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redthefortuneteller · 5 months

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Snake is not a human with snake genes. He's a snake with human genes.

𓆚 𓆚 𓆚 Edit: I've added at the bottom something else I had forgotten about. If you've read this post before, give it a read. Sorry about that! I've made other seperate posts related so that this one doesn't get so enormous. Here are the links: The Island of Queimada Grande The Snake Charming Flute A Pet Snake Feel free to give them a peek if you found this post interesting. These posts are much more brief than this one, I promise you! :D 𓆚 𓆚 𓆚 If you're at all familiar with the 1896 early science fiction novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau" by H. G. Wells, the tittle surely might've brought it to mind. Indeed, I am basing this theory on this novel. "The Island of Dr. Moreau reflects the ethical, philosophical, and scientific concerns and controversies raised by the themes and ideas of Darwinian evolution, which were so disruptive to social norms in the late 1800s."

In brief, Doctor Moreau was an eminent physiologist (read: mad scientist) in London who ended up fleeing Great Britain due to his experiments in vivisection being publicly exposed. Vivisection is, for all intents and purposes, experimentation on live animals. What he accomplished with his experimenting was human-animal hybrids. But it's not as one would assume at first glance (as did the main protagonist in the novel), that he'd turn humans into animals, as is often portrayed in this sort of fiction or even in real-world folklore (think werewolves or berserkers).

Instead, Doctor Moreau turned animals into humans. And unfortunately, through means of extremely painful surgery, which fits in quite well with a dark story such as Kuroshitsuji.

Almost all of the beast-folk are named after "what they're made of". For example: Leopard-Man, Hyena-Swine, Wolf-Man, Fox-Bear Woman, etc… And he refers to them as his children. Children he holds hostage on an island. You know, like an orphanage? The orphanage, which is mentioned in Chapter 192, could very well be "the island" where the Doctor's children were being held at. After all, an island is just like a building where one can be held in, only the walls are a vast ocean. Snake (or Oscar) refers to it as "… a terrible place." and remembering the painful surgery part, I think that's an understatement.

In a 1996 film adaptation that slightly deviated from the original work, the beast-folk as they're called, need to take a serum in order to keep them from turning back into their original form. All except for one hybrid in particular, which the doctor refers to almost perfect or the closest he's gotten to perfection. I feel inclined to mention that in the film someone confronts the protagonist with something along the lines of "What do you intend to do once you get her out of the island? Sell her to a circus?" referring to that almost perfect hybrid. I believe it to be the case that Snake could be the perfect hybrid. The doctor mentions the fact that in turning animals into humans, he could create the perfect human, devoid of its human flaws, devoid of malice. I firmly believe Snake is devoid of malice.

The whole incident with Phelps was nothing but a mistake, and Snake's paying dearly for that mistake as he got his neck sliced in the same place Phelps had the mamba bite.

Whichever the case, the plan was not very well thought through: he was going to kill Smile without knowing the circus troupe was dead and without so much as asking Smile about it. He was going to kill Sebastian too, were he not a demon. As Smile was telling him that he had infiltrated the circus in order to investigate, Snake kept flip-flopping between getting shocked with the revelation that the troupe were kidnapers and getting aggravated, insisting Smile was lying. Probably due to the snakes' chattering each of their opinions. He's confused, but he's not evil. It's clear from his reactions.

The reason I'm bringing this up is because he was acting purely on impulse. Not much thought. Or at least, the thought he put into it wasn't much. It wasn't malice guiding his actions, but a sort of instinct. Snakes don't think much about attacking when they feel threatened. If they feel inclined to do so, they just do. No questions asked. No thinking about consequences.

In the film mentioned earlier, the doctor's office looks like a small library. The doctor is obviously quite literate. However, his "children" aren't.

There seems to be quite a bit of focus on Snake not knowing how to read. First mentioned on Yana's personal blog and most recently brought up in Chapter 195. It was quite common for people to be illiterate at the time Kuro takes place, but there was a focus on Snake from Yana's part, which I only find interesting because of how his snakes were named. After famous writers.

Could the doctor have named the other snakes but not him, as he was the first snake? The Snake. Or could Snake have named the others because he himself didn't have a name? It's funny that among all his family, the one human is simply named "snake" while the ones that would be naturally referred to as snakes are named quite fancifully. It's also quite comical if you consider chapter 51, when Finnian thought Snake was "Mister Oscar" as he introduced himself with "I'm Snake…", "- Says Oscar."

