#names as debra masters
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Pentiment's Complete Bibliography, with links to some hard-to-find items:
I've seen some people post screenshots of the game's bibliography, but I hadn't found a plain text version (which would be much easier to work from), so I put together a complete typed version - citation style irregularities included lol. I checked through the full list and found that only four of the forty sources can't be found easily through a search engine. One has no English translation and I'm not even close to fluent enough in German to be able to actually translate an academic article, so I can't help there. For the other three (a museum exhibit book, a master's thesis, and portions of a primary source that has not been entirely translated into English), I tracked down links to them, which are included with their entries on the list.
If you want to read one of the journal articles but can't access it due to paywalls, try out 12ft.io or the unpaywall browser extension (works on Firefox and most chromium browsers). If there's something you have interest in reading but can't track down, let me know, and I can try to help! I'm pretty good at finding things lmao
Okay, happy reading, love you bye
Beach, Alison I. Women as Scribes: Book Production and Monastic Reform in Twelfth-Century Bavaria. Cambridge Univeristy Press, 2004.
Berger, Jutta Maria. Die Geschichterder Gastfreundschaft im hochmittel alterlichen Monchtum: die Cistercienser. Akademie Verlag GmbH, 1999. [No translation found.]
Blickle, Peter. The Revolution of 1525. Translated by Thomas A. Brady, Jr. and H.C. Erik Midelfort. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1985.
Brady, Thomas A., Jr. “Imperial Destinies: A New Biography of the Emperor Maximilian I.” The Journal of Modern History, vol 62, no. 2., 1990. pp.298-314.
Brandl, Rainer. “Art or Craft: Art and the Artist in Medieval Nuremberg.” Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg 1300-1550. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. [LINK]
Byars, Jana L., “Prostitutes and Prostitution in Late Medieval Bercelona.” Masters Theses. Western Michigan University, 1997. [LINK]
Cashion, Debra Taylor. “The Art of Nikolaus Glockendon: Imitation and Originality in the Art of Renaissance Germany.” Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art, vol 2, no. 1-2, 2010.
de Hamel, Christopher. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts. Phaidon Press Limited, 1986.
Eco, Umberto. The Name of the Rose. Translated by William Weaver. Mariner Books, 2014.
Eco, Umberto. Baudolino. Translated by William Weaver. Mariner Books, 2003.
Fournier, Jacques. “The Inquisition Records of Jacques Fournier.” Translated by Nancy P. Stork. Jan Jose Univeristy, 2020. [LINK]
Geary, Patrick. “Humiliation of Saints.” In Saints and their cults: studies in religious sociology, folklore, and history. Edited by Stephen Wilson. Cambridge University Press, 1985. pp. 123-140
Harrington, Joel F. The Faithrul Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013.
Hertzka, Gottfired and Wighard Strehlow. Grosse Hildegard-Apotheke. Christiana-Verlag, 2017.
Hildegard von Bingen. Physica. Edited by Reiner Hildebrandt and Thomas Gloning. De Gruyter, 2010.
Julian of Norwich. Revelations of Divine Love. Translated by Barry Windeatt. Oxford Univeristy Press, 2015.
Karras, Ruth Mazo. Sexuality in Medieval Europe: Doing Unto Others. Routledge, 2017.
Kerr, Julie. Monastic Hospitality: The Benedictines in England, c.1070-c.1250. Boudell Press, 2007.
Kieckhefer, Richard. Forbidden rites: a necromancer’s manual of the fifteenth century. Sutton, 1997.
Kuemin, Beat and B. Ann Tlusty, The World of the Tavern: Public Houses in Early Modern Europe. Routledge, 2017.
Ilner, Thomas, et al. The Economy of Duerrnberg-Bei-Hallein: An Iron Age Salt-mining Center in the Austrian Alps. The Antiquaries Journal, vol 83, 2003. pp. 123-194
Lang, Benedek. Unlocked Books: Manuscripts of Learned Magic in the Medieval Libraries of Central Europe. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008
Lindeman, Mary. Medicine and Society in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Lowe, Kate. “’Representing’ Africa: Ambassadors and Princes from Christian Africa to Renaissance Italy and Portugal, 1402-1608.” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society Sixth Series, vol 17, 2007. pp. 101-128
Meyers, David. “Ritual, Confession, and Religion in Sixteenth-Century Germany.” Archiv fuer Reformationsgenshichte, vol. 89, 1998. pp. 125-143.
Murat, Zuleika. “Wall paintings through the ages: the medieval period (Italy, twelfth to fifteenth century).” Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, vol 23, no. 191. Springer, October 2021. pp. 1-27.
Overty, Joanne Filippone. “The Cost of Doing Scribal Business: Prices of Manuscript Books in England, 1300-1483.” Book History 11, 2008. pp. 1-32.
Page, Sophie. Magic in the Cloister: Pious Motives, Illicit Interests, and Occullt Approaches to the Medieval Universe. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2013.
Park, Katharine. “The Criminal and the Saintly Body: Autopsy and Dissectionin Renaissance Italy.” Renaissance Quarterly, vol 47, no. 1, Spring 1994. pp. 1-33.
Rebel, Hermann. Peasant Classes: The Bureaucratization of Property and Family Relations under Early Habsburg Absolutism, 1511-1636. Princeton University Press, 1983.
Rublack, Ulinka. “Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Female Body in Early Modern Germany.” Past & Present,vol. 150, no. 1, February 1996.
Salvador, Matteo. “The Ethiopian Age of Exploration: Prester John’s Discovery of Europe, 1306-1458.” Journal of World History, vol. 21, no. 4, 2011. pp.593-627.
Sangster, Alan. “The Earliest Known Treatise on Double Entry Bookkeeping by Marino de Raphaeli.” The Accounting Historians Journal, vol. 42, no. 2, 2015. pp. 1-33.
Throop, Priscilla. Hildegarde von Bingen’s Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing. Healing Arts Press, 1998.
Usher, Abbott Payson. “The Origins of Banking: The Brimitive Bank of Deposit, 1200-1600.” The Economic History Review, vol. 4, no. 4. 1934. pp.399-428.
Waldman, Louis A. “Commissioning Art in Florence for Matthias Corvinus: The Painter and Agent Alexander Formoser and his Sons, Jacopo and Raffaello del Tedesco.” Italy and Hungary: Humanism and Art in the Early Renaissance. Edited by Peter Farbaky and Louis A. Waldman, Villa I Tatti, 2011. pp.427-501.
Wendt, Ulrich. Kultur and Jagd: ein Birschgang durch die Geschichte. G. Reimer, 1907.
Whelan, Mark. “Taxes, Wagenburgs and a Nightingale: The Imperial Abbey of Ellwangen and the Hussite Wars, 1427-1435.” The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, vol. 72, no. 4, 2021, pp.751-777.
Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Yardeni, Ada. The Book of Hebrew Script: History, Palaeography, Script Styles, Calligraphy & Design. Tyndale House Publishers, 2010.
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I typed up the Pentiment bibliography for my own use and thought I’d share it here too. In case anyone else is fixated enough on this game to embark on some light extra-curricular reading
I haven’t searched for every one of these books but a fair few can be found via one of the following: JSTOR / archive.org / pdfdrive.com / libgen + libgen.rocks; or respective websites for the journal articles.
List below the cut!
Beach, Alison I, Women as Scribes: Book Production and Monastic Reform in Twelfth-Century Bavaria. Cambridge University Press, 2004
Berger, Jutta Maria. Die Geschichte der Gastfreundschaft im hochmittelalterlichen Mönchtum die Cistercienser. Akademie Verlag GmbH, 1999
Blickle, Peter. The Revolution of 1525. Translated by Thomas A. Brady, Jr. and H.C. Erik Midelfort. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1985
Brady, Thomas A., Jr. “Imperial Destinies: A New Biography of the Emperor Maximilian I.” The Journal of Modern History, vol.62, no.2, 1990. pp. 298-314
Brandl, Rainer. “Art or Craft? Art and the Artist in Medieval Nuremberg.” Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg 1300-2550. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986
Byars, Jana L., “Prostitutes and Prostitution in Late Medieval Barcelona.” Masters Theses. Western Michigan University, 1997
Cashion, Debra Taylor. “The Art of Nikolaus Glockendon: Imitation and Originality in the Art of Renaissance Germany.” Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art, vol.2, no.1-2, 2010
de Hamel, Christopher. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts. Phaidon Press Limited, 1986
Eco, Umberto. The Name of the Rose. Translated by William Weaver. Mariner Books, 2014
Eco, Umberto. Baudolino. Translated by William Weave. Boston, Mariner Books, 2003
Fournier, Jacques. “The Inquisition Records of Jacques Fournier.” Translated by Nancy P. Stork, San Jose University, 2020
Geary, Patrick. “Humiliation of Saints.” In Saints and their cults: studies in religious sociology, folklore, and history. Edited by Stephen Wilson. Cambridge University Press, 1985. pp. 123-140
Harrington, Joel F. The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013
Hertzka, Gottfied and Wighard Strehlow. Große Hildegard-Apotheke. Christiana-Verlag, 2017
Hildegard von Bingen. Physica. Edited by Reiner Hildebrandt and Thomas Gloning. De Gruyter, 2010
Julian of Norwich. Revelations of Divine Love. Translated by Barry Windeatt. Oxford University Press, 2015
Karras, Ruth Mazo. Sexuality in Medieval Europe: Doing Unto Others. Routledge, 2017
Kerr, Julie. Monastic Hospitality: The Benedictines in England, c.1070-c.1250. Boydell Press, 2007
Kieckhefer, Richard. Forbidden rites: a necromancer's manual of the fifteenth century. Sutton, 1997
Kümin, Beat and B. Ann Tlusty. The World of the Tavern: Public Houses in Early Modern Europe. Routledge, 2017
Ilner, Thomas, et al. The Economy of Dürnberg-Bei-Hallein: an Iron Age Salt-mining Centre in the Austrian Alps. The Antiquaries Journal, vol. 83, 2003. pp. 123-194
Làng, Benedek. Unlocked Books: Manuscripts of Learned Magic in the Medieval Libraries of Central Europe. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008
Lindeman, Mary. Medicine and Society in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2010
Lowe, Kate. “'Representing' Africa: Ambassadors and Princes from Christian Africa to Renaissance Italy and Portugal, 1402-1608.” Transactions of the Royal Historical Society Sixth Series, vol. 17, pp. 101-128
Meyers, David. “Ritual, Confession, and Religion in Sixteenth-Century Germany.” Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte, vol. 89, 1998. pp. 125-143
Murat, Zuleika. “Wall paintings through the ages: the medieval period (Italy, twelfth to fifteenth century).” Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, vol. 12, no. 191. Springer, October 2021. pp. 1-27
Overty, Joanne Filippone. “The Cost of Doing Scribal Business: Prices of Manuscript Books in England, 1300-1483.” Book History 11, 2008. pp. 1-32
Page, Sophie. Magic in the Cloister: Pious Motives, Illicit Interests and Occult Approaches to the Medieval Universe. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2013
Park, Katharine. “The Criminal and the Saintly Body: Autopsy and Dissection in Renaissance Italy.” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 47, no. 1, Spring 1994. pp. 1-33
Rebel, Hermann. Peasant Classes: The Bureaucratization of Property and Family Relations under Early Habsburg Absolutism, 1511-1636. Princeton University Press, 1983
Rublack, Ulinka. “Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Female Body in Early Modern Germany.” Past & Present, vol. 150, no. 1, February 1996. pp. 84-110
Salvadore, Matteo. “The Ethiopian Age of Exploration: Prester John's Discovery of Europe, 1306-1458.” Journal of World History, vol. 21, no. 4, 2011. pp. 593 - 627
Sangster, Alan. “The Earliest Known Treatise on Double Entry Bookkeeping by Marino de Raphaeli”. The Accounting Historians Journal, vol. 42, no. 2, 2015. pp. 1-33.
