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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

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How the IMF loan-sharks the global south

When you take out a loan or get a credit card, the headline figure is the “APR” — the annual percentage rate of interest. But anyone who’s ever borrowed because they were poor and needed money has learned the hard way that APRs are pure fiction.

To get the true APR (what economists politely call the “effective” APR) you have to factor in the fees, penalties and other gotchas that turn reasonable seeming interest rates into perennial, inescapable debt-traps.

Take student debt. During the 2020 presidential campaign, we had a debate about student debt forgiveness, whose opponents frequently cited the “unfairness” of allowing people to “escape their responsibilities.”

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/04/kawaski-trawick/#strike-debt

In their telling, student debt forgiveness would reward fecklessness, allowing people who got the benefit of an expensive education to duck the costs.

Now, even if you ignore the farcical inflation in university tuition and expenses (for example, the 1000%+ hike in textbooks driven by ed-tech monopolists), that’s still a highly selective account of how student debt works.

Student debt is negotiated from a position of weakness and naiveté, which allows lenders to attack the poorest grads with incredible fees and penalties. “Chris” took out $79k in student loans in 1982. He’s paid back $190k. He still owes $236k.

https://taibbi.substack.com/p/student-loan-horror-stories-borrowed

That’s not the magic of compound interest. It’s the magic of loan-sharking. If you’ve ever used a payday lender (aka a “fintech startup” AKA a “loan shark”), none of this will be the least bit surprising. This form of usury is as old as Christ casting out the money-changers.

The payday lending industry didn’t invent these tactics, but they refined, automated and industrialized them, then they spent millions at Trump hotels and (in a stunning coincidence) all those tactics were blessed by the US finance regulators.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-payday-lenders-spent-1-million-at-a-trump-resort-and-cashed-in

The normalization of loan-sharking sent the entire finance sector into a race to the bottom. America’s largest banks saw their profits soar during the pandemic due to record overdraft and other fees — in other words, collecting fines for being poor.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/22/ihor-kolomoisky/#usurers

The sums are jaw-dropping. In 2020, Jpmorganchase made $1.5b on overdraft fees, Bank of America made $1.1b and Wells Fargo made $1.3b. The biggest rake came from the worst months of the pandemic.

https://prospect.org/economy/big-banks-charged-billions-in-overdraft-fees-during-pandemic/

78.3% of all overdraft fees come from just 9.2% of bank customers. At $35 a pop, these fees turn the banks’ overdraft facilities into loans with an “effective APR” of 3,500%.

Three thousand.

Five hundred.

Percent.

These are the cold, bloodless numbers of the debt trap. They conceal a vicious cycle in which those with the least pay the most, a cycled that can’t even be outrun in death.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/19/zombie-debt/#damnation

Take a moment to (re)read Molly McGhee’s Paris Review essay from May 2021, “America’s Dead Souls,” about her mother’s death. McGhee’s mom made less than $10k/year and suffered “debilitating depression while caring for aging parents.”

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2021/05/17/americas-dead-souls/

Her mother was haunted by two warring clans of ghouls: debt collectors who harassed her through legal and illegal means, and con artists who located her through databases of struggling debtors and tried to sell her predatory consolidation loans.

48 hours after her mother’s death, these blood-suckers switched to harassing McGhee, as she grieved her loss. Unlike her mother, McGhee had the resiliency and wherewithal (a credit card) to hire a lawyer, whose boilerplate letter reduced the debt by 90%, over $250k, poof.

If you can afford a lawyer, your parents’ debts don’t become yours. If you can’t, you enter a cycle of intergenerational poverty, with each generation sinking deeper into debt.

When you have nothing and owe everything, debt collectors know that they have to terrorize you into putting their bills ahead of the others. The cruelty is literally the point — without it, you might pay your rent ahead of your mother’s old credit-card bills.

To quote Umair Haque, “America is the the world’s first poor rich country.” an “advanced economy” where a sizable portion of the population lives in conditions typical of the global south.

https://eand.co/the-worlds-first-poor-rich-country-c411afc68539

Not for nothing. The same tactics that impoverish the vast American underclass also work to keep the world’s poorest countries — rich in resources and talent — poor. The loan shark here is far more powerful than a payday lender or even JP Morgan — it’s the IMF.

A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research dissects the way the IMF uses fees and penalties to trap the poorest countries in the world in unbreakable cycles of debt — fees that drive up the IMF’s notional APR to dizzying, usurious heights.

https://cepr.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMF-Surcharge-Report-2.pdf

Like any predatory loan, these “surcharges” are levied against the countries that have the least ability to repay. They target countries whose debt:GDP ratio passes an arbitrary line. For the poorest IMF debtors, surcharges account for 45% of all non-principle repayment.

These numbers add up. In Egypt, surcharges gobbled up $1.8b between 2019–24 — triple the cost of fully vaccinating the whole country. Small wonder that the world’s 64 poorest countries spend more on external debt payment than they do on their own health care.

In its defense, the IMF offers the same tissue-thin responses that any arm-breaker offers. The claim that penalties and fees are a way to “incentivize” debtor nations not to overborrow, and to seek their credit from the private finance sector.

But these countries are borrowing to pay off their debts — often debts that date back to colonial times, in which the rich (white) world mercilessly looted their resources and fomented destabilizing political divisions.

This undermined domestic resistance to imperialism and allowed kleptocratic, corrupt leaders to thrive — leaders who borrowed heavily to finance vanity projects, corrupt enrichment of domestic elites, and militarized suppression of opposition movements.

All of that was funded by debts, often from the IMF, who tied lending to the dismantling and sell-off of state enterprises, from power to water to sanitation — which is how the world’s poorest get gouged by the world’s richest to drink their own water.

These countries don’t borrow because they want to live outside their means — they borrow because they want to live. They don’t borrow from the IMF because they’re too lazy to ask a multinational bank for credit — they borrow because they can’t get credit elsewhere.

But the IMF has another excuse for this: they claim that the fees they extract allow them to originate more loans, creating a virtuous cycle. But as the report makes clear, this is absurd on its face.

The IMF went into the pandemic boasting about $1 trillion in “firepower” (that’s creepy-cutesey IMFspeak for “cash reserves”). Meanwhile, the annual revenues from these fees is $1b — that’s three orders of magnitude less than that “firepower.”

That means that the IMF could simply give up on these punitive fees, levied against the poorest people in the world, at an annual cost of 0.01% of its reserves. Literally, the cruelty is the point.

The point of all of this? The victims of usury are all in the same boat — in the USA and around the world. The same tactics, the same excuses, the same misery, from Cairo to the Caribbean to Cleveland.

Not all debt is created equal, of course. If you’re Elon Musk or Peter Thiel, you can get sweetheart loans and roll overs that let you avoid almost all taxation through the fiction that you earn no income, even as you amass hundreds of billions.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/08/leona-helmsley-was-a-pioneer/#eat-the-rich

And of course, if you’re a government with debts denominated in the currency you issue, it’s not really “debt” at all — the only way the US government can run out of dollars is by ordering its employees not to type more dollars into existence in a central bank spreadsheet.

Indeed, you couldn’t ask for a starker example of the difference between monetarily sovereign nations and postcolonial countries that owe debts in the currencies of their former conquerors. Venezuela can’t spend its way out of US dollar debt by creating bolivars.

Like McGhee’s mother, whose debts turned out to be fictions that disappeared as soon as a professional with credentials and access to the levers of power printed out a boilerplate letter, these countries’ debts are cruel fictions.

The powerful and wealthy can indulge these fictions or ignore them, as they choose. For example, finance-friendly politicians can insist that the “debt ceiling” must not be raised, for political purposes.

When the US declines to do the trivial data-entry that would make the money to pay its sovereign “debts,” the consumption that the money would have funded still takes place — financed not by the democratic state, but rather by a loan-shark.

National financial “prudence” interrupts the normal and benign process of sovereign money-creation, opening space for usury — private borrowing from the vampires and ghouls whose 3,500% APRs are redeemed through terror.

The cruelty is the point.

Image: Sbw01f (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Developed_and_developing_countries.PNG

CC BY: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

Image: А. Н. Миронов https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%98%D0%B7%D0%B3%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B3%D1%83%D1%8E%D1%89%D0%B8%D1%85_%D0%B8%D0%B7_%D1%85%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0._XXI_%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BA.jpg

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thinkingimages · 3 years

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Joan Bennett in the film Secret Behind the Door

Sexuality and Space edited by Beatriz Colomina

Elizabeth Wilson

In the early 1990s the addition of “sexuality” seemed to take the vibrant debate on space into new territory. The very title of Sexuality and Space reflects this, and as Beatriz Colomina remarks in her brief introduction to the collection of articles it comprises, to insist on “sexuality” as a component of space can be, at one level, to insert feminist concerns into a masculine discourse—although it is dispiriting if sexuality is still perceived as women’s domain, somehow suggesting that anatomy still is destiny and/or that women are still equated with the bodily in a way that men are not. As Colomina makes clear, however, the volume, like the symposium at which the papers it contains were initially presented, aims to do more than simply “include women.” Nor does it aim simply to explore “how sexuality acts itself out in space,” although this would have been an interesting subject in its own right: how actually existing urban, architectural spaces are used intentionally or illicitly for sexual purposes. We could have had papers on the role of the “cottage” (public lavatory) in gay sex, on museums as pick-up grounds for intellectual singles, on the voyeurism of peep shows, and so on. But this would presumably have been too literal a project for the theorists gathered. Instead we are invited to treat architecture as a “system of representation” on a par with film and TV, and to ask how space is “already inscribed in the question of sexuality.” Gender is inscribed in space and space is never designed in a gender-neutral way.

Accordingly, the articles range across the visual arts in a fashion that at first glance seems not so much interdisciplinary as wildly eclectic—Atget photographs of Paris, Alberti’s writings, an Australian advertisement for real estate. The approaches taken by the authors are also widely divergent.

Jennifer Bloomer has missed an opportunity to explore the purported “effeminacy” of Louis Henri Sullivan’s architectural work. She raises the interesting issue of the assumed relationship between gender identity (and/or sexual orientation) and allegedly “feminine” architectural forms and decoration, but instead of developing this theme she flirts with it, creating a theoretical bricolage that fails to achieve intellectual coherence, her discussion of the function and symbolic importance of ornament not fully meshing with the problematic figure of Sullivan. A similar collagist approach is used by Catherine Ingraham, and I can see that it may be a kind of postmodern criticism; but while it permits the introduction of a variety of interesting, if only tenuously related, points and theories, it has a modish feel, especially when the usual theoretical suspects are rounded up for an airing, Lacan’s lavatory doors making repeat appearances. By contrast, Alessandra Ponte’s essay on the 18th-century antiquarian Richard Payne Knight is very focused (as is Molly Nesbit’s meditation on the absence of “la Parisienne” from Atget’s photographs of empty corners of his city), a piece of historiographical excavation revealing the phallocentrism of 18th-century theories of architecture.

Yet most of the articles, despite their apparent divergence of subject, are united by theoretical protocols as well as by the central concern of the book as a whole, which is not eroticism but gender, and not architecture but space in a variety of manifestations, many of them historical. The main uniting factor is psychoanalytic theory.

The material throughout is rich and detailed. Beatriz Colomina contributes an analysis of representations of house designs, particularly interiors, by Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier. She explores the way in which these houses are photographed, and some of the ideas informing them, drawing out the way in which these utopian, perfect rooms are—paradoxically—theatrical sets for dramas of domestic life. There is an implied contradiction between the architect’s dream of perfect space and the actually existing mess of daily life; but either way the woman is always positioned as hidden and within, object of the male gaze. Surprising similarities (or perhaps they are not so surprising) are revealed between these modernist architects and the Renaissance architect and philosopher Leon Battista Alberti. Mark Wigley shows how Alberti, both in his treatise on the family and in his architectural writings, describes the ideal house as a building that encloses, conceals, and ultimately fetishizes heterosexual intercourse; the separate rooms of husband and wife may be entered by a private intercommunicating door, so that other members of the household need never know when the partners engage in sexual relations. More generally the domestic interior becomes, in Alberti’s propositions, a prison house for women, although Wigley suggests that this architectural manifestation of patriarchy only fully came into its own with the 19th-century bourgeoisie.

Patricia White’s paper is concerned with the filmic representation of a house, “Hill House,” as explored in Robert Wise’s 1963 horror classic, The Haunting. As she points out, this film is truly terrifying, but achieves its effects without any special effects or any actual representation of anything horrific. White identifies the underlying horror as arising from the film’s exploration of lesbian sexuality, demonstrating convincingly how the film’s central character, Eleanor, played by Julie Harris, although destroyed by Hill House, whose “gaze” she cannot escape, yet manages to “exceed” the narrative, speaking finally in voice-over from beyond the grave. White’s deployment of psychoanalytic film theory seems particularly apt and nonreductive; she uses it to bring out the ambiguity of the film, in which lesbian desire is apparently defeated and yet remains disruptive, “exceeding the drive of cinema to closure.”

Patricia White inevitably refers in the course of her argument to Laura Mulvey’s well-known article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.”1 I have never entirely understood why this article became so hugely influential, given its negative and pessimistic reading (especially from a feminist point of view) of cinematic pleasure. But perhaps that was the point: as this volume itself demonstrates, psychoanalytic theory (especially its Lacanian variant) has been the basis for a “criticism of suspicion,” by which I mean a criticism that not only deconstructs the way in which effects are achieved and exposes meanings that might otherwise be hidden from an “innocent” audience, but invests all aspects of any aesthetic work with doubt and dubiousness. The excavation of cultural products must always, it seems, uncover skeletons. In this regard, architecture and cinema are two forms of cultural production particularly vulnerable to what Martin Jay has termed a 20th-century “denigration of vision” that has supplanted its earlier (Enlightenment) celebration.2 Viewing and the gaze, the totalizing vision and the nobility of sight, have been comprehensively delegitimated as (white, Western) masculine methods of control and domination.

In Laura Mulvey’s original article there was no place for the female spectator to lay claim to the gaze other than by becoming masculinized. Mulvey has since sought to modify this view, while never renouncing the underlying assumptions on which it was based, and she contributes to the present volume a meditation that considers Pandora and her box (“the box can … stand as a representation of the enigma and threat generated by the concept of female sexuality in patriarchal culture”), the Hitchcock film Notorious, and the idea of female curiosity as a transgressive exploration of forbidden spaces. For her, psychoanalytic theory as used in feminist criticism is transgressive, for “curiosity describes the desire to know something that is concealed so strongly that it is experienced like a drive, leading to the transgression of a prohibition,” and feminist curiosity then constitutes an unmasking of the patriarchal structures of popular, or indeed any, culture.

Yet, as Victor Burgin argues in his essay on the photography of Helmut Newton, Mulvey’s original article has itself been fetishized; its influence has neither diminished nor evolved. Having made this statement, however, Burgin himself makes little further attempt to develop it, confining himself instead to an analysis of a Newton image, interesting enough, but much narrower in focus than his opening sentence had led this reader, at least, to expect. Burgin is rightly dismissive of the way in which psychoanalytic theory has been “sociologized” and collapsed into a vulgar-Marxist version of woman-as-commodity. He might feel that Lynn Spigel’s essay on television and the postwar American suburban home is too “sociological,” but this is one of the clearest articles in the collection, a model of structural simplicity and accessibility, in which the ambiguity between public and private, outside and inside, created by the plate glass doors and picture windows of the suburban home, is shown to be reproduced by the advent of television with its concomitant notions of the living room as theater and the TV space as a safe, sanitized public space introduced into the home. (Indeed, although television created fears of a new generation of what we now would call “couch potatoes,” the screen community of the sitcom often seemed preferable to the real-life communities of the new suburbs.)

With Elizabeth Grosz’s article on bodies and cities we return to a more euphoric postmodern take on the relationship between sexuality and space. Grosz moves the discussion beyond traditional metaphors of the “body politic” or the humanist idea that at one time people unproblematically built cities; instead she explores the way in which “the city is one of the crucial factors in the social production of (sexed) corporeal bodies: the built environment provides the context … for most contemporary … forms of the body.” But disappointingly she does not develop this idea, falling back instead on a familiar and arguably exaggerated vision of a cyborg future: “the city and body will interface with the computer, forming part of an information machine in which the body’s limbs and organs will become interchangeable parts with the computer.”

Meaghan Morris’s contribution, too dense and theoretically “over-egged” (i.e., incorporating too many ingredients) to summarize, rewards several readings, and is a serious attempt both at a critique of theories and at an analysis of two specific cultural events concerning property speculation in downtown Sydney. It is insightful and thought provoking; nevertheless it illustrates both the virtues and the flaws not just of the book as a whole, but of the general state of cultural studies. Simultaneously populist and obscure, such studies can become both incoherent and philistine (although the latter is certainly not an adjective I would apply to her essay or any of these contributions).

Indeed, this is a (probably rash) generalization, not a comment on any particular article in Sexuality and Space, but if I have seemed to single out some authors for negative criticism, it is less on account of their specific contributions than because they are the heirs of what for me are ambiguous, indeed dubious, tendencies in contemporary cultural criticism, in which the debunking of Marx and all Enlightenment thought is married (or at least engaged) to a fundamentally uncritical appropriation of Freud (or at least Lacan). I have gone terminally off Lacan since I discovered that, when Antonin Artaud was his patient during World War II, Lacan showed little interest in the deranged playwright3; an illegitimate ad hominem argument, I know—but the grip of his theory on academic critics has always been mysterious to me. Even worse is a practice, which I fear may have been on occasion my own, whereby a critic distances herself ironically or cynically from an assortment of postmodern theorists (Baudrillard, Deleuze and Guattari, even Derrida and Foucault) while simultaneously appropriating their thought, not infrequently in the form of spurious generalizations—a feature, Meaghan Morris suggests, of the work of Deleuze and Guattari themselves in relation to Freud. The whole is then likely to be couched in dauntingly arcane and grammatically tortuous language. Faced with this bricolage, I am totally with Edward Gibbon—who identified one aspect of the decline of the Roman Empire as the decadence of its later literary tradition, when, he complained, “a cloud of critics … darkened the face of learning, and the decline of genius was soon followed by the corruption of taste”4—and I cannot but feel that this kind of postmodern criticism is indeed an index of decay.

