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dailydragons · 6 days

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I am not immune to this propaganda…

Do you like long fantasy series, but are tired of authors never finishing them?

Do you like interesting magic systems?

Do you like when characters form intense even psychic bonds with animal companions?

Do you like your heart getting ripped out of your chest and then stuffed back in full to bursting and but then ripped out again to get stomped on but it turns out you like that too uhhh let's call it... intense yearning

Do you like dragons? Of course you do, why else would you be on this blog!

WELL DO I HAVE THE BOOK SERIES FOR YOU!

The Realm of the Elderlings is a 16-book series is comprised of four trilogies and a quartet. All of which have been finished. Yes that's right, Robin Hobb saw other authors who can't seem to finish their multi-book fantasy epics and said "I will finish mine 4 different times to show you it's incredibly easy actually." She also has written multiple other series (some under the pen name Megan Lindholm), set in different universes.

So, where to start?

The components of RotE are:

The Farseer Trilogy

The Liveship Traders Trilogy

The Tawny Man Trilogy

The Rain Wild Chronicles

Fitz and the Fool Trilogy

The three bolded trilogies above are told from the perspective of FitzChivalry Farseer, one of the main/major characters in this universe and my eternal blorbo. The Liveship Traders trilogy and Rain Wild Chronicles are told from several points of view, and happen in chronological order between the series above and flesh out the worldbuilding, lore, history, etc.

For the most complete look at the universe, you can of course read everything. However if you want to stick with just one character, you can read the three bolded trilogies only. And of course, if you don't want to commit to a metric ton of words either way, you can just read the first trilogy and see what you think. Though I do think the levels of joy/pain/adoration increase with each work as you get more invested in the characters, of course.

OR. You can in fact read the Liveship Traders trilogy or the Rain Wild Chronicles quartet completely independently of the others. I actually started with Rain Wild Chronicles because those books have the highest concentration of dragons--it was actually a follower of this blog who recommended them to me, and I decided to jump into those rather than commit to The Whole Series (which at the time was only 13 books not 16). But I loved the writing style and wanted to learn more about the world, so got into the rest, and now I actually think the Rainwilds books are the weakest of the bunch (though I still enjoyed them initially)!

But You're Following This Blog, DailyDragons, So Here's The Part Of The Pitch You're Actually Invested In

Now I will be up front that you don't get many dragons in the first trilogy. There are a kind of dragons that appear at the end but dragons are not the main focus of this one. However Hobb learns from her mistakes about not including tons of dragons in her fantasy world and you get more in the next parts of the series.

The Liveship books deal with sea serpents and dragons in very interesting ways I don't want to spoil, though it's a slow build. But VERY fascinating reveals into the dragon's biology, life history, and magic.

The plot of the later half of the Tawny Man Trilogy revolves around dealing with how the world of this story used to have dragons but they have practically gone extinct. Less direct contact with dragons but still a dragon-centric last book.

Rainwilds is chock full of dragons. Including as POV characters. Can't complain about lack of dragons here at all.

Fitz & The Fool Trilogy is lighter on the dragons at first and then they show up en force at the end. Ta da!

anyway please read these books and join me in my eternal suffering. wait, suffering? nevermind who said that. shhh. it's fine. you will love fitzchivalry farseer. you will love the fool. you will never be the same again.

#realm of the elderlings #THANK U FOR GIVING ME A HANDY DANDY SOAPBOX #lise-thethinker #i am always ready to weep about these books publically #i have read the entire series uhhh. 3 times? and condensed version 4 times #since i first read them in 2015 #WHEW. yeah. god i love them #ramblings #not dragon art #i guess

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whetstonefires · 1 year

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Do you have any opinions on Scholomance?

I do! I like it a lot. I really enjoyed all three books, blitzed through them easily and was much more excited to see how the plots unfolded than I'm used to these days, as a jaded adult, and I also really appreciated them as works of craft.

Especially the first one, I spent the whole time being all 'wow!' at how simple it was. So easy to read, but no waste. You really need to know what you're doing, to get that kind of pared-down elegance of form to work and still fit so much content in.

Like these are dense, there's a fantastic stylistic minimalism that allows El's character all the space it needs to breathe by making absolutely every other thing and person in the whole novel also do character work for her, which is exactly where the first person voice shines.

Also great use of character perspective to make the pacing feel really natural, so the fact that the first book takes three weeks, the second book takes one year, and the third book is like. Five or so incredibly stressful days spread out over the course of a few weeks? Doesn't feel imbalanced.

I actually got distracted from the story a few times by noticing the strength of Novik's technique. 😂 This is a me problem, in itself it's the opposite of distracting. Very low-profile.

I think the Scholomance is a great example of how far you can go in specfic when you aren't cringing from the label 'derivative,' because the Scholomance books feel very fresh ad clean specifically because nothing in them is concerned with standing out as 'original,' whatever that's supposed to mean, only with being well-executed and suitable to its task.

Hm, maybe that's where Liesel was born, the intersection of the efficient narrative style and the vast proportion of the story that concerns the maximization of utility and the instrumentalization of persons by themselves and others, and the forces that incentivize these behaviors. Or maybe she's just the narrative counterweight to Orion 'Head Empty' Lake lmao. How's that for a principle of balance, Galadriel?

I really did enjoy how beautifully it was laid out, over and over, in dozens of shades of humanity, how no matter where you go in an exploitative system almost everyone is being driven by the same survival instincts.

Because I don't think I've ever seen made so cleanly clear why you just can't expect any person or small group of people, no matter their level of goodwill or status, to unmake one of these systems from the inside; how it's not a matter of people being bad but of every single person being very...small.

And then not retreating into the idea of a person who is Big coming and breaking the cruel system from the outside as some kind of panacea, because 1) that is terrible, even if it's necessary and done in the best way possible and 2) that's not a sustainable answer to anything. Getting a balance between the protagonist being able to effect change and not subscribing to the great man theory of history can be really tricky!

Also did I mention, I love El, and I love most of the cast, even the dreadful ones. How am I going around with this many feelings about Li Shanfeng who doesn't appear until the actual climax?

The romance murdered me a bit, but it took up no more space than it absolutely needed to do its job, and I respect that. Also I appreciated Orion as a love interest; Novik has a slight record at this point of a version of that style of male love interest who's like a caricature of Mr. Darcy but old, which was shaping up to be my least favorite thing about her body of work.

...Orion is kind of like if you took the human king from Spinning Silver and gave him an alignment flip come to think of it, so he's not coming out of nowhere. Lmao.

Which reminds me (re: romance character typing) I've heard Novik didn't want it to be known she was astolat, which this series has renewed my sympathies if so. Because if I were a published novelist I wouldn't want people going 'you know, that resolution was really emotionally satisfying! reminds me of that fic she wrote where optimus prime and megatron get stuck in a hole underground and hatefuck about it.'

I don't even like Transformers. That fic almost made me cry. Actually I suspect it reads better if you don't like Transformers because I'm sure it does not give a shit about canon.

Anyway, whoever pointed out that one of the things El has going on is she's Enoby (and we're going to sit down and explore what the true reason to put your middle finger up at preps is, and what are some constructive ways to channel that socioeconomic wrath, and what it means that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism) was right and I'm not entirely over that either.

Fucking love El's mom as a character. Spectacular level of parent relevance and usefulness. A+.

Aadhya and Liu are also characters who fucking delivered.

Re: minimalism though, I laughed at the start of The Golden Enclaves when I realized that none of the enclaver characters who'd gotten development in the the first two books were from London, the enclave El was theoretically shooting for when we met her.

