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astrovian · 4 years

Audio

Richard Armitage interview on BBC Radio Somerset for Uncle Vanya (25/10/20)

Full transcript under cut

Now the moment you’ve all be waiting for, particularly if you’re female – some proper eye-candy on this show okay, not just me. ‘Kay, some proper stardom. Richard Armitage has been in so much television okay, let’s give you a bit of an idea as to what he’s been in over the years. Of course, he started off in North & South back in 2004. He was Lucas North in the British TV drama Spooks. He was in Castlevania, he was in Robin Hood. He’s done so much work for The Royal Shakespeare Company. But for lots of you, you’ll have seen him in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. Here’s him talking a little bit about his role.

[Clip from The Hobbit interview – I play a character called Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, the last King Under the Mountain. There’s a direct descent from the royal line, which is myself, Thorin, and Fíli and Kíli, who are nephews by my sister]

Now, I’ve never seen The Hobbit, but whenever I think of Richard Armitage, it’s always- he was the guy in the last couple of episodes of The Vicar of Dibley.

[Clip from The Vicar of Dibley]

Brilliant, from Dibley to the valleys of New Zealand. Fantastic. Really pleased we can say we can speak to Richard Armitage on the show this afternoon to talk about his brand new film. Good afternoon, Richard. Thanks for joining us on the Sunday show. How are you?

I’m very good. How are you?

I’m great, thanks. Now, I say good afternoon, but you’re in New York, so it’s good morning to you over there.

Good morning. Yes.

Now you’ve done so much TV and film it’s ridiculous. If I sat here and listed out all the stuff you’ve done, we’d be here all day. However, we’re chatting about the latest one. Am I saying it right – Uncle ‘Van-ya’ or ‘Va-nya’? I’ve always said ‘Va-nya’.

You can say either, I mean a lot of the actors in our play were sort of from the North or from Ireland, and so we were calling him ‘Van-ya’. Sort of has a nicer ring to it, doesn’t it?

Yeah, let’s go with Uncle ‘Van-ya’. Yeah, now this is the-

Uncle ‘Van-ya’.

Now this is on Tuesday, you can see this from Tuesday onwards. Give us a bit of backstory. You were doing this as a play, but then Covid hit and it all had to change, is that right?

Yeah, we were in the middle of a, of a sixteen-week run and we’d-, we got through about ten weeks, and then we came in on a Monday morning and theatres were closed and we, we all had to go home. But it was something that we knew was coming, obviously Broadway had closed the week before us, and uh, so the chance to come back, even in a really still very difficult working environment, to, to sort of re-stage the play for film was something I think we were all incredibly grateful for.

Because not every play’s doing that – lots of plays have closed and we don’t know when they’re gonna re-open. But it must be a great thing to have because not every play was having that, were-, you know some of them were still just waiting for their moment to open up again.

Yes, and I mean National Theatre Live and Digital Theatre, they do film theatre, but they usually do it with a, with an audience in place, and that’s part of the, the thrill of it. But we had to- or, Sonya Friedman and her team had to sort of re-imagine what it might be like without an audience, and so this is a kind of hybrid film really, it-, we’re still in a theatre, but we’re much more kind of involved in the play and the camera comes into the stage and we see a little bit more than a regular production. But yeah, I feel very lucky that we were able to do this.

So it’s not like if you, if we had gone and seen it before it closed we’re obviously sat there looking on, but in this, in this version, the camera’s on the stage with you, you’re pretty much right in with the action, aren’t you?

You’re right in there, and I think that’s one of the, one of the y’know, unusual experiences, that that’s often not possible because you can’t, y’know, disrupt an audience’s viewpoint, so we tend, y’know, we tend to see theatre and hear an audience. Which, we lose the sound of an audience and that was very important with this play because the play is a comedy and y’know, the audience participation is, is really quite important. But it’s still a-, an interesting experience without the audience. In fact, there’s this sort of sadness for the audience’s lack, y’know.

Your character, you’re Astrov, is that right?

Yeah, I am. I’m the doctor.

Tell me a bit about him. What’s he like?

Well, he’s a bit of an outsider to this, to the family. Um, he’s, um, turned to drink because he is traumatised by losing patients, um, he’s working in a, in a region that’s suffering from an epidemic. At the same time, he’s recognising that his small corner of the world is being depleted environmentally, and so he’s, he’s, he’s an environmentalist. He’s planting trees and trying to sort of sustain his natural habitat, and he has a theory as to what, y’know, why people are sick and why our society is sick. And so, in terms of relevance, I think it, it sort of rang a lot of bells. Um, but he, y’know, in terms of his journey through the play, he finds love. Y’know, he talks early on in the play about not feeling anything because he’s been so battered down by his, his work, but he finds love and, um, is rejected. And you know, that’s the tragedy of Chekov, is that everyone’s in love with the wrong person.

And Chekov plays are very well-known, and they’re incredibly written as well. For you as an actor, to say you’re doing Chekov in the West End, or in this case in the cinema, that must be wonderful.

Yeah, it always sounds very kind of, um, highbrow, but Chekov didn’t write that many plays, and he’s also – y’know, he was a doctor as well himself. So there’s always a doctor in his plays. He writes about people, and I think that’s what attracts actors to this work. He doesn’t, he’s not so focused on the plot, he’s very much about the human experience and how we attract and repel each other. And he’s also a great purveyor of comedy and, y’know, finding fun with our, our flaws, and I think people will watch this after living in lockdown for six months, watching these people in a house that can’t get away from each other and are, y’know, ripping shreds, tearing shreds off of each other and, and kind of going out of their heads, and I think audiences will understand what Chekov was all about.

And this is available from Tuesday, unclevanyacinema.com, but you’re over in New York, so are you on the next project already, or are you doing something over there?

No, this is, this is where I, I live when I’m not working. But I’ll be back in, in England next year, I’m working on another Netflix show, so that will be good.

Now, when I said that Richard Armitage was coming on, it was- oh, the ladies, they go mad you know, ‘cause you’re so damn good-looking. And all these people, they’re on about the blimming Hobbit and all that sort of stuff, which is fantastic. But for me, do you know what thrills me most about you?

Go on.

You’re the guy that married Dawn French in The Vicar of Dibley. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind-

*Laugh* I knew you were gonna say that.

I know that for a lot of people it’s The Hobbit, and I know how big those sort of things are, and I know how good this, this new film is, but for me, you say ‘Richard Armitage’, he’s the guy who was nearly cheated on Dawn French.

Thanks for that.

No, not on-

He wasn’t cheatin’ on her.

He wasn’t, but she thought he was. But you’ve done so much-

Maybe they’ll re-run it at Christmas, who knows.

Oh, they re-run it all the time, Vicar of Dibley. Can’t move for it.

Do they?

Oh, they can’t move for it. UK Gold, it’s on every half hour. I hope you’re getting royalties for all these repeats.

I do too! I didn’t know it was on.

Oh, it’s on all the time. On all the time! But when you, when Covid’s out of the way as such, do you go back on stage with this, or has that sort of run its course now as a play, and you’re just gonna, it’s new life is now in the cinema?

I, yeah, I don’t think we’ll get the chance to go back, and I think that’s to do with the theatre is now being handed over to the fantastic David Tennant who’s gonna perform there-

Of course.

And the set is gonna be taken away, so I think this was a last chance to, to sort of discover the, this play. But I’m thrilled it’s on film, y’know. Film is forever, so…

That’s a good thing. I will just- if I don’t do twenty seconds on, twenty seconds on The Hobbit, the people will go mad. Great thing to be involved in, is it still something people ask you about?

It’s massive, I mean it was such a huge part of my life as well. Life-changing, y’know, going to New Zealand and working with one of my cinematic idols, y’know, Peter Jackson and that whole cast was, was phenomenal, and y’know, one of my favourite childhood books, so I, I couldn’t have asked- it was a dream come true really. And I, uh, still have incredible memories of that time.

So, Uncle Vanya, okay, is out from Tuesday, unclevanyacinema.com, but to be honest with you-

.com!

I’ve just been doing some googling, and if you just type in to any search engine ‘Uncle Vanya’, it comes up as the top listing. I mean there’s some great reviews for it as well-

Brilliant! And have you been to the cinema in this time?

I haven’t!

Are you getting out and going?

No, I haven’t been, that’s what I’m thinking, I should go and do it.

Give it a shot! I’ve done it, I did it a few times while I was there, and y’know, if you do obey all the rules and let the cinema take, y’know, do what you’re ‘sposed to do, wear the mask, it’s fine. It feels like normality. I mean, it’s like a Tuesday afternoon when there’s not that many people in there, but it’s still, y’know, still worth it.

I’m not minding that you see, ‘cause you’re guaranteed-

No.

-not to be next to someone who’s gonna be eating their popcorn in your face.

Chewing their popcorn.

Yeah.

Exactly.

That’s it. Or you get the couple in the back getting off with each other. I’m quite glad to be on my own there watching.

*Laugh*

That’s absolutely fine.

Is that what happens in cinemas in Somerset there?

Oh, it does, it does. Not-

*Laugh*

-not as much as I’d like. Well, look, Richard, it’s been a pleasure to speak to you, you are a gentleman, and I’ll give you a big plug again, Uncle Vanya comes out on Tuesday, unclevanyacinema.com, the reviews are great, it’s got five stars everywhere. Thanks so much for your time.

Thanks Andy.

#@netflix give us the show info you cowards #also imagine going to the cinema and richard armitage is just casually sitting near you #richard armitage

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meloncubedradpops · 4 years

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Repo! The Corona Opera

For every rotation that Earth has completed around the sun since the dawn of humanity, humans have created art to cope with the realities surrounding our everyday life. We weave stories in songs, movies, plays, books, paintings, and so forth, that help digest the world around us and provide an entertaining escape from the cruelties we endure. Some stories take place in abstract universes or in the future, and we rely on what we know in our present reality to build upon these fantasy societies. My favorite movie, Repo! the Genetic Opera, certainly makes this list. We are currently experiencing perhaps the most surreal year of our collective lives, and with each passing day I argue that we find ourselves closer to the world crafted in Repo. I have seen this movie, at least 20 times. If you haven't watched Repo! the Genetic Opera or you haven't seen it in a while, I recommend giving it a view. The movie is unique in that it falls under three distinct genres: musical, horror, and sci-fi. And while the jury is out on whether our future society is going to go full on gothic aesthetic, I can say that the Repo! movie experience offers a glimpse into a dystopian fascist post-plague world wrapped in unapologetically hilarity with a heaping side of camp. It doesn't offer any spiritual cleansing that our souls collectively need, but it does show us what a new normal could look like if we really go off the rails.

As things stand, right now, so much of our daily lives and culture are impacted by the coronavirus. All of our institutions have been impacted, from school, to work, to family, to the way we interact with strangers, and especially our economy. We have all felt the effects in one way or another, and honestly? Most the impacts are of our own undoing, for better or for worse. I am going to write three pieces analyzing Repo! the Genetic Opera. First I will create the foundations that bridge our contemporary life and the world of Repo! Second I will explain how the Repo! universe operates under the definitions of fascism. And third I will weave together parts one and two into our contemporary world (particularly in the context of the United States) to highlight the dark path we heading towards. My viewpoints are of mine, and my own alone. Let's dive into part one.

Part I Repo! the Genetic Opera takes place in the year 2056. Humanity was on the brink of collapse as a result of a medical crisis that caused massive organ failure.

I never gave the premise much thought, at least not until recently. We aren't given much detail beyond the fact that entrepreneur Rottissimo "Rotti" Largo solved this crisis through his company GeneCo. GeneCo provides organ transplants that can be repaid through a payment plan. Witnessing the coronavirus unfold in real time and seeing its wrath, particularly on severe cases, honestly makes me wonder if the writers had some sort of "super plague" in mind when creating this universe. For the purpose of this analysis, I will assume that humanity suffered at least one infectious disease crisis. And just to reiterate covid-19 particularly, we really *don't* know what it's going to do to us long-term. Let the parallels begin.

The world in Repo! the Genetic Opera, operates as normally as the citizens possibly can, which appears to be quite limited. I have noted how dated some the technologies look.

For a world 30 years in the future, it lacks cell phones and easy access to internet. When we enter Shilo's world (aka her bedroom!) she watched Blind Mag sing on a busted up tiny ass TV and the program itself looks like an ad on Home Shopping Network.

The Graverobber is shown reading headlines on a newspaper. The news reporters shown in the ribbon cutting ceremony during the 1st Italian Post-Plague Renaissance have old school cameras with flashbulbs.

The most contemporary technology appears to be a Wish.com version of an Apple watch, and even that looks like a leftover prop from Spy Kids.

Obviously the people who made this movie intentionally inserted these anachronisms, but why? This is a science fiction movie after all. I speculate that they reverted back because the impact from humanity's crisis resulted in an overall professional "brain drain" from the sheer volume of professionals that dropped dead. In fact every scene depicting medical procedures looks dimly lit and lacking in sanitation. We will see this as we struggle to contain the coronavirus, at least in America. Healthcare workers have already died from this thing, and I am sure many prospective college students will have second thoughts about a career in healthcare. I mean hell, look at no other than GeneCo itself. That company employs workers called "Genterns" who are most definitely not in full PPE. I don't doubt their medical expertise, but they appear to be disposable (please see: that time Luigi killed one for NO REASON in "Mark it Up").

On that note, it really was quite incredible how China built the pop-up hospital in Wuhan in under 4 days, but it was also not the most safe or structurally sound building by far (it collapsed, people were hurt!). Maybe at this point, the people in Repo! don't have much of a choice. I am sure there were likely legit hospitals, but the fact that the Renaissance had gross surgery tents is a bit unsettling.

This is a world that is completely built upon the social more of valuing your health above all else. There had to be a turning point in the GeneCo business model where they really played on up-selling organs for the benefit of "genetic perfection". "I needed a kidney transplant desperately. GeneCo showed this single mom sympathy. This makeover came for a small added fee. Now I look smashing on live TV!" Imagine signing the documents for your power of attorney while actively going into renal failure, when your doctor chimes in with an up-sell for breast implants. When all is said an done, your body is now not only functioning again, but you're hot! Even in a post-plague dystopia we are still holding value to having a nice rack. What's not to love about GeneCo? Obviously we know right away that GeneCo has a dirty side. Rotti Largo personally lobbied to make organ repossessions legal, and he does not hesitate to recollect his property. The concept itself is, of course, wild. In America, our healthcare system is incredibly broken and expensive. You would wonder how it could get worse without us backpedaling many steps on the industrialization timeline. And in a lot of ways, I could see a company like GeneCo thrive here. We already hate the poor, and we have political think tanks that salivate over the idea of cutting social programs that keep people alive. Our president has wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act while many people are unemployed during a pandemic. In Repo! we hear about those who don't pay, but obviously there are plenty of people who do. Those who can will happily pay, either for vanity reasons or to stay alive.

And while society cites Rotti as being a "hero" for humanity, we see more and more evidence that the crisis is both not under control and life is cheap.

His son murders multiple people, in front of others, with seemingly no repercussions. In the scene where Shilo meets the Graverobber for the first time, adjacent to the graveyard and tombs owned by wealthy families who could afford grave markers, lies a poorly constructed wall hiding thousands of corpses piled on top of one another. We even get a glimpse of a truckload pouring more onto the pile. I would not be surprised if there is a disinformation campaign there keeping the public in the dark (although you'd think the smell would be unbearable at this point).

There are multiple indications that propaganda works in society (still), and no one is getting the full picture of how much of a raw deal the people in Repo! have. We see poster after poster about GeneCo, in the literal absence of other corporations.

And a lot of them bear resemblance to 20th century Russian propaganda. It would be a real shame if the goals outlined The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia were actually realized. Imagine going to visit your mother's grave and hearing commercials for hardcore analgesics play through the cemetery. Also, there's a police presence too. Apparently the police are called Genecops and have authority to execute any assumed graverobbers on site.

Imagine the hellscape it would be to live in a world where your loved ones may have died from a terrible pandemic, and you face a non-zero chance of an over zealous cop murdering you thereafter, and because their qualified immunity bypasses the judicial system entirely...oh wait. Anyways let's circle back to the Graverobber character.

Graverobber's role in Repo! appears to be minor on the surface. Rotti's daughter, Amber Sweet, appears to almost despise her relationship with him. And that relationship involves him supplying Amber with what he describes as the "21st Century cure". This cure you ask? A super effective painkiller with the clinical use to accompany GeneCo surgeries. This drug is called Zydrate, and it has a street version that he acquires and sells, with clients including Amber Sweet.

