#arden's essays

[whatislifebesidesrehearsal]

Writer: Actually nvm its not that long i just have half a page of stage directions lol

#listen I vibe w/ Arden as mush as any other early modern fan but they do keep getting me on this one #i keep going 'oh i need to set aside so much time for this play cause its going to be a long one' and then 2/3 is introductory essays #theater #theatre #behind the scenes #playwriting

[fissicn]

idk if i like this but here it is anyway: nesiwe meeting illari for the first time and going "i do not want you to deal with this the way i did at first"

long post under the cut

Nesiwe has heard much about the new arrival, but hasn't seen her in person. Not until today.

She steps into the room and is caught off guard by the other presence. Illari Quispe Ruiz - it isn't a familiar name to her tongue, and Nesiwe took care to make sure she knew how to pronounce it beforehand.

"Illari?"

The girl looks up. She's an adult, technically, but to Nesiwe she may as well still be a girl. At eighteen, Illari is only just over half Nesiwe's age, and Nesiwe is struck by just how young she is.

She's read the files. She knows what happened. And while she related more and more with each line she read, she'd been through her ordeal in her late twenties. She can't imagine being Illari's age, dealing with this.

"What?" Illari's tone, while not hostile, is terse.

"Heard I'm gonna be working with you, so I just wanted to introduce myself." Nesiwe steps farther into the room with a nod, taking a seat across from Illari. "Nesiwe Ntini. Here from South Africa."

Illari meets her eyes and nods. "Peru."

"I heard."

Illari's expression is unchanging. "So you know what happened."

"I do, and I think it's the reason they're having us work together."

Immediately Illari is on guard, sitting upright. "What do you mean?"

"I dunno if they've shown you my files, but…" Nesiwe hesitates, sighing, her head slumping forward to look at the ground. "We have some things in common."

"What have you done?" Illari seems to realize how that question comes across after she asks it, but she doesn't take it back, waiting for an answer.

Nesiwe holds back a laugh, one that's on the edge between amused and bitter. The corner of her mouth tugs up in a joyless smile, and she knocks on the plating of her protective suit. "I'm wearing this clunky thing for a reason. You and I are kinda… in the same boat, I guess."

Illari scowls, moving back in her seat. "Don't try and tell me you understand. You don't."

"I'm not gonna say that. We were in two different situations," Nesiwe says. "But there was something that stuck out to me in your files. You…" She trails off, tries to find the words that she wishes people would have used for her. "…pretty much wield the sun, yeah?" 'As a weapon' goes unspoken, even if the implication is clear.

"Yes."

"So you can tell me what powers the sun. What process gives it its heat?"

"Fusion." Illari's brow is still furrowed in a scowl, but now it's one of curious suspicion.

"Yep, nuclear fusion. Two atoms smashing together to make a heavier one," Nesiwe nods. "Pretty cool. You can do a lot with it. So you know the opposite of that process? Splitting them apart instead?"

"Fission?"

Nesiwe clicks her tongue in affirmation. "That's what I can do."

Some of the annoyance in Illari's gaze fades at that. "How did you train for that?"

"I didn't. That's where our situations are different." Nesiwe leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Spent my whole life campaigning against nuclear weapons. I got caught up in an attack and…" She motions to herself. "Now I am that weapon."

Illari processes that in silence. "You didn't kill hundreds."

Nesiwe sucks in a sharp breath. "Not hundreds, no. But I still…" She waves a hand, unable to continue.

"It's not the same."

"No, it's not." Illari hadn't intended destruction. "I just know that the guilt eats at you regardless."

"Then you understand that forgiveness is earned, and that I won't stop until I earn it." Illari is resolute in that statement, her shoulders back.

"It is earned, when there's something to be forgiven."

"Don't try to tell me I didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm not here to say that. I don't know all your history." Nesiwe places a hand to her visor. Her head hurts already, and so does her heart. "I just know that when I went down that road after the explosion, I was in a really bad place. And it wasn't like I could talk to someone who understood what it was like to be a walking weapon."

Illari's face softens. It's tiny, almost unnoticeable.

"Our situations aren't the same, and don't take this as pity. It's not. You don't need my sympathy," Nesiwe says. She knows that it may help for the eighteen-year-old to hear that. "You're already doing better than I was - you're going out and doing good for the world instead of hiding away. I'm just here to help with that."

"How?"

"Well." Nesiwe holds out an open hand, palm up. "We're two sides of the same coin, aren't we? You smash atoms together, I rip 'em apart."

