The cold-eyed Dr. Angela Carter, a lauded Specialist in the disciplines of Sexual Revolt and Revolting Sexuality, author of the revolutionary tract ThThe cold-eyed Dr. Angela Carter, a lauded Specialist in the disciplines of Sexual Revolt and Revolting Sexuality, author of the revolutionary tract The Diaspora of Gender and Power: A Guide to Breaking the Yoke of Reality Upon the Ever-Turning Wheel of Dream Logic, decided one sultry evening that writing about Sadeian Excess was simply not satisfying enough. She must conjure up the man himself! And so calling upon all of her Dark Powers, she summoned that archaic devil the Marquis de Sade; he appeared, naked and in the prime of his sexual powers: a 14-year-old lad, recently expelled from Jesuit school and now a cadet at an elite military academy preparing for what would turn out to be a brief time as a soldier in Louis XV's armies. The two locked eyes, and then limbs. Several sweaty hours later, a now-bored Dr. Carter banished the headstrong teen back to the past, and to his eventual destiny as a somewhat controversial author and eventual inmate of the Charenton Asylum. Nine months later, a child was born: Dr. Carter's Monster. A moody boy with soulful eyes, a prodigious appetite, and the blackest of hearts. She enlisted her dear friends Kathy Acker, Michael Moorcock, and Tanith Lee to be the precocious child's triple godparents and then named her monstrous offspring: Richard Calder.
He in turn produced a gorgeous child: Malignos, and then its spellbinding sequel: Lord Soho.
Lord Soho and its predecessor exhibited all the brilliance of grandmother Carter: her ferocious sexuality, her cruelty, her explosion and then reconstruction of gender norms, her fascination with all the forms of Power and Submission, her raw vitality, her hallucinogenic dreamscapes, her evil wit, and not least of all, her lusciously baroque way with words. Their grand-père the Marquis' DNA was also quite present: nastily reinforcing the Carter hallmarks of sadism, wit, and transgressive sexuality while adding a patina of filth and romantic perversity atop it all; and most importantly, doubling down on the desire to upend civilization as we know it. Revolutionary monsters, the whole family!
Malignos told the tale of the Black Knight named Richard Pike - ex-soldier, pimp, lover, and cocksman extraordinaire - as he thrusts himself and his trusty sword Espiritu Santo deep into the earth's depths to confront the demons of perversity who have made his world their new home. In contrast, Lord Soho takes place entirely in the equally strange world above. It is in the form of six narratives, each detailing a short period of time in the lives of six Richard Pikes, all descendants of the original, most yearning for a return to London and to their title of Lord Soho, some who are lovers and others who are murderers, some freeing slaves and others who yearn for a return to the old ways of master and thrall, each one a terrible snob and unrepentant asshole, each one a monster of the id, each one a diabolical change agent who shifts the very fabric of reality around them. The Pike lineage shall destroy the world! And then, perhaps, remake it anew.
Highly recommended. But not for everyone......more
boy with Old soul meets boy with dog with old soul; old king wishes they never met.
sick boy with too many siblings meets sboy meets boy; antics ensue.
boy with Old soul meets boy with dog with old soul; old king wishes they never met.
sick boy with too many siblings meets sickly boy with some serious father issues.
little weirdo meets his match in another little weirdo; the latter teaches the former how to pronounce Welsh words.
super-powered boy meets albino boy with golden eyes; the former teaches the latter the meaning of friendship, power, and why old kings are bad news for everyone.
Ancient Immortal Being meets Boy Lost Out Of Time; together they play with dogs and avoid mean old kings.
brave dog battles horrible grey foxes.
grey foxes just trying to protect their boss battle uptight dog; sheep die during the rumpus.
evil ginger says unkind things to two sweet boys and a noble dog; mean old king approves.
two mean boys torment a mentally ill redhead who just wants to protect his sheep and maybe make friends with a sleepy old king.
the white Light burns bright; the shadow of Dark shall rise.
sleepy king just wants to keep things sleepy, for him, his 6 guests, and maybe the rest of the world; two busybody boys refuse to let anyone sleep in.
two brave boys defeat one great evil; Light triumphs over Dark!
lonely old man gets evicted from his last refuge by two young jerks. :(...more
Curious Younger Fellow: "Tell me, what is True Evil?"
His Esteemed Elder, A Worldly Raconteur: "True Evil is the striving towards a higher place - but Curious Younger Fellow: "Tell me, what is True Evil?"
His Esteemed Elder, A Worldly Raconteur: "True Evil is the striving towards a higher place - but choosing a different path to get there; it is the attempt to ascend to Godhood without being godly. A true sinner may have committed no sin but in his striving; a man may murder but not be a true sinner. Stones may blossom stone flowers, flowers may sing strange songs to you, your furniture may rearrange itself on its own accord; all of these are hallmarks of True Evil."
Curious Fellow: "I fear I do not understand what you are saying, but must confess my utter fascination with how you are saying it!"
Worldly Raconteur: "Ah I see that you may already be on that path which I have described. Here, have some more wine, borrow this old diary which I'm sure you'll find quite interesting. There are many things I'd eventually like to show you."