Throop, Priscilla. Hildegard von Bingen's Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing. Healing Arts Press, 1998
Usher, Abbott Payson. “The Origins of Banking: The Primitive Bank of Deposit, 1200-1600.” The Economic History Review, vol. 4, no. 4, 1934. pp. 399-428
Waldman, Louis A. “Commissioning Art in Florence for Matthias Corvinus: The Painter and Agent Alexander Formoser and his Sons, Jacopo and Raffaello del Tedesco.” Italy and Hungary: Humanism and Art in the Early Renaissance. Edited by Péter Farbaky and Louis A. Waldman, Villa I Tatti, 2011. pp. 427-501
Wendt, Ulrich. Kultur und Jagd: ein Birschgang durch die Geschichte. G. Reimer, 1907
Whelan, Mark. “Taxes, Wagenburgs and a Nightingale: The Imperial Abbey of Ellwangen and the Hussite Wars, 1427-1435.” The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, vol. 72, no. 4, 2021, pp. 751-777.e
Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2008
Yardeni, Ada. The Book of Hebrew Script: History, Paleography, Script Styles, Calligraphy & Design. Tyndale House Publishers, 2010
#pentiment#Pentiment bibliography#some of these books give me strong first-year undergrad vibes#even just seeing ulinka rublack’s name gives me semi-traumatic flashbacks to cultural history seminars#would I cope better with it now that I don’t have to write essays each week on the topic?#¯\_ (ツ)_/¯#probs not tbh#also it probably would have been a lot faster if I could have pulled this list from game files somehow#but I do not know how to do that :)))#Anyway I hope this is of use to somebody at some point#I wish you all a very happy reading about the primitive deposit banking system everybody 😌
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How to Grow Up
A guide on how to grow up. It was originally posted by @/friendliness but half the links were broken. So I took what links weren't broken and added other links and more things to know.
This is USA based resources
Personal
Reasons to Stay Alive – A Tumblr post of 116 reasons to stay alive by @/friendliness.
How to Get Better At Asking for Help – Website is Harvard Business Review. The article is “5 Ways to Get Better At Asking for Help” by Wayne Baker.
What to do if you Can’t Afford Therapy – Website is Psych Central and the article is by Steven Rowe.
How to Quit Smoking – “The 22 Best Ways to Quit Smoking” by Debra L. Gordon and David L. Katz M.D. from the Healthy Digest.
How to Legally Change your Name – Website is Forbes.
Wanna Learn Something New? – A Tumblr post made by @/hamletthedane with various new things to try from language learning to ballet.
Free Harvard Courses – Harvard University’s free online courses.
Getting a New Computer? – A quick and dirty comprehensive guide by WIRED on what to look for.
How to Sew – Website is Autodesk Indestructibles. The article is “How to Sew” by Jessyratfink. Having a small sewing kit (that you can pick up from nearly any craft store) is super handy and has saved my life and clothes.
What to Look For in Clothes – A YouTube video by Alyssa Beltempo titled “How to Identify High Quality vs. Poor Quality Clothing | Slow Fashion”. Here’s a WikiHow [x] if a YouTube video isn’t your style.
Home
What’s a mortgage? – Website is realtor.com and the page is called “What is a Mortgage? Home Loan Basics Explained” by Cathie Ericson.
First Apartment Checklist – A checklist PDF. Here’s another link to a Tumblr checklist [x]
What to Ask Landlords Before Renting? – “25 Questions To Ask a Landlord When Renting a Home” by Morgen Henderson.
What’s Renter’s Insurance? – Website is Forbes Advisor. The article is by Jason Metz and titled “How to Get Renters Insurance”.
Plant Care – A master list of how to care for plants made by @/difficults
Job
Time Management – Website is Entrepenuer and has 10 time management tips. One I personally recommend is keeping a physical calendar book on hand. I keep mine in my bag with a designated pen.
Finding the right job – Website is The Muse and it has 13 free career assessment tests.
Make a resume – Website is Resume Now. Many hirers look at your name, the middle of the page (where your experience list is) and skim the rest.
Job Interview Tips – Website is Linkedin. The article is titled “10 Job Interview Tips to Land The Career of Your Dreams” by Caren Merrick.
How to Write a Cover Letter – Website is The Writing Center. University of Winsconsin, Madison. It’s titled “Writing Cover Letters” and I can’t find the author.
Money
Couponing! – Website is Coupon Database :: Southern Savers. It has a list of mobile apps for coupons to places.
Call 211 for Help – the website leads to 211.org. It's anonymous and can help you get connected to food programs, paying bills and things like doctor appointments. Here’s a Tumblr post about it [x] by @/poessionisamyth
Groceries! – This is a Tumblr meme post, but scrolling through tags/reblogs/replies and there’s plenty of good tips. The post is by @/charlotten
What To Do if You Can’t Pay Your Bills – Website is Nolo. The article is “When You Can’t Pay Your Bills: Thiings To Know” that was updated by Amy Loftsgordon.
Are You Paying Too Much for Your Phone Bill? – An article by Beht Beverman titled “How Much is Too Much to Pay for a Cell Phone Bill?”.
54 Ways to Save Money – Website is America Saves.
How to Do Taxes – Website is Wiki-How.
The 70/20/10 Method – Website is Business Insider. The Article is “A Beginners Guide to the 70-20–10 Budgeting Method” by Paul Kim.
Side Hustle Ideas – Website is Forbes. “30 Side Hustle Ideas To Make Extra Money In 2024” by Krista Fabregas.
Emergency
Your Rights When a Cop Pulls you Over – Website is Business Insider. Cops are allowed to lie to you, and they will, so be careful.
Hotline List – The website is DoSomething.org. Depression/Suicide, domestic abuse, child abuse and runaway/homeless/and at-risk youth hotlines.
What to Keep in Your Car – Website is MentalFloss. I live in a snowy area that gets blizzards and bad ice. I keep blankets, water and other aids in my car as well as a knife and road flare. I also own a self jumping car battery and it has saved my ass more than once.
Heimlich Maneuver – A one minute video by the Mayo Clinic.
The Heimlich Maneuver on Yourself – A one minute video by The List Show TV.
What to Keep in Your Wallet – Website is PureWow. The article is by Rachel Bowie. Keep your drivers license, medical insurance card, and an emergency contact in your card. If you have a pet home alone make sure that you have a card detailing this. Free printable one here [x]
Traveling
Packing List – Website is Smarter Travel.
Traveling with Little to No Money – Website is Nomadic Matt.
How to Pack a Suitcase – Website is Real Simple. The article is by Thersa O’Rourke.
How to Apply for a Passport – Website is WikkiHow.
Making a Travel Budget – Website is Travel Made Simple. “How to Make a Travel Budget” by Ali Garland
#how to grow up#list#housing#living on your own#insurance#traveling#may update more and refine over time
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My love for this movie is difficult to express, but here is my attempt.
Script below the break
Hello and welcome back to the Rewatch Rewind. My name is Jane, and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today I will be talking about number three on my list: Paramount Pictures, Guber-Peters Company, PolyGram Pictures, and Debra Hill Productions’ 1985 comedy mystery Clue, directed by Jonathan Lynn, written by John Landis and Jonathan Lynn based on the board game Cluedo designed by Anthony E Pratt, and starring Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren.
Six strangers are invited to an ominous, secluded mansion to meet the man who has been anonymously blackmailing them. But someone wants to protect their secret badly enough to kill for it, and as the bodies begin to pile up, the butler, maid, and guests race to discover the culprit before the police arrive.
I grew up in a board game playing family, so I learned how to play Clue soon after I learned how to read. We also had a slightly more complicated version of the game called Master Detective, which had more possible suspects, weapons, and rooms and included a couple extra features, and that has pretty much always been my favorite board game. What I particularly loved about it, especially as a child who never had much hope of beating my parents at games that required any skill, was that it was fun regardless of who the winner ended up being. I just liked seeing how close I could get to the solution before someone else inevitably solved it. I remember my parents mentioning that there was a movie version of Clue that had three different endings, and that they had seen Ending B in a theater, which confused and intrigued me.
The first time I ever watched this movie was when it happened to come on TV when I was visiting my grandparents. I think I was around 10 years old, and I actually thought it was kind of scary. Watching seven murders take place in a creepy old house was a bit much for me. But even then, there was something about it that grabbed me. The characters were all kind of despicable, and yet I liked them. I wanted to see more from them. So we started renting this movie from our local Hollywood Video, over and over again, and eventually we bought it on VHS and later on DVD. Once I got over my initial fright and started appreciating it as a brilliant comedy, I could not get enough of this movie. I can’t even begin to guess how many times I watched Clue before I started tracking my views in 2003, but I know it was a lot because every moment of the movie was already committed to my memory. If I was ever bored, I could close my eyes and play the film for myself with the projector of my mind. I wrote out the entire script so I could count how many words each character spoke. I used toys to act out the entire movie, along with the only person I knew who was more obsessed with Clue than I was: my brother, who was also fascinated by these characters and their antics, although as a preschooler he certainly did not fully understand the plot. But that was fine because ultimately, this movie’s appeal is not its plot, which is basically nonsense; it’s the ensemble. And it was so great having somebody close to me who understood that the same way I did. I think the rest of our family liked this movie too, but they definitely ended up watching it way more than they would have without my brother’s and my insistence.
