Goodbye 2016

On a personal level, I don't really have any  real complaints regarding 2016. On a more general scale though? Yeah, this has not been a great year, has it? Thankfully, its almost over and with that in mind, I'd like to wish all my readers the very best for the coming year. So, from all of me to all of you:

Happy New Year

Christmas With the Plantagenets

With the yuletide season upon us, I thought it appropriate to write a little something about one of my favorite Christmas movies. However, before we get to heart of the matter, there's something I want to make clear:
The way I see it a Christmas movie can usually be slot into one of two categories. In the first category, we have movies that incorporate the themes and meanings of the Holiday. You know, "goodwill to all men" and all that jazz. The second category consists of movies which simply happens to take place during the Holiday. The movie which is the subject of this post, belong in the later category (there's very little, if any, goodwill to be found in it) and if you happen to look at the title of the post and immediately guessed The Lion In Winter, then congratulations; you were right.

For those of you not familiar with it, The Lion In Winter is a 1968 movie  based on a play by James Goldman (brother of William, author of The Marathon Man), directed by Anthony Harvey and featuring such actors as Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Antony Hopkins (in his film debut) and Timothy Dalton, among others.

So, what's the film about? Well, its 1183 and Henry II has summoned the rest of England's royal family; his scheming wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three surviving sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John, to his residence in Chinon, Anjou. Also present are Henry's lover, Alais and her brother Philip II, king of France.
Ten years earlier, Henry's and Eleanor's oldest son, also named Henry had, with the help of Richard and Geoffrey rebelled against his father. Eleanor was the brains behind the rebellion and as punishment, Henry II has kept her in house arrest, only letting her out on certain special occasions, such as Christmas. With the younger Henry having passed away, England is left without an heir. Henry favors John, the youngest who did not take part in the rebellion, but Eleanor is determined to have her favorite Richard, inherit the throne.

That's the basic gist of it. I should point out that while the characters and their relationships with one another are (somewhat) historically accurate, the plot is entirely fictional. Not that it matters; The Lion in Winter isn't really a history lesson, but rather a family drama and at that, it excels. The plot of the movie is gripping with its many schemes and betrayals carried out by its fascinatingly wicked characters, all of whom are wonderfully brought to life by the cast of highly talented actors, with O'Toole and Hepburn being the obvious stand-outs. In addition, The Lion in Winter also features some of the best dialogue I've ever heard in a movie,  with lines ranging from hilariously wicked and snarky to genuinely moving. I can safely say that this is among the most quotable movies I've ever had the pleasure to watch.

Some Silverlinings

(Disclaimer: Title and idea for this post was shamelessly nicked from here, credit where credit is due).

Usually, my favorite characters tend to come from works of fiction that I consider to be genuinely great (or at least, very good), which I think make a lot of sense. However, even works that I either dislike or am ambivalent towards can on occasion produce some genuinely compelling characters. The characters below are all examples of these and while the works they're from may be of varying quality, each of them made the work of fiction they hail from a bit better with their presence.

Alejanda Coldthorn (Las Lindas)

I should first like to say that I can't stand most of the cast of Las Lindas. By and large, the characters can be divided into two categories: Annoying or bland. Alejandra Coldthorn (and to a lesser extent, her assistant, Tootsie) was the exception to this rule, being the only genuinely good character to come out of this web-comic. The antagonist of Las Lindas, Alejandra was introduced as a cold-hearted corporate villain with a grudge against the main character, Mora, she gradually developed into the only genuinely sympathetic character in the comic. However, even back when she was merely the villain, I couldn't help but root for Alejandra and sympathize with her far more than her rival and hoping in vain that she'd score some small victory that would knock Mora down a peg.

Benjamin Linus (Lost)

Lost is a show that seems to have suffered some backlash since it ended and quite frankly, I can't say its completely undeserved. Now, I watched the show all the way to the end when it first aired, but even then I can't deny that it was very hit-and-miss and I don't really have any desire to re-visit it. One thing about Lost that was consistently great though was Michael Emerson's portrayal of Benjamin Linus, introduced in the show's second season. The Man In Black may have been the ultimate big bad of the show, but for me, Ben will always be the villain of Lost, as far as I'm concerned. The leader of the Others, Ben was a devious, ruthless and complex character and I always enjoyed watching him plot his schemes.