If you'd like to consider going a little further and going a bit crazy on these what ifs: consider that his snakes are the others who didn't make it or reverted back to normal. The panel in chapter 195 (page 7) where Snake has himself a little dilemma (in space!) with all the snakes chiming in in his head? I know it might sound a little out there, but I think the reason those three Snakes are shown naked could be because they're not Snake, they really might be Keats, Emily, and Wilde. Either the Snake-Man hybrids all look the same, or this is how Snake visualizes them speaking, as he himself is a snake like them. The difference is that he can use human speech, so if they were to use it as well, they too would look like him… right?

In fact, he often makes little distinction. He's said this in chapter 202 when Arty asks if he's a snake charmer, to which he firmly responds, "No. Snake and us are family. - says Dan." and "We are all footmen. - Says Goethe." Before this, he says "We're all here. - says everyone." He refers to them as "us". He makes little separation between himself and the other snakes. He understands and talks to snakes because, naturally, he is a snake. And he's the only snake who can talk to humans—the only one who is also human. He's the spokesperson (spokesnake, lol) of the group. Edit: He makes different voices for different snakes. Each snake has their own voice. What if those were really their voices at some point in time? The first idea one gets from Snake is that the snakes are like parts of his personality that he's expressing through them. However, this isn't true (or entirely true) because they do really do communicate with him, as proven undeniably by Oscar sneaking into the castle basement in the Green Witch arc and bringing back information Snake had no way of knowing (and couldn't really explain very well when Bard asked for details).

In chapter 53, he's sneaked down to the cargo to share the food with "everyone" as he says. I always found it a little odd to share human food with snakes, who only eat whole animals. On the plate, there were some leaves. There are no herbivorous snakes; they're all exclusively carnivorous (insectivorous, too). Of course, the lettuce, or whatever it is, is intact. But still, snakes don't eat breaded chicken or liver pâté either… It's just odd that Snake, who's been seen feeding his snakes mice twice, suddenly thinks they'd be interested in this gourmet, first-class dish. I believe he thinks, since it's delicious to him, surely they might think so too. After all, they're all snakes. Could he get a little confused sometimes?

He's also never showed any fear of the werewolf forest while the other servants were scared as they made their way to the village in the Emerald Witch arc. He doesn't seem phased by the idea of wolf-men. He was freaked out by the torture instruments in the village though, meaning some things are scary, just not the werewolves.

Edit: I forgot to mention an interesting passage from the Kuroshitsuji Original Picture Drama live reading from 2015. As far as I know, the script was written by Yana Toboso. It's all done mainly for comedic purposes. However, there's a part where the characters are drinking and chatting and eventually some get a little tipsy. What Snake says in a drunken crying fit is "I'm a snake! I feel better if I drink a lot of sake!" Interesting, isn't it? ;) Go ahead and watch it yourself here if you feel like it: https://youtu.be/xMmrWsHLaqc?si=ozkAfssE_fLOOoaM&t=506

To end I'd also like to call attention to the cover art from Chapter 196. Him being confused about a lemon cake and a lemon tart being different snacks when they're both sweet and both cakes made it to the cover art. He's having trouble grasping how a lemon flavored dessert can be different from another lemon flavored dessert.

I think that sums it up nicely, although I might have forgotten some things. I do apologize if anyone has already made this correlation between this work by H. G. Wells and Snake's possible origins, I couldn't find anything related.

Of course it can all be explained easily by just saying he sees the snakes as family and as "us" because he has a connection to them. However, it's the "how he came to be" part that is my main motive behind the theory.

I put a lot of love and care into this theory and since Snake's flashbacks might be coming up soon, I thought I'd share it just so that it's out there for all it's worth.

Thank you so much for reading. Have a lovely day. Red

#kuroshitsuji #snake #black butler #theory #island of dr moreau theory #Snake is a snake #kuroshitsuji snake #black butler snake

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pandoramsbox · 3 months

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Sci-Fi Saturday: Island of Lost Souls

Week 9:

Film(s): Island of Lost Souls (Dir. Erle C. Kenton, 1932, USA)

Viewing Format: Blu-Ray: Criterion Edition

Date Watched: July 9, 2021

Rationale for Inclusion:

Since antiquity humans have been telling stories about humans becoming animals, animals becoming humans, and human-animal hybrids. As humans moved from superstition and religion into scientific methodology for understanding the world around them, it follows that this obsession would inspire science fiction narratives.

