#river Ankh

[aeshnacyanea2000]

The river slunk sullenly in the bottom of its bed, like a student around 11 a.m.

-- Terry Pratchett - Men At Arms

[moss-ghoulette]

I was a bit scared at first but it turned out really good

[amygdalae]

One of my favorite discworld things is the way he'll spend paragraphs just describing how much Ankh Morpork sucks and find increasingly creative ways to reiterate how gross and grimy and stinky the city is. And you can just feel how much love for it is in those descriptions. Ankh Morpork is so yucky disgusting and so wonderful and so beautiful

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group D, Round 4, Poll 1:

Propaganda under the cut

Lord Vetinari

Tyrant ruler of a city, former assassin who took over the city after a long string of other patricians. Loves to trick people into thinking things were their ideas, manipulate people and deny it to their faces, and make sure everyone stays in line. Loves the city and manages it well. Cunty, will do anything to keep playing a board game with someone from another country, actually kind of nice sometimes if you’re not a threat to him.

River Song

Propaganda by @tia-yowzahs-version:

"manipulated her own parents into dating"

Because they're freaking idiots where one is quietly pining and the other thinks he's gay? Manipulated is the wrong term.

"can and will say "spoilers" to get out of sharing valuable/crucial information on the regular"

Because there are rules?? Which, for your valuable information, was enforced by the Doctor himself. Foreknowledge is a dangerous thing. Being a time-traveler is one tricky business.

"known psychopath with no qualms about doing theft and murder for for fun"

She isn't a psychopath. She believes she is one because that's what's been impressed upon her at a young age. Just because you're told you are one doesn't mean you are one.

She was raised to kill the Doctor. Of course she'd have no qualms with murder and theft. That's all she'd ever known. It's basically a Sunday afternoon for her.

[iconuk01]

Wayne Family Adventures #94

Briliant as always, but I LOVED this moment as Aquaman visits Gotham on a case and finds Batman absent, so the family chips in.

[qsmprambling]

WAIT THE ANKH SHAPE THAT IS SO COOL!!!! BAD!!!!

[ankhmutes]

Sunny's Boys: The Indecent Mr. Miller

Joel Miller. Construction worker and handyman of King's River. He's definitely keeping himself busy ...

Chapter two of Sunny's Boys is under the cut please, minors DNI. thank you!

Warnings: badly written oral sex, and public sex (ish?) and protected P in V sex. I think that's it?

Sunny was not happy that her brothers were in town; they were definitely going to cramp her style. So she decided to take advantage of their lack of presence and see what she could get from the construction boys. More specifically, Mr. Joel Miller. He was the lead of the crew that usually came in on friday nights, ready for the weekend…..

“The usual, Mr. Miller?” you asked with your usual devilish grin, hoping to tempt him sometime. You felt it could be tonight, you felt it in your panties, from the way he smiled at you. He always had a drink, then a cup of coffee afterwards. He was so practical, predictable… and sexy. You knew he fucked half the girls in the town, and probably some of the lonely housewives as well, from what you had heard at the occasional smoke break from the bathroom window. You were surprised at how much the ladies would gossip when they thought they were alone in the bathroom. You couldn’t help yourself… you were curious. You had to see what it was all about. 

You grinned and leaned over to pull the best bottle of whiskey, and poured him a couple of fingers of whiskey over a large block of ice. You knew just how he liked his drinks. You were thrilled that he had come tonight, you had put on the perfect pair of panties– a pair you had eyed online and bought on an impulse, and they made you smile. You felt that this pair of panties were made only to be worn once… and that was tonight. 

“You know, I’ve heard some interesting things about you from some ladies.” you said with a smile, setting down the glass on a napkin. 

“That so?” he asked as he looked right at you with his brown eyes. You licked your lips. You liked how this was going. This was just like Shane, but nicer energy. Dirty, and down for a game, no strings attached, but not as demanding. Shane was fun, but he required so much attention, and you liked to be spoiled… or spoil others, you thought as you swallowed at the thought of what lay beneath the denim. 