Graverobber makes his living sucking the glowy blue brain corpse goo and injecting them into people on the streets. Yum!

Not everyone who needs an organ transplant can pay for it all upfront. Luckily for them, GeneCo provides payment plan options! The caveat to this is if you fail to make those payments, legally GeneCo can come and repossess your newly acquired organs. If you find yourself past due, you will soon see the last face before your doom, the Repo Man. He will harvest GeneCo's property, and it won't matter where you are or what you are doing. There is no anesthetic, and you will likely die! This was all made legal through Rotti's lobbying efforts.

Society, as it's set up today, allows for property repossessions. This can be as straightforward as a repossession of your vehicle to as heartbreaking as a foreclosure on your home. At the end of the day, the impacts of that are difficult and life changing. Currently millions of people in America are out of work, and the threat of losing everything is at stake for many. We could lose our homes, our vehicles, and our sense of purpose. And while many government bodies have created temporary moratoriums, they have not provided any substantial financial relief to keep the proverbial repo man at bay. What went wrong in this dystopia to normalize the concept of death due to nonpayment? Fascism! Ah yes, the dreaded f-word. In my next essay, I will outline the 14 characteristics of fascism and how it relates to the universe in Repo! After I will relate that to our modern world so that we can try and stop this from becoming our reality.

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heatherjeff · 3 years

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2020 Book List

It has been ages since I have written and, like everyone else, there seems to be a bit more unstructured time in my everyday life. It makes perfect sense the impetus for a return to blogging is books, reading is fundamental!

My friend, KDaddy, annually shares the list of books he’s read. The first time I noticed his list I was thrilled, took notes, commented on how happy I was, and proceeded to read many of his recommendations. When it became clear 2020 was going to be a little different books became an even bigger part of my days as well as an escape from the grind of the news and the pandemic.

When KDaddy tagged me with his book list this year, it occurred to me I have a little platform where I can post my own year in review. Books are the best and reading has served me well my whole life, 2020 was no exception.

First, a few facts. This year I read 35 books, for comparison I read 24 in 2019. That makes me happy especially since there are not a million things about 2020 to invoke a sense of accomplishment. I have long kept a book journal since my title and author memory is similar to a sieve. At the start of the pandemic everyone in my house was gifted a kindle, I was not a fan of the plan, paper books are my love language. As this time has worn on, the kindle has proven to be a brilliant and magical purchase. Libby is a completely modern wonder and the next time I am in NYC I will, for sure, treat myself to a library card from that library system.

With no further ado let’s talk books.

Definitely Read:

The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah

Two sisters reacted to the unfolding atrocities of WWII in very different ways. Both were fierce, suffered in ways unimaginable to most of us, and illustrated the many ways women are impacted by a war. Such a powerful read.

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman

Great read based on a true story about a teenager who became pregnant. Her family forced her to give up her baby and it was placed in a mental institution for the sole reason the child was an “orphan”. Many more plot twists follow, this was a gem of a book.

Women in Sunlight: A Novel by Frances Mayes

This book kicked off as total cliche and morphed into complete life goals. Three older women, all single for a variety of reasons, strike up a friendship and move to a Tuscan Villa. I want to be them someday in Italy living with the locals.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

YA This came highly recommended from my youngest. It opened his eyes to the world in a huge way and he was very committed to sharing this story with all of us. William is a complete force of nature and against (truly) all odds changes the trajectory or his family, his village, and his life with ingenuity and desire. Love this book so much.

Little Fire’s Everywhere: A Novel by Celeste Ng

Heard so much about this book and completely loved it all. So. Many. Plot. Twists.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

YA read from my kid, a MUST read. This book was chilling on a 1,000 different levels. Race, police profiling, education, culture- Nic Stone packed it all in and it opened my heart and sparked some good conversations in our home.

Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel by Bernardine Evaristo

This thoughtfully constructed book was a gift from another reader friend and is one of my favorite reads of the year. It shares multiple first person layered viewpoints from British women who span every part of society. Great read.

Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Let’s be clear, I love Ann Patchett. Love. Whenever she authors a new novel I am jazzed and the Dutch House is no exception. The house becomes an actual character in the story and has everything to do with the brokenness of family who moves into it.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Unpopular opinion, I am not a fan of Nike. I am a tremendous fan of Phil Knight’s innovation and hustle. Phil is a visionary and expert storyteller.

The Tatowist of Auschwitz: A Novel by Heather Morris

The novel is based on interviews with Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who used his position of relative privilege to positively impact the lives of as many fellow prisoners as possible. I had to read this book fast since it impacted my sleep, which it should. Incredible read.

American Dirt: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins

Ooofff, this book is hard to read. I started and stopped because I could not sleep and opted to read it during daylight hours only. It is seriously terrifying in a million ways. It is about a family who has to flee from Alcopulcio to the United States due to extreme violence from the local and very well connected drug cartel. This book is a testament to the grit of illegal immigrants and an eye opening read about the terror they face.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

True story of Bryan Stevenson’s quest to navigate the criminal justice system in the rural south where he aims to help the most disadvantaged in the system. Timely, eye opening, and full of action items we all need to help with for the betterment of our society.

City of Girls: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert

Books by Elizabeth Gilbert are some of my favorites and I was concerned when I started this book, it was a struggle. It came together and I ended up loving it. A story about NYC in the 1940’s centered around a girl/woman who is sent to live with her aunt at her playhouse full of showgirls. It was such an unrelatable read, it transported me to a time I have never really considered and it was a trip worth taking.

Totally Enjoyable:

True Colors by Kristen Hannah

Reads like YA fiction and I loved it. It’s about a ranch family, their horses, land, siblings, their live father and deceased mother. It is not deep and is a fun read.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

This book was intense, fun, & slightly scary. A “hen party” in a, literal glass house, becomes the scene of a murder.

The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin

This is a fun read about two best friends who become doctors together and then the plot thickens. Can’t say more, it is complicated.

Freud’s Mistress by Karen Mack

This was my last library loan before the pandemic. It is a fascinating read based loosely on the dynamics of Freud’s family, drugs, affairs that feel a bit like incest, a huge male ego, this should not sound familiar in any way!

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

YA, loaner from my kid (which came to my nightstand highly recommended). This is a sweet, sweet love story of two teenagers who have very different backgrounds and lots of big feelings. The whole book takes place over the course of one day.

It All Comes Back to You by Beth Duke

This was a surprise hit and it sucked me in. The story is about a nurse in a retirement community who befriends a resident who lived a big life.

The Queen’s Fortune: A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire by Allison Pataki

I admit, I am a fan of royalty, it is so intriguing and this book was completely spellbinding. The story is based on Napoleon's France and it was messy.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

NF This book is amazing. A poor black woman has cancer cells removed from her body, these rapidly reproducing cells become known as HeLa cells and change the trajectory of modern medicine. There are so many consequences from this seemiling small discovery and the impact to the medical world and to Henrietta’s family are far reaching.

The Woman in the Window: A Novel by A.J. Finn

Read this in one day at the beach, I was sucked into this story of Anna Fox and her salacious neighborhood drama.

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

I know I liked this book and made a note about the “pause” taken over the summer when the kids in the family basically ran wild. That’s all I’ve got.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

There was a ton of hype around this book and it is well deserved. Glennon tells it like it is and, like it or not, she has a lot of points that hit. I read this on my kindle and think I would have liked reading the physical book more.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

Short stories from Ann Patchett? Yes, 100% yes. The story of her relationship with Lucy, of Truth and Beauty: A Friendship, was wonderful as was the explanation of her book store in Nashville.

After You: A Novel (Me Before You Trilogy) by Jojo Moyes

I have zero idea that Me Before You was a trilogy! It is a total candy read, you are not going to learn much about your soul or the universe, but it is fun and better than TV. And yes, I will read the third book in the trilogy because candy is good!

The Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano

Also a trilogy, another happy surprise. This book is fun, another candy read, and so appealing. When I was a kid I wanted to have a restaurant so this story made my heart happy. It is a bit too clean, a bit cliche, and an enjoyable read.

Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This novel will transport you to a land of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I read this was loosely based on the story of Fleetwood Mac, true or false, this book captures a moment in history and reads a lot like a play and is completely enjoyable.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

This is the book written before Little Fires Everywhere, similar deal- family strife/mystery, kind of riveting with lots of twists. Solid read.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

NF, look at a therapist who finds herself in need of therapy. It is kind of a russian doll type of read with layers, upon layers, hidden within each other.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

YA, another loaner from my kid. Such a great book about a kid who wants to be a chef and express herself through her cooking. She is a teen mother living with her abuela, it is a heartwarming book and I love the main character’s spirit.

Sidenote: schools around here are closed for the duration yet students can reserve library books and go to the local library of your choice where their school librarians greet them, warmly, in the parking lot for a drive by pick-up. It is a wonderful and much appreciated service being offered to our kids.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

This book is ridiculous, it had a strong start, went sideways but was fun and overall enjoyable. The premise is nine people descend upon an exclusive health retreat. The woman who is in change morphs from motivating to overlord, obviously.

No Thank You:

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

YA read, loaner from my daughter. I did not like this one bit, it made sucide seem so glam. Glad I read it and am always happy when my kids share books with me and I will always hate stories of kids’ suffering.

There There: A Novel by Tommy Orange

This book was hard to follow, had too many characters, and there was a very dark thread that I did not enjoy.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

This book hit me at the wrong time this year. The dystopian nature felt a little too close to home. I know it is a work for the ages but it was all ouch.

Wow, that felt good to reflect on and process. I have never really looked for threads in my own reading and knew a few things already but like seeing the balance of candy books and hard, timely topics. All in all I feel great about my 2020 reading list and hope there are titles that interest or resonate with you too. Here is to libraries reopening someday in the near future so we can browse the shelves with abandon.

#bybye2020 #don't call it a comeback #maybe a comeback

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missfay49 · 4 years

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So... Thoughts on the new episode? :)

Nonnie, I could write an essay on this episode. And i just might.

There I was, just “supes caszhj” as Griffin McElroy would say, watching Patton sincerely trying to be less strict, pleasantly surprised that everyone was not at each other’s throats...

C!Thomas busting in all hotheaded was a bit of a misdirect, but it let us know he was actually really upset about it, so the rest of the characters could be more measured.

Then Logan pops in, trying to be “less distracting” and failing completely because, honestly, were any of us anywhere able to read any of those speech bubbles without pausing? Roman knew it, he couldn’t even keep up while narrating. It was extremely distracting!

I was not quite getting the theme yet, but I could see that they kept dead-ending at each example. It was like (and turned out to be) Patton wasn’t addressing the problems that were being presented. I actually got pretty frustrated, because it felt like they were stuck in a loop (you can say that again).

He kept pushing the complicated problems aside for more clear cut problems, and trying to extrapolate from there. But it never worked, the answer was never satisfying. Because some problems just can’t be simplified.

The Trolley Problem was really the sign, for me, that things were getting out of control. The most accepted answer (I think) is that you should pull the lever, because 5 lives are more important than 1 life, and choosing to not act is still a choice. They never even got to that conclusion. And that’s because solving the Trolley Problem didn’t actually matter. What mattered was seeing the extremes to which Patton would go to put others first, because he couldn’t let go of his black and white view of the world. His views literally (in game) knock C!Thomas out. His views were symbolically self-defeating.

And I, a fool, foolishly thought it was wild enough when LilyPadton’s video game attack K.O.’d video game C!Thomas. But Then! THEN! Deceit puts all his cards on the table. In a throwback to the courtroom scene, he raises his right (human) hand and speaks the truth. His name.

(Yes I thought there was something written on his hand and yes I thought he said Janice, I am only human, so sushi.)

If you recall, Janus never really swore to tell the truth back then. He says “I know I do,” but he himself had not put a hand on a book to swear by. (Fun side note: neither does Virgil. He never touches the book offered and just says “whatever.”) So, symbolically, this moment is the first time we see him make a conscious effort to be honest.

I. Died.

Or at least I would have, if Roman had not immediately pushed the scene forward again. (seriously, could someone make a video edit where, instead of being mocked, there’s just silence, and pictures of random movie scenes where ppl are smiling and saluting?) And while the words that followed were unanimously heartbreaking, the timing of their responses was more important to the video.

The constant pushing, rushing, struggling that all the characters were going through was so true to form for emotional turmoil. You’re trying so hard to figure it out, but each possible solution comes up short and you just keep leaping to the next option, looking for the answers. All these thoughts keep popping in unannounced (Logan), and your mind is a mess.

That’s not necessarily a bad approach, because without going through so many examples, they may never have reached their realization. The reason why nothing was working: It was because they were trying to fit complicated problems into simple boxes. But you have to stop and step back eventually. It took the shock of Roman and Janus’ exchange to make everyone realize how far off track they’d gotten, and really take a look at the whole approach instead of just the individual problems.

Patton did suddenly side with Janus, but it wasn’t out of nowhere. Patton has known for weeks that he’s missing the mark. Months, if you count his smaller interactions with Virgil. Upon Janus appearing in the Megaman sequence, he continued his normal behavior of arguing against whatever Janus stated, up until he saw he had hurt C!Thomas himself.

This is the climax of the show. Not anyone’s individual arc, but the entire series. C!Thomas’ moral backbone, a thing which is arguably our first and most strongly instilled cultural support, was shaken. Patton could not waste time. He saw he had hurt C!Thomas so he immediately changed. He saw in that moment that Janus was protecting C!Thomas, and changed how he spoke to Janus.

As shown clearly in SVS, Patton will do just about anything to get his way, including bribary. He is not lawful in his approach to morality. He is an “ends justify the means” type of person, just like Janus. The difference was just in what ends they want to accomplish. But, seeing the video game results of his means, he realizes that the ending wasn’t going to be a good one if he kept going that route. He has now decided that in order to “win” the game, his means must change, and he aligns himself with Janus because Janus was visibly in the position of C!Thomas winning.

In conclusion!

We have the Stated Theme: It is not wrong to prioritize your mental health, even when it means putting yourself before others.

But we also have the Unstated Theme: Trying and Failing and Why that’s Okay

Every. Single. Side. In. This. Episode. Fails.

Logan fails to be either convincing, inconspicuous, or detached. His arguments sway no one, he’s very noticeable, and he gets upset at the end.

Patton fails to be more flexible. His strict viewpoint gives him an actual breakdown.

Roman fails to be the ‘hero’. Although the rest might still happily give him that title, his actions did not match up to the role. He mocks a part of C!Thomas in a moment of vulnerability, and believes they would openly, knowingly lie to him. He does not act with faith in himself or others.

And Janus. That sweet baby. He fails to tell the truth. And it’s not because he wasn’t telling the truth in this episode. I firmly believe his nod was meant to encourage Roman and indicate that C!Thomas meant what he said. But Janus failed to take into account the effects of his past actions. They are suffering now for his past mistakes and, careful planner though he is, he didn’t see that coming. You can’t just Start being honest one day and expect everyone to go along.

But it’s okay.

It’s okay because a person cannot undergo drastic, necessary change without first falling apart. And please understand that this is all in a metaphorical sense. A person doesn’t need to have an actual mental breakdown to change, but the structure, that is, the strict mental guidelines that we have erected for ourselves and are desparately clinging to cannot stay standing if change is to take place.

Patton, Roman, and C!Thomas experience a complete change in their worldview in this episode. They each react to that change in their own way:

Roman is angry. He’s mad at the time spent trying to follow a path that was eventually determined to be wrong. He doesn’t yet see the value in the time spent. He’s a man of action, after all. He’s focused on the past.

Patton is sad. He already misses the times when things were simpler. He’s nostalgic for the past even as he tries to make things right, right now. He’s focused on the present.

And C!Thomas? He is all of us after the dust settles. Tired, yet hopeful. Resigned to face another day, another sunrise, after a much deserved break.

He’s focused on the future.

