Are you the Arthur to my Lancelot?

[strangetomato]

Following a little discussion on ménage à trois/threesomes in books and movies on simsecret, which mentioned The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, I finally picked up a copy to read. I'm enjoying the book as a whole, but I'll admit I'm mostly in it for the ménage (and I'll also admit to skipping ahead to find details on the threesome scene - after doing so, it was easier to just relax and enjoy the book without wondering about it). It has a very similar structure to the relationship between JRO, with one official couple and then the lover who is granted permission to love his dear friend's wife. There's a lot of protocol around Arthur being King and the customs of the times are quite different, but it's quite a similar setup in a number of ways (maybe even some I can't talk about just yet). It'll be very interesting to read all the ins and outs of it and the consequences and such.

But who's Arthur and who's Lancelot? ;) Well, it's not at all a perfect parallel, but one of them is the King and the other adores him beyond what's reasonable, and maybe even beyond what he feels for the lady they share. I can't help but make some comparisons.

Also, the height difference in this pic is something like I imagine their actual height difference to be, ignoring the fact that Ripp's hunched over. I place Ripp somewhere around the 5'10-11" range, while Johnny is somewhere around 6'2". Ophelia is probably a whole foot shorter than Johnny.

In story update news, I'm not going to be around at all this week, because I'll be out of town. That's going to delay my progress on the next update (I was out of town for the Victoria Day weekend too), but I'm anxious to get back into it. I'm hoping to find some time to work on it this upcoming weekend.

Comments

[simsinthecity.livejournal.com]

it's quite a similar setup in a number of ways (maybe even some I can't talk about just yet)
So if I picked up a copy, I could get maybe a spoiler-ish or two? *snicker*

On another note, I wish they had made height diffs possible in TS2. Did they in TS3, do you know?

(You could probably check at some point — it's been leaked! 8O )

[smjoshsims.livejournal.com]

They don't have height differences in TS3, sadly. :(

[simsinthecity.livejournal.com]

Bah! I don't think I was getting it, anyway.

[ikichi.livejournal.com]

I think you can mess with "stretch skeleton" (dunno if later eps killed it), but it messed up animations.

I got so used to thinking of character body types/differences, I forgot the age groups where the same size! ::/ditz::

[simsinthecity.livejournal.com]

I knew there was a cheat like that, at some point, but it really DID only stretch the Sim — out of proportion, which would screw the animations majorly.

I do that for voices, actually. I have all these different voices for the Sims in the stories I read, and then when I play my game, I have to be like "... WTF they all have the same voice??" :3

[simsinthecity.livejournal.com]

(Also, have fun out of town! Hopefully you'll be doing something worth missing out on working on the update ;) /selfishness )

[smjoshsims.livejournal.com]

I hope you have fun, ST! Is there any reason you'll be gone (lol nosy~~) or is there a holiday I'm unaware of?

I totally imagine that Johnny is super tall (and thin/athletic) while Ripp is a tad shorter. And Phi is super short. xD

I haven't read those books, but they sound interesting.

[ownsimscorner.livejournal.com]

OPh, you know which is which. ;)

I used to love Mists when I was about twelve and first read it, now I`m not quite sure what to think about it. There`s too much "those evol Christians" and pseudo feminism for my taste.

If I recall both Arthur, Lancelot and Gwen are not portrayed very positively in the book, specially Gwen who`s painted as a hyper religious hypocrite. *shrug*

I think I may know what the similar setup is. ;)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you're right. I do. ;)

You're the second person that mentioned reading it at a young age. I feel very late to the party here. I even went through a bit of a fantasy stage in high school, but didn't get aorund to reading it (and I should have - I read some pretty filmsy stuff instead).

I don't mind the anti-Chritianity slant, because it makes sense for the dominant points of view in the story (and I think it's good for a little criticism, quite frankly). It also doesn't seem to be that negatively portrayed to me (though maybe I'll change my mind by the end of the book).

Why do you consider the feminist slant to be "pseudo"? Because it wouldn't have existed as such in that era? It comes off as genuine enough to me (with the goddess worship and all), and I suppose I probably wouldn't mind either way.