My need to rewatch this movie was already beginning to wear off before I started keeping track, since the whole thing already lived rent-free in my brain, but even so, I watched it six times in 2003, four times in 2004, once in 2005, three times in 2006, twice in 2007, once in 2008, once in 2009, four times in 2010, twice in 2011, once in 2012, three times in 2013, once in 2014, twice in 2015, once in 2016, once in 2017, once in 2018, and once in 2021. I think part of why I’ve been watching it less in recent years is because ever since 2016, when I’ve felt like watching something like this, I’ve tended to watch Poe Party instead of Clue. But that’s not to say that I don’t still absolutely love Clue. I’ve just seen it enough that I don’t need to actually sit down in front of a screen to experience it.
One thing that I learned relatively recently that explains a lot is that apparently, Jonathan Lynn screened the movie His Girl Friday for the cast of Clue to demonstrate the feel he wanted for this movie. Even though Clue was made in the 1980s, it takes place in the 1950s, and was intentionally mimicking the style of fast-talking screwball comedies from the 1930s and ‘40s. So while I still consider watching Singin’ in the Rain in 2002 my proper introduction to Old Hollywood, falling in love with Clue a couple years earlier really prepared me to fall in love with old movies. Characters who look glamorous and sophisticated but are actually goofballs getting involved in ridiculous situations is my jam, and Clue takes what classic screwballs did with that to a whole new level. The script brilliantly combined several different types of both old-fashioned and updated comedy, and the perfect cast brought it to life in the best possible way. I don’t know if the His Girl Friday screening had any real impact, but regardless, every member of the cast fully understood the assignment and absolutely crushed it. A big part of what makes this movie so rewatchable is that everybody is so on all of the time that it’s fun to focus on what they’re doing in the background. Martin Mull is an amazing confidently clueless Colonel Mustard. Lesley Ann Warren gives Miss Scarlet just the right amount of sass. Christopher Lloyd makes Professor Plum sleazy enough that we get the picture without it ever getting too uncomfortable. Eileen Brennan nails Mrs. Peacock’s barely-holding-it-together-but-can-still-judge-you temperament. Mr. Green is accident prone which means he brings in the physical comedy, and Michael McKean fully commits to it. Of the main characters, Mrs. White has the fewest lines, but Madeline Kahn makes her presence known, doing absolutely everything possible with what she’s given, and improvising one of the greatest, funniest speeches in movie history. Jonathan Lynn discouraged improvisation on the set in general, but Kahn going on and on about the flames on the side of her face was too hilarious not to include. This devotion to delivering the lines exactly as written meant that Tim Curry as the butler Wadsworth, who ultimately figures out what happened and explains the whole thing, had to basically memorize a dictionary, and he killed it and I love him for it. When I was younger, I used to think I had a crush on Wadsworth, but I eventually came to realize that I just wanted to be Wadsworth, with the confidence to solve a puzzle and the eloquence to explain the solution in a highly entertaining, if long-winded, way.
The supporting cast is also excellent, and I wish that we could have seen more from them. Lee Ving’s name alone made him the perfect murder victim, but I also love the way he plays Mr. Boddy as sort of a cool mobster type of guy. Colleen Camp as the voluptuous, scantily clad maid Yvette is almost a throwaway joke of a character, but Camp manages to make her seem like a real person, or as real as any of these other ridiculous characters anyway. When I took French in high school and we all had to pick a French name, I chose Yvette because of this movie, even though I never even remotely identified with this character. Bill Henderson as the cop is an excellent straight man for the shenanigans with the bodies, which is either one of the funniest or most disturbing parts of the film, depending on how you look at it. Jeffrey Kramer, Kellye Nakahara, and Jane Wiedlin barely had anything to do, but they made their brief moments as memorable as possible. Basically, as fun as the script is, this movie would not have worked without an incredible cast, and thankfully, it has that. In some ways I wish the actors had been allowed to play around a bit more because then maybe we could have gotten other moments as epic as the flames speech, but at the same time, I feel like the pressure to say everything exactly as written in long takes added to the stress the characters were meant to be feeling. And the script is full of great jokes and excellent banter; it’s just that since the mystery aspect doesn’t really track anyway, I feel like the director could have let the actors have more fun with it.
I understand that they were trying to use the multiple endings to represent how the game is different every time, and also as a bit of a publicity stunt, but it kind of backfired. Theater-going audiences found it confusing, and the movie initially flopped. Thankfully with the home video version that included all three endings, Clue eventually did gain the cult following it deserves. But the problem is, in trying to accommodate three different solutions, the mystery gets lost in the middle, and none of the endings actually track. Yvette’s death is the part that makes the least sense – we clearly see that Mrs. Peacock and Mrs. White were both elsewhere seconds beforehand, so endings B and C don’t work, and in ending A Yvette was working with the killer so what she says right before she is killed doesn’t make any sense. For all of Wadsworth’s explanations, each ending leaves many unanswered questions, and they kind of draw attention to this in two of the endings, with one character saying, “There’s still one thing I don’t understand” and somebody else interjecting, “ONE thing?” Clearly this was meant to be a comedy rather than a serious murder mystery, but I do feel like if they weren’t trying to be so gimmicky, they could have made the mystery part work too (see Poe Party). Although in some ways, I kind of love that Clue doesn’t make sense. It feels perfectly consistent to have these characters who are pretending to be serious and dignified when they’re really all very silly people get caught up in a murder mystery with three endings that don’t work. When I point out Clue’s plot holes, it’s more like gently ribbing a friend than cinematic critique. I have to analyze the flaws in the story because of who I am as an overthinker, but I don’t think the flaws make it bad; if anything, they increase my enjoyment of the movie. It’s like a game: spot all the inconsistencies, and then realize that none of them matter. Because ultimately, fans of this movie aren’t here for the story; we’re here for the cast and the vibes. I don’t really know how to describe it, but while there are certainly other fun mystery-parody-type comedies out there, none of the others I’ve seen has quite the same tone as Clue, and that’s another reason I keep rewatching it.
And from an aroace perspective, Clue is great because there really is no love story. I mean, people mention spouses and affairs, and jealousy is floated as a possible motive for murder, but none of the characters that we see fall in love with each other during the course of the movie. Professor Plum does hit on Miss Scarlet a bit, but her reaction is very, “What the hell is wrong with you? We have way more important things to worry about right now.” When the cop shows up, in order to prevent him from finding out about the murders, some of the characters pretend to be making out with the bodies as if they’re alive, which is very weird on many levels, but it’s kind of a great illustration of the ridiculousness of allonormativity. If the cop had looked twice at them he would have noticed something was off, but of course adults at a party are going to be making out, nothing to see here, moving on. I always thought this part was hilarious when I was younger, and now that I understand my identity better I can articulate my appreciation for the way this movie portrays people who are focused on romance as the weird ones. Obviously that’s specific to this situation – like, I think most alloromantic people would agree that being locked in a murder house is not the best time to pursue romance. But aromantic stories are so rare that I’ll take whatever I can find. When Clue mentions sex, it’s usually either as a punchline (“Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage”) or part of a motive, since most of the blackmail victims are being blackmailed for something to do with sex. The sexual content is mostly in the background, adding to the vibes without pulling too much focus, kind of like some of my favorite classic films noirs. And this whole movie is so silly that I don’t feel like the sexiness is really meant to be taken seriously. Asking how an asexual person could possibly enjoy a film filled with so many blatantly allosexual characters would be just as ridiculous as asking how a person who had never killed anyone could possibly enjoy a film filled with so much murder. These characters clearly weren’t meant to be too relatable. But I still appreciate getting to see them on an evening when they’re at least mostly focused on things besides romance and sex.
I know I keep going on about how this movie is just silly fun, but one aspect that I do think was meant to be taken kind of seriously is the satirical criticism of McCarthyism. The exaggeratedly horrified gasps in response to Wadsworth's revelation that his wife had friends who were socialists is funny, but also, people’s lives were legitimately ruined because of that attitude. The only line that all three endings have in common is “Communism is just a red herring,” which is relevant to the movie because characters were trying to tie the murders into Cold War-related motives that ended up being irrelevant, but also kind of describes how trying to stop communism was used as an excuse for atrocities that didn’t always have much if anything to do with communism. It’s a little odd to stick that message in this movie, and I don’t exactly know why it’s there, but I like the way it adds to the Old Hollywood connection. Filmmakers in the 1950s had to be very careful about the messages they put in their movies, and what they said outside of their movies, for fear of being blacklisted as suspected communists, so it seems fitting that this movie set in the 1950s would be calling that out. Although there were very much still Cold War tensions in the 1980s as well, which is perhaps why this message is all but buried in silliness. And maybe I’m wrong and this aspect was meant to be silly as well, but it feels rather pointed to me, so I wanted to bring it up as one of the many fascinating aspects of this film.
I truly believe that Clue is a great movie that has something for everyone, and highly recommend it to anyone listening who hasn’t seen it, but at the same time, I am incapable of separating the movie from my own nostalgia. I can’t imagine what I would think of this movie if I watched it today for the first time because I would be a fundamentally different person if I hadn’t seen Clue a zillion times when I was young. Not only did it inform my taste in movies going forward, but it also shaped my understanding of the world, in a way. I think like most children, I once assumed adults knew what they were doing, but this movie showed me a bunch of adults who didn’t have the slightest idea, which was simultaneously terrifying and comforting. It also changed the way I talked, because I used to quote this movie constantly. I do it less now, but there was a time when instead of “I wasn’t talking to you” I would always say, “I was asking Miss Scarlet!” Or when somebody was looking for a key, I’d go, “Never mind about the key; unlock the door!” If anybody said, “Maybe…” with a long pause, I’d have to follow it with “Mr. Boddy killed the cook!” And similarly, “Oh who cares?” always had to be followed by, “That guy doesn’t matter! Let him stay locked up for another half an hour! The police will be here by then, and there are TWO DEAD BODIES IN THE STUDY!!!” And if anyone got confused about numbers, I’d helpfully chime in, “Even if you were right, that would be one plus one plus two plus one, not one plus two plus one plus one.” I could go on, but I’d end up quoting the whole movie, because I’m pretty sure I’ve managed to work every single line into a non-Clue-related conversation at least once. Often people just stare at me blankly, but it’s fun quoting it to my siblings because they usually respond with the next line, and we can go through whole scenes if nobody stops us. I have so many fun memories of reciting and analyzing this movie with them, arguing about things like whether Mr. Boddy says, “It’s only glass” or “It’s hunky glass” about the conservatory wall – it’s definitely “only” but my sister will not be convinced. Memories of my little brother adorably misunderstanding lines, thinking that Mrs. White’s husband had a “big fair” with Yvette, or that Mrs. Peacock said, “Oh I got a horse!” instead of “Oh my god of course!” or that blackmail was what those dark brown UPS trucks delivered. At one point, I wrote a script for Master Detective, which had the same basic premise as Clue – a bunch of blackmail victims congregated in a house to confront their blackmailer and his accomplices – but made even less sense. I didn’t back it up so it disappeared when that computer died, thankfully, but I still remember enough of it to cringe about. Since all the suspects had color names, I decided all the murder victims needed themed names as well, so I named them all after body parts to go with Mr. Boddy and thought I was so clever. I don’t remember most of them anymore, but I know there was a Mr. Elbow and a Mrs. Toenail. I also remember at one point I wrote in the directions something like, “It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. In fact, Miss Peach drops a pin” and again was delighted by my own cleverness. My brother and I used to act it out with toys, and one time, after the dead body of the butler had been thrown out the window for some reason right before somebody else was arriving, my brother was being silly and had the new person pick up the dead body and say, “I brought your butler back!” seemingly without realizing that the butler was dead, and I thought that was so hilarious that I added it into the script, and it’s still my favorite part that I remember. It was a bad script, but in my defense I was very young, and anyway my point is, Clue inspired me to be creative in a fun way, without worrying about taking my work or myself too seriously, which is the attitude I’ve tried to take into making this podcast.
