THE WONDROUS ISLES AS A DYSTOPIA

... sets out across the Water of the title, a vast freshwater lake dotted with mysterious ‘wonder isles’ full of enchanted buildings, where men and women (not to mention a senior, children, maidens, depending on the island!) exist in a condition of permanent stasis, frozen in time like forgotten works of art. ...  After many twists and turns ...

Most of Morris’s late romances have a there-and-back-again structure which anticipates the organizing principle of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. ...  As we have seen, The Water of the Wondrous Isles is no exception. ... then passes on from house to house, ... before revisiting all these locations on its way back ..., and then to ... where it started. This process of return in fantasy fiction is often read as a conservative gesture, an expression of the middle-class desire for restoration of the status quo, but for Morris it serves a very different function. ... return ... sees ... transformed by ... adventures, an expert in many different models of cohabitation, and the added power this transformation lends ... gives rise to a radical domestic transformation. 

Between ... departure ... and ... return ..., ... visits a range of houses which articulate in different ways the conditions of their inhabitants. ... brings ... first to ... the Isle of Increase Unsought: a magnificent structure ‘nobly builded’ (p. 82), which incorporates a prison called the Wailing Tower where there are captive three young female slaves. One calls this structure the House of Death, and its unsound social foundations are later confirmed when it collapses as soon as its owner has been deprived of her magic powers. The Isle of the Young and the Old is inhabited only by children and one old man, and its once magnificent house is now ‘ruined and broken’ (p. 124), bereft of the solicitous care of strong and intelligent adult men and women. The Isle of Queens contains a ‘great house, white and fair, as if it were new-builded, and all glorious with pinnacles, and tabernacles set with imagery’ (p. 131); but this house holds only women, and the women are as motionless and breathless as statues, so that this building too could be called a House of Death. The same name would apply to the ‘castle, white, high, and hugely builded’ (p. 136) that stands on the Isle of the Kings, which is full of the motionless bodies of ‘all-armed men’ (p. 138). Each of these buildings speaks of a society that segregates genders and generations, unable to achieve the organic synchrony of elements which is the objective of William Morris’s ideal architecture. The final wondrous isle is the Isle of Nothing, which expresses the barrenness of such segregation; one is nearly stranded there in permanent solitude, with nowhere to go that suits one's needs as free.
...
... the states of entrapment to which ... is so often subjected: for instance, ... an imprisoning fog on the Island of Nothing, ...


So, to sum up the premises:
ARCHIPELAGO OF THE WONDROUS ISLES:

• a range of houses which articulate in different ways the conditions of their inhabitants, 
• all people exist in a condition of permanent stasis, frozen in time like forgotten works of art
• many different models of cohabitation in...
• a dystopia segregated by genders and ages/generations, where everyone is subjected to various states of entrapment according to those parameters (ie gender and age/generation):

1. ISLE OF INCREASE UNSOUGHT: young females - tower - captivity
2. ISLE OF THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: children + 1 senior - ruin - living in squalour
3. ISLE OF QUEENS: adult females - mansion - comatose
4. ISLE OF KINGS: adult males - castle - comatose
5. ISLE OF NOTHING: empty of people - desert island of permanent solitude - imprisoning fog 

(this segregation is unnatural; all the people on the Wondrous Isles were destined to be brought to the mainland and become part of one society, populating the same village)


Magic, then, in Morris’s work, is a way of intensifying the personality of the user; the way it is used provides an index to the user’s desires and values. In the process it also provides a means for Morris to emphasize how power works at its best and worst, since magic is raw power. When used by the unscrupulous it demonstrates the effects of tyrannical power on its victims, which is to bereave them of their personal powers. ..., replicating the effects of the mysterious magic that binds the noblemen and ladies on the Isles of Kings and Queens in a deathly sleep, the residents of the Isle of the Old and Young in perpetual childishness. ... Magic entraps, encloses, and curtails, or else it liberates, comforts, and affirms; but in every case the person who works it, and the person on whom it is worked, find their identities painted in bolder colours by its operations, much as the personality of the sitter is enhanced by the process of having their portrait painted.