“Mm-hm.” you murmured as you walked down the bar to give Rick Grimes a bud light, turning to wink at Joel and saunter off over to the Dixon Brothers playing pool in the corner. You smile at Daryl and Merle, refilling Daryl’s coke and Merle’s beer, bantering with Merle as you let him call you sugar-tits and sweetheart, and whatever else comes out of his mouth. You knew men like him, they were fairly harmless as long as you knew how to handle them. After all, you had grown up around men, having two older brothers. You grin at Merle and threaten to cut him off if he doesn’t behave, and he quiets down, putting out the cigarette in the ashtray. 

You make your way to the Teller table, saying your hello to the mechanics, giggling at Jax and Opie’s running commentary on the shit that Tig had pulled in the shop that kept him and Chibs at the shop tonight. You told the boys you’d pack a couple drinks and burgers to go for them if they were coming back to the shop. That earned you a fifty dollar tip, and you didn’t ask questions. You loved those boys, but knew if you asked questions, the tips would stop coming. 

“You’re a busy girl tonight, aren’t you?” Mr. Miller commented as you made your way back behind the counter, putting the orders in the register. You nodded with a sly grin, looking up at Joel as you leaned forward, just enough for him to stare down your shirt right at the lace on the cups of your pink lacy bra. 

“I’m busy- but not too busy for a quick break tonight, enough for a …. Nice snack.” you say with the confidence of a Winchester. It was clear you had gotten Joel’s attention, at least. Joel licked his lips slowly and cocked his brow with a slow lazy grin that slowly turned predatory. You shivered, seeing the heat in his eyes. 

“I like snacks.” Joel said with a nod. “I’m a very patient man.” Joel leaned back in his seat, eyeing the rest of the bar. It was a slow night, but not as slow as he would have liked it to be, you could see it from the way he eyed all of the other clientele. “People like you need to fuck people like me.” Joel said cockily as he sipped his drink.

“As long as Dixon behaves, I’m sure it’ll slow down.” you say with confidence and a bit of heat coloring your words as you wink at Joel, waving at Rick, who put down his card for his tab. You take the card and slide it through the machine, thanking Rick for being so sweet and patient, being sure to slide your pink manicured nails slowly over his hand as you hand back the card. You could see Rick swallow slightly, his eyes widening ever so slightly as he put his card back in his wallet. You watched Rick saunter out of the roadhouse, your eyes moving to the Dixons, who were getting louder as time went by. You let out a sigh, and tilted your head over at the Dixons. 

“Can you take care of that problem for me? I’ll make your food on the house for you if you do.”  you tell the T & M boys, who all shared a look and and smirked. “Behave! You know the Dixons are all bark and no bite.” 

“Oh no, girl- we know, because we are the bite around here.” Jax said with a smirk, winking at you as he nudged Opie, the two boys sauntering over to the pool table. You didn’t want to hang around for that part, grateful that Rick had already left so no one would be arrested tonight. You hurried to the back to get the bags of food, slipping in a sexy note on a napkin for Tig and Chibs, making sure to kiss it with your pink lipstick, thanking them for being such wonderful customers of the Roadhouse. 

“Here you go, boys.” you say brightly, hurrying out of the back with the bags packed in a cardboard box,  for the T & M boys, making sure to give Jax and Opie a kiss on the cheek each, your lipstick shining brightly on their cheeks. 

“Anytime, sunshine.” Jax nodded and took the box, cheering at the sight of a six-pack of Miller Lite as a bonus, the door slamming behind them. You knew Bobby wouldn’t mind the extras, keeping the regulars happy guaranteed a steady income, as long as no questions were asked, of course. 

