rt_in_town

Acknowledgements: Thank you to all readers who have shared this journey with me. For many hours and days, my imagination has been swept up by the tale of these two, and the experience is all the richer for hearing your composed words, your noble thoughts. Like all songs of this era, this one is dedicated to the ladies it entertains....

And Judy, you were there for the beginning and end.... A fount of inspiration opened for me when you wrote about a fascinating opera production you had seen a while ago. Months later, your encouragement was invaluable for the emergence of these last chapters. 

Thank you, all you fair guardian spirits. 

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

Summary: At last we come to the end of our narrator's tale....  

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. When my story takes a serious turn, I recall with gratitude the steadfast interest of mariez65 - may I have occasion to say Brava! back to you someday.... and the steadfast humor of pattieono.... and Judy, fount of inspiration for this fic, tireless beta who goes above and beyond, erudite friend who never ceases to amuse me.

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy loving contained herein. I invite readers to come unspoiled, though internet available synopses of Thaïs may help you decide if this story is for you.   

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet's opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters? 

 

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10   

Summary: This tale of AU!AU Jack and Ennis in medieval times continues here.... A troubled monk and a dissolute sinner struggle to choose between the demands of the flesh and the calling of the soul. Set in Norman England circa 1100 AD. Substantial storyline inspiration from the opera Thaïs, by Jules Massenet. 

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. Here I acknowledge the graciousness of Antonella and Paola, two Italian ladies who grew into wisdom on the same soil that gave the medieval world its most fascinating writers.... and Judy, fount of inspiration for this fic, tireless beta who goes above and beyond, erudite friend who never ceases to amuse me.

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy loving contained herein. I invite readers to come unspoiled, though internet available synopses of Thaïs may help you decide if this story is for you.   

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet's opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters? 



 
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9  

Summary: The calling of the flesh versus the prerogatives of the soul.... the transience of terrestrial joy weighed against the immortal satisfaction of the spirit.... these are among the themes of this tale, my twin tribute to Brokeback Mountain and medieval literature. Jules Massenet's opera Thaïs provided me with a story vehicle to reimagine Jack and Ennis through the lens of the Middle Ages. Set in England circa 1100 AD, roughly a generation after the Norman Conquest.

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. Allow me to thank some special ones among these: this "Meditation" was written in a spirit of meditation upon the presences of opera fan kundry77 and the learned tizi17, who have been waiting for it. May it please them.... To Judy, I owe profound thanks for a beta, as well as a fun comparison of the English text with the Latin original of "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum".

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy loving contained herein. Those who need to know the course of this story in advance know what to look for!

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet's opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters? 




Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8   

Summary: The calling of the flesh versus the prerogatives of the soul.... the transience of terrestrial joy weighed against the immortal satisfaction of the spirit.... these are among the themes of this tale, my twin tribute to Brokeback Mountain and medieval literature. Jules Massenet's opera Thaïs provided me with a story vehicle to reimagine Jack and Ennis through the lens of the Middle Ages. Set in England circa 1100 AD, roughly a generation after the Norman Conquest.

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. Allow me to thank some special ones among these: Eve and Rosie - may they rule my words this week, having been friends to them for so long.... and Judy, guardian of the accuracy of these stanzas, preventing them from getting lost in a dark wood, that they may keep instead to the straight path.

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy loving contained herein. Those who need to know the course of this story in advance know what to look for!

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet's opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters? 





Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Summary: The calling of the flesh versus the prerogatives of the soul.... the transience of terrestrial joy weighed against the immortal satisfaction of the spirit.... these are among the themes of this tale, my twin tribute to Brokeback Mountain and medieval literature. Jules Massenet's opera Thaïs provided me with a story vehicle to reimagine Jack and Ennis through the lens of the Middle Ages. Set in England circa 1100 AD, roughly a generation after the Norman Conquest. 

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. Allow me to thank two special ones among these: Soulan, who has provided a wondrous and amusing icon for the appearance of Lady Lachenne, Countess of Hereford.... Judy, guardian of the accuracy of these stanzas, preventing them from getting lost in a dark wood, that they may stay instead on the straight path. 

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy loving contained herein. Those who need to know the course of this story in advance and are unfamiliar with the opera can find excellent summaries of Thaïs  via Google. If you prefer not to be spoiled, the little pleasures of a blind ride await. 

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet's opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters? 




Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 

Summary: The calling of the flesh versus the prerogatives of the soul.... the transience of terrestrial joy weighed against the immortal satisfaction of the spirit.... these are among the themes of this tale, my twin tribute to Brokeback Mountain and medieval literature. Jules Massenet's opera Thaïs provided me with a story vehicle to reimagine Jack and Ennis through the lens of the Middle Ages. Set in England circa 1100 AD, roughly a generation after the Norman Conquest. 

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. Allow me to thank two special ones among these: Gillian, whose wisdom and interest keeps my words honest and my creative spirit chatty.... Judy, guardian of the accuracy of these stanzas, preventing them from getting lost in a dark wood, that they may stay instead on the straight path. 

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy loving contained herein. Those who need to know the course of this story in advance and are unfamiliar with the opera can find excellent summaries of Thaïs  via Google. If you prefer not to be spoiled, the little pleasures of a blind ride await. 

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet's opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters? 

 
 

I apologize for missing the last update to "The Life of Jack". The story will update on Saturday this week, since I'm on 24 hour hospital call on Sunday.

I've just gotten back from Shanghai, where I was visiting my dad. He recently started working for R&D at the Chinese division of a multinational pharmaceutical company, and I've been excited about this trip ever since he moved there from Pennsylvania back in February - odd though it is to imagine my parents living in China after 24 years in the US.   

Well, livejournal is banned in China, a fact I actually wasn't aware of until I got over there, funnily enough. Apparently, the Chinese censors perceive there is too much immorality and indecent behavior associated with that particular web venture. Just another reason why I couldn't live in China long term. Nevertheless, Shanghai is as I remembered (I last visited in 2002) and more: a wonderfully cosmopolitan, strangely naive and rather perplexingly postmodern metropolis - a big, brash, bumbling child of a city. 

There's something so wonderfully literary about Shanghai's patchwork urban character; I once considered setting an AU! Jake/Heath story here, in which Jake grew up in Shanghai, a product of the city's international aristocracy and its American schools, the bilingual son of wealthy expat American businesspeople working in China, while Heath finds himself in town briefly because his famous doctor father has been invited to speak at a Chinese university.....

 At any rate, here are my attempts to capture a few of Shanghai's paradoxical faces:

Summary: The calling of the flesh versus the prerogatives of the soul.... the transience of terrestrial joy weighed against the immortal satisfaction of the spirit.... these are among the themes of this tale, my twin tribute to Brokeback Mountain and medieval literature. Jules Massenet's opera Thaïs provided me with a story vehicle to reimagine Jack and Ennis through the lens of the Middle Ages. Set in England circa 1100 AD, roughly a generation after the Norman Conquest. 

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. Foremost among them, let me thank Judy for being beta, and Mme Soulan, who ensures that the French does not get lost in a dark wood, but sticks to the straight path. 

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy-loving contained herein. Those who need to know the course of this story in advance and are unfamiliar with the opera can find excellent summaries of Thaïs via Google. If you prefer not to be spoiled, the little pleasures of a blind ride await. 

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet’s opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters?  

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Summary: Historical AU!AU Jack/Ennis set in medieval England circa 1100 AD, roughly a generation after the Norman Conquest. Story idea inspired by the opera Thaïs, by Jules Massenet. 

Jack Twist is a notoriously dissolute Saxon youth who leads a scandalous life. When a Norman monk named Ennis exhorts him to reform his ways, Jack finds himself torn between two conflicting prerogatives: the calling of the flesh and the demands of the soul. How will Jack negotiate this extraordinary dilemma, and will he be the only one to find enlightenment?   

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. Foremost among them, let me thank Judy for being beta, and Mme Chapeaugris, whose jokes in French are better than mine. :)

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy-loving contained herein. Several appearances by religious themes in this chapter, though as always, this story is less about any one religion than it is about how human beings choose to use their spirituality.  

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet’s opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters?  

 
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Summary: Historical AU!AU Jack/Ennis set in medieval England circa 1100 AD, roughly a generation after the Norman Conquest. Based on the opera Thaïs, by Jules Massenet. 

Jack Twist is a notoriously dissolute Saxon youth who leads a scandalous life. When a Norman monk named Ennis exhorts him to reform his ways, Jack finds himself torn between two conflicting prerogatives: the calling of the flesh and the demands of the soul. How will Jack negotiate this extraordinary dilemma, and will he be the only one to find enlightenment?   