"Are we supposed to bring more devastation?" Wary, Illari leans back from the outstretched hand.

"Nuclear forces aren't just used for devastation. They're used in medicine, in power, in space travel-"

"I know." Illari interrupts her activist monologue. "I can heal wounds with mine."

"And I can generate power with mine." On cue, Nesiwe's outstretched hand glows softly. "If we've been given these abilities, we can use them for a better future instead of more destruction. That's why they've sent me to work with you, I'd guess."

Illari thinks about that for a moment before holding out her own hand, letting it glow in kind with the power of the sun.

Nesiwe smiles. She wants to say to Illari all the things she wishes were said to her old self. You don't have to be a weapon. You don't have to bring destruction everywhere you go. You can make this curse into a blessing, take a raging fire and warm hearts with it instead.

But she doesn't. Illari is only eighteen, and Nesiwe knows the mindset she's in. It's going to be better to show her all those things than to say them out loud.

She settles on a lighter topic, a grin sneaking across her face. "Plus, I heard you have a llama."

For the first time since Nesiwe met her, Illari smiles. "His name is Chuño."

#how do i tag this uhhh #[ arden's writing ] #wrote this during finals and did not edit much. not happy with it. posting it anyway #i'm not 100% confident about writing illari properly but #i just know nesiwe would look at her and see herself. that situation of unwillingly/accidentally becoming a weapon #and whereas nesiwe copes with it with humor/distraction illari copes with it with stoicism/bitterness #that bitterness is there for nesiwe. it 100% is. but she doesn't nurture it and it has faded over time #she wants the same for illari because she knows how hellish it is #tag essay sorry lmao #the fact that illari has the line 'get away from me' and that is something nesiwe probably said verbatim in those first few #months after the explosion. after realizing what she had the ability to do now. yeah. #anyway. nesiwe but as a mentor

[mooshrems]

*trips* your highnesses

#my royalty au really made me research about medieval times right after writing a macbeth essay bye hfhfhfh #the lore i wrote for the au .. pretty lengthy #anatomy sucks oh my god #arden’s art #4town #4 town #4town robaire #4town taeyoung #turning red #turning red fanart

[clonerightsagenda]

I think the throughline for my favorite podcasts is that they’re very thematically consistent but not didactic about it. They have issues they want to grapple with and a clear thesis in mind that they express through their characters, conflicts, and conclusions but also - and this is crucial - stir in a lot of weird bullshit. 

#only weird bullshit is forgettable #only thematic emphasis is patronizing #you have to hit the right ratio #w359 pasithea greater boston and alice isn't dead are VERY clear on what they're doing and want to convey #like I could write essays on how their characterization and antagonists and detail work all feed into their core themes #but also like. praxis is a hamburger chain #the aliens are a metaphor but they WILL eat you #(gb sometimes leans a BIT into the didactic side but it's ok I still love them) #arden also digs into the true crime ethics bit but not quite AS dramatically as these others ones #however it's in the same wheelhouse and I love it deeply #its weird bullshit to thematic content ratio is just weighted toward the weird bullshit

[weirdmixofweirdness]

I feel like, if you put Mountain Dew in a vile and told medieval peasants it was an elixir, they would believe it. It legitimately looks like a potion in a fantasy game!

#arden speaks #if this is a bad idea thought don’t judge me too hard #I have essay-writing brain right now! #all other parts are temporarily deactivated

[garadinervi]

Geo-metrías. Abstracción geométrica latinoamericana en la Colección Cisneros, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) and la Fundación Cisneros, Buenos Aires , 2003

Contributions: essay by Ariel Jiménez; interview with Patricia Phelps de Cisneros by Luis Pérez-Oramas

Exhibition: MALBA, Buenos Aires, 2003

Feat. works by: Joaquín Torres García, Carmelo Arden Quin, Carlos Cruz Diez, Jesús Soto, Alejandro Otero, Gego, Gyula Kosice, Enio Iommi, Raúl Lozza, Helio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, Sergio de Camargo, Alfredo Volpi, and Mira Schendel among others

#graphic design #typography #art #exhibition #catalogue #catalog #cover #ariel jiménez #patricia phelps de cisneros #luis pérez oramas #fundación malba #fundación cisneros #2000s

[vilkalizer]

🚨🚨 Important tea lore update 🚨🚨

This line right here!! It has implications!!! In my esteemed scholarly essay on tea in Fødlan (which is relevant because it's a FE4/FE16 banner), i had speculated that they mostly drink black tea, but black tea is prepared with near boiling hot water. You can certainly oversteep it, but scalding is difficult. So it appears that they are using leaves that are better brewed with cooler water! Green tea in particular tends to release bitter/astringent compounds at higher temperatures and for some varieties it's recommended to not go above 50-60ish degrees C. Thus, either Jugdral or Askr tea culture appears to differ from Fõdlan, or my theory needs more work!!