#ask #hoc est meum #Anonymous #scholomance #my sister's biphobia made an appearance when i was reading the second book and tried to tell her about this thing i was enjoying #still mad at her about it #anyway though #good!#wish i could ask novik what she was thinking by making a single-cell abortion work as human sacrifice #like is it just because magic works on intent so if you think the newly fertilized egg #that you couldn't know about without magic #is 'your baby which you are killing'#then it is?#for purposes of hole in reality making?#or does this story have a spot where its politics sharply reverse and human life begins at conception #spoilers #scholomance spoilers #especially in the reblog #lakjfaldkfs seanan mcguire has granted this rambled Circulation oh dear

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marvelstars · 10 months

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youtube

I am really linking this series of interviews by George Lucas going with his analysis for each character in this case Anakin and Obi-Wan.

youtube

Here in Anakin´s chapter, Lucas explains Anakin´s real issue isn´t really the darkside or it´s temptations, in fact when he was a kid he already possesed many virtues related to the Jedi, he was generous, without malice, wanted to help and very compassionate despite being raised on slavery in a very horrible environment , his only issue, if you want to call it that, was that he was raised by a loving mother who he loved as well, having a family for him was something natural and neccesary and his main issue when it came to the order was that they simply didn´t work with family units, they worked in a master -apprentice relationships which were foreing to him, he had bonds with people because he was born in a family and a community. The fact he quickly could lose them given many of them were slaves only made him bond with even more intensity which translated into him having difficulty in letting go of his loved ones.

So in Lucas vision, Anakin needed a master like Qui-Gon to teach him the way of the jedi while making a transition between having a family and having a master - apprentice relationship, Qui-Gon actually WANTED to be that father figure Anakin was looking for even when he lived with his mother.

This obviously didn´t happen with Obi-Wan, who wasn´t really into the idea of being Anakin´s father figure and who wanted Anakin to adapt into the Jedi´s life as if he was raised on the temple. Lucas tells Obi-Wan´s biggest regret in both trilogies was having failed as a master for Anakin, because he didn´t adapt to Anakin´s personal needs like Qui-Gon would have done neither did he stablished many reflective opportunties over the nature or the dark and lightside like Yoda did with Luke, Obi-Wan´s teaching style was more "by the book" so in Lucas view Obi-Wan is indirectly to blame for Anakin´s fall to the darkside and the end of the republic. I think there are many attenuating circunstances about this but I could see Obi-Wan seeing it that way. Obi-Wan then begins to make similar mistakes with Luke who also gets in danger of falling like his father before him but who ultimately doesn´t fall because his training was slighty different and had Yoda´s involvement and of course because Luke himself decides to embrace compassion and value family, his bond with the father he barely knew.

Lucas mentions that he considered keeping Qui-Gon out of the story and writting obi-wan as an ambitious young Jedi who wanted to train Anakin for his intense force powers, like Obi-Wan said in the OT but he later decided to include Qui-Gon so he could be the contrast with Obi-Wan personality, the difference between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan is one in which a man pays attention and helps a beggar(Qui-Gon) who in TPM is represented by both Jar Jar and Anakin and another man(Obi-Wan) who gets annoyed at having to deal with the beggar in the first place, which is reflected in Obi-Wan´s dialogue about "Pathetic life forms". Obi-Wan is still ambitious in TPM but not in relation to Anakin, just in the sense he´s interested in advancing his career, in fact he tells Qui-Gon he could be part of the council if he didn´t discuss so much with the council, which actually means Obi-Wan pretty much wants to be part of the Council and advance in his career as a Jedi.

I belive it was Obi-Wan´s original disconnect with Anakin, his sadness/anger over Qui-Gon wanting to end his padawanship in favor of Anakin that despite trying his best to comply with Qui-Gon´s wishes, Obi-Wan and Anakin only connected later in the story when they were both adults but they had so much conflict in their master - apprentice relationship for the way their relationship began, it wasn´t fair for Obi-Wan to teach a student he was suspiscious of because of the council pov of him but it wasn´t fair to Anakin either to have a teacher who started his training out of obligation and who thought he was dangerous, this is why this relationship ultimately failed to give Anakin the emotional and mental skills needed to use his powers adecuately and have a stronger process in his decision making to make choices for himself, having being a slave Anakin had an almost crippling difficulty to make personal decisions for himself, especially when so many people around him made decisions for him, as it stands Anakin´s one decision not prompted by somebody else in the story was to marry Padme.

Anakin having the wrong training, with many regrets over leaving his mother behind, without a father figure to lean on, then gets broken inside by his mother´s death, which leads to Vader´s persona being born inside him, Vader here represents his hate, resentment, whish for revenge over the injustice, which leads to him to attack the tusken raiders and later when he learns about Padmé dying on childbirth, he listens to the "devil"(Palpatine) who tells him he can save her for a price which was a lie.

So from Lucas pov Anakin´s fall began after his mother´s death, but wasn´t fully realized until his dreams about Padmé dying, with him being unable to do anything about it except see her die, this made him want to keep her alive at any cost but the reason for his fall wasn´t about him being particulary attracted to the darkside, or violent or evil, he simply wanted to keep the people he loved around, turning his genuine love into possessive love. He didn´t get the adecuate training for him to make the transition between having a family and being part of the Order in which attachment was forbbiden, an Order in which it was expected of him to give up his family.

The author of the video goes on to reflect how Anakin could have avoided falling if he was sent to the Temple earlier but I believe, given Luke was a lot more older than Anakin when he began his training, being raised by his mother wasn´t the problem, the problem was the training he got was the standard for a Jedi but he needed a training adapted to his particular needs as someone who came late to the temple, but the Jedi Order of the era and Obi-Wan as a teacher, the people and organization of the time in which he got to live just weren´t shaped this way.

Very interesting points by Lucas himself about Anakin´s character and then the Original trilogy is the story of how Anakin gets back from the darkside by making the opposite journey, he gets back his humanity, he gets the compassion he had by loving Luke as a father but this love didn´t become possesive the way his love for Padmé did, because Anakin/Vader were ready to give up his own life if it meant saving Luke, relearning love, compassion, he used to have as a child and getting his own balance back from the time before his mothers death.

#anakin skywalker #star wars #obi wan kenobi #qui gon jinn #padme amidala #George Lucas interview #Prequel trilogy #Original trilogy #Youtube #sw meta #anakin skywalker meta #anakin meta #star wars meta #jedi order #jedi council #darth vader

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trans-cuchulainn · 4 months

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i do feel sad sometimes that i didn't have any access to english folk trads when i was growing up. i got into irish folk stuff as a tween in part because that was the only sort of folk i really knew about; i didn't have many local musicians to learn from so i got it from youtube and clannad CDs. as an adult most of the folk that's available to me is actually scottish, even though i'm a very long way from scotland, just due to the vibes of where i live. when i play sessions in donegal i don't have the same tunes as people there but i don't have english ones either, i've mostly got scottish ones and there's nothing wrong with that but it's also not grounded in any of the communities i'm actually a member of. there's something about having to borrow it from elsewhere because your own communities have become disconnected that DOES feel alienating

my parents are classically trained (though not musicians by profession) so i grew up with a lot of music but none of it was trad – i played in youth orchestras and wind bands and pit orchs for musicals. they didn't have any interest in folk music even though i know my paternal grandad did play it because i have his "fiddler's tunebook" from 1953 (i never met my paternal grandad though, he died before i was born). it would have made a difference if they did, i think, but our area didn't really have any folk going on, so maybe not that much difference unless they were keen enough to travel for it. they always thought of it as faintly embarrassing, though. when i got into irish music my family referred to it as "diddly diddly music", but in general it would be a lot more socially acceptable to say you do irish dance than to confess to being a clog dancer

but i think a huge part of it is also a class thing. the middle class classical musicians vs the peasant folk musicians, the highly trained dancers in studios vs the everyman in the pub in his boots... there's been a lot of social mobility in my family history and a couple of generations back they were a lot poorer so maybe that's why the folk got left behind as a remnant of those years

and i wonder if that's maybe at the root of a lot of english weirdness about folk traditions. like modern competitive irish dancing as we know it is basically the invention of the gaelic league and a lot of its distinctive features, such as the upright upper body, were specifically constructed to distinguish it from the more relaxed "peasant" styles and to make it a socially acceptable and sophisticated form of national heritage etc etc (catherine foley has an interesting book on the history of it if you want more on that). and this was obviously largely a response to colonisation. the same didn't really happen to the music tho. and the english, as the colonisers, had nothing to defend their heritage against, so that's part of why so much of it got lost, but also never elevated it from being the tradition of working people and peasants and whatever. and the english are SO weird about class (as something quite distinct from income/wealth) so of course folk music and dance would often get pushed aside in favour of ballet and classical music as the acceptably middle class arts, and therefore the folk trads get relegated to an embarrassing footnote that you don't admit to participating in in polite company (read: middle class company)

dunno. some sociologists and ethnomusicologists have probably written about this in more depth and with actual data and better wording. i'm just musing on my own experiences and observations

#i am not gonna take up clog dancing but that's because i'm disabled and have bad knees #personal #folk music

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lazar-codes · 2 months

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14/02/2024 || Day 12 (dop)

TLDR:

🔸 practised ASL fingerselling

🔸 went to ASL class

🔸 worked on button functionality for Frontend Mentor project

🔸 started planning new illustration

🔸 read current book

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Turns out that when I pick up extra shifts at work, I don't do anything productive when I get home -- including program. I feel like I haven't done any consistent programming since November, tbh. Hopefully I can find it in me to get back on it, but I'm definitely feeling the programming burnout.

