Besides the Fridgeing that happened, takes me back to exactly what I expressed concern over before.
I'm officially now fully into Jerome as the proto Joker. And I'm starting to enjoy the new Barbara too.
Let's hope they keep consistent this time, and eventually bring Montoya back.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Sunday, September 27, 2015
The Caesars (1968 BBC series) is very under apreciated
It doesn't come off as Grand as an old Hollywood Epic, or even as grand as I, Claudius (I'll be comparing to I, Claudius a lot here). But the sets look decent, it's in Black and White which it utilizes well, and it more or less doesn't use a score which like in Dracula(1931) can give it an interesting vibe.
For Historical accuracy, some of it depends on how you interpret the evidence, but I think it's better then most including I, Claudius. I liked seeing all three of Caligula's sisters acknowledged for a change.
The key to why it's so good is the Acting, all the performances are Great, it's done with a Shakespearean/Shaw style, the dialogue is all well written and the veteran actors deliver them all well. It' highly entertaining and re-watchable.
The writers must have been familiar with the novel of I, Claudius, because they mostly followed it's characterization for Claudius (Freddie Jones), and he does it quite well.
The most prominent performance is Tiberius (Andre Morell) who is the real star for the first 13 out of 18 parts. It's a very unique and interesting interpretation of the character, and his performance is quite intriguing.
Ralph Bates as Caligula is a very good performance, beats John Hurt and Malcolm McDowell easily. I disagree with making him so villainous already before the illness, but at least he's not born Insane in this take. And I also don't like them making him kill Drusilla, and interpreting his other Sisters conspiracy with Lepidus as being made up.
Other notable performances are Barrie Ingham as Sejanus (Though here I do prefer Patrick Steward) Donald Eccles as Nerva, Suzan Farmer is quite alluring as Livilla. For some reason IMDB doesn't list who played Piso, he was interesting, and Eric Flynn as Germanicus was as well, they played off each other nicely (I never liked how I, Claudius skipped that whole phase and went right to the trial).
But my favorite performance was Caroline Blakiston (Mon Mothma from Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of The Jedi) as Agrippina. She was strong-willed, ambitious, stubborn but also noble. And I find myself very attracted to her even though she's not trying to be sexy at all. It's by far the most powerful performance. Especially after Germanicus dies, her drive to avenge him is captured well. It's a truly captivating performance, and exactly how I envision the character of Agrippina The Elder. (The Younger I envision as trying to be the same as her mother, but while possibly more intelligent and patient, lacks her noble virtue and honor, this miniseries didn't carry the story far enough to show that however).
So in my view if you're a fan of history, or of good theatrical acting, I highly recommend it.
For Historical accuracy, some of it depends on how you interpret the evidence, but I think it's better then most including I, Claudius. I liked seeing all three of Caligula's sisters acknowledged for a change.
The key to why it's so good is the Acting, all the performances are Great, it's done with a Shakespearean/Shaw style, the dialogue is all well written and the veteran actors deliver them all well. It' highly entertaining and re-watchable.
The writers must have been familiar with the novel of I, Claudius, because they mostly followed it's characterization for Claudius (Freddie Jones), and he does it quite well.
The most prominent performance is Tiberius (Andre Morell) who is the real star for the first 13 out of 18 parts. It's a very unique and interesting interpretation of the character, and his performance is quite intriguing.
Ralph Bates as Caligula is a very good performance, beats John Hurt and Malcolm McDowell easily. I disagree with making him so villainous already before the illness, but at least he's not born Insane in this take. And I also don't like them making him kill Drusilla, and interpreting his other Sisters conspiracy with Lepidus as being made up.
Other notable performances are Barrie Ingham as Sejanus (Though here I do prefer Patrick Steward) Donald Eccles as Nerva, Suzan Farmer is quite alluring as Livilla. For some reason IMDB doesn't list who played Piso, he was interesting, and Eric Flynn as Germanicus was as well, they played off each other nicely (I never liked how I, Claudius skipped that whole phase and went right to the trial).
But my favorite performance was Caroline Blakiston (Mon Mothma from Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of The Jedi) as Agrippina. She was strong-willed, ambitious, stubborn but also noble. And I find myself very attracted to her even though she's not trying to be sexy at all. It's by far the most powerful performance. Especially after Germanicus dies, her drive to avenge him is captured well. It's a truly captivating performance, and exactly how I envision the character of Agrippina The Elder. (The Younger I envision as trying to be the same as her mother, but while possibly more intelligent and patient, lacks her noble virtue and honor, this miniseries didn't carry the story far enough to show that however).
So in my view if you're a fan of history, or of good theatrical acting, I highly recommend it.
