#to paraphrase from italian

[museofpangolins]

it's ok Mr Foscolo, i also think graveyards and ruins are pretty, but there's absolutely no need to make the syntax that obscure

#i know that this is kind of the whole point #but i swear I've had a harder time paraphrasing Dei Sepolcri in italian than translating many things from latin #WHY is the GODDAMN VERB in the most RANDOM PLACES?? #ugo foscolo #dei sepolcri #pre-romanticism #italian literature

[jesawyer]

A big thanks to you and your team for making Pentiment, it's an amazing game and it'll be with me for a long time I think, especially the personal and emotional character writing.

I'm curious about what was the inspiration behind, and creative motivation for including, the motif of the labyrinth. The church's painting of the Virgin Mary with the labyrinth seems striking in particular, especially because I don't remember ever coming across a strong association with labyrinths in Christian imagery.

Thank you. I'm glad it was so impactful.

Labyrinths have a long association with Christianity going back to the 4th century, when one was placed in a cathedral in Chlef (now in Algeria). This is known as the St. Reparata or St. Reparatus Labyrinth.

The Chartres Labyrinth was built around 1200.

Christian labyrinths are meant to be walked while contemplating. The path twists and turns, but there is only one way to go. They also all clearly take inspiration from labyrinths of the classical world even if their purpose and origins are effectively lost to those who see them.

As Beatrice says to Andreas (paraphrased), the foundations of our memories become buried and invisible. And she is paraphrasing and abbreviating Plato speaking to Solon in Timaeus,

whatever happened either in your country or in ours, or in any other region of which we are informed-if there were any actions noble or great or in any other way remarkable, they have all been written down by us of old, and are preserved in our temples. Whereas just when you and other nations are beginning to be provided with letters and the other requisites of civilized life, after the usual interval, the stream from heaven, like a pestilence, comes pouring down, and leaves only those of you who are destitute of letters and education; and so you have to begin all over again like children, and know nothing of what happened in ancient times, either among us or among yourselves. As for those genealogies of yours which you just now recounted to us, Solon, they are no better than the tales of children. In the first place you remember a single deluge only, but there were many previous ones;

I also wanted the association with the labyrinth from The Name of the Rose, which in turn was inspired by the Reims Labyrinth.

The Reims Labyrinth was constructed in the late 13th century but was destroyed in the 18th century by superstitious priests. It was through the discovery of drawings that modern scholars were able to recreate and project the path of the labyrinth onto the cathedral floor.

The cover of the 1st Italian edition (and therefore, first edition overall) of Il Nome della Rosa prominently incorporated the drawing of the Reims Labyrinth.

Note the map of the Aedificium:

The final lines of The Name of the Rose are:

Stat rosa pristina nomine, nomina nuda tenemus.

The original rose remains only in name, we hold those names stripped.

This refers to a specific object in the story, but more broadly symbolizes historical records, art objects, and other artifacts lost to time. The Reims Labyrinth remains only in drawings, stories, and light projected on the ground where it once stood; the labyrinth itself was destroyed.

Nomen est; res non est. - The name exists; the thing does not.

As a side note, France uses the Reims Labyrinth as its symbol for historical monuments - an important reminder of how fragile their existence can be.

#game design #pentiment #labyrinth #the name of the rose #umberto eco

[communistkenobi]

This is going to be an extremely messy post, but I’ve been grappling with the argument that “fascism” is nothing more than an exceptionalised label for the cyclical political crises of capitalism, as opposed to an actual historical force in and of itself - just as capitalism has cyclical economic crises which are necessary for its continued functioning, fascism represents the political crises of capital, a bulwark against class consciousness and socialist organising which threaten capitalist rule. Fascism does this by instead emphasising a racial or national consciousness, using white supremacy and the promise of property to divert people away from class consciousness. In Anatomy of Fascism, Paxton talks about how important the promise of property ownership to Italian peasantry was to establishing fascist rule there - class mobility up into the middle classes was used in concert with racial/national politics to stop people from identifying with the proletariat (“homeowners are too busy to be communists,” to paraphrase that American housing developer I forget the name of atm). This is especially weaponised against Jewish people, who are framed as having no national affiliation and are thus eternal outsiders to the bourgeois Christian homeland.