Work

ASL class - I just want to say that today we learned about conjunctions after it was introduced to us 2 weeks ago, and dear lord will I need to sit down and practice it a bunch. I'm excited though!

Frontend Mentor - I decided that I want to wrap this project up ASAP, so of course I did only the minimum today. I got the button functionality all working, where they'll appear and disappear at appropriate times. The next thing that I'll do tmr will be to dynamically fill out the information required in the Summary step, which is depending on the user's selections throughout the form.

Art

Much like with programming, I've been putting off sketching, but this time only for the past 2 weeks. I swear, I was at a sketching high in January, where I filled a page almost every day. Especially at the end of January, because I had finished re-playing The Last of Us Part 2 and was a sketching machine filled with inspiration. But then it disappeared once I made a finished digital illustration of one of my fanart ideas. So, to combat the stagnation I feel, I did the unspeakable and picked up a pen and went in directly without pencil lines. Apparently I can't go 2 months without using pen, despite swearing it off since I used it for nearly 4 years straight. And what do you know? I had fun sketching today. I gotta say though, the best thing about drawing in pen is that the sketches really pop out of the page because they're so bold.

Also, I spent last night looking for some graphic novels I might be interested in, but a lot of ones aimed at adults have art styles and don't really vibe with me, so I started looking at kids' graphic novels and found one whose style I fell in love with! I know nothing about the plot, but I'm really hoping that the art itself can inspire me! Plus, it's a nice little Valentine's Day present to myself.

#studyblr #codeblr #100 days of code #programming #100 days of productivity #coding #lazar blogs

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writeouswriter · 5 months

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Winter Reading/Arting/Writing Tag

Thanks so much for the tag, @ink-bunny-blue! (X)

Describe one creative WIP project you plan on working on over winter

I always “plan on” working on a thousand things and then do none of them 😭 because I haven’t been in so much a “creative slump” as I’ve been in an iron gripped chokehold by hyperfixation for the last year, so on one hand I’ve been unable to focus on any of my original writing because it’s not about The Interest™️, and then on the other hand I haven’t even been able to write anything about The Interest™️ because the fixation on it is so strong, everything I write for it has to be Perfect™️ (and nothing’s ever perfect, you know). On that note, if my ability to write returns from the war and I ever get a day off from this purgatory of a job, I really really really want to work on this comparative essay about The Interest™️ involving analyzing parallels to a certain classic play, and looking into various aspects of the tragicomic structure and themes of identity and change. Also, God willing, I’d love to get one fic done, just one, please please please, I have a few winter-y or Christmas-y ones I’m dying to get my brain to sign off on despite my lack of free time, come on, brain, yip yip.

Art, same thing, something Christmas-y for The Interest™️, also I gotta finish some zine pieces.

As for original writing, would love to work on my untitled WIP about an astrobiologist and team of other assorted scientists brought in by a somewhat questionable facility to study an extraterrestrial artefact and being affected strangely by it, but it’s a bit up in the air plot wise. Would love to answer asks about it though if anyone is interested 😭

Recommend a book

Definitely mentioned it before but:

Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by Brandon Sanderson

“Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It's his hallucinations who are mad.”

This is like speculative fiction/thriller/mystery that’s hard to explain, but perfect balance of humour and sincerity, sci-fi and reality, and character and plot, probably my favourite standalone novel ever (well it’s really 3 novellas that somewhat connect and come together to form a novel, but either way).

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Charlie Jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killer. Maybe.

This is a thriller book set in the 90s that as its title suggests, takes place over the course of one night, where a troubled, film-obsessed college girl (and unreliable narrator) who recently witnessed her friend’s murder (but can’t recall the killer’s face) decides to travel back home via a ride share where her driver may or may not be said killer, and has to, you guessed it, survive the night.

Now, this is actually one of Sager’s lowest ranked and seemingly most universally hated novels, whereas it’s the only one of his I actually thoroughly enjoyed/didn’t find mediocre and thought had a sense of style as I like the almost cinematic way it was written?? It was fast paced, it was fun, it had unique prose, and I think it perfectly captured the vibes of a cheesy 90s B-movie (said as a compliment).

Recommend a fic

I still cannot recommend From Out the Ocean Risen by Bluestar enough, it acts as a sequel fic to the movie Pacific Rim, and has some of the most gorgeously well executed cinematic prose and imagery I’ve ever read, not to mention impeccable character dialogue, and an incredible grasp on the balance between drama/angst/action/heart/humour.

What’s a Little B&E Between Friends by VoiceOfNurse is also a fantastic Pacific Rim series with a solid grasp on both character dynamics/POV and style. A fascinating, very humanizing character study, both angsty and fun.

Recommend Music

I’ve suddenly never heard a song in my life.

The Killing Moon by Echo & The Bunnymen is stuck in my head again, so, *tosses that at you*

She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult also in my head so *throws that also*

Also, even though I haven’t actively listened to them in a while, I’m still still actually super excited for Green Day’s new album, so *one more toss*

Dilemma

The American Dream is Killing Me

Tagging if you want to do it no pressure!: @the-angriest-bunny-of-the-fandom, @writing2sirvive, @druidx, @universalfanfic, @karolinarodrigueswrites, @multi-lefaiye, @transmasc-wizard, @drabbleitout, @merelyafigment, @aritany, @rockium-z, @caffernnn and anyone who wants to do this, feel free to say I tagged you, you’re tagged.

#tag game #tagged

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grandhotelabyss · 5 months

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In an old interview with Tyler Cowen, Knausgaard called Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius the greatest story ever written—a sentiment with which Cowen agreed. (Cowen seems to read everything, but there's something about an economist—an orthodox heterodox economist, no less!—making pronouncements on literature that makes me suspicious of the claim. Then again, he once wrote, "Shakespeare is very likely the deepest thinker the human race has produced." No argument there.)

Personally, I might bestow the honour on The Dead, but it's really more of a novella, and I'm admittedly quite the Deadhead. (To be clear, in the high arts a "Deadhead" is the moniker we attribute to readers obsessed with the poetic intensities of swift cessations: Death in Venice, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, the deaths of Sula, Septimus, Billy Budd, and Pierce Inverarity, etc. Indeed, poetic intensities and swift cessations may simply be the novella tout court. On the subject of jam bands—and cheese—I remain mysteriously silent.)

Might Joyce have authored the greatest story, the greatest novel, and the greatest love letters? (Forgive me, sweet Jane, for such futile superlatives against your soul-stirring pen. I am half agony, half cope.) I suppose Borges is more Beethovenian in his revolutionizing of the form, whereas Joyce aimed for a Bach-like perfection as it existed at the time.

Of course, one mustn't forget the dozen or so contenders from Poe, Kafka, and Chekhov, not to mention The Lottery and A Good Man is Hard to Find. What do you think? As always, thank you for your splendid insights! And to the anonymous hundreds reading this, or, at this point in my unsolicited soliloquy, the anonymous dozen skimming, please subscribe to John's serialized novel!

Thank you, David! Yes, I find Cowen dispiritingly, exhaustingly, demoralizingly well-read. Someone I admire on Substack recently gave a list of 10 pieces of advice for undergraduates, and I liked nine of them, but I didn't like the first: everything, he said, is interesting. But everything is not interesting. The undergraduate, the veritable ephebe, is right to be bored by some things. If I found everything interesting, who would I be? I almost cultivate my non-interests. With so many books I do want to read in the world, it's a relief to know there are also many books (books about economics, for example) that I do not want to read. Really, only obsessions matter. The personality, to be a personality, must have its limits, as must the work of art, even if as a novelist, I do aspire in my own way to the "everything and nothing" Borges imputed to Shakespeare, or to the Homeric as against the Virgilian in Mark Van Doren's line that Virgil is a style, Homer a world. Only Borges could be Homeric in a short story, though; for the rest of us—yes, even for Joyce—it takes a novel. A fellow Deadhead, I agree with you that that is a novella in the death-obsessed ranks of the great novellas. I add Heart of Darkness, The Metamorphosis, and Nella Larsen's Quicksand to your fine catalogue.

