#masqueofthereddeath

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Naomi Alderman’s ‘The Future’

Naomi Alderman burst onto the scene in 2016 with The Power, an explosive and brilliant feminist apocalyptic parable. Now, seven years later, she's back with a chunky, propulsive second novel about a very different sort of apocalypse: The Future:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Future/Naomi-Alderman/9781668025680

The Power was a thriller about a mysterious force that gives women the power to administer violent electric shocks – even lethal ones – from the palms of their hands. As this power races around the world, the status quo is abruptly shattered. Abusers get nasty surprises. The Saudi government topples. Parents of teenaged boys demand sex-segregated classes to protect their sons from vicious girls:

https://memex.craphound.com/2017/10/10/naomi-aldermans-the-power-in-which-fierce-power-of-women-is-awoken/

In The Future, we get a very different kind of apocalypse: the imagined apocalypse of the prepper. At the core of prepperism is a fantasy: that the world will experience a cataclysm that requires the special skills and supplies of the prepper themselves. Water chemists who turn prepper fantasize about attacks on the water-supply – not because there's any special reason to expect one, but because if terrorists attack the water supply, then water chemists become civilization-rescuing heroes:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/22/preppers-are-larpers/#preppers-unprepared

(And of course, if the world ends in such a way that marauding bandits rove the wasteland, eating their former neighbors, then macho, AR-15-obsessed musketfuckers get to reinvent themselves as warlords who defend the sheeple from "bad guys.")

This is what makes billionaire prepper fantasies just so weird – for most of us, it's hard to imagine how the skills of a billionaire are the one thing we'll need to see us through a crisis. But for billionaires themselves, the necessity of billionaires in rebooting civilization is so self-evident as to be unquestionable.

What's more, billionaires are convinced – more than any of us – that the world is about to end. As Douglas @Rushkoff puts it, these guys want to earn enough money to outrun the consequences of how they're making all that money. This is #TheMindset, the idea that your own position has jeopardized civilization itself, but that also, you must survive the cataclysm, because only you can survive it.

Rushkoff chronicles the real-world fantasies of luxury bunkers patrolled by mercenaries locked into explosive discipline collars in his book Survival of the Richest:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/13/collapse-porn/#collapse-porn

But billionaires don't just suck at running civilization, they also suck at making up stories about its collapse. One thing that's striking about Rushkoff's ethnography of rich people preparing to outlive the end of the human race is how banal their eschatological fantasies are.

It's not that there aren't any exciting stories to tell about billionaire survival fantasies. The granddaddy of these is, of course, Edgar Allan Poe's 1842 "#MasqueOfTheRedDeath":

https://www.poemuseum.org/the-masque-of-the-red-death

I published an updated version with the same title in 2019 in my novella collection #Radicalized:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/14/masque-of-the-red-death/#masque

In The Future, we get a cracking, multi-point-of-view adventure novel about billionaires prepping for the end of the world. Three billionaires, the lords of thinly veiled analogs to Facebook, Google and Amazon, each getting ready in their own way. Stumbling into their midst comes Lai Zhen, a prepper influencer vlogger with millions of followers.

When Zhen becomes romantically entangled with Martha Einkorn, the top aide and chief-of-prepping for one of these billionaires, she finds herself in possession of an AI chatbot that is devoted to protecting a very small number of people from incipient danger. This chatbot determines that Zhen is being stalked by an assassin at a mall in Singapore, and guides her to safety.

The chatbot is a closely held secret among the tech billionaire cabal. It is designed to monitor world events and predict when The Event is imminent, be it disease, war, or other cataclysmic disaster. With the chatbot's predictive powers and its superhuman guidance, the billionaires, their families, and their closest confidantes will be able to slip away before the shit hits the fan, fly by different private jets to one or another luxury bunker, and wait out the apocalypse. Once the fires raging without have died down to embers, the chatbot's billionaire charges will emerge to assume their places as wise and all-powerful leaders of the next human civilization.

As you might imagine, not everyone who finds out about this plan – including various members of the billionaires' families who are fully aware of these rich, powerful people's fallibility – is enthusiastic about it. As we build toward a looming crisis, we cycle between these family members, Zhen and her hacker buddies, and members of an online prepper community where Einkorn is a kind of provocateuse and eminence grise.

Alderman skillfully maneuvers all these power players and blocs into position before detonating the crisis that sets off the book's second act, where we get into some damned fine Masque of the Red Death territory, but clad in Tony Stark mecha survival suits and against a backdrop of total disaster.