I'm late in reacting to Gotham's Season 2 Premier
Partly because I was late in watching it.
I'm still ambivalent towards the show in light of my feelings on how season 1 ended. When Supergirl starts I'll be watching that on Mondays. But may ro may not keep following Gotham via on demand.
Jerome is gonna be seen regularly now it seems.
Zardon was hilarious. I still appreciate the show's unique sense of humor.
If they''re gonna keep Barbara crazy, they're gonna need to device a gimmick for her.
The show has James Fran now, James Fran is awesome. I did not think it was mathematically possible to make Thomas Cromwell likable, but he did it.
Still no signs of Renee Montoya returning.
Only thing that could really grab my interest right now is if they are going a Court of Owls rout.
I'm still ambivalent towards the show in light of my feelings on how season 1 ended. When Supergirl starts I'll be watching that on Mondays. But may ro may not keep following Gotham via on demand.
Jerome is gonna be seen regularly now it seems.
Zardon was hilarious. I still appreciate the show's unique sense of humor.
If they''re gonna keep Barbara crazy, they're gonna need to device a gimmick for her.
The show has James Fran now, James Fran is awesome. I did not think it was mathematically possible to make Thomas Cromwell likable, but he did it.
Still no signs of Renee Montoya returning.
Only thing that could really grab my interest right now is if they are going a Court of Owls rout.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Holy Grail and The Silmarils
First I want to admit up front that parts of this post will be very clearly drawing on a Jason Colavito article and the Tolkien Gateway Wiki.
Most people don't know that the Holy Grail of medieval Arthurian Lore was not originally universally identified as the Cup of the Last Support, or linked to the Crucifixion. It's possible origins in the Cauldrons of Celtic mythologies will be a topic I'll possibly discus in the future.
The earliest Medieval Grail Romance of Chretien de Troyes describes it as a dish that contains a communion wafer. So if it had a Eucharist connection at all (which I'm not sure there was) it was probably to the Bread not the Wine.
Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival (c. 1205 AD) which first describes the Grail in Book 9, describes it as a Stone of heavenly origin.
Graham Hancock in his book The Sign and The Seal makes much of this Grail being a stone rather then a Cup, and speculates that Wolfram's Grail is really code for the Ark being in Ethiopia, he then argues that Zazamanc is based on the Auxumite Kingdom. I haven't read Parzival in it's entirety so I don't know, but I don't think I've seen anyone but Hancock say Zazamanc is where the Grail is in that work. (Rereading it I remembered the gist was he saw the Gail Maiden marrying Feirefiz was a coded way of saying it went to Zazamanc). None the less Hancock's theory has remained interesting enough to me that it influenced the previous Arthurian Legend post I did on this blog.
Bob Cornuke also argues for the Ark being in Ethiopia but coming there a different way then the Menelik Legend, and unlike Hancock does so as a Bible Believing Christian, but doesn't bring the Grail theory into it that I can recall. I don't agree with any of Hancock's other alternative history theories, but The Sign and The Seal I highly recommend, it's a fun well researched book even if you disagree. I agree with all Cornuke's theories but his latest Temple one.
Back to the subject at hand, Hancock does mention the Heavenly origin of the Grail aspect of Wolfram, he goes into a theory about the Tablets in the Ark actually being one of many Meteorites that fell to Earth and became objects of worship (like Acts 19:35, or the Kaaba in Mecca). .But he doesn't reveal the full story of Wolfram's description.
This, in turn, ties in with a legendary set of songs supposedly composed by bards which included Wolfram, called the Wartburgkrieg, composed at least fifty years later. In the surviving accounts, one of the poems told how Lucifer’s crown had a stone that fell to earth thanks to Michael:
In 1832, “San Marte” (Albert Schulz) produced a loose paraphrase of Wolfram in which he interpolated the Wartburgkrieg text without indicating the distinction. He falsely makes Wolfram say....
Tolkien I'm certain however had a better handle on German then Victorian writers, but could still have been influenced by all of this. And given his interests and goals in creating his mythology, it makes sense he'd draw on Germanic Gail lore over the predominantly French Grail lore that came to revolve around Lancelot and Galahad.
In The Silmarilion, The Silmarils are three Jewels forged by Feanor to contain the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor. After the Trees were destroyed by Morgoth formally known as Melkor they became all that remained of the Light, and they fell into Morgoth's possession who had them placed in his massive Crown.
Many Wars were fought over the Silmarils. Eventually one was taken from Morgoth's Crown by Luthien and Beren, it inevitably entered the possession of their descendant Elwing. Elwing married Earendil (name means Evening Star, Tolkien took it form the Norse Aurvandil) son of Tour and Idril, and eventually her Silmaril became the Jewel of his ship Vingilot, which was granted by the Valar the ability to fly though the Heavens.
