s always stayed close to home in Firetown. In “Elemental,” which opens in theaters on June 16, she finally ventures out of her comfort zone to explore this spectacular world born from the imaginations of Pixar’s filmmakers and specifically crafted for the big-screen experience.
Element City is inspired by big cities around the globe and embraces theorized contributions from each elemental community—from giant pine-tree-like buildings and waterfall skyscrapers to a tornado-shaped arena called Cyclone Stadium. Joining the previously announced voice cast including Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie as Ember and Wade, respectively, are Ronnie del Carmen as Ember’s soon-to-be-retired dad, Bernie; Shila Ommi as Ember’s love-seeking mom, Cinder; Wendi McLendon-Covey as Wade’s stormy and Air-Ball-loving boss, Gale; Catherine O’Hara as Wade’s welcoming mom, Brook; Mason Wertheimer as Ember’s admiring earth neighbor, Clod; and Joe Pera as an overgrown city bureaucrat, Fern. Directed by Peter Sohn, produced by Denise Ream, p.g.a., and executive produced by Pete Docter, “Elemental” features a screenplay by John Hoberg & Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh with a story by Sohn, Hoberg & Likkel and Hsueh. The film’s original score was composed and conducted by Thomas Newman.
Read the full article
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More Movies Inspired By Comic Books
You've heard of X-Men, but did you know these great movies are also based on comics?
Copyrighted image from Neil Gaiman's Stardust (1997)
Oldboy (2003) - Directed by Park Chan-wook, this South Korean thriller follows a man who is imprisoned for 15 years without explanation, only to be released and given five days to uncover the truth. The movie is based on a manga series by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi.
Men in Black (1997) - Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, this sci-fi comedy stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as secret agents who monitor and regulate extraterrestrial activity on Earth. The movie is based on a comic book series by Lowell Cunningham.
American Splendor (2003) - Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, this biographical dramedy stars Paul Giamatti as comic book writer Harvey Pekar, chronicling his life and career. The movie is based on Pekar's autobiographical comic book series.
The Mask (1994) - Directed by Chuck Russell, this zany comedy stars Jim Carrey as a mild-mannered bank clerk who becomes a superhero with the help of a mysterious mask. The movie is based on a comic book series by Dark Horse Comics.
A Scanner Darkly (2006) - Directed by Richard Linklater, this sci-fi drama follows an undercover cop who becomes addicted to a drug that alters his perception of reality. The movie is based on a novel by Philip K. Dick, which was later adapted into a comic book series by Richard Sala.
From Hell (2001) - Directed by the Hughes brothers, this horror-thriller stars Johnny Depp as an investigator tasked with solving the Jack the Ripper murders in Victorian England. The movie is based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell.
History of the World, Part I (1981) - Directed by Mel Brooks, this comedy is a tongue-in-cheek retelling of historical events, featuring sketches such as the Spanish Inquisition and the French Revolution. The movie is loosely based on the comic book series The Madhouse Glads by Jack Davis.
Timecop (1994) - Directed by Peter Hyams, this sci-fi action movie stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as a time-traveling cop tasked with preventing criminals from altering history. The movie is based on a comic book series by Dark Horse Comics.
Stardust (2007) - Directed by Matthew Vaughn, this fantasy adventure stars Charlie Cox as a young man who sets out to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he loves. The movie is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, which was later adapted into a comic book series by Gaiman and Charles Vess.
RED (2010) - Directed by Robert Schwentke, this action-comedy stars Bruce Willis as a retired CIA agent who must come out of retirement to save himself and his former colleagues. The movie is based on a comic book series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner.
These 10 movies demonstrate that comic book adaptations come in many different forms and genres, from indie dramas to sci-fi comedies. Even if you're not a fan of comic books, these movies are worth checking out for their unique and imaginative storytelling.
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Hallmark Reveals September Movie Lineup
HALLMARK CHANNEL'S "FALL INTO LOVE"
All premieres are at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Marry Me in Yosemite
Starring: Cindy Busby and Tyler Harlow
Premieres: Saturday, Sept. 3
Zoe (Busby) is a top photojournalist who has published successful coffee table books featuring her images of iconic places. Her publisher wants her next subject to be Yosemite, so she heads west despite not being sure she can do justice to the majesty of the landscape. While there, she meets Jack (Harlow), an intriguing tour guide who opens her eyes to new possibilities as they take a journey together.