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letmetellyouaboutmyfeels · 4 years

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i was mostly wondering how you would’ve handled the reylo storyline? here’s the thing, i’m such a sucker for a trash ship (hello garcy) but i am so not a reylo shipper (finnrey!! you saw me in a way no one else has come oN they were RIGHT THERE DISNEY UGH). however, i thought their kiss at the end was objectively kinda cute (and i loved the ben solo redemption arc cause i’m a trash human), but it was so random based on how they were presented throughout the trilogy?? (part one)

(part two) you’re an amazing writer and lover of trash as well, and i was wondering if you had to construct the reylo arc, how you would’ve handled it? this is purely an objective thing because the end scene made me realize that they had potential, like garcy level potential, to be a really good dynamic and ship, but it was just handled so poorly everywhere overall, it makes me want to go back and be like “now THIS is how you do a trash ship, not whatever actual garbage you tried to pass off”

(again if you don’t want to that’s 1000% okay cause it was so gross i’m just bitter at the trilogy as a whole cause i don’t understand why they all didn’t decide on an overarching plot for all three and then direct/write their movies based off that????? like????? how?????? good?????? writing????? is????? supposed?????? to????? happen??????) (part three) 🤗

(thank you and i love you) (part four)

Aww you are so sweet anon, thank you! Much love and kisses and hugs to you! I hope that you’ve been having a good holiday season, disappointment over Star Wars notwithstanding.

I would also like to thank you for your patience–it’s been a crazy few days, with the holidays and all, so it took me a little bit to get around to this.

This will get long, I’m sure, so it’s all behind the cut! I apologize for how this turned into complete rambling. There is no structure to this. I’m sorry.

Now, I love a properly done, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers ship as much as the next feral hyperfixating moron, but so few people do it properly. An enemies-to-lovers ship that’s done properly is one that has two people be enemies because of equally valid but opposing moral viewpoints or, takes the time to show the ‘enemy’ character a) recognize that what they’re doing and have done is wrong b) apologize c) make reparations d) continue to improve in their behavior and do good, not to win back favor or make reparations but because they have seen the error in their ways and they want to keep doing good for its own sake.

The example of the first is Flynn/Lucy from Timeless. Flynn and Lucy start out as enemies, and as we learn over the course of the first season, Flynn is actually the hero. He’s the one who is opposing the white supremacist bullshit cult trying to take over the country/world. Flynn, out of grief and desperation, does things that are morally questionable and objectionable, and through his interactions with Lucy, tries to hone and adjust his plans. Lucy on the other hand has the more “moral” standpoint aka let’s not kill people, etc, but she’s working on behalf of the evil bullshit cult. Their viewpoints are opposing but equally valid and the joy of season one is watching them start to fumble their way to meeting in the middle so Rittenhouse can be defeated.

An example of the second is Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now, I’m not going to call out any particular ship here, but no matter who you ship Zuko with, it’s only possible for you to do that because he spends seasons and seasons of television making up for his mistakes. We see him slowly come to question his motives and actions, realize he’s wrong, and take steps to apologize and make reparations. After he does that, he then continues to do good. He doesn’t say, “well I apologized and then I taught the Avatar how to firebend so I’m all good now bye!” He continues to fight the good fight, and not because he wants a reward or praise, but because he knows it’s the right thing to do, and he wants to do the right thing.

So right away, we’re off on the wrong foot with Kyle Ron.

I don’t give a flying piece of monkey fuck what any other books or media say about Kyle’s fall to the dark side. Most people are only going to watch the films and in the films, all we know is that there was darkness sensed in him, Luke thought about killing him (which is a shitty piece of characterization that I will never forgive Rian Johnson for and trust me he can throw whatever arguments he wants at me with his I’m So Woke White Guy Persona and I can and will destroy every inch of his arguments and his brain but that’s a story for another time), Snoke started talking to Kyle or rather Palpatine as it’s explained in a quick ham-fisted explanation in TROS, and Kyle goes and MURDERS A BUNCH OF HIS PEERS WHO ARE ALL CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS, THEN PROCEEDS TO BECOME A SPACE NAZI.

…yeah that sure doesn’t sound to me like a traumatized child trying to make his father proud (Zuko) or a grieving widower and father trying to fight white supremacists and destroy their organization with full knowledge that he’s breaking his own moral code to do so (Flynn).

So yeah, right away, we gotta fix that.

The next thing we gotta fix is his first interactions with Rey. The Force Awakens didn’t set Rey and Kyle up to be romantic at all. He tries to mind rape her with his Force abilities, for crying out loud. And this is after he mind rapes and tortures Poe for information with his Force abilities. Then, after his father offers him redemption and love, he kills him��right in front of Rey, who had come to see Han as her adopted father.

Never once does Kylo Ren apologize for any of it. Not. Fucking. Once. Not even a simple ‘I’m sorry’. What the fuck.

I wouldn’t have him hurt Rey in any way. Capture her, okay, but not hurt her, certainly not try and force himself into her very mind. That’s not something I could ever forgive someone for doing. Sorry not sorry. Then I wouldn’t have him kill his own father after said father had offered him love and understanding and redemption. Nope.

Then, if we wanted to show the two of them establishing a Force bond et al like in TLJ, I wouldn’t have him fucking gaslight her. Saying “you came from nothing, you are nothing, but not to me” is a manipulative as fuck thing to say where you a) destroy the person’s self worth b) make them think everyone is against them and c) that you are the only person who values them. That is, as I’m sure I don’t have to remind everyone, not. healthy.

Having Kylo treat her with respect and consideration, praising her, not gaslighting her, and also um NOT TRYING TO GET HER TO JOIN THE DARK SIDE, especially after he killed Snoke. He rejects once again an offer of rejection, this time from Rey, and decides to rule the Space Nazi Army. Not cool bro.

Let’s compare that to Garcy real quick.

Flynn tries to get Lucy to help him specifically because Lucy is the person who told him to do this in the first place. He is doing things he hates doing and needs a true ally, a partner, someone he can trust and turn to for advice and assistance. Lucy’s refusal to budge on her moral stance even once she knows about the existence of Rittenhouse is actually a problem because it draws out the conflict between her and Flynn and makes it so that Rittenhouse has more chances to succeed. Flynn goes about asking for her help in an entirely trash way which… doesn’t help either. But he never lies to her, never manipulates or gaslights her, he respects her (and makes that clear) and repeatedly, when Lucy offers him redemption (or what she thinks is redemption) begs her to explain to him how he can accept it. Lucy repeatedly says to Flynn, “please do abc in order to be the honorable man I know you are,” and Flynn’s response to that is, “but will that mean that my terms of xyz are fulfilled.” They’re negotiating a treaty, essentially. Flynn needs certain things so that he has a guarantee that Rittenhouse is defeated, and until he gets that, he cannot accept Lucy’s offers despite making it clear he wants to.

Kyle Ron, incel fuckboy, does not do this. He instead kills his ‘mentor’ and assumes the throne as supreme leader after manipulating Rey and gaslighting her and then tells her to join him or die. Not… the same thing… at all.

Basically the whole Reylo thing suffered because there was never originally an intention for Reylo to be A Thing. Rey and Kylo Ren were set up in TFA to be opposites and to be enemies. Then in TLJ we got an enemies-to-lovers setup that was done incredibly poorly with gaslighting and manipulation and no effort on Kylo Ren’s part to actually apologize or atone for any of his behavior. How can anyone possibly have seen good in that boy? Because he talked to Rey a couple times across the galaxy when she was too far away for him to kill?

So to make Reylo work, you have to go back to TFA and completely change the setup, the character interactions, and THEN you get into TLJ and you have to change how Kylo Ren talks to her. Perhaps his decision at the end after murdering Snoke is to stay so he can destroy the First Order from within because he knows that if he doesn’t, someone else will just step up into Snoke’s place–you can’t just erase an entire movement just because one leader is gone, although that is a pretty big blow. Something like that.

THEN in TROS you wouldn’t have to change much at least as far as Kylo Ren and Rey’s interactions because you would’ve established them from the start in TFA and left out the blatant emotional abuse in TLJ. Oh, and have Kyle say he’s sorry and do some actively good things for other people BESIDES Rey so that we actually see him doing good. Someone realizing they did wrong is not the end of a redemption arc, it’s the START of one.

And the guy can’t only do good things for his love interest. Nope nope nope. Going, again, back to Garcy, over the course of season two we see Flynn a) save Rufus’s life several times and care about him b) give Denise a pep talk and come to an understanding with her c) support and praise Mason d) give Wyatt advice that Wyatt didn’t even deserve and e) joke about giving Jiya a hug (and would’ve given her one if she’d wanted it) and protect her in Chinatown.

Flynn mostly interacts with Lucy because she’s the person who gives him a real chance and opens up to him, but he’s there for the others as well and we see that. To get the same from Kylo Ren, we’d need to see him apologizing to and doing good things for Poe, Finn, etc.

Again: Reylo sucked ass because TFA didn’t set it up to be a romance. TLJ made it all worse by making the romance actually A Thing and using emotional abuse to do it, but TLJ really didn’t have much of a chance to make it a Good Thing anyway because it was building off of what TFA started, and TFA started off on the wrong foot if you want a romance between those two.

Personally, I think that there just isn’t enough time in three movies to pull off a really solid Zuko-style redemption arc for Kyle. There are too many other characters to worry about and too much else to deal with. So the answer would be to make Kyle Ron more like Flynn, but that would completely change his character, so… it’s a vicious circle of going around and around trying to make something work when the framework, the foundation, is just not going to let you do that.

How would I do Reylo? Well, to be honest, I wouldn’t do Reylo in the first goddamn place because I am so FUCKING sick and tired of white boys getting redemption arcs. I know this makes me a hypocrite because I have written 50+ fics of Wyatt Logan, The Most Whitebread of White Boys, earning his redemption, but I wasn’t starting from scratch there (and if I get a chance to make a boring white het person into a queer as fuck person, thereby actually making them interesting, then I’m taking that chance). And if I’m starting from scratch, if you’re giving me this new trilogy and saying “here are the characters, do with them what you want,” I ain’t having one more fucking lily-white privileged-ass bitch motherfucker be the “hero” because he said he was sorry and he looked longingly at the pretty girl a few times.

The trilogy gave us Poe and Finn. Two excellent, handsome as fuck, kind, loyal, good-hearted men who were fighting to save the ones they love and the galaxy. I would marry the fuck out of both of them. I wouldn’t do Reylo.

But if you put a gun to my head…

…no wait I don’t fear death that’s a bad analogy…

…if you put a gun to a kitten and told me I had to do Reylo, that’s how I would do it. Go all the way back to TFA and have Kyle Ron treat Rey with respect, never try to force himself into her mind or torture her, I’d have him not be nearly so murderous in the first place and I wouldn’t have him throwing tantrums left and right, and I wouldn’t have him MURDER! HIS! FATHER! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!

Then in TLJ I’d start to show his conflicts, have the Force bond be established but have him talk honestly with Rey and open up to her instead of having him manipulate her and try to get her to the dark side at every turn. I certainly wouldn’t have him keep telling her that they’re meant for greatness together and all that bullshit while she kept telling him no, stop, go away, I don’t want this. You know that what kind of scenario reminds me of? A man continuing to push and do things when the woman told him to stop? You know what that makes me think of?

Yeah, I bet you do.

At the end of TLJ he would not just murder Snoke and take the throne, he’d be shown in the middle of a moral quandary so that we’re given a nice and satisfying emotional cliffhanger for his storyline for us to look forward to seeing resolved in TROS. Then, TROS, at that point eh I’d leave that pretty much the same, because it would WORK, BECAUSE THE GROUNDWORK HAD BEEN LAID PROPERLY IN TFA AND THERE WOULD BE NO BULLSHIT EMOTIONAL ABUSE AND MANIPULATION IN TLJ.

So there you are, nonny. I contribute anyone enjoying that last bit of Reylo in TROS to Adam Driver’s admittedly good and dedicated acting, and I hope that my answer explains my (rambling) train of thought and explains how I would do things. But to be honest I really wouldn’t do Reylo in the first place, the whole thing sickens me, I want to set the entire Disney studio buildings on fire, and if anyone tells me they ship Reylo I can and will stop talking to them for the rest of my goddamn life because they are not to be trusted and I can successfully hold grudges for decades.

…wow, I’m just a pillar of rage.

Thank you for your very lovely asks, nonny! I hope that this satisfies. If you have any follow up questions, don’t hesitate to ask them! I admit this wasn’t a very structured response but I hope it explained everything. Have a beautiful day and give yourself a hug!

#mads answers things #anti reylo #anti kylo ren #star wars spoilers #FLAMES #FLAMES ON THE SIDE OF MY FACE #I really hope I explained all of this well #I feel like I was just kind of word vomiting

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alethia000 · 5 years

Photo

[TRANS] 190911 Nichkhun’s Interview with The Cloud

Virtue

Story by Chernporn Kongma

11 September 2019

[Thai-Eng Trans by Daffodil0624]

A conversation with Nichkhun Horvejkul, a shy boy who has become a member of a popular Korean idol group 2PM, on his role as Friend of UNICEF who encourages children to be fascinated by letters in ‘Every Child Can Read’ Project.

“Eleven years of hard work is not worthless. Fame I have gained can help make our society a better place. It is my way of giving back to society and I consider that virtue or merit of my life.”

These are what Nichkhun Horvejkul has told us. Nichkhun has worked in the entertainment industry in Asia for more than a decade. He has also done volunteer work as Friend of UNICEF for six consecutive years.

Growing up in overseas entertainment industry has given him an opportunity to see the big, wide world. It has opened his eyes and widened his perspective while he has accumulated diverse experiences. However, doing volunteer work in his homeland has broadened his viewpoint and made him aware of various hidden social problems in Thailand that have been mostly overlooked.

Success and fame may have turned a shy boy into a beloved superstar. Yet, doing volunteer work has shaped and changed his heart, his mind, and his perspective on life. Nichkhun has redefined success, understood the truth about work and entertainment industry, and determined to take part in solving social problems in Thailand.

Every story he has told us indicates that today Nichkhun has a clear understanding of the true value of life.

Little things that have been overlooked

From the moment JYP Entertainment has chosen Nichkhun to be a member of 2PM, this shy boy’s life path is no longer the same. Becoming a popular singer and an idol in South Korea, he has an opportunity to work in different places every day. Sometimes, he travelled to 3 countries in a single day and rarely had a chance to take a break.

Nichkhun’s fans have collected statistical data about his flights. In 2014, his total flight distance (195,540 kilometres) equals travelling around the world for 4.88 times or almost halfway to the moon.

Nevertheless, in the whole wide world he has travelled, nowhere has been able to unforgettably touch his heart and move him like a particular area in the capital city of Thailand. Various forms of social inequality have been concealed beneath the city’s civilisation.

“Among high-rise buildings and luxurious neighbourhoods in Bangkok, there are places we don’t see or have chosen not to look at. When we drive on the expressways past these places every day, we have rarely acknowledged that there are big communities down there. People in these communities suffer from impoverished living conditions.”

The areas Nichkhun talked about are Klong Toey communities and their numerous social problems.

Participating in various campaigns to advance children’s rights, Nichkhun visited children in these communities and had firsthand experience of what their living conditions were like. Because of this memorable experience, Nichkhun has promised himself to find a way to help improve these children’s lives.

“I still remember those children in Klong Toey communities, the overwhelming smell, the poor environments, the rats, and the cockroaches. I don’t know how can we let those children live like that. It is not their fault that they were born there. I think we have to help them, as fellow Thais and human beings that live in the same world.”

Nichkhun does not live or work in Thailand often. However, whenever he has come back to Thailand, he has dedicated his free time to help children by working with UNICEF and supporting their campaigns.

“I feel very guilty because I often work overseas. I don’t have a chance to visit children in faraway provinces. I will try to find time to work with UNICEF more often. Previously, what I can do best is being a spokesperson who tells people about these problems on social networks and other media channels. I want people to pay attention and help each other. That is what I have to do.”

Shaping his mind and thoughts

Nichkhun admitted that having worked with UNICEF and learned about various social problems affected his thoughts and mind. These experiences have changed the way he looks at the world. He has realised the importance of ‘giving’ more than ever.

“Participation in voluntary or charitable activities has become another motivation for me to keep working in the showbiz and moving forward. I know all the fame I have gained is not futile. I can use fame and my status as a star to give back to society.”

“I always tell my fans they don’t have to buy me any gifts on my birthday. Please make a donation instead. My fans have often made donations and sent me the donation certificates from UNICEF. They have made me very happy and delighted. I have told my fans we have done good deeds together and we will be born to meet each other again in our next lives.” Nichkhun ended the sentence with a sincere smile.

Life is like a wave.

“In the past, I might measure my success by saying “Which rank will I get?” The songs I released had to reach number one on charts. So many billboards at metro or skytrain stations in Thailand showed my face and products I endorsed that Koreans sent me messages that they saw me again. Now I don’t think about these things anymore.”

