Tuesday night, rainy

[cleolinda]

It's not even September yet, and here my thoughts are already turning to Halloween. This is probably for the best, as I associate Black Ribbon most with Halloween--it's just that whole gothic Victorian thing. Not Hot Topic gothic, but rather English ghost story gothic. I've let rosehannah languish a bit while the Harry Potter-Stardust summer fantasy juggernaut paraded through, but I'm going to start posting again--several steampunk blogs and sites I've picked up since then, whatever gothic short story I happen to be reading, whatever I happen to be researching. I started it a couple of months ago as a (spoiler-free) writer's notebook, both for me and for people who are interested in the story, if you missed me talking about it the first time.

Slightly related: Big BPAL Halloween update. God, I'm going to have to start selling plasma just to afford a set of imps. Fortunately I still have a mostly full bottle of Sugar Skull, which I love, and a good bit of Samhain.

New entries compiled at the Cleoland wiki: Pthoolhu, Sawyer the frog, my mother, and dreams (and why does Brad Pitt feature in so many of those?).

Linkspam!

Greek fires reach ancient Olympics site; Greek leaders face criticism in fires.

Teen with TB jailed, receiving care.

Police log: Owen Wilson tried to commit suicide; Owen Wilson hospitalized after suicide attempt; Owen Wilson Well Enough To Tell TMZ To Stop Hounding Him; Hospital says Wilson doing well; Owen Wilson Visited in Hospital by Samuel L. Jackson; Owen Wilson’s film future still looks bright.

Do Parkinson's drugs create obsessions?

Crushed glass to be spread on beaches.

Why Princess Diana still fascinates us.

Gay Unions Sanctioned in Medieval Europe. That... that is not a headline I expected to read. Not the "gay" part, the "medieval" part. "BREAKING NEWS: BLACK DEATH KILLED 1/3 OF EUROPE."

Baby hedges adopt hairbrush Mom.

John Ashbery, poet laureate of the mtvU set.

Cormac McCarthy has won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize ("So the Scots AND Oprah love [The Road]. Damn, that sounds like a depressing book").

''Lost'' adds fifth new cast member.

Jim Carrey pleads for Nobel laureate's freedom.

Jack Davenport, Christopher Eccleston among the famous names reading children's stories. Downloads!

From jainamsolo: Stardust costumes on eBay, in which you can see the number motif I was talking about on Sunday.

'Pirates' and 'High School Musical 2' Triumph at Teen Choice Awards. (Speaking of pirates, from thegeneralerin: "Most successful pirate was beautiful and tough.")

Fall movie guide: Oscar bait.

Ang Lee movie caught in political spat.

A different Sweeney Todd poster: a bit more atmospheric and a little less crotchly; Sweeney Todd Opening Wide Dec. 21 (YAY); Sweeney Todd Too Gory? (*facepalm*).

'Bond 22' Not Based On A Fleming Story ("but steeped in Fleming's ideas"). I'm to the point where I just report all the latest Bond news to my mother for the express purpose of winding her up--I actually got her going for ten minutes last night at the dinner table.

The Dark Knight Spy Report (spoilers).

More Cate!Dylan pics from I'm Not There.

Crowe and Bale: BFF’s From Day One; The '3:10 to Yuma' Will Arrive a Week Early.

The Earth Stands Still for Keanu.

The Lovely Unknowns.

Downey Joins The Soloist.

Affleck's Not That Into You.

Stone Directing Willis & Tatum in Pinkville.

The Rock Escapes to Witch Mountain.

Bruce Campbell Won't Do 'Bubba Nosferatu.'

Corey Haim May Not Do ‘Lost Boys’ Sequel After All.

‘Shazam’ Will Be A ‘Big’ Comic Book Movie.

Tom Welling in 'Justice League' Movie?

Mane Looks Norse Towards ‘Thor’ Role.

Wachowskis Go With Original ‘Speed Racer’ Theme.

Luke's Lightsaber Heads Into Space.

Comments

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

Oh, GOD, the BPAL update... I gave in to the siren call of foody yumminess and submitted a plea to the Inquisition, begging for a treat with a specially written triolet.

[sparkz0r.livejournal.com]

There's a short video clip here (http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/1325290) if you want to see the two girls who got the parts in The Lovely Bones.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I want Marshmallow Poof SO BAD. DUDE.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, they are remaking Escape to Witch Mountain? I hope it's not another TS:TDIR (tl;dr title), though. That's one of my favorite Disney movies ever.