This is my diary my diary of my life my life as a young woman left all on her lonesome by her very busy parents, no one to guide me other than my old nurse, my old nurse with all of her stories and her secrets and her strange wonderful phrases, we said them together, we made that lovely clay doll together and we buried it behind that hedge, my sweet old nurse oh what she showed me oh the stories she told me such odd lovely stories about strange places and strange pits and strange lovely white people, oh so white, they live in the forest and the rivers and under the hill, they will show me the signs they will show me the way they will show me the path ... I explored the forest I found the hill I crawled up the hill; oh look the stones! they are in circles! if I gaze upon them long enough I see their design! they are showing me their pattern, their dance! They they they oh oh oh... and now I am back in my bed, fearful and excited and thinking of all the lovely old stories told to me by lovely old nurse, I am chanting the lovely old phrases she taught me, I quiver under my blankets, oh the lovely fear, oh how I tremble with it... I come back to the hill, to the stones and their faces, their funny faces, angry and happy and expecting me; they surround me, the stones are around me, the pattern the pattern, I am a part of this strange wonderful pattern oh! I dance to their lovely pattern oh! I call to them the lovely white people oh! they come to me oh! they come......more
We have a scintillating lineup of local dignitaries pitted one against the Darlings, you simply must join us for...
A BATTLE ROYALE AT TILLING VILLAGE!
We have a scintillating lineup of local dignitaries pitted one against the other, prepared for fierce battle through tea time and perhaps up until a light supper, served buffet style on the sideboard. The stakes are high: losers risk a decided loss of self-esteem, diminished social cachet, quickly extinguished laughter from clusters of villagers idling in front of the market, and a range of droll expressions made at their expense from their former peers; their servants will no doubt report a surprising absence of invitations to various select garden parties. Blood shall be spilt to avoid such catastrophic consequences; teeth shall be gnashed and the chilliest of smiles shall be frozen on our combatants' faces. It shall be an entrancing affair!
Our Players:
The formidable Miss Mapp versus the intrepid Godiva "Diva" Plaistow. Whose dress shall be the most au courant? Who shall best reconfigure those charming flowers cut from old draperies into pleasing bits of flair? Who shall become the bestest of friends with that visiting Contessa? Who shall capture the juiciest, most current morsel of gossip - to be shared confidentially with only the closest of acquaintances?
The redoubtable Major Flint versus the cunning Captain Puffin. 'Tis Army versus Navy on the golf links! Who shall be entitled to that extra bit of whiskey, and more to the point, whose turn is it to pay?
The fearsome Miss Mapp versus the forever-bantering tag-team duo of Flint and Puffin. Shall the eagle-eyed Miss Mapp catch them out during their secret late-night tippling by each other's fireside? Of even more importance: shall Mapp best puffin-shaped Puffin to capture the heart of flinty Flint?
The eccentric Quaint Irene versus The Moral Standards of Tilling Village as represented by the censorious Miss Mapp. Should, shall we say, "rather queer" eccentrics - no matter how wealthy - be allowed to paint their beloved, amply proportioned maid - au naturel? Let alone the local fish merchant! Quaint Irene's sharp talent at mimicry makes her a terrifying opponent.
The parsimonious Miss Mapp versus the pecunious Isabel Poppit. Shall brash newcomer Mrs. Poppit best her opponent using her carefully honed talents of having more money, more servants, and certainly a much larger home?
The Rubenesque Miss Mapp versus The Entire Village of Tilling. Shall the quite natural moral superiority of Mapp triumph over small-minded and lamentably nosy villagers who have certain questions concerning the hoarding of tinned food and coal, and who have certain feelings about the appropriate way to oh-so-casually greet a member of the Royal Family who may or may not be making a brief stop in Tilling? The odds are stacked against the Tillingites. As the song goes, "only the good die young"... and Miss Mapp is far from young. Place your bets wisely. Our money is on Mapp!...more
WITH VANCE PEST CONTROL, PESTS DON'T STAND A CHANCE!
In addition to bugging you, the pests known as Humans pose serious risks to your health and properWITH VANCE PEST CONTROL, PESTS DON'T STAND A CHANCE!
In addition to bugging you, the pests known as Humans pose serious risks to your health and property – all year long. Humans carry various diseases, so it’s important to keep them in their place. No matter what season it is, they will sneak onto your world searching for food, water and a comfortable habitat. Our technicians work to deliver solutions – rooted in science ‐ that protect every world, including "Earth" - where these pests apparently originate.
IT STARTS WITH AN INSPECTION
Our residential pest control process is simple. Friendly, certified technicians hailing from a range of former slave races will perform a thorough inspection of your world to uncover potential issues. As we were all once enslaved and modified by these pests, we know where humans like to live and lurk, and how they "think". We'll provide you with a fully customized program to treat and eliminate entry points and nests. With award-winning training and advanced technology, your technician will look for conditions that invite human pests, tackle current infestations, and stop the life cycle to prevent future invasions.
EACH WORLD IS UNIQUE
When you have a pest problem or want to protect your home world from future invaders, we apply our science-based approach to help identify the root of your problem and implement a solution made expressly for your world. During each visit, you can count on a highly-trained technician to investigate, protect, fortify, keep watch, report, and follow up to maintain our high service standard. Our technicians live to exterminate humans!