Marry Go Round
Starring: Amanda Schull and Brennan Elliott
Premieres: Saturday, Sept. 10
Abby Foster (Schull) and Luke Walker (Elliott) were high school sweethearts who were married for a brief time. Many years later, Abby’s life seems perfect as she gets ready for a new life in Paris along with her soon-to-be husband, Edward. When an unexpected letter arrives throwing Abby off course, she must decide what her heart really wants.
Wedding of a Lifetime
Starring: Brooke D'Orsay and Jonathan Bennett
Premieres: Saturday, Sept. 17
Darby (D’Orsay) and Jake (Bennett) are an engaged couple who have been together since their days as high school sweethearts in a close-knit mountain town. Over the years, they have found themselves in a rut and drifting apart. When their entire community nominates them to compete for an all-expenses paid wedding in a nationally televised contest, this just may be what the couple needs to rekindle their romance.
Fly Away With Me
Starring: Natalie Hall and Peter Mooney
Premieres: Saturday, Sept. 24
When Angie (Hall) moves into her “no pets allowed” building, a parrot arrives unexpectedly. New neighbor Ted (Mooney) and the dog he’s secretly sitting try to help her find the bird’s owner without being caught.
HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES
All premieres are 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Love's Portrait
Starring: Aubrey Reynolds and Richard McWilliams
Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 4
Lily (Reynolds) is a museum curator who finds a painting that looks just like her. Lily’s search for the artist leads her to Ireland, where she meets William (McWilliams), a charming man who helps her on her quest and may also know more about the portrait’s origins than he’s letting on.
To Her, With Love
Starring: Skye P. Marshall and Tobias Truvillion with a cameo by Shanice Wilson-Knox
Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 11
Kayla (Marshall) heads back to her hometown of Stansville, North Carolina, after her substitute teaching job at an elite, private high school comes to an early end. On her first day back, her loving yet inquisitive mother (Maria Howell, Hidden Figures) sets up a job interview at her high school alma mater. Kayla, who ultimately wants to get into a competitive teaching program in London, is hesitant to apply. However, when it turns out that her high school best friend Tanya (Brittany L. Smith, Sweet Magnolias) is a teacher there and she is offered the job on the spot and quickly accepts. When Kayla initially struggles to connect with her students, Jordan (Truvillion), a jack-of-all-trades teacher who is devoted to supporting underserved students, steps in to help. Though reluctant to accept his input at first, she is soon inspired to try a fresh approach to help each of her students tap into their unique artistic passions and her students begin flourishing. When Kayla learns the school may be cutting the arts department due to budget cuts, she and Jordan work together to set up a fundraising showcase, with a little help from her longtime friend Shanice Wilson-Knox. Soon, sparks are flying between Kayla and Jordan as they discover a shared love of teaching, service and Sidney Poitier movies. However, when Kayla receives some teaching opportunities that would take her away from Stansville -- and Jordan -- she finds that her heart may still have a few things to teach her about what will make her happy.
The Secrets of Bella Vista
Starring: Rachelle Lefevre and Niall Matter
Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 18
Based on the book, The Apple Orchard, by Susan Wiggs. Tess Delaney (Lefevre) gets the surprising news by estate executor Damhnaic McAuley (Matter) that she has inherited half of an apple orchard from the father she never knew and has a half-sister she didn’t know about. When she visits the orchard and connects with her new-found family, she learns that the orchard is deep in debt. Using her knowledge as an antiques expert, Tess and her half-sister work to unravel the mystery of their grandmother’s “treasure” that could hold the key to saving the orchard. And, in the process, Tess ultimately finds a new understanding of herself.
Francesca Quinn, PI
Starring: Mallory Jansen and Dylan Bruce
Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 18
When private investigator Francesca “Frankie” Quinn’s (Jansen) fiancé is murdered, his sister hires her to find the killer. Frankie must work with Wyn (Bruce), the local detective assigned to the case…who also happens to be her ex. As the one-time couple joins forces to unravel a serpentine plot, the investigation strikes at their hearts.
Click the link below for the full article at ETOnline.