But I suppose that postmodernism in general and contemporary psychoanalysis in particular is the theory our epoch in history deserves. Psycho-analysis has certainly been reconstructed to fit; in contrast to the highly moralistic and adjustive Freudianism of the 1950s, which was in any case a therapeutic and sociological rather than a critical tool, we have today psychoanalysis as an ideologically empty vessel, a theory without consequences. A fractured body of thought pleasingly open to endless reinterpretations and deconstructions, a detheorized (or perhaps etherealized) theory, it holds up a (splintered, it is true) mirror to assist in the contemplation of ourselves, one which can be thrillingly seen as “transgressive” while remaining devoid of any calls to action or any social or moral imperatives. Truly a theory for our postpolitical times.

1. Laura Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Screen 16, no. 3 (Autumn 1975): 6–18.

2. Martin Jay, “In the Empire of the Gaze: Foucault and the Denigration of Vision in Twentieth Century French Thought,” in David Couzens Hoy, editor, Foucault: A Critical Reader (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1986), 178.

3. See Stephen Barber, Antonin Artaud: Blows and Bombs (London: Faber and Faber, 1993).

4. Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1985), 83.

Elizabeth Wilson is on the faculty of the School of Information and Communication Studies at the University of North London; her recent books include The Sphinx in the City and Chic Thrills: A Fashion Reader.

#Joan Bennett #Secret Behind the Door #Sexuality and Space #Beatriz Colomina #Elizabeth Wilson #Desire #FIlm #Postmodernism

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cno-inbminor · 4 years

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a/n: yeah, i don’t know what this is. definite drabble dump! also unedited, so sorry. hope all of you are healthy and safe! please wear your masks when going out and sanitize frequently!

pairing: heir!iwaizumi x reader

wc: ~1.8k

“Please, you have to hear me out—”

“I don’t have to do anything for you. Fuck, I don’t even know your real name!”

Hajime knew he was signing up for trouble the moment you gave him your name and placed his drink of choice in front of him. Seven months ago, he sought refuge at a hole-in-the-wall bar, one hidden in the shadows and away from the skyscrapers he was learning to detest. Your back had been turned towards him as he politely for a glass of whiskey, neat, but even the world of accomplished, beautiful heiresses couldn’t prepare him for the sight that was you. Hajime immediately believed that you weren’t supposed to be behind the polished wooden counter and underneath some poor lighting, that the uniform you donned was simply nothing more than a costume you were itching to get out of.

And idiotic, foolish him, stumbled and stuttered when you asked for a name to be put on the tab, and before he could stop from plunging into a world of inevitable pain, he replied, “Haru.”

So gripped by the fear of knowing that this bar was the last place he was supposed to be, so initially distrusting of your ability to keep secrets under wrap (an unspoken duty of bartenders), he lied through his teeth. And every Wednesday and Friday nights for the weeks following like clockwork, he would leave behind his custom Balenciaga suit jacket, replace it with a cheaper, itchier blazer stored in the closet of his office, take the train, and walk two and a half blocks to get to the alleyway where his asylum existed. He allowed you to subject him to any of your new concoctions, and whenever you let him stay as you closed up the bar (though mainly at his insistence because he always ended up being the last customer and wanted to make sure you could get to the station safely), it further emboldened his belief that he wanted nothing more than to be there by your side.

The guilt clawed through his chest day after day – it didn’t take half a brain to know that asking you out would be a bad idea in the long run, but he convinced himself that he would come clean with you some day. He was going to get out of this arranged marriage smoothly, deal with any damages that would ensue, and then unveil everything about his background in hopes that you would undoubtedly accept him and everything would be just fine.

But of course, karma would have it that he pays for his sins. He became too comfortable with the sneaking and the hiding, the lies about his job and role in the business world naturally spilling off his tongue. His world came crashing down when he least expected it – he had been waiting for you at your apartment in a t-shirt and sweatpants, answering work emails on his cellphone and ignoring some of Tooru’s nonsensical texts. Naturally, he perked up when he heard your key turn the bolt, already standing from the couch to greet you at the door and maybe help you with your things. Hajime was unaware of your rigid silence as you accepted his kiss on your cheek, letting him take the bags of groceries from your arms and bring them to the kitchen. It’s not until he sees the tabloid magazine haphazardly stashed next to the leeks and freezes at the two faces on the cover, two extremely, unsettling familiar faces.

In that moment, he could hear nothing but the dreadful pounding of his heart. He could feel your presence leaning against the sink and boring holes into his back, pleading, beseeching for some sort of explanation.

“It’s not what it looks like,” he trips over himself, finding the courage to turn around and face you. But what breaks him more than anything is how disappointed you look – he could take anger and tears right now, but the look of on your face that shows he has ultimately failed you crushes him.

“So what is it then?” You ask calmly, but the bitterness is scathing. “Because to me, it looks like the announcement of a marriage between two people who just so happen to be heirs to a couple of the largest companies in Japan.”

Hajime would like nothing more than the earth to open and swallow him whole, just so he has some time to gather up his excuses and do anything to keep you with him. It’s disgustingly selfish, but he can’t lose you. He just can’t.

“I don’t want it,” he says and reaches out tentatively, taking a single step until he’s right in front of you and lightly grasping your waist. You look over his shoulder defiantly, avoiding his gaze every time he tries to obstruct your vision. “I don’t want her, I just want you,” he spills.

“I always felt like something was off,” you quietly digress. “There were a couple of things that didn’t seem to line up, but I didn’t question it. I didn’t want to pry – I wanted you to open up whenever you felt comfortable. But I never imagined it to be something like this.”

“Please, you have to hear me out—”

“I don’t have to do anything for you. Fuck, I don’t even know your real name!”

It’s disturbing to know that the man you’ve been to bed with, the man that’s cooked for you on multiple occasions, the man that plagues your dreams from time to time in the last five months, goes by a different name. Takahiro Haru might have been just the average, run-of-the-mill, one of many financial analysts working over at Sony, and he was yours. But Iwaizumi Hajime, heir to one of the largest business corporations in Japan and an extremely eligible bachelor, could never be that.

“I’ll tell you everything,” he gulps, eyes frantic and searching for anything in your face and posture that says you’ll stay. “No more lies, but I’m doing my best to get out of this. For you, us. And—”

“I’m not the solution to getting out of your responsibilities, Haru. I know it’s 2020, but we’ve only been seeing each other for five months – your parents would be furious if they knew I was in the picture. Plus, she’s much more accomplished and beautiful, donates a ton of money to all the right causes and charities, why – why wouldn’t you want to marry her?”

Hajime moves to cradle your cheek, silently beckoning for you to lean into his palm. His thumb softly strokes your skin and you hate how comforting it is. You hate how easy it could be to just take his hand and jump into the deep end without a second though – that’s the control he has over you, and it’s incredibly frustrating.

“I don’t love her. Heir or not, I should be with someone I love, no?”

“But—”

“I love you,” and the way he says it like it’s the first time sends your heart to the clouds. “Nothing’s going to change that,” he tries to promise, using his free hand to lift one of yours to his lips and kissing the knuckles. And you want to believe him – you want to believe him so bad but it’s impossible. There are too many extraneous factors; going through with all this would thrust you into a world that you were completely unprepared for. Your life would be unceremoniously uprooted and haphazardly buried into a new garden.

Was it all worth it to be by this man’s side?

“I need time,” you whisper, moving away from Hajime’s hold on you. “I need time and space to think about this, but I can’t have you here to influence my decision.”

“…how long will that take?”

“As long as I need,” you firmly reply. Tears prick the corners of your eyes as you struggle to say the next sentence. “In the meantime…I need my spare key back.”

Even though Hajime already feels like he’s drowning in a pool of lava, the unmistakable chill of dread that runs through his veins is excruciating. Having your spare key meant unbridled access to you, only needing to give you a quick text whenever he was going to visit. But with this permission revoked, he wouldn’t be free to see you whenever he likes. He wouldn’t be able to escape into your calming embrace at the end of a long day and would have no other option but to return to his lonely, downtown penthouse. The realization is suffocating, like smoke entering his lungs and stealing away all his oxygen. He needs you so bad – this can’t be the end.

“No,” Hajime shakes his head stubbornly, making wide strides out of the kitchen and into your living room.

“Haru—”

“I’ll give you all the space for as long as you need, but don’t make me give you back the spare key—”

“Iwaizumi!” You cry out, teeth gnawing your bottom lip afterwards. He loathes the fact that the first time you call him by his real name is in the midst of the biggest storm he’s ever encountered – it’s full of raw pain and frustration, a complete antithesis to the loving tone you usually have when referring to him by his other name. It’s a whirlwind that only one can run from, and he knows it has to be him. After all, this was his monstrous creation.

Hajime does his best to the keep the trembling of his hands to a minimum as they fish out his keychain and start unwinding the most significant piece of metal on there. The closer it gets to the other end of the ring, the more he struggles to not toss it away and fight for himself. But he places the key in your awaiting palm and watches with a breaking heart as your fingers close around it, your nails digging into your own flesh.

“You need to leave,” you struggle to order.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen this way.”

“I know.”

You don’t stop him when he moves forward to give you one of the sweetest kisses you’ve ever experienced, relishing in these last moments of intimacy. Both of you itch for more, but now is not the time. You walk him to the door, heart sinking as he slides on his polished shoes. He gives you another once over and drinks in all the details he can, branding your image in his brain for the next possible agonizing weeks.

“I love you, (y/n),” he quietly declares for the nth time.

And he desperately clings onto the little hope that he has when you reply, “I love you too…Hajime.”

#iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi hajime #iwaizumi #iwaizumi scenarios #iwaizumi angst #hajime #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#hq #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #haikyuu angst #hq angst #haikyuu scenarios #iwaizumi x you #iwaizumi x y/n #haikyuu x you

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strangestcase · 3 years

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The kink at Pride arguments r so fucking stupid like half of them is tumblr users wanting to be woke homophobic by dictating what gay men do in public and the other half is rude people who don’t fucking care if people are uncomfortable when they do puppy play in public (and using the argument to be aphobic SOMEHOW but you know how these people are).

Kink has always been a part of pride, it’s important not by virtue of kink being inherently queer (it isn’t) but by taking part in the community, but Jesus Christ, if you want to fuck in public there’s 18+ events for that and that’s perfectly fine. Kink has to be safe, sane, and consensual, and that includes other people consenting to seeing it. Like. this isnt even about children at pride or making it family friendly (which is at this point sinonimous with sanitized) it’s about basic sexual etiquette.

One thing is dumb people calling you a sexual deviant for the crime of wearing leather (sarcastic) and another is to get weird looks from minors when you’re getting steamy. Like it will happen, so don’t b surprised. (Also, a Lot of children at pride would benefit from adult guidance, just saying.) again. This isn’t about protecting kids inocence or some shit, that’s a bit of a fundie argument there— it’s about being fucking polite and knowing when YOUR limits clash with other people’s! use your brains 4 once please

Ah and by the way you all complain about kink n drag at pride as if drag queens were the worst thing to happen to humanity but then have no qualms with posting porn of kids tv shows in the main tags... like which is it 🤨 do u want to “”””protect children””””” or not

the arguments we should be having about pride should be about inclusion and getting cops and corporations off our dicks because corporate pride sucks but NO you gotta be either wanting to sanitize pride OR calling any person who is uncomfortable with that stuff *on a personal level* a Puritan (word that has lost all meaning ever since its become sinonimous with “person with a milder taste in porn than me”) without almost any middle ground. yall know nuance exists right.

Anyway. Kink belongs at Pride. But there’s special spaces to perform it if you’re worried about children or people who might be triggered and THAT’S OKAY AND VERY GOOD!! Next time don’t try to twist this conversation into idk scaring the evil aces with sex or policing those nasty faggots! Please!! you Have already turned pride into a music festival for cishets! just shut the fuck Up and listen to what other people have to say!!!!!! because who knows!!!!!!! They might make more educated arguments than u!!!!!!!!

#doc talks #rant #long post

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miseriathome · 4 years

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You know, if you go to Pride and you’re put off by the things that the very most degenerate and freakish of the queers are doing, that’s a good opportunity for growth; that means that the spirit of Pride as a public demonstration for rights is still alive and functioning within your event, and that means you have the opportunity to learn compassion for others in your community who live very different realities than you do.

When we say that Pride began as a riot, that’s not just a quippy catchphrase. Pride parades are the result of nighttime street fights and riots against systems of policing becoming accessible to a broader movement of queer people and leftists in the form of daytime public demonstrations. The very nature of queer people existing out in the open during the daytime amongst “polite society” was in and of itself a demonstration. It was a demonstration against state power, against police violence, against dominant gender roles, against urban economic segregation, and against the indignities of being relegated to the margins of society. When the rest of society found it too easy to disengage from what the margins were doing, the margins moved in on the rest of society and made it their problem. Pride is about queering the streets and making queer existence inextricable from daily life.

“Men in dresses” challenged public sensibilities by having the audacity to exist without apology. With pride. Do you not understand that “but these non-explicit clothings and actions are obviously inextricable from sex acts and thus have no place existing in public!” was exactly as sensical of a justification for the extermination of queer people then as it is now? Do you not realize that the histories of queer people intertwines inextricably with the history of sex workers, kinksters, drug users, people of color, and other degenerates of the night who occupied city streets instead of houses? That the bisexuality of Brenda Howard, mother of Pride, cannot be ripped from her polyamory, her kinkiness, or her Judaism? The reasons why HIV, immigration, racism, police violence, and disability rights are all queer issues is because they are issues that affect queer people.

Shame is the opposite of pride, which is why the history of Pride matters so much. We rebel against the corporatization of Pride because it does not speak authentically to our history and our needs. When Trojan sponsors a parade, they quash local safer sex initiatives run by community-based organizations meeting community needs by regulating that only Trojan-brand condoms may be distributed at the event. When alcohol distributors sponsor Pride, it’s without regard for the alcoholism rates in queer communities, nor the history that the community has for being persecuted for buying alcohol as “known homosexuals.” Corporate Pride employs cops to “clean up the city” by detaining homeless trans sex workers in preparation for Pride events, so that the “good, normal, lawful” attendees don’t have to witness degeneracy while they have their rainbow party. The pinkwashing of Pride is the sanitization of queer identity and the erasure of queer history to appeal to as wide of a consumer base as possible. That’s also all we are to corporations--consumers.

If Pride was ever meant to be a safe space, it was for the most vulnerable and despised of us, not for tourists to a gentrified marketing scheme. Pride began with queers reclaiming the streets, a place of violence against them, and daring the world to challenge their right to take up public space--daring the world to look them in the eye and bear witness to their unashamed existence. Pride began with the knowledge and the understanding that existence is not criminal, and yet the idea that it should be persists to this day. An event which is so sanitized that corporations are willing to sponsor it and the state is willing to sanction it is not an event which speaks with any authenticity to the experiences of vulnerable queer people. If you cannot stomach the “freaky, weird” queers existing in the same public sphere as you, then you would not have rallied against bar raids, bathhouse raids, and other instances of state-sanctioned violence against queer people. If you condone the continued physical marginalization of degeneracy out of the public eye and into private spaces, you are not fighting the same battle that Pride was born out of and exists for. Pride does not gatekeep questioning people or non-queer allies because the bar for entry is not Sameness, but rather a willingness to celebrate all manifestations of queerness in defiance of the systems which repress them.

There can be no revolution without coalitions of mutual support. There can be no “reform” which unteaches the biases that inform violence against the oppressed. Kinksters, sex workers, fetishists, cross-dressers, genderfags, polyamorists, monarchs of drag, and all those other “freaks” have existed since the beginning of Pride and have always been a part of the battle against “polite society” and “normative sensibilities.” They--we--are not only a part of this community, but are also its founders. Remember that Pride began as a rebellion against the institutions that would shame us. Remember that Pride began as a riot which will not end until free, open, authentic, visible pride can be attainable for all and not just the most respectable. Pride has never been about presenting ourselves at our most dignified for the approval of social institutions, but about showcasing the indignity of systemic violence and suppression at the hands of those institutions.

#pride discourse #kink discourse #queer history #human sexuality theory #human compassion theory #the queering project #queer geography #police violence #inclusionism #sex positivity

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epochryphal · 4 years

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abolition work

hm i haven’t been posting here much because 1. Work Busy and 2. local movement spaces being largely on facebook, plus 3. disclosing local geographic location on here is still a bit Hhhh

but yeah i’m fairly open about being california bay area, and am working on plugging into local orgs and have been doing some rad captioning gigs for various places on both coasts, and getting to witness really rad conversations around defunding, dismantling, abolition, alternative structures, and communal healing

big plug for Kindred Collective and healing justice, their work on the medical industrial complex, and the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network doing the deprogramming state collusion and relearning community care for social workers & healing practitioners

on surveillance, Hacking//Hustling is doing awesome work and talking about histories of police collaboration to criminalize public health surveillance, as is Red Canary Song,

highly recommend the Just Practice Collaborative’s mixtape on transformative justice coming out at the beginning of august

some great discussion by Mia Mingus and Mimi Kim along with Cat Brooks of Anti Police-Terror Project/APTP about the conflation of transformative justice, which seeks to transform systems that allowed/enabled harm to occur, with restorative justice, which seeks to restore the status quo that existed before the harm, and which the state is picking up on as a veneer of reparative work

and always always love for Critical Resistance and their amazing resources, and to the Abolition Journal Study Guide

for concrete steps to police abolition and things to call for from leaders, i recommend:

APTP’s & Justice Teams Network’s Black New Deal (here, there, and also here)

8toAbolition

MPD150 (who have a huge resource page!)