In Tolkien's Cosmology, Venus is the Star of Earendil, (because Venus is also known as the Evening Star as well as the Morning Star), which is defined as the Light of The Silmaril. In Greek Heosphorus/Eophorus (the name used in the Septuagint of Isaiah 14) is the Morning Star and Hesperus the Evening Star, later Greco-Roman writers like Cicero became aware the two were the same star.
I suppose you could view Elwing as being in the role of the Grail Maiden.
The other two Silmarils were eventually taken by the Sons of Feanor after Morgoth fell but led to their deaths. One was cast into The Earth (leading to debatable theories of it being the Arkenstone) and the other into The Sea, where I'd be very interested in possibility of Fan Fiction based on it being found by Captain Nemo and the Nautilus. I can't be the first to think of that idea?
So the gist is, I think it's highly probable this obscure esoteric alternate Grail tradition partly helped inspire Tolkien.
Most people don't know that the Holy Grail of medieval Arthurian Lore was not originally universally identified as the Cup of the Last Support, or linked to the Crucifixion. It's possible origins in the Cauldrons of Celtic mythologies will be a topic I'll possibly discus in the future.
The earliest Medieval Grail Romance of Chretien de Troyes describes it as a dish that contains a communion wafer. So if it had a Eucharist connection at all (which I'm not sure there was) it was probably to the Bread not the Wine.
Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival (c. 1205 AD) which first describes the Grail in Book 9, describes it as a Stone of heavenly origin.
Graham Hancock in his book The Sign and The Seal makes much of this Grail being a stone rather then a Cup, and speculates that Wolfram's Grail is really code for the Ark being in Ethiopia, he then argues that Zazamanc is based on the Auxumite Kingdom. I haven't read Parzival in it's entirety so I don't know, but I don't think I've seen anyone but Hancock say Zazamanc is where the Grail is in that work. (Rereading it I remembered the gist was he saw the Gail Maiden marrying Feirefiz was a coded way of saying it went to Zazamanc). None the less Hancock's theory has remained interesting enough to me that it influenced the previous Arthurian Legend post I did on this blog.
Bob Cornuke also argues for the Ark being in Ethiopia but coming there a different way then the Menelik Legend, and unlike Hancock does so as a Bible Believing Christian, but doesn't bring the Grail theory into it that I can recall. I don't agree with any of Hancock's other alternative history theories, but The Sign and The Seal I highly recommend, it's a fun well researched book even if you disagree. I agree with all Cornuke's theories but his latest Temple one.
Back to the subject at hand, Hancock does mention the Heavenly origin of the Grail aspect of Wolfram, he goes into a theory about the Tablets in the Ark actually being one of many Meteorites that fell to Earth and became objects of worship (like Acts 19:35, or the Kaaba in Mecca). .But he doesn't reveal the full story of Wolfram's description.
“They who took no part in the conflict, when Lucifer would fight with Three-in-One, those angels were cast forth from Heaven’s height. To the earth they came, at God’s bidding, and that wondrous stone did tend” (translation: Jesse L. Weston)It’s possible, given the attribution of the Grail myth to Arabic texts, that Wolfram had in mind the alleged alchemical power of the Emerald Tablet, also from Arabic texts, when describing the Holy Grail as essentially the Philosopher’s Stone.
This, in turn, ties in with a legendary set of songs supposedly composed by bards which included Wolfram, called the Wartburgkrieg, composed at least fifty years later. In the surviving accounts, one of the poems told how Lucifer’s crown had a stone that fell to earth thanks to Michael:
“Sixty thousand angels who wished to drive God from heaven had a crown made for Lucifer. When the archangel Michael tore this from Lucifer’s head, a stone sprang loose from it, and that stone is the Grail” (translation: William Ashton Ellis).This, in turn derived from the medieval myth that Venus, the Morning Star, was the jewel from Lucifer’s crown. Many writers fail to distinguish between this poem and Parzival, and some writers mistakenly attribute these lines to Parzival.
In 1832, “San Marte” (Albert Schulz) produced a loose paraphrase of Wolfram in which he interpolated the Wartburgkrieg text without indicating the distinction. He falsely makes Wolfram say....