#news#hallmark movies#hallmark channel#fall into love#marry me in yosemite#cindy busby#tyler harlow#marry go round#amanda schull#brennan elliott#wedding of a lifetime#brooke d'orsay#jonathan bennett#fly away with me#natalie hall#peter mooney#hallmark movies & mysteries#love's portrait#aubrey reynolds#richard mcwilliams#to her with love#skye p. marshall#tobias truvillion#the secrets of bella vista#rachelle lefevre#niall matter#francesca quinn pi#mallory jansen#dylan bruce#link
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I’ve been thinking about this particular discussion for a while…While I understand and disagree with your new policy at the same time, I’m not here to talk about that nor challenge you. I’m here to talk about the two comics themselves.
As I mentioned to you privately, I have an opinion to share the original comic and the reboot: I am reading the original as we speak, and I can’t understand why he has so much shame over this. I think it’s a fun little comic that’s enjoyable unlike the reboot! Here’s why.
The way I see it, the original is just pure fun. No obnoxious subplots that get dragged out, no whiny angst, nothing. Just pure wackiness and hijinks; It’s basically something anyone can enjoy. Sure, he borrows aspects from comics like Sabrina Online, and doesn’t really stick to one solid plot nor have much character development, but it’s still a fun read and one I intend to continue given how enjoyable it is. Arguably, it’s because of the lack of it that makes it so appealing on an esoteric level at least. It’s the same exact reason why Frankie Avalon’s Beach Party series or the Original Sabrina Online Comics had so much appeal; no solid plot, no annoying angst, just fun antics.
Meanwhile, the reboot that Jon and everyone else holds in such high regard is pretty much either:
-The same exact hijinks and lack of plot that he despised from the original continuity except this time they’re obnoxious instead of fun and it’s even worse the second time around given how they frequently disrupt the mood and the grounded feeling the reboot is supposed to set, as demonstrated by nonsense characters like Von Munchkinn and Korgar, which makes the entire point of the reboot a moot point. He may have done away with Munchkinn for good, sure, but the damage is already done. Not to mention, turning Seth into a guardian, and the whole “guardian” nonsense makes the entire comic feel like a dumb kodomo series.
-Frequent pity parties for Peter (try saying the last four words together 10x fast; I can’t) and the author by proxy especially in the earlier chapters, all of which have aged poorly and ring hollow.
-Bad/questionable writing choices like with Chelsea…which I’ll be honest, I don’t care to talk about…but is still worth mentioning since he almost decided to give her another pointless villain arc that would have brought back Von Munchkinn and that fish guy who, again, bring the same exact problem that he had with the original continuity. I also got a particular issue with Ezzy’s existence in the comic, particularly where it concerns implications of Persephoni disguising herself as her multiple times, but that’s a topic I won’t discuss here.
-In general, all the characters in the reboot carried over from the original are written to be as dislikable as possible; Peter, Seth, Chelsea…about the only one who is as he was, is Iggy and Theodore (aka Skin), and even then!
To top it all off, and arguably this is the most damning aspect of the reboot, you got the shoehorning of Whitney which starts the “first crush arc” that pretty much takes up most of the plot in the first comic and extends into Peter and Whitney to make his relationship look like it was some sort of destiny, making it seem more inspiring and romantic than it really is. It has as much depth as Bradley Bell’s in-your-face “destiny story” between Ridge Forrester and Brooke Logan (Trust me when I say Brad’s favorites are very unpopular for a very good reason; soap writing is garbage). It’s even worse than having no plot or direction at all; It might as well just be called “Peter and Whitney: The childhood years”.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that it’s honestly a mistake that Jon gave only one continuity for readers; If he had not tried to deliberately hide the original comic and had just let it remain, this could have all been avoided. It’s a clear sign he really doesn’t know how the internet works and that at the end of the day, no matter how anyone feels about TJ’s actions (and I have my own mixed feelings on that matter), Jon can’t force the internet to abide by his terms as it ultimately never forgets whether he wants it to or not. I personally think he should throw his hands in the air and just be like “Fuck it” and repost the entirety of the original comic on his own website while explaining it’s no longer canon and then go on about why he discontinued it. It would be a hit with a lot more people than he thinks!
Sorry for the harsh long-winded speech, I just needed to get that off my chest. It honestly gets annoying to watch him create his own problems like that.