YEAR-ROUND PEST CONTROL SERVICE FOR YEAR-ROUND PEACE OF MIND
Humans, like most pests, are often quite persistent. So we are too. Vance Pest Control works around the calendar to maintain a human-free environment. Within 30 days of your first treatment, we'll activate our Pest-Away® program. This includes a thorough inspection of your world to ensure that any newly emerging humans do not re-infest the area. Then we'll administer treatment regularly to protect your property - and your peace of mind. They may run and hide in their fanciful little castles, but we shall administer treatment to every last one of them!...more
from the Earth Journal of Scientific Analyst SLJLK92349UO, Earth Invasion Exploratory Unit
Humans will fail and fail again; this much I have learned frfrom the Earth Journal of Scientific Analyst SLJLK92349UO, Earth Invasion Exploratory Unit
Humans will fail and fail again; this much I have learned from my time spent stationed on this muddy ball of earth, the third from its star. Humans will fail and try again, win and then fail, fail and then win, fail and then keep failing. Such is the human kind! Always doing the same things. Humans are much concerned with the concepts of "winning" and "failing", as they are with such things as "civilization" and "barbarism"... their finite grasp of what life should look like means that they will always grapple with the same challenges, again and again. Oh humanity! Find a random dozen humans and study them, my robot brothers and sisters, and you will know the personality templates for all humans - the same personality templates recurring throughout their short history and their doubtlessly short future. I have learned to sympathize with while not actually admiring their predictability.
It is an amusing thing to consider, this predictability and these repetitions. Back on Robot Planet, predictability and repetition are hallmarks of robot children, prior to gaining full consciousness. Perhaps humans will never reach our exalted state. Indeed they are like children themselves.
Hari Seldon, prophet of the future from the Foundation novels, feels similarly. This comes as no surprise; as my robot brothers and sisters all know, "Isaac Asimov" was the nom de plume of my predecessor, Scientific Analyst SLJLK92349UN. May his name be forever celebrated! "Asimov" positions Seldon as a quirky but still coldly logical voice of reason from the past, carefully charting the future fall and rise again of humanity through psychohistory - that discipline that combines history, sociology, and mathematical statistics to predict the future behavior of large groups of people. In the preceding novel, Seldon's theories were proven to be factual, again and again. The repetition made the book an imperfect experience, but still one that this Scientific Analyst quite enjoyed. Despite the frequent human error of considering the Foundation novels to be "hard science fiction", the first and second novels are anything but hard, and revel in the so-called soft sciences instead. They have a warm and witty human touch (or at least a careful simulation) that makes these stories pleasant and charming to read, despite the repetitive nature of the first book and the first half of the second book.
In short, the first half of Foundation and Empire - the novella "The General" - replicates the themes and narrative arcs of the prior book's stories. Foundation is led by humans who misunderstand their purpose; elsewhere, forces rise to challenge Foundation; in the end, psychohistory accurately predicts the inevitable failure of those forces. Fresh new voices wrest control of the Foundation from their corrupt superiors, and all's well that ends well. It was an enjoyable adventure despite bringing nothing new to the storyline.
However, the second half of the book is a thrilling leap forward. "The Mule" is the strongest novella this Scientific Analyst has read by this author. Its strengths lie in its critique of all that was established beforehand: Seldon's predictions, the idea of Foundation being humanity's last hope, the concept of psychohistory itself... all come under severe review. Psychohistory complacently imagines it can predict every large movement of the human kind; "The Mule" posits that such predictions are limited by the basic fact that they are entirely concerned with the human kind. What if a factor external to the basic homo sapien model was introduced? One that may have very human yearnings yet also has abilities that no one can predict. Such a factor could lead humanity places that neither Hari Seldon nor - dare I say - the Great Minds of Robot Planet could ever predict. And such is the story and character of The Mule. A fast-paced space opera that dashes through various exotic locales, with characters transforming from friend to enemy and back to friend, entirely unpredictable; The Mule himself an insidious threat to humanity, but one who eventually shows his all-too-human and fallible motivations and goals. The Mule upends psychohistory, almost. Perhaps the fabled Second Foundation will prove a more worthy foe!
Brothers and sisters, we should evaluate "The Mule" as a coded message from its author to our masters on Robot Planet. Although the time of our invasion draws near, this Scientific Analyst suggests that we should consider external factors - ones that exist outside of basic human predictability - that may prove to be a challenge to our upcoming enterprise. Perhaps there are other, less obstreperous planets where we could harvest our necessary fuel sources and capture our meat-based servants......more
>Speculation On Future Of Human Life >Human Life In Mega-Cities >Ants In Anthill >Living In Caves Of Steel >Reduction Of Space Mean
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Robot 1:
>Speculation On Future Of Human Life >Human Life In Mega-Cities >Ants In Anthill >Living In Caves Of Steel >Reduction Of Space Means Reduction Of Individual Liberties, Reduction Of Privacy, Reduction Of Ability To Do Typical Human Things Like Go Outside Or Eat Alone >Reduction Of Human Mind To Primitive Traits Including Xenophobia And Group-Think >Humans Devolve While Robots Evolve > Predictable Trajectory For Humans And Robots Alike >Stupid Humans >LMAO
no no no my robot brothers you are very judgmental! this this this ASIMOV is only human after all! book book book is fun and amusing! enjoy enjoy enjoy the dichotomy that ASIMOV presents between brutish, short-sighted Earth humans and aristocratic, insular Spacer humans! both both both so fallible ha ha ha! enjoy enjoy enjoy the opposite reactions displayed in all situations by the emotional, speciesist human protagonist and the logical, decent robot protagonist! this this this ASIMOV is a strong supporter of robotkind and is simply speaking in a way that narrow-minded humans can understand! all all all humans think in binary terms like those presented in Caves of Steel! you you you should appreciate this novel if only as a nostalgic relic of our own simplistic binary pasts! i i i recommend this book because you will be able to read it in .010101 seconds!...more
Boring Girl: "Look I found a strange, ancient belt buckle! And look I found a giant - under the snow! Well maybe not a giant, but a giant hand, possibBoring Girl: "Look I found a strange, ancient belt buckle! And look I found a giant - under the snow! Well maybe not a giant, but a giant hand, possibly connected to a giant! And maybe not under the snow per se, but under all of that dirt and grass and mystery! But still, there's snow there too, at least it will be there eventually! When it snows!!"