"The holy Grail is a stone of the most wondrous and mysterious kind. A number of angels having remained neutral and inactive during the battle of Lucifer and the rebel angels against God and the faithful heavenly hosts, after Lucifer’s fall they were condemned by God to support this stone, which had dropped from Lucifer’s crown, hovering between Heaven and Earth till the hour of redemption of sinful mankind. Then they brought it to Earth, and, formed into a costly vessel, it served for the dish out of which Christ ate the Pascal lamb, and in which Joseph of Arimathea received the Saviour’s blood." (translation: William Ashton Ellis)Wolfram’s version stops at “support this stone.” Everything after is Schulz’s text. Victorian authors repeated this rather than bother to read the original (which, being medieval German they could not), and thus Wolfram became retroactively the originator of the claim of Lucifer’s crown. Modern people know the story because of glosses and notes on Wagner, using these Victorian sources, interpolated into editions of Parsifal.
Tolkien I'm certain however had a better handle on German then Victorian writers, but could still have been influenced by all of this. And given his interests and goals in creating his mythology, it makes sense he'd draw on Germanic Gail lore over the predominantly French Grail lore that came to revolve around Lancelot and Galahad.
In The Silmarilion, The Silmarils are three Jewels forged by Feanor to contain the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor. After the Trees were destroyed by Morgoth formally known as Melkor they became all that remained of the Light, and they fell into Morgoth's possession who had them placed in his massive Crown.
Many Wars were fought over the Silmarils. Eventually one was taken from Morgoth's Crown by Luthien and Beren, it inevitably entered the possession of their descendant Elwing. Elwing married Earendil (name means Evening Star, Tolkien took it form the Norse Aurvandil) son of Tour and Idril, and eventually her Silmaril became the Jewel of his ship Vingilot, which was granted by the Valar the ability to fly though the Heavens.
In Tolkien's Cosmology, Venus is the Star of Earendil, (because Venus is also known as the Evening Star as well as the Morning Star), which is defined as the Light of The Silmaril. In Greek Heosphorus/Eophorus (the name used in the Septuagint of Isaiah 14) is the Morning Star and Hesperus the Evening Star, later Greco-Roman writers like Cicero became aware the two were the same star.
I suppose you could view Elwing as being in the role of the Grail Maiden.
The other two Silmarils were eventually taken by the Sons of Feanor after Morgoth fell but led to their deaths. One was cast into The Earth (leading to debatable theories of it being the Arkenstone) and the other into The Sea, where I'd be very interested in possibility of Fan Fiction based on it being found by Captain Nemo and the Nautilus. I can't be the first to think of that idea?
So the gist is, I think it's highly probable this obscure esoteric alternate Grail tradition partly helped inspire Tolkien.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Gundam 00 and Classic Science Fiction
Gundam 00 is the only Gundam series I've watched thus far. I first checked it out when the SciFi channel aired Anime on Monday nights years ago. I wish they'd bring that back. I only recently completed it however.
I know enough vaguely about Gundam to know that it does not seem very representative of the Franchise in general. It's not part of the original Continuity, and is the first to use dates clearly linkable to our real life calendar.
I enjoy it for reasons similar to why Code Geass is one of my favorite Animes. Tense battles, complicated geo-politics, with good people on each side and moral ambiguity. And lots of eccentric and quirky interesting characters.
What I want to comment on today is how Gundam 00 draws inspiration from a lot of classic works of Western Science Fiction.
Another thing it has in common with Code Geass is it clearly modeled it's 3 major Superpowers after the three Geroge Orwell envisioned in 1984. These aren't nearly so blatantly Dystopic however. The main variation is both put Japan (the native country of their creators) in Oceania rather then Eastasia. Why (in universe) it's there is different however, in Code Geass it's conquered by Britannia, but in Gundam 00 Japan being in the Union seems much more consensual.
The logic behind putting Japan in the same Power Block as America, rather then with China and Russia I fully get, Japan has becomes a very Westernized and particularly Americanized nation. Thing is that same logic in my mind ought to put South Korea with them as well, but Korea seems to be ignored in Anime.
I also recently before revisiting Gundam 00 began familiarizing myself with Isaac Aismov's Foundation series. And immediately I thought of Aeolia Shenberg as Hari Seldon's plan was revealed. That's largely what inspired me to return to Gundam 00.
But what's really meaty is all the Arthur C Clarke. Clarke interests me, even though I firmly reject the logic behind Clarke's third law.
The first Clarke connection is of course the Orbital Elevators which are evocative of The Fountains of Paradise. It's a shame more writers don't draw on that concept, a Christian writer drawing on Biblical Themes could easily go for a Tower of Babel reference with one.
Throughout Series 2 as the metaphysical and Trans-humanist aspects of the story became more and more apparent, I started wondering whether or not a comparison to works like Childhood's End would be accurate. Then the series ended with a quick little promo for the movie saying that "Humanity's childhood is about to end", so that settled that.