Fair point. This is an interesting point to make, because I got the idea that the original comic was abhorrent and even downright offensive, what with how it has been treated by both Jon and people who want me to riff it. I got some big “smoking gun” wibes out of it, personally.
It’s also surprising, because I absolutely dislike Jon’s wacky attempts at meaningless comedy. And I sort of get the idea Peter and Company Original Ver is full of that.
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meet the big 3
Welcome to this kind of big and scary post- the best place to meet my “big 3” oc’s! This is a brief overview of my 3 favourite marvel oc’s, the ones who inspire me most often. i have a total of 12 marvel oc’s, however, most of them aren’t as developed as these three. (if you’re curious about others, i’m happy to answer questions in my askbox!
please keep in mind as you’re reading this, there are minor elements of original stories that i have chosen to change. i have only chosen minor details that have no weight on the story AS I KNOW IT (i.e. steve rogers becoming unfrozen in 2001 instead of 2011, frank castle being raised by foster parents instead of biological) and have only made the changes if it is absolutely necessary.
below you can read a brief(ish) description of each character and their backstory, as well as something that helps me visualize and piece together their story: the taylor swift album i associate with them the most, and a playlist i’ve made for them. if you notice slight favoritism towards brooke and el…no you don’t :)
Named after the city she was born in and the daughter of Steve Rogers, Brooklyn is my longest-standing OC. She was originally created when baby Vienna saw The Avengers for the first time, meaning that I was around 11 or 12 at the time of her creation. Having been with me for a decade now, Brooklyn and I have grown and developed as people in different directions, and one of the funnest parts of writing for her is making decisions through her eyes. The lore behind her is extensive (just ask @drop-of-void ), to the point I’ve actually conceptualised a story and soundtrack for a Brooklyn Rogers movie, as well as have faceclaims for other characters, and even started some crumbs of what that screenplay would look like.
I’ll spare you her entire backstory and get to the important stuff here- however, if you want to learn all of it, i have a full backstory post on the way! Brooklyn (or, as most call her, Brooke) was born on April 12, 2002. Although she is the biological daughter of Steve Rogers and an unnamed wife, she and her 4 siblings were raised by Tony Stark alongside their “cousins”- the children of the other Avengers. Her best friends growing up were her adopted “twin” sister, Natalie, and her cousin Brandon Stark. Most of the children decided to follow in their parents’ footsteps, leading to the formation of a group known as the Avengers of Tomorrow. While her siblings and cousins trained young, Brooklyn always found her strength in her head- from ages 14-16, she operated as the “girl in the chair” for the AoT, but secretly, she longed to follow her friends and family out into the field.
At age 15, Brooke started seeing a new face around the tower. Initially, she didn’t think much of it- probably some new kid trying to kiss up to her uncle, nothing she hadn’t seen before- until she walked into her first day of math class her sophomore year of high school. There, she was finally able to formally introduce herself to him. His name was Peter Parker, and it only took all of four months and a little matchmaking from Pepper Potts and Brooke’s family for the two to begin dating.
When she was 16, Brooke decided she was done being the girl in the chair. With a little help from Brandon in Tony’s lab at 2 am one fateful night, Brooke used a strand of Peter’s hair to replicate his spider powers- something she could never tell him, as he had promised Tony to keep her safe and wouldn’t respond well. She administered the formula to herself and then trained F.R.I.D.A.Y. with her voice pack to avoid Peter’s suspicion of her secret identity, and began operations as Spider-Woman, avoiding Peter on every mission. He didn’t uncover her secret identity until the events of Infinity War, where the team followed Peter as he was following Tony. Brandon tried to prevent the accidental discovery, but was unsuccessful. This wouldn’t be a major issue for the time being anyway, as Brooke and Peter were both blipped.
When she returned to Earth in 2023, Brooke was introduced to her new hero, Carol Danvers. Wanting to leave a guardian over Earth when she left, Carol orchestrated a power transfusion and gave Brooklyn some of her powers. Brooke was quick to learn the way of these powers and she fit into the role perfectly, much to Peter’s chagrin.
She went on like this for the next couple years. She applied to NYU and was accepted into the English program- initially she hadn’t intended to go to college at all, and had in fact considered following Peter to MIT, however, she ultimately made the choice to go to the same school as Natalie, a Musical Theatre major.