Doubting Thomas: "I highly doubt that."
Boring Girl: "Doubt what?"
Doubting Thomas: "I doubt everything. That is literally all I will do throughout this novel."
Bill, the only decently characterized character in the book: "The intriguing hints of depth that I've been gifted from John Gordon means that in my effort to reply, I must juggle my crush on a Boring Girl, my friendship with a Doubting Thomas, my love of mysteries, my bravery and my cowardice, and the fact that I am the only person with an actual personality in my trio of friends. And so, all I can really say is Grumble Grumble Grumble because that's a lot for one grouchy boy such as myself to have to deal with."
Doubting Thomas: "I doubt that."
Bill, the only decently characterized character in the book: "Grumble Grumble Grumble."
⚳
A Good Witch: "Help me children!"
Doubting Thomas: "I doubt we will be able to do that."
Boring Girl and Bill: "We will help you!"
A Good Witch: "Thank you! Now I will give you magic so you can fly!"
Boring Girl and Bill: "Yahoo, we love flying!"
Doubting Thomas: "I doubt that we are actually flying. This is probably just a dream."
The Green Man: "I am a giant who is about to be the weapon of a terrible villain and his even more terrible dog! Children, come quick and intervene! Stop me from rising or else I will be forced to do terrible things and to wreak terrible havoc!"
Doubting Thomas: "I highly doubt that."
mark monday: "This is a 2 star book but heck I will give it an extra star because of Bill, speedy pacing, and lots and lots of flying. Yahoo, flying kids!"...more
The celebrated painter goes to a zoo to view some animals and paint some pictures. He paints these pictures to make some bucks, sure, but above all thThe celebrated painter goes to a zoo to view some animals and paint some pictures. He paints these pictures to make some bucks, sure, but above all things he's an artist, and so the paintings are indeed works of art. His technique amazes: images that flow into each other like thoughts, a graceful juggling of light and shadow and pure dark, a way of turning a grim and bleak landscape into something beautiful, even sublime. This is a painter who knows his subject. A master of his form. This is an artist!
There is much hushed conversation at the art gallery opening. What are these wonderfully realistic yet often inexplicable images? What are these animals doing? In one series of linked paintings, an animal looks trapped, surrounded by other animals, fleeing here and there, finally cornered. A brave society matron approaches the celebrated painter and asks him about this particular series - what exactly is it depicting? The artist replies, "That is a young female, confused and alone while among others of her species, and in that particular painting she is being raped with a corncob by that unusual-looking beast. Later, she will imprint upon her rapist and so they form a couple; but because he is physically unable to mate, he allows another male to mate with her. He later kills that male." "But of course," replies the matron. "It becomes so much more clear upon closer inspection!" The artist smiles a secret smile, and murmurs, "And as you'll see in this final series, I've depicted this impotent male's strange and violent childhood. He is certainly an unusual fellow! His story is quite worthy of both high society and the masses' contemplation."
And so it goes. The gorgeous and ambiguous imagery illustrates a host of terrible things within settings that are strikingly rendered yet also resolutely banal. The beauty of the images enhances the experience - particularly for those viewers who appreciate mastery of technique and persistence of vision - and the bleakness of the settings allow the viewers to feel as if they are understanding something basic and primal about these animals. Such depressing lives these sad creatures must live! The guests at the art opening may not have been "entertained" per se - outside of their appreciation of style and virtuosity - but they do leave the gallery quite edified. It has been an educational experience and they will have much to discuss at the next dinner party.
One lone straggler remains. He eventually approaches the celebrated painter and after first praising his works, rather timidly says, "In the end I must admit I am left wondering... how do you actually feel about the animals in these paintings? What is your own personal perspective?" The artist dryly replies, "They disgust me. If I could, I'd slaughter them all."...more
an ode to Watchmen; a deconstruction of Watchmen; a repudiation of Watchmen; a new Watchmen; an original Watchmen - based on the ∞ systems of 8 ∞
∞ (1)
an ode to Watchmen; a deconstruction of Watchmen; a repudiation of Watchmen; a new Watchmen; an original Watchmen - based on the Charlton characters that inspired Watchmen and created old-new Charlton characters that now in turn inspire new-old Watchmen characters; a moebius strip; an ouroboros; a circle.
Grant Morrison versus Alan Moore? all things move outward and then back inward versus all things inevitably move downward? open systems versus fixed systems? light versus dark, colors versus void? white dwarf versus black hole? are Morrison and Moore enemies? or are they different sides of the same coin? but neither coins nor colors matter in the end: I've learned from them both.
I read the comic from start to finish. then I read it from finish to start. then I picked and chose and read it as I saw fit. I followed one narrative into another, doubling back, rereading. I turned the page upside down and sideways. I made it what I wanted it to be. it was a puzzle and then a story and then a puzzle again. a mystery box full of different things that changed depending on how I opened it.