In the Movie, the ESLs have a Lovecraftian vibe to them at first. But they ultimately aren't really Evil. And in the end the 2001 and Childhood's End aspects of the story fully come to fruition. I also suspect where it ultimately goes is something Gene Roddenberry would appreciate.
So it's an Anime I recommend checking out if your into Hard SciFi.
I know enough vaguely about Gundam to know that it does not seem very representative of the Franchise in general. It's not part of the original Continuity, and is the first to use dates clearly linkable to our real life calendar.
I enjoy it for reasons similar to why Code Geass is one of my favorite Animes. Tense battles, complicated geo-politics, with good people on each side and moral ambiguity. And lots of eccentric and quirky interesting characters.
What I want to comment on today is how Gundam 00 draws inspiration from a lot of classic works of Western Science Fiction.
Another thing it has in common with Code Geass is it clearly modeled it's 3 major Superpowers after the three Geroge Orwell envisioned in 1984. These aren't nearly so blatantly Dystopic however. The main variation is both put Japan (the native country of their creators) in Oceania rather then Eastasia. Why (in universe) it's there is different however, in Code Geass it's conquered by Britannia, but in Gundam 00 Japan being in the Union seems much more consensual.
The logic behind putting Japan in the same Power Block as America, rather then with China and Russia I fully get, Japan has becomes a very Westernized and particularly Americanized nation. Thing is that same logic in my mind ought to put South Korea with them as well, but Korea seems to be ignored in Anime.
I also recently before revisiting Gundam 00 began familiarizing myself with Isaac Aismov's Foundation series. And immediately I thought of Aeolia Shenberg as Hari Seldon's plan was revealed. That's largely what inspired me to return to Gundam 00.
But what's really meaty is all the Arthur C Clarke. Clarke interests me, even though I firmly reject the logic behind Clarke's third law.
The first Clarke connection is of course the Orbital Elevators which are evocative of The Fountains of Paradise. It's a shame more writers don't draw on that concept, a Christian writer drawing on Biblical Themes could easily go for a Tower of Babel reference with one.
Throughout Series 2 as the metaphysical and Trans-humanist aspects of the story became more and more apparent, I started wondering whether or not a comparison to works like Childhood's End would be accurate. Then the series ended with a quick little promo for the movie saying that "Humanity's childhood is about to end", so that settled that.
In the Movie, the ESLs have a Lovecraftian vibe to them at first. But they ultimately aren't really Evil. And in the end the 2001 and Childhood's End aspects of the story fully come to fruition. I also suspect where it ultimately goes is something Gene Roddenberry would appreciate.
So it's an Anime I recommend checking out if your into Hard SciFi.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Modernizing Arthurian Legend
With all the different takes on Arthurian legend in modern media, I'm surprised adapting the legend to a modern or futuristic setting isn't more popular. Plenty of stories with more modern settings have Arthurian themes, but not really proper adaptations of the legends.
All the standard takes on Arthurian legend that define it for modern readers are done in a more (then) modern setting then the 5th/6th century setting of the original Welsh poems and the history that Arthur would have lived in. The Grail romances are based on the world of the Crusades, and Malory's tale I've read before was largely done with the War of the Roses in mind (making it the Game of Thrones or Final Fantasy Tactics of it's time).
Of course admittedly those were not completely contemporary stories, there is still a sense of an age gone by in them. Not unlike how people today often call the Second World War the "Greatest Generation".
Then it hit me as I was thinking of that, why not a version of Arthurian legend that is a Diesel Punk alternate history version of WWII.? And it can draw inspiration from Indiana Jones type movies with the Nazis seeking the Holy Grail and the Ark and other relics, but I'd go with the theory of the Ark being in Ethiopia, and the Grail more directly modeled after the old Grail romances. [Update, and you could maybe now take inspiration from the Anime Izetta The Last Witch].
I've created a list of Arthurian characters with roles they could play in this setting. In order to make this work I had to ignore the Pacific Theater, this is focused on Europe, Africa and the Middle East. And don't jump to too many conclusions about these identifications, it is an alternate history.
[Update March 31st 2020: I've made a lot of changes to this list over the years that includes many made today. And more may be made in the future]
King Arthur = King George VI of England (Arthur did happen to be part of his full name)
Anna = Mary Princess Royal
Igerne = Mary of Teck
Gwenivere = Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Soredamore = Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
Tortolina = Princess Margaret
Budic of Brittany = Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood
Percival = Bonaparte Pretender
Dindrane = Sister of Percival
Lucius Tiberius = Benito Mussolini
Claudas = Hitler
All the standard takes on Arthurian legend that define it for modern readers are done in a more (then) modern setting then the 5th/6th century setting of the original Welsh poems and the history that Arthur would have lived in. The Grail romances are based on the world of the Crusades, and Malory's tale I've read before was largely done with the War of the Roses in mind (making it the Game of Thrones or Final Fantasy Tactics of it's time).