(all people exist in a condition of permanent stasis, frozen in time like forgotten works of art: adults bound in comatose sleep; residents of the Isle of the Old and Young bound in perpetual childishness -like in Neverland, also the senior is in his 'second childishness'-; maidens kept in captivity... all people exist in a condition of permanent stasis, frozen in time like forgotten works of art, due to mysterious magic --dark magic that entraps, encloses, and curtails-- whose origin is never explained. Metaphor?)

**************************************************************************

The organic interweaving of diverse ingredients represented here – company, food, deft manual or mental activity – is repeated time and again in other houses: in the prison-chamber on the Isle of Increase Unsought, where fellow inmates sit down to eat and talk while keeping a sharp ear open for the arrival of their captor, ....

... next set of garments are symbolic of ... first entry into a community. ... arrives at the Isle of Increase Unsought, where ... is enslaved again ...; and the three slave women ... meets here invest ... with clothes of their own before helping ... escape for a second time. The garments they provide are not just decorative coverings, however – they are also messages to their knightly lovers. Each has a story woven into it, so to speak, having been given to its owner by her fiancé, and ... learns the narrative behind each item when ... meets the bereft young men at the Castle of the Quest. 


****************************************************************

On the return trip, the dystopia is healed:

In many cases old houses are repurposed as part of the journey towards this utopian future. ..., while the buildings on the ‘Wonder Isles’ of the enchanted Water have each been requisitioned by new inhabitants when ... visits them for a second time on ... journey back .... 

THREE LI'L KITTIES AND A KAPPA GENOCIDE

Star*Twinkle Pretty Cure - Episode 37
My Own Review
THREE LI'L KITTIES AND A KAPPA GENOCIDE

We are now wrapping up the month of October, and that means it is almost time for Halloween – so of course, episode thirty-seven of Star ☆ Twinkle is the de rigueur Samhain (pronounced saawin) episode.

Lala looking forward to the dress up contest

In this episode, Lala gets hold of a leaflet from Mihoshi High Street with information about a dress up contest for Halloween. Her whole class decides to enter the competition. They aren’t the only ones, as some familiar faces join the fun, including Kappard. Not that Kappard intended to get involved…

Hikaru, Lala, Sakurako Himenojou and some other characters, dressed up for the contest

As you can imagine, there are plenty of costumes to be seen in this episode. Hikaru’s class goes for a cryptid theme. And Sakurako as Mothwoman (FRICKING MOTHWOMAN) completely steals the spotlight...

Una familia muy floral

Elena, Madoka, and Yuni are Las Tres Gatas

Apparently Elena gets to wear two different costumes, but I’m fine with that. Amusingly, Yuni simply opts to use her true form; going as herself literally. Kind of a shame when she is (almost) a master of disguise. I like the sun and moon pendants on Elena and Madoka’s respective kitty collars; it’s a neat little touch. Yuni has a galaxy pendant because she's Cosmos.

Kappard proves to be surprisingly popular

Kappard gets to do a bit more than the usual antagonist role in this episode, starting with taking selfie photos with all the people dressed up (like these two sexy pumpkinettes). Naturally, they think he is in a kappa costume as well, and we also get some glimpses into Kappard’s past.

Kappard attacks

Of course, Kappard is still a villain, so when the others come across them a fight ensues. Thing is, PreCures need to do something to prevent Earthlings learning about the aliens in their midst. Fortunately, Hikaru has an idea.

Mihoshi Stars

The encounter with Kappard turns into a hero show, at least until they can move the fight away from civilians. We get a full on sentai-esque sequence with the Mihoshi Stars’ introductions and everything. It is some pretty amusing stuff.

A flashback featuring a young Kappard

We get a Kappard-focused flashback, showing us how he lost his planet and all of his kin to an invasion from another world. The Kappa Planet was drained dry of freshwater by the enemy, and everyone was dying of thirst, until only one kappa boy remained alive to tell the tale (guess who?) It also gives the audience an idea of why he firmly believes people from different planets are unable to get along. Of course, Cure Milkyway doesn’t believe that; her bond with her friends (or rather companions, ie nakama), some Earthlings and a Rainbowian, totally contradicts Kappard’s views.