Did you ever read the original book by Alexander Key? It's excellent, even better than the (first) movie adaptation, although it does come down rather hard on the Godless Communists.

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

I think the candied apple one is the one I'd like most, but all the treat scents sound awesome to me, which is why I caved. This is my first Inquisition!

[chocotaku.livejournal.com]

New lost member? Come on...you know he's Jacob...

[pigsnicket.livejournal.com]

I don't think I can resist the BPAL this time. I covet Samhain 2007 way too much.

Also? Those children's stories are KICK ASS. <3!

[marciamarcia.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's my chick pirate story! Sweet!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

You wrote it? (I did notice it was a Mental Floss story...)

[marciamarcia.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's me...that story has been everywhere today.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Hee, I saw that earlier. It made me think that POTC III missed a chance to use her as a foil for Elizabeth.

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

FWIW the piece on gay medieval unions is pretty much entirely BS - the legal ceremony they're talking about was closer to a legal recognition of foster relationships or adoption than "gay unions" - for one thing, no one has actually been able to prove that these relationships had a sexual component; two, there is a vast body of social and religious commentary from throughout the middle ages as well as historical incidents of violence against acknowledged homosexuals to indicate that homosexuality (or at the very least, evidence that a man preferred homosexual partners to women when women were available) was not accepted in medieval Europe (famously see Edward II); and three) most of the documentary evidence used to support this idea is based on an interpretation of how men and women communicate and contextualize their relationships in language that is based on Modern concepts, like romantic love, that didn't exist for most of what we would term the Middle Ages.

While I appreciate and sympathize with the point these scholars are attempting to make, it's Very, Very Bad history.

[marginaliana]

Oh, man, I am SO dubious about a remake of Escape to Witch Mountain. I mean, on the one hand, awesome! On the other hand, Disney has managed to badly remake so many movies. And The Rock? Hmmm...

[agatha-mandrake.livejournal.com]

Greek fires reach ancient Olympics site

Oh god, that makes me so sad. I was there in 2005, and it's spectacular.

[trash-addict.livejournal.com]

If Lost Boys 2 ends up going ahead, and I'm not for this at all, but if it does, it MUST have both Coreys.

[riney.livejournal.com]

Oh, definitely!

[duncanatrix.livejournal.com]

I just realized: I bet you that "Mistress Cheng" in Pirates is based on Cheng I Sao. She had the red flag and was a crazy Chinese pirate lady. Sounds right to me.

[eruvadhril.livejournal.com]

CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON SQUEE

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

Heh. Susan Sarandon, on the "Speed Racer" thing: Every color that was not in ‘The Matrix’ is in this movie.

I still have zero interest in seeing the movie, but that quote is beyond priceless.

[msilverstar]

OMG I love Lamia's dress. Green silk with that shape makes me go all wibbly.

[theatre-angel.livejournal.com]

I have the biggest crush on Blanchett's Dylan, it's mildly disturbing.

[elbales]

I clicked through to your Pthoolhu link and read that with a smile--I saw it the first time it came up. Then I noticed you had a link for Cthulhu and I clicked that. Then I laughed hysterically for a minute. WIN.

[gannet-guts.livejournal.com]

Big BPAL Halloween update.
Omggggg, I want Schrodinger's Cat! Sob. Where are you, money?

[phantasm-huzzah.livejournal.com]

GAHHHH Sweeney Todd. It's. About. Murder.
Studios are so stupid sometimes.
And "crotchly" is my new favorite word.

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's kinda how I read it. I mean, I can see that maybe there might be men who used that relationship as a cover for homosexual unions, but even as late as the 19th century men used incredibly passionate language to describe their non-sexual friendships. The fact that they called it "brotherment" means that it wasn't necessarily seen as romantic. Plus, they didn't necessarily think of marriage and romance and love in the same terms as contemporary westerners do.

[lily-handmaiden.livejournal.com]

Yes, although (not that POTC has always been very consistent with this) she did come almost a hundred years after Elizabeth. Still, I think it's funny that she was from the South China Sea, which Elizabeth became Pirate Lord of, via Sao Feng.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I don't think the dates are that far off. It says Cheng I Sao started her pirating in 1801 with her husband, and the POTC events take place toward the end of the age of piracy, probably the late 18th century (some things in the film didn't exist until the 1770s according to Wiki). I think they could have fit her in given how generally sloppy they were about the dates.