Critical Resistance’s demands

Movement for Black Lives/M4BL’s Interrupting Criminalization Toolkit

Repeal 50 (New York police misconduct protection laws)

other rad groups with resources include Survived & Punished, Community Justice Exchange, DecrimNow, FreeThemAll4PublicHealth, local Decarcerate ___ groups, Black Youth Project 100, INCITE!

other important names include Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Mariame Kaba, Kristina Agbebiyi, Kelly Hayes, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Kimberle Crenshaw, Mari Matsuda, Anoop Naya, Audre Lorde, Assata Shakur, Cornel West, Angela Davis, bell hooks, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, Charlene Carruthers, Rachel Cargle

my favorite demands right now are:

freeze police hiring, at minimum

decriminalize public existence (loitering, disorderly conduct, being in a park after dark, eating or drinking in public/on transit, riding a bike on the sidewalk, sleeping in public, littering, urinating in public, etc)

- these shouldn’t be misdemeanors! there can be general public conduct agreements without criminalization, and with competent handling of homelessness

refuse to criminalize COVID-19 and decriminalize HIV/AIDS and end all health care information sharing with police

refuse to use facial recognition tech and end usage of “predictive” tech, license plate readers, etc (saves money too!)

fund public bathrooms and showers, including making existent facilities (eg YMCA, pools) available, and fund COVID sanitation staff

move duties out of the police:

- youth engagement

- community engagement

- re-entry from incarceration assistance

- parking enforcement

- traffic law enforcement

- health crisis response

- mental health crisis response

- homelessness response and services

- neighbor disputes

- trespassing enforcement

- domestic violence response

- transit fares and rules enforcement

--> create new divisions that are unarmed, are not trained&licensed to use force or institutionalize/incarcerate, and are non-coercive

--> start by creating a transition team to start doing this with a five-year plan, for example

*** in the meantime, disarm police responses to these!! ***

--> see CareNotCops.org

articles i’ve found valuable:

Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop on Medium

Who Should Pay for Police Misconduct on a legal blog

Domestic Violence & Defunding Police on Huffington Post

Tired Bad Cops First Look to Their Labor Unions on Washington Post

Who’s Afraid of Defunding the Police? on Salon

Defunding the Police: What Would It Mean for the U.S.? on NPR

Abolishing Policing Also Means Abolishing Family Regulation by Dorothy Roberts

The Color of Surveillance by Alvaro Bedeta (see also the conference’s materials)

article i need to take a moment to find a way around a paywall for lmao: On Trans Dissemblance: Or, Why Trans Studies Needs Black Feminism

documentaries/videos i recommend:

Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise on PBS

books i’ve learned about and super want to read include:

Blackballed: The Black Vote and US Democracy

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation from Colonial Times to the Present

How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective

Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements (by Charlene Carruthers with BYP100)

The Trials of Nina McCall: Sex, Surveillance, and the Decades-Long Government Plan to Imprison “Promiscuous” Women

Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code

Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness (by Simone Brown)

Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the Afronet to Black Lives Matter

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

Decarcerating Disability

No Tea, No Shade: New Writings in Black Queer Studies

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex

Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law (by Dean Spade)

Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor

additional books i’m considering and have seen recommended:

Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America

When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in 20th Century America

Me and White Supremacy

So You Want to Talk About Race

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race

Being White, Being Good: White Complicity, White Moral Responsibility, and Social Justice Pedagogy

The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

A People’s History of the United States

Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment (by Patricia Hill Collins)

Eloquent Rage (by Brittney Cooper)

Bad Feminist (by Roxane Gay)

Thick: And Other Essays

Real Life: A Novel

No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America

Since I Laid My Burden Down

The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir

The Summer We Got Free

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (by Trevor Noah)

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

yeah!!

what/who are y’all reading/watching/listening to and finding helpful, or meaning to get around to?

#abolition bloggin #racism bloggin #journal bloggin #resource bloggin #long post

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gatesofember · 4 years

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Frailty and Fortune: Chapter 7

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 10

Rating: T | Pairing: Solangelo

Prev | Next | AU directory | Read it on AO3 (Recommended) | Arranged Marriage AU Masterpage

Summary: A few months have passed since Prince Nico’s wedding to William of Solace. Even with his husband at his side, Will sometimes feels lonely as he settles into his new life. He misses his home, his family, his friends, and his studies in Venadica. Meanwhile, Nico is uncertain how to help him, awkward about expressing himself, and he wonders if he’ll ever be able to truly make his husband happy. As time goes by and Will continues to feel lost in his new home, Will and Nico must both learn how to make their marriage work.

Will had intended to start working on city improvement plans as soon as possible, but Nico appeared to have other ideas. After Will returned to the palace, Nico spent the rest of the day and most of the next doting on him. While the gesture seemed sweet at first, by the afternoon Will found himself so distracted by Nico hovering over his shoulder that he could hardly think, let alone theorize ways to reconstruct the Plutonian economy, so he subtly suggested Nico ought to help Hazel brush up on her fencing. Nico’s expression fell and Will felt immediately guilty, so when Nico asked if he was being bothersome, Will hurried to explain that he wanted to do some research and that Nico’s presence made it difficult to focus—“because I love you so much,” he said, which provoked a blush and a soft, sweet smile from his husband, and then Nico agreed to give Will some alone time.

Will found Reyna flipping through papers in her study. He’d never visited her chambers before so he hovered outside the door awkwardly for a moment, holding a large scroll under his arm while he watched the top of Reyna’s head and tried to think of a way to politely announce himself. Reyna made an excellent friend, but she was intimidating as a soror and advisor. Will always felt small around her—unless, of course, she chose to dull the sharp, authoritative aura that she normally gave off, but she was selective about the circumstances under which she did so.

Finally, Reyna looked up. “May I help you with something, Your Highness, or would you prefer to continue lurking in the doorway?”

“Oh,” Will said. “Uh, yes. I wondered if you had a moment to spare? I’d like to talk to you about a few things I noticed in the city yesterday.”

“You mean when you decided to run off without telling anybody and set the whole palace in uproar?”

Will bit his lip. “Um—” he started, but Reyna gave him a knowing, if exasperated, smile.

“Have a seat, Your Highness,” Reyna said, gesturing to the chair across her desk. When he did, she folded her hands in front of herself and leaned back. “I presume you want to talk about the financial state of Divitia?”

“Well, uh, yes,” Will stammered. “I thought, if you’re amenable, we could discuss some ideas I had for recovery.”

Reyna nodded for him to continue.

“I’ve been looking into Divitia’s aqueducts,” Will said, unrolling the scroll he’d brought on top of the desk to show her a map of the city’s sewage system. He’d uncovered it from the palace’s archives that morning before Nico had woken up to distract him. “It’s all horribly dated. Nothing’s been touched for a decade. No maintenance, no upgrades—nothing apart from an occasional cleaning.”

“And for a reason,” Reyna said. “You know what happened a decade ago.”

“Yes, the Scarlet Delirium,” Will answered. “But the system needs to be renovated. I didn’t have an opportunity to examine anything while in the city, but I’m sure it’s in desperate need of repairs and I know it’s inefficient. The streets are filthy, Reyna. All that sewage not being properly drained—it must be affecting the health of the citizens. Sanitation and clean water greatly decrease the risk of spreading disease. Construction would provide at least temporary employment for some of the citizens and jobs in sanitation would offer a more permanent solution, which won’t fix the economic troubles of the people but should somewhat ease them. We could contract engineers to design a new system. Venus’ aqueducts are supposed to be incredibly brilliant—perhaps we could implement something like them here.”

Reyna sighed. “Will, your enthusiasm is admirable, but you need to think smaller if you want to help people. Venus has the most sophisticated sewage systems in the world. The Duchess had the entire island updated less than half a decade ago, but we don’t have the funds to build anything like it in even one city.”

“Then what about the Venadican system?” Will asked. “Or the Phrygian? I can write to my aunt and Lityerses to ask for the city plans.”

Reyna shook her head. “A new system is impossible. The most we can do is repair and give some minor updates to the one that already exists.”

Will looked down at the map of Divitia’s aqueducts. “I’ll put more thought into it, then,” he said, rolling the paper back up. “Smaller thoughts.”

“Have you talked to your husband about your ideas?”

Will paused. “That’s...um...well, no.” Nico hadn’t seemed very keen on discussing things earlier. He’d been more interested in distracting Will with kisses and light touches and pretty smiles.

Reyna sighed and rubbed her temple. “Gods above, then what do you talk about?”

Her tone caught Will by surprise. “What do you mean?”

Reyna shook her head. “Forgive me, Your Highness, I shouldn’t have said anything. That wasn’t appropriate.”

Will’s frown deepened. Your Highness? Just a moment ago, she’d called him ‘Will.’

Reyna pursed her lips when Will didn’t let her relent. “It’s really not my place,” she said. “Only, the both of you seem to be building a habit of not discussing things with each other. Like in Phrygia.”

“But we talked about what happened in Phrygia,” Will said. “Besides, do I really need to tell him everything?”

It came out sounding more sour than Will intended, and Reyna picked up on it. “Are you still fighting?” she asked.

“No,” Will said. “It’s just that I don’t see why I need to report to him so much—or anyone else, for that matter. After I went to town yesterday, everyone kept scolding Mellie and I. Why do people need to know where I am or what I’m doing every second of the day?”

“Everyone wants to see you safe, that’s all,” Reyna assured. “Well—your husband has the additional motive of wanting to know your schedule so that he can put himself in it whenever possible. He likes spending time with you.”

“I’m just not used to having to report my activities so much. I used to leave the Sun Palace to explore Phoebus and Delphi all the time, and in Venadica I lived in the city.”

“Phoebus, Delphi, and Venadica don’t have the same level of crime as Divitia.”

“Yes, I noticed,” Will admitted, thinking of his lost coin purse. “But it’s still restraining. Almost suffocating.”

“You could tell the Prince you feel that way,” Reyna suggested with a faint clip of exasperation in her tone. “Just an idea.”

Will frowned. “You really think Nico and I don’t talk seriously enough?”

Reyna folded her arms. “I didn’t say that, precisely. It just seems like there are a few important things that you’ve neglected to mention to one another.”

Will had to admit, they did spend a considerable amount of time kissing or talking about unimportant nonsense. “Then is there something that Nico hasn’t told me?”

“I didn’t say that,” Reyna repeated, but she didn’t deny it, either.

“Perhaps I should talk to him,” Will said. “You’re right, after all. We’re married. We should talk to each other about these things.” And if there was something Nico hadn’t told him, Nico might feel better about discussing it if Will opened up to him first.

“I’m going to see Akhlys and offer my assistance in the infirmary again,” Will said. “If Nico asks for me when he finishes Hazel’s fencing lesson, will you tell him I’ve gone there?”

Reyna nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. Leave the aqueduct map here and I’ll look over it.”

Will glanced at the rolled paper in his hands. “Really? But I thought you said we couldn’t do anything.”

“I said that you need to think smaller,” Reyna corrected. “It’s a good idea, Will. We can’t do it on the scale you’d like, but if you and I do more research, we’ll find a more obtainable solution. I’ll contact some engineers to hear their initial thoughts.”

Will beamed. “Thank you, Reyna,” he said, setting the map back down on her desk. “I appreciate your time.”

“Always, Your Highness. And good luck with Akhlys. Maybe this time she’ll be more agreeable.”

“Somehow I doubt it,” Will mumbled, but he thanked her all the same.

Will, as usual, found Akhlys alone in the darkened, dusty infirmary. The door was only barely cracked open, like she was trying to make the space as uninviting as possible without rendering it unavailable. Will saw her silhouette shadowed in the back of the infirmary behind the desk, handling a silver instrument and blinking at it with bleary eyes. Will squinted, but he couldn’t tell what it was.

“What’s that?” Will asked as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Akhlys slammed her instrument down on the desk and Will cringed. He hoped the instrument wasn’t too expensive. “You again!” Akhlys barked. “How many times must I chase you off?”

“But I—”

“Out!” she said, standing up and waving her arms to shoo him away. “Leave!”

Will almost backed into the corridor again, but then reminded himself to stand his ground. “I thought if we talked a bit more, we might come up with an arrangement that suits both of us.”

“My current arrangement is miserable enough,” Akhlys said as she stormed out from around her desk. “I do not need men puttering about my infirmary making a mess of things, too.”

Will blinked in surprise. It had been a while since the last time his gender had caused an issue; healing was a women’s discipline, but it did not actively exclude men. People generally did nothing more than express surprise at seeing him in a woman’s role. It wasn’t uncommon for patients to feel more comfortable with a female doctor, but they were usually polite if they requested another physician, sometimes not even speaking up until Will noticed their unease and asked if they would rather be treated by someone else. Comfort and trust were of utmost importance when treating a patient, so Will considered it his duty to provide that for them.

But Akhlys wasn’t a patient. Akhlys was a fellow healer clinging to outdated rules of conduct, brushing Will aside because of his sex. Will was reminded of a few researchers at the Grand Expo who had all but ignored him until they realized who he was—a student of Asclepius and the nephew of the Matestra. Within the first few days of the Expo, Will had learned to introduce himself as Asclepius’ pupil at the beginning of every conversation so that he’d be taken seriously from the start.

“I understand your apprehension,” Will said, forcing his tone to sound polite. “But I am a perfectly qualified student of medicine. I studied in Venadica under Asclepius, and if you like, I can share my research with you and—”

“I do not care!” Akhlys interrupted, now standing so close that Will could see the yellow crust that always seemed to line her eyes. “I do not want anyone’s assistance, least of all a bastard like you.”

Will felt like he’d been slapped. People didn’t call him that—not to his face, at least. Natural-born, yes, but bastard? Most people wouldn’t dare.

“Akhlys!” roared an angry voice, and Will and Akhlys both whirled around to find Nico in the open doorway to the infirmary, still clothed in his fencing gear and eyes blazing with fury.

Will had seen Nico angry before. He’d been formally introduced to Nico’s temper during their trip to Phrygia. But he hadn’t seen Nico angry like this.

“What did you just call my husband?”

Akhlys’ usually pallid face went white. “Your Highness, I did not mean—”

“Oh, but I think you did,” Nico snapped. “I demand you apologize this instant. I will not allow anyone in this palace to speak to my husband that way.”

“Nico, it’s alright,” Will said, trying to sound soft and soothing. “She doesn’t need to—”

“Yes, she does,” Nico interrupted. “No one speaks to the Prince’s consort that way. Akhlys, now.”

Akhlys, Will had thought, only seemed to know two emotions: anger and misery. But now he realized she also knew fear. Akhlys’ sunken eyes had grown in terror, her thin body recoiling in fright. And despite how unlikable her personality was, Will couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

“I apologize, Your Highness,” Akhlys croaked. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s quite alright,” Will said.

“It isn’t,” Nico insisted. “I don’t care how long you have worked here, Akhlys. I don’t care how many kings you have served. If you treat my husband this way again, I will see you removed from the palace.” His hand latched firmly around Will’s wrist and he tugged his arm. “Come,” he said, pulling Will through the doorway.

Will followed obediently, but looked back at Akhlys as they left, worried in spite of himself that she’d be alright. Regardless, his chances of developing an amicable professional relationship with her seemed worse than ever.

* * *

Only one person, aside from Nico himself, had ever called Nico a bastard to his face, but that had been more than enough to cement the idea in his mind as a child: Nico was a bastard, and that was unforgivable.

And yet, it had been a long time since Nico had last thought of himself as disgusting due to his birth. He didn’t think he was lesser than anyone else because of it and he didn’t think that it made him undeserving of his title. Without realizing it, Nico had become more comfortable with the knowledge that he was natural-born, and while Nico knew that he had been improving since long before his engagement, he was also aware that a large part of it was thanks to Will. After all, Will was natural-born, and Will deserved the world. How could being natural-born be disgusting?

So when Nico heard the word ‘bastard’ directed at his husband, his temper flared into an uncontrolled inferno. He knew what it felt like to be called a bastard, to be told that his very existence was shameful, and to be forced into believing that he was worthless. Nico wouldn’t hesitate to banish anyone to the depths of Tartarus for making his husband feel that way.

From over his shoulder, Nico heard Will’s voice, small and uncertain: “Are you upset with me?”

Nico slowed to a stop in front of their rooms and turned back to face him. “Of course not,” he said. “Why do you think I’m upset with you?”

“You are pulling me.”

Nico looked down at their hands, finally noticing that he’d grabbed Will by the wrist. He let go immediately, but Will’s sleeve was already wrinkled. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

Nico frowned. Will kept saying that, but it wasn’t alright. It wasn’t alright for Akhlys to speak to him the way she had. It wasn’t alright for Nico to drag him away without permission.

But Will entwined his fingers with Nico’s and led him through the door to their apartments.

“I’m not upset with you,” Nico repeated, closing the door behind himself for privacy.