This is actually a group photograph, but we’re focusing on the important characters here

The episode wraps up in the usual manner. It was quite a good one, and I did like learning a little more about Kappard’s past. I do wonder who was in charge of the forces that drained Kappard’s home planet of water; was it Darknest, or some other evil force?
I could totally see Kappard turning on Darknest in the future, perhaps aiding the Cures when they inevitably come to fight him.
Lala got a fair bit of focus in this episode, but ultimately, I’d say that this was very much Kappard’s episode. It’s nice to get to know our villains a little more.

Next time, looks like the plot gets back on track with an episode that focuses on Yuni as the search for Twinkle Imagination resumes once more. Ayewan will be back, too.

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:
(Cue The Final Solution by Sabaton)
Oui, the Great and Powerful Kappard is the sole survivor of a genocide. And he was underage when said catastrophe occurred. THE FEELS. Knowing the trauma that lies beneath.

TSQ-IV: LAUREN LE VINE

Frozen

Source material: The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen (1844)

Original story:

[···]

... tells ... about a well-read Princess in the kingdom where ... . The Princess decided to get married, so she called for all the eligible suitors in the land to visit her. ... apparently arrived with a knapsack on his back, which ... . wasn’t there to win the princess’ heart, but to hear her knowledge, but she fell for him anyway. ... 
take ... to the Prince and Princess.

The Prince looks ..., but younger and more handsome. But it’s apparently ...? Hans Christian Andersen made this story seven parts, so clearly ... cannot ... in part four. Anyway, the Prince and Princess send ... on ... way to find ... .

We’re now at part five, or rather, the fifth story, which is called “The Little Robber Girl.” ... carriage is jumped by a band of robbers in the forest.

(No mention of the honeymoon in foreign lands in this summary)

PELELE - Un juego del Siglo de Oro

“Pelele” se llama un antiguo juego español de fiesta y de feria que consiste en lanzar a un muñeco a tamaño real arriba y abajo con una gran tela (“mantearlo”). Se supone que el pelele representa a un personaje público generalmente despreciado (p. ej. Rodrigo Rato en la actualidad), del que se escenifica la ejecución ceremonial. En general eran y son las jóvenes españolas quienes dan rienda suelta a su indignación en lo que respecta al machismo y al patriarcado de este modo.

Cuando lanzan bruscamente al muñeco, cantan alguna de las canciones satíricas tradicionales que forman parte del juego, por ejemplo ésta:

El pelele está malo,

¿qué le daremos?

Agua de caracoles,

que cría cuernos.

Uno de los cuadros más famosos de Goya muestra el manteo de un pelele capturado al vuelo, mientras que el compositor Enrique Granados invoca al espíritu del juego en su brillante pieza para piano titulada El Pelele.

También los varones mantean peleles. Es un juego unisex, especialmente popular en tiempos de Carnaval. En realidad, la cronología de este juego tal y como lo conocemos puede trazarse hasta una costumbre pagana primaveral: el sacrificio ritual del viejo “espíritu-árbol” al celebrar el equinoccio de primavera y el retorno del nuevo rey del bosque. En los Abruzzos, un espantapájaros se lleva en procesión aupado de pueblo en pueblo para señalar el inicio de los Carnavales. En vísperas del Miércoles de Ceniza, al final de las celebraciones, éste recibe un manteo ceremonial con una vieja sábana o frazada. Otra versión más macabra del ritual, celebrada otrora en toda Europa, implicaba mantear a un perro vivo y enrollarlo en la manta durante las mismas fechas.

También se han expuesto a personas vivas, en su día, al mismo tratamiento. En la Inglaterra de Shakespeare, el manteo era una expresión de insatisfacción pública, a caballo entre la broma y el castigo. Un autor del siglo XVI trata al manteo de “ejercicio deshonroso”. “Voy a mantear a ese canalla”, dice el personaje de Falstaff cuando un compañero se burla de él.

También el escudero de nuestro Quijote, el tolerante Sancho Panza, tiene que pasar por el aro del ridículo y ser manteado vivo cuando unos graciosos la toman con él en la venta de Maritornes.

El pueblo inuit de Alaska toma ventaja del mismo principio con fines más positivos: su nalukatok, practicado tradicionalmente con un cuero de morsa y actualmente también con una lona de barco, es una importante forma de actividad física. Este juego ha evolucionado hasta convertirse en deporte de competición: cada participante es manteado por sus compañeros de equipo y ha de tomar suficiente impulso como para saltar al menos seis o siete metros en el aire durante el manteo. Todo el rato, intenta permanecer en pie el mayor tiempo posible, y continúa rebotando, arriba y abajo, hasta perder el equilibrio. Cuando, al final, le resulta imposible distinguir entre arriba y abajo, su siguiente compañero ha de relevarle. Gana quien es capaz de mantenerse en pie durante el mayor número de manteos.