I feel like there is so much more I could say about Clue, but it’s hard to find words to adequately express how deeply I love this film. It feels wrong to call this a “comfort movie” when there are so many murders in it, but somehow it does feel comforting. It’s like an old friend, whose jokes I’ve heard a hundred times but still make me laugh, whom I love in spite of, and in some ways because of, their flaws. I know not everybody is into movies the way I am, but I think everybody needs at least one story or piece of art that they feel that way about. Not that experiencing art is a substitute for real friendship, but art is a form of human expression and connection that I think we all need in addition to relationships. And yes, I consider Clue to be a work of art. It’s a frickin masterpiece.
Thank you for listening to me discuss another of my most frequently rewatched movies. I fear these episodes are becoming less coherent as I get into my top films that I can’t even with, but I hope they’re still enjoyable. Next up will be my second most rewatched movie, which I have seen 37 times in its entirety even though it is by far the longest movie in my entire top 40. As always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “Shelves in the closet. Happy thought indeed.”
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Let's talk about "The Overgrown Lawn." I am curious.
This is an odd one I had been working on. I stopped when I realized that people might not really read it since it was centered around original characters, and when I came to a crossroads in how to write it.
The story focuses on Dabs and Oats (Debra and Otis) Brandfield, an elderly couple who hired a young college man to do their yardwork. Unfortunately, by the time the story starts, the young man has not been showing up recently, and Otis has been getting ornery. They decided to give him a call to find out why.
Here is a snippet of it below:
Otis looked over his overgrown lawn, a frown firmly in place. Last week he had been willing to give leniency the week before when it rained every day and the college kid who had come around with business cards and fast smile called to say he would be over the next available day to do the yardwork.
That day had come and gone. The grass was unruly, the flower beds needed to be weeded, and the service he paid for was not fulfilled as originally promised. A strongly worded review would be issued the next time his grandkids came over to show him how to do it.
“Dabs,” he called for his wife and turned from the window. “That young punk who charmed you to do the lawn work, do you have his card still?”
“One second, Oats,” her reply came from kitchen. There would be more cookies his doctor would scold him for eating, he knew. Could not be helped, his wife’s baking had to be worshipped for the goodness it was. Retirement had offered her enough time to become a master of all things sugar.
Apron clean except for a small speck of flour, which confirmed his suspicions, the love of his life and high school sweetheart came from the kitchen. Even with greying hair, wrinkles that highlighted her smiling face, and the extra weight she had put on from bearing their children and enduring the changes in her body, she looked as beautiful to him as the day he first saw her.
The sour mood the lawn brought him lifted a small bit.
“Here’s the card,” she said, a touch of motherly concern in her voice. “Has that young boy still not shown up?”
“No,” he huffed and looked at the card. Adjusting his glasses, he managed to read the wording on it: ‘Natsu Dragneel – I’m all fired up to do your yardwork!’ Of course, a young punk would say something like that. Below that was a phone number. “Going to demand he show up today. The youth of today have no idea how to prioritize anything.”
Debra chuckled at him. “I remember your father saying that about some of your actions.”
“And I learned!” He felt her follow him to the kitchen. While he went to the phone hanging on the wall, she went to the counter and began getting everything together for tea. A grunt escaped him before he had the state of mind not to. Coffee would have been preferred but damn his aged body that could only handle one cup a day now, unless it was decaf. His sense of pride would never allow that in the house, so tea it was.
Receiver against his shoulder and ear, he punched in the number on the card and listened to the dial tone ring. His foot tapped, agitated at even having to do this and the longer the ringing went, the redder he felt his face grow.
Finally, when he thought he would be sent to the answering machine, a tired voice answered. “Hello? This is Igneel Dragneel.”
The agitated tapping halted. “Igneel Dragneel?” Where had he heard that name before? He knew he had, and the way he felt eyes on him, he had a feeling his wife knew who it was.
“Yes, oh, right, this is Natsu’s phone.” A short gasp, what his long years could fathom being near a sob, came from the man on the other side. “I apologize, it has been a long couple of days. Are you one of his customers?”
He looked back at his wife, his frown no longer pulled by anger. “Yes, Otis Brandfield is my name. He was supposed to come by the first day it didn’t rain.”
“Oh…” Silence filled the line after that. They both shared another look, and both moved to sit at the table. Once again, he was glad his kids had insisted on getting them a cordless phone. At his wife’s insistence, he pulled the receiver from his ear and pressed the speaker button. It sat on the table between them.
“Mr. Dragneel,” Debra softly called to the man on the other side of the phone, “my name is Debra, but you may call me Debbie if that is easier on you. We were just calling since your son is usually very dependable, and we were worried that he has not come by.”
A look was all Otis needed to know not to say anything to contradict his wife’s statement. It was a battle he knew would be added to his tallied losses.
“Sorry, Natsu, he—” A shuddered breath came over the line.
There were few instances when he had seen Deb purse her lips together. It happened when she was mad, especially when he had done something that warranted her wrath, and when she became set with determination. The slight difference between the two depended on her eyes. In that moment, he saw the burning fire of determination in her still-clear grey eyes and fell in love all over again.
“Mr. Dragneel, pardon my intrusion, but where are you right now?”
“Huh? Oh, um, Magnolia General Hospital—”
“We will see you soon, Mr. Dragneel.”
Let's just say...Natsu and Lucy ran into some trouble. Natsu was not being a bad apple, just...unable to do anything.
I really did like this story, and I will probably go back to it. I loved Oats and Dabs, thinking of putting them into other stories, too, cause who don't like the ol' grandparent couple?
Thank you for the ask!
#fairy tail#fairy tail nalu#fanfiction#lucy heartfilia#natsu x lucy#nalu#natsu dragneel#writing#fanfic#fairy tail fanfiction#wip meme#writing wip#fic wip#answered ask#ask answered#send me asks
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Hey there! No munday memes today but I wanted to talk about Bio-Ska and characters from this blog’s counter part.
Here are some of the “antagonists” of the setting. All have varying degrees of severity. All of whom were drawn by @ask-superkryptiskvarulvs-ocs / @superkryptiskvarulv , who did a bang up job!
From left to right it is as follows.
Haines- a wind and radiation jinn who runs a small micronation of witches that lives in the Caribbean in the remains of the recently separated from the continent Florida. Her Jinn nature in specific is more of a hybrid of foxes and vultures.
She can transform into more beastial forms for any number of reasons. Haines may be an intense and aloof personality, but she does care a lot for her adopted daughter Piko, whom both care a lot for each other. Which the above piece was done by @asksolgaleo who did phenomenal on this piece.
Nigel is a fae CIA agent who works in disruption, where he plays an active role in causing internal strife in regions if they do not play for the US government. He is a smug personality, lording his superiority and power as a bureaucrat. He is intensely cowardly, usually bailing the moment a situation goes south for him. He is a frequent collaborator with the next person.
Mariah DelFien is the insmouth head of the US government's magic affairs. Like Nigel, she is a high ranking bureaucrat and a skilled manipulator. Unlike Nigel, she has immense magic power that backs her up. Namely, having a permanent pact with No 8 Deathgaze, one of the apocrypha monsters made by the new goddess of monsters. The way she uses No 8 Deathgaze is she will have it possess the frog men she has trained, allowing it to attack with dark flame that can tare apart anyone without any magic ability. This also removes the cost of summoning him, which requires a host to burn the body out of. This compliments her personality, who is ruthless, cold and willing to throw anyone under the bus for her agenda.
Debra Blumire is the feathered draykan that has been given a title by the gods as "The Master Builder". She is the architect for a number of the new temples for all of the active gods. This amount of clout has allowed her to make a number of labryinths that give her the ability to kill someone in the labryinth and face no consequences due to diplomatic immunity. She also licenses these labyrinths to. As a result of her deal with the gods, they made her immortal and impossible to kill in any building of her design. The side effect of this curse is that she is fated to outlive her husband and son. While she comes off as a confident and relaxed boss she can be extremely over protective of her son Jason and her husband.
Finally, Kieron is an Elioud and one of the first legacy gods, which are gods that are a passed on title. His title is of the Metaton, the leader and individual of the Phanuel hive mind. He is described in universe as “the shitty pope”. He is an openly hedonistic church leader, who uses church funds to fuel his own escapes as well as fund things against church doctrine. He is intensely blunt and openly hateful and nasty towards the other legacy gods. Towards his flock, he hold no attachment but does his best to be pragmatic. Kieron wears the helmet for unknown reasons but has made it a blasphemy to see his real face.
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RP Info/About the Character
(OOC:
Faye's universe consists of the content of Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, the future is in line with Ghostbusters: Afterlife (to a great extent-), and there are some original aspects.
I'm always open to RP with just about anyone!
If I interact with something that you're not okay with PLEASE LET ME KNOW, I want to respect your boundaries and not overstep :)
Communications:
PMs and Asks are always open! Just please don't be rude or weird, that will not be tolerated.
PMs - Will always be answered out of character, but I can answer in character for screenshots if you'd like.
Asks - Will almost always be answered in character, when an ask is for the mod please indicate that. Anon is on, so far I don't regret it and please don't make me.
Submit - You can also submit posts, same guidelines as Asks apply.
Tags:
Faye speaks - general RP interactions
Faye's playlist - music preferences
Faye's musings - quotes and thoughts
Faye vibes - aesthetic posts
Nexus thought leak - what the name implies
Nexus' future music - music after her current time
Faye asks - asks
OOC - out of character posts
Mod speaks - mostly OOC posts and psas
Open RP - open to RP
IC connection - rp using the IC (Interdimensional Communicator, or its subunits the IC Echos and IC Ripples)
Mod doodles - just little doodles by me
Rich beyond our wildest dreams - unintentional posts (in character) usually determined by possessions or other supernatural causes to Faye
[Ok to interact] - an enthusiastic invitation to feel free to jump in and start rping!