Also this has no relation to the above but Tailtiu's pre-battle animation is to just take a sip so i've decided she's now my favourite now, sorry arden but you're still the best boy.

butler arden when intsys

#fire emblem #feh #fe4 #fe16 #tailtiu #tea

[theinquisitxor]

January 2024 Reading Wrap

First wrap up of the new year! I read 8 books this month, and I'd say it was a strong reading month overall. I read some new releases, caught up or finished series, and read some good stuff! I read 6 fantasy books, 1 nonfiction, and 1 regular fiction. 6 books I read physical copies, and 2 audiobooks.

1.A Winter's Promise (Mirror Visitor Quartet 1) by Christelle Dabos. 3/5 stars. This is a book I've been wanting to read since before it was translated into English. This book didn't quite live up to the expectations I had of it, but I still overall enjoyed it. I plan to continue the series, possibly quarterly. Young adult fantasy.

2. A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. 4.5/5 stars. Another great Allison Saft book, and this one is possibly my favorite so far. This is exactly my type of fantasy romance and I was very invested in reading this. It's about a young magical seamstress who is commissioned to make the royal wedding clothes for the kingdom's prince. Young adult fantasy.

3.Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. 3/5 stars. This was a fun read, but not the most exciting or great as it had the potential to be. The story has a fun cast of characters, and enjoyable world, but not a whole lot happened in this book. I can def see Aveyard's LOTR inspirations in this. I plan on continuing this series soon.

4.The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake. 2/5 stars. This was a disappointing end to a series and was very lackluster and fell apart at the end. Disappointing because of how much I loved book 2. There were some redeeming moments, but much of this book felt unnecessary or frustrating. Adult fantasy.

5.Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. 5/5 stars. This is a collection of essays by the author about the world around us, life, nature, and the way we interact with the world. Absolutely my new favorite thing and much of Kimmerer's teachings in the book resonate with me very deeply. Read on audio- which I highly recommend. Nature/essays.

6.Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde 2) by Heather Fawcett. 5/5 stars. This was just as good as book 1, and I loved the new adventure and learning more about fairies. Emily and Wendall are my favorite, and I can't wait to see how this series concludes.

7.Beartown (Beartown 1) by Fredrik Backman 4.5/5 stars. I read this book in less than 24 hours and it emotionally abused me throughout. I'm late to the game in regards to this book (no pun intended) but I'm glad I finally read it. Backman never disappoints, and I plan to continue the series soon. Fiction.

8. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children 9) by Seanan McGuire. 4/5 stars. This felt like the continuation of Antsy's story from book 8, but with some of our main cast of characters on a new quest. Very enjoyable and another solid installment in the series. Is the last time we see the "main cast?". Read on audio. Fantasy.

That's it for January! I am currently reading my TBR Pick of the Month, The Throne of the Five Winds, but I am only still in the first half of the book, so I will have to finish it up for Feb. I also started a new nonfiction audiobook, but am still in the first half of that as well.

February TBR:

finish The Throne of the Five Winds by SC Emmett

Crescent City 3

Nonfiction Audiobook (finish)

Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

What Feasts at Night by T Kingfisher

TBR Pick of the month

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (?)

#reading wrap up #january 2024 #fantasy books #A Winter's Promise #The mirror visitor #A fragile enchantment #allison saft #realm breaker #the atlas complex #Braiding Sweetgrass #Robin Wall Kimmerer #Emily Wilde #emily wilde's map of the otherlands #beartown #fredrick backman #wayward children #mislaid in parts half known #seanan mcguire

[weaselandfriends]

I'm interested in your Fire emblem essay and what you said about the story being a reflection of the SRPG gameplay

Looking over the essay I have saved in my drafts, what I actually talked about was the answer to the question "Why did Fire Emblem get popular?" Fire Emblem has been around since 1990 and has been localized since 2003, but the series never took off to truly mainstream popularity in either Japan or the rest of the world until 2013, when Fire Emblem: Awakening was released, at which point it meteorically rose to become one of the best-selling Nintendo franchises.