(Incidentally, when I was in college, a friend dragged me to see a jam band called The String Cheese Incident. They played a theater on the ground floor of Soldiers and Sailors Hall on the University of Pittsburgh campus, upstairs of which the great Gothic scene of Lecter's escape in Silence of the Lambs had been filmed a little less than a decade before. Jam bands don't do it for me; I was heavy bored at that concert, I have to tell you; Chesterton's neglected cheese be damned, poets have their right to silence on some subjects—because, again, everything is not interesting.)

Now to your question. When I think of great short stories, I do not, like George Saunders, think of 19th-century Russians. (19th-century Russians are better at length, when they go on and on and on—even, if you ask me, Chekhov, as I said earlier this year in praise of his novella, The Duel, a great novella not quite belonging to your catalogue inasmuch as it defeats death, more or less.) No, I think of 19th-century Americans. I think of "Ligeia" and "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Man of the Crowd," and I think of "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and "The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids" and "Benito Cereno," and I think of "The Author of Beltraffio" and "The Middle Years" and "The Figure in the Carpet." Above all, I think of Hawthorne, of "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Minister's Black Veil" and "Ethan Brand" and "Wakefield" and "The May-Pole of Merry Mount" and "The Artist of the Beautiful" and "The Birth-Mark" and (my favorite) "Rappaccini's Daughter." A great deal of Borges is already in those stories, these tales or parables or half-allegories—I do agree with both Knausgaard and Cowen that Borges's "Tlön," or maybe "The Aleph," must be the paradigm of the modern story—and a great deal of Kafka, Jackson, and O'Connor, too.

Honorable mention: I am not an expert on the 19th-century French, but "The Unknown Masterpiece" by Balzac is a new favorite, which I read for the first time just this year. A good tale in its own right, but to have anticipated, almost to the point of clairvoyance, the whole future course of art in one short story from the 1830s—!

Caveat: "Rappaccini's Daughter" has 3000 fewer words than The Dead; and "Benito Cereno" is double the length of "Rappaccini's Daughter." Why type some titles in italics and some in quotation marks? The distinction between novella and story must be qualitative rather than quantitative, with the distinction not quite only about death, since all three narratives at least include if they do not dwell upon swift cessations. "Rappaccini's Daughter" and "Benito Cereno" seem to me to be stories because they are about one thing, as opposed to The Dead, which, like The Scarlet Letter, is about several things—and as opposed, of course, to Moby-Dick and to Ulysses, which are, Aleph-wise, about absolutely everything ("[A]ny man unaccustomed to such sights, to have looked over her side that night, would have almost thought the whole round sea was one huge cheese, and those sharks the maggots in it"; "Cheese digests all but itself. Mity cheese"), and make everything as interesting as ever everything can be.

#literary criticism #short stories #nathaniel hawthorne

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sporadicarbitergardener · 7 months

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1928-2014

By Dr. Kelly A. Spring | 2017; Updated December 2021 by Mariana Brandman, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Women’s History, 2020-2022

Poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar Maya Angelou was a world-famous author. She was best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style.

On April 4, 1928, Marguerite Ann Johnson, known to the world as Maya Angelou, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Due to her parents’ tumultuous marriage and subsequent divorce, Angelou went to live with her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas at an early age. Her older brother, Bailey, gave Angelou her nickname “Maya.”

Returning to her mother’s care briefly at the age of seven, Angelou was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. He was later jailed and then killed when released from jail. Believing that her confession of the trauma had a hand in the man’s death, Angelou became mute for six years. During her mutism and into her teens, she again lived with her grandmother in Arkansas.

Angelou’s interest in the written word and the English language was evident from an early age. Throughout her childhood, she wrote essays, poetry, and kept a journal. When she returned to Arkansas, she took an interest in poetry and memorized works by Shakespeare and Poe.

Prior to the start of World War II, Angelou moved back in with her mother, who at this time was living in Oakland, California. She attended George Washington High School and took dance and drama courses at the California Labor School.

When war broke out, Angelou applied to join the Women’s Army Corps. However, her application was rejected because of her involvement in the California Labor School, which was said to have Communist ties. Determined to gain employment, despite being only 15 years old, she decided to apply for the position of a streetcar conductor. Many men had left their jobs to join the services, enabling women to fill them. However, Angelou was barred from applying at first because of her race. But she was undeterred. Every day for three weeks, she requested a job application, but was denied. Finally, the company relented and handed her an application. Because she was under the legal working age, she wrote that she was 19. She was accepted for the position and became the first African American woman to work as a streetcar conductor in San Francisco. Angelou was employed for a semester but then decided to return to school. She graduated from Mission High School in the summer of 1944 and soon after gave birth to her only child, Clyde Bailey (Guy) Johnson.

After graduation, Angelou undertook a series of odd jobs to support herself and her son. In 1949, she married Tosh Angelos, an electrician in the US Navy. She adopted a form of his surname and kept it throughout her life, though the marriage ended in divorce in 1952.

Angelou was also noted for her talents as a singer and dancer, particularly in the calypso and cabaret styles. In the 1950s, she performed professionally in the US, Europe, and northern Africa, and sold albums of her recordings.

In 1950, African American writers in New York City formed the Harlem Writers Guild to nurture and support the publication of Black authors. Angelou joined the Guild in 1959. She also became active in the Civil Rights Movement and served as the northern coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a prominent African American advocacy organization

In 1969, Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography of her early life. Her tale of personal strength amid childhood trauma and racism resonated with readers and was nominated for the National Book Award. Many schools sought to ban the book for its frank depiction of sexual abuse, but it is credited with helping other abuse survivors tell their stories. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has been translated into numerous languages and has sold over a million copies worldwide. Angelou eventually published six more autobiographies, culminating in 2013’s Mom & Me & Mom.

She wrote numerous poetry volumes, such as the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Just Give me a Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (1971), as well as several essay collections. She also recorded spoken albums of her poetry, including “On the Pulse of the Morning,” for which she won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album. The poem was originally written for and delivered at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. She also won a Grammy in 1995, and again in 2002, for her spoken albums of poetry.

Angelou carried out a wide variety of activities on stage and screen as a writer, actor, director, and producer. In 1972, she became the first African American woman to have her screen play turned into a film with the production of Georgia, Georgia. Angelou earned a Tony nomination in 1973 for her supporting role in Jerome Kitty’s play Look Away, and portrayed Kunta Kinte’s grandmother in the television miniseries Roots in 1977.

She was recognized by many organizations both nationally and internationally for her contributions to literature. In 1981, Wake Forest University offered Angelou the Reynolds Professorship of American Studies. President Clinton awarded Angelou the National Medal of Arts in 2000. In 2012, she was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Wake Forest University Writers Hall of Fame. The following year, she received the National Book Foundation’s Literarian Award for outstanding service to the American literary community. Angelou also gave many commencement speeches and was awarded more than 30 honorary degrees in her lifetime.

Angelou died on May 28, 2014. Several memorials were held in her honor, including ones at Wake Forest University and Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. To honor her legacy, the US Postal Service issued a stamp with her likeness on it in 2015. (The US Postal Service mistakenly included a quote on the stamp that has long been associated with Angelou but was actually first written by Joan Walsh Anglund.)

In 2010, President Barack Obama awarded Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. It was a fitting recognition for Angelou’s remarkable and inspiring career in the arts.