Closed RP - rp is not open to other characters (if you really want to insert your muse, contact me and the other mod(s) OOC for permission)
Rules - I trust this community so I'll keep the rules to a minimum:
Respect my boundaries, if I say no please leave it at that
Transphobia, Racism, NSFW, Harassment, or Bigotry of any kind will not be tolerated
I'm okay with Faye being shipped but unless I confirm something or another mod and I agree, that ship will not be RP "canon"
About the Character:
Physical Appearance: Redheaded, short hair, brown eyes, freckles, wire rimmed glasses, 5' 10", a tattoo of the Triskelion just a bit bigger than a quarter on the inside of her right ankle, average female build.
Backstory:
Faye's birthday is October 31st, 1956, and the current year is 1990
The name she was given at birth was actually Faith but she legally changed it as soon as she could
She has Irish ancestry, which pertains to some items she found in her parent's attic
Her hometown is Windfall Indiana and she lived there for most of her life, visiting a few countries abroad (mostly Ireland since she has family there) and traveling to most corners of America, never traveling northeast farther than Cleveland until '84
Constantly disagreed with her parents since she was 12 and through her teen years rebelled against them, getting a part time mechanic job in Windfall's auto shop, skateboarded, cut her hair short, and got a Master's degree in Technology and Telecommunications once she reached college
Didn't get along with her family in general, including her younger brother Chris (they reconnected after she became a Ghostbuster), except for her Grandma Ophelia
Can go from "pacifist" to "pass my fist through your face" in seconds, hot-headed just like her mother
Played Bridge with her grandmother every Wednesday
She's a cat person and raised a stray she named Peppercorn in her childhood
Has an irrational fear/hatred of clowns and mascots
Can pick locks and always has a hairpin to use
Her best friend Debra Wilkins (Debby) took karate and taught her a few moves
Played the Trombone in her high school marching and concert band
When she graduated from college she got a job at a local news station in Tipton county, subsequently leading to her getting her license to pilot a helicopter for a different position at the station (Faye makes sure to renew it because she feels it's an interesting qualification to have)
Midsummer of 1984 she had had enough of her parents' nagging to settle down and start a family like Chris, so she packed up and moved to New York - even though she had never been there before - with only Ophelia's support
For 2 months she lived in a motel while looking for a job before she was hired as a Ghostbuster, the same time as Winston
When paranormal investigations and eliminations were shut down following the Manhattan Crossrip she was pretty torn up about it, and took a secretarial job in the radio industry just to pay the bills
In 1986 she quit the job and started working for a PhD in Parapsychology, participating in the occasional party gig that came up (she gets her PhD in May of 1990)
She was involved in investigating what happened to Dana's baby carriage, leading to her digging up the road, going to court, and being there when the Ghostbusters restart
Her picking locks ability had her in a straitjacket almost constantly at Parkview when she was caught in the act
And that pretty much takes us to the start of the RP, I'm so sorry for how long this got-
For reading this far have this picrew:
)
#I probably should have posted this#a long time ago#mod speaks#ghostbusters rp#ghostbusters#faye speaks#faye walters#ghostbusters oc#(updated 6/19/22)
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Day 72- Film: The Prisoner of Zenda
Release date: November 4th, 1952.
Studio: MGM
Genre: Adventure
Director: Richard Thorpe
Producer: Pandro S. Berman
Actors: Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, Louis Calhern, Robert Douglas, Jane Greer
Plot Summary: Rudolf V is about to be crowned King of Ruritania. The night before, however, his evil brother Michael, scheming to be King himself, poisons him with drugged wine. It isn’t enough to kill him, but it makes it impossible for Rudolf to make the coronation. Michael plans to use this to swoop in and grab the throne. As fate would have it, a distant cousin of Rudolf’s, an Englishman named Rassendyll, looks nearly identical to him, and just arrived in the country that day. The King’s aids concoct a plan for Rassendyll to go to the coronation, pretending he is the rightful King. Things get complicated when Rassendyll meets “his” beautiful bride to be.
My Rating (out of five stars): ***
I enjoyed this film in parts, but I also felt like something was missing from it that I can’t quite put my finger on. Something about the way it all comes together as a cohesive whole, maybe? Or is it just lacking that extra spark or oomph? I don’t know, and that made watching it kind of frustrating at times.
The Good:
The sword fighting. There was a nice long sword fighting scene at the end of the movie, and I think that was what I enjoyed the most. The fighting was not at the masterful level of Scaramouche, but it was still highly entertaining.
James Mason. I love James Mason! He can play a smarmy guy like no one else, yet he can also break your heart. In this movie he’s the smarmy evil guy you love to hate. He also proved himself adept at movie swordsmanship.
The costumes. I enjoyed the colorful, beautiful, and fun costumes. The men’s elaborate uniforms were even more eye catching than the women’s stunning dresses.
I liked Granger more in this than in Scaramouche. I think he was a little more charming here because he wasn’t trying so hard to be. He’s definitely a handsome strapping hero type of guy, but I'm still not entirely sold on him for some reason.
The ending. I liked the choice that Debra Kerr’s Flavia made at the end of the film- I found it more interesting than a traditional “happy ever after.”
It was an amusing adventure yarn as a whole. It’s pure lighthearted escapism, but the story itself is engaging.
The Bad:
Sometimes there was confusion between Rupert (Mason) and Michael for me. I wasn’t always sure who wanted what and why. I kind of wish Mason had just played Michael, and that he was more developed as a bad guy.
The fake sets. There were several painted backgrounds and obvious sets that were distracting to me. I know this is kind of a fairytale story, so the background looking storybook-ish doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing
None of the characters were very well developed. I didn’t really know much about either Rassendyll, Flavia, or Rudolf V. They were all pretty generic heroes who weren’t very fleshed out.
The accent issue. This one really bugged me. So Rassendyll is impersonating his cousin, but they don’t speak the same language? Or at the least, they must have different accents if they grew up in two completely different countries. It just wasn’t believable that Rassendyll could suddenly speak for Rudolph V and not have his accent be noticed. But I know, I know, it’s just a fantasy story, right?
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Published 11:03 am Thursday, September 1, 2022
By Submitted article
The Animals of Red Bell Run: Flora and Fauna is opening at Tryon Fine Arts Center’s JP Gallery on Thursday, September 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Passion begets passion, beauty begets beauty…this is the thought that is in the mind of Monica Stevenson, a professional, every moment she spends at Red Bell Run. The photographs for this exhibition are inspired by Mary Adams, the owner of Red Bell Run, who is dedicated to the animals and plants that thrive at her equine sanctuary.
Stevenson is a commercial photographer and creative director who offers a sophisticated outlook built from years of working with high-profile clients ranging from Chanel to Coca-Cola. Stevenson is known for creating intricate lighting arrangements while photographing accessories, liquids, powders, cosmetics, jewelry, and a variety of other ad imagery. She applies a sense of color that is refined, playful, and sometimes unexpected, yet always technically on point for each application. A recognized lecturer and respected fine artist, she has earned numerous industry awards and has seen her work published in a variety of industry magazines and fine art publications.
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An avid equestrian since childhood, Monica Stevenson combines a background in technical commercial photography with a love for pastoral equestrian culture to produce artistic portraits and artful explorations of the equine form. Her fine art equine photography has provided a vital creative outlet for a veteran commercial photographer used to working on high-profile advertising shoots. The work is free-flowing and romantic, yet carefully crafted and precise. The resulting imagery has found a home in more than a dozen publications, appeared in collections at Princeton University and the Kentucky Museum of the Horse in Lexington, and earned awards from the Advertising Photographers of America, the Annual Photography Masters Cup and the EQUUS Film Festival, to name a few.
As with much of Monica’s work, this exhibit leans heavily on her own collaborative spirit and the generous nature of her artistic partners–Preston Wainwright, floral designer, Thomas Ignatius and Sean Smith, both illustrative designers, to support some of the exhibit’s featured works. The resulting pictures included in this show, photographed with a large format digital camera and hand printed, display an abundance of beautiful details– flowers, leaves, illustrations, textures, colors, dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, expressions, shapes, movement, fur, teeth, limbs–all the things that make up the natural world that is Red Bell Run.
The exhibit will open on September 8 at 6:30 p.m. with a reception open to the public. The Animals of Red Bell Run: Flora and Fauna will be on display to view and purchase Stevenson’s work from September 8 – October 29, 2022. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and on the fourth Friday of each month from 5 – 7 p.m.
Submitted by Debra Torrence
How do you feel about the proposed conversion of the unused local rails to the Saluda Grade Trail?
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Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)
WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?:
MARTHA COOKS (The Roku Channel)
MASTER OF LIGHT (HBO Canada) 8:30pm
LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION (CTV Drama) 9:00pm
WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT
MURDER IN THE HEARTLAND (TBD)
MURDER UNDER THE FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (TBD)
NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:
DISNEY + STAR
BEN GRI (Season 1 - two-episode premiere)
LIMITLESS WITH CHRIS HEMSWORTH
PRIMAL SURVIVOR: MIGHTY MEKONG (Season 1 premiere)
THE SANTA CLAUSES (Season 1 premiere)
ULTRA VIOLET & BLACK SCORPION (Season 1 premiere)
NETFLIX CANADA
DUE SOUTH (Seasons 1-4)
IN HER HANDS
THE LOST LOTTERIES
MIND YOUR MANNERS
OFF TRACK
RACIONAIS MC'S: FROM THE STREETS OF SÃO PAULO
THE WONDER
TOP GEAR (BBC First) 5:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): News and features on two- and four-wheeled vehicles.
NHL HOCKEY
(SN) 7:00pm: Sabres vs. Sens
(SNWest) 10:00pm: Kings vs. Oilers
NBA BASKETBALL
(SN1) 7:30pm: Heat vs. Raptors
(TSN3/TSN4) 7:30pm: Celtics vs. Hawks
(SN1) 10:00pm: Warriors vs. Suns
(TSN3) 10:00pm: Knicks vs. Nuggets
THE OTHER SIDE (APTN) 7:30pm: An old convent in Gravelbourg, Sask., is well known for its ghostly inhabitants. After something knocks a statue over during the initial intuitive walkthrough, the team braces for a potentially dangerous encounter with the spirit realm.
DIGGSTOWN (CBC) 8:00pm (SEASON FINALE): Escalating conflict between Marcie and Vivian places the future of Marcie Diggs and Associates at risk; the Clawfords enact an endgame to neutralize Marcie's threat to their business.