When Brooke forgot Peter after the events of No Way Home, she went about her life as usual until the devastating loss of Brandon. In her grief, she began working with RiRi Williams on a memory database of Brandon, trying to find every memory of him she could, when she encountered the oddly familiar face of Peter. She also made friends with Harry Osborn, a classmate from Art History who quickly took a romantic interest her. Amid pressure from Aunt Pepper and Norman Osborn to rush into a marriage, she ran into the boy who’s face she kept seeing. It was after this that he helped her, and only her, recover her memories of him and stop a power-hungry Green Goblin before he could brainwash Harry.
brooke’s taylor swift album: midnights
playlist here
I began watching Daredevil in August of 2022 on a whim. I had no idea that it would become such an important story to me, nor did I know just how comforting and real Matt Murdock would feel to me. I was raised Mormon in Utah, and have had an enduring faith crisis going on for several years at this point. Matt’s story of finding yourself and realizing your identity in religion became the greatest escape for me and because of that, I am planning on my first tattoo being Matt’s glasses thanks to how much he means to me.
Eliette was created as a coping mechanism and thanks to my love of Matt and also Charlie Cox. Eliette was born on May 24th, 1995 as Eliette Kierstenne Auclair to French immigrants who had just moved to Harlem. She was loved as a child, however, when El was 4 her parents passed away in a car accident. She was entered into the foster care system in nearby Hell’s Kitchen, and was placed in a home with a young Frank Castle. Originally, the two foster siblings both hated their foster parents, however, their own relationship was very close. Frank was 12 years El’s senior, and very quickly became protective over and dedicated to her.
Their foster parents brought the children to Catholic mass every week, something that was originally a comfort to El, who’s parents had raised her in the religion. However, due to their age gap, Frank was not in the home with El for long, and soon after he left attending mass became a dreaded chore for her. Her foster parents gave her no option to avoid attendance, and as a result she searched for a quick out. At 17, she was proposed to by a man she had barely known a month, and accepted out of desperation.
The marriage was not a good one- it was toxic in nearly every way. El would find refuge in going to visit Frank, envious of the life he was leading with his wife and two children. She wouldn’t divulge many details of the union, but she couldn’t escape her older brother’s watchful eye for long- he noticed a bruise on her arm and instantly knew what was happening. In a desperate plan to help her escape, Frank refused to let her return home. He arrived at her home and told her husband that she wasn’t coming back, and when the husband tried to retaliate Frank shot him at point-blank range and made the crime scene look like a suicide. El played along with the charade, something that would haunt her for the coming years.
With her husband gone and her only true family being Frank, El opted to take on his last name, but in her native French. She stopped attending mass and never spoke to her foster parents. When she felt like she was ready to move on, she began college to train as a paralegal, desperate to help other women who were experiencing stories similar to hers. When she graduated, she set out to find work, and fate brought that journey straight to the doorstep of Nelson & Murdock.
Matt was quick to hire her, instantly drawn in by her voice and the way she spoke of her work. She very quickly found herself calling the office home, down to the fact she would even sleep there to avoid taking the subway at night. When Matt learned of this, however, he offered to let her stay at his apartment.
It was shortly after she began staying with Matt that Frank lost his family. El returned back shortly to visit him, however, it was when she returned to work that he became the Punisher. She had no clue of his vigilanteism, however, the media did.
Worried for her safety, Matt began to teach Eliette self-defence skills. He was glad she would have some ways to keep herself safe, however, he didn’t anticipate that she would enjoy training with him so much, or that she would want to continue learning. In teaching her these skills, Matt inadvertently kickstarted El’s vigilante career under the name Angel Eyes.
The couple got married in between the ending of season 3 and Matt’s return in She-Hulk. Instead of a romantic partnership with Matt, Jennifer pursues a friendship with El that I’m still developing…stay tuned ;)
el’s taylor swift album: speak now (taylor’s version)
playlist here
This is a character I am still working on, but the concept is based around what would have happened if TASM3 had come to be. Originally, Shailene Woodley was cast as a biker MJ, however, I am enamored with the idea of 2014 Tumblr girl Mary Jane.