[zero-design.livejournal.com]

Cleo - If you haven't tried it yet, you should try out Lush. I have no idea if they'd have a store near you, but they do internet business as well. Lush is what actually took over from BPAL for my household, this is why I bring it up. Website: www.lush.com

[dolfairy173.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, do you find alot of your linkspam on fark.com?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

None of it, actually--I haven't been there in at least five or six years. I do get it from some popular websites/feeds, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if I were getting my spam from the same places as Farkers.

[sunihiroku.livejournal.com]

What is/are your favorite BPAL scent(s)? I'd never even heard of it before this post, and I've been rabidly scanning the website ever since. It all looks good, but there are so many scents and so much description that it's hard to keep anything straight. Any rec's?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, scent preference can be very personal--I thought I liked florals, since I liked flowers, and then I got some sample imps and realized I don't like wearing florals at all. That is to say, just because I like it doesn't mean you will; everything I like (http://cleoland.pbwiki.com/Black%20Phoenix%20Alchemy%20Lab) is generally fruity or foody, with a few exceptions. What kind of smells do you think you like in general? Musk, incense, herbs or green scents, fruit, florals, food (usually cake, candy, or chocolate), vanilla, sea/water, air/ozone? I know the catalogue well enough (sadly) that I can rec for just about anything you might be interested in. Snake Oil is their most popular (kind of an incensey vanilla), and Dorian's also a huge favorite (vanilla tea); Beth's also famous for her many, many rose blends. Tamora is probably my all-time favorite (peach-amber-vanilla), though.

[sunihiroku.livejournal.com]

I typically like light, foody, slightly spicy stuff. I hate stuffy scents, but love light/white florals like honeysuckle, magnolia, and lily. As soon as VS's Heavenly came out I started using it and used it up until college, where I tried many different scents and ended up growing sick of them. For a few years now I've been using Britney Spears's Curious (God help me).

What smells do I like? Buttercream icing, sunflower scent, cinnamon, general Autumn and Christmas smells (leaves, crisp & smoky air, woody smells, spices, burning logs, spiced wine, tea, baked goods, candy canes), margaritas, new cars, new books, coconut, fig, oatmeal, and asian food (just to name a few!).

Thanks a lot for your help. I'm starting to go cross-eyed from the small font on the site.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I have! I love their Snow Fairy bath gel (I think they use that scent for a few other things as well?). I also use their Angels with Bare Faces and, occasionally, a face soap that looks like a little round moon face (I can't remember the name of it). I wish I could try more, but damn, that stuff is expensive--I've been hoarding Snow Fairy for about two years now.

[tenebris.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough, I was reading on Wiki the other day that there are scholars who have serious doubts about the Black Plague being the thing that wiped out such huge chunks of the European populations. Or, at least, the same strain of Black Plague we know now. Interestin', no?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

If you like autumn, you may want to jump on the current Halloween scents on the Limited Edition page--if you can afford entire bottles; you can't buy samples of those. They'll have Christmas smells in the Yule update. You can buy decanted samples from other users (that's how I usually get my seasonal LEs), but I'm not sure where they're being swapped now; I think the old comm closed. I'll have to look into it. Anything you don't like, by the way, can be resold secondhand to someone else who wants to try it; there's a nice community aspect to BPAL.

Hmm. White florals: You might like Hell's Belle or La Belle au Bois Dormant (magnolia), Chimera (honeysuckle and cinnamon), Eos (jasmine, buttercup and honeysuckle), Schlafende Baigneuse ("Skin musk, white cream, honeycomb, yellow rose, King mandarin, chrysanthemum, golden amber, honeysuckle, and wide-throated yellow monkey-flower accord"), Ephemera ("sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves"), La Mort Qui Danse ("Black pepper, white ginger, Calla lily, and lily of the valley"), Juliet ("Sweet pea with stargazer lily, calla lily, heliotrope, honeysuckle, white musk and a touch of fresh pear"), Lyonesse ("Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss"), Tiger Lily ("A feisty bouquet of golden, warm, gently honeyed lilies"), and maybe some of the lilies in the Rappacini section. I'd say definitely try Tiger Lily and Juliet, maybe Mort Qui Danse since it's lily and spicy (so is Voodoo Lily).