I won't give away any spoilers here, except to say that there are lots of twists (that won't surprise readers of The Power, which had its own excellent surprises). But without delving too deeply into the fake-outs, crosses, and turns that Alderman lays, I will say that this is a fantastic and incredibly satisfying comeuppance novel that gets very deep into the ideology of wishing the world would end, and dreaming that when it does, you will finally matter.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/07/preppers-of-the-red-death/#the-event

[niksrpgs]

#Ravenloft #MasqueOfTheRedDeath Boxed Set for Advanced #DungeonsAndDragons, in fantastic condition, is now available with FREE SHIPPING! #ttrpg #dnd #originalprint #outofprint #secondedition #2e #TSR #NiksRPGs

[johnmorganfilms]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Morgan (@vhsmonster)

I am very sad to hear news of Roger Corman’s passing, but grateful for the chance to meet him, to see ‘The Intruder’ with him, to speak to him, to hear a very sincere, honest, and wise perspective on the industry, and for the opportunity to share some of my work with him. He truly gave so much to us. Roger Corman was not merely a B-Movie Director and Producer, he was an innovator. Few filmmakers have ever had such a profound and lasting impact on cinema, and @rogercorman will be remembered and appreciated next to names like John Ford, Akira Kurosawa, and David O. Selznick. A brilliant man, who will be very missed. Rest In Peace.

If you are unfamiliar with the work of Roger Corman, here are some worthwhile titles you should check out.

Masque of the Red Death

The Intruder (aka Shame)

Little Shop Of Horrors

A Bucket Of Blood

The Pit and the Pendulum

Death Race 2000

Rock’N’Roll High School

Piranha

.

.

.

.

.

#rogercorman #rip #masqueofthereddeath #thepitandthependulum #vincentprice #williamshatner #littleshopofhorrors #abucketofblood #deathrace2000 #rocknrollhighschool #piranha

[thejerseyprince]

So I had a teenage crush on Carla Gugino after I saw her in The One, then a bigger one after Sin City. Sitting here at 52 she's still a fucking knockout. Holy fuck. Her walking around the party in lingerie and a cape? I'm still mesmerized

#fallofthehouseofusher #masqueofthereddeath #vernaiscoming

[soyrapido]

More Bludgeon! #bludgeon #comicuniversebludgeon #transformers #transformerslegacy #transformerslegacyevolution #hasbro #toyphotography #toycollection #actionfigures #toys #robots #robotsindisguise #prowl #ryu #inferno #masqueofthereddeath #rodimus

[doomkick]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DoomKick (@doomkick)

Ahhh you startled me. #mego #thephantomoftheopera #masqueofthereddeath #skull #softgoods #retro #doomkick https://www.instagram.com/p/CRhzBUMDm8q/?utm_medium=tumblr

[leannareneehieber]

I made a wild, glaringly bold (and perhaps a bit ridiculous) creature. I was given 3 vintage strands of crimson seed beads mingled with luminous scarlet circular beads and they cried out for something very specific: The Masque of the Red Death. In honor of Poe's iconic story with a shout-out to the costuming of the Masquerade scene in The Phantom of the Opera. It is for sale, if you dare. (Link in bio). -- #etsysellersofinstagram #authorsofinstagram #masquerade #masqueofthereddeath #edgarallanpoe #gothic #goth #gothstuff #cosplay #jewelrydesigner https://www.instagram.com/p/CJpfTpxgnIm/?igshid=1y0zs9gtddxp2

[richardtreyes]

Day Seven Illustration for the #InkTober #drawingchallenge prompt #fancy ~ "Prince Prospero Enjoys Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream" My theme for this challenge is based on the 31 flavors of @baskinrobbins ~ My series is inspired by my imaginary ice cream parlor for creatures and monsters, "Batskin Ratbones" ~ I will be posting one illustration per day based on this theme. #batskinratbones #inktober2020 #inktoberchallenge #inktoberdayseven #aninktobertoremember #icecream #iscreamyouscreamweallscreamforicecream🍦#richardtreyes #sandiegoartist #illustratorsofinstagram #princeprospero #edgarallanpoe #masqueofthereddeath #redvelvetcakeicecream #phantomoftheopera #gastonleroux #lafantomedelopera #lonchaney #erik #skull #plague @universalpictures @inktober @inktober20 @jakeparker (at San Diego, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGDSBxQDtiy/?igshid=1b9b330znkzzk

[storiedthreads]