Mary Jane is very much a deviation from the MJ’s we know and love. In all of the live action movies, MJ is stubborn and feisty- even the most quiet iteration, the Raimi MJ, is not afraid of doing things like breaking up with Flash at graduation. This Mary Jane is different- she is sweet and a little bit shy. She lives up to the 2014 Tumblr girl trope in every way- she loves justgirlythings, she takes mirror selfies with her DSLR, she wears a flower crown in her room and listens almost exclusively to 1989 and AM.
Like I said, this character is still in development so I don’t have much on her now, however, the idea of her and Peter excites me a lot. If anyone has ideas for her, feel free to send them in- I’d love to hear them!
2014!Mary Jane’s Taylor Swift album: 1989 (I will only stream Taylor’s Version but bestie girl is in 2014…”
playlist coming soon!
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Home Bargains.
Mandy Payne, 20??
In an earlier post a few days ago, I mentioned that in this new year of 2024 I'm going to follow a similar pattern as the last, by featuring the artwork of one artist throughout the year and posting one piece of their work at the beginning of each month. Last year, I was fortunate enough to be able to include Edith Holden’s delicate drawings from nature, which, because they were from a diary, also happened to correspond with each month. For this year, I considered Peter Brook’s paintings of Pennine landscapes, as he was born around the same neck of the woods as me and he did a series of paintings called ‘Twelve Months of the Year’. But, as I pointed out in my previous post, I had already posted a few of his paintings from the series prior to this brainwave idea, so I had to come up with something new.
I was looking for something with continuity and uniformity, so it would be instantly recognisable who the artist is, and that’s why the work of Mandy Payne immediately sprang to mind. I have posted her artwork once before (of a scene quite local to me - link here), but she has an abundant portfolio of images that I can tap into. And it’s perhaps interesting that her work is in stark contrast to the gentle countryside sketches of Ms. Holden, for these paintings focus entirely on inner city areas, Brutalist architecture and bleak, modern urban decay. And like Peter Brook, she has a (fairly) local link, as although she is, I believe, based in Sheffield and much of her work centres on that area, Mandy Payne has painted at least two scenes in Huddersfield, which is the closest large town to where I live. Indeed, the painting above is of a central block of high-rise flats called Buxton House as viewed from the ring road which encircles the town (it is the same block of flats which appears in the other painting - see link above - from a different angle). The location is just past the top of Chapel Hill - a landscape, incidentally, captured – albeit very differently! - by another painter of industrial and urban scenes, LS Lowry (1887-1976).
So - I intend to post a painting by Mandy Payne at the beginning of each month and let’s see what other ideas may be inspired within our eclectic, serendipitous minds.
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E V I D E N C E | POMPIDOU
Stephen Crasneanscki: Where should we start from? I guess one of it is the three French poets we decided to focus on, Antonin Artaud, Arthur Rimbaud and René Daumal, who left France for a journey that changed their lives forever. We read and studied their text, went back on their trace, recorded on-location, composed music inspired by those places, and tried to understand them.
Patti Smith: Yes, it’s two ideas, one is that we love them, and we love them as beings. The other is that we love their work and look at their work not as being dead or even completed, because we think of them as living and organic and that their cells are energy cells that are still multiplying, still sending vibrations, still conveying. The force of Artaud, you couldn’t kill him!
P: You know that movie from Peter Brook, Meetings With Remarkable Men? In the beginning of the movie, the father takes his son to the mountain, and all the men are there with their sons and they have a competition on who can make the mountains speak. They all have to use the voice and the one who can make the mountain almost shake and reverberate and create the echo (which is the mountain speaking) wins the sheep. In a certain way that’s what I feel it is like: we’re presented with the mountain a the material, it’s Artaud’s poems or Rimbaud’s or Daumal’s texts. In performing, it’s the same type of thing. I can simply read the poems quietly, or have someone do it in French, and we have the poem and fine, it’s perfect. It might not reverberate anything. But in staying open and being free to assault, or be assaulted, that way there is a reverberation in each case. Not necessarily in every case, but in at least one Rimbaud, Artaud, Daumal and maybe more, the mountain actually speaks.
S: Yes, the mountain speaks, but only for the one who can hear. Along the journey I am collecting stones, sand, pieces of wood that come my way. When all those objects and instruments come back into the studio and are played with the right intention, they also reveal their own stories.