“Yet it seems like you disapprove of how I handled Akhlys,” Will said as he deposited himself on the chaise in front of the cold fireplace.

“No, I—” Nico stopped. “Actually, yes, I do. You can’t let her speak that way to you, Will. What would you have done if I hadn’t shown up? Would you have just allowed it?”

Will raised an eyebrow calmly. “It’s not as though her opinion is particularly uncommon. I’m not ashamed of who I am, but I do realize that with my parentage being what it is, I was never the ideal candidate for a prince’s husband.”

“You were the perfect candidate for a prince’s husband! I chose you, didn’t I? And I did so knowing very well that your natural parents weren’t married. That at least should be enough for Akhlys to know better than to speak to you that way. How dare she call you a...a....” Nico waved vaguely, unable to say the word.

“It’s nothing that I haven’t heard before.”

Nico clenched his fists. “Who else? I’ll make every one of them apologize—”

“No one in the palace,” Will assured calmly—too calmly for Nico’s liking. “I don’t think I’ve been called a bastard since before we were engaged, actually. It wasn’t uncommon for the families of prospective suitors to either refuse me or offer little in return for my dowry—‘on account of the circumstances of his birth,’ they’d say, if they were being polite about it.”

“Polite?”

“Oh, and Octavian calls me a bastard all the time, but that hardly counts. No one listens to Octavian. The point is, I’ve gotten used to it. It was a bit of a shock to hear from Akhlys, but it doesn’t bother me much.”

“Well, it bothers me!” Nico snapped. “It’s disgusting. How could anyone imply that you’re sullied or...or impure? And what does the marital status of one’s birth parents mean, anyway? That doesn’t make you a....” Nico gestured again.

“But I am a bastard.”

Nico felt something inside himself shake and threaten to crumble, like he was ten years old again and Minos...Minos....

It’s no wonder you’re so incompetent, bastard that you are.

Selfish bastard brat!

Your sister may have been a bastard too, but at least she was intelligent.

You’re nothing but a whore’s filthy bastard!

But I am a bastard.

“Stop saying that word,” Nico choked. “Natural-born. You are natural-born. You’re not...that.”

“Natural-born, then,” Will relented, but the hint of exasperation in his tone suggested that he was growing frustrated with Nico. “And it’s not disgusting. I thought you didn’t care?”

“I didn’t!” Nico said. “Don’t,” he immediately corrected. Why was it that he always said things wrong when he got this way—angry and nervous and too emotional to string words together properly? “I meant they are disgusting—the people who call you that—not you and not your birth. I just hate that vile word. I don’t want anyone to use it on you.”

Will sighed. “Nico, I appreciate you trying to defend my honor, but—”

“Will,” Nico interrupted, “the Queen Consort is barren.”

The silence that followed lasted only a second, but it boomed and echoed in Nico’s ears for what felt like hours.

He’d said it. He’d finally said it. Nico had always intended to tell Will about his biological parentage, and now that Will was his husband, Nico didn’t have to keep the secret from him. He still felt a sharp, brief jolt of terror that Will would be disgusted and announce he couldn’t love Nico anymore, but that fear was quickly crushed beneath the heel of certainty that Will would not abandon him or begrudge him for being natural-born. Nico had said it because he trusted Will, he reminded himself. It would be alright. After all, he and Will were the same.

“Barren?” Will repeated.

Nico nodded.

Will was quiet for another moment. Then he said, “That’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s normal for women her age to stop cycling—”

Nico blinked. “Wait, what?”

Will tilted his head curiously. “Haven’t you heard of menopause?”

Nico hadn’t, but he felt fairly certain that Will had misunderstood his point.

“Will, she’s always been barren,” he said.

Will stared at Nico, his head still tipped to one side. At first, all Nico could read in his expression was confusion, but then the lines of Will’s face began to change—slowly, then all at once.

Will sat up straighter. “Then you mean...you mean, she’s not....”

Nico ached to hide his face, but forced himself not to look away from Will’s eyes. “She’s not my birth mother.”

“Oh,” Will said. “Oh.”

And he fell silent. Nico watched and waited until the shock in his eyes had dulled just a bit more before he spoke again.

“Will, you can’t tell anyone. If it becomes known that I’m not the King and Queen Consort’s natural child, the country will go into chaos. People hate me enough already; they’d love a reason to throw me out of the line of succession. No one else can know about this. You understand that, don’t you?”

Will nodded. “Yes, of course,” he said, his brow furrowing adorably. Nico wanted to kiss the wrinkles away, but it didn’t seem like an appropriate time.

“You have questions,” Nico observed, gingerly sitting beside him on the chaise. Will glanced at Nico when he sat down, his mouth opening to say something, but hesitated.

“You may ask anything,” Nico said, weaving and unweaving his fingers anxiously. “I’ll answer what I can.”

Will wet his lips. “Can you tell me about your birth mother? Who is she?”

“Do you recall my governess, Lady Maria? I’ve mentioned her before.”

Will nodded.

“She was my birth mother. Before Bianca was born, Maria was one of my mother’s—that is, one of Persephone’s ladies. When my father and Persephone discovered she couldn’t have children, Maria became...a surrogate, I suppose you could say.”

“How did they manage to keep it a secret?” Will asked.

“When Maria’s condition became too obvious to hide, they said Persephone’s pregnancy had complications,” Nico answered. “Everyone in the palace was told that she would remain in her rooms and was only to be attended by two of her ladies—Maria being one of them.”

“And the other?” Will asked.

Nico pursed his lips. “Her name was Marie. She was Persephone’s half-sister and Hazel’s natural mother. When I became heir to the throne, I was already fixated on the idea of taking a husband, so if I was to remain childless, my father needed another heir to continue the royal line. Maria and Bianca died around the same time so with Maria gone, Marie was the best option for a surrogate. She already knew that Persephone couldn’t have children.”

And Nico’s parents had trusted her. Why wouldn’t they trust Persephone’s sister?

That trust turned out to be misplaced, in the end.

“And what happened to Marie?” Will asked. “You speak of her in the past tense.”

“She’s dead now,” Nico answered. He tried to remain impassive when he said it, but something in his voice must have alerted Will. Will watched him with a studious gaze, like he was trying to answer a puzzling question, and Nico avoided looking at him directly.

“I’m sorry,” said Will. “I know that Lady Maria was important to you, but was Marie...?”

“No,” Nico answered. “Marie—she was...well, that’s another story.”

Memories of that night still tormented Nico’s dreams. Sometimes, he still woke up gasping, desperately clawing at the invisible hands clamped around his throat. He still saw the shadow of someone looming over him in his nightmares, reaching down to strangle him in his sleep. Just last month, he’d bolted upright in bed, clutching his own neck, coughing, gagging—it was a miracle that he hadn’t woken Will.

“Does Hazel know?” Will asked.

It took Nico a moment to remember Will was still asking about their natural birth. “No,” he said. “I wasn’t supposed to know, either. I found out on accident.”

“Accident?”

“My tutor, Minos. He told me while we were on the countryside.”

Will frowned. “How did he tell you on accident?”

“He was angry,” Nico explained. He couldn’t recall why Minos had been so furious at that particular moment. Perhaps the memory had been lost in the shock of what happened after, or perhaps Nico hadn’t known why to begin with; towards the end of Nico’s stay at his estate, Minos’ temper started to become so easily tipped that Nico had a difficult time keeping track of exactly what he’d done wrong. Minos hadn’t always been so harsh with Nico, but once Nico found out about the baiting....

“He lost control of himself,” Nico went on. “He shouted at me and called me a....” He cut himself off, unable to stomach saying the word. “But he didn’t mean to say it. At least, not the first time.”

“Nico,” Will said, slowly and deliberately. “That does not qualify as finding out ‘on accident.’ You do understand how that’s not an accident, don’t you?”

“He was angry,” Nico repeated. “He couldn’t control himself.”

The lines of Will’s face drew tight and hard in that unforgiving way that always caught Nico by surprise. “I don’t believe that’s true,” Will said. “People don’t do things on accident when they’re angry. They use anger as an excuse to justify themselves. And you couldn’t have been more than ten years old at the time! What sort of person says that to a child?”

Nico bit back the urge to argue that Minos couldn’t be blamed. After all, Nico knew what it was like to be that angry—to feel fury well up inside him so hot that he saw red. He knew what it was like to lose his grip on himself and fly into a rage, to do and say things that he’d be ashamed of later. Nico had done it before. He’d done it to Will.

Nico’s stomach lurched. No—he wasn’t like Minos. He couldn’t be like Minos. He wouldn’t. He’d never, ever hurt Will the way Minos had hurt him.

“Where is Minos, anyway?” Will asked.

Nico clenched his fists. “Gone,” he said firmly.

Gone, Nico repeated in his mind. He’s gone, he thought again, the way he’d practiced. For nearly a year after returning to Divitia, Nico had stayed up late each night, holding his knees, rocking back and forth, and reciting the words over and over until they were firmly planted in his head. Minos was gone. It was over.

Will nodded. “Good,” he said. Nico flinched, but Will didn’t seem to notice. “So Minos knew about your birth. Who else? Akhlys would have overseen the pregnancies, I assume.”

“She didn’t,” said Nico. “My father requested a sororal midwife—your aunt.”

Will raised his eyebrows. “Artemis?”

“Maria’s first pregnancy happened while Artemis was still a soror in Venadica. She was sent here when my father asked for a midwife,” Nico explained. “She became Soror Princepa of Delphi before I was born, but she still answered the call when my parents asked for her help again. Maria was without a midwife for the first few months, though. Artemis had other matters to attend to in Diana before she could travel to Pluto—she was helping deliver you, actually. By the time Hazel was conceived, Artemis was the Matestra, the Scarlet Delirium was in its downswing, and I was living on the countryside. Artemis left Venadica to stay here in the palace under the guise of diplomatic purposes.”

“And I must have already fled Pluto with the other Venadican children, so I didn’t even know she’d left the city,” Will said. “Did Bianca know any of this?”

Nico shook his head. “No. The only other people who know are Reyna and a few of my father’s closest advisers. Hestia, too.”

Hestia had been there the day Nico found out. She’d entered Nico’s room to find him crying, and Nico, too distraught to feel more ashamed than he already did, had told her everything.

Will looked confused for a moment, then his expression cleared and he said, “I’d forgotten you were friends with Hestia. She was a maid at Minos’ estate, wasn’t she? I always wondered how you came to know each other so well.”

“We looked after each other,” Nico said. “We had to.”

Had to, from the moment Hestia found the beaten dog hidden in Nico’s room. Had to, when Nico needed her help smuggling food to Asterion. Had to, when Minos discovered them and....

Nico looked up and found himself pinned under the gaze of Will’s soft blue eyes, almost crushed by the gentle understanding in them.

“You can tell me anything,” Will said, but he didn’t ask for details. Nico was grateful. One day, he’d tell Will everything, but today he’d already said enough. He could only bear his soul so much before the pain immobilized him.

“I know you brought all this up because of what Akhlys said, but you realize you could have told me any time, don’t you?” Will said. “If you were trying to comfort me with the knowledge that both of us are natural-born, or if you felt you somehow owed it to me to tell me....”

“No, that wasn’t why,” Nico assured. “At least, that wasn’t the only reason. I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time. And yes, maybe I did think you’d take comfort in the fact that we’re the same, because I know I do. I was ashamed of it for a long time, but then I met you and...you weren’t. If you don’t feel ashamed, why should I? So when I told Akhlys to apologize to you, I wasn’t just trying to ‘defend your honor’ or whatever it was you said earlier. I think I was trying to defend myself, too. It sounds selfish, but—”

“It doesn’t,” Will said. “Not in the slightest. And it bothered you when I wasn’t as upset with Akhlys as you were, didn’t it? You wanted me to stand up for myself because then I’d be standing up for you, too.”

Nico swallowed thickly and managed a short nod. “Maybe being called a ba— being called that doesn’t bother you as much as it bothers me, but my experience with that word is different.”

Will’s head inclined encouragingly. “Minos?” he asked.

Nico nodded again.

“Then you must have really hated it when I called myself that.”

Nico’s eyes drifted towards the tiled ground. “I don’t mean to tell you what you can and can’t say—” he started.

Will reached out and placed his hand on top of Nico’s. “It’s alright,” he assured. “No, you can’t tell me what to say or not say. But this? I can do this for you. I won’t use that word anymore and I won’t allow anyone to call me it, either. It’s not like I’m especially fond of it, anyway.”

And then Will kissed Nico, and Nico hadn’t realized how much he needed it until that moment. He knew Will still loved him, but the physical affection made it feel more real.

Will didn’t care that Nico was natural-born. He would love Nico no matter who his birth parents were.

“Thank you for telling me this,” Will said. “It couldn’t have been easy for you to talk about that, but I’m so grateful that you did.”

“I wanted to tell you sooner — almost did, a few times. But I decided to wait until we were married. It’s a family secret, and now you’re part of the family.” Nico didn’t add that he’d also wanted to wait because once they were married, Will wouldn’t be able to leave him.

Well—that wasn’t quite true. The marriage was unconsummated. Will could still leave. Will didn’t know that, though. He wouldn’t leave if he didn’t know it was a possibility.

Nico’s stomach twisted. How could he even think that? Will wasn’t disgusted. Nico had known that Will wouldn’t be disgusted. And besides, he couldn’t trap Will in marriage—he wouldn’t do that to someone he loved. So if Will had wanted to leave him....

It was best not to think about that. Will would never have left him for being natural-born and it was an insult to Will that Nico had ever worried.

“I trust you,” Nico said, partly to remind himself. Something about speaking the words out loud solidified them further in his mind the same way the kiss had, allowing him to reaffirm his grip on their truth. Will had never given Nico a reason to doubt him. Nico could trust Will.

“And you always can,” Will said. “I’m your husband. You can tell me anything. Happy things, sad or angry things—even simple, unimportant things. Anything, Nico.”

Nico resisted the instinct to avert his eyes. Eye contact was hard for him, especially at times like this when he felt uncertain, or scared, or guilty. Nico trusted Will, but he couldn’t tell him just anything. Most things, yes. But not anything.

“But only if you want to,” Will continued, like he sensed Nico’s hesitance even though Nico had tried to hide it. “I understand that some things are difficult for you to talk about and other things you may rather keep private. You can tell me anything, but you don’t have to tell me everything.” Will waited a moment, like he was giving Nico a chance to say something, but when Nico stayed silent, he said, “Anyway, you were right about Akhlys. That was an awfully nasty thing to say.”

Nico wrinkled his nose. “It was completely out of line. Even if I weren’t natural-born, I would have been furious with her. No one speaks to the Prince’s consort that way.”

“My gallant protector,” Will said, sliding his arm around Nico’s back and kissing his temple. “What do you say we spend the rest of the day like this? I seem to have a free schedule.”

“But I thought you wanted time to yourself,” Nico said.

“I did,” Will answered. “And now I want time with you. Are you agreeable?”

Nico sighed contentedly as Wills lips brushed over the crest of his ear. “Yes, I’d like that,” he said, and he leaned into his husband’s side and let the comfortable warmth of Will’s love wash over him.

#arranged marriage au #solangelo #Nico di Angelo #will solace #royalty au #solangelo fanfiction #solangelo fanfic #my fic

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smokeybrandreviews · 4 years

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Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Full Shares

I have one helluva backlog of films to work through but, between those and other distractions, i am having just the dickens of a time getting through them. I’ve started Uncut Gems three different times but the tension, man, it stresses me out way too much. I have to take breaks in between and just forget about where i left off so i need to start over. I have to say, though, the twenty to thirty minutes i have seen is absolutely excellent. In the meantime, while i muster enough nerve to actually finish that film, i wanted to revisit one of my all-time favorites. Way back when i first saw this movie, it gave me the same intense, stressed out, panic i feel watching Gems. Alien changed the way that I interacted with film and, to this day, it’s one of maybe a handful of movies to ever illicit true fear from me. I saw it, for the first time as a young kid of maybe six or seven, in a late night showing on TV and i remember even the broadcast edit spazzing me the f*ck out. Imagine my apprehension seeing the theatrical cut fr the first time a few years later. As i got older and learned to appreciate the moving parts of film individually, i came to love Alien even more. Not only is it actually terrifying. it’s one of the best built movies i have ever seen and carries the template for bad-ass film like a badge of honor. Cats say the sequel, which i’ll get to in a later review, is better than the first, but i wholeheartedly disagree. This movie is easily top three all-time for me and here’s why. I have to tell you from the outset, this movie is perfect in my opinion. There are no flaw so don’t expect any negative, just me gushing about the excellence within.

The Outstanding

The very best aspect of this movie is easily Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal as Ellen Ripley. My goodness, was this character absolutely amazing. When people think of Ripley, they often remember Cameron’s version of her from Aliens. To most people, Ripley is that chick, strapped down in a power loader, calling the Queen Xenomorph a b*tch to her face. That is, undeniably, iconic. Ellen Ripley solidified the template for strong, female, lead with that scene. But Ripley didn’t start out that way. She had to earn that title and it began with her battle for survival in the original Alien. Ripley began as an undermined, kind of by-the-book, Warrant Office, just trying to get back in time for her daughter’s eleventh birthday. Over the course of two hours, we watched Ripley evolve into the absolute unit that she is known for and the nuanced portrayal of that evolution by Weaver shows us the harrowing journey with an almost visceral vulnerability. Ellen Ripley is not a character, she is a person. You feel for this woman and her struggle. You root for her. You gasp when she fails. You want her to survive. To get attached to a film character so completely is testimony to the excellence of that actor’s performance and Sigourney Weaver turns one in for the ages. Not bad for a twenty-year-old’s second film appearance, first speaking role.