Españolitas del siglo XVIII manteando a un pelele en un cuadro de Goya, 1780. Encargo de la manufactura real de tapices.

Muñeco (arriba, dcha.): un muñeco a tamaño real cosido a mano aumenta la esperanza de vida de las prendas viejas de ropa. Si le pintas la cara con rotulador indeleble, puedes darle su propia personalidad.

REGLAMENTO DEL JUEGO

Se puede mantear al pelele bajo techo, pero es más divertido al aire libre, sobre todo en el campo o en el parque, donde el muñeco puede lanzarse literalmente por los aires. Tres, cuatro o cinco jugadores extienden la tela en el suelo y dejan al muñeco en el centro de ésta. Cada jugador coge la tela por una esquina y, a la de tres, la tela se deja caer y luego se tensa, de modo que el muñeco es lanzado y vuela por los aires. Cada vez que vuelve a caer, se lo lanza manteándolo de nuevo, cada vez más alto. Los jugadores gritan de euforia con cada vuelo del pelele, y, a menudo, marcan el compás con una cancioncilla. Si no os gusta la del agua de caracoles, aquí tenéis otra:

“Pelele, pelele,

tu madre te quiere,

tu padre también.

Todos te queremos.

¡Arriba con él!”

PD. Si disponéis de pantalones largos y de una sudadera de otoño que no os quepan, podéis enviarlos a Cáritas… o aprovechar el “paso a paso” de aquí abajo para coser un muñeco que os haga de pelele, actor en vuestro teatro de títeres, compañero de cama y/o confidente (si no sabéis coser, pedidle a un hada costurera, mamá, tía, abuela, o amiga mayor que lance un hechizo de aguja). Los pies son calcetines cosidos a las perneras; la cabeza será una almohada pequeña, a la que se cose, o se pega con Super Glue, una peluca. Podemos emplear una almohada de emoji o comprar una en blanco y dibujarle la cara con rotulador indeleble.

Este pelele casero vuela por los aires desde una manta a cuadros escoceses, manteado por cinco chicos, todos varones, del pueblo de Pedro Muñoz.

Un pelele político: caricatura británica de la era napoleónica que satiriza la situación de España en el momento, ya que muestra al usurpador José Bonaparte manteado por el pueblo español y sus aliados ingleses… ¡volando cual pelele, destronado y descoronado! A la izquierda, su hermano Napoleón observa la escena a caballo desde una distancia prudencial.

POSDATA. Si os sentís de un humor anticlerical, aquí va una tercera tonada para el manteo del pelele:

Debajo de la cama del señor cura

hay un canastillo de confitura.

Los confites grandes son para el ama

los más pequeñitos pa la criada.

IN WHICH YUNI GOES FULL-ON CARMEN SANDIEGO

Star*Twinkle Pretty Cure - Episode 36
My Own Review
IN WHICH YUNI GOES FULL-ON CARMEN SANDIEGO

The thirty-sixth episode of Star ☆ Twinkle is one that puts Yuni – or more specifically, her alter-ego the Blue Cat – into the spotlight. A character who appears in the Star ☆ Twinkle film also makes her debut her, too.

Just Yuni chowing down on a doughnut

In this episode, Lala’s AI informs everyone that an octopoid alien mafia boss by the name of Don Octo Polpone has obtained a ring from the planet Rainbow. Yuni is determined to take it back, so she and the others sneak into Don Octo’s base. Besides the alien mafia, the Blue Cat also has to contend with an inspector from the Starscape Alliance.

Mary Anne

Making her debut in this episode is spaniel furry Starscape Police inspector, Mary Anne. She also appears in the upcoming Star ☆ Twinkle film, even pulling out a Miracle Light at one point. She’s on board Don Octo’s ship as a spy, but she dreams of pursuing bigger cases; such as catching the Blue Cat. Looks like Ayewan is not the only wan with Javertian ambitions surrounding our catgirl (ps. wan is also the onomatopoeia woof or ruff in Japanese).

