Let's Celebrate! (DD4 Chapter Three, Pages 23-26)

Last week, it turned out that getting "revenge" on her mother did not bring Alexandra the ecstasy she had anticipated. Meanwhile, at the ball, her mother is overwhelmed by the Provveditore's lavish surroundings and confronts her brother, Nikos — the local "Mayor" — about the contrast in lifestyles between the Venetians and the locals. But at least Nikos had managed to keep his good wine a secret from the Provveditore, one last private luxury.

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Thank you for the feedback on the previous post with regard to whether the dialogue was too on-the-nose. When I wrote that post I was really just airing out some of my thoughts — I wasn't specifically asking for reactions — but it turns out I really appreciate it. :)

My favourite thing about this week's sequence is how much work the "good wine" does. It makes Captain Lear more of an ass, for revealing its existence. It lets Vignelli very clearly demonstrate how [checks dictionary] rapacious he is, by demanding all of it delivered. Correspondingly, it's the last nice thing Nikos had for himself, and he can't deny that he has it. In the next chapter it's going to do even more work.

I hope everyone is enjoying the sparkling glassware and reflective silver dinner service. It was all a pain in the ass to render, but it kind of "disappears" the way it would in real life, so I'm happy.

I apologize for the Glistening Meat.

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It's been a tough week! Our household schedule has been demanding, we've all been sick (just the regular kind), and our delightful toddler has chosen to really double-down on one of my least favourite behaviours: agreeing that he would like (for example) eggs for breakfast and then, once eggs are made, absolutely losing his mind because he really wanted pancakes. Oh well. On the other hand, he'll sit and play "I Spy" with you for half an hour, which is super cute.

More fun pages coming up in the next few weeks!

Until then,
I remain,
unable to judge a wine on "one or two bottles,"

TC