You can’t speak about Alien without the iconic imagery provided by the nightmares of H.R. Giger’s art. The raw, horrifyingly sexual, disgustingly organic, yet wholly bizarre vestiges of the LV-426 hive were incredible. That initial pan of the fossilized Space Jockey fused to his pilot’s seat can’t help but inspire very real awe. I imagine seeing that reveal on an Imax screen and it is absolutely riveting. More so, entering into the hive itself, wit all those corridors woven from steel and flesh, leading into the pitfall trap full of the waiting, legitimately alien eggs illicit a feeling of primal terror. Those things are nothing like anything terrestrial. They are just familiar enough to inspire curiosity from the audience but uncanny enough to trigger apprehension. Absolutely brilliant but the true genius, the source of constant panic, belongs to the adult xenomorph, itself.

Big Chap, as the production team called it, was a miracle of effects work. The suit was custom built to fit the near seven foot frame of Bolaji Badejo but it was his physicality that lent an organic presence to the techno-organic monstrosity. That original Xenomorpgh was wildly terrifying to me. Even at my young age, i weathered Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Jason Voorhees, with rather stoic aplomb but the Xenomorph sent me into a panic. I had legitimate nightmares about this thing which had never happened before. Giger had created a creature of such instinctual terror that you has no choice by to fear it and that sh*t is amazing.

I touched on how excellent Ellen Ripley was as a character, giving well deserved credit to Weaver’s portrayal but, like all classic characters in storytelling, Ripley began on the page. The writing for Alien is some of the best i have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Every character, every scene, every aspect, of this story is tight. Dan O’Bannon deserves all credit for this classic script. He wrote a story filled with characters and suspense, never identifying male of female unless absolutely necessary. I miss when films were films and not soapboxes for gender politics. It’s amazing how timeless and iconic characters can become when you’re not trying to push a goddamn agenda.

Now, O’Bannon’s script is excellent but it took a true visionary to bring it to life. Ridley Scott was that creative. Alien was Scott’s second directorial effort and he was able to craft a visual narrative far beyond what his tangible experience would dictate. Scott is a true visionary. The way he saw O’Bannon’s script was incredible. I mean, the vistas of the Derelict Ship, the sanitized halls of the Nostromo, that whole retro-futuristic look, the abject terror and repugnant reversal of sexuality with the Alien; All of that is Scott. O’Bannon gave this man one helluva blueprint but Scott built a goddamn monument of cinema in his own right.

The sound design in this film is absolutely classic. The hisses from the alien, the clacking of the computers, that harrowing voice from MOTHER during the adrenaline packed climax; Every sound, echo, pitch, and clank is perfectly administered to embellish the hellish visuals onscreen. I’ll never forget the first time seeing Brett’s death scene. The subtle sway of chains giving way to the impactful sound of those water droplets hitting his face, lulling you into a false sense of security, only to see the Xenomorph puncture his skull. That mixture of screams and rattling chains was haunting, brilliant use of sound for a horror set piece and testament to it’s voracity.

I spoke at length about Sigourney Weaver’s casting and performance but literally everyone is outstanding in this film. being an original script, not based on any existing media, you had an open template to create these characters. In a sense, casting for this type of project is even more tantamount than building a cinematic adaption of a novel or comic. This film is going to be known for these characters, for this world, going forward and Alien nailed this sh*t. Aside from Weaver’s star-turning performance as Ripley, John Hurt turned in a rather endearing outing as Kane, the first victim of the Xenomorpgh. Tom Skerritt was probably the biggest name in the film so everyone thoight that his character Dallas would be the lone survivor. Nope. Veronica Cartwright’s Lambert was woefully unraveled, specially during the Chestburster scene and Ian Holm’s Ash is easily unnerving his uncanny valley-esque performance. Harry Dean Stanton’s Brett was a man of few words but my second favorite performance in this entire film belongs to Yaphet Kotto. His portrayal as the aggressive, outspoken, incredibly loyal, Parker, endures to this day. These characters are all incredibly written and skillfully performed, bringing characters to life that will endure through time.

This movie came out in 1979, man! It is four decades old an can still give anything created today, even with out advances in effects work and film techniques, a run for it’s money. That is testament to the deft hand and expert precision in the construction of this movie. It’s rare that a film can be so timeless and it’s easily the first i have ever seen to capture that high mark. There are others like that; Jurassic Park, Twelve Angry Men, Jaws, The Godfather, To kill a Mockingbird, Star Wars, but even those classics show chinks in the armor. Not Alien. That Retro-futuristic design is absolutely timeless and fits in with any era of cinema.

The world Alien created was ripe for elaboration. The franchise, alone, produced three sequels; Each an amazing look at different film styles, directorial vision, and cinematic genre. Aliens is arguably one of the greatest sequels ever and has a completely different tone that the first. Some would ay it’ even better than the first. I wouldn’t but others do. There have been books, comics, games, and so much more based on this world. Alien: Isolation is easily the best game ever made based on the franchise and it stars that eleven-year-old daughter turned adult woman, Amanda Ripley, in a similar situation as her mother. Let me tell you, bad-assery must run in the family because Amanda was just as dope as her mom during her own gauntlet. And just like her ma’s adventure, Amanda’s outing stressed me out to no end. I loved the Earth War comic growing up and the introduction of Ripley 8 was something special. She was kind of ridiculous in the fourth film, Alien; resurrection but the comics did 8 much better justice. Speaking of artificial constructs, i would be remiss if i didn’t mention the absolutely charming android Xenomorph, Norbert, and his predecessor, Jeri, but my favorite hybrid is definitely Eloise. That’s not to mention the excellent stories with in the Aliens versus Predator mythos. I’m not going to get too heavy into that lore but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more amazing, female protagonist, outside of Ripley, than Machiko Noguchi; The human Japanese woman, blooded by the Elite Leader Yautja, Broken Tusk, given the title of Little Knife by the space-faring Predators. Ma is a f*cking machine and it’s a crime AvP ignored her story for what we eventually got in cinemas. Hell, there are even aspect of the Prometheus portion of this universe that i like, even though i don’t particularly like the film, itself. Elden is a dope character with a ton of potential for the overall lore going forward. There is so much excellent material in the Aliens expanded universe; Characters, concepts, worlds and more. The expansive nature and reverence for this universe rivals that of Star Wars, none of which could be possible without the inspired execution of the original Alien film.

The Verdict

What can i say? Alien is a goddamn masterpiece. From the second those titles slowly manifest to the exploration of LV-426, to the claustrophobic panic of the Nostromo, to Ripley’s triumphant yet uncertain fate in the end, i absolutely adore every aspect of this movie. Everything about this movie is deliberate and amazing. The performances are all excellent, everyone does an exceptional job. The set design is gorgeous and in the case of the alien hive within the Space Jockey’s ship, disgustingly beautiful. Giger’s art as perfect for this film but his design for Big Chap, the original Xenomorph design, was absolutely unnerving. The first time i saw it onscreen, i was both enthralled and horrified. To see the massive beast, in the few glimpses you got between some of the most excellent lighting ever captured on film, was incredible. There are shortcomings, sure, all films have them but i don’t believe them to be a negative. The pacing can be a little dragging at times but it’s absolutely necessary to build atmosphere. I thrive on slow burn films like The VVitch or Blade Runner 2049 and it was Alien that taught me patience in film can be a virtue. I cannot praise this film enough. For me, Alien is as close to perfect as can be. This easily gets my highest recommendation. If you’ve never seen Alien and appreciate sheer psychological terror, beautiful sets, brilliant direction, awe inspiring shots, and some of the best sound design ever captured on film, you’ll love this movie.

#Alien #Alien 1979 #Xenomorph #Ripley #Ellen Ripley #Smokey brand Movie Reviews

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oneweekoneband · 5 years

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On alternative(s)

Long Wong’s, Tempe bar and early-days Gin Blossoms haunt

The Gin Blossoms got together in Tempe, Arizona in 1987. In 1987, ‘alternative rock’ hadn’t yet coalesced into the loose association of countercultural(ish) scenes that it would become in the ‘90s—let alone the stock format it would become by the 2010s, the radio equivalent of a chain restaurant where no matter which city you’re in, you can consume the same exact thing. Things were a little more tenuous, more provisional. Affinities were more easily drawn locally, within scenes, than nationally or globally. ‘Alternative rock’ was probably more accurately ‘college rock.’ You had to look left of the dial for the college radio stations that were playing the exciting stuff.

Tempe, Arizona is home to Arizona State University. In the late ‘80s, Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe was the heart of college nightlife. For a certain set, ASU nightlife revolved around going to clubs and seeing bands (!). This is the scene that the Gin Blossoms came up in. Appropriately for this setting, their earlier shows were drunken, loud, and filled with cover songs. There was a real spirit of play to the whole thing: their ‘classic lineup’ named themselves “The Del Montes,” taking on, Ramones or Traveling Wilburys-style, the same adopted last name. Singer Robin Wilson was Biff Del Monte; singer-guitarist Jesse Valenzuela was Pablo Del Monte; guitarist and unofficial bandleader Doug Hopkins was Otis Del Monte; bassist Bill Leen was Soup Bone Del Monte; drummer Phil Rhodes was Guido Del Monte. They declared themselves brothers in rock. It was a bond, I’d imagine, forged in the crucible of the frat mixer, the date party, the post-exams-blowing-off-steam-bash, or whatever other events they found themselves playing. Alternative forms of fraternity.

* * *

In college, I was in a band that played these kinds of events. We were on the ‘frat circuit,’ if there was such a thing in New Orleans. The pretexts for these parties ranged from philanthropic to nonexistent. We played a St. Patrick’s Day-themed house party called “St. Fratty’s Day” that took place, for some reason, in October. During Mardi Gras, some members of Tulane University’s Greek community would cram into the backs of U-Haul vans and have pledges chauffeur them to our shows. On one memorable occasion, we opened for Afroman at an on-campus frat charity event. When Afroman took the stage, he plugged an aux cord into his iPod Classic and we all listened to the click wheel noise as he selected the first song that he’d sing along to in an unabashed act of self-karaoke. The entirety of Macalister Auditorium, which apparently is the largest freestanding concrete dome in North America (citation needed), quickly filled with pot smoke. There were cops there, I think, but they must have just given up.

We described the music we played, sort of jokingly but sort of not, as “garage country”—not quite in the same wheelhouse as the Gin Blossoms. But the thing that sounds familiar to me about the early Gin Blossoms shows, at least the ones I have bootlegs of, is how much fun they are clearly having playing music together. Yes, it sucks to have people yell “Freebird!” at you. Yes, it sucks that frat brothers keep trying to shove lit cigarettes in your keyboardist’s mouth. Yes, Tulane has a serious alcohol problem. And yes, we know that bands so often end up being toxic hothouses for four or five people’s delusions and insecurities (though for what it’s worth I’ve never been in a band that has gone full-on toxic hothouse). The history of the Gin Blossoms is in many ways a toxic one.

But being onstage, adapting to the whole circus as it unfolds, requires a certain being-agile-together. As things go to hell around you, you find yourself forging alternative forms of fraternity—or sorority, or better yet just plain being-together-with-others—with your bandmates. Alternative as in alternative to toxicity, alternative to domination, alternative to coercion. You expand and contract songs without talking about it; you make things louder if people want to dance; you shoot back a few non sequiturs to the crowd. You let your friends know how much it means to you that they came out to see you. Maybe you even play Freebird.

In other words: if we understand ‘the political’ as the practice of trying to direct our shared enterprises toward a common good, it’s not that playing music together is a way for us to escape the political, a spectacle that distracts others from the political, or a triumphant act of heavy-handed moralizing that sanitizes the political of all its messiness. It can certainly be all these things in moments of self-indulgence, but in its best moments, playing music together is an alternative form of the political. It opens up a space where you can imagine things otherwise—and bring this ‘otherwise’ into existence. You can write it out in sound, sweat, and motion.

* * *

youtube

Gin Blossoms - “If I Only Had a Brain / Sugar Sugar,” live at Chuy’s Night Club, 1990

You can hear this spirit in this (very grainy) bootleg of “If I Only Had a Brain / Sugar Sugar.” They are not only having fun, cracking each other up. They are being-agile-together onstage, forging new forms of relationality. They’re also just playing some wicked cover versions of some kitschy-ass songs. But for all the talk of the ‘90s being a decade all about irony, irony seems like the wrong word for Doug Hopkins’s gleeful “Pour your fuckin’ sweetness over me!” in “Sugar Sugar.” It’s something more like enthusiasm, and it’s infectious—both to his bandmates and to anyone who listens.

As a bonus, here’s their cover (a decidedly more polished sounding one) of Big Star’s “Back of a Car”:

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Gin Blossoms - Back of a Car [Big Star Cover]

#gin blossoms #cover songs #live shows #music #live music #alternative #alternative rock #college rock

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suburbanidiocies · 6 years

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A Brief Note on the Sarah Jeong Affair

Brownshirts delight in finding real or perceived double standards in others that rationalize their own fundamentally inconsistent political-ethical projects. Liberal hypocrisy (“Why a British empire and not an Italian Mediterranean Lake?”) justifies their own callousness and lust for blood. That is why it is not suprise at all that the usual far right suspects have come out of the wood work in response to the Sarah Jeong controversy. An Asian American’s ability to mock white people is being challenged by those who have no problem with their own “ironic”/unapologetic bigotry. The threadbare bugbear of “reverse racism” is being raised to rally those whose own program against people of color is not just a matter of mean words

At the same time, one can remain unsatisfied with certain defenders of Jeong which presume that everything is justified as long as one is punching up. The figure of the Asian Klansman is an oyxmoran. Anti-white sentiments do no carry the same institutional weight and consequences as, say, anti-black ideas. One should expect people to feel hurt and vindictive in a society that was not founded with them in mind, and those of Europeon background should accompany others through these emotiona instead of demonizing them as monsterous threats to the social order. But that still does not mean that there is nothing pathological in fantasizing about “canceling” an entire people, in stereotyping others as being without culture, in constantly coming again and again back to the same ethnic group as a rhetorical punching bag. Things do not need to be just as pernicious as the alt-right in order to be stumbling blocks to human solidarity. In a colonized world, subaltern hatred for what is alien to oneself may often be the beginning of freedom, but it certainly is not its end. A serene cosmopolitanism should be the aim of all human nations and cultures, not a white man’s burden.

A thousand Sarah Jeongs is preferable to one Nazi. It is better that there be people who admit that prejudice in general is wrong than that there be open and unabashed racial chauvinists that will tolerate no rivals. But one should not give one’s blessing to a “progressive” wokeness which normalizes irrational vitriol and treats itself as the vanguard of political discourse by flattering the bourgeois pretensions to worthiness of a rising generation of ideologues and entrepreneurs.

Part of the problem in discussing these matters is that there is a verbal ambiguity when it comes to discussing whiteness. According to critical theory, whitenesss is the name of a social technology that is used to elevate a herrenvolk over others, not the name of an essence that any human being actually has. No one is ontologically white (or black for that matter). At the same, being white is commonly treated as an objective state that one can inhabit and which pervades one’s life. And according to the not entirely unreasonable. doxa of the day, an attack on an identity is the same as an attack on the person bearing it. Hence the endless cycles of rage and chest thumping on the part of Europeans and white settler population when anti-racism is put on the table. In order to break this chain of reaction, attacks on Caucasian privilege need to be careful to focus on the institutions of white supremacy (chauvenistic educational systems, unjust property relationships, etc). Our war is, primarily, against the unclean spirits in the high places, not flesh and blood persons who can be disentangled from their social position. “Whiteness” is demonic, but “white” people are themselves not devils. A similar approach can be used to deal with the much talked debates over “Western Civilization.” The achievements of Goethe, Galileo, and Rembrandt belong to global humanity, not an exclusionary European Geist. One can break the white mythology that surrounds these figures without excising them from the historic patrimony that all are rightful heirs to.

There are precedents for such an attitude towards whiteness. The antifascist fight of the 30s and 40s was against Nazism and Fascism, not "the Germans" or "the Italians." And in contemporary times, the more reflective, and politically astute, wing of the anti-Zionist movement has been careful to distinguish between Zionism and the Jewish people. What is being proposed is certainly tricker because the population in question uses the same term as the ideology in the need of deconstruction. But holding these distinctions simutenously in mind is certainly not impossible.

Another problem is that racism in the living language of daily life has become more narrowly defined to cover the realities of life under white supremacy. This meets a real need. The 500 year old planetary regime that has placed Western Europeans on a pedestal is unique in its global swag and the depth of its reach. But we need language that can describe other form of hatreds, some of which are older than white supremacy and many of which will undoubtably survive the death of the current world system. Hence why it may be useful to treat xenophobia (“the fear and distrust of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange”) as a distinct evil from racism in need of being named and combatted. Such a category will cover the feelings of ethnic/communal/cultural animus that those on top of the ladder, those in the middle, and those at the bottom can feel. It would include the mutual games of stereotyping that unequal societies generate as human beings find themselves confronting each other not as persons but as memebers of rival castes. Finially, it would cover the sorts of prejudice that exist in non-whites cultures against other non-whites which will only become more and more relevant as the United States and Europe decline in global importance. The result of such a change in focus could be a changing of discussion from an often Pharisaical debate about how to avoid being a racist while still on the lookout for acceptable targets of aggression towards a inquiry on how to lead a well-rounded human life that is capable of finding a home in the alien gaze of the other.