Nichkhun reflected back on the period when he spent his life focusing on chasing rankings. At that time, he cared about the quantity of his work and believed that it guaranteed his success.

“Today I don’t think about how popular I have to be.” Nichkhun pondered and continued to say, “I am not worried how many followers I have. I don’t think I have to be more popular than anyone. It’s not necessary that 15,000 audience members have to attend my concerts. I performed in front of two or three thousand fans in my latest concerts. My fans and I were happy. I could see everyone’s face in the halls. That is a success for me.”

“Thus, at the moment, success means doing what I love and making people who love me proud and happy. That’s enough.”

Nichkhun summed up his definition of success that has changed.

We asked if it was because he has grown up and has a better understanding of the truth about life.

“I understand that being a star is merely a job, not my heart and soul.” Nichkhun promptly said.

“We can be mentally ill if we think we have to be a star at every single moment,” Nichkhun explained. “When we go up to the highest height, we will come down eventually. Clinging to being a star can make us depressed. For me, I have already known being a star is a job. I will keep doing this job until I want to stop. If my fame fades away, that’s the way it goes. If people still want to hire me, I will keep on working. If not, that’s all right. I will find other activities to do.

“My parents have taught me, “Don’t cling to anything too much.” My father has always told me to live sufficiently. My mother has made me understand that life is like a wave. It goes up and down. New and stronger waves keep coming constantly. The next waves will keep bashing into us. We can’t beat them and we can’t stop them. ”

At 31, Nichkhun has understood the true essence of life and has let go of things he used to cling to. We wanted to know what his ultimate happiness is at present.

“Taking a trip with my family,” Nichkhun replied immediately with sparkling eyes. “At the beginning of this year, I took a road trip with my siblings in America. I am thinking about where should I take my mother to next year.” He turned and smiled at his mother. Nichkhun said taking care of his family gave him incomparable and profound happiness.

“We are building a new house. My sister who is an interior designer has been designing and decorating our house. It should be finished soon.” Happiness radiated from his smile, his eyes, and his face.

From the smallest unit of society to tremendous results

This year, Nichkhun has participated in “Every Child Can Read” Project to raise awareness of the importance of reading.

“I think this is UNICEF’s best project. Reading is really a part of our life.”

Growing up with parents who encouraged him to love reading, Nichkhun read cartoon books about the Buddha’s biography instead of watching television. As a result, Nichkhun has been fascinated by books and can confidently say, for him, reading is like magic. He has astonishing experiences because of reading.

“Paulo Coelho who wrote “The Alchemist” is one of my favourite writers. One day he followed me on Twitter because I frequently tweeted about this book. Later he sent me a signed copy of “The Alchemist.” I can say this is the most magical thing that has happened to me.”

“I sit down to read his book without getting up. When I looked at the clock, I realised several hours passed. He is an exceptional storyteller. I can imagine what he described, the physical traits of his characters, the scents, sounds, and colours of situations. It is like making a movie in our mind. This is the appeal of reading.”

We know that reading is an essential part of a child’s growth. However, in this day and age, digital media is easily accessible. Children are entertained by contents and stories on social networks. Nichkhun believed there are still solutions to these enormous challenges.

“Besides me and other social media influencers, I hope people will help recommend good books for others. Cultivating and nurturing a good reading habit should start from family, the smallest unit of society. Parents should buy books and read them for their kids. These children will remember how enjoyable a book can be. When they are accustomed to reading and want to read a book by themselves, the outcome will be substantial.”

“It is like throwing pebbles into the water, ripples keep spreading out across the surface endlessly,” Nichkhun concluded with a hopeful smile. The comparison he made demonstrates his determination to truly give back to society.

* The title of the interview “Virtue” has the same meaning as Nichkhun’s nickname in Thai (คุณ or Khun).

Source: https://readthecloud.co/nichkhun-horvejkul-unicef-thailand/

Please take out with full credit.

#2pm #nichkhun #190911 Nichkhun’s Interview with The Cloud #Daffodil0624 #interview #friend of unicef #UNICEF #reading

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neuxue · 5 years

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Before you get to the arc payoffs, I think it would be cool if you could illustrate your thoughts on the journeys the main characters have gone on to get to this point. Like, your thoughts on their consistency and what you think worked and didn't work, aside from Perrin's plotline temporarily dying and Mat disappearing for a book.

This is an excellent question and I could probably take several weeks to compile an answer but I’m going to answer it now because I am an adult who is entirely in control of her life and her choices especially regarding fiction, fictional characters, and the discussion thereof.

‘Main characters’ is a rather flexible definition in WoT so I’ll start with the original set from EotW and go from there, and we’ll see how far I get.

(Okay it turns out I only got through the Emond’s Field group, becasue I’m me and I can’t just write a sentence or two for each one, but I might try later to do the same for some other characters)

Rand al’Thor: Rand’s character arc, and the way it’s executed, is fantastic. He definitely benefits from the sheer length of the series (well, his arc does; he just suffers), because it allows for a nuanced, complex, thorough character journey from farmboy to broken hero, from human viewpoint protagonist to distant focal point around which everything spirals, from determined trusting optimist to desperate half-mad fatalist. Any of those transitions can be and have been done in shorter wordcounts, but the length of the series, and the way everything about what Rand does and goes through escalates a little (or sometimes a lot) with each book, gives his arc this feeling of an inexorable pull, of compounding pain, of just a series of small steps, each only a little further than the next.

When you have 12 books (so far) to do that with, you can end up a huge distance away from where you started, without it ever feeling like too great a jump. Each ‘level’ (either of what he has to endure or what he himself does and becomes) is gradually normalised over time; he and the reader acclimate, so then it’s time to step up to the next. Put The Last That Could Be Done after, say, Falme, and it would still hurt but it would feel almost like too much (and also not enough, because it would lack the weight and momentum of everything that came before). Instead, you get to watch the slow unravelling of a character even as his power grows, tension building, until (like his ancestors the Aiel) he becomes all but unrecognisable as who he was at the start, but every step along the way feels like just another step, until a single step is all it takes to push him off the cliff his narrative has spent the better part of twelve books building for him.

I also love the way Jordan has played with POV in this particular arc, with Rand going from the main viewpoint character to barely having a POV. It suits the way he goes from being a protagonist beginning his journey to becoming the centre of a whirlpool that expands to encompass the entire world, as well as how he goes from being very young and human and real to… “I don’t know how human the Dragon Reborn can afford to be,“ to just dragging himself and the world to the Last Battle. He loses POV chapters because he no longer sees himself as a person with agency or even the right to his own mind – which, too, is invaded and eroded as time goes on, again fitting well with the decrease in POV chapters: his mind is literally no longer his own, nor – he believes – is his life.

I expect his to be one of the arcs with the greatest catharsis in its payoff, just because there’s so much that’s built up over time; the potential energy, if you will, is huge, and at some point it has to be released, and while building it took 12 books and counting, there’s…not all that much time left, so it’s going to be released in a far shorter time than it was built, and if anyone remembers anything from physics class, that means it’s going to hit with a hell of a lot of force.

Also okay in my head this was going to be maybe a paragraph or two per character so uh….

Egwene al’Vere: Another character arc I absolutely love, because she grows so much. She goes from strong-willed village girl seeking adventure and trying adulthood on for size to young woman finding her place in the world to true Amyrlin in strength and understanding and maturity. She’s allowed to make mistakes; and throw herself wholeheartedly into things the way so many of us do when we’re still figuring out who we are; and then smooth all of those pieces together into somoene who is still herself; but a more experienced, older, wiser, stronger version of herself. She grows up, in a very real sense, and we get to watch that play out in a way that isn’t always smooth and isn’t always perfect, but feels very real.

I’ve also talked a few times about how the main difference between her and Rand, beneath all the parallels drawn between them, is that in terms of their heroic arcs, she chooses while he is chosen. It’s something I love about Egwene’s arc and her character overall – she’s allowed to be ambitious and to want things and strive for things, and is rewarded for it rather than shut down.

She asks the world for a chance to be more, and it demands a great deal from her in return, but she rises to the challenge at each step, and then takes the next one, and then the next – like Rand, a gradual change that seems small at any given point but is huge overall – but for all that she leaves her home behind, she never loses who she is. And some of that means she keeps some of her flaws, and makes some mistakes along the way because of those flaws, and that’s…permitted, and taken into her overall arc.

And the way her arc is drawn parallel to Rand’s, in a way that draws similarities and yet simultaneously highlights the differences in how they approach these similar things, is excellent and, I think, enhances both of them as a result.

Mat Cauthon: Here’s an arc that I feel is a bit uneven or inconsistent. Some of that fits who he is – the rogue, the trickster, the one who is by his very nature inconsistent except for the aspects of him that are absolutely constant (his commitment to keeping his promises, for instance). So to some extent you don’t expect his arc to follow the same pattern as a more ‘standard’ heroic archetype. This archetype demands a bit of freedom and flexibility to play around with and sometimes flip on its head.

And I think that works well for him from TDR through TFoH. There, we watch the push-pull of denying his fate yet remaining loyal to promises and friends, telling himself he wants no responsibility and is no bloody hero and yet very much acting the part and gathering an army who follow him because they respect and believe in and trust him. We see him learn to use his luck, see him visit the Aelfinn and Eelfinn and manage to come out just a little bit ahead despite always feeling a few steps behind (and also almost dying, can’t forget that). And by the end of TFoH, he has grown, even if he doesn’t want to admit it to himself.

And then…he stagnates (’the right hand falters’), for approximately five goddamn books. He gets bogged down in a storyline that at times seems to exist purely to be a ‘battle of the sexes’ sandbox, serves as a narrative tool for belittling or putting down other characters when it’s not belittling or diminishing him, and vanishes for a book for no particular narrative reason beyond not having much to do. And then he wanders with the circus for a while before finally taking some bloody initiative and marrying his enemy’s empress. By accident, but still, it’s progress.

The thing is, if he had gone straight from the end of TFoH, with a newly acquired army and responsibility that he claims to want nothing to do with, to freeing the Windfinder(s) in Ebou Dar and then staring out at the devastation that escape caused, to giving Tuon a cluster of silk rosebuds while planning the use of gunpowder in war, to the events of As If The World Were Fog and Prince of the Ravens, I think I’d still enjoy reading about him. The pieces of a great arc are there, but the pacing is off, and there’s too much in the middle that seems to serve no real purpose (except to irritate and be irritated by other characters, which doesn’t make anyone look good).

I also think one of the issues with Mat’s arc is that more than others, he is put in positions where his gain is another central character’s loss (see for example the latter half of Swovan Night and Small Sacrifices) for…seemingly no reason. I much prefer the moments where he gains by his own merit (see This Place, This Day and The Lesser Sadness, where he acquires the Band and helps win the battle of Cairhien by being awesome), or, if it’s to be at the expense of other characters, in a way that doesn’t end up making other protagonists just look…less.

For the record, I also disliked when Egwene spent a few chapters making a fool of Nynaeve as part of flipping the leadership/power dynamic between them. I have no problem with conflict between characters (Egwene and Nynaeve bickering all the way to Tear felt real, and suited their development) or with power struggles, but I think it’s important to make sure it’s…fair, I suppose, if you’re using protagonists on both sides. A character can be narratively served by losing a conflict, so long as they’re treated as an actual agent in it, rather being temporarily demoted to narrative device, existing just to make another character look good at their expense. And the resulting ‘benefit’ to the other character feels sour as a result. (An example of this being done better is Mat fighting Gawyn and Galad; the stakes are relatively low, it’s done in a lighthearted way, and while Galad and Gawyn lose, they don’t really lose face).

I also feel like there’s so much more that could be done with the memories Mat acquires - they certainly contribute to his arc and to the positions he ends up in, and recently there was the issue with him realising that the Eelfinn might have some sort of link to him, but we never go very far into the…psychological impact, I suppose. I mean, he remembers dying. Multiple times. And even the memories that don’t involve death often involve battle. So he’s got sort-of-but-no-longer-really secondhand literal war flashbacks coming out his ears, he has howmany fragments of identity floating around in his head and seeming a part of him and yet also not? That’s fascinating, give me more. It just seems like such a cool thing to play with, and instead more often than not it’s a plot device.

Nynaeve al’Meara: Ah, Nynaeve. Another arc I love. I’ve actually written about hers already (albeit a three years and several books ago) but I’ll go into some of it briefly here as well. Where we see Egwene grow up, Nynaeve begins the book as an adult, if still on the younger side, but established in her position and her identity, even if she has to fight for it at times because of her youth and particular personality quirks. And then she has all of that taken from her, and is thrown into a world where she no longer knows who she is or should be, where none of that authority or experience she possessed means anything. It’s such an interesting way to start a character’s arc, and it plays out beautifully as Nynaeve tries to find her footing again and stumbles so many times along the way but, like Egwene, in a way that feels very real.

Through it all she holds to certain core aspects of herself even as others are recognised as mutable, and thus learns who she is and grows into not a different person entirely, but someone more herself. Not self-aware, precisely, but…in control. She breaks her block by finally surrendering, by letting go of the walls she built around herself and her own power out of fear and insecurity, and in doing so accepts what lies beneath them. And as a result, she now controls that vast power within her, rather than having only an occasional grasp of it through anger. That’s something of a metaphor for her entire arc, really: she faces herself as much as she faces any external enemy, pushing past those walls and insecurities and fears, through that uncertainty of where she fits in a world so much vaster than the one she came of age in, and thus gains control of her abilities and strengths and self, and can use that to work toward what she has always held as most important: protecting and helping and defending and healing those she loves.

Perrin Aybara: I love his arc from the beginning through to the end of TSR. The Two Rivers arc? Absolutely gorgeous. But, like Mat, I think his arc falters a little (or, if we’re continuing with the prophecy, strays) in part, perhaps, because he almost completes some of it too early. I do like that it’s not treated as perfectly linear – that just because he’s learned leadership and come to more or less accept it in his home village doesn’t mean he’ll be 100% great at it and fully on board from here on out – but I also think the way we revisit some of those problems could be done better.

I also just hate the Malden arc in general, because once again it makes Perrin look good (sort of) by putting Faile in the role of damsel-in-distress (not in mindset but absolutely in contrived situation) and forcibly holding her there until Perrin can finish his arc. Which detracts from the payoff of the arc itself, for me.

I’d rather have seen that done differently – there are other ways Perrin could have struggled with truly accepting leadership, and also come to throw away the axe – and perhaps slightly earlier, which would allow Perrin to make the decision regarding the wolf dream a little earlier as well, because I don’t see how he’s supposed to convincingly learn it well enough to do anything with it between now and the ending. And if he doesn’t have time to do that, why was it brought up?

All of that said, I do think his arc itself is a really interesting and sometimes understated but often beautiful one. The axe/hammer conflict that winds its way through so much of his arc across ten books is not always subtle but it’s present like a drumbeat, a constant that illustrates the heart of the conflict at the core of who he is and who he wants to be and who he needs to be. It also ties so well into the overall salvation/destruction theme and duality. It’s an interesting way to handle a character of the general archetype Perrin represents, and I think that aspect of his arc is done very, very well. He’s not always my type of character, and there are some inconsistencies in his arc and places where the way aspects of it are accomplished that irritate me, but the overall shape of it is lovely.

#all of this with the usual caveat that #I do love this series #and I like these charactesr and arcs #even the ones I've criticised #asks #anon #wheel of time #rand al'thor #egwene al'vere #nynaeve al'meara #perrin aybara #mat cauthon

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emptymanuscript · 5 years

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Does a male lead make passing the Bechdel Test impossible?

So, I ran into this argument that I found compelling at first but the more I think about it, the more I think it misses the fundamental issues.

It all had to do with the Bechdel test and some of its offshoots.

If it’s your day to discover it, the Bechdel test was made by Alison Bechdel in her comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For in 1985. It has been formalized as: Does a work have at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The original comic strip has the character mention that the last movie she saw that passed the test was 1979’s Alien.

Bechdel later clarified that her issue was slightly less that any one particular piece of fiction didn’t meet the qualifications than it was with the fact that the overwhelming majority of fiction she ran into didn’t. There were clearly feminist pieces that didn’t pass and clearly terrible pieces of fiction that did. But overall it’s a general easy to use metric to let her know a fiction fit into the majority dissatisfying mold.