In my essay, I posited that there were two "obvious" reasons for Awakening's popularization of the franchise, but a third less-obvious reason that was even more important. The first "obvious" reason was the introduction of Casual Mode, which removed the franchise's signature permadeath feature and made it far easier and more accessible to a broader audience. As someone who was in the trenches of the Fire Emblem fandom from 2004 to 2012, I can tell you that the series heavily attracted difficulty junkies during this time. The demographic heavily skewed male, and the most popular topics of discussion were tier lists and debates on the usefulness of various characters in certain challenge run settings (such as Low Turn Count, or LTC, runs). Casual Mode opened the doors for, well, casuals to join in on the fun.

The second "obvious" reason was that Awakening was anime. While every Fire Emblem game has had anime character designs, past titles were often fairly reserved with these designs, featuring knights in full armor whose only distinctly "anime" characteristic was green- or blue-colored hair. Awakening, however, leaned into the significantly more absurd, flashy, and/or sexualized designs that are what people far more commonly associate with "anime." It wasn't just the designs, though. Awakening also took an "anime" approach to character personalities, often giving each character one or two traits that are amplified to extreme degrees. This change is easy to spot if you compare Awakening characters to similar ones from past titles. In Genealogy of the Holy War, Arden is an armor knight who is teased by his comrades for being dull, boring, and generally stuck on sentry duty. In Awakening, Kellam is an armor knight who is so dull and boring that characters cannot even see him when he stands right in front of them. Recurring jokes involve characters thinking they're being haunted by a ghost when he talks to them, or forgetting he exists entirely, because he is so unassuming and banal. It reminds me of KonoSuba, in which characters have a singular trait that is pushed to its utmost extremities for the sake of humor; this is a style of humor commonplace in anime, especially anime that targets a young teen demographic.

My argument, however, was that these "obvious" reasons fail to adequately explain why Fire Emblem got so popular so quickly. They may have been sufficient in 2013, but the popularity of subsequent titles has called into question how much these reasons matter at all. To be clear, Fire Emblem probably doesn't become popular without Casual Mode; the accessibility is just too important. However, simply being accessible doesn't mean people will access it. There are plenty of SRPGs out there, like Shining Force, that never had permadeath, that were even localized during the 16-bit golden age of JRPGs, yet never gained major popularity. So while Casual Mode was necessary, it wasn't the change that took the franchise from the edge of Underperforming Nintendo Franchise Hell (F-Zero, Star Fox, Metroid, too many others to name) to 17 representatives in Smash Bros.

And frankly, I think the anime argument isn't a factor at all. It was a tempting argument to make in 2013, when the anime elements of Awakening were the most obvious deviation from the franchise's past, but 2019 a little game called Fire Emblem: Three Houses came out that utterly decimated the thesis. Three Houses is, of course, by far the most popular Fire Emblem title, with double Awakening's sales (1.9 million vs 3.82 million worldwide, according to Wikipedia). Notably for this argument, however, is how un-anime Three Houses is both in character designs and tone. In fact, Three Houses narratively hearkens back to much older Fire Emblem titles, with a major focus on politics and serious worldbuilding, significantly less comic relief, and relatively "realistic" character designs that avoid absurdity and fanservice. In its tone and story, it is far closer to Path of Radiance than Awakening. So if we take "more anime" to be the root cause of the revitalization of the franchise, how do we explain Three Houses?

There needs to be another explanation. Something both Awakening and Three Houses did that previous entries did not.

My argument is that what the Fire Emblem franchise did to turn itself around was change from a focus on plot to a focus on character, with innovations to the gameplay that emphasized this change. This sounds a bit more esoteric than the other explanations so let me clarify. Awakening introduced a mechanic called pair-up, which allowed two units to join together to gain large statistical and combat bonuses. On top of that, Awakening emphasized the game's support system, which had been present in older titles but much more difficult to access and inconsequential to gameplay, not only making supports easier to achieve, but central to character building and recruitment in the form of child characters. This gameplay emphasis is mirrored in the story, with Robin's character arc being rooted in the "bonds" he forges with his allies, and the child characters also having a significant role in the plot. On top of that, the more "anime" characters have livelier support conversations, as opposed to past games where many supports often boiled down to very generic "You are my friend. I will have your back on the battlefield" sorts of conversations.