In 1896, author H.G. Wells combined contemporary discourses around Darwinian evolution, Galtonian eugenics, and the anti-vivisection movement with a shipwreck narrative and published The Island of Dr. Moreau. All subsequent science fiction narratives that have involved the creation of animal-human hybrids through surgery or other technological means derive at least some of their inspiration from this book.

The novel was adapted into a silent film twice (once in France, once in Germany) before a sound adaptation was produced in Hollywood by Paramount Studios, Island of Lost Souls (Dir. Erle C. Kenton, 1932, USA). As with Frankenstein (Dir. James Whale, 1931, USA) and Doctor X (Dir. Michael Curtiz, 1932, USA), this film is part of the cycle of Pre-Code horror films produced in the wake of the popularity of Dracula (Dir. Todd Browning, 1931, USA). It also marks the first time a work of H.G. Wells is featured on the survey, which at 9 weeks into this series seems late given that he's one of the authors competing for the title of "Father of Science Fiction."

Aside from its place in the overall scientific genre, Island of Lost Souls would have been worth including for no other reason than its dialogue inspiring Devo's 1978 album Q: Are We Not Men? We are Devo!. The Criterion collection disc release even includes an interview with band members Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh talking about how the film inspired them.

Reactions:

Whilst Doctor X was a horror film with science fiction aesthetics, Island of Lost Souls is more science fiction film with horror aesthetics. The beast-men makeup makes Moreau's creations indeed disquieting and monstrous. The uncredited work of Charles Gemora and Wally Westmore lacks the artistry of Jack Pierce, but is nevertheless quality for the era. Dr. Moreau's laboratory in the House of Pain is minimalist compared to the apparatuses seen in the laboratories of Doctors Xavier and Frankenstein, but he is operating further from concentrated civilizations on a South Seas island, and apparently doesn't require as showy equipment.

As an adaptation of The Island of Dr. Moreau it's fairly accurate in terms of core plot and themes. The accuracy diverges due to including a love interest for the protagonist, Edward Parker (Richard Arlen), in his worried, yet resilient fiancee Ruth Thomas (Leila Hyams) and the retooling of the novel's Half-Finished Puma-Woman into Lota, The Panther Woman (Kathleen Burke). As with adaptations of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hollywood filmmakers felt compelled to include a sexy, dark woman and a pure, wholesome fiancee counterpoint in what had previously been a homosocial narrative of male psychology and interpersonal dynamics. Apparently, the male filmmakers found it necessary to insert a Madonna-whore complex where there was none, or more likely wanted a "whore" and felt obligated to include a "Madonna" for the sake of propriety, and/or to not alienate the female audience as they perceived it and the censors.

However, the male filmmakers were not just interested in adding sex in Island of Lost Souls, but amping up the original novel's violence. Scenes of abuse, torture and surgery without anesthesia directed at the beast-men were all carryovers from the source material, but the grisly fate of Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton) was unique to this adaptation. In The Island of Dr. Moreau the Half-Finished Puma-Woman and Moreau battle to the death. In Island of Lost Souls the beast-men rebel and get revenge on Moreau, dissecting him with his own surgical tools in the House of Pain.

To my partner and my 2020s eyes the dispatch of Moreau by his creations was shocking and horrific. We noted it was gruesome even by Pre-Code standards. Apparently to its contemporary audiences it went too far, and this scene, as well as others seen as too explicit, resulted in censored versions circulating or the film being outright banned in various countries. Other Pre-Code films, such as Frankenstein and King Kong (Dir. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933, USA), suffered similar fates, and like them Island of Lost Souls would not be in circulation in their original theatrical cuts until restorations were performed decades later.

Island of Lost Souls offers more than shock value and a Pre-Code case study, however. Karl Struss' moody cinematography and the emphasis on the characters as much as the narrative situation makes for an engaging film. Bela Lugosi's Sayer of the Law, with make-up like a budget Wolfman, may play more as camp these days, but he is absolutely committed to his character. Similarly, Laughton's impish Moreau steals every scene that he is in. For fans of monster or mad scientist movies it's a necessary watch.

#sci-fi saturdays #pre code #horror #island of doctor moreau

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seldnei · 5 months

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Taking stock of the writing: 2023

For any new followers: this is my annual post about my writing in the past year. This is purely for my own mental health–the tag says “seldnei is tired of feeling like a slacker” for a reason. Please feel free to skip.

So what did I accomplish in 2023?