Again and again we must come to the need for cultivating a type of humanity that is not reducible to any ethnic fate as an oppressor or a victim and which can nevertheless contain multitudes. There is nothing better than to become like the sky which remain unchanged while clouds, winds, and rains pass through it, while the life of the earth springs forth and dies beneath the gaze of heaven. It is easy, when taking such a state as one’s end goal, to be dismissive towards the games people play about race, sex, gender, and nationality. But one must remember that while there is one Way there are many roads that enter into it. That the sky creates a wide space for a plurality of living things to work themselves out. That there is a sense that an emancipated spirit can return from universality to the particular in such a manner that you can wear your haecceity lightly like a festive garment, in a spirt of serious play.

We can not leap into a “post-racial” future with mere good intentions. Nor would we want, in any case, to have our various individual destines abolished in the name of a sanitized utopia. Rather, we must work concretely in our words and praxis to center the array of human differences around activities which belong to everyone and no one: Labor, Thought, and Love

#sarah jeong #racism #xenophobia #politics #history #world politics

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thebastardofgloucester · 6 years

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all the posts collating reactions to The Empire Strikes Back or writing mock Rotten Tomatoes reviews to imply that the criticisms of this film aren’t worth paying attention to are just…so missing the point

exactly two works that said what ‘Star Wars’ was existed at the time of Empire’s release in 1980: Star Wars (not yet renamed ‘A New Hope’) and Alan Dean Foster’s 'Splinter of the Mind’s Eye’ (a sequel written in case Star Wars was a flop that could be filmed on a shoestring budget and without Harrison Ford. It’s Wild and puts the lie to the idea that Lucas had any idea where the Skywalker story was going; highly recommend)

in the year of our Lord 2017, The Last Jedi was released as the third film in a revival of a six film, single creative vision franchise, with the added baggage of over two decades of novels, comics, video games, and other media (the only thing ever fully expelled from canon was the infamous holiday special, which, honestly, had greater creative merit than some of the stuff that got to stay)

what’s the point? Expectations. No, not people who didn’t want anything to change and are Mad About It or whatever facile narrative the authors of those blog posts and reviews are using to explain why this film is probably more divisive than the goddamn prequels. The problem is that not only does The Last Jedi clash with decades of fandom, it is even at loggerheads with its sister films in this particular revival. and it doesn’t get the same benefit of the doubt that ESB got because that’s not how franchises and fandoms actually work. you don’t get to ignore everything that came before to tell your own story. they have to work together.

Sure, not everybody read the EU (and trust me some of them are better off for it). But almost everybody saw The Force Awakens, most of them saw Rogue One, and a fair number of them, old and young fans alike, eagerly consumed the New EU content that offered glimpses into how the events of The Force Awakens came about and what mysteries were set up in what was effectively a reboot rather than a sequel. Generally, you know, regardless of how much you hate 'puzzleboxes,’ it is reasonable to expect that what one film sets up will have a payoff in the next, particularly when the first film takes such care to be sensitive to what the fans want (as JJ and Kasden did with TFA) - because while this is a money faucet for Disney, sure, there’s no point in bringing this franchise back without those fans (and of course, their kids) - and what they got from Rian and the Lucasfilm story team was…a confirmation that they had been wasting their time. It’s all well and good to pull the rug out from under the audience (as this film does incessantly) but it’s cynical bullshit to basically bait them with promo material and the preceding canon and then to deliver on basically nothing and expect everyone to just be okay with it. This film effectively penalizes the people who cared the most and spent the most time engaging with The Force Awakens and rewards people who may not have really been here for what Lucas was selling to begin with. As one review put it, it ‘does not care what you think about Star Wars’.

But when you set expectations as deliberately as Kennedy and the Lucasfilm Story Group did in JJ and Kasden’s TFA, it’s not great writing to blow them to pieces mid-narrative. It’s just lazy. the idea that Rey has no connection to the Skywalker line? a good idea, potentially, but clumsily executed, as it is played out less as an important revelation and more an excuse to not actually give any kind of answer to how Rey came to be Ben’s equal on the Light (or why she even is ‘Light’ honestly; I love Angry Rey but there’s seemingly no danger in her temptation) or where she got a skill set rivaled in this franchise only by literal Space Jesus Anakin Skywalker. Snoke is a one-noted villain; having him be betrayed by Kylo in the midst of his own villain arc? a very good idea. it belongs as the climax of the film, not the end of act 2 so there is no time for anything to breathe, just more never-ending crises and hardship.

Like, spare me the 'force visions are unreliable’ (Rey’s was unlike anything we had seen before, it wasn’t Anakin’s nightmare or Luke on Dagobah) bs; the film didn’t say that what Rey saw was wrong for x reason, it just pretended that it never happened and Rey didn’t say anything about it); spare me ‘our heroes have to fail and sometimes all the plans don’t work out’ we know that, we live in the real world of 2017 but while making your clever point you have wasted the presence of three extremely talented actors of color, and let down the audiences waiting for a chance to see people who look like them be the heroes for once. instead it turns out they didn’t actually matter all that much, but maybe next film!

It’s not clever. It’s not visionary. It’s cheap, it’s cowardly, and it isn’t actually that original because the film leaves us exactly where we expected. Poe is the leader and Leia’s heir to command, Finn is a newly-committed Rebel brimming with unrealized potential, Rey is a Jedi character (amorphously defined) who we know exactly as much about as we started, Luke is gone, even if he went out in pretty spectacular fashion, Carrie’s death means that Leia will be leaving us soon, and Kyle Ben has become the big bad. That’s the only real development - Snoke’s death and Ben’s rejection of his redemption - and it’s buried under Rey, our erstwhile heroine, being a vehicle for the villain’s character development. The only character this film particularly cares about is a white fascist who gets every chance to be redeemed and rejects them while the film expects us to keep caring.

So, yeah. People are mad. Not because of the same ‘the series is changed forever now’ shit that the haters of ESB were on about. Because the real changes? Ben being the real villain, the smallfolk of the galaxy being the source of light and conduits of the Force? I don’t see anyone complaining all that hard about them.

the complaints are about the damage done to beloved characters for…not all that much of a payoff. the misuse and marginalization of the characters of color. the disdain with which the script treats the nostalgia of the Force Awakens. the unrelenting pace of the film that just grinds the Resistance (and the audience) down and just tells them to trust us, even as more and more and more is taken away. Rey’s parentage isn’t the only thing cast aside - promises of developments in Finn’s story - his identity, his potential to cause a revolt in the First Order, even his force sensitivity (you want a force user from nothing? how about a child soldier from a nameless family who as we are continually reminded used to be on sanitation crew) - are broken. Rey has her dream of family taken away…and replaced with…well the film doesn’t really bother to say because she’s a plot device for most of act 3. We don’t get to see her reject Ren and leave him. Because this isn’t her story; it’s his. Kylo is unconscious, so the scene is over. Tell me how that is a satisfying arc for our erstwhile protagonist? Poe’s character is completely uprooted from what we’ve seen before to make him an obnoxious hotheaded menace whose emotions threaten the survival of the Resistance if two old white women aren’t able to keep him in check. Rose says a lot and gets to do almost nothing. Luke…Luke is torn down to justify the fall of Ben Solo, never given the chance to establish a meaningful bond with his erstwhile successor, and is only given the chance to atone by acting as a diversion to give the others time to escape. he dies alone, a failure, even if he is at peace with how things turned out.

last year we were shown a movie in the wake of one of the more traumatic political events in the life of the people on this website where a diverse and sympathetic cast fight hard and are entirely wiped out. But their deaths come in a spectacular and charged finale that carries the desperation and grief and pathos through into the beginning of the story we know and love. it all feels worth something. Rogue One has its flaws as a film but it comes together in a way that The Last Jedi does not. In the end, what Jyn and Cassian and the others do is just enough to get the plans away, to start the sequence of events that will lead to the Empire’s destruction.

Here?

there’s just not enough left. not enough of the Resistance, not enough story, not enough hope.

to have that hope repeatedly stripped away and cynically exploited through a narrative that drags the characters from crisis to crisis without bothering to justify itself or its role in the story (while retreading the highlights of Episodes V and VI without the emotional depth to back them up), and in so doing wears down the audience as much as the characters is not why I have devoted so much of my life and emotional energy to this series about space wizards and their galaxy-destroying family squabbles and eventual chance for redemption. for all his many, many faults, George Lucas understood that.

you can’t just talk about hope. sooner or later you have to see it. You have to feel that what you are suffering will be worth it. The text needs to tell you as much. it’s clumsy and cliched and it is necessary. In the Empire Strikes Back, after Han is captured and Luke is beaten, the turning point is Lando. Lando changes the course of the movie, rescuing Leia and Chewie, who rescue Luke. They live to fight another day, and at the end they are wounded but among friends.

the moment in The Last Jedi where that could have happened was when Leia’s signal went out. How terrific would it have been if after being betrayed by a scoundrel the original scoundrel with a heart of gold, Lando Calrissian, arrives at the head of a fleet made up of all the alien races so inexplicably missing from the sequel trilogy so far, fending off the First Order long enough for the Resistance to escape with most of the survivors on Crait?

But Rian had to have one last twist of the knife. so nobody came. only Luke, and only as a distraction to buy time that ultimately cost him his life and reduced his legacy to giving everything to atone for his past sins. there is no Lando moment. there is no turning point, no moment where a larger victory is hinted at. and no, a single stable boy far, far away from the war is not the same thing. It makes an interesting point about the force and the metanarrative of Star Wars. It is not what this film needed after everything it put its characters and audience through.

and so at the end I’m not hopeful. I’m just tired. So, very tired. And I miss what made me fall in love with this series about space wizards and the Skywalker family in the first place

#martinus watches the last jedi #the last jedi spoilers #tlj spoilers #tlj negativity #rian does not love star wars like I love star wars #I'm just so. tired.#I need to watch Rebels or ROTJ and remember Star Wars can be like fun

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juniperpublishers-ttsr · 4 years

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Approaches for Solutions of Housing Crisis for the Mohammadpur Geneva Camp

Abstract

The five decades old Geneva camp in Dhaka is overcrowded as they have no chance of living outside of the camps because of their statelessness. The camp is a densely-populated settlement having its own natural physical growth is now considered as a long-term settlement rather than temporary holding facilities. This brings a lot of physical, socio-cultural and economic crisis within the settlement. The purpose of this paper is to find out some solutions to mitigate the crisis for housing through some architectural design approach to camp design. The findings are come out by three syntheses through a design exercise by undergraduate level students. Findings show the possibilities of mitigation of existing challenges in socio-cultural as well as physical environment. The study contributes to the literature by developing and proposing a conceptual framework to camp design. It also suggests an evolutionary perspective of camp design. The results can support improvements in camp design, thus alleviating suffering for both refugees and host communities, particularly in developing countries.

Keywords:Camp design; Compact settlement; Geneva camp; Housing crisis; Low-income settlement

Introduction

The term “Housing” comes from the term “House”. House is one of the five basic needs of human being. A house is a building that functions as a home for humans. A home is a dwelling-place used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for an individual, family, household or several families in a tribe. It is often a house, apartment, or other building, or alternatively a mobile home, houseboat, yurt or any other portable shelter. Homes typically provide areas and facilities for sleeping, preparing food, eating, recreation, social and hygiene for the physical and mental wellbeing of the inhabitants. A homestead also includes agricultural land and facilities for domesticated animals [1,2].

The design of housing block is without doubt one of the most interesting and attractive subjects of contemporary architecture. This is because architects face some of the most conflicts generated by present-day society: the problem of high density developments in large cities, the shortage of development land and degradation of quality of life due to factors like social security, acoustic and environmental pollutions, energy crisis and so on. During the second half of the 20th century, the use of vertical construction has proven to be the most logical and effective solution. However, real estate speculation has led to some new serious problems too. In face of face of this situation, worldwide architects are beginning to come out in favour of the recovering quality and dignity in present-day society. Scattered attempts to house the poor has mostly been unsuccessful and no remarkable achievement has been seen. It is high time to come up with a multi-disciplinary action to address low income housing issue [3].

Kennedy [4] defined a refugee camp as “a planned and specially-constructed settlement for a number of displaced households significant enough to also need dedicated non-residential buildings as part of the planned settlement,” while Pan [5] described it as a “spatialization of exception.” The traditional camp design approach is to set up “a temporary space in which refugees may receive humanitarian relief and protection until a durable solution can be found to their situation.” [6]. But the studied Geneva camp is almost five decades old and it demands some permanent solution now for its inhabitants. Camps increasingly provide long-term accommodation, such as in Dadaab (Somalis), Lebanon (Palestinians), and Algeria (Sahrawi), and are now considered human settlements that continuously change [7-11]. Kleinschmidt [12] suggested that governments should stop thinking about refugee camps as temporary places. Kennedy [4,13] claimed that because camps are much more long-term than assumed, a standardized approach is not effective due to different cultures and situations.

Geneva camp in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur is a colony of the stranded Pakistanis who migrated to the then East Pakistan from the Indian state of Bihar during the partition of 1947.The Urdu-speaking Muslims have been living there since the end of the 1971 War of Liberation [14,15]. The camp, one of the 70 camps all over Bangladesh, is a densely-populated settlement of more than one lakh Biharis where each family with eight to 10 members on average lives in one room, and around 90 people share a latrine [16].

Background

The Geneva camp is consisting of total 14.5 acres of land. The total settlement is distributed into 9 blocks (Figure 1). This blocks acts to identify the households for the community facilities. Though they are not works properly. The land on which Geneva camp is built is owned by the Liaquat Housing Society. It is one of the few Camps where the land is still privately owned. Although Geneva camp is located on private property, no rent is paid to the Liaquat Housing Society, as the community was considered internally displaced until the Dhaka High Court made its definitive decision in 2008 [17].

More than 30 thousand people live in this camp. The density is 2100 person per acre which is beyond any housing standard of the world. there are 3843 houses (respondents’ information) to accommodate this population. The over populated camp is like an island in the city (Figure 2). The inhabitants have no way to escape. They have to adjust their houses inside this confined settlement. It is highly crowded and the environmental scenario is hazardous. There is inadequate supply of basic facilities like water, electricity and gas. According to UN-HABITAT slum housing is ‘households that lack decent water supply, adequate sanitation facilities, sufficient living area, decent structural quality and/or security of tenure’ [18].

There are still dwellings with eight by six square feet area for eight to ten family members. Lack of access to water and poor sanitation are problems in every camp. Only two hundred toilets serve thousands of people and most of them are dirty and have no doors. Unclean water infects children with water-borne diseases; urinary tract infections affect women and girls. The lack of access to clean water makes it difficult for the people to maintain proper hygiene. The Geneva camp is a compact and confined living place for its inhabitants. Besides houses there are commercial activities, bazar, small retail shops and cottage industries, community clubs, restaurants, two large mosques and numerous small shrines, as well as two schools and a medical clinic run by the communitybased NGO Al-Falah Bangladesh and some other social spaces inside the camp. Following figure shows different type of spaces or built forms in the existing layout plan of the camp (Rashid, M. 2020).

Adequate shelter means more than a roof over one’s head. It also means adequate privacy; adequate space; physical accessibility; adequate security; adequate basic infrastructure, such as water-supply, sanitation, and waste-management facilities; suitable environmental quality and health-related factors; and adequate and accessible location with regard to work and basic facilities: all of which should be available at an affordable cost (Rashid, M. 2020).

The camp plays an important role in social categorization of these Urdu speaking people. Geneva camp is not only associated with its past but the location of the camp and socio-economic situation of the camp dwellers also put them in a separate box while comparing with non-camp people. All the camps were highly crowded and the environmental scenario was hazardous. There was inadequate supply of basic facilities like water, electricity and gas. Besides some political and social issues, following are the major problems found by this study need to be addressed to improve the physical living condition of the Geneva camp:

a) Living space is too small for a family. Living in a tremendously small space creates many other subsequent problems.

b) Drainage and sanitation is in very poor condition. Improper drainage and sanitation is the cause of many diseases and unhealthy living condition.

c) Improper waste management is the cause of an unhealthy and unhygienic living environment. The overall camp is like a place with garbage.

d) Drinking water is not easy accessible to all of the camp dwellers.

e) There is lack of safety and security inside the camp. The narrow and open stairs, open electric line is dangerous for all, especially for kids. The whole camp is in a vulnerable situation in terms of fire hazard.

f) Green and open space is not sufficient. For a better living these are necessary.

g) Education and Health both are inadequate for the camp dwellers.

Methodology

This study is an outcome of an under-graduate study of sixteen students of Architecture Department of the Southeast University of Dhaka, Bangladesh took place in the year 2019. The study conducted as a part of the Design Studio under the supervision and leadership of the author with the following objectives:

a) To give insight into urbanism and housing, traditional ways of community living, contemporary housing trends and deficiency, trending new concepts and immerging issues in housing sectors.

b) To come up with some pragmatic architectural solutions to mitigate the housing crisis as well as the socio-economic problems of the specific community settlement.

c) Learning from different real life facts and theories and concepts of architecture in housing and exercising the learning outcomes in practical design problems

This article is the second part of the studio outcome whereas the first part is the analysis of the present housing problems of the specific settlement of Geneva camp at Mohammadpur. The problem analysis part has already been published in Rashid, M (2020). The second part is a design exercise within the studio of sixteen students throughout a fourteen weeks’ duration. The students are divided into four groups to continue the design exercise where the author acted as the supervisor for every group. The design exercise was done in three different phases after the site analysis part. The first phase was the ‘program development and case study phase’ where students developed a comprehensive program for the design and studied different low-cost housing projects around the world to receive ideas about the solution. The second phase was the ‘design phase’ where students do their design considering various aspects. The considerable aspects are satisfying the housing requirements, maintain housing standards, obeying different building codes for safety and security etc. are mentionable. Above all the architectural aesthetics are also considerable factor to find out the solutions. The third phase was the ‘presentation phase’ where students had to present their works in front of a jury board.