P: When I’m in the studio, I’m listening to a soundtrack of elements, of sticks, rocks, rain, air and wind. They take me places because of their purity and the purity of their intent. They were recorded in dangerous places with absolute love. Unconditional love, and that comes through and just takes me on another journey. Because I am not making the physical journey - you made the physical journeys - I can only make the journeys through performance and language. But they are big journeys. We help each other journey, right?
S: Yes, every time you are traveling with me in spirit. Your presence, as well as our poet, is always part of my adventure. You are there with me, and sometimes I think there is no decision-making involved when it comes to capturing the sound, as though it was already there, waiting for me. My sole responsibility is to be present in order to listen, and do what I am required to do.
P: To me, it’s one of the most beautiful things about being alive, having this consciousness that can reach out and go there, that’s where we channel from. It’s all energy. Those poets are all dead of course. I go to visit their tombs and I know they are dead, but their energy - radio waves and brain waves, all of those things go there, that’s what the pool is: it’s the liquid energy of everything. If you thought of it as a great set of encyclopedias, you can go to the pool and find the R’s and you can find Rimbaud. To me, the pool is also pre-Babel. In the tower of Babel story, everyone speaks the same language. They had the miracle of telepathy. They could do anything. They are building the tower of Babel and they have this tower, they can raise stone, the unification of their minds is so powerful. In Genesis, God looks at them and he can that they want to see what he’s up to. He’s looking down and he thinks, “what the fuck?! my people all speak of one mind so they can do anything and they are coming up to my house. Because of this I’m going to confound their language.” And they were trying to talk to each other, but one person is speaking Greek, one Somalian, and they couldn’t communicate to build this tower. To me the pool is pre-Babel, when man knew everything and they were only this far away from God. It still exists, he didn’t destroy the pool, he just made it hard to get to.
S: All true languages are incomprehensible. In the act of collecting and recording, we are trying to restore what came before language. Like an intuitive sense of truth.
P: Well, I think our work is important, on the most banal level, new interpretations of these three great minds. On other levels, we are preserving and encoding these notebooks with chicken scratches and encoding the process of channelling, of accessing the pool and taking from it and then giving process to the pouring and receiving, like a figure of eight. As an anthropologist preserving what otherwise would be gone all of a sudden, like all the Indians are killed, or no more access to the mountain, or no one cares anymore, On so many levels, art, anthropology, spirituality, entertainment, all kinds of things in obscure works that aren’t even obscure anymore because we opened them up with a can opener.
P: What does it say in Mount Analog, “and you, what do you seek?” Don’t you love that? I remember reading that and going “(gasp) wow.” What do you seek? Everything?
S: Unlimited vision.
P: Well, you know, if you’re going to have unlimited vision you’re going to see a lot of difficult things. You are gonna see death, loss, hunger, and exquisiteness, all of the same weight. The price Artaud paid; look at him with no teeth, with raw skin. You have to be raw at least some point. You have to wail like an animal, at least once.
S: There is always a duality in all of us. An apocalyptic as well as wise mind, and both states exist in different moments of our lives. This instability followed our three poets wherever they went.
P: Yes all of them, but that is why Daumal has such beauty. He seems to me the one with the most clear mind when he died, and no rage - the mot accepting. The beauty of his soul was like washed crystal, it was clean.
S: When I went to the holy city of Varanasi in India to record for our album of René Daumal, hundreds of bodies were burning along the Ganges river. the Aghori, an ascetic Shiva sadhu, told me that you can see one’s life though the way the body is burning. A good life is a body that burns fast. A conflicted life is one where the body is resistant to the fire, and you can see legs and arms getting stiff and requiring constant assistance for them to burn.
P: [sighs]
S: It’s like trying to find a breath that has fossilled on a rock, which we are trying to resurrect, and record its exhalation. The breath of a universal consciousness “aware of itself in the flow of time, still it only in the present, that is, an immediate simple act outside the flow of time”, as Daumal said. It’s about creating a space, being present, and bringing it to life.