Well, it was a helluva year, again. We’ve acquired another teenager, with all that entails, which is a good thing overall but definitely added some chaos. My boss retired earlier than expected, so day job went sideways for a while. My cousin died, which was entirely unexpected. My father died, which was both more and less unexpected. Also the eldest BFF’s mom died, which was not traumatic for me, per se, but being able to spend a week with him was, like acquiring Q, a good thing surrounded by chaos. Oh, and Z got his ADHD diagnosis, which has triggered some interesting realizations about the assumed neurotypicality of everyone in the household. We are, in fact, that family who said, “But that can’t be a ‘disorder’; everyone is like that, right?”

I am exhausted, and my brain feels not only full but occasionally like it’s eating itself with self-analysis.

BUT. I am here. And I wrote things.

Stories/Poems/Etc.

Finished the second Exorcist story, and decided it did need to be mashed up with the first one. I dunno, it’s still cuter than I like.

Did the requested rewrite on the Teachout camel story, and got rejected again (I vaguely recall this as another rewrite request, but I could be wrong and can’t be arsed to dig through my email right now). I kind of think this editor and I have fundamentally different ideas as to what these stories are. Keep this in mind as I get into future plans, btw, as it was a contributing factor.

Wrote some more TMA fanfic.

“And the Forest Sings of Secrets and the Dead” for FUCKIT, which prompted the best review of all time from Q: “What the fuck, Laura?”

“The Modern Eurydice: with Leto in the Mountains of Delos,” also for FUCKIT, which is probably my favorite thing I wrote this year. I really hope there are more modern Eurydice stories somewhere in my head, because I loved writing this one and the first one.

Poetry:

“Elpis at the Farmer’s market” for FUCKIT

“4am, April 2023,” also for FUCKIT, the poem my husband wants to frame and put on the wall

Random bits and bobs in my notebook

I wrote three podcast scripts because I really want to make a podcast.

Script one is a monologue type thing, continuing my explorations of ghosts and terrible mothers.

Scripts two and three are the first two episodes of a short series that adapts the not!Tempest/not!Mosquito Coast/not!Island of Dr Moreau thing I’ve been fucking around with for like four years now. I think three more scripts and I��ll have the series completed, and then I can turn my attention to things like casting and recording and editing and hosting and posting and dear lord what the fuck.

I started a bunch of other things:

The baseball/ghost romance novella, where I am trying out iterative outlining.

Some abortive attempts to find my way into my post-apocalypse cunning folk thing

A start and some notes for a gothic horror story that I probably will get back to in a while (watch this space in, like, three years)

Other Stuff

“An Oral History: The Dead Queen at 1223 Murchison Row” sold and came out in Artifice & Craft.

I created my author website, which I’m still very pleased with. Also did some blogging, but not as much as I would have liked. Still, not sure when I had time?

Submitted things sporadically.

Kept up my morning writing routine, though it did have some disruptions here and there and the time got a little compressed. But the biggest thing, I think, is that I kept going. There was a lot of stuff going on in my life this year, and I wrote through it all.

Novel and Goals for 2024

Okay, this is where we get into the stuff that makes me nervous.

So the novel is on a second round of reading at a publisher. This is taking forever, but the publisher has also posted periodically that they’re still working their way through subs, and frankly, I am entirely willing to let them do their thing because, as I said last year, I think this might be the absolute worst time to try and find an agent or publisher. This is one of like two sparks of interest I have gotten for a book that a professional editor says is very good, so … yeah, we will let that lie. Additionally, I’ve been reading some stuff from established trad authors who are also having issues selling things, and I’m like … uuuggghhh.

Bearing that in mind … I’m going to start looking at and dipping my toe into self-publishing this year. Guys, I am so tired of thinking about what an editor might or might not find appealing enough to publish; I want to write my weird little stories and have people read them. I don’t even care if it’s just my friends and I only sell, like, three copies of anything. I have long since resigned myself to never being a full-time writer, so while extra cash would be nice, it’s not something I desperately need. (That said, I am going to be selling my work because it’s work, so. But I have thoughts about discount codes and freebies, so we’ll see how it goes.) I’d like to be able to hire an editor, commission covers, that kind of thing, though, so I’m also thinking about starting a Patreon to help fund those aspects of it, with rewards and all that good stuff.

So I can publish the novellas and short story collections, and if the publisher passes on my manuscript, I can publish the Teachout book and start writing the second one.