The Fuwa Mafia

A lesson that this particular episode is very keen to teach is that stealing is bad. Remember your Eighth Commandment? The thing is, Yuni’s motivations for stealing back the ring from Don Octo are totally sound, and I’m on her side. 

Yuni manages to obtain the ring from Don Octo

Fortunately, Yuni is not deterred by her crew’s objections. I’m glad to see Yuni stick to her convictions, and even more so because that means we are getting to see more Blue Cat.

Don Octo captures Blue Cat and Mary Anne

Of course our Blue Cat has to deal with the mafia after stealing the ring from Don Octo, and the situation is only further complicated when Mary Anne reveals she is with the police. The mafia aren’t too happy about that, but the Blue Cat decides to help her out when she gets into trouble – doesn’t really work out for either of them in the end, though.

Don Octo Polpone is transformed by Tenjou

Can’t have an episode without the KNotraiders getting involved, and it is Tenjou who does so this time around. Of course, Mary Anne quickly discovers that Blue Cat is actually a PreCure following that.

Cosmos blushes as her friends praise her

The fight in this episode has its fair share of great moments. Soleil protecting Selene is one, but everyone just complimenting Cosmos is definitely the highlight; they all just say she is pretty much tsundere.

Cosmos’s goofy face here is great

After the fight, everything resolves itself in pretty typical PreCure fashion – though Yuni does tell the others she will steal if necessary. She’ll just make sure to not endanger everyone else.

This was a great episode of Star ☆ Twinkle, and that all pretty much comes down to Yuni. The previous episodes did maybe have a decent moment here or there, but this one is definitely an improvement.
It helps that I like Yuni a lot, so of course an episode that focuses on her is going to be one that I enjoy. The whole concept of it was fun though, and it was a pretty good introduction to one of the characters who shall be appearing in the upcoming film. Hopefully we’ll get a little more of the rivalry between Blue Cat and Mary Anne outside of the film as well.

Next time the fun looks set to continue as everyone dresses up for Halloween.

MY OWN HUMBLE OPINION:

Not long ago I had a common cold and was bedridden with a fever, a runny nose, and a laptop on which to stream the whole Netflix Carmen Sandiego. What can I say? (Especially about PaperStar and Gunnar Malström...) Intrigue, excitement, edutainment, and a righteous heroine who, just like Yuni, steals from the corrupt in the name of higher causes.

The Snow Queen Also Became a Story

The Snow Queen Also Became a Story

Hecate

Summary:

It was a spell, he tells himself, and knows it to be true. Prince Andrew Alcott (from Mirror Mirror) remembers being under the effect of the love potion that the wicked queen Clementianna made him unwittingly drink.

Notes:

Don't archive/translate without asking. Not mine, no money made. Title taken from a quote of the sci-fi Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge.

Work Text:

Clementianna knew the moment she saw the prince that he was to be her new husband. It was simply too perfect! The Baron had just been bugging her about marrying her, and there was no way she was getting married to a man with white hair again! Plus, it had been ten years since her last husband’s disappearance and presumed death, surely no one would bother her again with things like mourning and wearing black.

When the prince presented himself in front of her, half-naked after that fortunat… Unfortunate attack of brigands, it was love at first sight – those abs just had to belong to her.

At first, everything seemed to be going perfectly. The ball was organized accordingly to her wishes, and that small problem of finances was going to be resolved with the new taxes.

Then Snow White, that nosy brat, just had to ruin it. Clementianna got rid of her – at least Brighten did – and then there was no other distraction for the Prince.

She still had to use some love potion since the fool seemed so able at resisting her charms. She was only thirty years old (according to the law she had declared that punished of death anyone suggesting she was older), and the most beautiful woman in the land, how could he not be naturally attracted to her?

Anyhow. Her fifth wedding day approached. It promised to be as perfect as the last, even more so since her husband-to-be was someone she’d enjoy spending time with. Probably. She was still as excited as she was when she was sixteen!

Then everything went to hell. The prince was kidnapped, Snow White, who wasn’t dead, proved to be an problem extremely annoying and then the beast that had plagued the kingdom and justify her unquestioned rule turned back into the king and –

Clementianna looked old. That brat, that little bitch! She made her ugly by breaking one of the spells! By breaking one, she released on Clementianna the consequences of every last favors she had asked.