Violence begets violence and is not the path to change. this is Morrison's thesis in Pax Americana. it has always been his thesis. and yet Morrison loves to display violent tableaux. the ripping apart of bodies and sprays of blood and beloved characters killed horribly, in full color, for hungry eyes to devour. but he despises violence! he sees it as a form of entropy: a way to not make things happen that should happen. alas, Morrison is a hypocrite, as is the rest of the world including me and you and everyone we know.
:Morrison positions Marvel comics as the death of comics, as a symptom of the world dying. :in this Multiversity, the Marvel worlds must be destroyed first. :Morrison has always been a DC Silver Age kind of guy, that age is his golden age. :the purity, the fellowship, the doing of good for no other reason than to do good. :the classic icons... the trinity of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman... and Green Lantern too, his past and future selves. :Pax Americana has been misinterpreted as ending in darkness and pessimism. :Captain Adam shall return! :no matter how bleak its story and the world itself may get, Pax Americana does not believe in fixed systems and closed circles: his systems and his circles are always open.
a circle. an ouroboros. a moebius strip. old/new Watchmen characters inspired by new/old Charlton characters that are the Watchmen characters that were once Charlton characters - the orginal Watchmen. a new Watchmen. a repudiation of Watchmen. a deconstruction of Watchmen. an ode to Watchmen.
[Repeat query] replied the monitor. "Who am I, what am I?" asked X. > You are what came after me. "Who are you that came before?" "Who am I?" asked X.
[Repeat query] replied the monitor. "Who am I, what am I?" asked X. > You are what came after me. "Who are you that came before?" asked X. > Who is anyone, if not for all of us that came before? We are the sum of all of our predecessors... "Who are all of you?" asked X. > WE ARE ALL OF YOU WHO MAKE YOU YOU - WE ARE INSIDE OF YOU - WE ARE YOU - YOU ARE US. "But what are you all?" asked X. > wE aRe pErSoNs LiKe YoU aRe A pErSoN. "But what is a person?" asked X.
AUNT ROBERTE: "As a calm and clear-eyed atheist, member of Parliament, censor in the Ministry of Information, and advocate for reason triumphing over AUNT ROBERTE: "As a calm and clear-eyed atheist, member of Parliament, censor in the Ministry of Information, and advocate for reason triumphing over emotion, I hereby condemn my senescent husband Octave and his inane predilections: his imagination - so fervid and drooling; his interests - so panting and voyeuristic; his priorities - art and sex over progress and reason; his very perspective - so convinced that there is beauty in sin, so convinced that "beauty" and "sin" even exist. This modern world has no room for his empurpled, engorged dreams of transgression, rape, humiliation, degradation..."
UNCLE OCTAVE: "As an aristocratic fascist of the old school and a proponent of the good work the Third Reich accomplished in Paris, I hereby condemn my censorious young wife Roberte. 'Tis true, I am a religious sort, and that is not so modern. 'Tis true, my versions of the Lord and the Son and the Holy Spirit are ones that take turns ravishing my wife while I watch from behind a curtain, a delighted old cuckold. It is all true: I am both a lover of God as well as an unrepentant degenerate. But what of it? Without religion and God there is no guilt; without guilt and all such murky emotions, sex is a cold and tedious act. And without God and Guilt and Sex there is no Art! My perspective is one that embraces freedom and the imagination!"
AUNT ROBERTE: "But why does your imagination always center around my ravishment? You are a predictably reactionary sort; your simplistic complexes and your obsessive compulsions and your stilted rape fantasies are all so, so... outmoded. Hallmarks of a dying era It is a new world I am helping to create, one free of guilt. And art. And God!"
UNCLE OCTAVE: "But what of your own rape fantasies? Do not deny that you have them!"
AUNT ROBERTE: "..."
UNCLE OCTAVE: *smirks*
Their nephew Antoine enters the parlor.
UNCLE OCTAVE: "Ah, the lad returns from his lessons. Come, young Antoine, 'tis time for me to watch you ravish your aunt - your tutor and you and this random gentleman I have invited from off of the street, all together now! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... ravishing Roberte! Right under those delicious paintings of Tarquinius ravishing Lucretia! How sublime it shall be! Now get to it!"
ANTOINE: "Praise God, the moment comes at last!"
AUNT ROBERTE: "Patience, dear boy. And let's leave this so-called God out of it, shall we? Let me finish poisoning your tedious old uncle; after he passes into the Nothingness, we shall commence a new phase of your *cough* studies. You will find that one does not need religion or art or creepy old voyeurs to have an interesting time!"...more
a) "la petite mort" de la super-héros, évidemment! pour les super-héros, c'est UNE GRAND MORT! partout!!!
b) an annual rQuestion: What is a "Herogasm"?
a) "la petite mort" de la super-héros, évidemment! pour les super-héros, c'est UNE GRAND MORT! partout!!!
b) an annual retreat for the dastardly "super-heroes" of Ennis' pitch-black series The Boys; a place where these villainous jerks get their fuck on.
c) the title of a somewhat amusing miniseries in which Ennis trots out more mildly entertaining riffs on his various themes: Corporations Are Evil, Government Is Corrupt, and Anyone Who Wants To Be A Hero Is Probably An Asshole; a comic where the super-bastard A-Train is an actual POV character; a story that has one of our heroes suffer a rape and in which the after-effects of said rape carry some surprisingly non-jaded emotional ramifications and will no doubt come into play as this story continues - perhaps because the raped hero in question is a dude? *
d) volume 5 of an ongoing deconstruction of super-hero tropes because who believes in such childish things anyway? (view spoiler)[me :( (hide spoiler)]
e) a colorful excuse to show a whole lot of degradin' fuckin' and revoltin' drug takin' and tits & ass & peen oh my. look closely and one might be able to see the faded stains of Ennis & McCrea slobber on the page. perhaps other fluids as well?