Acknowledgements: As with all works written by men, this one would fracas without the support and protection of ladies. Foremost among them, let me thank judy_blue_cat for being beta, and Mme Chapeaugris for ensuring the French sticks to the straight path. J  

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy-loving contained herein. Those who need to know the course of this story in advance and are unfamiliar with the opera can find excellent summaries of Thaïs via Google. If you prefer not to be spoiled, the little pleasures of a blind ride await. 

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet’s opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters?  

( Chapter 2 )

 

Summary: Historical AU!AU Jack/Ennis set in medieval England circa 1100 AD, roughly a generation after the Norman Conquest. Based on the opera Thaïs, by Jules Massenet.

Jack Twist is a notoriously dissolute Saxon youth who leads a scandalous life. When a Norman monk named Ennis exhorts him to reform his ways, Jack suddenly finds himself torn between two conflicting prerogatives - the calling of the flesh and the demands of the soul. How will Jack negotiate this extraordinary dilemma, and will he be the only one to find enlightenment?   

Acknowledgements: Judy, who not only betaed, but engendered the idea for this fic by calling my attention to Massenet’s Thaïs several months ago. I doubt she thought I’d draw a connection with the characters from BBM, resulting in this tale. J  

Warnings: Religious eroticism, self-mortification, impiety, naughty boy-loving contained herein. Those who need to know the course of this story in advance and are unfamiliar with the opera can find excellent summaries of Thaïs via Google. If you prefer not to be spoiled, the little pleasures of a blind ride await. 

Disclaimers: Brokeback Mountain and Massenet’s opera are beautiful works that I had no hand in creating. Can I be forgiven for the sin of playing with their deeply memorable characters?  

( Chapter 1 )

 

 

I came back from a fantastic whirlwind trip through Milan, Florence and Nice.... Three incredible cities in just seven days. I must admit I'm rather proud of my mad!sightseeing skillz.... I managed to see and do almost all of the things that I'd planned despite the time crunch. That, plus plenty of inspiration for my next fic, a Jack/Ennis AU!AU! that doesn't take place in France or Italy, but is a history!fic with medieval religious themes (warning, I'm a real heretic) but also.... oh, you'll just have to see eventually.

Anyways, since this is a journal where I post fic, I thought I'd share some photos that have relevance to my stories, both the one I just finished and the one coming up. Alas, it was a cloudy, rainy time during my trip to this usually sunny part of the world.... just my luck. I have no idea why gloom attended my very footsteps! :P 

Click each image for a bigger picture. 






 

 Author's Notes: Modern day AU!RPS inspired by Dostoevsky's novella, "The Gambler". Heath is a tutor working for the wealthy Gyllenhaals, who have recently run into serious financial difficulties. The family is vacationing in Las Vegas and a windfall may be in the air with news of a wealthy grandmother on death's door. Heath is wallowing in his twin hopeless obsessions - gambling and the Gyllenhaals' enigmatic and beautiful son - when things start going awry for everyone. 
Rating: NC-17 
Pairing: Jake/Heath 
Disclaimer: I have no connection with Jake, Heath or Dostoevsky's work, except my appreciation of all those things. This is AU. Nothing to do with real life Jake or Heath here - consider them actors playing out new roles in this story. 
Feedback: Positive, negative, it doesn't matter. I love hearing it all. 
Acknowledgements: Beta by judy_blue_cat, swift as a divinity and twice as thorough. Thanks profoundly to all my readers and to everyone who's shared their thoughts on this story. This was a long, wonderful undertaking for me, and I'm indebted to you guys for making it so satisfying.  

Summary: We've come to the end of the road.... Heath's strange journey there. 





Previous Chapters: Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 

 Author's Notes: Modern day AU!RPS inspired by Dostoevsky's novella, "The Gambler". Heath is a tutor working for the wealthy Gyllenhaals, who have recently run into serious financial difficulties. The family is vacationing in Las Vegas and a windfall may be in the air with news of a wealthy grandmother on death's door. Heath is wallowing in his twin hopeless obsessions - gambling and the Gyllenhaals' enigmatic and beautiful son - when things start going awry for everyone. 
Rating: NC-17 
Pairing: Jake/Heath 
Disclaimer: I have no connection with Jake, Heath or Dostoevsky's work, except my appreciation of all those things. This is AU. Nothing to do with real life Jake or Heath here - consider them actors playing out new roles in this story. 
Feedback: Positive, negative, it doesn't matter. I love hearing it all. 
Acknowledgements: Beta by judy_blue_cat, swift as a divinity and twice as thorough. 