With this character-and-relationship-driven gameplay/story in mind, look again at Three Houses. While lacking the pair-up mechanic or child characters, Three Houses adds a Persona-esque social link system that is extremely extensive and probably takes up about half the total gameplay. Strategic battles are deemphasized in favor of running around the monastery, talking to your allies, going to teatime or doing activities with them, finding them gifts, and so forth. The central narrative gimmick of the game is the three Hogwarts houses, which give certain groups of characters innate bonds that the gameplay then allows you to explore thoroughly. Even the aforementioned political nature of the plot feeds into these relationships; many characters are defined by the political placement of their birth, and their attempts to balance their personal goals with the goals of their station leads to intense interpersonal drama. And the plot itself boils this drama deliciously when it comes time for the three houses to go to war with each other.

This thesis of mine also extends to the less-popular installments of the franchise in the post-Awakening era. Though all these games sold decently well (likely due to install base), they don't match the success of the other two, and are a lot less well-regarded by the fans. Fates nerfed Awakening's pair-up system and lazily tacked on child characters via an absurd "baby dimension" that was poorly implemented in both gameplay and story; Shadows of Valentia was a remake of an NES game that, despite heavily revamping the story and adding some support conversations, did not change the core gameplay of the original; and Engage put in a more shallow monastery-like hub world, with much more simplistic characters, and a core gameplay gimmick that involves making one character a God instead of combining your units together.

Indeed, Fates and Engage are probably far more "anime" than Awakening and Three Houses, which most fans consider to their detriment rather than benefit. Most damning of all, however, is that the story of these games heavily revolves around a singular self-insert protagonist, with other characters having a much less important role. This narrative focus deemphasizes character-bond-based gameplay, rather than emphasizing it like the other games do.

(I'll mention that I personally think Engage is an excellent game, though this is because I am one of those spreadsheet and tier-list loving oldheads and I appreciate the excellent map design, core gameplay, and higher difficulty mode that actually seems like it was playtested. In fact, it was my love of Engage and the relatively lukewarm response from the fandom that led to me asking why Fire Emblem was popular in the first place. I had thought the fans loved all the goofy anime stuff, so why were they pissed about it now? What was Engage missing that Awakening wasn't?)

You can see how this shift from plot-based story and gameplay to character-based story and gameplay has affected not simply the raw number of fans, but the demographic makeup. In 2011, the fandom was nerdy dudes who liked to compare stat growth rates. In 2023, the fandom is far more evenly split between male and female players, and the fandom is a far more robust space for fan fiction, fan art, and other creative endeavors. It's characters who drove that change, not a more anime tone, not even a reduced difficulty. And after the relative reception of Three Houses and Engage, I'm extremely interested to see whether Intelligent Systems realizes this point, and what the next Fire Emblem looks like.

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem engage #fire emblem awakening

[lifeinpoetry]

Free/Inexpensive/Small Press (Mostly Poetry) Books (2022/11/14)

Free Ebooks

From A to Z by Etel Adnan

A Spell for Living by Keisha-Gaye Anderson

This Body I Have Tried to Write by Ja’net Danielo

Criptiques, ed. Caitlin Wood

The Awful Truth by Diana Hamilton

Okay, Okay by Diana Hamilton

for the joy of it by anaïs peterson

Machete Moon by Arielle Cottingham

Dela Torre by Dani Putney

FeralScape by Michelle Detorie

Pay-What-You-Can Ebooks

Gay, Black, and Non-Binary Is by Prince Bush

sour milk by natali celeste tautou

Cisness or Pleasure by Alice Stoehr

What About the Rest of Your Life by Sung Yim

Prone to Separation by Mariel Fechik & Taylor Yocom

Inexpensive Ebooks

<personal fashion> by Sara Matson

Wikipedia Apocalyptica by Steven D. Schroeder

Seagull (Thinking of You) by Tina Satter

DEEP ELLUM by Brandon Hobson

Gravity by Ari Lohr

Agender Daydreams by Thokozani Mbwana

Drifting Bottles by Arden Hunter

PLACES by Charlie D’Aniello

From This Soil by Casey Bailey

DADDY ISSUES by Sal Kang

Stranger in the Pen by Mohamed Asem

The End, by Anna by A. Light Zachary

The Life of the Party Is Harder to Find Until You're the Last one Around by Adrian Sobol

Is God Is by Aleshea Harris

Brief Chronicle, Books 6-8 by Agnes Borinsky

Borrow/Read Online

BEHIND TEETH by Emily Brandt

Small Press Ebooks (not on Amazon/Kobo/etc.)

Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn't My Rapist by Cecilia Gentili

gospel of regicide by Eunsong Kim

Beast Meridian by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal

You Da One (2nd edition) by Jennif(f)er Tamayo

These Days of Candy by Manuel Paul López

Indictus by Natalie Eilbert

Transgressive Circulation: Essays on Translation by Johannes Göransson

GeNtry!fication: or the scene of the crime by Chaun Webster

Slim Confessions by Sarah Minor

[SQUELCH PROCEDURES] by MLA Chernoff

claus and the scorpion by Lara Dopazo Ruibal, tr. Laura Cesarco Eglin

Objects from April and May by Zena Agha

an identity polyptych by Tameca L Coleman

Free Audiobooks

preparatory school for the end of the world by nat raum

Small Press Audiobooks (not on Amazon/Kobo/etc.)

Porn Carnival: Paradise Edition by Rachel Rabbit White (also includes PDF)

#lifeinpoetry books #free books #poetry books #free poetry

[a-queer-seminarian]

June was Queer Pride Month, July is Disability Pride Month, and that means it's the prime time of year for certain people to remind us that "pride is a sin, didn't you know?"

So for episode 75 of the Blessed Are the Binary Breakers podcast, I called up my dear friend Laura, a fellow disabled trans Christian, to discuss how the kind of pride that marginalized communities use as an antidote to shame is not sinful, but indeed essential in our pursuit of justice and abundant life for all!

Listen as Laura and I — interspersed with excerpts from Eli Clare's 1999 text Exile and Pride — contrast marginalized pride with nationalist, supremacist pride; explain why "awareness" and "acceptance" aren't enough; and emphasize the need to join pride with witness.

Click here for places to listen + the episode transcript.

Hear more from Laura on their podcast, the Autistic Liberation Theology Podcast. Click here for their website of essays and biblical Playmobil art.

Look under the readmore for more excerpts + image descriptions.

ID for images at top of post: A messy paint rainbow on a black background with text reading "Our Pride is Not a Sin: a queer and disabled lens. Ep 75 of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers."

Text on a purple banner reads "Pride and humility don't have to be opposites — they balance each other out." A quote from Avery Arden below reads, "When we have too high an opinion of ourselves, thinking we are above others, that’s an excess of pride — time for some humility. But then if we are pushed down, made to feel inferior to others, that’s humility in excess — time for some pride. And it's all about how it influences you to act with others." / end ID

Text on a green banner reads, "Why is pride only sinful when it's marginalized groups' pride?" A quote from Laura Sommer reads, "It shows that this is a made-up argument! Our whole society is built around national pride. As long as it's [pride for something] that is well-established and mainstream, nobody even notices that they use the word proud."

A quote from Eli Clare from 1999 reads, “Without pride, disabled people are much more likely to accept unquestioningly the daily material conditions of ableism, unemployment, poverty, segregated and substandard education, years spent locked up in nursing homes, violence perpetrated by caregivers, lack of access. Without pride, individual and collective resistance to oppression becomes nearly impossible."

A gray banner has text reading "The Progress Pride flag's black stripe & Disability Pride flag's gray background commemorate those lost to queerphobia or ableism." Both flags are shown on the image. A quote from Laura Sommer reads, "Remember the ones who can't be here, or can't feel pride, or can't celebrate. And make sure [pride's] not just about celebration — it's also about defiance, and this feeling of 'we are still here, and we will defend the space that we have carved out.' And we do this to save lives."

#pride #pride is a sin #disabled christians #trans christians #queer christians #faithfullylgbt #faithfullydisabled #log #summer 2023 #blessed are the binary breakers #rebuttals

[buckybarnesss]

As excited as I am for Arden Cho on my TV, I am beginning to think that the ATLA show is not worth it because Jesus fucking Christ some of these hot takes are atrocious.

I think I'd rather read an dumb as fuck essay on why Derek is actually a villain than read any more "aang is an example of toxic masculinity, and he sacrificed his love for katara to save the world but that was shitty of him actually and katara deserves better" nonsense.

just thinking about the discourse make me age 80 years.

not only are we going to have to deal with the old arguments being rehashed, possible old ship wars resurrected but also arguments about what was expanded and what was omitted in the adaptation.

like am i going to survive the percy jackson to atla adaptation fandom meltdowns that's going to happen in quick succession? or am i going to run off and live in a hut in the swamp like toph? i'm already in florida so it's not a stretch that i can do that!

#my blog #atla

[magpiefngrl]

mid-year book freak out tag

Let's talk about books! Thanks for tagging me @bloody-wonder ❤️😘

1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2023?

I've read 48 books till now but nothing leaps to mind as The Best. Like a novel that knocked me out, you know? If I had to choose one, I'd say Seven Summer Nights, a romance by Harper Fox, because I adored the first half and because it's the only book so far that gave me a book hangover.