This woman was a woman of rape, abuse , and even a victim of racism. She stayed writing in her life as life went on and she did not ask other people to suffer either was well she was a woman of many gift. A big wake up for womens rights and also a good reflection on what is wrong with today's society. People use religion, marriage, laws and even age to determine what is and isn't rape and that is the sick culture all women have to endure. It is never a woman's fault. It happened to me recently and now I am diving back into my music arts. Even research as well . Getting different domains for different topics as well while putting my story out there . It is scary to put it out there because there are so many different things that make writing scary/

#today i learned #til #inventions #biochemistry #women in stem #electricity #mathematics #ocean #environment #sea

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congealedweapon · 4 months

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I see a lot of artist complain about getting comments about how talented they are and how the commenter could never do art like that - which is understandable because the societal myth of innate talent especially with arts and other creative skills - and then say that anyone can get as skilled if they practice and work with enough time and effort. But this also just isn't true - not just under capitalism either.

There are so many different factors - internal and external - that all contribute to this. Most obviously, besides interest, not everyone has access to the time, energy and space to learn and practice. And, importantly, disabled people aren't a tiny fraction of the population even in the western world or whatever you call Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Iirc pre pandemic the official statistics estimated 1/5-1/4 of various populations - which can only be an underestimate when society so severely discourages people from identifying as disabled and doesn't acknowledge that some disabilities even exist. And given that Covid is a mass disabling event, it can only be higher now (and increasing). So any claim that "of course I didn't mean disabled people" "disability is a different conversation/off topic" isnt valid, disabled people are a part of "anyone" and "everyone" and not an exception. Assuming and/or categorising us as an exception to the rule that goes without saying is in and of itself ableist.

That aside, I believe - although don't have exact data or anything - that there must be a common range of various basic skills and abilities outside of what is considered disability - things like fine and gross motor skills (and each of those skills individually), ability to perceive and process finer visual, audio or other sensory details (which would impact visual art and music skill acquisition respectively), various forms of coordination, flexibility etc.

There are also, although research is in its infancy, differences in how people think - i.e. whether or not and to what extent there are images, words and inner monologue, other sounds, etc - as well as differences - which can be affected by how people think, such as a lack of images aka aphantasia - in memory formation and recall, as well as working memory and muscle memory (at least in disability terms, but I don't think there is an actual line between "not disabled" and "disabled" so much as there is a point at which various things become disabling (which is subjective) (and seperate to disability as a political identity and marginalisation)

I've heard in passing that so called "learning styles" are a myth and I haven't looked into it (and don't feel like it at 9:30pm just for a little rant) but there are differences - and the same person can have different pretences for different things and in different circumstances - in what format of tutorials people find most useful, if not a combination of formats, such as video or detailed written instructions, with or without diagrams or still images, learning in a small in person group versus on your own via the internet or a book or DVD, etc. And I don't think it's that anyone has 1 innate "style" but that there are a lot of factors involved, in general and contextually and that the more quality, accessible and affordable options for learning are available the more people are going to have success at acquiring the skill - not to mention that those tutorials and other resources need to be in a language you can understand enough of, or are able to translate enough of with online and other tools, don't assume access to tools or other resources you don't have (e.g. software) and are for/work with the method you use/are most able to use - for example, the way I hold my crochet hook is different to the most common way, so video tutorials have always been more confusing (especially before I figured out that I'd unconsciously adapted how I hold my hook) and clear diagrams that just show the top of the hook and the yarn are much much easier. But also are harder to find, especially without buying a lot of expensive books.

Basic physical attributes can also play a part in how easily a skill can be learned. This is most easily seen with sports - there are plenty of resources that talk about, and show, how different body types can be an advantage in different sports. It also applies to singing and learning various instruments - some are easier with longer, more but not too flexible fingers. Others are easier with a greater lung capacity and a straighter back.

There are also differences in parenting, schooling, safe home environments, parental income, etc that play a part as well, which I think most left leaning people are at least somewhat aware of - the more access and encouragement you had in regards to starting a skill early on and continuing with it is a clear advantage in becoming skilled at something.

All of this is important, because interest in a thing and motivation do not exist, unchanging, in a vacuum. If you find something more challenging to you than it is for your peers, or what is expected of you, or to the point where it's actively discouraging, that makes it much harder to maintain interest. Sometimes interests starts because you got the chance to try and thing that was maybe easier to learn for you than others, or than other things you tried, that you were applauded for and otherwise encouraged to continue, and it met a minimal level of fun, and the interest grew from there. Maybe you had what could have been a passing interest, had you not had access, but you did so you were able to get more into it and become passionate.

I also want to say, that it's very true that not everything is a privilege, and sometimes people will claim something is a privilege either mistakenly or untruthfully to make a point or argue.

BUT some things can be a *sign* of or a result of privilege or only accessible if you either get very lucky or have a certain level of privilege. One of those things is being able to get to the level of proficiency in a skill - especially one that has a financial barrier - in order to become even semi professional or make a name on social media for it, or even just create often enough to post your work regularly *especially* with enough skill to obtain an audience for it. I'm sure there are exceptions, like there is for everything, but most people don't have the money, free time, free energy, free focus, lack of conflicting or obstructing ability circumstance or disability, etc to get to that point. And those that do aren't going to get there after the same amount of time, energy, and practice.

(also if you say "you don't need expensive equipment/supplies to do [your hobby/skill]" and don't at least provide a link to resources on how to figure out which inexpensive options are the best and most appropriate ones, or at least acknowledge that being familiar enough with the different options, brands, etc to know where and how to efficiently and effectively save money is in itself a sub skill of the hobby/profession/etc then, you know 🖕 - also not everyone can just use the cheapest stuff due to accessibility and other needs)

I feel like, even in more nuanced conversations about how our societal understandings of intelligence, talent, etc are entirely made up and harmful nonsense, it would do everyone good to normalise that it's okay to be bad at things. Not everyone is able to get professional level proficient in things they want to do. No one can become proficient in everything if they want to do a bunch of things. And not everyone wants to do the work required - whether because they want to do multiple things and there just isn't enough time or energy in one life, because they have no interest in being professional, or because it would require greater sacrifice or risk than it would for other people or than it's worth.

I think education and society at large would benefit from better understanding that not everyone starts from the same base level of ability when starting out at learning different things, or in life. Both in regards to disability, not having the same first or at-home language as the one being taught in, and with failings in society like poverty, racism, etc and capitalism in general. And also that there is a variety in every possible human trait within the population - just like there are differences in height, body shape, eye hair and skin colour, voice pitch, native language and culture and other fairly obvious things, we can there is so much micro and invisible variety too. My sister can draw in more visual detail than I generally perceive just looking at the world as a short sighted since childhood, and ADHD person with significant aphantasia. I crochet but I can't knit - and while video tutorials are an added level of confusion because I can't hold my crochet hook the same way most tutorial makers do, I found learning how to read charts almost instinctual, but many crocheters struggle with that. I've done micro crochet, something considered generally quite difficult in the crochet community, but Tunisian crochet absolutely boggles my brain to the point where I'm fairly incapable of doing it, have minimal skill in making clothing, and could absolutely never finish a blanket - while Tunisian crochet is a little bit niche, making garments and blankets are incredibly common in the crochet community (although blankets are also incredibly fucking expensive to make).

Point is, while I understand the lack of understanding of the time, effort, and energy involved in becoming proficient, leading to the undervaluing of the skill and at the same time, increasing the perceived inaccessibility of learning it, is incredibly annoying, especially online with a large enough audience that you hear it frequently, it's just not true that anyone could do what you are doing, as well as you are, with as much success, because there are so many things that have to go right, as well as simply having the time, money and space to not only learn the skill, but become proficient and then make a name for yourself and create regularly (and do all the social media stuff) - which honestly just isn't a thing many people in this capitalist hellscape have

And also any discussion of how the education fails people, and how our western understandings of talent and intelligence are not only nonsense but harmful, should also be done with the understanding that it's okay to not be good at things at do them anyway, and that there are just so many different factors that influence how easily someone finds a certain area of learning is, whether and when they might become proficient in something, and that there is natural human variety to every part of being human (and also that disability is natural and not uncommon and that disabled people are in fact included when generalising about all people unless of course you don't consider disabled people to be people)

Also, an afterthought: creativity as a whole is kinda a talent and a skill, and being able to become proficient at a skill does not automatically mean you can use that skill in a creative, and personally unique way. And that's okay! You are allowed to just have fun, or make things that are just practical, or just like someone else (with credit where it's due) etc. But I think it's worth acknowledging that most people in creative (or potentially but not always creative) fields especially with an even moderate audience online are successful in that way not just because of technical proficiency but because they have cultivated their own personal style, their own artistic voice, or *something* that people enjoy or resonate with

There are very skilled people that do professional, quality work without much widespread notice - those who make music, visual art, etc for advertisements and other corporate purposes for example. I feel like most people are familiar with "generic" art - the kind you can find in offices, or where the prints are mass produced for retail etc - all that requires skill, and in its own way a form of creativity that any act of creation takes, but it's not the same kind of creativity that inspires itself (i.e. isn't based on an outline the artist is payed to fulfill outside of being commissioned because of their personal established artistic voice/style), it doesn't have the same personality and sense of connection to the creator, if that makes sense.