“Ready to settle up, boys?” you ask as you take two large mugs of steaming coffee over to the Dixons. Merle grunted a comment you didn’t quite hear, but you were sure you didn’t want to hear it anyway. Daryl nodded and put down a 50, telling you to keep the change for your tip. You nodded and kissed Daryl on the cheek, telling Merle he can get his kiss later when he behaves next time, calling him a naughty boy, with a saucy wink to show him that you weren’t entirely too upset with him…. This time. The Dixons left after that, leaving you and Joel alone in the bar, or at least alone until the next set of regulars showed up, the late-nighters from the casino over on the Rez, and the hospital staff. 

You sauntered up lazily to Joel, leaning against the bar as you gave him a good look-over. Joel smirked as he leaned back in his chair. You glanced at his drink and on impulse, you picked up the glass and drained it of its contents in a quick gulp, licking your lips as the glass was placed softly back on the napkin. 

“What’s on the menu?” Joel asked as he stared right into you, down to your wet core. You could feel the heat in his eyes as they moved slowly over your body, as if he was undressing you with his eyes ever so carefully. 

“We’ve got maybe a half hour, can I interest you in a quick snack?” you smirked as you let your body do the talking. “It’s…. All you can eat.” you say as you hop up on the bar, making sure your legs were spread ever so slightly. Joel took the hint, smirking as he slid himself in between your legs. You weren’t exactly sure what happened, but him kissing slowly up your inner thigh was bliss. His beard tickled all in the right places as you felt his hot breath tease over the cloth that hid your wet slick from him. 

“All I can eat, hmm?” Joel asked with a cocky smirk as he looked up at you, hiking up your skirt and eyeing the pink thong, tearing it off in a quick motion, burying his face in your wet warmth, licking you right up so you wouldn’t leak on the counter. He set you just on the edge, his mouth and tongue doing fast work on keeping your slick flowing. Leaning back, you could hear the metal of his belt clinking, a zipper unzipping and you leaned forward to take a peek. 

He was loaded. Definitely loaded, you thought as you eyed the monster that had been lying dormant all along. Joel grabbed a condom from his pocket, fitting it sunugly on his cock. 

“I’m polite. I wouldn’t want to make a mess for you to clean up.” he said with a shrug as he slid his hands up, cupping your ass as he slid you off the bar, and right on his cock. You felt your soul leave your body, the way he filled you up… 

It was indescribable. You could see angels sing, and you didn’t want him to stop. You held on for dear life, sliding up and down on his dick, riding him like the dirty man he was. Your breasts bounced with each stroke of his cock, his mouth hungrily nibbling at your boobs, leaving marks everywhere. You held on, your arms around him and your hands gripped him hard, scratching up his back as you came as you rode him, your pink nails marking your presence on his back. If the scratches had bothered him, you couldn't tell or even care, you were feeling bliss on his dick.

You didn’t mind, not after he slid out of you and bent you over the bar stool, fucking you hard, practically plowing you into the bar. You couldn’t hold back the whimpers and they filled the empty bar, accompanied with the sound of flesh smacking flesh. You nearly cried at the feel of his balls slapping against your wet dripping cunt, and you couldn’t hold back. 

“Joel.” you cried, tears running down your cheeks at how hard you were coming, the wetness pulsing around his cock as he let out a loud groan, and you gushed around his cock, wetness dripping off of his drenched cock as he slowly slid out of you. 

“Fuck.”

“Clean ‘em up and maybe we can have round two after closing.” Joel said as he cleaned himself up, throwing away everything in the large bin behind the counter. You wordlessly nodded, wondering what the night would bring… 

“Jesus, Sunny, you gotta stop this. You got a problem.” Dean whined as he met Joel at your hotel room door. Joel was just leaving, buttoning up his flannel shirt. “Joel.”

“Dean. Sam.” Joel said with a smirk and nod, pulling on his tattered cap. “Don’t worry, she’s decent.” Joel chuckled as he left the hotel room, rolling your eyes at your brothers as you went up to the door, leaning against the door-frame clad in your fuzzy pajama pants and tank top, and holding the door open for Dean and Sam. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t fuck the whole town. I’ve got standards, you know. I can’t help it. It’s the Winchester charm they all fall for. You’d know that, wouldn’t you, Dean?”