I love that they're all portrayed with flaws that way. It makes them far more appealing to me, and more like real people.

Shhhh. Don't tell, okay? ;)

[ikichi.livejournal.com]

Hah! Wow, I was just reading about the Arthur/Gen/Lancelot thing today. O_o :D

And J's so the Arthur. Come on!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

It's more interesting than the usual straight-up adultery angle, don't you think?

And yeah... J's the King. It's pretty obvious, huh?

[simgarooop.livejournal.com]

I haven't read that book yet, but it seems interesting. Glad that at least something positive and fun came out from last week's secret post besides the usual fighting :S.

The closest thing I've watched is the Lancelot movie (with Julia Osmond, Richard Gere and Sean Connery). Well, just the first 30 minutes, but I can see how their relationship could parallel the one between JRO. And I know who is who in that setup :D.

*Does math conversions* Whoa! So Johnny is a giant! (Now I'm imagining those Green Giant ads from my childhood). I am 5'11'' and my friends say I'm gigantic, so Ripp's pretty tall too (or at least according to the height standards in my country).

Hmmm... I always imagined the aliens as very tiny sims. Or at least PT Smith gives me that vibe. Small... but strong ^^.

Have a good time out of town :).

Since we're talking about Mists of Avalon... SPOILERS TO THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

Does this mean that Johnny has a half sister somewhere that he's going to knock up? That he'll love until death more than he does his own wife? Because that's definitely a big part of the Avalon plot too. (giggles). If so, is it Lola or Chloe?

Interesting tidbit- Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote lesbian erotica under various pseudonym for many years. I think that by the time this book came out, she was no longer involved in the erotica community. Re-reading the book some years later though, I'm reminded of how delicate and sensual the relationships are between the various characters.

Sounds like you're liking the book though. That's good. It's one of my favorites of all time. You might check out Firebrand too, if you end up liking this book overall.

Re: Since we're talking about Mists of Avalon... SPOILERS TO THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Heheh. Like I said, it's not a perfect comparison (though with the alien breeding plans, and the way Strangetown family trees are so messed up, that doesn't even seem to so unlikely - I'm sure someone has done that in Strangetown at least once).

I can definitely see the erotica connection, even though everything tends to "fade to black" in the story. It's still pretty hot. She really does have a way with words in that sense.

I am really enjoying it so far. The woman who checked out my book at the bookstore was all excited when I brought it to the counter, but said that the book really made her hate Guinevere. I'm willing to bet that I won't feel the same way. I seem to have more sympathy for female characters than most, and from what I've gathered, she just seems to be a product of her situation and the time they lived in (with Christianity becoming the dominant religion).

[telephonication.livejournal.com]

I think there are only a few out there who see it this way, but I always saw Phi as being tall and curvy. I thought of her as being the same height, if only a little bit shorter, than Ripp at 5'10-11.

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

I'd heard of that book but never actually read it. I think it's another that's going on my summer reading list... along with Son of a Witch (sequel to Wicked.)

Wasn't there a movie made based on that book? *racks brain* Seems to me there was something that was... perhaps a made-for-cable movie? I swear I saw parts of something... it was like the tale was told from Arthur's sister's (Morgana or Morgan Le Fay's) POV mostly. And Morgana was tricked into having sex with Arthur during the Beltane festivals to produce Mordred... and dang it all if I don't remember how it all ended. I know I didn't particularly like Guinevere in the story... but Morgana rocked.

Interesting analogy with your trio! I can totally see it! :D

Edited: Yep, there was a made-for-cable miniseries. It was made in 2001, but I only saw it about a year or so ago (reruns FTW!) Here's a Wiki article about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mists_of_Avalon

Edited a gazillion times to try to get the link right, lol. Sorry! I guess it won't directly link to the article on the TV series, but you can link to it from the main story page. :)

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

I can recommend Son of a Witch. It was quite good. And Lion Among Men (which focuses on the cowardly lion--very well done).

[hathakleen.livejournal.com]

I started reading Mists of Avalon a few years ago, but it was a borrowed copy and I didn't get very far. I wish I'd finished it; I might have more of an idea of where things are going, JRO-wise. Also, I was enjoying it, so reading it would be reward enough in itself.