Erza Scarlet (Fairy Tail)

Pretty sure that if it wasn't for this kickass redhead, I would have ended up dropping the Fairy Tail anime way earlier than I actually did.

Shizuka (Queen's Blade)

Believe it or not, but Queen's Blade, an anime famous (or infamous) for its amount of fan-service, actually had quite a few characters that I genuinely liked. If I had to pick one though, I'll go with Shizuka. If you've seen the show, this may seem like an odd choice. After all, Shizuka is not really a central character and her main purpose in the plot is to serve as a cataclysm for another character's (Tomoe) growth. However, she plays that role very well and her more realistic outlook on life and down-to-earth persona serves as a great compliment and contrast to Tomoe's idealism and naivete. Plus, she's at the heart of what is, to me, the most emotional scene in this anime.

Silver (Treasure Planet)

While far from one of Disney's worst movies, I'd definitely classify Treasure Planet as one of the lesser films to come out of the House of Mouse (at least, if we're limiting ourselves to the so-called canon). That said, its take on Long John Silver was great and easily rank among the best depictions of Robert Louis Stevenson's greatest character. The movie did a terrific job capturing Silver's ambiguous personality and his dual-role as both a father figure to Jim and a villainous pirate, thus providing him with a level of depth rarely seen in a Disney-villain (let's face it, while there are plenty of good and even great villains in Disney's animated features, few of them are what I would call complex, not that they really need to be).

Chapter 14

For the time being, we shall leave Risha, Merees, Leorin and Luke lying on that foreign beach, all four of them seemingly dead to the world and instead return to the nation which the princess and the two siblings had left behind. During the course of this chapter, your humble narrator, will attempt to shed some light on the events which transpired from the moment the trio met with Samuel, to when they, alongside their new companion, escaped from captain Cerewan's ship.

It did not take long for Argath to understand how her sister had duped the guard and manage to leave the palace. The knowledge that Merees had managed to escape her clutches, troubled the older Princess and she gave voice to her vexation by picking up a paperweight which stood on what previously had been her late father's desk and throw it at the wall. Having gotten that out of her system, Argath calmed down and began to ponder the situation: For the moment, Merees was not an immediate threat, being a refugee with no power-base and no support. The important thing was to figure out where she had gone and deal with her before she acquired either of these things. In the meantime, more pressing matters demanded her attention.

The guests, many of which had already been displeased by their confinement had begun to voice their dissent more loudly. Realizing, that she could not keep them in the palace any longer, Argath agreed to open up the gates and let everyone return to their respective homes and so they did, each of them wondering what the future would have in store.

After embracing wife, wishing her good luck and telling her to be careful, Jeraddin too set out for the journey back home, in order to inform Albert about the new circumstances regarding the family. At first, Jeraddin had considered only sending a messenger, but he eventually decided that the old servant deserved to hear the sad news from him personally.

I wonder how he's going to take it, the lynx thought as he walked the path up to his estate. Well, I guess I'll soon find out.

As he entered the foyer, Jeraddin found Albert waiting for him, as usual.

"Welcome home, sir" the goat said, taking Jeraddin's coat and hanging it on the rack. "Lady Nasari and the children are not with you?" He asked, surprised by their absence.

Jeraddin shook his head sadly.

"No, they are not with me. Come with me, Albert. There's something I have to tell you."

Albert followed his master into the living room. There, Jeraddin bid him sit down and poured him a drink. Albert made as if to decline, but Jeraddin insisted.

"Trust me", he said. "You are going to want this."

Puzzled,  Albert accepted the drink. Once he had done that, Jeraddin sat down next to him and revealed everything that happened while they were in the capital.

"There you have it", Jeraddin said, once he had finished.

Albert  did not answer, for some time he had only been staring wide-eyed at the General, hearing the latter's words as if they had spoken from a distance. With an unsteady hand, he raised the glass to his lips and downed it in one gulp. Then, he sat silent, staring down at the floor.

"Terrible", he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Simply terrible."

You can say that again, Jeraddin thought.

He stood up and Albert followed his example.

"I'll be in the garden", he said.

"Very good, sir".

Albert's voice betrayed no emotion.