The specific site for the design exercise is located inside the residential area of Mohammadpur of Dhaka city. Total volume of the site is 14.4 acres (Figure 3). Geneva camp is a place for the URDU speaking community. The community people are Muslim with a different perspective of religious view [19]. Keeping their existing religious essence will be a notifiable character of this site. Total population for the settlement would be around 30 thousand with almost five thousand families. The others facilities are – a mosque, community centre, clubs, workshops for the inhabitants, health clinic, schools for children, bazar, commercial zone and parking facilities. Like any other housing project, the main concerns are:

a) Basic functions & zoning within a house

b) Physical and nonphysical environment of a dwelling unit

c) Social attribute of dwelling unit

d) Dwelling unit typologies (sizes, income group)

e) Spatial Organization & hierarchy of spaces in neighbourhood

f) Density

g) Network of circulation and accessibility

h) Privacy and safety

i) Affordability

j) Social facilities like education, healthcare, shopping, play area, religious, entertainment.

k) Policy and finance of housing.

Present Condition of the Settlement

Housing is a paradigm that interconnected with many attributes. In the settlement of Geneva camp, the crisis of housing is related to such many attributes. As the population density is very high the living environment of the camps is very deplorable. It is unhealthy, dirty, damp and un-hygienic. Most of the houses consist of one room. Some of the inhabitants reside in multiple storied buildings. They have one room in each floors. The staircases of these multi storied buildings are so narrow that it is impossible for more than one person to climb at a time. Leading a family life in such a small space is really difficult. In half of the families. threegenerations live under the same roof.

The entire camp people share a few common bathrooms and toilets, which are very few compared to the number of people. Most of the time they need to queue to get their turn. Furthermore, both male and female alike share the same facility, which creates problems for the females. There is no privacy for the females either in toilet or shower facilities. There is no house that have a proper sewerage system. There is no septic tank for the private toilets. The solid and liquid both sanitary wastes goes to the surface drain. Many people had a few ideas about personal hygiene. Densely populated environment, filthy water and lack of proper sanitation cause various disease inside the camp.

There are merely any dedicated social or community space inside the camp. The roads are the main place for community gatherings. Doorsteps inside narrow aisles are the place for social interaction for the dwellers. Camp side roads and in front of different community spaces are also acts as social activity spaces. Most of the internal pathways are 3 to 6 feet wide pedestrian. These narrow pedestrians are like web all over the camp. Sometime buildings from both side are extended over the narrow pathways. Survey shows that total roads and paths occupy 13% land of the whole camp. These 13% spaces are the only breathing space for the community.

Family size varied in the population of Geneva camp. Most of the families are joint by nature. There are 68% of the 400 respondents are living in a joint family and 29% are living in single or nuclear family. There are few respondents found who are bachelor and live as tenants inside the camp. All the inhabitants of the Geneva camp are Muslim. Though there are two type of believes among them.

Majority belongs to the belief of Sunni Muslims. It is found by the field survey that there are 96% people have the belief of Sunni and only 4% have the belief of Shia. Though by seeing the activities and religious festival of Ashura outside people thing them as Shia believers.

One of the major occupations of the respondent is handicraft, which includes different type of boutique works, tailoring, karchupi and related work. Most of the family members including women and children are involved in income generating activities such as in various handicrafts, shop keeping and selling homemade food item. It is found by the field survey that 19% camp inhabitants have their workplace inside or adjacent to their living place and another 47% camp inhabitants works inside the camp. 34% people have their workplace outside the camp. (Rashid, 2020). As livelihood is a great challenge for the camp inhabitants many of them are involved for different income generating activities. In the roadside houses, the ground floors are used as a shop or other commercial spaces in most of the cases. People are using their living place for some periodic activities also. The same place of sleeping is used for income generating actives at day time.

Design Considerations

The objectives to achieve by this specific project are as follows:

a) To minimize the acute housing problem with maximum accommodation in a planned way in a healthy environment.

b) Improve the access of the community to education and employment opportunities.

c) Preserve the cultural heritage of the community.

d) Ensure recreational facilities for camp people specially for children.

e) To provide urban facilities with modern amenities, such as affordable shopping support, parks, open space, health clinics, sewerage system, electricity and recreational facilities.

f) Improvements in the Camp inhabitants’ living conditions and their feelings of residential security that enables them to have the confidence to invest time and resources into improving one’s home environment.

The Camp is isolated from the surrounding urban environment. Its dwellers do not have much interaction with the neighbouring dwellers and other outsiders. It is found that outsiders of the camp do not have much interaction with the camp dwellers. Outsiders are not willing to pass through the Camp. This hinders social interaction which is important for socio-cultural and economic development. In the proposals, attempts have been made to create some spaces and circulation corridor such that neighbourhood residents or outsiders can use them and thereby enter the camp premise. This will eliminate their invisible barrier between making interaction with the dwellers on daily basis and increase sharing and social interaction. Elimination of social barrier is a concept to develop the housing and overall design of the camp. The design strategies are as follows:

a) Quality of liveability - Infill of new amenities.

b) Creation of defined open spaces.

c) Road widening and providing hierarchal connectivity with open spaces.

There are some other important considerations for the design exercises are:

To Improve Economic Condition: Most of the residents being descendants of original refugees fail to get a job or start a business’s they are in a very poor economic condition. These leads to crimes and other illegal activities. To make them self-employed they do various kind of small works like paper packaging, weaving sarees, do embroidery works etc. All times they also open small shops to make their earnings. Allocation of shops and economical spaces on the ground floor along the newly developed circulation can create opportunity to start-up small businesses. There are classrooms for vocational training where both men and women to take part and increase their professional skills. Considering provision of economic activities, in the design shops as well as spaces for eco activity have been provided.

To Improve Environmental Condition: To ensure minimum natural light and air flow building modules need to be crated with the provision of at least one side to be open and have windows. The modules are moved in a way that there will be no more critical modules and also create connected terraces which will act as social spaces where internal social interactions will take place. To Create Multifunctional Domestic Spaces: Domestic spaces provides shelter and security for the basic physical functions of life and also for commercial, industrial or agricultural activities that involve the family unit rather than the community. As space is very limited in Geneva camp, multifunctional use of domestic spaces is suitable solution. The same place can be used for different functions in different time.

Design Synthesis

There were three solutions came out through the design exercise. They are named as Syntheis-1, Syntheis-2 and Syntheis-3. The design objectives are addressed in different manner by those.

Synthesis 1

The concept is palm and fingers. Where all the fingers are connected with palm (Figure 4). The palm is the heart of the housing. All the housing clusters are connected with the heart (Figure 5). All the major roads are directed to the heart of the housing. In this heart the community facilities are accommodated. And at the centre of the heart it is the mosque. the mosque and the road circulated by it, is the place for the annual religious festivals.

At the second tier of after the centre the school and community health centre are located. On the third tier the commercial spaces e.g. boutique shops, bazar, restaurant kiosks. The commercial zone and restaurants are also well accessible for the people outside the community, that’s why a parking lot is adjacent to this zone.

The cluster is developed by arrangement of some building blocks keeping some open spaces among them (Figure 6). The building is developed by joining some module of basic living units. Each units stands for a separate family. For creating options for different family size, each building contains multiple type of units.

The typical floor of the buildings has four numbers of apartment unit. There are two general type of combination of two type of living units. One is 500 Square feet and another is 350 Square feet in size. A unit of 500 square feet is consisting of two bed rooms, one dining cum living space, one kitchen, one toilet and one veranda. A unit of 350 square feet of consisting of one bed room, one dining cum living space, one kitchen, one toilet and one veranda (Figure 7).

Most of the buildings are 5 to 6 storied height where a most of the ground floor spaces remain vacant for the boutique workshop and social activities. These are merged with the opento- sky courtyards (Figure 8). These are semi-private courtyards for the inhabitants of the surrounding building blocks (Figure 9). All the major roads are directed to the central community zone, where the mosque is in the centre and the school, health centre and other community spaces are located (Figure 10). The central community zone has the provision for gathering of huge people during the time of annual festivals like ‘Ashura’. By this approach of design, 17% of the total space is required for the roads. There are 37% space is open which includes courtyards, roads, vegetable gardens, roads and other open spaces and 63% areas are covered by buildings. 20% of total spaces is soak-able green in this concept (Figure 11).

Synthesis 2

The whole master plan (Figure 12) is organized respecting the climatic orientation. The tilted main Artery roads are connected the main blocks of the housing with the surrounded roads of the neighbourhood. Commercial zones like boutique shops and bazaar are distributed in three locations of the site to establish a connection between the housing and the neighbourhood. The mosque and other community facilities including a play field are located at the centre block. Other than the main artery roads the whole complex is considered as pedestrian and motorized vehicle free which gives the community a peaceful space for living. The school is positioned near by the community block to get easy access from all housing clusters.

The project is designed as a high density settlement to overcome the challenges of the limited land but also to create a high quality urban space derived from a largely natural developed traditional space. Connectivity with the surroundings is an important feature for this approach (Figure 13). Beside considering maximization of connectivity the vehicular roads are also kept in optimum amount and pedestrian pathways are used to connect maximum building blocks. Basic residential buildings are developed by arranging four living units in a linear manner and multiple buildings are connected side by side to form the cluster (Figure 14). This approach can reduce the structural coasts. The linear cluster organized following the shape of ‘L’, ‘U’ and ‘O’. It works the periphery of the courtyard (Figure 15).

The living units are two types. One type is consisting of 302 square feet and another one is 264 square feet. They are organized in a way to reduce the circulation space by minimizing the corridor area (Figure 16).

It is important to keep in mind the socio-economic aspects of the inhabitants of the camp. All buildings have some communal space and space for workshop within them. These are at the ground floor level (Figure 17). These spaces are merged with the courtyard of the clusters. The workshops are to be used for the household income generating activities for the dwellers. Besides the ground level, the roof tops also considered to use for the social activities and leisure (Figure 18). By this approach of design, 15% of the total space is covered by the roads. There are 30% spaces is considered as green spaces which includes courtyards, garden, plantation beside roads etc. (Figure 19).

Synthesis 3

In this synthesis (Figure 20), the housing clusters are distributed in grid-iron pattern keeping the mosque complex at a central nucleus block. All clusters have their own courtyard with soak-able green space. And group clusters have their own playfield for children. This a hierarchy of open spaces is maintained. Commercial block is separated from the housing block. It is positioned as a ribbon that adjacent to the neighbourhood main road at South side of the site.

A green setback is separated the commercial block from the housing clusters. Community functions are located at the centre of the commercial ribbon. A parking lot is located beside the commercial zone to serve both the housing and the commercial zone. Strong axis is maintained to make the housing clusters well connected. The basic built form is derived from a square (Figure 21). Each six storied building contains twelve apartment units distributed in four blocks and two vertical circulations. The horizontal circulation spaces in each floor is much wider to use as communal space for the inhabitants. The apartment units are compact in nature to reduce the size and make them affordable besides creating more open spaces for the community living in the housing. The same room has multiple use in different time of a day (Figure 22).

There is a square courtyard inside the square shaped building or on the other hand it can be said that the apartment units are surrounded to a central courtyard. The green courtyard is a multipurpose place for the community (Figure 23). Multiple buildings are place in a regular grid. Some grids are remaining vacant and surrounded by pedestrian pathway and buildings after that. These vacant places are act as playground for the children and has other multipurpose communal activities. These fields are the breathing spaces for the inhabitants as well for the building themselves (Figure 24). By this approach of design, there are 42% spaces are open out of it 30% is considered as soak-able green spaces which includes courtyards, garden, plantation beside roads etc. (Figure 25 & 26).

Conclusion

Traditionally, camps are built as temporary holding shelters until reconstruction phase is finalized and the displaced can go back to their homes. But after five almost five decades of its establishment Geneva camp is no more a temporary shelter inside the urban surroundings rather demands some permanent solution now for its inhabitants. However, long-term events with lasting impact are forcing us to rethink this approach to camp design.

This study suggests that camps integrating with the society in which they are placed, in terms of exchange of services, is more recent. This research aimed to increase the understanding of the approach to refugee camp design.

The main challenge is the very high population within a relatively small chunk of land. This population with land ratio exceeds all standards and practicing build codes. Another challenge is the expenditure of maintenance of such crowded settlement. As the majority of the camp population is lower middle income group if the maintenance expenditure would be beyond their means, the total idea might be failed. In such considerations the residential buildings are kept walk-up height which is a maximum of six storied. This restriction in height had the tendency to make the housing congested. By the design exercise this congestion is tried to be overcome. Open and communal spaces in different scales are introduced in many levels- which reduce the congestion tendency. Beside this breathing space is can refresh the mind of the inhabitants who are living in a confined space for decades.

Livelihood is another considerable factor for the housing. The present camp is the source of living for most of the people. These are kept in consideration to design the whole settlement. Every residential building has spaces for income generating workshops and there are zones for commercial activities and bazaar. By keeping these, the livelihood practice of the camp dwellers will not be hampered. It is apparent that the camps are increasingly integrated with the local community as time goes by. And the livelihood of camp dwellers also depends on this. The design approaches considered the integration of local surroundings to some extend to the newly designed settlement keeping the privacy of the settlement. Geneva camp is a place for many sociocultural activities; some of them has rich traditional and cultural values. Design approaches consider these values and tradition. All the three synthesis has sufficient spaces for social and cultural activities. These spaces sometimes have multifunctional use thorough out the year. BY these spaces camp dwellers cultural and traditional activities shall be valued.

There are some limitations of such approach of design in an Architecture design studio. The study shows that the proposed approach representing a bottom-up, community-based approach to camp design is implemented only to a limited extent, particularly in the initial implementation phase. This study provides an initial understanding of some approaches to permeant camp design, but more research is needed to provide normative advice on specific design principles. First, a natural extension of this research would be the validation of the case-driven insights with further empirical research, both in depth and breadth.

Research on camp design should also be interdisciplinary. For example, if refugee camps are to be long-term human settlements, it makes sense that urban planners and architects be an essential part of the process to provide an effective and sustainable design (Jacobs, 2017) [20]. “In the long run, refugees are an asset, not a liability – an economic benefit that can help revitalize a region, not a drain on resources” (Jacobs, 2017). This type of research can also make use of the industrial network theory for analysis of the interconnectedness between activities, actors, and resources. The social network theory provides yet another interesting avenue for future research. Furthermore, socio-political factors playing a role in camp design require knowledge from political science and the organizational theory.

The proposed approach based on longer-term, participatory solutions, meaning that refugees and the local community actively participate in camp development and operation, is gaining increased attention among governments and humanitarian organizations.

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askwonderlandsprincess · 4 years

Text

Task 3: Where Does it End?

Ardenzana of Wonderland, Queen of Hearts, was rarely flabbergasted. But as she looked down at the White Rabbit, one eyebrow arched perfectly upwards, her lower lip trembled.

And Rhombus of Wonderland, King of Hearts, her husband, knew. She was stunned silent. And that rarely happened (she hadn’t even been silent when he proposed, not letting him finish a carefully prepared speech before peppering him with kisses). In fact, he could only think of two other times: when their throne had been taken from them by the Woman, and when they learned they were to be restored.

“Rabbit,” he interjected, “Are you quite certain this is true?”

Gravely, the Rabbit nodded, “Yes, Your Royal Majesties. The Misthavian ambassador is waiting in the throne room to tell you more himself-”

“The sanitized version, you mean,” Rhombus supplied, and the Rabbit had the grace the look away, “What do your relatives say?” The White Rabbit had a vast and extensive family, and given the powers of rabbit holes, many of them frequently traveled the various realms. Wonderland itself didn’t employ a spy network outside the queendom (only the House of Spades served as a spy network within), but if the Rabbit’s family heard things in other realms, it was typically passed back to the royals.

The White Rabbit’s eyes dropped the floor and he murmured, “There are rumors of necromancy, Majesties. Raising the dead, to imprison them for eternal torture. We’ve no confirmation, obviously, but...”

“The implications are troubling,” Rhombus noted. He extended a hand to Ardenzana, who (still silent) had made her way to her jewelry box. Slowly, she slipped off more casual rings for more formal jewelry- not only her wedding ring, but her signet ring. She draped ropes of rubies around her neck, settling her largest crown atop her head.

When she unsheathed her dagger, he realized she was preparing for war.

The royal couple entered the throne room full of smiles and delight, the Rabbit acting in his position as herald:

“Her Imperial Highness, Her Excellency, Her Grace, Her Royal Majesty, Ardenzana of Wonderland, Queen of Hearts! His Imperial Highness, His Excellency, His Grace, His Royal Majesty, Rhombus of Wonderland, King of Hearts!” It was still strange to Rhombus to hear his old title, Lord of Diamonds, omitted. While his family was still acknowledged as one of the four greatest in the land- and he still technically possessed the title of his birth -it was rarely said aloud. It was bittersweet.

Still, it wasn’t the House of Diamonds the Ambassador had come to see, but the House of Hearts. The Vorpal Sword glittering above their thrones- serving as ancient confirmation that the House of Hearts was meant to rule, in Wonderlandian tradition -the Queen took her place and sat, the King following barely a second after.

“Ambassador,” Ardenzana smiled, lipstick red as blood. She offered one hand for him to kiss, holding her unsheathed dagger in the other for him to kiss.