Which is the real power of the Bechdel test and the other tests that descend from it. They are easy to understand and observe and allow anyone to judge on a comprehensible metric. It’s been a fantastic way to give cultural criticism to everyone in a matter of moments, rather than say my experience in college of having to cram down ten books of cultural criticism in order to be able to express a single framework. Which is significantly less practical.

The original thread that caught my attention mentioned the Bechdel Test along with:

Mako Mori test, which actually comes from here on Tumblr: does a work have at least one female character, who gets her own narrative arc, that is not about supporting a man’s story.

Sexy Lamp test: A female character cannot be replaced by a sexy lamp without it ruining the story.

Anti-Freeze test: no woman is assautled, injured, or killed to further the plotline of another character.

“Strength is Relative” test: A woman is strong due to rich characterization rather than conforming to masculine action hero stereotypes.

The actual post that caught my attention didn’t specify any one particular test that they were responding to, so I’m mentioning them all even though I don’t think they all apply equally.

The essence of that argument that sets this all off was that all of these tests are put forward and used in majority by people who are media consumers rather than media creators. That they, not understanding how story works, are missing necessary complications and order. Things that are fundamental to story are why we get certain artifcats. The real issue that causes all this is that we have less Women protagonists. Most characters don’t get arcs. And every character is necessarily filtered through the lens of the protagonist. Write female protagonists and the stories will pass. Write male protagonists and the stories won’t. Either way, subsidary characters are always going to have trouble fulfilling these tests.

And at first blush, I do find that compelling. It’s true that farther away a character is from the center of a story, the less arc and “practical” instead of “stated” self motivation they get. Because stories are filtered through the viewpoint that does focus on the protagonists. And, yeah, a woman as a main character is more likely to fix a lot of those problems.

But, Bechdel’s clarification has always held the greater power for me than the test itself. One book failing isn’t a problem. That all of them fail is. Because it reveals a cultural bias in our choices. And to say that it is just because it’s a guy in the center means we can’t make anything work, seems like being content with that mass bias.

Thinking of my own work, I have a protagonist, a deuteragonist, and a tritagonist. Two males and a female. Because I chose two guys and one gal, yeah, I’m going to get way more conversation between two men than I am between two women. At first blush, that’s the same as just: write more female leads. But I think it also betrays a priority. That my original writing partners and myself prioritized a masculine fictional experience over a feminine one. Which then lead on to many consequences. And we keep making those prioritizations.

I feel pretty confident that I give my tritagonist her own arc. BUT, again, there was the bias toward traditional relationship arrangements, even when I mess them up. JJ may be out for herself first in all things but what she wants is still her son. That’s still the cultural bias.

And I think that is extrapolatable. I actually did once have a friend ask, after I admitted that JJ was my favorite character, why not just write her as the main character? And while my answer that she couldn’t carry the series was correct as far as it goes it also does ignore that I chose to tell this particular story line. I chose to elevate the experiences of James and Zephyr, the boys, over hers.

And it’s not just at the top. The protagonist’s love interest is inherently going to be tied to the goals and experiences of the protagonist. As far as that goes, it is true. That’s part of story structure. But that we choose to have a woman as a love interest instead of as a friend, who can often get more fictional space, is a culturally inspired choice. And that we chose to have that love interest as the minor character archetype of the lover, instead of the nearly equal deuteragonist or some kind of antagonist, who would then have the space and limelight to develop their own relationships and arcs, is also a choice. How much space and arc they get are not forced by the emotional relationship or by the fact that a male is at the protagonist spot. It is well within our choices to give women expanded roles even if they aren’t at the center.

For me I always bring it back to myself, my own work. Even in absolute tradition, I’ve got JJ, who gets pages and pages of material based on her goals and I’ve got Dink who gets a couple of paragraphs. I think the issue is that in most cases, somebody like Dink is all we get. Someone who does take up very little space.

Again, I don’t think it’s an issue of one work. The problem is that it is the default. And that’s where I don’t like the excuse of this is a natural organization of story. I’m a great believer in story having order and structure. I promote the hero’s journey, genre rules, set beats at set times, etc. But that is not paint by numbers. It’s a framework. And everything that goes in that frame is a choice, as is how we choose to assemble that frame. A character suffering the loss of a loved one is not the only way to trigger their final commitment to a conflict. A lover being met with briefly and then left behind is not the only way to paint a relationship.

That women are continuously shunted to lesser roles in fiction, and lesser roles than what is possible for them to have even with the same relationships, tells me that there is a bias against female agency that has nothing to do with story structure. It’s not inevitable. It’s a choice. And we can choose different if we want to.

#feminism #bechdel test #opinion #writblr #creative writing #writing

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readgreat-thinkbig-blog · 5 years

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The Echoing Tale (The Story of Echo)

This is an original short story, with several hand-drawn illustrations. It aims to help you discover the interesting cultural meaning behind English vocabulary, and learn more about the source of magic of English language.

“O, I am so in love with you… please come out! Come to me!”

She heard that wistful moaning again: his voice over-flown with longing, he called out to the water, just as he had done yesterday, the day before yesterday, and the day before… She tried to track time, but quickly lost count. He had stayed here too long—so long that she almost forgot how her life had been before he came.

Yet she remembered the day he came—a flash of a bow drawn, a swish of an arrow shot, a yelp of frustrated effort, the shadow of a lithe figure, the light of an exhausted smile—vague memories flickered like dim tatters, ragged shreds of blurry remembrance scattered across her foggy mind. But at times, some pieces flared up in brilliant sparkles—and she caught them before they faded forlornly away—such as the moment she was struck by him and had since then fallen helplessly and hopelessly in love: when he beamed and declared, joyously, “O, I love you!”

The violent force of reminiscence battered her heart; for an instant she was knocked out of breath. Bitterness welled up inside her, and she had to bite her lips to damher burning tears. Then coldness gripped her in its iron fist, twisting and squeezing her entire body until she was shaking terribly, in immense, desolate grief.

She collapsed onto the ground, sobbing, eyes stinging from countless days of agony. She loved him so, so dearly; but he seemed ignorant of it.

He cared about nothing, but himself.

His never left the pond side; his eyes never moved from the image of himself reflected in the watery mirror. Every word spoken by him was about his love for himself; so was every sigh, every smile.

He pined for his own self.

Narcissus…! She wanted to cry out, and yank his attention away from that cursed water. But when she opened her mouth, there was only a hollow, wheezing sound, void of substance, straining to create meaning.

She couldn’t speak.

How many times had she forgotten her curse, and how many times had she been reminded of the painful reality of it yet again, after her vain struggle to talk to her lover? Narcissus didn’t love her; he was repulsed by her presence. And he didn’t even bother to know her.

She thought of the disgust in his eyes. Such revulsion! Malice glittered like blades of obsidian, dangerous and sharp; dark flames of arrogance breathed into loathing, casting interweaving shadows of condescension and repugnance. His contemptuous dismissal of her entirety was imbued with such intense abhorrence that it cut wounds into her simple little soul: those wounds never healed, re-opening again, and again, upon his sole concern for himself.

He had screamed, “leave me! Leave me alone!” She had been exceedingly puzzled, wondering at his stormy complexion, the way his eyes bore into hers, and those maddeningly flashes warning of malignity and spite swirling inside. She remembered thinking, foolishly, of how Zeus’ lightning bolts must resemble the raging wrath in his eyes, extremely menacing, yet astoundingly beautiful. O, she had thought in admiration, how he looks like a god!

He roared again: “Go away, you detestable creature! I don’t love you! Do you hear me?”

Then her tiny heart shattered. Shards of broken hope crashed within her body, slashing at her flesh, hamstringing her. Her senses were cut dull; she was shocked into numbness, rendered immobile as if another curse was cast upon her. Perhaps she had been dead ever since: her will to survive had withered away like wilted flowers.

But she still loved him, despite his cruelty, his ego, his obsession of his own image. It is her own fault, she thought, to mistake his words addressed to himself as some profession to her of his adoration.

No, a damned creature like her doesn’t deserve his noble feelings; so what a wishful thinking it is to deem herself ever fortunate to secure the noblest feeling of all—love!

She thought of the day her fortune failed her. She recalled Hera’s wrath—the Queen of the gods was so furious at her tricks that she was shivering with rage. Her eyes burning with indignation, the goddess shrieked: “You! You detestable creature! How dare you! To lie! For Zeus!”

She had been grovelling at her feet, too terrified to look up. But the aura of power and godly strength around Hera was shimmering in golden waves of energy, clashing at her with horrifying force. She felt herself being clamped against the cold, hard ground.

Hera paused. Slowly, she said: “I will bestow a gift upon you, Echo.”

She was stunned. But before she sighed with relief and thanked the goddess, Hera chimed: “You shall never speak your own words again; you can still speak, but only in repetition of others—your companions shall despise your strangeness, so one by one, they shall leave you. You shall die, in your own time; but surely you shall perish in loneliness and regret.”

A blinding light flashed; then Hera was gone.

She had since spoken others’ words, and everything Hera had promised came true.

Except for death.

“O, I am so in love with you… please come out! Come to me!”

Narcissus’ voice cracked, his face lined with pain. In tears, she observed him—his face was gaunt, his eyes hollow, his expression excruciating. O, her only lover, what kind of spell had left him in such a trance of self-obsession, and such folly of self-love!

She watched him crumple to the ground.

She rushed to his side; but it was too late—Death had taken him away.

She wept silently, too frail to make a sound. Her lover was dead. Why, she asked Death, why have you not taken me?

Something was glimmering beside her. She lifted her tear-streaked hands, and choked at the sight—she couldn’t comprehend what she saw—Narcissus was dissolving; his body was crumbling into thousands of shining star-dust.

He disappeared completely. Soundless. Traceless.

She sobbed again.

A tiny flower sprouted from the spot where he had knelt and died—a white bud, bursting into pure, startling beauty—a snow-like bloom starred with gold patterns at the centre.

Trembling, she cuddled the flower, murmuring, “O, Narcissus! O, my love!”

Then Echo fell to the ground, holding the flower to her heart.

Exhaustion coursed through her body; and she prayed, against all hope: Mercy, Hera! Let me have him…

She lay on the grass, her flesh disintegrating into star-dust.

Finally, she thought, smiling, I could stand by his side…

In Oxford Dictionary, the word ‘echo’ means ‘the repetition in structure and content of one speaker's utterance by another’. Repeating what others have said is exactly the curse Echo had to suffer in endurance of Hera’s wrath. That’s why the word means as such.

Meanwhile, the word ‘narcissism’ means ‘excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one’s physical appearance’. Narcissus, who loved his own reflection in the water, died of unfulfilled passion which consumed his entire body and soul, is the origin of the word ‘narcissism’. The self-obsessed behaviour of Narcissus gives the term ‘narcissism’ powerful meaning.

I took inspiration from the retelling of this myth by Richard Riordan in his book, ‘The Mark of Athena’. Echo’s unrequited love for Narcissus was tragic enough, not to mention her fate being doomed long before her encounter with Narcissus, her sad story already penned down at the moment when Hera cursed her.

Echo’s story (particularly the part about Narcissus) is familiar to many of you, however, I’ve been quite unsatisfied with how Greek Mythology is often told from an omniscient perspective—because subtlety of feelings and complexity of emotions are usually lost as a result of this story-telling technique. Therefore, I decided to render this old tale in a new way, animating these characters by exposing their minds.

I’ve chosen to write in the viewpoint of Echo, since I find her more interesting than Narcissus (forgive me, but this guy seems only able to care about his own self). Moreover, I used flashbacks to insert important pieces of information to aid readers’ understanding: Echo’s first encounter with Narcissus and her falling madly in love; and Echo’s curse due to Hera’s rage.

I hope that it’s been an enjoyable read for you—you learn more about Greek Mythology, and about the origins of English words (and their root words). Above all, I hope that you could find English, as a language that bustles with life and continues growing,interesting and rich. It’s a mode of communication, yes, but it also contains so much cultural meaning—it’s a collection of the most powerful and amazing imaginative ideas in human history.

Learning English, therefore, is not solely about familiarising yourselves with grammatical rules and linguistic structures; it’s more about sensing the pulsing energy of the language, loving the breath of it, enjoying everything it pertains to.

English is lovely, and that’s why I love learning it.

I hope you enjoy my writing.

#greekmyth #pjo #greek quotes #greek posts #greek #story #short story #literature #classic

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ookamikasumi-writer · 6 years

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Building the Character Arc - Angst Glorious Angst!

PLOT ARC - The events that happen while the characters make other plans.

CHARACTER ARC – The emotional roller-coaster that the character suffers in dealing with the Plot.

The CHARACTER ARC ~ The Stages of Grief Denial – Anger - Despair – Sacrifice –Acceptance

Why Grief?

Because a story needs DRAMA to be Interesting, and Drama = ANGST!

“That which does not kill me, makes me stronger.” – Nietzsche

Stories are all about Characters CHANGING; about Adapting and Overcoming circumstancing that should take them down. The hero and the villain change and develop as the story progresses to allow the hero a toehold chance - and no more - to win.

The difference between the Hero and the Villain is the Villain’s failure to change.

The Villain fails to face his fears, which allows the Hero to take him down. The rest of the cast may or may not have personal growth, but the Hero and the Villain must. This is where dramatic tension is generated.

Changing takes suffering. Both the Hero and the Villain should suffer emotionally and physically to allow for their personal changes.

Think about how hard it is for YOU to change your mind about liking or disliking anyone. What would it take to change your mind? That's the level of suffering --of Angst-- you need.

Drama! Drama! Drama! What causes ANGST?

Breaks out the text-book …

Angst is caused by a change of circumstance that produces a feeling of loss. This triggers the reaction of grief. The intensity of the grief depends on the importance of what has been lost. If the loss is perceived as minor, ("Oops, I forgot my keys!") then the moment of grief will be minimal and barely felt. However, unresolved and severe loss (a loved one,) can lead to mental, physical, and sociological problems.

Cool huh?

Everyone deals with one form of angst or another on a daily basis. Such as:

The Dead Battery

You're on your way to work. You go out to your car, put the key in the ignition and turn it on. You hear nothing but a grind; the battery is dead. Think about how you typically react: What's the first thing you do? DENIAL – “Oh no! No! No! No! Not the battery!” You try to start it again. And again. You check to make sure that everything that could be draining the battery is off: radio, heater, lights, etc. and then try it again. And again… ANGER - "Screw you, stupid car! I should have junked you years ago." Perhaps you slam your hand on the steering wheel? "I should just leave you out in the rain and let you rust!" DEPRESSION - "Oh no…it won’t start. What am I going to do?" BARGAINING / SACRIFICE – What are you willing to do if only the car would start? "Oh please car, if you will just start one more time I promise I'll buy you a brand new battery, get a tune up, new tires, belts and hoses, and keep you in perfect working condition…” ACCEPTANCE - "Okay, it’s dead. I had better go call a friend and see if they can get me to work."

Get it? Got it? GOOD!

Applied Angst ~ Story Stages of Angst

Plot Arc is all about what HAPPENS. Character Arc is all about how the characters FEEL. The Stage of Grief that character happens to be going through dictates how that character will React EMOTIONALLY to the event that is Happening.

If you plan it just right, every event will work Against the character’s Stage of Grief.

Denial– “This can’t be happening to me!”

An Inciting Event has happened to ruin the Protagonist’s blissful ignorance. Rather than deal with it the Protagonist keep going as though it never happened: “I’m busy! Go away!” In The Thirteenth Warrior

Ibn Fadlan is an Arab noble literally pulled into a Viking adventure he wants no part of. They are to travel to a far away Great Hall and defend it from Monsters. Ibn, a man of education, does not believe in monsters.

Anger – “Screw You!”

Events hammer at the Protagonist, forcing them to admit that something must be done. Naturally, they want to deal with this problem as quickly as possible then get back home; preferably in time for dinner. The easy and most obvious solution is chosen and they take off to deal with the situation. This is where the writer starts heaving alligators into the boat to get the Protagonist further and further away from home. In The Thirteenth Warrior

Ibn has discovered the hard way, that there are indeed monsters. However they are Human. Horribly monstrous humans, but human all the same. The obvious way to deal with them is to fortify the hall and prepare for an attack.

Despair – “I have nothing left to lose.”

After dealing with monumental amounts of alligators, the Protagonist suddenly realizes that he is out of options. He can’t go back. He can only go forward. This is DARKEST MOMENT in the story. In The Thirteenth Warrior

Ibn Fadlin and the Vikings learn that the monsters are unbeatable. The Great Hall cannot be defended from them, there are just too many of them. Another solution must be found.