Summary: At long last, all is revealed. One more chapter to go after this one. 

 

 

Previous Chapters: Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

 Author's Notes: Modern day AU!RPS inspired by Dostoevsky's novella, "The Gambler". Heath is a tutor working for the wealthy Gyllenhaals, who have recently run into serious financial difficulties. The family is vacationing in Las Vegas and a windfall may be in the air with news of a wealthy grandmother on death's door. Heath is wallowing in his twin hopeless obsessions - gambling and the Gyllenhaals' enigmatic and beautiful son - when things start going awry for everyone. 
Rating: NC-17 
Pairing: Jake/Heath 
Disclaimer: I have no connection with Jake, Heath or Dostoevsky's work, except my appreciation of all those things. This is AU. Nothing to do with real life Jake or Heath here - consider them actors playing out new roles in this story. 
Feedback: Positive, negative, it doesn't matter. I love hearing it all. 
Acknowledgements: Beta by judy_blue_cat, swift as a divinity and twice as thorough. 

Summary: At long last, all is revealed. One more chapter to go after this one. 

Click here for Chapter 12B


Previous Chapters: Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

 Author's Notes: Modern day AU!RPS inspired by Dostoevsky's novella, "The Gambler". Heath is a tutor working for the wealthy Gyllenhaals, who have recently run into serious financial difficulties. The family is vacationing in Las Vegas and a windfall may be in the air with news of a wealthy grandmother on death's door. Heath is wallowing in his twin hopeless obsessions - gambling and the Gyllenhaals' enigmatic and beautiful son - when things start going awry for everyone. 
Rating: NC-17 
Pairing: Jake/Heath 
Disclaimer: I have no connection with Jake, Heath or Dostoevsky's work, except my appreciation of all those things. This is AU. Nothing to do with real life Jake or Heath here - consider them actors playing out new roles in this story. 
Feedback: Positive, negative, it doesn't matter. I love hearing it all. 
Acknowledgements: Beta by judy_blue_cat, swift as a divinity and twice as thorough. Puerto Rican nightclub owner named in acknowledgement of pattieono - gracias por tu apoyo y tu entusiasmo, amiga! 

Summary: Gambling gamblers and the secret selves beneath our surfaces. 




Previous Chapters: Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Author's Notes: Modern day AU!RPS inspired by Dostoevsky's novella, "The Gambler". Heath is a tutor working for the wealthy Gyllenhaals, who have recently run into serious financial difficulties. The family is vacationing in Las Vegas and a windfall may be in the air with news of a wealthy grandmother on death's door. Heath is wallowing in his twin hopeless obsessions - gambling and the Gyllenhaals' enigmatic and beautiful son - when things start going awry for everyone. 
Rating: NC-17 
Pairing: Jake/Heath 
Disclaimer: I have no connection with Jake, Heath or Dostoevsky's work, except my appreciation of all those things. This is AU. Nothing to do with real life Jake or Heath here - consider them actors playing out new roles in this story. 
Feedback: Positive, negative, it doesn't matter. I love hearing it all. 
Acknowledgements: Beta by judy_blue_cat, whose speed is perhaps not comparable to divinities after all, but rather to photons traveling in the vacuum! Muchas gracias a juseptwist por ser nuestro editor de español. 

Summary: When we last left them, the troubled boys were confronted by an unexpected visitor. "Granny!" Jake exclaimed in surprise.... 

 

Previous Chapters: Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9

 

 

Tes' journal called my attention to this delightful quiz. Naturally, I became curious to know just which circle in Dante's Inferno I ought to end up in, a question I actually didn't think too much about while reading it. Since I don't believe in Hell and all.  

So I'm not at all surprised to find out that I'll be joining Pope Anastasius and the Epicureans along with all the other arch-heretics and non-believers in the Sixth Circle, the City of Dis, la citta c'ha nome Dite. Too bad though, I thought that was one of the few weaker cantos in the Inferno, so much less interesting than the concept promised to be. 

But more importantly, which character from Dante's Inferno am I? Perhaps I can be proud Farinata, rising up as if he had tremendous scorn for Hell:
....ed el s'ergea col petto e con la fronte
com' avesse l'inferno a gran dispitto. 

I'm a heretic for sure. Just wait until you see the idea for my next fic after The Gambler. For the full litany of my sins, see below:


The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Extreme
Level 7 (Violent)	Very High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test