“Your Royal Majesties,” the Ambassador simpered, approaching the dais and bowing thrice. Personally, he found the queendom’s traditions ostentatious, but the king had told him in no uncertain terms to follow them. While Wonderland was famously isolationist- particularly after the incident with the person the Royal couple referred to as “The Woman,” but the other realms knew as Cora, Miller’s Daughter, and mother of the Evil Queen -the king hoped to utilize the power of its Rabbit Holes in expansion of what he dreamed would be an empire safe from the clutches of evil. Consequently, Wonderland’s traditions should be appeased, and so the Ambassador sucked up his pride and kissed the queen’s hand, swallowing tightly as he spotted the golden dagger. Then he kissed the king’s hand before stepping backwards.

“Welcome to Wonderland,” Ardenzana greeted, “It’s my understanding you have news for us?”

The Ambassador smiled, “Indeed, Your Royal Majesties. His Majesty the King of Misthaven sends his greetings and wishes you and the queendom good health. He also wishes to invite you to join his realm, and others, in a venture.”

“What venture is this?” Ardenzana inquired, leaning back on her throne.

“As Your Royal Majesties are aware, perhaps more than most of us, the forces of evil have been in ascendancy for some time, attacking the various realms and their rightful rulers. Now that many of those forces have been defeated, the true heroes desire reparations in some form for the years lost and the pain that has been caused. After much discussion, it has been decided that the villains should be sent to a specially designed, magical prison-”

“A prison?” Ardenzana sniffed, and Rhombus hid his smile at the utter disdain dripping from her tone like raindrops, “Doesn’t that seem a waste of resources to you, Ambassador?”

“How so, Your Royal Majesty?” the Ambassador gulped. Ardenzana was well-known for her temper, and he didn’t wish to anger her.

“Well,” Ardenzana drawled, “A prison requires taking resources from law-abiding citizens of a realm- money, space, magic -and spending them on those who do not abide the law. And in this case, those who have done so severely. Why should such behavior be rewarded with accommodations and food for life? Further, why should money, space, and magic that could be redistributed amongst law-abiding citizens be wasted in such a manner? I imagine those resources could all be more frabjously used in a Curse Reversal program, or one of Family Reunification, or one of Home Restoration,” the queen smiled again, this time with all the glee of a shark, “Even we have heard tales of the grotesque uses of magic- trapping people in mirrors, separating children from parents, exiling and taking properties,” just as quickly, the dark smile reverted to her bland political one, “I would think it more prudent to focus on rectifying the wrongs perpetrated by focusing on the victims rather than the villains, don’t you?”

Rhombus himself smiled, though he stayed mostly silent in this conversation. His wife had been raised with a mind to rule, and accordingly, politics were her playground. While he had been raised in the nobility and always known he would need to marry well, unlike his older brother (the Duke of Diamonds), he hadn’t paid as much attention in political studies. As a younger son, he’d never aspired to the office of king. But, love was love, and when Ardenzana had fallen for him...here he was.

Still, this matter was too delicate for him to interrupt just yet. And Ardenzana had boxed the Ambassador into a corner, because if he dared contradict her, not only would he be insulting her, he would be saying that victims of heinous crimes had no import.

Well-played, darling. Well-played.

The Ambassador knew so as well, and a long silence passed before he finally admitted, “Indeed, Your Royal Majesty. Your suggestion has much wisdom, and the king agrees. He has been...listening to the victims themselves, you see, and their wants and needs. And some of them want- no, they need -vengeance. In order to move forward with their lives, they have expressed a desire to know that their suffering is not forgotten, and that the villains understand just how much they suffered. Further, the victims need to be reassured they will never be put through pain by the villains again-”

“I find death to be appropriate reassurance,” Ardenzana noted, “Execution is more than effective in these cases. I think few can argue that the villains do not deserve to die for their crimes. Once the villains are executed, of course the victims will know they will never be affected by them again, for those villains will have ceased to exist. And then magic, money, and space could be given to the victims to start their new lives without fear of the specter of the old. That’s the nasty thing about prisons, Ambassador: there’s always a chance for specters to break out.”

The Ambassador gulped. Wonderland’s laws were strict. Under the rule of Ardenzana’s mother- Queen Incenzana -there had been some corruption. Upon Ardenzana’s ascension, she had decided to stamp it out immediately and forcefully by beheading the perpetrators. The message was clear: disobedience would not be tolerated. Luckily, she’d only ever had to enforce that punishment a few times, and the queendom had prospered until they were ousted by Cora Mills.

Knowing she had him cornered, the Queen of Hearts added, “Besides, Ambassador, aren’t many of these villains already dead?” Including Cora Mills, who had died, much to Ardenzana’s regret, not by her hand (or order).

The Ambassador nodded, “Yes, Your Royal Majesty is correct. His Majesty the King has suggested employing some of the kingdom’s most famous sorcerers to make them present for their trials.”

At this, Rhombus did finally ask, “‘Make them present?’ You can’t be suggesting exhuming corpses.” Ardenzana leaned towards him, lightly squeezing his hand in approval. Now the Ambassador had to admit the truth:

“No, Your Royal Majesty. Of course not,” the Ambassador began to wring his hands together, “These sorcerers would resurrect the villains. Return them to the living world so they may be tried, sent to prison, and pay for their crimes.”

Ardenzana dropped her smile, face growing serious, “Necromancy is a dark art, Ambassador. The dead are meant to stay dead, no matter who they are.” Wonderland had no religion- and neither did she -but that was a tenet they were all taught.

“Forgive me, Your Royal Majesty, but these are most unusual circumstances, and if it were to occur at the behest of victims-”

“Are victims truly asking for necromancy? I myself am no sorceress, but I find it hard to believe when people are recovering from curses and have families to care for they are focused on death magic-”

“What if,” the Ambassador interjected, “Your Royal Majesty was assured that His Majesty would personally deliver Cora Mills to your hands?”

A few hours later, Ardenzana seethed in their chambers, “Me, Rhombus! He tried to bribe me!” She hurled a dagger across the room, and the king sighed as it was embedded in a mosaic in the wall. The architects were not going to be happy about having to fix that- they’d already had to undo so many of the Woman’s “upgrades” to the Chessboard Palace in their absence.

“How dare he?” Ardenzana fumed, striding back and forth across the room, “Who does he think he is?”

“King,” Rhombus quipped, crossing his arms. But then he noticed Ardenzana was not just frumious. She had tears in her eyes. Surely this wasn’t just the usual insulting of her ego.

“Darling, what is it?” He moved to stand in front of her so instead of her frenetic pacing, she ended up walking straight into his chest.

Green eyes swimming with tears, she met his own, “Rhombus, I- it’s shameful. I can’t admit it, I won’t admit it-”

“Ardenzana,” the king said gently as he enfolded her in his embrace, “I hate to tell you this, but you talk in your sleep. I’d much rather you tell me now when I can actually help you.”

The queen gaped at him, “I do not-”

“Yes,” Rhombus said wearily, not willing to fight her on that tangent (or let her distract him with that tactic), “You do. Now please, tell me what’s actually bothering you.”

Fisting her hands in his shirt, Ardenzana looked away. Her voice ragged, she whispered:

“I considered it.”

“So she said no,” the King declared with a roll of his eyes, as the Ambassador nodded. He had been skeptical of the ‘queendom’- particularly given that Queen Ardenzana had already lost the throne once -but he couldn’t afford to ignore their opinion entirely. Not with the Rabbit Holes. Still, this confirmed his opinion that a woman shouldn’t be the head of things.

“I’m afraid so, Your Majesty,” the Ambassador grimaced, well-aware of his king’s displeasure, “She said they will continue to trade with us, of course, and support us in Reunification Efforts and Curse Reversals, but she said she couldn’t support necromantic arts-”

“Even if we’d give her Cora Mills?” the King insisted, completely disbelieving that the Queen of Hearts’ ego had allowed for that, “You told her that, right?”

The Ambassador nodded, “Of course, Your Majesty. I made it quite clear that Cora Mills would never even see the Isle of the Lost, but go straight to Wonderland for trial and execution, if Wonderland supported us in creation of the Isle of the Lost and allowed us to use its Rabbit Holes in order to retrieve those villains still living.”

“What a fool,” the king shook his head, “No wonder she lost the throne to begin with.”

Gently, the Ambassador queried, “Do you want us to withdraw the alliance? We still can, it’s only newly signed-”

“No,” the King said irritably, “She might still change her mind. We can hope for that at least.”

“I’m proud of you,” Rhombus said, rubbing circles on her back, “No one knows more than me how much she hurt you. Having her back to wreak vengeance on...that was a powerful temptation. But you held true to your morals, Ardenzana, and that’s what matters-”

“If The Woman were alive- naturally alive, I mean, it would be different. But she’s not. And I just worry that if I support this, we gown down a path we can never reverse. And where does it end? Do we raise the whole human race? It’s madness, and yet...” she sucked in a breath, “What if I was wrong, Rhombus?” Ardenzana wondered, “What if this is what people really want?”

Rhombus shrugged, “Luckily, Wonderland is its own realm. You only have to worry about here. Those other realms? They’re separate. What their people want is not our concern. You, Ardenzana of Wonderland, are Queen of Hearts. Let the other monarchs worry about their people, and we’ll worry about ours.”

Then he kissed her on the forehead.

#solo para #convo:ardenzana #convo:rhombus #ardenzana and rhombus #rhombus and ardenzana #auradxnhq task

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chicagoindiecritics · 4 years

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New Written Review from Mike Crowley on You’ll Probably Agree: What it was like returning to the theater to see “Inception” and what theaters will look like after the pandemic

SKIP TO THE FIFTH PARAGRAPH FOR MY THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE

I had my doubts if Christopher Nolan was the true authoritarian on demanding “Tenet’s” release. I know he has enormous power in Hollywood, but was he wielding it like a selfish dictator? A man of his intellect couldn’t be narrow-minded enough to refuse to delay his film until it’s safe to show in theaters, right? About 70 films have been pushed to the fall, next year, or placed on streaming. James Bond, Christopher Nolan’s childhood hero, was even forced back to a November release date. A November release date in which, like many, is viewed to be moved until things are safe. After seeing the promotional materials for the 10th anniversary 70mm print of “Inception,” there’s absolutely no doubt that Nolan is entirely hell-bent on releasing his film only in theaters. To see these promotional materials, I couldn’t access them online. At least not by any legal means. Much like his iMax previews to his last four films, it was mandatory to watch them in the cinema.

Attached were two reels. One was a 10-minute preview for “Tenet.” After that was a 2-3 minute look back on “Inception.” In both shows, Christopher Nolan makes it crystal clear that his films are intended to be seen on the biggest screen possible with the loudest speakers surrounding the audience. On the “Inception” reel, Nolan expressed his disappointment that there are those who couldn’t see his 2010 film in a theatre, so here was their chance to do so. The problem is from my understanding is that the 70mm print of “Inception” that I viewed is the only available one in the United States. I know that when they filmed the sizzle for these movies, Nolan couldn’t have predicted such a global catastrophe. I feel incredibly fortunate to have seen “Inception” on 70mm film when initially I saw it on a generic digital 35mm reprint in a theatre that wasn’t a lover of cinema like The Music Box Theatre in Chicago is.

But even before the Pandemic, how many people would get access to this print other than iMax cinemas? How long could iMax last? Most of the country has switched to digital. Celluloid has become a novelty that I will always prefer over digital, a uniqueness that appeals to a very niche audience. How would that be profitable in the long run? Now with the COVID-19 Pandemic, that novelty will probably die forever. It was probably going to die anyway, just not this fast.

To make a movie on film is far more costly than to use digital. Not only do you shoot the movie, but you must also send it to a lab to develop the print afterward. The chemical emulsion process is an expensive mechanism. Shooting on digital only requires a memory card or hard drive that you can directly dump the data onto another hard drive to start editing immediately on a computer. It’s cost and time efficiency towers over film. The theatrical distribution model is a dying breed, only left alive through purists like Mr. Nolan. His purity may be going a bit too far, however. It was only a matter of time before iMax would once more be something that was only used for nature and space films to be seen in a museum.

Walking into a theatre once more felt like going into a gallery. I can happily make it very clear that The Music Box Theatre is not taking this Pandemic lightly. Instructions weren’t given to me; they were borderline shouted.

-Theatre Attendant: Have you been here since we reopened?

-Me: Uh, I was here before.

-Theatre Attendant: NO! Have you been here on JULY 3rd SINCE WE REOPENED?

-Me: No

The attendant proceeded to provide me with the social distance seating protocol. He ended the briefing with “that’s it.” I almost expected him to say, “dismissed.” Usually, I would have been taken back by such an aggressive custom. Considering the unprecedented circumstances we all are in, I respected the young man’s sternness. I was picturing all the morons he had to deal with that didn’t follow proper instructions. People who ignored the blue “do not sit here” taped signs, took their masks off when not using a concession—pulling their phones out during the movie. Let alone, coughing or sneezing without their face cover. With 745 available seats, only 50 were free to use. People were spread exponentially more than 6 feet apart. In the row next to me, there were two young ladies. One of them was politely holding in her cough. Her mask was still on before the lights dimmed. During my state of alarm, I knew it was only a matter of time before one cough might slip out. Trying to mean no offense, I quietly sneaked towards the nearest row of the screen.

The woman’s coughing wasn’t the only reason I sat in the semi front row; I was also wearing glasses, whereas you may know, masks and glasses don’t make the best mix. If I was close enough to the screen, I can take my fogged up glasses off and still clearly see what was going on the screen. That mostly worked, but my natural eyesight couldn’t substitute for my assisted one. And boy did those glasses get foggy. I increasingly grew jealous of those that could tolerate contact lenses. Even worse were people with perfect vision. I had to limit my breathing during the film because every natural exhale felt like a steam pipe was being burst onto my eyes.

With me, I came equipped with two masks. The medical kind you see everyone wearing, and a cloth one. Both were on at the same time. In my pocket was a bottle of hand sanitizer for whenever I touched a surface. I heard that COVID doesn’t last on surfaces, but I’ve listened to the CDC change their minds before. My paranoia level varied. Once comfortably watching the film from a safe distance with my double-layered mask, I felt secure. The Music Box has been open for long enough since the Pandemic. I haven’t heard of any cases appearing within their establishment. They’re not like some local restaurants or bars I saw in Wisconsin during my vacation there who acted like everything was normal. With that said, you can’t control the actions of others.

Let me be clear that I never removed my mask once during the entire three hours I was in that theatre. While the movie played, I turned around to see if my fellow patrons were applying the same amount of caution that I was. In the beginning, everyone was covered up during the pre-roll “Tenet” adds. The rule in the theatre was that once seated, you can only remove your mask when eating or drinking, then immediately put it back on. This rule was announced by the man I spoke to earlier, where he took the stage before the film began. There was no way you could claim you were unaware of the safety guidelines. Of course, Americans had to act like Americans. Once the film started after the promos, everyone’s masks were off. At one point during the movie, that lady who I moved away from that was coughing, yup, one cough slipped out. Luckily I was about 50 feet away from her while looking like Shredder with my extra protection. Throughout the rest of the film, I didn’t hear a single cough or sneeze. How did the movie look on its correct format though? Spectacular.

Christoper Nolan may be a stubborn stick in the mud, but my God is he right when it comes to the beauty of the theatrical experience. The black levels in the colors are vibrant far beyond anything you’ll get on your 4K 60-inch television; the sound is bone shatteringly clear. Every nuanced detail in the phenomenal production design is visible to an otherwise naked eye; this is something special. “Inception” is a bombastic operatic picture in the very best sense of the meaning. My appreciation for the 2010 spy thriller was improved when seeing it on the big screen. Even with my fogged up glasses and short breaths, I felt like it was an experience worth having. To have that experience though you really, REALLY, have to love film. The common man would not go to the trouble I did to see a movie that they can easily watch at home.

Seeing “Inception” in a nearly abandoned theatre that still classifies as sold out was a bit of a relic. I felt like the little kid in “The Last Action Hero” walking into the old man’s theatre. I’m experiencing something from a great past time that no longer exists. It was like going to the Omnimax Theatre in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Only this time, there was an inherent fear of disease, which luckily rapidly dissipated once there. I sympathize entirely with Christopher Nolan’s stone wall decision on maintaining a theatrical release for “Tenet.” He doesn’t have the power alone to release the film, whichever way he sees fit. Warner Bros is in the same boat as him. Nolan was the man who brought Batman back from the dead. He’s the one man in Hollywood who can sell an original big-budget picture on his name alone. Chris brought Warner Bros a lot of money.

The theatre is located upstairs

The termination of the Paramount decree’s 72-year law is the final nail in our current chain’s coffin. Movies won’t be evenly distributed. All of our existing theatrical establishments are running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to make their money back to the point of offering 15 cents per movie ticket upon initial reopening. When theaters do come back, they’ll be rebuilt, owned by the studios that distribute them. You’ll have your Disney theatre attached to your Disney store. Watch “Spider-Man Homecoming 3” on the second floor, then buy your Spider-Man toy on the first floor. Go to your Netflix theatre so you can see a film four months before it hits streaming. Finally, go to a Warner Bros theatre in Six Flags Great America, where you can watch Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.” Then buy your Robert Pattinson caped crusader doll when exiting the show. The funeral is in procession for theaters as we know it. Christopher Nolan may be able to make movies on film throughout the rest of his career, but to see them on celluloid; you’ll have to go to a museum or a specialty theatre like The Music Box. Such a realization is a heartbreaking reality. The sooner we can accept it, the better off we’ll be.

More of my thoughts on the future of movie theaters can be seen below.

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