And that's something that improves with practice but isn't really something that can be taught. And that's okay! But saying that there is absolutely no talent or anything special just a lot of time and practice involved in becoming a successful artist in our own name and voice is missing part of the story

#art #disability #education #social justice #talent #privilege

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cavorta · 8 months

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Some meta thoughts on Good Omens, season 2

Please note, this text contains spoilers for season 2. I think some aspects which make Good Omens (season 2) such a strong story and so relatable for many people are these: Forbidden Love: An angel and a demon in love? They shouldn't even be friends, but destiny clearly had other plans for them. 😉 This of course counts not only for Aziraphale und Crowley, but also for Gabriel (aka Jim) and Beelzebub. The system is broken and toxic. Actually, both systems are: Hell and Heaven. Crowley says to Aziraphale in episode 6 that Heaven and Hell are toxic. Their dilemma is that they both still have obligations towards these broken systems - although Crowley wants to break out of this completely - and Aziraphale isn't ready (yet?) to give up on Heaven.

You could also view these fictional broken systems as social criticism on difficult real life systems (looking at you, late-stage capitalism, bureaucracy, patriarchy ...). Which makes it all the more relatable. Polar opposites A demon and an angel? Aziraphale and Crowley are so very different in their behaviour, mindset, way of speaking, how they look like and move through the world. But ... maybe they have more in common than meets the eye. Which makes this couple even more inticing. One thing which unites them is definitely their love for humanity and human experiences - though Crowley would probably deny this if you asked. I guess instead he would rant about how annoying people are.😅

The Slow Burn and Friends to Lovers Instant Love may be a real thing for some folks, but a slow burn or realizing that you are in love with your best friend is quite relatable too, I think.

Queer folks Find Other Queer Folks/Found Family In season 2, the queer women Nina and Maggie are not only friendly neighbours of Aziraphale, they also take an interest in the relationship between him and Crowley. Some (straight) people may find it unrealistic when there are many queer characters in a story. However, in reality, many queer people tend to actively look for other queer people and some form found families with them, for instance because their own families are not accepting them the way they are.

A Diverse Community You have Aziraphales book shop, Nina's café, Maggie's record shop and more shops, all with diversity, located in this fictional Soho neighbourhood. Aziraphale invites all the shop owners to an extravagant Regency style ball, which brings them all together ... and then dangerous stuff happens and they all (well most of them) work together to find a way out. I don't know about you, but as they say, "it needs a community (to get stuff done)". And this is depicted here in a really nice way in my eyes.

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens meta #a relatable story #meta thoughts

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chibitantei · 5 months

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Anonymous asks: Who are some of Naoto's favorite detectives

Ask me about Naoto | of course this is always open who do you think I a-

There are a lot Naoto likes, but listing them all out would take forever, so I'm only putting a few choice ones here, but my point is, if there's a detective, there's a good chance Naoto knows and likes them. Anyway:

Sherlock Holmes — It would be remiss of me to not mention the deduction king himself. While she does judge a little (a lot) if you say you like mystery and only know him, she admires him a great deal. Sure, you can't actually piece together any of the mysteries before he does, but it's more fun reading him solve it. She even has a legally generic Holmes costume. If you were to ask, her favorite stories are The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Scandal in Bohemia.

(I have to mention Sherlock Hound, or Meitantei Holmes as it's known in Japan. Sherlock Holmes but everyone is a dog.)

Sam Spade — He's actually mentioned in P4 during one of Naoto's night time conversations and she happened to admire him. She says P4-kun reminds her of him, but we know that's a lie and the only correct option during this scene is to say she's more like Sam. The star of The Maltese Falcon.

Father Brown — This guy isn't a detective and Naoto isn't religious (she checked these out of the library rather than finding them in her grandfather's study), but Naoto found the contrast in methods fascinating. Compared to Sherlock, his reasoning falls under intuition, and as the famous quote goes: "You see, I had murdered them all myself... I had planned out each of the crimes very carefully. I had thought out exactly how a thing like that could be done, and in what style or state of mind a man could really do it. And when I was quite sure that I felt exactly like the murderer myself, of course I knew who he was."

Kogoro Akechi — I don't know what to say other than this guy is best described as the Japanese equivalent to Sherlock. The stories even have its own version of Arsène in the form of The Fiend with Twenty Faces. I can't say much about the stories themselves because it's in... Japanese and not much as been translated.

Kosuke Kindaichi — I also do not really have much to say on the actual stories because it's in Japanese and not much as been translated (again). The Wikipedia entry for him in English is laughably short, at least compared to how long it is on Japanese Wikipedia. He first appeared in The Honjin Murders, which is a locked room mystery. But the more interesting part may come from something in P4's Japanese script. In the King's Game, Chie compares Naoto to the Kindaichi family rather than the Kuzunohas. There's a manga/anime series that follows his fictional grandson and I don't think I need to explain any further why she made the comparison. I wonder how many people thought Naoto said corny things like "In my grandfather's name, I'll solve this case" lol.

Kyosuke Kozu — This guy, along with the previous two, are known as Japan's three greatest detectives. Naturally, I can't find shit about him in English, although two of the books related to him have been translated to English. He is fluent in six languages, can play the piano and his main job is assistant professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine, according to what google translate says but yeah. I mention him here, because he's, you know, one of the three greatest detectives.

Conan/Shinichi — Detective Conan is obscenely popular in Japan. It is also very long and still going. I really don't think I need to explain why, do I.....

Zenigata Heiji — He's more of a policeman during the Edo period than a detective, but he counts. He caught criminals by throwing coins, however that works. Of course, the name Zenigata may be familiar to some and indeed, Inspector Zenigata is his fictional descendant. While his competency varies depending on the writer, anyone who can come this close to capturing Lupin earns Naoto's approval. And the Lupin series happens to be a show she grew up watching.

Furuhata Ninzaburō — This guy is best described as the Japanese equivalent to Columbo. She also likes Columbo, but for sanity's sake, I'm combining these two together in one entry.

#Ask Status: Answered #anonymous #Headcanon: Confidential Information #yeah I love her a normal amount

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 month

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"The sad truth is that musicals are the only public art form reviewed mostly by ignoramuses. Books are reviewed by writers, the visual arts by disappointed, if knowledgeable, painters and art students, concert music by composers and would-be composers. Plays, at least in this country, are reviewed by people who don't know de Montherlant from de Ghelderode and couldn't care less, whose knowledge is comprised of what they read in Variety and gossip columns, and who know nothing, of course, about music. Musicals continue to be the only art form, popular or otherwise, that is publicly criticized by illiterates."

Stephen Sondheim has stated that his original ambition was to become a mathematician and that he became a composer largely by chance. A big influence was the fact that famed lyricist Oscar Hammerstein (of Rodgers & Hammerstein) was a neighbor of his when Sondheim was a boy. When he wrote a musical for a school production, he showed it to Hammerstein who told him it was the worst musical he had ever read. However, Hammerstein also told him that nonetheless it showed a lot of latent talent and proceeded to tell him everything that was wrong with it and how to fix it, for which Sondheim was always grateful.

"Oscar Hammerstein had urged me to write from my own sensibility, but at that time I had no sensibility, no take on the world. My voice snuck up on me. I started to develop an attitude in 'Saturday Night,' a laconic lyrical style in 'Gypsy' and a structurally experimental musical one in 'Anyone Can Whistle.' They all came together in full-throated fruition in 'Company.' 'Oh,' I thought at the end of the opening number, 'that's who I am.' From then on I could afford to try anything, because I knew I had a home base that was mine alone and that would inform everything I would write, good and bad."