Of course admittedly those were not completely contemporary stories, there is still a sense of an age gone by in them. Not unlike how people today often call the Second World War the "Greatest Generation".
Then it hit me as I was thinking of that, why not a version of Arthurian legend that is a Diesel Punk alternate history version of WWII.? And it can draw inspiration from Indiana Jones type movies with the Nazis seeking the Holy Grail and the Ark and other relics, but I'd go with the theory of the Ark being in Ethiopia, and the Grail more directly modeled after the old Grail romances. [Update, and you could maybe now take inspiration from the Anime Izetta The Last Witch].
I've created a list of Arthurian characters with roles they could play in this setting. In order to make this work I had to ignore the Pacific Theater, this is focused on Europe, Africa and the Middle East. And don't jump to too many conclusions about these identifications, it is an alternate history.
[Update March 31st 2020: I've made a lot of changes to this list over the years that includes many made today. And more may be made in the future]
King Arthur = King George VI of England (Arthur did happen to be part of his full name)
Anna = Mary Princess Royal
Igerne = Mary of Teck
Gwenivere = Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Soredamore = Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
Tortolina = Princess Margaret
Budic of Brittany = Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood
Hoel of Brittany = Geroge Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood
Prince Madoc = Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester
Emrys = Prince George Duke of Kent, Grand Master of United Grand Lodge of English Freemasonry
Vortigern = Duke of Windsor
Rowena = Wallie Simpson
Aurelius Ambrosious = Winston Churchill
Prince Madoc = Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester
Emrys = Prince George Duke of Kent, Grand Master of United Grand Lodge of English Freemasonry
Vortigern = Duke of Windsor
Rowena = Wallie Simpson
Aurelius Ambrosious = Winston Churchill
Mark = J. M. Andrews
Sir Ector = Sir Hugh Sinclair
Sir Kay = Sir Stewart Menzies
Sir Bedivere = John Alexander Sinclair
Sir Gawain = Sir Richard White
Merlin = Aleister Crowley
Ninue = Dione Fortune
Vivian = Margaret Murray
Bishop Dubricus = Cosmo Gordon Lang
Bishop Pyramus = William Temple
Merlin = Aleister Crowley
Ninue = Dione Fortune
Vivian = Margaret Murray
Bishop Dubricus = Cosmo Gordon Lang
Bishop Pyramus = William Temple
Bishop Vodinus = Geoffrey Fisher
Mordred = Archibald Ramasy
Morgause = Anna Wolkoff
Guillamurius = 5th Duke of Wellington
Cheldric = Henry Hamilton Beamish
Elasius = Arnold Leese
Egbrict = Barry Domvile
Bunignus = Boney Fuller
Accolon = Oswald Mosley
Morgana = Diana Mitford
Gorlois =Baron Redesdale
Gormant = Tom Mitford
Percival = Bonaparte Pretender
Dindrane = Sister of Percival
Blanchefleur = Marie-Madeleine Fourcade
Gurnumanz = Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
King Feirefiz of Zazamanc = Emperor Halie Selassie of Ethiopia
Lancelot = Charles de Gaulle
Galahad = Philippe de Gaulle
Sir Bors = Oleanist Pretender
Lionel = Henri Count of Paris
Beowulf = King of Denmark
Emperor Alexander = King of Greece
Prince Alexander = Prince Philip
Micipsa = Stalin
Pompeius = Lenin
Ipomidon = Trotsky
Titurel = Hussein bin Ali
Firmutel = Abdullah I of Jordan
Anfortas = Talal
Baruc = Faisal
Bandes = Abd al-llah
Laamez = Rashi Ali al-Gaylani
Estorause = Ibn Saud
Corrsabrin = Amim al-Husseini
Gormundus = Reza Shah
Itarc = Ismet Inonu
King Pellam = FDR
Pellas = Henry A. Wallace
Garlon = Truman
Elaine = Eleanor Roosevelt
Pellinore = Eisenhower
Gurnumanz = Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
King Feirefiz of Zazamanc = Emperor Halie Selassie of Ethiopia
Lancelot = Charles de Gaulle
Galahad = Philippe de Gaulle
Sir Bors = Oleanist Pretender
Lionel = Henri Count of Paris
Beowulf = King of Denmark
Emperor Alexander = King of Greece
Prince Alexander = Prince Philip
Micipsa = Stalin
Pompeius = Lenin
Ipomidon = Trotsky
Titurel = Hussein bin Ali
Firmutel = Abdullah I of Jordan
Anfortas = Talal
Baruc = Faisal
Bandes = Abd al-llah
Laamez = Rashi Ali al-Gaylani
Estorause = Ibn Saud
Corrsabrin = Amim al-Husseini
Gormundus = Reza Shah
Itarc = Ismet Inonu
King Pellam = FDR
Pellas = Henry A. Wallace
Garlon = Truman
Elaine = Eleanor Roosevelt
Pellinore = Eisenhower
Lamorak = Walter Bedell Smith
Rivalen = William J Donovan
Melliodes = Allen Dulles
Tristam = James Jesus Angleton
Tristam = James Jesus Angleton
Lucius Tiberius = Benito Mussolini
Claudas = Hitler
Malduc = Karl Maria Wiligut
Maleagant = Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia
Bademagu = Deposed Wilhelm II