This is the scary part, though. Am I too scattered to make something like this work? What if no one has any interest? What about pirates (both cyber and sailor)? Will I annoy people with self-promo? Will people in my circle think less of me? (Do I care about the people who would think less of me for doing this?) How will this affect my other writing? OH GOD HOW DOES THIS AFFECT MY TAXES?!

I think I can do it. I might ask y’all for cheerleading here and there. I have a planner and Mr. Seldnei.

Every time I think about it and get scared, I think second Teachout book no matter what happens and I’m like … yeah. Yeah, I think I need to at least try.

So, goals for 2024:

FUCKIT subs

finish this baseball thing

Podcast

Patreon (?)

Self-publishing

AAAAAAAAAAA.

#seldnei writes things #seldnei is tired of feeling like a slacker #state of the writing #if i post it on social media i have to do it #encouragement welcome #cw: death

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moomingitz · 2 years

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Why did Lindsey in her right mind even accept that last minute movie role? Just decline the offer if you want to spend time with your son!

The fact that whatever movie role she was offered up was not only a starring one, but that filming for the movie was planned to begin the literal next day, would normally be a big bright ass red flag of a poorly ran and managed production. I'm pretty sure actors need some actual time in order to learn their lines and other important stuff pertaining to their role(make-up, wardrobe/costume, choreography, etc), especially if it's a starring one. There is a lot of planning that goes into the production of even the most basic films. ADR and other editing in post-production can only go so far.

If the literal last minute movie role she accepted was in Sonic X's equivalent to, The Island of Dr. Moreau, I would believe it. Would have been fitting karma for ditching her son like that.

#Sonic the Hedgehog #Sonic #Sonic X #Chris Thorndyke #unpopular opinions #awaits possible backlash #asks

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fearsmagazine · 1 year

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INFINITY POOL - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: NEON | Topic Studios

SYNOPSIS: James and Em are soaking up the sun, having a perfect vacation at an isolated island resort of pristine beaches and exceptional staff. When they encounter the seductive and mysterious Gabi and her husband they venture outside the fenced in resort grounds and into the local culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. On the ride back to the resort a tragic accident leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you'll be executed, or, if you're rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead. James’ decision opens up a Pandora's box of nightmares and horrors that will fracture his reality.

REVIEW: Brandon Cronenberg’s screenplay for INFINITY POOL has a literary intensity reminiscent of the works of Oscar Wilde, Joseph Conrad, and William Golding. His commanding, mind-blowing visual style demonstrates the influences of, of course, his dad (David Cronenberg), Ken Russell and Nicolas Roeg. This is a ride not taken in ages and reminds one what an adult cinematic experience can be.

I’ve already dropped some literary references in regards to the screenplay. I’ve mentioned many times in the past that a good film based on a published work should leave you with a desire to read that work. This is the first film I’ve seen that left me with a desire to read the screenplay. This is a masterclass in storytelling. He seductively weaves a tale of a character’s epic journey into the dark night of the soul. You can almost hear the creatures of H. G. Wells’ 1896 science fiction novel “The Island of Doctor Moreau” cries echoing across the decades transformed into Cronenberg’s contemporary characters grappling with the terrors of the human condition. Cronenberg brings horror back to its roots as he lays bear darkness of the human condition, a quest for the nature of the soul, in a darker, graphic, contemporary tale that is a cinematic reimagining, after a fashion, of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” My only wish is that Cronenberg would have offered a more ambiguous ending.

This is an amazing ensemble cast. There is a brilliant depth to these performances that can only be achieved through a unique amount of trust between the director and his cast. These performances breath, expand and contract, impacting on the viewer’s psyche. It is so real, so intense that it stirs emotions like live theater. I must add, there was something about Alexander Skarsgård's performance at the beginning of the film where if you closed your eyes he sounded just like his dad, Stellan. It was creepy.

Cronenberg’s film work is profound. He transcends homage, weaving visual keynotes together into a cinematic symphony that ignites the viewer’s emotions. There are classic visual effects beautifully reimagined with the aid of contemporary technology. He makes the ugly, the horrific beautiful. There is choreography to his framing and editing, enhanced by the cinematography palette. The resort and the police precinct are excellent locations that he manipulates and exploits to the story’s advantage. I loved the way the film’s opening twits images of the resort to clearly set in the viewer’s mind that there is something not right here. He builds with the tools at his disposal what many filmmakers aspire to and what few writers achieve on the page.