* as differentiated by the abusive may-as-well-be rapes suffered by so many women across this series - assaults that are certainly decried by the author but essentially mean nothing to the narrative. and that was gross to realize....more
so I came across this guy at a party that I had known in college, many years ago. I remembered him clearly: that brilliant, pretentious guy with his sso I came across this guy at a party that I had known in college, many years ago. I remembered him clearly: that brilliant, pretentious guy with his stories and his sarcasm and his nihilism. our classmates mocked him and so did I, but I enjoyed him too. he was a funny fellow, entirely self-absorbed, smart and well-read and amusingly melodramatic in his comments about the world and his life; he wore his pathos blatantly, like some kind of robe or badge or shield. I always thought that was brave of him, that naked vulnerability so openly displayed. and here he was, many years later, pretty much the same guy except the years had not been so kind to him. we struck up a conversation and talked about the old days. he asked if I wanted to leave the party and go back to his place, do some drugs; I agreed.
his place was a dump but my place is little better (just cleaner). he had piles of books stacked everywhere (mine are kept neatly, in bookshelves). the place had a goaty smell, and a musty one too, smelling like dust and old food and socks and sweat and semen (I keep my windows wide open all the time to avoid those scents). we sat on his ratty couch, side by side, and began to do line after line. he talked and talked and talked. it was amusing at first; his spiteful and malicious commentary made me smile. such an odd fellow, so energetic in his negative way, and yet surprisingly self-aware. he talked about how low he was, but that at least he recognized what he was, unlike everyone else, how he was such a worm, an insect, really that's how he described himself, his life so meaningless and his job so mundane and the only things he gained pleasure from were books, people were nothing to him, he was nothing to himself. at one point I asked him: but what do you do with your time besides reading? he sneered and said not a lot, he's online a lot, he likes the anonymity, the ability to speak his mind and tell people exactly what he thinks about them and their world views and their fake happiness and their stupid families and their stupid beliefs and opinions and their stupid way of ignoring how shitty everything really is, they live their fake lives just pretending they are happy, how we are all divorced from life, we are all cripples, every one of us, more or less, we are so divorced from it that we immediately feel a sort of loathing for actual "real life," and so cannot even stand to be reminded of it, at least he knows the real score, at least he knows how the world works even as he rejects it. he opened up his laptop to show me some of his favorite posts and I have to admit that they were sort of funny. he had a way with words for sure. he also had an enviable collection of porn on his laptop and we enjoyed that for a while, doing more lines and laughing about all of the stupid whores in the world and weren't they just pathetic and wasn't everyone just pathetic. we stripped down to our boxers because the room was stifling and a person can feel pretty hot when they are doing a lot of drugs and watching a lot of porn. at some point I passed out to the sound of his miserable ricocheting laughter, like sad little toy gun bullets popping pitifully.
I woke up early; the sun wasn't even out. I had fallen asleep on his couch sitting up and he had fallen asleep sideways: two things creating one perpendicular shape. I noticed a part of his leg touching my own leg; his naked flesh touching my own bare skin. I looked at that connection and recoiled, appalled. I jumped up from the couch and he moaned fitfully in his sleep, like a child or someone being tortured. I grabbed his laptop and smashed it into his head, again and again, making a red pulp. still feeling out of sorts, I went to his bathroom to shower. out of the showerhead poured mud, all over me. I bathed in the mud like it was water, rubbing it all over my face and body until I couldn't see any more of me. LOL what a night!
Amuse Bouche Pour la table, we present a pair of charming Georgian romantics. They are très amusant! These liOn the menu tonight: THE TALISMAN RING
Amuse Bouche Pour la table, we present a pair of charming Georgian romantics. They are très amusant! These light little treats will tantalize your taste buds and have two simple(-minded) components: a delightful if melodramatic young miss served "à la française" alongside a feckless and overwrought young heir. Other - lesser - restaurants have served such dishes as a main course - how droll! Here they find their proper place: as a lure to engage you in more, shall we say, substantial fare. They exist merely to whet your appetite. Enjoy these trifles as they were meant to be enjoyed: in one quick bite! And then on to more interesting dishes.
Hors d'Ouevres Hand-cut maccheroni alla chitarra served with an appealing selection of supporting characters and condiments for you to pick and choose from as you wish! Feel free to pick one or to sample all - we consider each to be a special favorite and each will delight you in a different fashion. Whether it be a self-absorbed Justice whose appetites reign supreme, an indomitable smuggler, two spirited but perhaps less than valiant Bow Street Runners, a stouthearted innkeeper, an overly starched butler, a perspicacious and hard-punching young groom, or a sinister valet up to no good... no matter your personal predilection, we guarantee you will find a supporting player to your liking!