Bargaining / Sacrifice - “I’ll do anything, ANYTHING…!”

Out of options, desperation forces the Protagonist to make a Sacrifice and suffers an emotionally heavy ORDEAL. This is where the Antagonist has the best chance of strong-arming the Protagonist into getting them to do what the Antagonist wants by offering a quick solution – a bargain – that the Protagonist simply cannot afford refuse. The Protagonist’s Sacrifice during their Ordeal transforms the Protagonist into something greater and gives them the inner strength to deal with their situation – and the Antagonist. In The Thirteenth Warrior

Knowing that it’s a suicide mission and that they may be SACRIFICING their Lives, they sneak into the Monster’s Cavern home in the hopes of taking out the two leaders of the tribe. During this sneak attack Ibn Fadlen and the Viking face a number of their fears and conquer them.

Acceptance – “F*ck it – let’s go down kicking butts!”

The Protagonist finally gives up and commits himself to what needs to be done. Home is so far away, it no longer matters – the problem at hand matters. With nothing left to lose, they throw themselves into the fray. In The Thirteenth Warrior

They have succeeded in taking out one of the leaders, but the other still survives. An attack is coming and there is nothing left to do but defend. Knowing that they are vastly outnumbered, they fully expect to die, leaving them nothing left to fear.

Putting it IN WRITING

EVERY main character has to fulfill each stage of their character arc. BUT...!

Only the VIEWPOINT Character needs a completely visible Character Arc.

You don’t need to show every detail for the other character’s arcs, you only need hints through dialogue and actions that they are going through one.

FAQ's

"Must I use 'Grief'?"

Does my character’s arc have to be so…depressing?”

In the Stages of Grief, the word "Grief” is actually misleading. The stages aren't strictly about crushing depression. They merely map the cycle of someone under emotional pressure created by conflicts - and story conflict SHOULD create emotional pressure for your characters. Never forget: Stories need EMOTIONAL CONFLICT as well as PHYSICAL CONFLICT to be fulfilling.

Denial can become Indifference - "So what?" Anger - Annoyance - "Oh please..." Despair - Exasperation - "What do you mean...?" Bargaining / Sacrifice - Aggravation - "Fine whatever…! Just get out of my face!" Acceptance - Relief - "Oh, that wasn't so bad!"

Does every story have ALL these stages?

Yes. If they're written correctly.

Does every story have only 5 stages in the Character Arc, no more, no less?

No. There are only 5 stage of Grief, but a character can cycle back and forth through them over and over, at different speeds at different strengths to suit the author.

Do these stages go in EXACTLY this order?

Denial ALWAYS comes First, Acceptance ALWAYS goes Last. The other three can be juggled by the author. I listed the most useful and common order. Feel free to Experiment!

Can you Skip stages?

NO. People instinctively know what real angst and frustration looks like; mainly because most people have gone through it themselves. They will KNOW if you 'rush it' by skipping a stage.

How fast can you pass through all five stages?

Very. A character can go through all five stages in one conversation. (But that takes WORK.)

Where the heck did you find these...Stages?

Human Psychology. You can look it up on the Internet by typing : “stages of grief”, in your Google bar.

Are there Other maps for Character Arcs?

Absolutely! “The Stages of Grief” is NOT the Only Character Arc there is, merely the most easily grasped. It's also the most versatile to work with and can be found WITHIN most other character arc maps.

Most action-adventure movies and Walt Disney films, use Chris Vogler's Heroic Cycle pattern in his “Writer’s Journey” for their Character Arc. Most Romance authors use the “12 Steps to Intimacy”, outlined by Ms. Dixon for their Character Arc.

There is also a Fairy Tale cycle, Freytag’s “Plot Pyramid,” and Aristotle’s “Elements of a Tragedy”. (Wanna find them? Google.com is your friend!) Any human behavior pattern can be used as a Character Arc map! I use Gavin DeBecker’s excellent book on surviving psychopaths called "The Gift of Fear" to map out the character arc of my Villains because his book details the human behavior pattern of predatory Violence.

But Vogler's The Writer’s Journey uses 12 stages…?

Yes. it does. If you are familiar with Vogler’s 12 stages and you look carefully, you will see all five Stages of Grief mixed in there.

Why not just use Vogler?

You CAN! It’s where I started. But his system is specifically designed on the MALE Adventure Arc, (as outlined by Campbell.) If you are writing something other than pure adventure, such as a Romance or another high-Drama story, then his system will not work all that well. He only leaves room in ONE stage for Love.

What about Syd Field and his 3 Act Plot?

Mr. Field’s system is pure Plot Arc - ACTION – and something I use IN ADDITION to a Character Arc.

Action & Drama “How does all this stuff go Together?”

In a story, each Plot stage has a corresponding Dramatic movement from the Character Arc.

Normalcy – Character shown under normal conditions.

Inciting event - Denial

Crisis – Anger

Climax / Reversal - Despair

Ordeal – Sacrifice

Confrontation – Acceptance

Consequences – Character shown adjusting to new form of Normal.

Each dramatic stage of the Character Arc should govern –-or affect-– the characters’ Reactions to what’s happening around them in the Plot, depending on the INTENSITY of each dramatic stage.

ALL Three Main Characters; Antagonist / Protagonist / Middle-man - go through All 5 dramatic stages of a Character Arc, BUT~! ONLY the Viewpoint Character goes through this pattern Visibly. AND ~ they don’t all do it at the same time! The Character Arc (drama) pattern should be staggered between main characters.

If you have more than one View Point Character?

EACH View Point Character’s ENTIRE dramatic pattern should also be Visible.If you don't, it creates a PLOT HOLE. NEVER allow a Plot Hole to remain in your story!

Why? Because the readers get pissy, that’s why. I have the hate-mail to prove it. “But what happened with…?” Woe betide the author that does not conclude all the issues raised with EACH Viewpoint Character - in addition to the Main Characters.

Now,

Go Forth and Arc those Characters!

#character arc #character design #character #plotting #plotline #plot #writing tips #writing #fiction #fan-fiction #fan-fiction writing

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amonisis · 6 years

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“>Observer_” is an intense survival horror experience through a cyberpunk version of Poland inspired by “Bladerunner” The Player will wonder “Am I really human?”

In the 2084 Krakow, Poland, Daniel Lazarski (Rutger Hauer, played Roy Batty in “Bladerunner”), an observer for the Krakow Police Department, receives a strange call from his son, Adam (Brandon Fague, played Miller from “Starfighter Origins”). Adam says he is in this run-down apartment complex, and Daniel needs to come there as quick as he can. Once Daniel arrives, he finds a murder scene of what might be his son, but he cannot tell for the head is missing and there is no way to identify him. He tries to get backup, but there is a lockdown, and people are fearing the spread of the Necrophage, a nanobot plague that can infect people that have cybernetic enhancements. Now, he must search for the murder suspect, and find out where his son is.

“>Observer_” was produced by Aspyr and developed by Blooper Team, a polish based company that made the popular “Layers of Fear”. The soundtrack was created by Arkadiusz Reikowski. “>Observer_” is a survival horror first person perspective game, and implements puzzle solving elements and exploration as the player controls Daniel through the hallways of a grungy apartments complex. Has a distinct cyberpunk visual style, reminiscent of “Bladerunner” meets “1984” as it feels like people from the 80s were asked to envision what technology would look like in a hundred years.

From the beginning of the game, Daniel is sitting in a car that has the markings of 80s in the large block letters of his computer monitors, the sharp angular design of his car, and outside is painted with neon signs that glisten in lots of blues and pinks. When Daniel gets to the apartment complex that he spends the rest of the game in, the lobby is literally all holographic décor, with pixelated vases, carpets, signs, all bordered by blue file borders, showing how the face of this hotel, as well as this universe, is just a façade of the bleak and dirty reality that the filthy hallways and trash riddled courtyard.

The game features many unique interface features, include the Bio Vision system and Electromagnetic scan system. They cause the screen to filter into a harsh scanner screen, and allow Daniel to investigate crime scenes to piece together clues. As as time goes on, Daniel experiences de-synchronization with his implants, causing visual tearing and glitching of his vision and odd movement patterns. He must take “Synchrozine” in order to reverse the effects of this substance.

Then there is Daniel’s ability to use a jack to connect into suspects Nuerochips, which store the identification of the individual, and are able to dive into their mind to see their sub-conscious thoughts to gather information. When inside the suspects mind, it falls into a surreal realm that reflects the brain of the person’s experiences, thoughts, and emotions. “>Observer_” uses this mechanic to distort the senses of the player, by playing with the visuals, audio, controls, as Daniel is thrust into tyrannical office buildings, sees through the eyes of a wolf-man, baby-sits a television monitor that cries like a child, and other weird and disturbing thoughts of invaded psyches.

We are reminded of 1984 by George Orwell, a novel that painted a dystopian world in the year of 1984, by the date, the casual discovery of the book in certain areas, and the constant surveillance by the cameras and propaganda posters. Daniel Lazarski, as a detective in this world, has the ultimate privacy invasion technology with his mind jacking device, which shows that not even the people’s thoughts are safe from surveillance.

“>Observer_” brilliantly explores the issues of Transhumanism, freedom, identity, government and individual control, and what really is life. What the game does so well is use the mechanics of the game and the nature of gaming to allow the player to decide for themselves what is right and wrong in the universe that is presented, as it cleverly shows the grey area of a post-war corporation driven world of cybernetics, woven into the narrative, the dialogue with various characters (most of whom are not even seen except by a tiny view screen on their door) and the strong clash of advanced technology versus old decrepit environments. While the cast is rather small, each character feels real, and the player learns about their personality, history, problematic viewpoints, and many times what is really happening between their eyes.

There is a struggle of reconciliation present in every part of “>Observer_”. One scene halfway through the game shows this rather well. Daniel is in the bottom level of this apartment complex, where the poorest of the C-Class citizens and storage are held. Upon first entering, squealing and grunting fills the hallways. Daniel finds the storage unit that is hiding the noise, but he needs to visit the apartment of the person who owns that unit. So, he visits the apartment, only to find human organs in various places, livers on plates, hearts and lungs in the refrigerator, and human skins stretched on the wall, all precisely placed and documented. Daniel finds the computer that has the code for the storage unit, but also emails from various patients that ask for various organs and parts. One is from a parent of a young daughter who needs a heart transplant, and is willing to pay ten times the normal price to have it immediately to save her. Once Daniel gets the code, he goes back to the storage unit, and opens it to find a giant mutant pig, bulging on all sides with excess organs of various kinds. The pig is hooked up to a virtual reality system that kept it sedated and pain free, but the system has lost power. Daniel is then given the choice to either turn the power on to the virtual reality system, or to unplug the pig’s life support. The pig is growing the various organs and human skin that help many people throughout the complex, but it’s also a living creature that has been artificially mutated and tortured to serve needs of those who control it. This question permeates the game, and asks the player if progress for the benefit of humanity is worth humanity sacrificing what makes it human.

“>Observer_” is a thrilling and gut-wrenching experience, and never did I feel bored playing it. I was excited at every single small lighted view window to hear about another person who suffered at the hands of this mangled dystopia, and it left me feeling haunted with the ramifications of my own actions. I wondered who truly was right or wrong? Is there a right or wrong answer to these questions? And would I be me stripped of the basic building blocks of my own being.

My score for “>Observer_” is a carrot cake with buttercream frosting made from the milk of an endangered species of cow. It’s rich and full of the flavor and atmosphere I crave from video games and movies alike, and there are healthy carrots of deep philosophical thinking that gives justification of calling it a health food. And while the buttercream frosting is decadent, it leaves one feeling the strange sense of guilt and uncertainty for enjoying yourself at the expense of a creature’s uncertain future, leading to a hallow angst to flavor the delicious treat.

“>Observer_” is available on Steam, Playstation store, and Xbox Live.

#observer #bladerunner #cyberpunk

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ikkinthekitsune · 7 years

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One of the strangest and most fascinating things about the Old Testament, to me, is that it’s perfectly happy to offer the spotlight to opposing viewpoints, often in adjacent or near-adjacent books.

Take the seven books considered to be part of the wisdom literature genre, for instance -- Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom, and Sirach.

To start with, they don’t even agree about what it means to be wisdom literature. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Sirach all offer what’s probably best described as worldly wisdom, offering suggestions as to how to get ahead in life that are so pragmatic and rooted in the culture of their time that some of them (particularly with regards to women and the discipline of children) are repugnant to modern sensibilities. Ecclesiastes in particular is incredibly cynical, almost to the point of nihilism. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” isn’t just its most well-known phrase -- it’s perfectly representative of a worldview in which we’re all going to the same place, and while you might be able to live longer if you’re righteous, you can’t even count on that much.

Job addresses the problem of evil as well, but its structure and content are entirely different. It’s an incredibly poetic take on an argument between a man who suffers unjustly and his “friends” who insist that he must be guilty of some hidden wrongdoing because they refuse to believe that the righteous would be allowed to suffer. And, in the end, it doesn’t pretend that it can offer a satisfying answer to the problem of evil (God’s response is to ask questions of Job that no human being could answer), other than that a good person should acknowledge that there is a problem instead of accusing those who suffer of having done something to deserve their suffering in order to let God off the hook.

Interestingly enough, Job himself kind of seems to have been looking for something rather New Testament-like -- he notes that God “is not a mortal, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand on us both” and says that, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another." There also seems to be something of an implication that the nature of God, as it was understood at the time, was so far removed from the nature of man that no meaningful answer to the problem of evil could be provided within the contemporary framework. God’s answer addresses the question only tangentially, taking full responsibility for nature red in tooth and claw while justifying nothing. (Incidentally, the position taken by God in the Book of Job is probably one of the most effective arguments against the idea that Darwinian evolution is contrary to the revealed character of God that I can think of.)

And then there’s Wisdom, which starts with what almost seems like a deliberate shot over the bow at the worldview presented in Ecclesiastes (”For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, ‘Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. For we were born by mere chance, and hereafter we shall be as though we had never been, for the breath in our nostrils is smoke, and reason is a spark kindled by the beating of our hearts; when it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes, and the spirit will dissolve like empty air.Our name will be forgotten in time, and no one will remember our works; our life will pass away like the traces of a cloud, and be scattered like mist that is chased by the rays of the sun and overcome by its heat. For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return from our death, because it is sealed up and no one turns back.’”).

Even more intriguingly, the Book of Wisdom has very little interest in offering worldly wisdom of its own. Instead, it does three rather extraordinary things for a book written in the 1st century BC:

It claims that a cynically anti-resurrection worldview inevitably leads to what sounds an awful lot like the death of Jesus -- ”Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”)

It presents wisdom as what might be most appropriately described as a Rule 63 version of Jesus and offers a prototype for the doctrine of the Trinity. No, seriously: “The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction, and concern for instruction is love of her, and love of her is the keeping of her laws, and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality, and immortality brings one near to God; so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.” “There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle. For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.” “With you is wisdom, she who knows your works and was present when you made the world; she understands what is pleasing in your sight and what is right according to your commandments.” “For she knows and understands all things, and she will guide me wisely in my actions and guard me with her glory.” “Who has learned your counsel, unless you have given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? And thus the paths of those on earth were set right, and people were taught what pleases you, and were saved by wisdom.” To wit, that’s omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, serving as both an image of God and a guarantee of immortality, and existence prior to the world’s creation -- the only way to posit such a figure in the Judeo-Christian framework without falling into polytheism is the Trinitarian solution. And, depending on how one interprets “unless you have given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high,” it might have actually spoken of three divine persons.

It associates wisdom with a swiftly-approaching judgment on heathen idols, “because, though part of what God created, they became an abomination, snares for human souls and a trap for the feet of the foolish,” which is quite prophetic if one holds to a Girardian interpretation of the Crucifixion (namely, that by taking upon himself the role of victim but refusing to be silenced, Jesus undercut the mechanism by which all sacrificial religions and other such idolatrous social dynamics operated). There’s even a line introducing this prophecy of judgment that could be passed off as a direct reference to the Crucifixion -- “For blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes.” And, once you add the concept of the scapegoat mechanism into the mix, claiming that “the worship of idols not to be named is the beginning and cause and end of every evil“ changes from something naive and anachronistic to an insightful and lasting truth about humanity, and claiming that “though living in great strife due to ignorance, [idolators] call such great evils peace“ makes perfect sense (peace gained through the sacrifice of scapegoats is obviously a great evil).