“Shut up.” Sam whined as he thrust a bag of donuts in your direction. “Don’t encourage him.”

“It’s not like I’m challenging him to a screw-off or something. That would be gross, you need to grow up. I just got needs… and intel.” you said with a giggle as you dug into the bag of donuts. You’d let your brothers suffer just a tiny bit until you told them what you had learned about King’s River from Joel. Apparently, Joel fucking bored and lonely housewives had some benefits for the case you were working on with your brothers. 

[firstofficerrose]

The bucket brigade passing lumps of the Anhk along to put put the fires is very good. Love the running gag with the river not really being liquid.

[ancientrimer]

I’ve taken up listening to I shall wear midnight again and I’m at the part with the possessed inmate and I do gotta say, in light of having started reading the colour of magic since the last time I read the tiffany books, that the way sir terry correlates themes an imagery to locations in the discworld is lovely. we’re in ankh morpork so ofc the possessed inmate is going to eat frogs from the pond bc the body’s hungry and demons only see frogs as a good enough snack. of course.

[muppetebbtide]

discworld dashboard simulator

❓ ankhmorporkpolls

🧙🏻 blackalisstan

This is like that tsortian guy who had to pick between goddesses and started a war and then died. Or like paying the assassin's guild to kill you

🔪 treefroghousealumni follow

*inhume

🧙🏻 blackalisstan

piss off you posh knob

🍴 priestessofanoia

tbf I don't think the watch is wasting its time on this blue hellsite so ur probably safe there. the POSTMASTER however...

#sometimes I think only bloody stupid johnson could have come up with this fucking site

10,435 notes

🪻watchofficial follow

ALL'S WELL!

🍴 priestessofanoia

nvm lmao 😭

47 notes

☕ klatchmeifyoucan follow

.

#ppl on here are actually sooooo ankh morpork centric it's insane #'EVERYONE knows webblethorpe the unconscious' who??? why the fuck should I??? #like HELLO there's other places on the disc? #and klatch is NICER like omg

4 notes

unseenuniconfessions reblogged:

🦧 unseenuniversitylibrary

Ook

#SO TRUE KING

100,034 notes

Anonymous asked:

Is lord vetinari gay

🪄ramtopswitches answered:

Why would you ask us, a ramtops witches blog, this

50,432 notes

🔮 uucompetitiveeatingchamp follow

CALLOUT: @ /spanglersal (deactivated)

• started a Kickstarter to crowdfund a click of Captain Vimes & Errol then disappeared with the money and has gone completely ghost on everyone

• apparently stole over 100k

• cringe

Read More

2000 notes

Anonymous asked:

Blessings be upon this askbox

🌷queen-of-lancre answered:

I don't know if this is nanny pretending to be granny, or if it's actually granny, and I think I'm too scared to find out

435 notes

cmot-dibbler-enterprises sponsored

SAUSAGES INNA BUN ‼️‼️‼️‼️🌭🌭🌭🌭

🏚️ throwingshades

Gonna go skating on the frozen river ankh!!

💀 nojusticejustus

HAVE FUN

🏚️ throwingshades

Thanks man!

34 notes

✉️ ampostofficeofficial follow

🐸 bursaaaaaaaaar

is. is the post office posting crab rave bc reacher gilt just turned up dead

7013 notes

🧳 agateantravels follow

The Crumley's Hogswatch grotto is being advertised again but somehow I just don't think they can top last year's... like idk where they got the budget from but the real pigs?? CRAZY. my little sister asked for a pony and there was just one in the house when we got back like?? My mum was PISSED but yes talk abt Hogswatch magic. Still wonder how they pulled it off

345 notes

💖 angelofmusic

It's literally SO unfunny to be making jokes about the Opera Ghost when you all KNOW I saw so many of my friends DIE last year??? I literally have so much PTSD from it... like it's so insensitive you're all actually the WORST

#vent #don't rb #some of you will say ANYTHING for a cheap laugh :(

5 notes

🐊 genuablogging

My dealer: got some straight gas 🔥😛 this strain is called “narrative causality” 😳 you’ll be zonked out of your gourd 💯

Me: yeah whatever. I don’t feel shit.