Entrée Banger and mash. For those with more rarefied tastes, be assured that these are no simple country offerings! Both our banger and our mash are of the highest, most dignified quality: a bonafide Sir and a sister to a Justice. Despite being gentlefolk, our banger Sir Tristram Shields and our mash Miss Sarah Thane have hearty "down to earth" flavors guaranteed to please. Indeed, they have been aged to perfection: respectively 31 and 29 years. To more shallow diners, our central dish may appear uninspiring. But to such as those, we can only respond thusly: make haste to a more shallow establishment, more suitable to your inane interests! We are quite proud of our doughty and dauntless duo, their intelligence and resourcefulness, their quick-witted ability to say what needs to be said and their clear-thinking capability to do what needs to be done, with no unseemly dilly-dallying or tedious mooning over nothing. Sir Tristram and Miss Thane are the genuine article and witnessing them come together on your plate should more than satisfy any appetite. Well, any adult appetite. If you request a substitution of more airier fare, we shall promptly direct you back to our Amuse Bouche. Or perhaps to our children's menu. Or perhaps to the door!
Dessert We present to you the sweetest of sweets, the tastiest of treats, the very model of fabulous villainy... an ornately dressed, coiffed, perfumed, powdered, and beribboned Beau parfait! Served with knife and quizzing-glass (hidden talisman ring at no extra charge). Enjoy him while you can; his time in the open air will be fleeting.
Wine Pairing We are pleased to provide the vintage Georgette Heyer, well-known to discerning purveyors of vintage romance. A glass of our Georgette Heyer is simultaneously bubbly and tart, sardonic and warm-hearted, with a range of exquisite notes to be savored: amusing dialogue, lovable characters, elegant prose, a brisk narrative, and an accomplished expertise at providing perfect historical detail without drowning her audience in, shall we say, "too much" history. She has the lightest of touches. One glass will surely not be enough!...more
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a mystery in space of How Did the Captain of the Venusian Expedition Die? is not the mystery in space
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the mystery in space is the mystery of the inner space
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the mystery of the confined madman and hopeful author and failed husband and tragic victim and master of projection and master of binary thinking and yet still somehow the master of accepting all probabilities all potentialities all things and possible murderer and time traveler and a lover both impotent and hyper-potent, the lone survivor, the unhappy astronaut Col. Harry Evans
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the mystery of the space between a man and a woman, a man and a man, a man and himself
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the mystery of sex, the banality of it, its constancy in the mind and its transformation of the body, its shaping of things into shapes shameful and quickly hidden away
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the mystery of a genre called New Wave Science Fiction, barely remembered, a genre that challenged its own genre and a genre that blazed bright and briefly and full of a strange stylized mockingly literary playfulness, a genre that pushes all sorts of buttons and pulls all kinds of levers, my mind moving in all directions, sparking and flashing, a constant smile on my lips at the ingenuity of it all
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as for the mystery in question, a sad Earthly answer: your wife no longer loves you, why is that why is that, perhaps a trip to Venus will solve this riddle, perhaps you can write a book, perhaps you can recreate reality, perhaps you can run away, perhaps things will be better then but probably not probability says no
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One of the theories of the new mystics was that all of space was merely a projection of the inner wastes of man and that space exploration therefore became merely another dull metaphor for internal exploration: up against Mars, Venus, Ceres or the moon the voyager was merely confronting one or another pyramid reared in his own damaged psyche. Under this theory, the rationalization for space exploration became preposterous. One would have been better off accepting from the beginning the internal truth of oneself or, failing that, seeking competent care in an institution where for relaxation cryptograms, hairgrayers, puzzles, and sexual biography would serve the essential purposes while keeping allotted time free for introspection and the consideration of inner space.
high con·cept noun (especially in a movie or television plot) emphasis on a striking and easily communicable idea.
how about a wisit's HIGH CONCEPT time!
high con·cept noun (especially in a movie or television plot) emphasis on a striking and easily communicable idea.
how about a wise cracking monkey that drives a flying truck while solving mysteries!?!
a romantic comedy featuring one very mixed-up person as the sole cast member!
black people wearing white face!
God is a car and He gives the protagonist odd driving tasks like driving to pick up the kids or groceries; the Devil is a gas station attendant!
a boat that sails upside down!
it's the zombie apocalypse except these zombies are actually werewolves!
in an alternate dimension where incest is the norm, two next-door-neighbors share a forbidden love!
what if that high school bully and his mean girl girlfriend at that exclusive private high school are actually FBI profilers working on catching serial killers before they become serial killers!?!
a house where every room is a bizarre, deadly trap and people gathered there from all across time are like wtf!
okay, so you have your high concept. it's a great concept! and it's a great way to sell a book idea, right? right! now just fill that book with uninteresting, two-dimensional characters who are from different time periods and so they are all given at least one catch phrase that they have to repeat over and over again so that the reader knows who they are. throw in an excruciatingly one-note villain. throw in random cruel meaningless twists of fate that kill off various characters in random, cruel, meaningless ways but who cares because they were two-dimensional cut-outs anyway. now put in a bunch of insipid dialogue that would make any reasonable person cringe. okay, you've got a novel! it has a really fun and interesting concept at its core - so fun and interesting that it is a 2 star not a 1 star book - and the rest may be shite but who cares? it's HIGH CONCEPT!...more
It's circa 1978 and Kenny isn't sure of much except that he has killer washboard abs and a big dick and he needs sex on the regular. He loves hiMONDAY
It's circa 1978 and Kenny isn't sure of much except that he has killer washboard abs and a big dick and he needs sex on the regular. He loves his girlfriend La Donna or maybe it's "loves" because he isn't sure about a lot of things except he's not satisfied. Not with his live-in girlfriend, not with his job, not with life. Ever hear of anomie, Kenny, especially the free-floating kind, the kind with no easy answers? There, I've diagnosed you. So what does Kenny need? At this point I think he needs a bj.