P: Yes, it’s like awakening the space, how beautiful. It always exists. In Daumal’s space, he created it, that’s what artists do, they create space. If you’re creating space for others, it’s up to them to enter it and use it, whether it’s Blake that created space, or the space that DaVinci created in the eyes of his Christ. I remember in early Punk Rock, people would ask me, “What are you trying to do with your music? What is Horses?” I said, “I am creating space, so other generations can ask: what does doing an album mean?” It doesn’t necessarily mean some singles or that you have to write eight songs. This is an album that created space for you to expand on and create more space out of. Jimi Hendrix was a great space creator. It takes the artist out of the realm of the egocentric to create their work. But in creating space, there’s where benevolence takes hold, because artists will die. They will be dead, but the space they created lives. It’s a living space, as you said.
S: I think I learned that while walking at the foot of the Nanda Devi in the Himalayas. Being so out of breath and exhausted, I literally couldn’t see myself moving up another meter. Dhan Singh Rana, our Sherpa who was in his 70′s, repeated to me with his soft voice and infinite patience: “Don’t stop, just keep walking, just a little bit more.” And meter after meter, hour after hour, slowly but surely I got there. I recorded him back in his village for the opening track, singing an ancient song honoring the mountain - it turns out he was the last Sherpa that climbedits summit. The mountain teaches us the slowness and calmness that Daumal wrote of in his climbing diaries. When you finally arrive and look up at the magistral Nanda Devi summit, Daumal’s words resonate: “The Mountain is the connection between Earth and Sky. Its highest summit touches the sphere of eternity, and its base branches out in manfold foothills into the world of mortals. It is the path by which humanity can raise itself to the divine and the divine reveal itself to humanity.”
P: Well you see, you’re my Sherpa, I feel like I’m dying and you keep pushing, “Just a little bit more.”
S: Well, we are all Sherpa’s for each other, because sometimes pushing a little bit more allows us to see the sacred valley behind.
P: Those spaces are what we set out to find and explore physically by going to Antonin Artaud’s cave in the Sierra Tarahumara in Mexico, Arthur Rimbaud’s Sufi shrine in Harar, and René Daumal’s narrow and difficult trail of the Mount Analogue. Meanwhile, we attempted to metaphysically access the way they perceived the world to unlock the chain to their consciousness and see through their eyes, hear through their ears.
P: Sometimes you are so close - it’s almost as if there’s this wavering transparent veil, and all you have to do is put your hand through it and you’re on the other side. That last moment seems like the hardest movement of your whole life: to thrust your hand through it.
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Viral Teen Movies & Videos to Add to Your Watchlist!
The teen sports movie genre is one of the trickiest to master, much like the many complex aspects of being young. Studios have produced some of the most famous viral teen movie videos throughout the years. However, movies that speak to the Gen Z experience are scarce. But over time, cinema has given us some of the most timeless, sports viral teen movie videos. Here, we list the "ideal balance" of recent and classic films that teenagers must watch.
'Kicking and Screaming
With this 2005 family hit, Will Ferrell contributes a timeless comedy to this list of viral teen movie videos. Phil becomes a coach for his son's soccer team, but his decision brings back bad memories because he will be up against his father's team, who is always competitive.
The Cutting Edge
The American sports-romance film series "The Cutting Edge" cannot be overlooked in this list of the most viral teen movie videos. This franchise consisted of one theatrical film and three made-for-television films, later released on straight-to-home video media. The Cutting Edge demonstrates how challenging it can be to figure skate through cheese with its forced romance and tired sports drama.
The Sandlot
The Sandlot, regarded by many as one of the best movies for kids, had to make it to this list of viral teen movie videos. It tells the tale of a young boy named Scott who moves to a new neighborhood. With his new friends, Scott joins the baseball team and sets out on a wild ride of an adventure.
Breaking Away
American Coming-of-Age Comedy-Drama Breaking Away is yet another addition to this viral teen movie video list. It was released in 1979, written by Steve Tesich, and produced and directed by Peter Yates. It centers on a group of four male teenagers from Bloomington, Indiana, who have just received their high school diplomas. The four friends decide to fulfil their friend's wish in the yearly bicycle endurance race at the university, but they encounter opposition from all sides.
Miracle
Miracle, a film about the inspiration behind the US ice hockey team's victory over the Russian team, is based on the real-life story of Herb Brooks. Don't forget to put this in your "Must Watch" historical drama list that makes you relive the crucial moment in history!
In the end, if you haven't watched these top hits yet, you have missed the best experience!
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