2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2023?

The 2nd novel of Alexis Hall's trilogy, How To Blow It With A Billionaire, was delightful. Judging by the title I'd braced myself for angst, but instead 90-95% of the book was Arden and Caspian falling in love and getting closer (until the last chapter and the inevitable heartbreak). It is one of the most skillful, heartwarming and sexy relationship progressions I've read.

3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To?

This has been on my sights since 2021 but still haven't got around to it: She Who Became The Sun.

4. Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2023?

There's nothing that I'm truly impatient about. The first that comes to mind is KJ Charles's A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel.

Also, A Power Unbound by Freya Marske. I can't say I was blown away by the first two novels, but I have a feeling the ship in this one is my kind of ship.

I'm curious for a lot of books, but not eagerly anticipating them.

5. Biggest Disappointment?

Oh boy. I left a long review on GR about it and I still cry bitter tears about how let down I was by Alexis Hall's third installment of his Billionaire series. Like I said above, I really enjoyed the second book. It ended in heartbreak but I assumed we'd see the pairing work their way through their issues together and end up HEA. What I did NOT expect was that they'd be apart for most of the novel, only getting together at 90%. I don't want to be (even more) spoilery so I'll say nothing more. Just that this book had the promise of being truly spectacular and it turned out all over the place, and it hurts.

6. Biggest Surprise?

The Lodestar of Ys by Amy Rae Durreson, a short novel I got because a GR pal left an enthusiastic review and said that it was available for free. I don't know the author and mostly read it for research and was not prepared to enjoy it as much as I did. The writing is solid, the worldbuilding fascinating, the rivalry between the ship is realistic and convincing as is their growing attraction to each other. Good smut, which isn't normally the case with pub romance. Becomes a tad too cute for my tastes towards the end, but still a great read. And free!

7. Favorite New Author?

No one stands out. I guess Amy Rae Durreson (see above) is a new to me author that made me go and check out her other books, so let's go with her.

Oh I'm also really enjoying The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi so her too.

8. Newest Favorite Character?

Bucky Iain from The Scottish Boy, I guess?

9. Newest Fictional Crush?

No one. How weak has my reading year been??

💕Best Ship💕

Richard and Alec from Swordspoint. I refuse to read the sequels where they (I think?) break up. NOPE.

10. Book That Made You Cry?

I cry pretty easily and I'm sure I cried at a novel this year (if not more) but for the life of me I can't remember which.

11. Book That Made You Happy?

I had the most fun during my reread of Scum Villain's Self-Saving System. Gods, what I wouldn't give for more authors having so much fun with their stories.

12. Favorite Book Adaptation You Saw This Year?

I watched the final season of BBC's The Dark Materials early this year. It makes me happy to have such a great adaptation of one of my fave series of all times.

13. Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year?

I haven't written a lot of reviews this year. In the past there were times when I'd write long essays; now I'm all for short and sweet. Can't be arsed for more tbh. Unless I disliked the book and I need to rant.

14. Most Beautiful Cover?

I mostly read ebooks and I rarely notice covers. I did, however, notice the stunning cover of A Taste of Gold and Iron, which turned out to be a book I hated, so I'm even more distrustful of covers now.

15. What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year?

I have a bunch of unfinished series to complete (see 2023 reading goals), so that's my first goal. My second target is reading some of the dozens of unread books I own (both on the shelves and my ereader). I do need to finish Checkmate, this is getting ridiculous, but I keep getting distracted by romance.

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Overall, it hasn't been a spectacular year. I've read a LOT--esp in June I couldn't stop reading--but I've reread a few series to complete them, which ranged from meh (The Nikolai trilogy and Darker Shades of Magic) to flawed-but-interesting (The Dreamer trilogy) to seriously uneven (the Billionaire series). Early in the year I finished JS&MN and Spinning Silver which were great, but they feel a long time away and nothing amazing has come since. Idk. Some of my reads were unusual and made an impression, but can't say I enjoyed them fully. The most satisfying books these past few months have been a few romance novels. Fingers crossed for a more exciting second half of 2023.

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follow me on goodreads!

2022 mid year book tag

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tagging: @lettersbyelise @tackytigerfic @julcheninred @lqtraintracks @shealwaysreads @the-starryknight @wolfpants @violetclarity

#tagged #books #mid year book tag #booklr

[imaginationstimulation]

Illustrating Fashion in 1920s Paris: The Work of Georges Barbier

The flamboyant and fashionable Georges Barbier is most noted for his wonderful Art Deco illustrations of the fashions of the 1920s.