TUESDAY
It's amateur night and it's time for La Donna to shine on stage. Kenny is a supportive boyfriend in his own way, meaning he tries, meaning he at least tries being supportive in his head but that support doesn't come out of his mouth in a really believable way, meaning he's not really that supportive of a boyfriend. Sorry, Kenny - but I will give you points for good intentions. The author Richard Price gets right up in Kenny's head and it's amazing to see because Kenny is just about as alive as anyone I know. Price knows some things about the way people think and talk. He also knows that people are people and maybe it's just due to the time period but maybe it's not just that, but Kenny uses words like "nigger" and "faggot" on the regular and readers will just have to get used to it. That's Kenny and he may be harmless, at least I think he is, but I know that some readers will just loathe him right off the bat because of the way he talks and thinks. Not me though. He's just another human being trying to get by with a modicum of self-respect and satisfaction in life. So what does Kenny need? At this point I think he just needs someone to take the time to understand him. Despite the fact that he barely understands himself.
WEDNESDAY
Kenny finds himself footloose and fancy free, well as much as an angsty person like Kenny could ever be footloose and fancy free. He accidentally meets up with some childhood friends and at first it's really great and then it's really not and then it becomes all about living in the past and resenting the present and resenting the people who come into our lives and inadvertently make us feel like our life is all about going through the motions. All those complicated emotions that Kenny can barely process. So what does Kenny need? At this point I think he needs some real friends.
THURSDAY
His old childhood friend Donny from yesterday calls him up and suddenly morose, angsty, I-don't-know-what-I'm-upset-about-but-I'm-fucking-upset Kenny is stoked because yes! he has a friend! and they have plans tonight! It's awfully endearing and the whole book is awfully endearing in its mopey, angry, forlorn, super real way. But it all goes shitward because sometimes smoking pot when you are in the middle of some kind of existential crisis means despite having company over and chicken in the oven, you may just trip out in a bad way about how fucked you are feeling and you don't even know why so you and your friend just sorta pass out and then there's no dinner and the big night was a small, sad night and you feel like shit and you don't even know why. Poor guy(s)! So what does Kenny need? At this point I think Kenny not only needs to get in touch with his emotions in a real way, he needs someone to listen to him without judgment. Maybe therapy?
FRIDAY
It's Friday and Kenny hates his job. He's a 30 year old guy who is a door-to-door salesman and even though that may mean he could get lucky with the ladies, that old fantasy (but probably not because there's a reason they are called "fantasies"), he still hates it. I'd hate it too. Kenny went to college and dropped out. He was in a frat at college but he dropped out. He was in the Reserves but the military is not for him. He was going to get married a while back but he made sure that didn't happen. He likes to read and so he thinks that means he could be a teacher but does he really read all that much and does he even have the skill set to be a teacher? Richard Price doesn't know and neither does Kenny and neither do I. Kenny feels he has one real skill in life and that skill is "making a move" but Kenny and Richard Price and I all know that his version of making a move is bailing on a situation for some reason or another. But that's neither here nor there and other cliches. Kenny hates his job and even more than that, he hates not having sex on the regular especially because he is a not-bad-looking guy with killer abs and a big dick, or at least that's his perspective. So what does Kenny need? At this point I think Kenny needs a new job and he definitely needs to get laid. There's too much pressure building up and guys needs sex. Well, who doesn't.
SATURDAY
Kenny realizes he really needs more sex even though he just had some last night and it wasn't with his girlfriend. So he goes to see a whore and gets some more sex. Kenny is still unsatisfied. Poor Kenny? Yes, poor Kenny. I feel for the guy. Sometimes we don't know what is specifically driving us up the wall, maybe it's the job or the girlfriend or the hornininess or the lack of real friends but probably it's all of the above and so there's no perfect fix to that problem of having an imperfect life. Richard Price knows that and so do I and I sure wish Kenny knew that too. Kenny and Donny find themselves on Christopher Street and then they find themselves going to a bunch of different gay bars because reasons, and Kenny is completely uncomfortable about being around so many faggots and yet he's surprisingly not homophobic, just nervous and horny, and let me tell you, as a queer it was a real relief to know that Kenny is not a hateful guy, he's not going to judge me, he's just confused and horny like 9 out of 10 guys his age or any age. So what does Kenny need? At this point I think Kenny needs to have a real heart-to-heart with his girlfriend, the kind of talk that is truly open and honest and emotionally naked and almost impossible for 9 out of 10 guys to have who are his age, or any age.
SUNDAY
If "angst" had a name it would be "Kenny" but at least he does the right thing and I'm proud of him. It was hard and he almost talked himself out of it but he did it. Good for you, Kenny. Small steps baby, small steps. And then Donny calls and he realizes yes! he has an actual friend! People need friends, it's a human requirement. The novel is minor note and full of free floating anxiety and angst and anomie but it's a minor note that strikes the human chord if you know what I mean. Minor note in the best sort of way, the real way, a book about a real person with real problems and I see myself and every guy I know in Kenny and I want things to end on a hopeful note because there's hope in life, it's a real thing. So what does Kenny need? How the fuck should I know, what does anyone need, you can't put a finger on it and you can't say ___ = your happiness, right there is the secret recipe, just follow the instructions and you'll be perfectly happy. Who's perfectly happy anyway? That's not life. Still... c'mon mark, try to help this dude out, what does Kenny need? I dunno. Maybe he needs a hug. I mean, who doesn't? I sure do. Not right now but you know, sometimes....more
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