INFINITY POOL is a bold, unflinching, stylized and mind-blowing assault on the imagination that is a contemporary masterpiece on the odyssey into the darkness of the human condition. From the page to the screen, it embraces many traditions but undoubtedly sets Brandon Cronenberg's position firmly as a maestro of the cinema, not to forget these arresting performances.. Nothing can prepare you for this cinematic experience that will leave an indelible mark on your psyche.

CAST: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert, Amanda Brugel, John Ralston, Jeffrey Ricketts, Caroline Boulton, and Thomas Kretschmann. CREW: Director/Screenplay - Brandon Cronenberg; Producers - Karen Harnisch, Andrew Cividino, Christina Piovesan, Noah Segal, Rob Cotterill, Anita Juka, Daniel Kresmery, and Jonathan Halperyn; Cinematographer - Karim Hussain; Score - Tim Hecker; Editor - James Vandewater; Production Designer - Zosia Mackenzie; Costume Designer - Mária Popovits-Fatér; Special Makeup & Figurative Effects - Dan Martin; Special Effects Supervisor - Paul Stephenson; Visual Effects - Andy Robinson. OFFICIAL: www.infinitypool.film FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: twitter.com/neonrated TRAILER: https://youtu.be/OzhKA8hBFu8 RELEASE DATE: In theaters January 27th, 2023

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

#film review #movie review #infinity pool #neon #topic studios #brandon cronenberg #alexander skarsgård #mia goth #cleopatra coleman #horror #surreal #thriller #graphic #joseph mauceri #joseph b mauceri

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headedoutleft · 1 year

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I’ve never considered myself a furry, I just spent like a year imagining freeing a sexy anthropomorphic black panther created as the result of science experiments from imprisonment in an evil scientist’s lab and him falling in love with me after watching the Island of Dr Moreau (Val Kilmer edition) when I was 15 and rewatched Cats on VHS way too many times, that’s a normal phase every girl goes thru

#.txt

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annarellix · 2 years

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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Carlota Moreau: A young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula, the only daughter of a genius – or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol, an outcast who assists Dr Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas with plentiful coffers.

The hybrids: The fruits of the Doctor’s labour, destined to blindly obey their creator while they remain in the shadows, are a motley group of part-human, part-animal monstrosities.

All of them are living in a perfectly balanced and static world which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron – who will, unwittingly, begin a dangerous chain-reaction. For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle passions may ignite.

My Review (4.5*/5) Silvia Moreno-Garcia excels at genre-hopping and I can’t remember one of her book as “bad” or “not valid”. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a slow burning book inspired by H.G. Wells’ “The Island of Doctor Moreau”. It’s not a follow up or a spin-off, Ms Moreno-Garcia is inspired by the original book and deliver a plot that mixes horror with historical facts, feminism, romance, and interesting social and political remarks. Carlota is a well developed and interesting character: a 14 years old girl who’s becoming a woman and is questioning what she sees around her. A well read and clever girl and an interesting human being. The characters are fleshed out and interesting: you can love or hate them but they are never flat. The tension in the book builds slowly and takes you to the last part keeping the attention alive and making you turn pages. My only note is the repetition at the beginning of the chapter that makes it a bit too slow in the first chapters. I liked the story as it’s riveting and gripping. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Book page: https://www.jofletcherbooks.com/titles/silvia-moreno-garcia/the-daughter-of-doctor-moreau/9781529417999/

The Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the multi-award-winning author of Mexican Gothic (a New York Times bestseller), Gods of Jade and Shadow (one of Time magazine’s top 100 fantasy novels of all time), among others, The Beautiful Ones, Certain Dark Things, the noir thrillers Untamed Shore and Velvet was the Night, and the forthcoming The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). Born and brought up in Mexico, she now lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Website: https://silviamoreno-garcia.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smorenogarcia/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviamg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silviamg.author/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/silviamg

#horror #fantasy #historical fiction #blogtour #Jo Fletcher Books #NetGalley #review

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chaoticallyrefinednerd · 3 years

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“Got so bad you couldn’t cage a rat without reading him his rights.”

Val Kilmer as Dr. Montgomery in The Island of Dr. Moreau

#The Island of Dr. Moreau #the island of dr. moreau edits #val kilmer #val kilmer edits #my edits #dr. montgomery #dr. montgomery edits #i wuve him okay?