SPIRIT TALKER (APTN) 8:00pm: Shawn explores the cliffs overhanging Agawa Bay and their ancient pictographs with guide, Chief Dean Sayers. A reading gets off on the right foot with a family of powwow dancers. Later, Shawn's psychic abilities are tested.
GHOST HUNTERS OF THE GRAND RIVER (APTN) 8:30pm: The ghost hunters investigate strange happenings reported by visitors and employees in several buildings at the Sharon Temple, a designated national historic site. The team's mission is to connect with both the builder of the temple and its founder.
HALIFAX COMEDY FESTIVAL (CBC) 9:00pm/9:30pm: Performances by Matt Wright, Trent McClellan, Megan McDowell, and from the archives, Tom Papa, Debra DiGiovanni, Jonny Harris, Tim Nutt, Dave Hemstad, Mike Wilmot, Erin Foley and Mike Delamont. In Episode Two, performances by Patrick Ledwell, Travis Lindsay, Cathy Jones, Shawn Hogan and from the archives, Caroline Rhea, Derek Edwards, John Moloney, Orny Adams, Elvira Kurt, Lachlan Patterson and more.
SARAH'S MOUNTAIN ESCAPE (HGTV Canada) 9:00pm: Sarah and Alex relocate the kitchen to the other side of the house while battling ongoing supply chain and design setbacks. While they work on their new kitchen and powder room, they're forced to take drastic measures to shrink-wrap the entire house to keep the reno going as winter rolls around.
THE CURSE OF ROBERT THE DOLL (DTour) 9:00pm: A cash-strapped student who starts working the night shift at a museum suspects that one of the exhibits, a creepy vintage doll named Robert, is alive and wreaking havoc after hours.
GIRL (Starz Canada) 9:00pm: A young woman returns to her hometown to exact revenge on her abusive father. She soon finds herself prey to a sinister sheriff when she uncovers a family legacy more disturbing than she'd imagined.
#cdntv#cancon#canadian tv#canadian tv listings#the other side#diggstown#spirit talker#ghost hunters of the grand river#halifax comedy festival#sarah's mountain escape#nhl hockey#nba basketball
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Pure hearts rescue address
PURE HEARTS RESCUE ADDRESS FULL
PURE HEARTS RESCUE ADDRESS SERIES
Tiny Toad (voiced by Mark Sheppard), the leader who is a cyborg frog with a monocle and a heavy English accent.Fell off the ship too due to his wings being too heavy for flight. Steel Wing (voiced by Tommy Blacha), a wyvern with literal metal wings.Thunder Fist, a gorilla that can produce electricity from his hands.Beef Master, a large water buffalo with a necklace made of bones.Ratarang (voiced by Simmons), a small rat pirate that can turn into a boomerang, who often talks about his mama.He got into a manners battle with King Snugglemagne. He has the ability to shoot eggs from a cannon on his chest and is quite a gentleman. Boss Hosstrich (voiced by McCulloch), a cybernetic ostrich pirate with a southern accent and attire.She has been seen to be good at thinking of plans. Ramaraffe (voiced by Debra Wilson), a female cybernetic giraffe pirate with the ability to stretch her neck.He is actually a criminal duo named Coby (snake) and Tanner (orangutan) who after a fateful encounter with Mao Mao and Bao Bao decided to combine themselves to become the greatest villain in the world. Orangusnake (voiced by Christopher McCulloch), an orangutan- snake hybrid pirate captain who wants to steal the Ruby Pure Heart to take over the world.Adorabat (voiced by Lika Leong), a cute, blue, five-year-old bat with a yellow heart symbol and peg leg in place of her right leg.Badgerclops (voiced by Griffith Kimmins), a sassy cyborg badger with a robotic arm and an eyepatch, and Mao Mao's co-hero and partner.Colleen Clinkenbeard voices a young Mao Mao.
PURE HEARTS RESCUE ADDRESS FULL
Mao Mao, full name Mao Mao Mao, (voiced by Parker Simmons), a righteous yet uptight cat who gets stuck in Pure Heart Valley where he spends time helping the citizens while also finding a way to fix the Ruby Pure Heart which he inadvertently broke in the first place.
Together, the three go on adventures to protect their citizens of Pure Heart Valley from the forces of evil while they find a way to fix the Ruby Pure Heart to its original state.Ĭharacters Main characters During one of his adventures, he gets stuck in a cute and cuddly town called Pure Heart Valley with his co-hero Badgerclops, a cyborg-armed badger, and meets Adorabat, a cute little bat. Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart centers on its coming-of-age story, with the title character, Mao Mao, a daring cat who has high intentions for action and adventure. Cartoon Network subsequently removed all references to the show from their official websites, YouTube channels, and Twitter feeds. On August 18, 2022, it was removed from the service as a result of the Warner Bros. On January 1, 2021, Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart was added to the HBO Max streaming service.
PURE HEARTS RESCUE ADDRESS SERIES
The series was renewed for a second season on July 23, 2020. "5-Second Day" on Februand subsequently posted on Newgrounds. The show is based on the independent teaser short I Love You Mao Mao, which Simmons had initially produced for the annual Titmouse Inc. Produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Titmouse, it premiered on July 1, 2019. Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart is an American animated television series created by Parker Simmons for Cartoon Network.
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Black dynamite season 1 episode 5 uncensored
The series ended on Januwith a total of 20 episodes in two seasons. Most episodes of the show were rated TV-MA (akin to the R rating of the movie itself) for bloody, stylized violence, strong sexual references (including nudity, references to prostitution, and depictions of sex acts), profanity and humor derived from racism and discrimination. The original music is by Adrian Younge (who also composed score for the hit film) for season 1 and Fatin "10" Horton for season 2. LeSean Thomas is creative producer/supervising director. Scott Sanders, White and Minns are producers. It was produced by Ars Nova, Jon Steingart, Carl Jones and Jillian Apfelbaum are executive producers, with Brian Ash as co-executive producer. as the restaurant owner Roscoe and Arsenio Hall as Tasty Freeze. Throughout the first and second seasons, Cedric Yarbrough also reprised his film role as Chocolate Giddy-Up, along with Jimmy Walker Jr. Debra Wilson as Amazon Moon Bitch Leader, Lil' Orphan Penny, Eartha K.I.T.T., Euphoria, Li'l Orphan Arnold, Li'l Orphan Rodney King, Li'l Rodney Munchkins, Givinya Morehead, Child Services Lady, Hotel Employee, Hoe Crowsīlack Dynamite actors Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, Tommy Davidson and Kym Whitley reprise their film roles as Black Dynamite, Bullhorn, Cream Corn and Honeybee, respectively.Gary Anthony Williams as George Washington Carver III, Radio DJ, Reporter.Denzel Whitaker as Donald the Accountant, Jermaine Jackson.Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins as Pam Grier, Reverse Strip Club Owner.Smoove as That Frog Kurtis, That Bastard Kurtis Kevin Michael Richardson as Melvin Van Peebles, Don Cornelius, Bill Cosby, Fred Berry.Christopher "Kid" Reid as John the John, Sun Tzu, Black Lucky, Jamaica Labour Party Member.Donnell Rawlings as A Cat Named Rallo, A Slave Cat Named Rallo.Clifton Powell as Crenshaw the Slime, Daddy Dynamite.Tim Blake Nelson as Chief Humphrey McGillihorn, The Wicked Bitch of the West Side, Donald Sterling, Television Executive, Cracker Cop, Director.Charlie Murphy as A Cat Named Rollo, A Slave Cat Named Rollo.Lil Mo as Nurse, Teacher, Rondell's Mom.Jonathan Kite as Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, James Bonds (Sean Connery and Roger Moore), News Reporter, Elvis Presley.Orlando Jones as Basehead, Flying Junkies, Stewie's Brother, James Brown.Carl Jones as Frank the John, Crenshaw Pete, Puppet Minion, Shark Victim, Stewie Fig Newton, Announcer, The Mayor of Beach City, Teacher, Laughing Prisoner.Eddie Griffin as Richard Pryor, Paul Mooney.John DiMaggio as Rip Tayles, Female Cop, J.Wu, Chinatown Assassin, R.A.C.I.S.T., Bill Cosby's Assistant, Dick Clark, Newscaster, Child, Reporter Erykah Badu as Fatback Taffy, Hoe Crows, Rita Marley, Wolf.Tichina Arnold as Tinbee's Singing Voice.Tommy Davidson as Cream Corn, The Boss Man.Byron Minns as Bullhorn, Rudy Ray Moore, Singer.Michael Jai White as Black Dynamite, Jim Kelly.Agent and full-time ladies man, Black Dynamite, who's out to avenge the death of his brother against kung-fu masters, drug-dealing pimps, and The Man. This animated blaxploitation action comedy-spoof follows ex-C.I.A. There is no place like KissAnime with free anime online so I uploaded this full anime here, now each person can watch this anime from here for free.Black Dynamite further chronicles the exploits of the central character, Black Dynamite and his motley crew. You do not have to fall in love with a action & adventure to enjoy this anime. My favorite anime of this director, and that’s saying something! This anime online seriously is incredible. Everytime I watch this anime online, I really enjoy the music, it is just pure soul of that anime. The anime is openly dreamlike, and like most dreams it moves uncertainly down a path with many turnings. action & adventurecategory did not create a better anime and you can now watch for free on this website. Strike the Blood is one of the biggest surprises of the year 2013. Forced together by circumstance, the two form an unlikely alliance as Kojou comes to terms with his abilities and they both struggle to protect the city from various emerging chaotic forces. Fearing Kojou’s destructive potential, the Lion King Organization sends in an apprentice sword-shaman, Yukina Himeragi, to monitor, and should he become a threat, kill the boy deemed the world’s most powerful vampire. It isn’t long before he is thrust into the center of attention when it is discovered that he is the fourth primogenitor, an immensely powerful vampire whom most consider to be merely a legend.
Kojou Akatsuki’s days as an ordinary high school student in the Demon District of Itogami Island come to an abrupt end after a fateful encounter leaves him with the remarkable abilities of a vampire.
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Chance To Answer
“He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15NASB
Did you know that you can go to church for a lifetime and never truly answer the question in our text? You can live for a century and never answer the question. For years, I’ve watched how people wrestle with this question. They know once they’ve chosen the answer, there’s no return, either way.
Attending a small church in southern Indiana, our pianist was a beautiful person, filled with talent and in love with Jesus. Everyone in our church was saddened when she contracted MS. The men of the church moved the piano down to the sanctuary floor, in order for her to be able to sit in her wheelchair and continue to play.