General woodsy/foresty scents: Might want to try Black Forest or Hamadryad, which may also have cinnamon, not sure. Those two will probably be good general bets for you if you don't want to try a limited edition autumn scent.

Buttercream icing: Gluttony and Hellcat actually have buttercream notes, but I found that Hellcat was more rummy than anything else. If you can get hold of Monster Bait: Closet, it's "Bourbon blackberry buttercream over red velvet cake."

Sunflower: Can't find anything current, but Fée and Et Lux Fuit were supposed to be good blends, if you see those secondhand (I actually want to try both of them myself).

Cinnamon: There's several scents on the main site if you search "cinnamon," but I don't think I've tried any of them. Three Witches has it, if you see that being swapped, and I've heard that Hamadryad has a cinnamon note, but I can't confirm that.

Books: Miskatonic University ("The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls").

Baked goods: Gluttony, Eat Me, Morocco (it really does have kind of a sun-baked vanilla scent), Cockaigne (haven't tried it, though).

Spicy: Baghdad, Bengal, Morocco.

Coconut and fig: Eden ("fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood"). YOU MUST GET THIS. I get huge compliments when I wear this.

A few other recs--you might like Tintagel, which actually smells a little like a flickering fire to me, with metal and spice (it's supposed to evoke an Arthurian castle, kind of like a suit of armor by a fire). Definitely Snake Oil and Dorian, based on what you said. Definitely Eden, Tiger Lily, Black Forest; probably Hamadryad, Morocco, Juliet, Voodoo Lily. That sounds exhaustive, but it's mostly just the tip of the iceberg and some guessing on my part. Be prepared to get something, not like it, and try again--and then to really like something you didn't expect. The imps are inexpensive enough that you can experiment a bit, though.

[misachan.livejournal.com]

Awesome. I have a long bus ride ahead of me in a couple of days, and twenty or so uninterrupted minutes of Christopher Eccleston is exactly what I need. He has no right to be so adorable.

Ooh, there's a Tom Baker one, too! (geeks out)

[sunihiroku.livejournal.com]

Oh wow! Thanks for the info!

I'm going to end up going with:
Eden (how could I not, after reading your description?)
Dana O'Shee
Gluttony (I love it when people want to eat me)
Dorian
O (for when I'm trying to be sexy)
Snake Oil (more sexy)

If that all goes well, my next set will be:
La Belle au Bois Dormant
Chimera
Juliet
Miskatonic University
Tintagel
Lyonesse

And I'm almost positive that I'm going to buy a set of Arthurian/Old French scents for the prof I'm doing research for this semester (and getting paid for it). My first class with her was Arthurian Legends and now we're doing translations from Old French manuscripts.:
The Lady of Shalott
Tintagel
La Belle Dame Sans Merci
Morgause
Lyonesse
Danse Macabre

OH, and I am doing the decanter thing for All Souls 07 and Sugar Skull!! I couldn't find an open slot for Samhain, which I really want to try. Oh well.

I should never online-shop again when I'm this stressed out! It makes me want to treat myself to things. :-P

Thanks again!

[zero-design.livejournal.com]

The expensive was why it was one or the other with BPAL :)

The nice thing though is that usually the stuff lasts pretty long compared to "normal" products, so it kinda evens out.

My favourites are Ice Blue and Demon in the Dark for soap... and Jungle for my head.

[lily-handmaiden.livejournal.com]

Really? That late? I'd heard 1720-1740. My geeky self so wishes they'd just picked a year to set it in, because I have a very hard time just saying, "Oh, Pirates. You take place in Crazy Time."

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Take it with the usual salt grains, but here's what wiki said (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Pirates_of_the_Caribbean_films).

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but BPAL gives you a very cheap way to try things (the imps), whereas Lush doesn't really offer that.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice! Dana O'Shee's another nice one--very creamy. I don't know if I mentioned how much I love Sugar Skull, but: yes. And I think you'd definitely like Samhain.

[zero-design.livejournal.com]

Yes and no... it's pretty easy to get samples from Lush if you live near a store (at least it is around here). If the internet is your only option, then yeah, imps are definitely easier...