To make the Biblical canon of wisdom literature even more complicated, Psalms and the Song of Solomon often seem not to have anything to do with wisdom at all. Psalms is a collection of lyrics for songs used at worship services (many of which are, like, 3,000 years old and still entirely relevant, which is kind of amazing in and of itself), so it’s to be expected that its content varies significantly, but I’m not sure how the Song of Solomon was assumed to deal with wisdom except insofar as King Solomon himself was famously wise -- it’s an incredibly sensual piece of love poetry.

But, yeah. For seven books in the same genre included in the same canon, it’s hard to imagine a more disparate set.

#Christianity #The Bible #The Book of Job #The Book of Wisdom

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jeroendstout · 7 years

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In response to Thomas Grip and his minor remarks on Dear Esther’s lack of engagement

In a recent essay, Thomas Grip (he of Amnesia and Soma) wrote an interesting thesis on planning and its role in engagement (published on In the Games of Madness). I found a lot to be interesting in this essay but unfortunately Grip shortly poses a corollary which I feel does not show as much thought or reflection. He says about Dear Esther that “everybody agrees that the gameplay is lacking” and notes on the observation the game does not allow players to form plans that “we need to figure out ways of fixing this.” I cannot say I agree with either of these statements; primarily because I do not agree with the assessment that its gameplay is lacking, and secondarily because even it if is, I do not feel Dear Esther has to care much about gameplay.

In this response, I wish to argue that Grip’s implied position seems paradoxical and has some hints of an essentialist view of games, which, while not inherently uninsightful, may still curb our understanding of games as a whole in the long run.

I shall use the word ‘game’ rather than this blog’s more default ‘fancy’ to make the argument more congruous with Grip’s essay.

Grip’s essay focusses mostly on three words, which are planning (the central thesis), gameplay (hereafter ‘play’), and engagement. To paraphrase (and intending kindness), it is argued that the ability to plan is important for creating engagement with a game, as planning is at the centre of the human purposeful experience. We may juxtapose a simple linear journey with a complex, multi-faceted one and see that one does not require as much processing as the other. It does not, in other words, require planning, which means the world is less present in the mind. Play which requires planning in this thesis inherently has a higher resulting engagement, which is seen as a good. Planning also means there is ‘more play’, again seen as a good. A simple corollary of these observations is that Dear Esther, being linear and lacking planning, suffers for a lack of engagement and needs to be ‘fixed’.

In what way may we understand the viewpoint that Dear Esther needs to be ‘fixed’? We may say the fault of Dear Esther is that it lacks planning, therefore play, therefore engagement, and therefore it is not good. A rather big obstacle for this line of arguing is that Dear Esther has engagement. After all, its lush visuals, its well-voiced monologue focussing on an inability to accept loss, and the dream-like soundtrack has by many of its players—including myself—been cited as entrancing and consuming. I would say this game is satisfactorily engaging on many of my play-throughs. I cannot immediately believe that Grip thinks nobody could find Dear Esther engaging unless he believes I am delirious, so let us assume the problem with Dear Esther cannot be that it lacks engagement.

We may take a step back and argue instead that it lacks play. This would be hard to dispute. Specifically, it is hard to deny Dear Esther has ‘less play’ than virtually every other game on the market. Its path is linear, fences unnavigable, walking into the water leads to an abrupt set-back. This is all true. However, for us to say that lacking play is a fault, we must somehow argue that play is essential. It is unclear why that would be, following Grip’s thesis. After all, play leads to engagement, but Dear Esther already has engagement. If engagement is the goal, can it matter whether we get engagement from something that is not play?

We could argue that the engagement one gets from Dear Esther, not coming from play, must be a form of engagement which is not ‘play-engagement’. Play-engagement would be a specific form of engagement which we can extrapolate from Grip’s thesis; planning gives rise to engaged play which causes play-engagement. Nobody would with much seriousness argue that Dear Esther has a lot of play-engagement. As such our critique could be that it lacks specifically play-engagement, and that therefore it is flawed.

Is it fair to say that the flaw of Dear Esther is that it lacks play-engagement? I am not sure why this should ever be a flaw unless one claims some sort of monopoly on either the words ‘engagement’ or ‘game’. If we wish to vindicate Grip’s complaint, we must either assume that play-engagement is intrinsically, a priori, superior to any other engagement, or that games have to intrinsically, a priori, have to have play-engagement to be good. Both of these should not sound like unfamiliar arguments.

I cannot assume Grip sees play-engagement as intrinsically better; such a belief would make someone incapable of understanding why any person may read a book when there are games to be played. But perhaps the second option, that games need to have play-engagement, sounds plausible. In this view, something can be engaging, but if it is a game and is not play-engaging, it is wrongly engaging and ought to be engaging in the preferred play-engaging manner.

Perchance this view will resonate with those who did not enjoy Dear Esther, but it hardly explains why there are those who rather enjoyed it. Are these people who enjoy Dear Esther aware that they are enjoying the wrong type of engagement by being engaged with something which is not play-engagement?

We may also draw a somewhat different conclusion from Grip’s thesis: let us surreptitiously conclude that Dear Esther is simply not a game.

A game, it is implied, needs play-engagement to be good, and otherwise needs to be fixed. As we may assume Grip does not have a problem with enjoying media other than games we may assume that he grants (say) film a category of engagement which is not play-engagement. We might say: a film does not attempt to offer play-engagement, so it is a different medium. Then the corollary may be: Dear Esther does not attempt to offer play-engagement, so it is in a different medium. Following this, we cannot really say Dear Esther needs to be fixed, because in this conclusion Dear Esther falls outside of the model which was discussing it. As such, if Dear Esther is not a game, then why would one consider it in an article about planning in games? One may as well bring up goats in an article about horse-jumping and note that goats, lacking the body strength to support a rider, could really do with being fixed. How may we fix goats? To make them more like that which they are not, horses. How may we fix Dear Esther? To make it more like that which it is not, a game. At best, Grip ought to complain between the lines that Dear Esther is said to be a game, but on closer inspection according to his model it clearly cannot be such a thing and therefore it is not relevant to the thesis.

Our paradox: a model under which Dear Esther inherently needs to be ‘fixed’ could probably be simplified to say that Dear Esther is not a game: therefore the model really does not need to concern itself with passing judgement on Dear Esther—unless it also wishes to pass judgement on film, paintings, books and other non-games.

Do I then think that Grip’s error is mentioning a not-game within an essay on games? Perhaps. I do after all propose to drop the word ‘game’ and use ‘fancy’ as a wider, more encompassing word (as I argue in Apology for Saying Fancy). Nevertheless, I would sooner say that the deeper problem is the essentialism hidden within this whole set of arguments. This essentialism is not something I will assert Grip supports, but the hint of it has, I believe, far-reaching consequences.

Firstly, when we idealistically describe games as essentially having certain attributes and we say that Dear Esther ‘needs to be fixed’ or that it is not a game, we are condemning works such as Dear Esther to a form of oblivion. After all, the essayist is no longer responsible for explaining why Dear Esther is enjoyable to many; it has been stated to not be enjoyable. And if not a game, what is Dear Esther? Never mind; the essayist has done his job and moves on to something else. If Dear Esther is not understood in his model, then is not his problem and the artefact may as well be thrown to the wolves. It is essentially culturally lazy to refuse to account for Dear Esther.

Secondly, it may be said that an essayist who does not try to account for Dear Esther’s popularity fails to understand something about their own subject. Games, as I will forever argue, share many prominent qualities with other media, and yet often theory will try to assimilate those qualities under play. Ask, for instance, what people remember about Bioshock, and the answers not involving the gameplay will refer to the art deco environments, the characters and the plot twists—simply, a traversal of plot told in a stylish environment. To throw Dear Esther to the wolves also makes it harder to understand Bioshock, as one must have a bizarre model in which Bioshock, doing virtually the same thing as Dear Esther, is somehow intrinsically different by adding play. If we dig through Bioshock’s play, however, we will find no answers as to why people can still remember, to this day, the opening monologue. There is no clue in the nature of planning our journey through Rapture to explain how the big daddies and little sisters became part of online culture’s memes. These things were highly engaging, and yet they were not play. The popularity of this, I argue, comes down to what-ever it is Dear Esther also offers. The engagement with “I call it... Rapture” is the engagement we find in the opening lines of Dear Esther. To fail to understand why Dear Esther works puts you at risk of not understanding why the opening of Bioshock made such an impression: it means you avoid the conclusion that certain imagery, sound and narrative cues, traversed through with little to no play, can evoke great engagement, satisfying for its own sake, not needing another form of engagement to be added.

Essentially, I hold that you can never have a complete model of all the intricate and complex parts of what makes games engaging if you think a game without planning inherently needs to be ‘fixed’.

Note, if you want to signal boost this post on Twitter, you could re-tweet my tweet.

#Discourses #Thomas Grip #Dear Esther #Essays #What Makes a Fancy Work

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rinrinp42 · 7 years

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@writingfish here’s the list! Under a read more, because it ended up being 7 pages in word. I included a summary or synopsis of each work where I could, and my own impressions of each

Quick search for modern uses of Indian Mythology (I tried for both entertainment and more non-fiction usage:

The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

“Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age-the Kaliyug. In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar. Only, he is a serial killer. In this heartstopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thoughtout schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret-Krishna's priceless legacy to mankind. Historian Ravi Mohan Saini must breathlessly dash from the submerged remains of Dwarka and the mysterious lingam of Somnath to the icy heights of Mount Kailash, in a quest to discover the cryptic location of Krishna's most prized possession. From the sandwashed ruins of Kalibangan to a Vrindavan temple destroyed by Aurangzeb, Saini must also delve into antiquity to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice. Ashwin Sanghi brings you yet another exhaustively researched whopper of a plot, while providing an incredible alternative interpretation of the Vedic Age that will be relished by conspiracy buffs and thrilleraddicts alike.” (Sanghi, n.d.)

This sounds really interesting, and I’m really tempted to see if there’s an audiobook to listen to. I like that it’s apparently well researched, if only because I like that type of research.

The Mahabharata Secret by Christopher C. Doyle

“244 B.C. Asoka the Great discovers an ancient and terrible secret – a secret buried deep in the Mahabharata; a secret that could destroy the world; a secret hidden away for over 2300 years… Present Day A retired nuclear scientist is murdered. He leaves only e-mails with clues for his nephew. He and his friends follow a trail through ciphers and 2000 year old ruins. Pursued by powerful dark forces, caught between the secrets of the past and the intrigues of the present, can they unravel the mystery before an unspeakable horror is unleashed on the world…?” (Doyle, n.d.)

Apparently this is part of a series (or kinda looks like it on the site? Idk). I’m honestly not that interested in it, it seems….trite. And something feels off about the description, but I don’t know enough about the mythology he’s trying to depict to say what.

The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi

“Ever thought what would have happened had Shiv, Sati, and other related mythological characters were humans, and had their own story weaved around? The answer to your curiosity lies in these three books.” (Srivastava, n.d.)

Ngl, the concept is super interesting to me, but the titles are so “airport paperback” that they make me laugh (tho some of my favorite books have been airport paperbacks, so who am I to judge?)

Ajaya Trilogy by Anand Neelakantan

“Mahabharata written from the point of view of the Kauravas. This in itself makes it a very intriguing concept. Though only the first two parts have been released, we just cannot wait for the final part.” (Srivastava, n.d.)

I am always down for things written from different viewpoints, especially considering the whole “history is written by the victors” thing

Asura:The Tale of the Vanquished by Anand Neelakantan

“The epic tale of victory and defeat. The story of the Ramayana had been told innumerable times. The enthralling story of Rama, the incarnation of God, who slew Ravana, the evil demon of darkness, is known to every Indian. And in the pages of history, as always, it is the version told by the victors, that lives on. The voice of the vanquished remains lost in silence. But what if Ravana and his people had a different story to tell? The story of the Ravanayana had never been told. Asura is the epic tale of the vanquished Asura people, a story that has been cherished by the oppressed outcastes of India for 3000 years. Until now, no Asura has dared to tell the tale. But perhaps the time has come for the dead and the defeated to speak. For thousands of years, I have been vilified and my death is celebrated year after year in every corner of India. Why? Was it because I challenged the Gods for the sake of my daughter? Was it because I freed a race from the yoke of caste-based Deva rule? You have heard the victor's tale, the Ramayana. Now hear the Ravanayana, for I am Ravana, the Asura, and my story is the tale of the vanquished. I am a non-entity invisible, powerless and negligible. No epics will ever be written about me. I have suffered both Ravana and Rama, the hero and the villain or the villain and the hero. When the stories of great men are told, my voice maybe too feeble to be heard. Yet, spare me a moment and hear my story, for I am Bhadra, the Asura, and my life is the tale of the loser. The ancient Asura empire lay shattered into many warring petty kingdoms reeling under the heel of the Devas. In desperation, the Asuras look up to a young savior, Ravana. Believing that a better world awaits them under Ravana, common men like Bhadra decide to follow the young leader. With a will of iron and a fiery ambition to succeed, Ravana leads his people from victory to victory and carves out a vast empire from the Devas. But even when Ravana succeeds spectacularly, the poor Asuras find that nothing much has changed for them. It is when that Ravana, by one action, changes the history of the world.” (Neelakantan, n.d.)

Same as above, this sounds super interesting. (I did edit the summary a bit because on Amazon it was showing up with extra symbols and spaces, like a “ ? ”)

Jaya By Devdutt Pattanaik

“High above the sky stands Swarga, paradise, abode of the gods. Still above is Vaikuntha, heaven, abode of God. The doorkeepers of Vaikuntha are the twins, Jaya and Vijaya, both whose names mean victory . One keeps you in Swarga; the other raises you into Vaikuntha. In Vaikuntha there is bliss forever, in Swarga there is pleasure for only as long as you deserve. What is the difference between Jaya and Vijaya? Solve this puzzle and you will solve the mystery of the Mahabharata. In this enthralling retelling of India s greatest epic, the Mahabharata, originally known as Jaya, Devdutt Pattanaik seamlessly weaves into a single narrative plots from the Sanskrit classic as well as its many folk and regional variants, including the Pandavani of Chattisgarh, Gondhal of Maharashtra, Terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and Yakshagana of Karnataka. Richly illustrated with over 250 line drawings by the author, the 108 chapters abound with little-known details such as the names of the hundred Kauravas, the worship of Draupadi as a goddess in Tamil Nadu, the stories of Astika, Madhavi, Jaimini, Aravan and Barbareek, the Mahabharata version of the Shakuntalam and the Ramayana, and the dating of the war based on astronomical data. With clarity and simplicity, the tales in this elegant volume reveal the eternal relevance of the Mahabharata, the complex and disturbing meditation on the human condition that has shaped Indian thought for over 3000 years.” (Pattanaik, n.d.)

Um, yes??????????? This is exactly what we were talking about wanting, and it’s illustrated!!!!! I may have to buy this… (oh! I can justify it as a birthday present!)

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

“Taking us back to a time that is half history, half myth and wholly magical, bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni gives voice to Panchaali, the fire-born heroine of the Mahabharata, as she weaves a vibrant retelling of an ancient epic saga. Married to five royal husbands who have been cheated out of their father's kingdom, Panchaali aids their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their side through years of exile and a terrible civil war. But she cannot deny her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna—or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands' most dangerous enemy—as she is caught up in the ever-manipulating hands of fate.” (Divakaruni, n.d.)

Another that is from the perspective of someone that is not the traditional main character. It definitely sounds interesting

The Aryavarta Chronicles by Krishna Udayasankar

“This too is a different take on Mahabharata. Much like The Shiva Trilogy, this too takes the real characters and weaves them around a similar, yet quite different plot.” (Srivastava, n.d.)