"Just before he died, he gave me a picture of himself and I asked him to inscribe it, which is sort of odd because he was a surrogate father to me, it's like asking your father to inscribe a picture. And he thought for a minute, and he was clearly a little embarrassed. And then he got a smile on his face, like the cat had just eaten the cream. And he wrote something. And when he left the room, I looked at it. And it said 'For Stevey, my friend and teacher.' That's a measure of Oscar. He wrote a lyric, as a matter of fact, in 'The King and I' -'By your pupils, you are taught.' He was a remarkable fellow."

A musical based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee was a project of producer David Merrick and actress Ethel Merman. Merrick had read a chapter of Lee's memoirs in Harper's Magazine and approached Lee to obtain the rights. Jerome Robbins was interested, and wanted Leland Hayward as co-producer; Merman also wanted Hayward to produce her next show. Merrick and Hayward approached Arthur Laurents to write the book. As he relates, Laurents initially was not interested until he saw that the story was one of parents living their children's lives. Composers Irving Berlin and Cole Porter declined the project. Finally, Robbins asked Sondheim, who agreed to do it (Sondheim had worked with Robbins and Laurents on the musical "West Side Story"). However, Merman did not want an "unknown" composer, and wanted Jule Styne to write the music. Although Sondheim initially refused to write only the lyrics, he was persuaded by Hammerstein to accept the job.

"Gypsy" opened on Broadway in May of 1959, and is frequently considered one of the crowning achievements of the mid-twentieth century's conventional musical theatre art form, often called the book musical. "Gypsy" has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers, among them Ben Brantley ("what may be the greatest of all American musicals...") and Frank Rich. The role of Mama Rose was played by Rosalind Russell in the 1962 film version; the closest Merman got to recreating her stage success on the big screen was in the hospital scene in "Airplane!" (1980) (she starts belting out "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and has to be sedated).

Sondheim on the song 'Everything's Coming Up Roses' from "Gypsy": "The difficulty was to find a way to say 'Things are going to be better than ever' without being flatly colloquial on the one hand or fancifully imagistic on the other. I was proud of the solution, and especially so when I picked up the New York Times one morning in 1968 and read the first sentence in the leading editorial: 'Everything is not coming up roses in Vietnam.' I had passed a phrase into the English language." (IMDb/Wikipedia)

Happy Birthday, Stephen Sondheim!

Cinema Shorthand Society

#Cinema Shorthand Society #Stephen Sondheim #songwriters #musicals #the theatre #song lyrics #history #Rogers and Hammerstein

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hanzajesthanza · 10 months

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by the way, i wanted to thank everybody for so many kind, encouraging, and thoughtful responses to my first video. (slight vent post :>)

it did indeed take a lot of work and a lot out of me, a lot of research, multiple stupid all-nighters… but as unhealthy as it was, it was actually really good for me, i think. it was a real experiment, i honestly haven’t worked so hard on something since my thesis to graduate last year.

i felt cathartic, that i had it in me to make something like this, that i’m not useless…

i mean, i know i’m not, but ever since graduation i’ve felt so, so burned out and as a result of that, just, stupid and inexperienced compared to everyone else in my field, socially isolated, agoraphobic, even, in some cases.

(i’m one of those people that worked really hard in high school and college, and now that i’ve graduated it’s like, who am i? what is my purpose? what is my value? add burnout to that, and you have a year of feeling guilty that i’m not killing myself constantly with projects.)

so to be able to actually fucking make something that not only took a lot of work, but had me constantly pushing my comfort zone, reorganizing my space (physically and digitally) and just trying my hardest to get it done… on top of it, being really, really be passionate about what i was working on… it feels like…

it feels like, if a close friend of yours died a year ago… and you went numb with mourning… but then you just got news that they’re alive…

but the thing is, that friend is you.

it’s funny how dramatic i’m being, because i actually decided today that i don’t like the video much, and that it’s not very well-produced. (it only took me two-to-four days to start hating my artwork, of course. well, i had a good time being proud of myself while it lasted).

it’s something along the lines of calanthe’s “i hope my outburst didn’t offend you. the form, not the content.” i hope this video didn’t offend you—the form, not the content. i’m secure in the content, the research. but the form… again, like calanthe’s, very ‘in the moment.’

i woke up this morning really mad at myself for making some creative decisions that i feel cheapen the whole thing. (i don’t know what posessed me to use my accent color for a background color, it makes the whole thing look gaudy and unprofessional. i guess i just didn’t want a boring white background, but ugh… that is going to be on my list of regrets for a while).

but i placated myself knowing that the video does its job as a biography and a source of information. and the fact that youtubers sometimes remake their first videos later in their careers. (well, at least my first video is a topic that will never go out of style, it’s an essential, expository, evergreen topic of interest). and that i will make more videos, improving one thing at a time. one thing at a time. slow steps to progress.

i want to make engaging videos, but it’s really difficult because i don’t think i have a very engaging personality… it’s very “book report”-ish at the moment, lmao, i’d like to be myself. if i know who that person is.

i had a ton of anxiety about how i would be judged or what if i got it entirely wrong… (i rerecorded some parts due to this and i think that may have been a bad decision, because the cuts sound terrible, but anyways). but everyone was so encouraging and just had such a warmhearted reception to it, i don’t think i expected that. i expected mean comments for some reason, idk lol. i also expected way more pushback and cringe because i was talking about sapkowski (who, as we all know, is not very popular, for some reasons more valid than others). so i honestly have no idea where the positivity came from, except your own good souls and goodwill towards me, which is astounding, so thank you.

i want to make more videos and improve. and grow the channel, so it can serve people who are interested in the books. the books deserve something of their own, their own space. i know they’ve had their own space for as long as they’ve existed, but this would be my space for them. if that makes sense. i’m carving out an intentional space for the witcher books, slowly but surely, it will get there with time.

at the same time, i have to balance this with real life. ugh, real life. i might have serious committments this week, but i have no idea... the exact details yet. essentially, committments that may eat up all my time to the point where i’ll have no time for this large crazy video experiment after all.

my name, nimue, is… an emanation of myself. like krzysztof’s katarzyna. a poet’s name.

my person that exists within book pages, the mind, and the web. but not in real life. or rather, not yet in real life. i think they’re stuck somewhere between the screen and the floor.

i’d like to bring them to life, soon. but it will take time, work. i have no idea if i’ll have that kind of time soon. i have no idea what adulthood brings me in terms of commitments. it hurts me to abandon nimue like this. for once, i was able to bargain something for them, release myself, give into the creative flow. i spent a week being them, i think that’s the longest nimue has ever existed in the real world. and now… i have to jump back into my ‘real’ self again. “no fun allowed.” damn it. and i had just tasted that freedom, that creation.

all i know is that i can’t let them die. though i think they’re immortal inside me, after all. and perhaps one day we’ll become the same person. it could happen!

#IV

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beechbloom · 11 months

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hello, i would like to have a genshin matchup with a male character for some change :) i go by she/her and my MBTI is ESTP. i would say i am a social, confident person. i definitely need people around me to feel less anxious. i am impulsive, very impatient and i share whatever is on my mind, however strange it may sound. i am passionate, ambitious, emotional, headstrong and i always crave excitement because i will feel easily bored. i love teasing relationships and playful banter. i definitely feel instant attraction to confident, even a bit cocky, intelligent people with some edge (?). but i really dont have a specific type. i love challenges and anything competitive, but i am also quite sensitive and empathetic.

my hobbys are spending time with friends/people, going out, creative writing, reading and shopping. for my style and aesthetic i usually go for something dark, yet elegant and feminine. i like dark red shades, black, violet and white. i like to wear jewelery and alternative dresses. my love language is words of affirmation, i need a lot of attention to feel seen. my partner should be someone who is able to balance my occasional chaos and impulsivity, but is still witty and playful ♡.

Thanks for requesting!

I match you with...

Tighnari!

The both of you would likely meet after you got yourself into some trouble in the Avidya Forest. Maybe you climbed and fell from a tree or was dared to bite into some edible-looking plant you really shouldn't eat. Whatever the case, Tighnari would scold you, but still help you out. And that would become a bit of a pattern. You get yourself into some kind of situation, and he makes sure you don't get yourself hurt, or if you do he chides you before fixing you up.