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male-beauty-sfw · 3 years

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#male beauty #Michael York #The Island of Dr. Moreau #michael york edit #the island of dr. moreau edit #actor #film #celebrity #european #retro #1970s #classicfilmedit

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talesfromthemuses · 4 years

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Fairuza Balk dancing in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

#fairuza balk #the island of dr. moreau #//it's been so long since i've made a gif set #i don't know how they work anymore #so hopefully this work #figures it's fairuza that brings me back to them #| ooc |#| my edits |

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luque-moreau · 4 years

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Animation Reel for 2020 fools! :^) (plus im working on a lil psychonauts animation atm that has some sneak peeks in here so... :^]

#edit #animation #clipnote studio #art #fanart #video #my art #psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #the island of dr. moreau #furry #redraw #reanimated #animation meme #fnaf #fnaf 2

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moodboardmix · 7 years

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Penguin Set of Limited-edition Books, the Barbican Centre and Estate, London.

#art #design #books #peguin #limited edition #brutalism #brutalist #Architecture #a clockwork orange #the barbican #frankenstein #the island of dr. moreau #george orwell #antony burgess #mary shelley #h.g. wells #minimal

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why-bless-your-heart · 3 years

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The List of Indispensable Science Fiction Literature for the Compleat Lady.

Inspired by my former professor's list for the compleat gentleman. There is some overlap.

I should like to note that this is a list for the compleat lady, not a compleat list.

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly

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

Rappaccini's Daughter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells

The Island of Doctor Moreau, by H.G. Wells

The Ball and the Cross, by G.K. Chesterton

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick

Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank

A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel

Return from the Stars, by Stanislaw Lem

The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Children of Men, by P.D. James

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

A Sound of Thunder, by Ray Bradbury

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis

Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis

That Hideous Strength, by C.S. Lewis

Eilfelheim, by Michael Flynn

The Green Hills of Earth, by Robert A. Heinlein

Orphans of the Sky, by Robert A. Heinlein

Shadow & Claw, by Gene Wolf

Sword & Citadel, by Gene Wolf

The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin

Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes

The Dead Past, by Isaac Asimov

The Naked Sun, by Isaac Asimov

The Martian, by Andy Weir

Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future, by Mike Resnick

Whatdunits, edited by Mike Resnick

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

1984, by George Orwell

Unearthly Neighbors, by Chad Oliver

Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book, by Walker Percy

The Thanatos Syndrome, by Walker Percy

The Weapon Shops of Isher, by A.E. van Vogt

Declare, by Tim Powers

Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton

The Taking, by Dean Koontz

Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson

Defending Elysium, by Brandon Sanderson

The Practice Effect, by David Brin

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

Dune, by Frank Herbert

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mikauzoran · 3 years

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The Shipping Continues

I’m still reading through the Vanitas no Carte manga to practice my Japanese, and I have some more favourite moments from Volume Four to share. ^w^

First off, Noe completely losing it when Dr. Moreau tries to touch Vanitas.

Dr. Moreau was just asking Vanitas if he could extract one of Vanitas’s eyes to study it, and Noe has had enough.

Vanitas says, “Hey. What are you doing? Stop it.” because Noe is going to blow their cover to which Noe replies, “I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. Dr. Moreau, I’ve got a mountain’s worth of things I want to say to you, but...calling people by a number like you’ve been doing with your ‘Number Six-Nine, Number Six-Nine’...cut it the hell out!!!”

I like that Noe just drops all pretense of politeness here and snaps. ^.^

A side note on Dr. Moreau: I really love the allusion to the 1896 book by H. G. Wells: The Island of Doctor Moreau. (Have people heard of it before? ^.^;) It’s about a mad scientist who’s made these hybrid human-animal creatures on this island that the narrator gets shipwrecked on. My favourite character is the pink sloth creature. It’s an interesting book, and I always love when contemporary fiction references classic fiction. The references make me happy. ^w^ It’s like finding Easter eggs.

This is another great scene. Vanitas was about ready to give up, but Noe inspired him to keep trying. Actually, what happened was Vanitas was going to have everyone leave and seal the room until the monster consumed itself and disappeared on its own because there was no way for them to get the cursed one out of the monster in order to purify them. Noe convinced Vanitas to jump into the monster’s void-like maw in order to perhaps save the cursed one from inside of the monster.

Only, they didn’t know that that was going to work. For all they knew, they were going to their deaths. Instead of letting Noe go in on his own (because Noe wasn’t giving up, and he was going whether Vanitas went or not), Vanitas decided to go with Noe, knowing that it could be a suicide mission. It’s kind of romantic in a twisted way that Vanitas picked possibly dying with Noe instead of letting Noe go alone and then sealing up the room to let the monster eat itself out of existence.