One Sunday, Holy Spirit was moving. Suddenly, all eyes riveted on Debra. God had spoken to her— ‘Arise and walk.’ From that Sunday morning to now, she’s never needed a wheelchair again. Her question forever answered. She knows who Jesus Christ is as both Savior and Healer.
The doctor said, ‘your PAPST smear came back positive, Debbie. You have cancer.’ Games were finished. I surrendered my entire being to Jesus, forever settling the answer to the question of Who is Jesus Christ in my life. He’s Savior, Friend, Beloved, Healer, Master.
Jesus displayed many times, Who He was. Some realized the truth—
***The woman at the well— “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” John 4:29NIV
***The demoniac— “…So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39NRSV
***The paralytic on the mat— “…he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all…” Mark 2:10-11ESV.
Some didn’t—
***The Pharisees hated the truth— “Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus” Matthew 27:20ESV.
This question haunts me as death totals mount up— 22 in a school; 19 at a party; 46 in the back of a semi-trailer cooked to death. How many had accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Had anyone known who He was?
Our granddaughter has lost many friends and coworkers from her factory to drunken driving, drugs and the like. She’s tormented by the question of ‘Who is Jesus Christ?’ How would they have answered, had she asked?’ Was there even a chance they’d ever known Jesus?
God is merciful. We’re clueless about who goes to heaven and who is left with satan’s fate for eternity. Only merciful God knows about others. Our family here in Quebec, I’ve targeted, asking each one the question, who is Jesus to you? Why? I can’t stand the thought of any of them going to a place created for satan, because he bamboozled them into believing his lies.
Philippians 2:10-11NKJV “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” There’s one question everyone will answer at death. Who was Jesus Christ to you?
Some call Him Lord. Some don’t even consider the question about Him here on earth. Although, we can’t know or have a chance to answer this all important question for others, we can know for certain about ourselves. Who do you say He is? It’s your choice. You choose.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray every person reading this will be sure they’ve made a conscious choice of Who Jesus really is and will prepare their lives for eternity, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.
by Debbie Veilleux
Copyright 2022 You have my permission to reboot this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.
#Jesus Christ#lord of lords#Word of God#Holy Spirit#God#it's your choice#devotional#chance#answer#clueless#question#who is jesus#believe#lies#love#hope#faith
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you know who I just realised is fun to draw
#dani phantom#danny phantom#dp#phanart#redesign#llorsdood#i was thinking about those asks if dani and how she would come be in the universe with mike#so im thinking#and i got sum ideas#and wanted to doodle#official part of the masters family#names as debra masters#cause come on#i was chatting with mer about this#and saying danny and dani is the same sentence can get hella confusing#also more develops herself#ghost plasma colour over time changes tint to yellow#and has a more kick ass outfit#and her own 'D' logo
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Heavy Is The Crown
Warnings: None
Venti x GN!Minstrel!Reader
3.1k Words
Venti's a servant boy at the palace that you fall in love with... right?
You’re the apprentice of the renowned Minstrel Chapman of the Riverside Performers Company. And recently your company was invited to go perform at the palace for the royal family of Mondstadt. It’s understandable really, they probably need some joy and relaxation in their lives considering the difficult war that is waging on. Of course, you’re one of the few to see it that way.
“People are dying on the battlefield every day, and the King and Queen want to make merry?” Archibald scoffed. “Peace, Archibald,” Grisela soothed. “This war is difficult for them as well.” Archibald scoffed again but chose not to respond further. These sorts of discussions were common now-a-days, and a gap of misunderstanding and hurt is starting to grow between the rulers and their people.
This really concerned you because you’d once known the son of a Baron and he had explained these sorts of difficulties to you. Your goal was to try and help bridge the gap. Since Master Chapman has charged you to write a song yourself for the royal performance, you have decided to write a song that could help with that. But the problem is that you have no idea what to write! And you’re running out of time.
When your company reaches the palace the next day, you are no closer to having written the song than you were before. Thankfully you all had arrived at the palace a couple days early, so you still had some time to come up with your song. However, you were feeling so nervous that you couldn’t even focus on trying to compose it at all.
So you decided to take a break and wander around the palace grounds, as you and your company had been invited to do when you arrived. As you did so, admiring the beautiful flowers and bushes of the garden, you ended up running into someone. Literally as in one moment you were standing up, and the next you were sitting on the ground clutching your head.
“Sorry! I’m so sorry,” someone apologized to you. “I should’ve been better about looking where I was going. Are you okay?” Peeking up, you see a servant boy with black hair in braids with teal tips and a flower tucked behind his ear. “Yes, I’m fine,” you assure him. “A little stunned, but I’ll be alright in a minute.”
“Are you sure?” He asks worriedly. When you nod he breathes a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear, Head Maid Maribel would have my head if I hurt a guest.” You smile and laugh a little. “Well we can’t have that,” you tease. “I’m sure you look much nicer when you have your head on your shoulders.” He stills for a moment from his fiddling from a moment before, a blush spreading from his cheeks to his ears.
Spluttering some, he manages to squeak out, “Oh, um, thanks?” You look at him oddly. “Don’t tell me no one’s ever teased you like that before,” you say. “I, um, won’t tell you then.” He jokes, calming down some. You smile some and give him a wink, “Well, I’m honored to be the first then.”
“Oh!” He exclaims. “I need to be pruning some bushes right now.” Your smile drops a bit, you’d been hoping to spend some more time with him. Noticing that, he adds on, “Would you like to come along? We could talk more while I prune.” You easily agree, “I’d like that very much, thank you.”
More confident now that he had something to focus on, he continued to make small talk with you. You introduce yourself and the two of you get to know each other better; he is ecstatic to know that you’re a minstrel and play the lyre. “I’m learning to play the lyre too!” He declares. “Maybe you could teach me a thing or two.” You smile at him, happy to know that you have that in common.
“I would like that! But,” you admit, “unfortunately, I’m afraid I don’t have the time right now. My master has told me to write a song and I’m struggling to get it out. With the war going on, I want to write a song to help bridge the gap between the royals and the commoners. From my experiences with the son of a Baron I knew, this war is just as hard for them as it is for us.”
He pauses from snipping away at the bush he’s working on. “You know, I’m glad you see it that way,” he tells you with an oddly grateful look in his eyes. “My p- Their majesties have really been struggling recently, especially with the loss of support from the people. For all the life of nobility looks wonderful, it comes at a cost. You lose freedom, always have to put others before yourself, can’t show any weakness, and bear the weight of every death on your shoulders.”
The odd phrasing and sudden correction go straight over your head as your muse suddenly rears its head. “I think I’ve got it now,” you blurt out. He blinks and tilts his head, confused. “Well I’m not sure what I did or said to help,” he replies, “but I’m glad I could help.”
You give him a big hug. “Really, you helped a lot,” you admit. “I need to go get started composing! But, uh, do you think I could see you again later?” He returns the hug. “Sure thing,” he murmurs in your ear. “I should be out here for the rest of today and all of tomorrow, but you’ll need to find me.”
“I think I can do that,” you murmur back and pull away from the hug. “See you tomorrow,” you call out to him as you start heading back to your Company. He watches you until you’re out of sight, before he goes back to pruning. “Well, that was fun,” he cheerfully tells himself. “I hope they do come back tomorrow. It’s not everyday I get to talk to someone like that.”
Composing the song was child’s play once you pick your lyre back up and get to work. The boy’s words repeat over and over in your head as you plan out lyrics and try different tunes. Master Chapman was thrilled when you played your song for him and assured you that the royals would love it. “It’s a wonderful tribute to all they do for us. And it helps us understand them and makes them more relatable to us,” he confirms. “I’m sure it will help you achieve your goal of helping bridge the gap between commoners and royals.”
When you find the boy the next day, you’re nearly vibrating in excitement. “Hey you,” you call. “Guess what?” His head turns to see you mid-snip and the branch lands on his head. You run over to make sure he’s okay. “Are you alright?” You ask him. “Yeah,” he responds sheepishly. “I guess this time it’s you who has to worry about getting me hurt.”
“Well that’s good,” you state, pouting at his teasing. “Oh! I realized yesterday that I don’t know your name!” He rubs the back of his head, embarrassed. “Ehe, sorry, I can’t believe I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Venti, it’s nice to officially meet you!”
“That’s a wonderful name,” you reply. “I like it a lot.” He smiles wide, “Thanks!” As the day continues you continue to talk with each other. Eventually he ropes you in to helping him with his chores. Thanks to that he gets done early and, after reporting back about finishing, he’s able to just spend the rest of the day with you.
After a certain point you’re able to admit to yourself that you’re falling for him. He’s cute, free-spirited, and makes you laugh. And maybe it’s just your imagination, but he seems to enjoy your time together too. The days left leading up to the performance are spent practicing and spending time with him. He’s tried to get you to play the song for him, but you insist that he wait for the performance to see.
The day of the performance comes very quickly, too quickly in your opinion. For all the compliments everyone who has heard your song gives you, and all the minds it has changed, you’re still incredibly nervous to perform it. What if they don’t like it? Will they find it presumptuous for you to write such a thing? When the time comes, will you mess up?
But the moment it’s your turn you take a deep breath, remind yourself that this is what you’re training for, and take your place on stage. Looking at the audience, you see the King and Queen, but, oddly enough, Prince Barbatos did not seem to be present. You strum your lyre and introduce yourself and your song. The audience seems intrigued that you would write such a song, so you take courage and start singing.
The stars are very beautiful, above the palace walls,
They shine with equal splendour, still above far humbler halls.
I watch them from my window, but their bright entrancing glow,
Reminds me of the freedom I gave up so long ago.
Although I am the head of state, in truth I am the least,
The true royal knows their people fed, before they sit to feast.
The good royal knows their people safe, before they takes their rest,
Thinks twice and thrice and yet again, before they make request.
These tears that burn my eyes are all the tears a royal can't shed,
The tears I weep in silence as I mourn my soldiers dead.
Oh gods that dwell beyond the stars, if you can hear my cry—
And if you have compassion—let me send no more to die!
(See: The Cost of the Crown by Mercedes Lackey, Debra F. Sanders)
As the last note fades the crowd stands with roaring applause. You feel a warmth spread across your cheeks as you bow deeply and return to your place standing with your company. Those standing around you congratulate you quietly as the next member steps up to perform.
Soon the performance is over and your Company is preparing to leave. Surprisingly many members of the Company had changed their minds about royals and the Company Head, Ferdinand, approached you to pass on the gratitude and appreciation from the King and Queen themselves. Venti showed up one last time, and Master Chapman allowed you to go speak with him as a treat for a job well done.
“That was amazing!” Venti shouts. “Did I really help you write that? I was hiding behind some curtains to listen and it was so amazing that I cried.” He grins so bright that you almost have to close your eyes. “I’m glad you liked it!” You say as you smile back. His happiness was contagious, and it didn’t help that you were completely smitten with him at this point. But alas, it was not meant to be.