As he walked through the garden, Jeraddin found himself overwhelmed by memories of the past; a past which seemed as if it had occurred both recently and in the distant past at the same time: Here was the apple-tree which had his and Nasari's name carved in its trunk, the same tree in which their children had practiced climbing in and, on occasion, fallen out off. There was the small pond which he had once been pushed into by his better half, as the result of a heated argument between the two of them. The reason for their argument had long since slipped from Jeraddin's mind. What he did remember, however, was how it had ended, with the two of them both sopping wet, lying next to each other in the grass and laughing, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes

In the shade of a tree stood a bench, Jeraddin sat down on it and looked out at the garden.

I had hoped that one day, when I am with my ancestors, one of my children would stay here and fill this place with children of their own. Now those days will never come and I have sold my soul to the person responsible for it, but at least I can take comfort in the thought that my children are safe.

The thought of his son and daughter, still alive but gone forever, proved too much for Jeraddin. He threw his head back and from his throat rose a mournful, wailing sound.

*****

Deep in the palace dungeons, in a dark and cramped cell, Bureno languished. On the floor the bowl of gruel which one of the guards had brought him sat, untouched. Ever since the guards had searched his room and found the money and the letter hidden away, objects which to them proved without any shadow of a doubt that Bureno was guilty of poisoning the king, the former master of the kitchen had felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare, which he couldn't wake up from. 

The sound of keys turning caused Bureno to look up, as he did he saw the door to his cell open and seconds later, he found himself looking up at Lorenzo, who was accompanied by two guards.

"Get up, traitor", the fox commanded.

Bureno obliged, though Lorenzo's insult stung at the very core of his being.

"I'm innocent!" He protested. "I swear it, someone planted those things in my...."

The Boar was not able to finish the sentence, a hard smack on the mouth, courtesy of Lorenzo, shut him up.

"Tell it to the judge."

"T-the judge?" Bureno stammered. "You don't mean?"

"That's right, we're taking you to court. Personally, I think its a waste of time, but do you know what Her Royal Highness, our soon to be Queen said when I told her that?"

Bureno shook his head.

"She said that anyone had the right to a fair trial, including a regicide. After all, its what the old King would have wanted."

These words stirred something inside Bureno. If the Princess was willing to listen then maybe there was hope for him after all? It was a slim chance, but he held onto it, like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood. After all, it was the only thing he had.
Led outside, his hands shackled behind his back, Bureno winced and blinked a few times in the strong sunlight. Once his eyes had adjusted, the first thing he saw was a large crowd that stared with him with hatred in its eyes.

"There he is!" Someone shouted. "There's the killer!"

"Murderer!" A female voice shrieked.

"Give him to us!" A third voice demanded. "There's no need for a trial!"

Although several armed guards stood between him and the mob, Bureno still found himself shaking with fear. He knew that in that mass of people there were a thousand claws and a thousand teeth that would tear him to pieces if given the opportunity. Suddenly, a sharp pain in his shoulder caused Bureno to wince. Then he felt Lorenzo's hot breath on his face.

"Well, Master-Chef" the fox whispered, pronouncing the title in a mocking, sarcastic tone. "What do you think? Shall we oblige these good people and give them what they want?"

He wouldn't, Bureno thought, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. The Princess wants me to stand trial and he would never defy her orders. He's just toying with me, that's all. 

"Ah, get a move on!" Lorenzo barked, giving Bureno a hard shove, which caused him to loose his balance and land face-first in a puddle, two of the guards dragged him to his feet. With that the march towards the courthouse was continued. However, the mob, feeling that slinging verbal abuse towards the accused was no longer enough had decided to switch to a more physical approach. Some individual had taken the initiative to bring a few rotten tomatoes with them and soon, the unfortunate Bureno found himself assaulted by an endless bombardment of the horrible fruit.

Eventually, tired, bruised and with his clothes covered in tomato-juice and mud-stains, Bureno and his escort reached the courthouse building. He was just about to begin the climb up the stairs which led to the entrance when a shot went out. The next moment, Bureno was lying on his back, his brains splattered all over the white stairs.

As the years went by, two popular theories surfaced in regards to Bureno's assassination. The first theory meant that the assassin had been one of the boar's co-conspirators, who had silenced him before he could divulge any important information to the court. The Second theory instead, proposed the idea that the assassination had been carrying out by a misguided patriot. There was also a third theory, but it never gained much traction. Mostly because in the years that followed, those who subscribed that theory learned to keep it to themselves.

Despite the police combing the city, under Lorenzo's supervision, the mysterious assassin was never found.