But what I really like about this scene is the dialogue!

Vanitas: That’s the cursed one who created “Predator”. (The kanji says “shadow figure”/“silhouette”/“shadow monk”, but the furigana reads “puredatouuru”.)

Noe: It’s okay. We can win.

Vanitas: Ha. “So long as we’re together”?

This is a callback to a scene in Volume 3:

Here, Vanitas has just asked if Noe can win against Roland (I’m guessing that’s how you spell his name. In katakana, it’s “rooran”. I’m guessing that’s the French name “Roland”). Noe says, “I don’t know...but we can win. So long as we’re together.”

A note on my translation: That’s not literally what Noe says, but that’s the vibe. In Japanese, it’s “oretachi nara”. Literally, that means “so long as it’s us”. The emphasis is on “tachi”. “Ore” would just mean “me”. “Tachi” makes it plural, so Noe is emphasizing that so long as it’s him and Vanitas, they can win. It feels more natural in English for me to translate that as “so long as we’re together”.

I love the above scene of Vanitas and Noe laughing together after having pulled it off and narrowly escaped death. I also love Roland looking on in awe at a vampire and a human laughing together.

You can tell he ships it. This is his “and then a shipper was born” moment.

Above is another great scene. Amelia comes in to give Vanitas a message, and Noe is still sleeping. He’s just fallen out of bed with a loud crash.

Amelia: Noe-san?!

Vanitas: Oh, so he’s fallen out of bed again?

Amelia: Uh... Is this...really okay?

Noe: *soft, breathy snore*

Vanitas: Hey. Don’t get close to him. He’ll turn you into a body pillow.

I love the implication that Vanitas knows this fact from personal experience. How else would he know that Noe latches onto and snuggles anything and anyone within reach when he’s asleep? Vanitas has definitely gotten snuggled before, and I want fan art. XD

Honorable Mentions from Volume Four:

This scene. I won’t translate it word for word, but Vanitas is getting worked up because Noe refuses to take one of the Chasseurs hostage. Vanitas says that if Noe doesn’t like Vanitas’s way of doing things, he can just go because Vanitas doesn’t want to be around people with Noe’s soft way of thinking. Vanitas is afraid that if he spends time with people like Noe, Vanitas will eventually go soft too, and then he’ll end up dead.

I really love the depth of Vanitas’s character. Sensei has done an excellent job with him in particular (though, all of the characters are wonderful). His psychology is fascinating. He’s obviously been through a great deal, and he’s adapted in order to survive. He’s scared of letting people in because being the way he is and being a loner is what’s kept him alive and safe up until this point.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how Noe slowly chips away at the walls Vanitas has built around himself. ^w^

This is my other honorable mention. After Noe and Vanitas escape from the catacombs, Vanitas collapses next to Noe and slumps against Noe’s back. It’s really precious.

He closes his eyes and sighs, “I’m tired”. I love the trust and vulnerability here. Vanitas obviously feels safe enough around Noe to let his guard down. ^.^

My Love Letter to Yen Press:

Once again, if you’re interested in reading Vanitas no Carte, you can get it in English from Yen Press. I really love this publisher because they do an excellent job of staying true to the original text. When I was in high school and couldn’t read manga raw yet (either because I couldn’t get my hands on it or my reading level wasn’t sufficient for what I wanted to read), Yen Press was my favourite because I felt like I could trust them to translate the manga how I would myself.

When I was little, you couldn’t trust the people who were dubbing anime into English. They did ridiculous things to sanitize anime for kids’ consumption like editing out all of the cigarettes and guns. They changed dialogue so that characters who had been hinted at being queer in the original were no longer queer in the English dub. They did silly things to localize the anime like changing onigiri into donuts and whitewashing the characters. That was my main motivation for teaching myself Japanese. I wanted to be able to tell for myself what was actually being said and going on. Yen Press was one of the companies I could trust to be faithful to the original in their translations until I was able to read the original on my own, so I’m sure they’ve done a fabulous job with Vanitas no Carte, if you’re interested in checking it out. ^.^

Okay. That’s it for me for now. Do you guys like me talking about my favourite scenes? ^.^; I know my Ladybug followers are probably like, “What is she on about?” XD Thank you for indulging me.

#Vanitas no Carte #Vanoé #Noe Archiviste #Vanitas #The Case Study of Vanitas #Vnc #Vanitas no Shuki #The Island of Doctor Moreau #Vanitas no Carte Volume Four

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