Shown Above: 1.) "Warrior" 2.) "Les Marionnettes" 3.) "Evening" 4.) "Farewell" 5.) "Incantation" 6.) "The Tango"

Barbier created a new fusion between fashion and art illustration with his beautiful pictures depicting willowy women in fashionable dresses, and his pictures became important depictions of fashion and life in the 1920s. 

Born in 1882, Barbier lived in Paris from 1908 and nourished his love of classical antiquity by exploring the collections in the Louvre. His fascination with the ancient artefacts, especially the figures depicted on Greek vases, greatly influenced his work and depiction of women and the human body.

Above: "Le Flamenco" (Georges Barbier)

In Paris, he put on his first show in 1911. It was a great success and it led to Barbier creating and leading a group with artists from the Ecole des Beaux Arts, which was affectionately nicknamed 'The Knights of the Bracelet' by Vogue. Other members of the Knights of the Bracelet included leading fashion illustrators and artists such as Georges Lepape and Paul Irebe, who were masters in their own right at producing bold fashion illustrations that were unlike any that had been seen before. The bold stylised designs helped create the emerging Art Deco aesthetic, presenting fashion in a new and exciting way.

Above: Isola Bella (Georges Barbier)

The stunning and iconic figures that Barbier depicted epitomised the 1920s fashion ideal and his reputation soon reached across the globe, where he began to produce advertising artwork for brands such as Cartier and Elizabeth Arden. Alongside his artworks, he also produced essays on fashion and designed theatre costumes, jewellery and fans. On his early death at the age of 50 in 1932, he had become one of the most well-known and highly regarded artists of the Art Deco era.

[text via Barneby's UK.]

#Georges Barbier #barbier #art deco #art #1920s #illustration #favorite #Le Flamenco #art history #warrior #tango #fashion #fashion history #isola bella #1920s artist #art deco artist

[shotbyafool]

talk about assassins!!!

exceptional. I am an adult now, and much more normal than I was at age 17, but my God. talk about one of the most cohesive musicals ever made; it’s so striking to see such a wonderful collaboration, and it’s sad Weidman didn’t work with Sondheim more, because dear God! the portrayal of Booth and Czolgosz between their scenes and their songs is such a wonder. a real masterclass in partnership. I feel with other works, like Company and Into the Woods, that the music outshines the scenes, which makes one’s overall enjoyment hampered—but not here! there is a reason the original Broadway album includes nearly entire scenes, slightly abridged. such excellent blending. such perfect work.

I may have ruined everything for myself by memorizing effectively the entire book from start to finish, which makes one’s delight at a new interpretation a bit less there. I saw this in Philadelphia at The Arden, a theatre beloved by Sondheim himself as it turns out, and it’s a lovely space. much to my surprise, what I deem to be correct choices were made entirely through. I find it insane that we let people cut “Something Just Broke” and that we let them not double cast The Balladeer and Oswald — to me, this is so fundamental to the vision of the show that not doing it should make one liable to be thrown in Director Jail. is the point not the corruption of innocence, the destruction of the optimist? I digress — the right choices were made here, and such a lovely performer doing the dual characters as required.

they chose to rid the show of its ensemble and have the periphery assassins do these parts. I was not entirely obsessed with it throughout, but there is this beautiful moment where everyone is loitering about as Czolgosz gets enraptured by the idea of Emma Goldman, and the Proprietor slips between them and hands the actress playing Fromme a little piece of paper. she puts on a pair of glasses and a suit jacket and the paper, it appears, is a script — she is to play Goldman in a scene with Czolgosz, where he knows the lines and she does not. and eventually she stops reading the script, starting to inhabit the character, and that little piece of paper becomes the pamphlet she presses into his hands as she leaves him. how divine! how intriguing!

besides this, it’s just so excellent to see it live. the full commitment to presenting Guiteau’s hanging makes me giddy. I adored watching the performers putter off to the sides when someone else’s scene was going on, reacting and listening and playing with decks of cards to distract themselves. and that final scene with Booth and Oswald is soooo delicious. I want to sink my teeth into it. I want to write a 20-page essay on it. I want everyone to understand it the way I do.

#ask #anonymous #thank you for asking. I am very obnoxious . #assassins

[faintingheroine]

Okay so I absolutely have to watch this film, read the criticism written on it, read up on Japanese culture more, and then write an essay comparing Noriko to Nihal.

Thank you so much @cor-ardens and her Anon.

#aşk ı memnu #aşk-ı memnu #late spring #nihal