5 minutes later: dude I swear I just saw the Duc turn into a frog

My buddy Mrs Pleasant, pacing: Lilith de Tempscire is lying to us

456 notes

[definitelynotamhafan]

Shadows of the Sun (Fear pt.1)

Egypt 2450 B.C.

The sand-filled wind whipped across your face as your eyes settled on the burning sun. Or what was…. Left of it. Your grip on your whip tightened. A black shadow loomed over the sun. Today was the day, the day you got revenge.

The sky was a blood red, turning the sand a dark smoky color. No clouds were in the sky. Just the heat, which left a sour pang on your forked tongue. The only thing lighting up this hellish landscape, was the thin ringlet which tried its best to escape the shadow of the moon.

The wind blew through your hair, whispering sweet revengeful sins to your ears. Sweat was glistening down your spine. You weren’t tired, despite the fact that you had traveled the world in the past century like death would come for you if you didn’t. You were panting, but you weren’t exhausted at all. On the contrary. A feeling of calm was swirling in your soul. You were home. After all this time. And the Eclipse came with you.

Your hound, Ankh, let out a huff.

“Let’s go pay a visit, shall we?” You asked, patting his side.

You jumped on his back, no saddle needed. Your whip cracked in the air, bringing shadows on the sand. The whip hit the sand, raising a cloud of dust, and creating a path of darkness wherever your hound stepped.

You sped through the dunes, your eyes twinkling with a dark red. You knew what was coming. And you weren’t going to stop it.

Temple of the Gods

Ra sat on her throne, her eyes glued to the omen before her. An Eclipse? What did it mean? In the middle of the harvest moon, nonetheless. Was it…? No. It simply couldn’t be. Or…. Could it?

Bastet was biting on her thumb nervously, trying to figure out a way to bring moisture back. It was like the rivers had all ran out of water. The drought was already a problem, and now, with no sun to light the already dying crops?!

Osiris, the disgusting green pea-looking bastard, was somehow concerned as well. Not even a century ago, he allowed one of the most dangerous gods and creatures of chaos to escape. Now, there was a possibility they returned, and he still hadn’t faced a punishment.

Horus, who had been one of the few to see your face, was looking at the sky in shock. His mind was blank. No thoughts. No words to be said. Nothing.

Tefnut’s brows were knitted together, and Geb’s hand rested on her shoulder. Something was off.

The air was thick with tension. Almost as if you would be breathing shards of glass, cutting through your lungs and choking you with every breath.

Isis was looking at Ra, expectantly. Just what was going on through the Sun goddess’s mind?! What did this omen mean? Was Ra weakened by the moon? What was going on?

Maat cleared her throat. “May the congregation begin!” She paused a little. “As you all know…. Not even a century ago, the feared Amheh escaped the confines of the underworld. They wreaked havoc all over Egypt, and the sacred lands. Any objections so far?” She asked, looking around the courtroom.

The gods kept silent.

“Then we continue.” Maat spoke again. “Amheh, god of darkness and shadows, is also accused of leaving us in a time of need-“

God, Maat’s words couldn’t be more boring at this point. Ra could swear she already felt part of her brain die. Just get on with it, Maat, what’s taking you so long?

Suddenly the gates of the temple swung open.

You, your hair blowing in the wind, whip in hand and hound by your side, eyed the gods in the temple, who were looking at you in a mix of confusion, fear, and awe.

“So… What did I miss?” You asked, raising an eyebrow, a smirk playing at your lips.

(YAYYYY IM BACK! Thank you so much to those who asked me to make a sequel- honestly I didn’t think I had it in me to continue, but I hope you’re happy with the result! I plan on continuing this with at least 2-3 more parts, and I’ll post as quickly as I can. Any ideas on what to center them on, or what to add are more than welcome!)