Master Chapman called your name, letting you know that the Company would be leaving soon and that you’d have to come back within the next minute or two if you didn’t want to be left behind. Venti’s smile dims. “Are you sure you can’t stay?” He inquires. “Yes,” you sigh. “But who knows? Maybe I’ll see you again some day. But until then…” You trail off. He looks at you curiously, tilting his head again. Quickly, so as to not chicken out, you peck his check and run back to the Company.
“Until then!” You call out to him. The Company leaves as soon as you get there, so you’re not able to look back to see him. But if you could have, you would have seen him blushing as red as a rose, with a hand on his cheek where you kissed him. “Until then,” he whispers quietly. “I’ll make sure I’ll see you again.”
---
Years pass, and your apprenticeship ends. You make quite the name for yourself, and your song has worked wonders to heal the relationship between the people and their rules. Of course you write many more songs, but your first is always your favorite. Because he helped you write it. Many people have asked to court you, but you have turned them all down. Even after all these years, Venti the servant boy still holds your heart.
One day a messenger comes to speak with Ferdinand, bringing both good and bad news. Ferdinand calls the whole company together to share it. “Good friends, I’m sad to say that the King has passed away.” He announces, and the Company breaks into whispers and conversation. You think you may have even seen Gwenivere crying. “However, we have been invited to perform at Prince Barbatos’ coronation!”
This was wonderful news! Perhaps you could take this chance to see Venti again! You’d missed him dearly. But the more you thought about it, the more worried you became. Maybe he’d moved on and married someone else already. Would he still remember you? Will he want anything to do with you now? What if you didn’t like you and is upset about the kiss you gave him before you left?
You shake those thoughts out of your head and take a deep breath to calm yourself. Then you feel a hand clamp down on your shoulder and you must’ve jumped several feet in the air in your surprise because the person behind you burst into laughter. Embarrassed, you turn around to see Ferdinand, now laughing so hard that he was having trouble standing up.
“Yeah, yeah,” you grumble at him, good naturedly. “I’m sure startling me was very funny.” Finally calming down, Ferdinand gave you a great big smile. “It most certainly was,” he assured you. “But I didn’t come to you with the intention to startle you.” You raise an eyebrow as you continues. “I wanted to let you know that you were actually mentioned by name, so you may want to prepare something special.
Your jaw dropped. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for someone to be specifically named, but this was from the Prince himself! Still stunned, you nodded. “I’ll write the best song I can,” you promised him. “I’m sure you will,” he replied confidently. He didn’t stay long after that, just letting you know the basics of when the Company would be leaving and how soon the coronation would be.
As you travel you do your best to compose a song. However, you soon find yourself stuck. Your muse is gone again, just like it was the last time you went to the palace. Oh well, perhaps Venti could help you again. It would be wonderful to spend more time with him anyway, so you don’t worry too much about it.
The Company reaches the palace after a week of travel. You look for Venti in the gardens all day, but can’t find him anywhere. ‘Perhaps he got moved to working in the castle?’ You wonder to yourself. But either way, that meant he wouldn’t be able to help you write your song. So you sat down that night and did your best to compose.
It wasn’t really working, but you did your best. The next morning was chaotic, as the Company had been informed that the Prince himself would be coming out to welcome you all. You hurriedly joined in making the company camp look presentable and changed into your best clothing before going out to stand with everyone else.
The Prince was announced before the palace doors opened to reveal… Venti. Your eyes went wide and your jaw must have dropped to the ground. Those who were in the company before very carefully didn’t turn to look at you, though the newbies couldn’t help but look at you, confused. You quickly composed yourself as he scanned the crowd, though the smiles of some of his guards told you that your reaction did not go unnoticed.
It was very much him. The same dark hair with teal tipped braids. His eyes brightened as they met yours. He strode forward and the crowd parted before him. You were about to move as well until he stopped before you, fell to one knee, took one of your hands, and gently kissed it. Your face warmed again in a way that it hadn’t since you last saw him.
His eyes sparkled with mirth as he saw the look on your face. “Hello again,” he said gently. “Hi,” you squeaked. “It’s, uh, it’s good to see you again?” He laughed, “It’s good to see you again too. I know I kept my status a secret before, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth then, but could I ask you a question?”
“O-of course,” you respond. He smiles charmingly. “Will you marry me?” That’s it. You must’ve died and gone to heaven. Or maybe someone had put something in your breakfast. Or maybe he had the wrong person. You looked side to side to see if there was anyone else he could be talking to before you point to yourself. “M-me?” You ask, hesitantly. “You,” he says confidently. “I fell in love with you all those years ago, and I could never imagine myself with someone else.
“Though I would understand if you’re with someone else. It’s been so long and you’re so wonderful that you must have received many invitations to courtship.” A shy smile spreads across your face. “I have received many offers,” you admit, and his face falls a bit. “But I’ve turned them all down. My heart was taken years ago by my dear Venti the servant boy.”
You get down on your knees and kiss the hand that is holding yours. “I would love to marry you, if you’ll have me.” He smiles brighter than the sun. “Nothing would make me happier,” he declares, and he pulls you in for a kiss. You pull away for air and nuzzle your nose against his. “I do have one request though,” you continue. “Anything, my love,” he swears. “Court me properly first, please,” you request.
“I can do that,” he laughs as he pulls you in for a hug. “How about we start with having lunch together,” he whispers in your ear. “That sounds like a great plan,” you agree. He gives you another quick kiss before standing up, pulling you to your feet, and leading you back to the palace.
You ignore the whistles and applause of your Company as you follow him, grateful for their support but wanting to give your suitor all your attention. This was the first day of the rest of your life, and you wanted to appreciate every minute of it. And every minute was just as wonderful as you’d ever imagined.
As queen, you were able to bring the kingdom together and closer than ever before. The people loved their rulers because they knew their rulers dedicated themselves to them. And the rulers responded in kind. The war ended, peace prevailed, and you got your perfect happily ever after.
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Blu-ray Review: The Dead Zone
If the top echelon of Stephen King adaptations can be defined by the eminent classics like The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, and Carrie, 1983's The Dead Zone belongs in the rank right below. It's just as good as, if not better than, more ubiquitous titles like Christine, Cujo, Pet Sematary, and Children of the Corn. While The Dead Zone may lack the iconography of those films, director David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome) adapts King's 1979 novel of the same name into an extremely effective thriller.
The first story set in King's fictional New England town of Castle Rock (also home to Cujo, The Dark Half, and Needful Things, among others) - although it's transported from Maine to the more political New Hampshire for the film, and shot in Canada - The Dead Zone's plot is episodic in nature. School teacher Johnny Smith's (Christopher Walken, The Deer Hunter) life is uprooted by a horrific car accident that puts him in a coma for five years. He awakens to find that his girlfriend (Brooke Adams, Invasion of the Body Snatchers) is married and has a child, his job is gone, and he has an uphill battle if he ever wants to walk again - but he has gained the remarkable ability to experience clairvoyant visions through physical contact.
As news of the phenomenon spreads, local sheriff George Bannerman (Tom Skerritt, Alien) enlists Johnny to harness his unique ability to help catch a serial killer on the loose. But his gift is also a curse, as Johnny's body weakens as his powers become stronger. In the most memorable - and eerily prescient - portion of the film, Johnny meets Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen, Apocalypse Now), a power-hungry, sociopathic politician running for senate with presidential aspirations. He has amassed a groundswell of cult-like followers who fail to recognize his corruption. Culminating in an impossibly tense finale, it poses an age-old dilemma: if you could go back in time to pre-World War II Germany knowing what you know now, would you kill Hitler?
The Dead Zone marks a transitional film for Cronenberg. He shows great restraint in eschewing the body horror for which he was known in favor of a more compassionate, human story. Rather than generating the material himself, he was a director for hire; executive producer Dino De Laurentiis (Army of Darkness, King Kong) chose him to helm the script as adapted by Jeffrey Boam (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). While he embraces the genre elements, Cronenberg leans into the traditional suspense and melodrama as well as the political undertones. De Laurentiis' first of several King adaptations (alongside Cat's Eye, Silver Bullet, and Maximum Overdrive) is his strongest, with Debra Hill (Halloween, Escape from New York) serving as producer on this outing.
Bill Murray was King's choice for Johnny, while Cronenberg wanted Nicholas Campbell (Naked Lunch). De Laurentiis justifiably demanded a more well-known actor, so Campbell was given a supporting role as Deputy Frank Dodd and Walken was cast as the lead. Walken brings a lot of character to every role, and Johnny Smith is among the most nuanced work from his career. He has good chemistry with Adams, who he has known since high school. Sheen delivers the strongest performance of the film, and it plays ever better in a post-Trump world, as his character's parallels to the former President add another dimension. The cast also includes Herbert Lom (The Pink Panther franchise) as Johnny's doctor and Anthony Zerbe (The Omega Man) as the wealthy father of a boy that Johnny tutors.
The Dead Zone has received a new 4K scan from the original camera negative with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and stereo options for Scream Factory's Collector's Edition Blu-ray. It features reversible artwork, with a new collage illustrated by Hugh Fleming on one side (and the slipcover) and the original theatrical poster on the other. While Cronenberg was unavailable for input, his absence is made up for with three new audio commentaries. Director of photography Mark Irwin (Scream, The Fly) reminisces about the production and his Cronenberg collaborations while detailing the technical aspects. Film historians Dr. Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr provide an erudite exploration of the film and how it compares to its source material. Special features producer Michael Gingold does an even deeper dive into the minutia of the production. The final audio track features isolated selections from Michael Kamen's (Die Hard, X-Men) score following a thorough introduction by film music historian Daniel Schweiger.
The disc also features new interviews with Adams, who has pleasant things to say about Walken but calls him "very odd and quite indecipherable," and production manager John M. Eckert and associate producer Jeffrey Chernov, both of whom provide unique insight and reflect fondly on the production. Four archival featurettes - Memories from The Dead Zone, The Look of The Dead Zone, Visions of The Dead Zone, and The Politics of The Dead Zone - offer insight wisdom Cronenberg, Adams, Irwin, editor Roland Sanders (The Fly, A History of Violence), and more circa 2006. Other special features include Trailers from Hell trailer commentary by filmmaker Mick Garris (The Stand, Sleepwalkers), the theatrical trailer, two TV spots, and a gallery of behind-the-scenes stills.
The Dead Zone is available now on Blu-ray via Scream Factory.
#the dead zone#stephen king#david cronenberg#christopher walken#horror#martin sheen#scream factory#dvd#gift#article#review#hugh fleming#castle rock#80s horror#1980s horror
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