With every step she took, Clementianna heard the laugh of her reflection in the Mirror resonating in her ears.

She still had one trick up her sleeve. She would have her revenge, she would!

Clementianna walked into the brat’s wedding to a man that rightfully belonged to her, caressing the apple under her cloak. Yes, one last treat for the ungrateful raven haired girl.

It didn’t go as planned. And when Snow White gave her a piece of the poisoned apple, daring her to eat what she had tried to use against her, a smile on her blood red lips, Clementianna wondered how anyone could think of this girl as an innocent little princess. She only saw a future queen, a blood-thirsty monster worse than anything Clementianna ever was.

Clementianna was petty, she was egoist, she was vain, she didn’t care much about the life of others, she spent too much money… But she wasn’t cruel like Snow White. Clementianna didn’t think her ex-husbands would disagree. She had after all married them, doing them the extreme honor of being associated with the most beautiful woman in the land. They had been in her arms, in her bed, they died happy – well, except for the king, who could count himself even luckier. He didn’t die and became a powerful being, all thanks to her!

This was a sad end to a beautiful story, Clementianna’s story.

At least, she thought, she got to die on one last beautiful wedding… Clementianna always loved a good wedding. Too bad it wasn’t hers.

***********************************************

The ice breaks up on a lake in the forest the day he marries Snow White. A girl freezes to death ere she can drown. He only finds out about it days later when he rides through the village, his body warm from Snow White's embrace. He finds out because the girl's mother wears black and she's a raven in the town that turned colourful overnight.

He gives her gold coins for the funeral; she doesn't even pretend to smile. He's grateful for that.

He rides on. The snow is melting and the ice breaks. The forest is turning green now, deeper and darker with the colour. All the light between the trees is gone with the snow that threw it around like it was a game only the two of them knew. He expected the forest's beauty to grow with the spring. He was wrong.

He finds the remains of the dwarves' hut, broken wood and broken furniture littering the ground like rotting bones. When he returns to the castle, he tells Snow White that the world outside of the stone walls surrounding them is more beautiful now. He lies, of course. The world is simply going on.

He dreams of the queen that night, dreams of the way he loved her, adored her. He wakes up in darkness, Snow White soft and warm at his side, and he reaches out to wake her. "I love you," he says, and pushes at the memory that wants to come to the surface, the memory of the queen's face.

It was a spell, he tells himself, and knows it to be true.

Days pass, turning into weeks, and the ice breaks. Springtime, then summer embraces the castle and the kingdom, warm and yellow, and Snow White's skin changes beneath it. In the mornings, when she kisses him, her lips taste of apples. He loves her. When he sleeps, he loves another. When he dreams, the world turns lighter, colours escaping the scenery. It's cold.

When he wakes, the snow is gone.

He tries to ask the king if he loved the queen before the magic but he fails to find the words. The king only looks at him, eyes dark with the missing years and the women he lost. He never tries again.

In the height of summer, the fields catch fire, the soil too dry.

The people will go hungry in winter. But they're used to it. Springtime, then summer goes on. He spends his time in the crypt deep beneath the castle, the stones cold beneath his fingertips. He remembers kissing Snow White in winter then, remembers the taste of strawberries and the splinters of a broken spell in his heart. When he walks up into summer, Snow White is waiting for him. Her skin is too warm when she takes his hand. But he goes where she leads him, like a fox-dog on a leash, and he thinks of the queen.

Autumn paints the world in new shades of red, like the lips of a mother and the blood of a lost daughter. The wind chases the leaves through the villages and across the lake, and they fly into a room no one lives in anymore. He collects them all and lets them fall from the balcony. When he turns, the wind is dancing with the bedsheets, and he imagines the queen sleeping beneath them.

He leaves the room and never returns to it.

There are rumours about an enemy, stories about a kingdom that prepares for war, and their country closes in on itself. The king builds up his army again and Snow White stops smiling.

"He left like that before," she tells him, voice broken. "She made him leave."

He holds her hand then, tries to smile for her, and says: "But he returned. And she died."

Outside, he sees snow falling again, and he thinks of the way it used to cover the kingdom. He fell in love with a princess back then. But he never forgot the queen. And winter is coming.