Hengist = Ernest Augustus Duke of Brunswick
Horsa = Charles Edward Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Characters Without (solid) real life analogues
Palamedes = Codename of an Arab who spies for the OSS
Iseult = Princess of Ireland
Maleagant = Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia
Bademagu = Deposed Wilhelm II
Hengist = Ernest Augustus Duke of Brunswick
Horsa = Charles Edward Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Characters Without (solid) real life analogues
Palamedes = Codename of an Arab who spies for the OSS
Iseult = Princess of Ireland
Friday, September 11, 2015
My Eugenie Danglars story will be in TOTS 12
Tales of The Shadowmen Volume 12
The Piano Maidens is much more like the kinds of stories I generally like to write then my prior two TOTS contributions. Because I generally like to write female leads/POV characters, and also really like including LGBT representation in my stories. This story is also a dialogue driven one, no action.
The story stars Eugenia Danglars and Louise d'Armilly from Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte-Cristo. They are Lesbians who were removed from the oldest English Translation of the Novel as well as most adaptations. But they are fully restored in the Penguin Classics translation. And in Matthew Baugh's The Vampire Count of Monte-Cristo.
I am depicting both of these characters as exclusively Monosexually Homosexual. In my Headcanon for these characters, and actual Canon of any stories I write, neither ever has or ever will be intimate with a man.
Like all TOTS stories it's also a crossover, It features and mentions a lot of both fictional and historical figures. It's a very Nerdy story.
I include a number of little Easter eggs only fellow PLL will get.
I hope actual Lesbians will be able to enjoy how I write these characters. So if any LGBT people read this story and has any criticism of it, please feel free to let me know. I'd really, really appreciate it if by some off chance Heather Hogan did a review of it.
The Book will come out this December, please buy the book, BlackCoatPress does a lot of important work, they deserve more success.
Other works from the same Publisher that should interest those of us who want more Female representation in Genre Fiction include Rick Lai's Shadows of The Opera and Sisters of The Shadows series. And Nina Cooper's translations of some early female lead detective and spy stories. And I of course always recommend Paul Feval as translated by Brian Stableford.
Once again I am last by virtue of the Alphabet.
US$22.95/GBP 14.99 - 6x9 tpb, 304 p. - ISBN-13: 978-1-61227-447-8
Contents:
Jason Scott Aiken: Ardan at the Pole starring Doc Ardan, The People of the Pole
Matthew Baugh: The Lament of the Duke and the King starring Doctor Omega
Adam Mudman Bezecny: The Revelation of the Yeti starring Doctor Omega, Nora, Ki-Gor
Nicholas Boving: The Evil Among Us starring Dr. Watson, Maigret, Father Brown
Nathan Cabaniss: House of El Hombre Loco starring Count Waldemar Daninsky, Dr. Génessier
Christophe Colin : Of Beasts and Men starring Felifax, Dr. Moreau
Matthew Dennion: Turning Point starring Sâr Dubnotal, Werewolf of Paris
Peter Gabbani: A Bond between Gentlemen starring Arsène Lupin, Raffles
Brian Gallagher: The Stake and the Sickle starring Captain Vampire, Von Bork
Martin Gately: Rouletabille on Mysterious Island starring Rouletabille
Travis Hiltz: The Case of the Curious Cadaver starring Spiridon, Van Helsing, Doctor Omega
Rick Lai: The Tomb of the Veiled Prophet starring The Phantom of the Opera,
Nigel Malcolm: The Adventure of the Orcival Rain starring Lecoq, Sherlock Holmes, Gourroull
Jean-Marc Mouiller: Behind the Mask of the Ripper starring Sherlock Holmes, Harry Dickson
Christofer Nigro: Justice and the Beast starring Judex, Doctor Cornelius, Professor Tornada
Pierrick Rival: The Inn of the First Voyage starring Long John Silver, Surcouf
Frank Schildiner: Ancient Space Lizards and Other Visitors starring Jean Kariven, Gussie Fink-Nottle
Sam Shook: The Eldritch Stones starring Sar Dubnotal, Chandu, El Borak
Michel Stéphan: The Submarine "Gustave Le Rouge" starring William Boltyn, Dr. Moreau
Artikel Unbekannt : Leonox Meets Mephista starring Mephista, Leonox
David L. Vineyard: The White Star of Atlantis starring Arsène Lupin, Terence O'Rourke
Jared Welch: The Piano Maidens starring Eugenie Danglars, The Black Coats
The Piano Maidens is much more like the kinds of stories I generally like to write then my prior two TOTS contributions. Because I generally like to write female leads/POV characters, and also really like including LGBT representation in my stories. This story is also a dialogue driven one, no action.