The "Red Death" had long devastated the country. Prince Prospero and his rich friends thought they could evade it by hiding in his castle and having a big party. They were wrong. www.etsy.com/shop/storiedthreads #masqueofthereddeath #edgarallanpoe #poe #plague #literature #patch #bookmark #etsy https://www.instagram.com/p/B-PMDYkDHnf/?igshid=qe3dr6suhtj6

[selkie-spiritasmr]

Have you visited the White Room yet? The Masque of the Red Death Collab is up and ready for your enjoyment. Check out all the tagged artists for their parts. Thanks to @chillpillzasmr for starting this awesome project! #asmr #edgarallanpoe #masqueofthereddeath #horror #asmrcollab #asmrrelax #asmrroleplay https://www.instagram.com/p/B4U3g8bl0pr/?igshid=7bgpyajavspp

[niksrpgs]

#Ravenloft #MasqueOfTheRedDeath boxed set for #DungeonsAndDragons #secondedition, now DISCOUNTED and available with FREE SHIPPING! #ttrpg #dnd #tsr #originalprint #outofprint #NiksRPGs

[jeremyhush]

Finally getting to show this giant rat infested plague painting I made for @cadabrarecords new release of The Masque of the Red Death. Follow @cadabrarecords for more info!! Repost @cadabrarecords ・・・ Today at noon eastern time we’re launching sales for Edgar Allan Poe’s Masque of the Red Death and Berenice read by Anthony D. P. Mann and scored by Maurizio Guarini. Art by @jeremyhush and essay by @sevennotesinred. We will have two editions available in very limited quantities. Each record comes with an 11” x 36” promotional poster showcasing @jeremyhush incredible work. This record is an absolute masterpiece not to be missed!! #EdgarAllanPoe #MasqueOfTheRedDeath #Berenice #AnthonyDPMann #MaurizioGuarini #Goblin #Goblinband #JeremyHush #FabioCapuzzo #nowspinning #vinyl #vinylcollector #coloredvinyl #horror #horrorfiction #vinyljunky #CadabraRecords #NightmaresOnVinyl https://www.instagram.com/p/BtAYELInZG_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ke69d91ps14x

[sghost]

CONSENSUAL RED DEATH WITH A TOUCH OF SCARLET FEVER. #brianszente #slowghost #contemporaryart #dcartists #scarletfever #reddeath #plague #createdtoday #masqueofthereddeath #contemporarydrawingartist #contemporarydrawing #popartsurrealism #popart #horrorartwork #death #createdtoday #justcreated #poe #dcartgalleries #bizarroart #paintmarkerart #ihadscarletfever #itwasablast (at Washington, District of Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv1jRFLFYaT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vvfj2fkj889t

[blackaproncraft]

Team Fates! We managed to come in 3rd, which isn't so bad, given how long it took us to find each other. And only my fellow Fate mentioned/noticed my #MasqueoftheRedDeath, color coded room lighting. #anniversaryparty #hiddenrolegames #BaskintheRedDeath #selfie https://www.instagram.com/alluringlore/p/BvF8PhOlXW6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ckj3t1ztc8kv

[cargobay13]

#FFFF #NewEpisode Friday! Listen, Retweet & Share!🗣️🎙️ 2 words... Vincent Price. Actor, sure, we've all seen his films, but did you know he was an accomplished chef, art collector and lover, AND an advocate for the Native American artists? Well then, you need to sit right down and give this episode a listen. Lilly G. beams into to share her Fave Five, and share some really great stories. Don't Miss This One! #vincentprice #edgarallanpoe #rogercorman #houseonhauntedhill #thehouseonhauntedhill #thefly #returnofthefly #edwardscissorhands #theabominabledrphibes #drphibes #drphibesrisesagain #thetingler #tingler #masqueofthereddeath #themasqueofthereddeath #prospero #comedyofterror #madhouse #monsterclub #toweroflondon #theoblongbox #witchfindergeneral #conquerorworm #thelastmanonearth #thearreofblood #theaterofblood #cryofthebanshee #tombofligeia (at Lafayette, Louisiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CilhEqOs-Yn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[spyderskiss]

Another #waybackwednesday for Day 17 of #31daysofhalloweenmakeup is my #phantomoftheopera #masqueofthereddeath look. I love my #halfskullface and this amazing red suit I got custom made for me. I goes great with my Dolly+Red lenses from @honeycolor_official which I love. It is time consuming dressing but the makeup is minimal so great last minute girl #halloweencostume from my favorite @andrewlloydwebber #musical from a #classichorror . #phantom #drabmajesty #musicofthenight #countdowntohalloween #31daysofhalloween #moviemonsters (at Selbyville, Delaware) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpCr_MJjPPQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vtxpg2nr1ym6