[bithermal]

Q!BBH AND RELIGIOUS ICONOGRAPHY

Ok I said I’d make a longer post about it, so here it is. I just find it so incredible fascinating how Badboyhalo has chosen to incorporate religious symbols in his base, specifically the ones he has chosen to include. All of the symbols he has chosen are associated with death in some way. Unsurprising, considering he has heavily alluded to being the grim reaper. But, what I really want to focus on is the fact that the chosen symbols have a much heavier focus on the transition into death rather than death itself.

Let’s start with the easiest and most obviously one: the halo chandeliers and the wings sprouting from behind the throne. Angels in Christianity have served a large variety of roles, but the two I want to focus on is them being heralds of death/disaster and escorts of souls to heaven. I’m sure the herald angels relate back to BBH alluding that he caused great historical disasters such as the Black Death, but because there’s so many instances of herald angels I’m not gonna focus on any specific one.

Who I do want to focus on; however, is the angel of death Azrael. He’s sort of your classic biblically accurate angel with the many eyes and wings and all that, but his main job is to separate the soul from the body. He is unaware of when a human will die and only acts when he has been told (something about a leaf with that person’s name on it falling from the tree under God’s throne blah blah). The interesting note, though, is that Azrael stands on the bridge between paradise and hell. I point at the bridge leading from what will be the warp room to BBH’s base into the rest of his home. Now it’s your choice how you interpret which side is supposedly paradise and which is hell. Personally I could see an interpretation for either. Now back to angels. After Azrael pays you a visit to grab your soul, he hands you off to some guardian angels. Who those angels are varies based on what sect of Christianity you look at; some say Archangel Michael escorts you, others say it’s your personal guardian angels. Nonetheless, they act as escorts for the soul to the afterlife. Sound familiar? BBH has stated or implied (it’s been awhile I can’t remember if it was outright stated) that he helped guide the eggs who had died to the afterlife.

Now the next religious symbol is probably the most closely tied to the transition into death. BBH’s river of souls is heavily inspired by the River Styx and its ferryman Charon. Charon’s job was to ferry souls who had received burial rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx. There is some debate about the mythos of each river but for the purpose of this post I’m just going to refer to them both as what separated the world of the dead from the living. The main point here is that Charon ferried souls from the land of the living to that of the dead, where they will be judged and sent to whatever part of the underworld Hades would deem fit. Again, we are not quite seeing a symbol of death itself, but more of that transition period. What happens as the soul leaves the body and is on its way to the afterlife. And again, I point to BBH implying he guided the dead eggs. The interesting part here, though, is that Charon did not work for free like angels. When one received burial rites, they had a coin placed in their mouth that would serve as payment for the ferry. What I’m curious about is what BBH would consider payment if he’s considering it at all. It could possibly explain why he’s gotten away with so much without a serious step in from the Federation? But then again I could be looking too far into it lol.

The last symbol I want to talk about is interesting because it represents both life and death. The Ankh that BBH designed his rooms to form can been seen with a lot of important Egyptian figures. Pharaohs and kings were often depicted with them to preserve immortality. Egyptian gods such as Osiris, Iris, and Ra are all seen depicted with it. Important leaders were often buried with them to take to the afterlife to live a sort of life after death. The thing of note to me, though, is that it commonly represents the ability of gods to revive souls in the afterlife. This symbol isn’t so much a symbol of transition, but one of defiance of death. I included it in here because I find it appropriate that BBH, the one to consistently care for the eggs when no one else can, the one who has probably done the most to set up every safety measure he could to protect them, the one who feels most responsible for their disappearance, would be the one to adopt this symbol. Ngl the part about reviving souls gives me hope he can find a way to bring the dead eggs back, but that’s largely me coping and I doubt that will actually be possible.

Lastly, I just find it interesting that BBH adopted the Grim Reaper specifically as part of his lore. It’s a very vague concept not cemented in any one religion. Often, it’s never really associated with any one afterlife, just the act of dying itself. Idk I find it extremely noteworthy that BBH has not quite adopted the death aesthetic, but has instead integrated his lore in that transitional period. Not necessarily the afterlife, but the act of dying itself and that journey one takes to the afterlife.