The story stars Eugenia Danglars and Louise d'Armilly from Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte-Cristo. They are Lesbians who were removed from the oldest English Translation of the Novel as well as most adaptations. But they are fully restored in the Penguin Classics translation. And in Matthew Baugh's The Vampire Count of Monte-Cristo.
I am depicting both of these characters as exclusively Monosexually Homosexual. In my Headcanon for these characters, and actual Canon of any stories I write, neither ever has or ever will be intimate with a man.
Like all TOTS stories it's also a crossover, It features and mentions a lot of both fictional and historical figures. It's a very Nerdy story.
I include a number of little Easter eggs only fellow PLL will get.
I hope actual Lesbians will be able to enjoy how I write these characters. So if any LGBT people read this story and has any criticism of it, please feel free to let me know. I'd really, really appreciate it if by some off chance Heather Hogan did a review of it.
The Book will come out this December, please buy the book, BlackCoatPress does a lot of important work, they deserve more success.
Other works from the same Publisher that should interest those of us who want more Female representation in Genre Fiction include Rick Lai's Shadows of The Opera and Sisters of The Shadows series. And Nina Cooper's translations of some early female lead detective and spy stories. And I of course always recommend Paul Feval as translated by Brian Stableford.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Female Ghostbusters Reboot
When I first heard about an all female Ghostbusters movie I was excited, I thought it was a cool idea, in fact I'd thought before the current film entered production that new female Ghostbusters would be a good rout to do for Ghostbuster III.
Then I heard it was gonna be a Reboot, and my excitement died.
Now I've seen people on Feminists websites saying they don't believe the people who say the Reboot is reason they're unhappy, even though complaining about Reboots is the trendy thing in every Fandom now.
Well I'm not saying I hypothetically would have supported an all Female sequel, I'm saying I did, i wasn't just OK with it I was excited for it.
It seems sites like TheMarySue have blind loyalty to this film now, even though they should be thinking more critically about it. The ploy worked.
It also upsets me that the Ethnic line up is the same, 3 White and 1 Black. Why not make the film truly more diverse instead of just gender flipping everything, why not give us an Asian Ghostbuster and a Latino one, or an Arabian or Indian one?
The original Ghostbusters was awesome, but looking back Winston does come off as a token shoe horned in for the sake of making a diversity quota. I hope at least this time the Black one is there from the start and not someone we don't meet till after the theme song montage.
They way to send a Feminist message is tell the story of young women proving they can do what the original men did. That's how it's gonna be critiqued by fans (negatively or positively) anyway. Rewriting the story so it's women from the start is just a cheap gimmick. It could be a cool AU fan-fiction, but not an official Movie.
Then I heard it was gonna be a Reboot, and my excitement died.
Now I've seen people on Feminists websites saying they don't believe the people who say the Reboot is reason they're unhappy, even though complaining about Reboots is the trendy thing in every Fandom now.
Well I'm not saying I hypothetically would have supported an all Female sequel, I'm saying I did, i wasn't just OK with it I was excited for it.
It seems sites like TheMarySue have blind loyalty to this film now, even though they should be thinking more critically about it. The ploy worked.
It also upsets me that the Ethnic line up is the same, 3 White and 1 Black. Why not make the film truly more diverse instead of just gender flipping everything, why not give us an Asian Ghostbuster and a Latino one, or an Arabian or Indian one?
The original Ghostbusters was awesome, but looking back Winston does come off as a token shoe horned in for the sake of making a diversity quota. I hope at least this time the Black one is there from the start and not someone we don't meet till after the theme song montage.
They way to send a Feminist message is tell the story of young women proving they can do what the original men did. That's how it's gonna be critiqued by fans (negatively or positively) anyway. Rewriting the story so it's women from the start is just a cheap gimmick. It could be a cool AU fan-fiction, but not an official Movie.
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