Seems interesting, plus the cover provided in the article for the second book is a bunch of boats at sea and is making me think of your posts on The Sunless Sea

The Rozabal Line by Shawn Haigins (or Higgings according to the article) (actually it’s by Ashwin Sanghi using a pseudonym)

“On a lazy day in London, a cardboard box is found on a shelf of the SOAS library where a copy of Mahabharata should have been. When the mystified librarian opens it, she screams before she falls unconscious to the floor. An elite group calling itself the Lashkar-e-Talatashar, the army of thirteen, has scattered around the globe. The fate of its members curiously resembles that of Christ and his Apostles in the first century AD. Their leader is not even a blip on the radar of intelligence agencies, yet their agenda is Armageddon. Somewhere in the labyrinthine recesses of the Vatican, a beautiful assassin swears she will eliminate all who do not believe in her twisted credo. She loves to kill-again and again. A Hindu Astrologer spots an approaching conjunction of the stars and nods to himself in grim agreement. It will happen on the very date he had seen as the end of the world. And it's not far off. In Tibet, a group of Buddhist monks search for a reincarnation, much in the way their ancestors searched Judea for the son of God. In strife-torn Kashmir, a tomb called Rozabal holds the key to a riddle that arises in Jerusalem and gets answered at Vaishno Devi. An American priest, Father Vincent Sinclair, has disturbing visions of himself and of people familiar to him, except that they seem located in other worlds, other ages. Induced into past -life regression, he goes to India to piece together the violent images burnt onto his mind. Shadowing his every move is the Crux Decussata Permuta, a clandestine society which would rather wipe out creation than allow an ancient secret to be disclosed. In The Rozabal Line, a thriller swirling between continents and centuries, Ashwin Sanghi traces a pattern that curls backward to the violent birth of religion itself.” (Sanghi S. H., n.d.)

Tbh, I was put off by the cover in the article ( (Srivastava, n.d.) ), and even after reading the summary I’m more “meh” than anything else. The mystery aspect of it is pretty interesting though.

The Chanakya’s Chant by Ashwin Sanghi

“The year is 340 Bc. A hunted, haunted Brahmin youth vows revenge for the gruesome murder of his beloved father. Cold, calculating, cruel and armed with a complete absence of accepted morals, he becomes the most powerful political strategist in Bharat and succeeds in uniting a ragged country against the invasion of the army of that demigod Alexander the Great. Pitting the weak edges of both forces against each other, he pulls off a wicked and astonishing victory and succeeds in installing Chandragupta on the throne of the mighty Mauryan empire. History knows him as the brilliant strategist Chanakya. Satisfied-and a little bored-by his success as a kingmaker through the simple summoning of his gifted mind, he recedes into the shadows to write his Arthashastra, the 'science of wealth'. But history, which exults in repeating itself, revives Chanakya two and a half millennia later, in the avatar of Gangasagar Mishra, a Brahmin teacher in smalltown India who becomes puppeteer to a host of ambitious individuals-including a certain slumchild who grows up into a beautiful and powerful woman. Modern India happens to be just as riven as ancient Bharat by class hatred, corruption and divisive politics and this landscape is Gangasagar's feasting ground. Can this wily pandit-who preys on greed, venality and sexual deviance-bring about another miracle of a united India? Will Chanakya's chant work again? Ashwin Sanghi, the bestselling author of The Rozabal Line, brings you yet another historical spinechiller.” (Sanghi A. , Chanakya's Chant, n.d.)

Political intrigue isn’t really my jam, but it sounds interesting. And a different story than some of the others which is a plus I guess.

Arjuna by Anuja Chandramouli

“Arjuna is the immortal tale of one of India’s greatest heroes. These pages retell in riveting detail the story of the Pandava Warrior-Prince who has captured the imagination of millions across centuries. This is the intense and human story of his loves, friendship, ambitions, weaknesses and follies, as well as his untimely death and revival, his stint as a eunuch, and the innermost reaches of his thoughts. Told in a refreshingly modern and humourous style and set against the staggering backdrop of the Mahabharata. Arjuna’s story appeals equally to the average, discerning reader and the scholar. It spans the epic journey from before his birth, when omens foretold his greatness, across the fabled, wondrous landscape that was his life.” (Chandramouli, n.d.)

o Pretty straight forward, I like how the summary is very “no muss, no fuss”, and it seems like another that is exactly what we were looking for.

The Treasure of Kafur by Aroon Raman

“Transporting you to the year 1580 ad, during the reign of the mughal emperor akbar in hindustan, the treasure of kafur recounts the mesmerizing story of the lost treasure that was capable of destroying akbar's empire. After twenty years of battles, when akbar the great was at the epitome of his unshakeable power, insurgencies were starting to be planned by his many enemies. One such rebellion, asaf baig, the emperor of khandesh, had discovered the location of an old woman called ambu who knew where the lost fortune of malik kafur lay. If he could get his hands on this treasure, he would undoubtedly be able to crush akbar's kingdom. While baig abducts ambu to pry the whereabouts of the riches from her, her 20-year old grandson dattatreya escapes to get help from akbar to stop baig. Aroon raman presents a fantastic account of the adventures datta is subjected to, in a world of royalty and grandiose that he is very unfamiliar with. His desperate need to save his grandmother takes him through both good experiences and bad and he makes some outlandish alliances. This book is thrilling and action packed and it will keep you in suspense till the very end when you will finally know if datta succeeded in saving the empire. Akbar's mightiness is extraordinarily communicated in the treasure of kafur and this book is nothing short of an engrossing read. It is available in paperback and was published on the 1st december, 2013, by pan macmillan. Key features:this book is the second from bestselling author aroon raman. It has a rich insight into the history of india during the mughal reign.” (Raman, n.d.)

This seems to be more of a historical fiction, than based on mythology, but sounds intringing.

The Taj Conspiracy by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

“This is a first in the Mehrunisa series by the author, and follows the plot of how she accidentally stumbles upon a conspiracy to destroy the Taj Mahal from radicalists who claim that it was a Hindu temple instead. (Srivastava, n.d.)

Okay, so this sounds so much like James Patterson’s Woman’s Murder Club series, I am already a little in love with it. But it also kinda sounds like it isn’t quite Hindu-positive, so there’s that. (I’m not a fan of demonizing a religion in general)

18 Days

“Inspired by the epic mythology of Mahabharata, which is the story of the final battle of three generations of undefeated warriors with the biggest armies battling it out to decide the fate of future. 18 Days is re-imagining the great myth that concludes the age of the gods and the beginning of the age of man. Written by the acclaimed writer of *na na na na na* Batman, Grant Morrison accompanied with the works of the talented artist, Mukesh Singh, the novel is nothing less of sheer brilliance. “ (Wishberry, n.d.)

Mahabharata is pretty popular. Not sure on this one because according to Morrison’s Wikipedia page "Like the Beatles took Indian music and tried to make psychedelic sounds... I'm trying to convert Indian storytelling to a western style for people raised on movies, comics, and video games.” Which doesn’t really sound like something I’d enjoy, and kinda like he doesn’t quite understand the mythology of what he’s writing (also, that quote just makes no sense, wtf dude?)

Sita: Daughter of the Earth

“Adaptation of the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic – it is a tale of love, honour, sacrifice, hope and justice by Saraswati Nagpal and Manikandan. Princess Sita of Videha gets married to Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, where her life takes a new turn and is ordered to live the difficult life of a forest dweller. Sita gets abducted by the wicked demon-king Ravana, and us hidden away in Lanka. The story focuses on one woman’s shining strength in an unforgiving world. “ (Wishberry, n.d.)

This looks amazing, um, yes please!

Ravanayan

“Created by Vijayendra Mohanty and Vivek Goel, Ravanayan is an independent chronicle of the life and adventures of Ravana, the demonic-king of the epic Ramayana. The story has been re-imagined from the dark side, with Ravana as the protagonist. “ (Wishberry, n.d.)

Holy shit this looks awesome

In Defence of the Realm

“Set in an ancient age, when Mesopotamia was rising under the rule of the Akkadians, Prince Meluha, the young crown prince of Dholavira, one of the 5 great cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation was handed the responsibility of protecting his realm by Sargon, the ambitious ruler of the Mesopotamian city of Akkad.” (Wishberry, n.d.)

The cover art is pretty, but also, the dude on the front looks pretty white. Like, I’m not sure if I’m just misinterpreting it, but he looks really Western European to me (also, how he’s holding a bow is bugging me because it doesn’t look right to me based on my archery classes, but I’m no expert)

I am Kalki

“The tenth incarnation of Vishnu is Kalki. Created by Shashank Avvaru and Rishi Bhardwaj, the scriptures have described Kalki’s arrival as a blazing light descended from heaven. But, the novel takes a turn and portrays Kalki as a slender, youthful boy in his mid-teens, living in the city like an average teenager during the day; and hunting enemies of humanity (modern day demons) in the night.” (Wishberry, n.d.)

Oh, I like the art for this one, and it looks like there’s a whole imprint for various titles like this one – Vimanika Comics

Ramayan 3392 A.D.

“Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur created a post-apocalyptic world where the last of humanity struggles to fight the evil hordes of Nark, a dark continent led by the monstrous Ravan; where princes Rama and Lakshman are mankind's last beacons of hope.” (Wishberry, n.d.)

This sounds refreshingly different, and looks really cool – though it has plenty of the traditional over-muscled men as seen in American comics. Still looks cool.

Adi Parva: Churning of the Ocean

“Amruta Patil has re-told the story of various Indian mythologies by combining classic scripts of Adi Parva, Vishnu Purana and Mahabharata. The main narrative of the graphic novel follows the Pandav-Kaurav war succession with breath-taking graphics. The writer and painter will be releasing Sauptik: Blood And Flowers, the second part of her Parva duology, on 12 October.” (Wishberry, n.d.)

Very different style, and it looks pretty and pretty cool.

There are also all together 221 books listed as “Popular Indian Mythology Books” on goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/indian-mythology)

and a tangently related article that talks about the basic premises of Indian Mythology in modern medias and potentials as to why is http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/swati-daftuar-on-ancient-mythology-in-modern-avatars/article7540669.ece

Sources!

Chandramouli, A. (n.d.). ARJUNA Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ARJUNA-Pandava-Warrior-Prince-Anuja-Chandramouli-ebook/dp/B00BPWNNFQ

Divakaruni, C. B. (n.d.). The Palace of Illusions: A Novel. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Palace-Illusions-Chitra-Banerjee-Divakaruni/dp/1400096200

Doyle, C. C. (n.d.). The Mahabharata Secret. Retrieved from Christopher C Doyle: http://christophercdoyle.com/books/the-mahabharata-secret/

Neelakantan, A. (n.d.). Asura: Tale of the Vanquished. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ASURA-Vanquished-Mr-Anand-Neelakantan/dp/938157605X

Pattanaik, D. (n.d.). Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jaya-Illustrated-Mahabharata-Devdutt-Pattanaik/dp/014310425X

Raman, A. (n.d.). The Treasure of Kafur. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Kafur-Aroon-Raman/dp/9382616128

Sanghi, A. (n.d.). Chanakya's Chant. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chanakyas-Chant-Ashwin-Sanghi/dp/9381626812

Sanghi, A. (n.d.). The Krishna Key. Retrieved from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Krishna-Key-Ashwin-Sanghi/dp/9381626685

Sanghi, S. H. (n.d.). The Rozabal Line. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Rozabal-Line-Shawn-Haigins/dp/1430327545

Srivastava, K. (n.d.). 13 Books You Must Read If You Want To Know About Indian Mythology But Don't Know Where To Start. Retrieved from Filter Copy: http://www.filtercopy.com/posts/13-books-you-must-read-if-you-want-to-know-about-indian-mythology-but-don-t-know-where-to-start

Wishberry, T. (n.d.). 7 Incredible Graphic Novels Inspired by Indian Mythology. Retrieved from Wishberry: https://www.wishberry.in/blog/incredible-graphic-novels-inspired-by-indian-mythology/#/article

#indian mythology #long post is long #bunch of recs #not that i've read them #but at least it's something #it's a list #with sources

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tiarydegrate · 6 years

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My Life’s Task: Week 3 Discussion Post

I love multiple things, but the two things that I love the most are writing and designing. I truly believe that my life’s task is to inspire others, specifically through my writing and design endeavors. Although I have a strong inclination (and underlying wish) that my endeavors will eventually lead me on the path to writing books, I need to focus on the truth. I am a phenomenal writer, but I do not enjoy writing like I enjoy designing. I am passionate about communicating across various media platforms. I love designing different campaigns and providing for a broad audience. I hope to bridge the gap between social, cultural, and racial barriers in art.

As a freshman in college, I started an inspirational blog that received great praise. My current desire is to start a new lifestyle blog that will allow me to incorporate all of the things that I love doing. Although I had been coding since I was a teenager, my first blog was the first endeavor that I had truly realized the depths of my life’s task. I believe that this was the first personal step on my Mastery Journey that I took towards pursuing my life’s task. One positive thing that I gained from that experience was the understanding that I had a powerful voice that inspired thousands around the world. With all great success, comes struggles, however. This leads me to my negative experience, and what I learned from it. As my blog grew, I began to feel more and more pressure to perform and constantly outdo myself with my content. While I had a ton of positive people in my corner, I started to see a trickle of negative people who either did not agree with me and my viewpoints or did not like my persona entirely. This negativity started to consume me, made me feel insecure, and made me question my life’s task. Because of my newly discovered low confidence, I stopped blogging altogether.

This brings me to Robert Greene’s “Strategies for Acquiring Social Intelligence.” In it, I found a sort of stressful, yet comforting concept. A negative thing about being a Master (or a human being in general), is that there will always be some sort of parasitic counterforce that attempts to pollute your mind. This very thought invokes a sense of fear, reminding me of the challenges that I have had to overcome in order to have even earned my seat in life present-day. However, I believe that for every negative thing, there’s also something positive. The positive here is that the negative can be combatted. Sometimes, standing up for what you believe in can result in your demise. In Greene’s section “Speak Through Your Work,” he tells the story of Ignaz Semmelweis, who, through his insistence of improper protocols enforced his beliefs upon many in the medical field with great frustration. Although his frustration was cultivated through the amount of people who constantly shunned his theories when he thought the evidence was blatantly apparent, Semmelweis carried his negative resentments throughout the rest of his career. This reminded me of many martyrs who have changed the scope of mankind. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, was one such martyr. While his beliefs, sentiments, and speeches gave way to the more inclusive society that we live in today, they led to his own assassination. Speaking through his work brought him great recognition. Even in death, his voice still resonates.

To stand far more “socially intelligent,” as Greene calls it, can often pose a threat to those within our society. People are so used to either doing things by the book or giving away what power they hold themselves, that they are often uninviting to new innovations. One powerful take-all that I have gained from this week’s reading is the understanding and courage to stand firm in what I believe. As Greene points out, we will always encounter fools along our journey. However, we can “Suffer Fools Gladly,” and truly prevail.

Another negative thing that I discovered is that our personality and our actions will reflect on the world, and if we are not careful, our persona can come in between our Mastery Journey and our success. This concept tugs on the strings of my heart. We have all heard that you should “never judge a book by its cover.” I try to practice this principle in all of my affairs, and I truly despise people judging in this manner. I truly believe that it is important to consider the content of someone’s character. A person’s outer appearance is hardly ever an accurate depiction of who they truly are. It also isn’t fair to judge someone for these reasons. I will choose to introduce Donald Trump for explaining purposes here. A close friend of mine and I have been debating on politics for some time. While neither of us support Donald Trump as a president, I am not afraid to express my sentiments on the fella. She, however, hates hearing of my sentiments in the way that I so deeply present them. I do not know Donald Trump personally, so the way I speak about him is unfair to her. While many American citizens may understand and value his points as a valid businessman, others refute him as the president of our country because they despise his persona. It is the characteristics that he portrays, his actions, and his words that inevitably led people to deem him untrustworthy and unfit to run or represent our country as a whole. My fear of a brewing war-zone is her fuel to turn the other cheek. Through my debates with her, I have realized that I am a fool myself! In many ways, I have had a double-standard. Greene insists that if we are able to see the fool in ourselves, we will be better able to handle others and overcome difficult situations.

Again, as I mentioned earlier, for every negative, there is a positive. Just as people judging one on their physical characteristics or persona overall is negative, I find positivity in Greene’s dissection of Temple Grandin’s experiences. In the “See Yourself as Others See You” section, Greene argues that it is important to be able to recognize the positive and negative attributes that your audience experiences in relation to you. Because Temple Grandin wanted to perfect her craft and her persona, she truly absorbed the feedback from others. Rather than taking things personally and quitting or putting others down, Temple Grandin would take her shortcomings and use them in order to further advance herself towards being the ideal individual that she wanted to be. In doing so, she learned exactly how to have a more positive impact on others. I aspire to be more like Temple Grandin in my Mastery Journey. I want to utilize my negative and positive attributes in order to become a better Master. Even with the negative situations and difficult fools that are still waiting to pursue me, I will prevail.

References:

Greene, R. (2012). Mastery. New York, New York. Penguin Group (USA).

#tiary #tiarydegrate #degrate

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