Anyways if you read all this thanks for indulging my rambling lol. I just love love love symbolism in media especially religious symbolism. If I got anything wrong or I missed something please lmk and I’ll fix it!

[moss-ghoulette]

My computer is dead so I have time to paint

[jerktournament]

ROUND THREE - Ankh (Kamen Rider OOO) VS Louie (Pikmin)

!!! PROPAGANDA BELOW !!!

ANKH: "...Motherfucker chucked his partner off a HIGH RISE, into a RIVER, and was just like ahah if he died skill issue. We celebrate this every thursday. he is a 800 year old medal monster powered entirely by human desire and being a cunt and we love him so so much for it" (from reblog)

LOUIE: "he ated some golden carrots n put teh conpany he works for in debt. also almost killed his coworker on multiple occasions."

[fibula-rasa]

Lost, but Not Forgotten: The Dancer of the Nile (1923)

Alternate Titles: Tut-ankh-amen, Tutankhamen of Luxor

Direction: William P.S. Earle

Scenario: William P.S. Earle

Original Story: Blanche Taylor Earle

Production Manager: Dick L’Estrange

Camera: Jules Cronjager & Joe Goodrich (assistant)

Scenic Artist: Xavier Mochado

Set Designer: Paul Dodge

Technical Advisor: Capt. Dudley S. Corlette

Studio: William P.S. Earle Pictures Corporation (Production) & Film Booking Offices of America (F.B.O.) (Distribution)

Performers: Carmel Myers, Bertram Thomas Grassby, Malcolm McGregor, Anthony Merlo, Sam de Grasse, Iris Ashton, June Elvidge, Paul Weigel, Howard Gaye, Mother/Nellie Anderson, Beatrice Marsh, & Earle Marsh

Premiere: 12 October 1923, Loew’s New York, New York, NY

Status: presumed entirely lost

Length: 6 reels,  5,787 feet

Synopsis (synthesized from magazine summaries of the plot):

Princess Ankhnespaton [sic] (June Elvidge), daughter of King Akhnaton [sic] (Howard Gaye), has a run in with a band of thieves while traveling. Prince Karmit (Malcolm McGregor) of Syria arrives, disguised as a merchant, and saves the princess. The princess becomes enamored with Karmit and invites him back to the royal residence in Thebes. 

While visiting the royal gardens, Karmit encounters a dancer, Arvia (Carmel Myers). He is instantly smitten. The princess is furious that Karmit has rebuffed her for a mere dancer.

Meanwhile, tension between those loyal to the king and those loyal to the old gods erupt when the seasonal flooding of the Nile river doesn’t occur. The princess finds in this situation an opportunity to get her revenge on Arvia. 

The princess decrees that Arvia will be offered as a human sacrifice to the god Sobek, in order that the Nile will rise as expected. Arvia is adorned with a poisoned amulet to knock her out while she is fed to the crocodiles.

In an unexpected turn of events, the high priest Pasheri (Sam De Grasse) discovers that the intended sacrifice is his own daughter. Pasheri sneaks into the chamber where Arvia is to be sacrificed and saves her at the last moment. 

With Pasheri’s aid, Karmit whisks Arvia away. As the Nile rises, the new couple sail away to Karmit’s kingdom to live happily ever after.

The princess goes on to marry Prince Tutankhamen (Bertram Grassby). And, after the death of her father Prince Tut will become King Tut.

Additional sequence(s) featured in the film (but I’m not sure where they fit in the continuity):

The Temple of Amun-Re is also depicted in the film.

Points of Interest:

While many contemporary reviewers of The Dancer of the Nile (DotN) didn’t mark it as an especially good film, props were given for the artistic effects achieved by Director Earle. Earle and his brother, Ferdinand Pinney Earle, were both pioneers of the era in special effects. 