Likes seeing you chase and achieve your goals — it inspires him to set and work toward his own. He is also intrigued by your spontaneity and how fun-loving you are, as that deviates heavily from his own way of life. Despite sometimes nagging you a little, he holds a deep respect for you.

He's known for being sassy, and that adjective would still accurately describe him when he's around you. Though with you his sarcastic little quips seem to be delivered with a small quirk of the lip far more often. He can't stop it from forming. You're amusing to him, despite giving him headaches, and he's grown extremely fond of you.

Tighnari is more of an ambivert, but despite also having an introverted side, he's almost constantly engaging with the Forest Rangers or idiotic people who've found themselves stumbling into the Avidya Forest without a clue of the dangers. So he might prefer engaging in less social activities with you, though he definitely wouldn't be against going out from time to time. He likes seeing you enjoying yourself, after all.

He's a bit of a reader too. Though he mostly reads educational books on botany. Definitely willing to lend them to you if you're interested, or to teach you about the local plant life without the use of books. Could also take a crack at reading books you like. Might even enjoy having you read to him (works you like or ones you've written yourself) while he's preparing different medicines and such.

If he's in need of a local herb, he might just play into your competitive nature and suggest you make a game of who can find it first. Of course, this would only be after he feels you properly grasp the dangers of the forest. He'll show you a sketch of the plant, quickly explain some of it's identifying features, and then you're off. If you win you might just receive a little kiss on the cheek.

Words of affirmation isn't really one of his top love languages, but if you asked him he'd definitely try to use it more. It'd mostly be in private. Suddenly striking up conversation while you're both doing your own thing. "Hey, are you aware that you inspire me?" Looking at you with a softness in his eyes after you've accomplished something. "I'm proud of you. Genuinely."

Originally I was going to go with Heizou, but I was afraid you wouldn't balance each other out very well. I'm honestly still pretty unsure about my choice, and only became more unsure as I was writing, which is why it took a while. Still, hope you like your match!

Would appreciate feedback if you have any <3

#matchup request #genshin matchup #genshin match up #matchups #matchup #genshin impact #genshin #tighnari #tighnari matchup #match up #request

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kyuriin-chan · 1 year

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Tyler Galpin x OC

Chapter 1

Word Count: 1.369

POV Tyler

I sat in silence in my room.

My thoughts were constantly buzzing around in my head and I didn't know what to do with myself.

I am a monster.

With a loud sigh, I collapsed onto my pillow and thought about everything. Only now did I really realize how much I was being manipulated.

I had lied to everything and everyone and only listened to Laurel's wishes. My wishes and interests took a backseat. And by the time everything became clear to me, it was already too late.

I wasn't even sure why students from Nevermore stood up for me.

That was a few months ago and I'm still plagued by severe pangs of conscience. Nevermore was temporarily closed and I had to continue working in the Café under supervision.

I was glad that the school was closed for the time being. Not because the headmistress was killed by Laurel, but because I didn't have to endure the many scowls just yet.

Although my father became a little more open, I still felt his fear towards me.

Nevermore also found a new principal who was very adamant about not hiding secrets to make the school safer for her students. She dealt intensively with my case and showed a lot of sympathy, even though I had absolutely no idea why.

She told me that I would find my purpose at Nevermore and that she would help me in any way she could.

Everything confused me.

My father, then the nice headmaster and the handling of my case.

And then that funny book, which the new headmistress, Miss Galdorne, had suddenly dug up? There was a full chapter on Hydes and what made them tick.

From looks to behavior-patterns to taming.

Of course, my father immediately took advantage of this and pushed me away.

Annoyed, I sat back up and looked over at my desk. I looked at a thick old book bound in leather. The cover read "Magical Creatures and Their Nature".

I got up and slowly reached for the book. It was difficult and actually I didn't want to find out more about this monster in me. Still, I went back to my bed, sat down, and opened the book.

Numerous creatures were listed and I searched for the letter "H". I flipped to page 234 and there was a portrait of a Hyde. I looked at the picture for a while and remembered my first transformation.

I woke up in the woods completely confused and covered in blood. I remember telling Wednesday how much I loved to kill, but all I really wanted to do was get the upper hand and show her for once that she wasn't at right. I just couldn't think straight and was so angry, mostly at myself.

I continued to read the passage and didn't come up with anything particularly interesting.

Hydes can have a master, which isn't his real master?

I looked at the section in confusion.

"Hydes can have a master, but a normal master can be replaced by the soul mate. Hydes can also form alliances of various kinds.

A Hyde has only one true love and feels its effects at first sight.

Only true love can tame a Hyde.

However, be careful! A Hyde is extremely possessive of his other half and would kill for her!"

I slowly lowered the book, closed it and put it on my bed next to me.

I'm supposed to find true love!?

My mind was racing again and I imagined what it would be like to find true love. I had never loved Wednesday, that was also clear to me. Still, I liked her style very much, she was different.

Actually, I didn't want to go to Nevermore.

I didn't want to be labeled as a monster and I couldn't look the other students in the eye, especially Wednesday. Nothing justified these murders, not even manipulation. I should've been stronger, should have stuck to what's right.

I thought again about the section and what the Headmistress had told me.

She wanted to help me, but how?

My brooding was interrupted by the ringing of our house bell. I rolled my eyes when I heard my dad say, "Tyler, please answer the door, I'm busy here!".

Annoyed, I moved towards the door and opened it. It was a rainy day and I was glad I didn't have to work today. In front of me was a woman with a red umbrella.

"Hi Tyler. Do you have a minute for me?", she asked kindly and I let her in, knowing I couldn't get out of the whole thing anyway.

I led her towards the living room and she sat down on the couch after hanging up her jacket and putting her umbrella in a corner.

"How are you?", she asked, looking at me with a neutral gaze. She was quite a young headmistress, most would say. She also stood out with her striking green eyes and red hair.

I had to swallow hard.

"Tyler, I understand how difficult this is for you, but I don't want you to think of yourself as a monster", she said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Have you read the book?", she asked me and I gave her an unsure look. I cleared my throat quietly and just said, "a part...yes..."

She gave me an encouraging nod and put her hands on her lap.

"Maybe you skipped or forgot that part, but a master like you had clouds your senses. Laurel Gates had full control over you and that's why these are her crimes, not yours", she continued, staring at the little coffeetable in front of her.

I just nodded and hoped that she would finally leave me alone, but that didn't happen.

"I want to give you something", she began, rummaging in her bag. She pulled a small bottle out of it and put it on the table. Inside the bottle was a clear substance that glowed slightly.

"This is a very special serum. This is the Lunanekra-serum, which you must take before you go to bed." She looked at me and I took the bottle in my hand. I stared at the contents and then gave her a confused look.

"What's the point of that?", I asked, causing Miss Galdorne to smile.

"This will help you in your search for your partner. You will be able to anticipate impressions in the dream and hopefully be able to identify her better," she explained and continued to look at me encouragingly.

"And there's one more thing. I'm supposed to give you this from Miss Addams", she said, holding out a folded sheet of paper, which I hesitantly picked up.

POV Seraphina

I carefully read the letter that had just arrived a few minutes ago. The black ink completely caught my attention. After a few more lines, my eyes widened in astonishment and I covered my mouth with my hand.

I stared at the next few lines and looked back up at my father, who was smiling at me.

"But Dad... I don't want to leave home!", I said indignantly, looking to the side. Understanding, he sat down next to me and hugged me with one arm.

"The school will certainly do you good, my darling. You will make new friends and learn new things", he said encouragingly.

I looked up at him and had to sigh.

My parents wanted me to go to Nevermore for a long time, but I was always turned down because of their heritage.

"And what about Micah?" I asked, hoping my parents would reconsider.

"Micah will come to visit you. We have already spoken to Headmistress Galdorne and she doesn't want to break you up", my father explained and I just nodded.

"Pack your things sweetheart, I'm sure you'll like it there", my father said as he got up and put my suitcase next to me. He walked out of my room and closed the door behind him.

I looked a little annoyed at my empty suitcase. Maybe my father was right. It has always been difficult for me to make friends, I was just an outsider.

#tyler galpin x oc #tyler galpin #wednesday addams #wednesday #fanfiction #love story #wednesday netflix #wednesday fanfiction

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