Ferdinand was a painter who contributed matte paintings and art titles to many films of the 1910s and 1920s. While William was primarily a director, both brothers ambitiously created films that were on the cutting edge in regard to techniques of incorporating matte paintings with live actors/studio-shot footage. 

For William, it was DotN, and for Ferdinand it was A Lover’s Oath (1920/1925, presumed lost save for a few fragments), which was an adaptation of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. (ATM, I’m planning on doing the next installment of this series on this film!)

(Explanatory note: One technique at use here involves double exposure. Part of the frame is obscured while filming, leaving the obscured part of the film unexposed. The film is then rewound, with the exposed part of the film obscured, to film another element. The final result is, hopefully, a cohesive sequence. 

Another technique is shooting through painted glass, which, if painted and lit correctly, results in the painting and the scene occurring behind it appearing as a singular space. 

For example, a fully painted environment with live actors moving across the scene. In DotN, there is at least one scene where a live actress ascends a set of stairs, which is a painting. These techniques require an amazing amount of precision, but when done right they can be really dazzling. The double-exposure matting technique has persisted through most of film history, albeit rarely at the scale the Earle brothers were using it! 

Below is an illustration of how a moving version of matte photography works from a 1926 issue of Photoplay, followed by some stills from DotN that used the multiple-exposure technique.

I have a few posts coming up that go into more detail on how special effects were executed in films of the 1920s!)

William P.S. Earle’s focus on the artistic elements without much regard for story or characterization may have left many critics cold, but DotN did prove to be a lasting attraction, running in theatres around the world for years following its release.  DotN was produced hot on the heels of the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 in Luxor, which launched a new wave of Egyptomania. On one hand, Earle was cashing in on a trend, but on the other, he took the opportunity offered by assured profitability to experiment. In addition to the special effects discussed above, Earle attempted to capture as much period accuracy as possible in the painted settings, props, and costumes. Balancing historical accuracy with perceived “authenticity” in period art is exceedingly difficult—Earle seemingly had mixed success. However, one contemporary review in the magazine Art and Archaeology by Dudley S. Corlett (also the film’s technical advisor) is highly complementary of DotN’s attention to historical and artistic detail. [You can find the review in the transcription section!]

After Earle had more or less finished DotN, F.B.O. bought “Tut-ankh-amen” for distribution. F.B.O. financed reshoots that shifted the narrative away from Tut and towards Arvia, the dancer—hence the title change. I guess F.B.O. believed that cashing in on the trend of movies about dancers would be more lucrative than cashing in on Tut-mania!

☕Appreciate my work? Buy me a coffee! ☕

---

Transcribed Sources & Annotations over on the WMM Blog!

[a-true-gentlemummy]

"A sudden flow of warmth enraptures you and the soft embracing glow locks your eyes in place, as the mellow sensation seeps down into your chest and grasp your heart. A sweet tingle rises from the back of your eyes, now filled by warm light and no longer able to shy away from the sinuous figure of mysterious and indistinct gender approaching you.

For a moment, your ears ring with the rush of fresh water. Your skin can feel the touch of the gentle wind that flows through the green palm leaves above and caresses the lush carpet of lotus flowers filling your view, all gracefully suspended on the great river sprawling before you, the waters glittering in the light of the shining golden disk nestled in the open sky...

The Sun...

"A pleasure to meet you" the clear, smiling voice and the tingling of jewels snaps you back into focus. A bejeweled, bandaged hand now stands held out towards you, awaiting your response."

And here they are, Ahmesankh as the Darling of the Ambassador's Ball! I like to think they lengthened their linen skirt so much as to touch the floor in order to mimic the long and voluminous victorian ball gowns! Complete with jewels, an ushek collar, their faience Ankh pendant, kohl eye paint (which is actually painted on the bandages) and a curly black wig topped by a perfume cone!

And yes, their eyes are actually shining cosmogone! Advert your eyes or else, get eldritch'd by them! That's also why they would usually wear glasses, unless they want to be extraordinarily radiant :3