I have encountered a lot of definitions of fascism. The most productive and evocative definition I’ve found is Cesaire’s - colonialism come home. He was speaking of Europe when he said this, saying that Hitler was only doing what Europe did overseas. But what does this mean for settler colonial states? There is no “home” for colonialism to return to for countries like the United States or Canada, because this colonial process has to constantly and at all times maintain itself upon indigenous land in order for the state to continue to exist. The colonialism is always home, always domestic (while also obviously being exercised globally through imperial domination and violence, especially in the case of the United States). Are these states essentially fascist in conception? If this conclusion is true (which I’m leaning towards yes), is “fascism” a useful analytical category at all? If we speak of the political processes of capitalism when we speak of fascism, can we simply just call it all capitalism? It would be like if we called all periods of economic crisis “collapsism” and partitioned these periods of depression or economic instability into exceptional circumstances divorced from the history of capitalism (which we already have done with The Great Depression in the 1930s, or the 2008 Financial Crash - these are exceptional periods where something “went wrong,” where the system “failed”). Sitting with this conclusion for a moment, calling these processes fascist is to divorce them of their material history, to decouple them from the violence and exploitation inherent to capitalism, and to ensure that any analysis of fascism does not conclude with a call to abolish capitalism - for if fascism is merely an interruption of normal capitalist democratic functioning, then preventing future fascisms does not require the abolition of the current economic and political system.

I’ve been engaging with this essay recently, which calls liberals the “left wing of fascism,” and argues that liberalism, far from providing an alternative to fascist rule, instead provides a stabilising quality to it, acting as a stop-gap to the more destabilising right-wing bourgeois elements of capitalism. And despite these conclusions I still find fascism a useful label, both because I think it has a lot of strategic value to engage with particular historical periods (such as right now) as fascist - fascism as a label has widespread recognition, if not widespread understanding - and also because it provides a neat shorthand for the historical process of capitalist political decay. 

Anyway I’m talking this all out publicly because I’m in the process of reviewing a lot of literature on the subject for my PhD, and I keep coming to this conclusion - that fascism is not “real” in the sense that it cannot be divorced from capitalism itself, and in fact is a necessary process to the continued functioning of capitalism - but I’m having a hard time seeing what analytical limitations this conclusion produces. I have so far been the most persuaded by post-colonial and Marxist accounts of fascism, but I wonder if multiple definitions of fascism are still strategically or analytically useful to use in concert with one another, even if I disagree with them

#book club #anatomy of fascism #.txt

[imperatorrrrr]

My Highlights from the Q&A: (I paraphrased some of the questions/answers, but most of it is direct quotes)

Q: Out of all the different jerseys that you wear, which one is your favorite? A: The Jersey Jersey

Q: What's the most fun/exciting part of the game when you're playing hockey? A: OT Win, especially at Home

Q: What is your favorite meal to eat here in New Jersey? A: The Italian spots here. I love Italian food, I grew up next to Italy

Q: Why do you wear number thirteen? A: I wear it because of my brother, my big brother always wore 13 and kind of also a little bit because both of us had the same favorite hockey player back in the day, Pavel Datsyuk.

Q: Besides the Rock, what NHL arena do you like playing in the most? A: Vegas, T-Mobile Arena -- its a vibe there, definitely fun

Q: Favorite and memorable goal you've ever scored? A: First NHL Goal in Ottawa

Q: Top Three Moments as a New Jersey Devil? A: My first NHL game, at the Rock versus Colorado, we won 4-2. Second one is first ever playoff game at the Rock versus Tampa, and, so far, the most memorable thing would be the Game 7 win against the Rangers. Gotta go with that one.

Q: Where do you still wanna go in the NJ/NY area? A: I've been to Asbury Park and I kind of want to see some more stuff from the Shore.

Q: What do you like to do to unwind and relax in the off season? A: I love the water, so lakes, rivers, ocean, I just try to be outside when its sunny. Don't like to be at home when its sun out.

Q: What is your favorite genre of music/band/artist? A: I do like Tom Petty

Q: Besides, Nico, what other nicknames do your teammates have for you? A: Hisch, HischSHAO, HischSHAO Jr

Q: What are you personally looking forward in the leadership position on and off the ice, going into this season as the Captain? A: Just to help the team as much as I can on and off the ice. I think obviously on the ice its clear, but also off the ice, just being as good of a person I can be for guys that need me in anything and I think thats the reason why I got Captain too, so thats what's I'm trying to do.

Q: What's your favorite ice cream flavor? A: Strawberry Vanilla

Q: Do you eat bagels and what is your favorite type of bagel to eat? A: Here in Jersey there are great bagels, I like the salmon cream cheese bagel, everything bagel.

Q: What's your favorite family tradition? A: Probably sit together dinners where we eat fondue or raclette where the dinner takes a little bit longer but you have enough time to speak with your family and friends, so thats always a good time. I feel like I always try to do it with them once I come back during summer.

Q: What's your favorite place in Switzerland? A: Bern

Q: Besides anyone on the Devils, who is your favorite current player in the NHL? A: McDavid

Q: Whats been your favorite year? A: I would say last year was pretty fun

Q: Who's your best friend on the Devils? A: Those are ALL of my friends. We got a really good group of guys, so I'm doing well with everyone, but I would probably say I'll do the most together with Jonas 'cause I've known him the longest. I've been playing with him in the Swiss National Team when we were younger so I would say that's kind of the guy I'd go with dinner and stuff but obviously I like ALL of them.

Q: Hardest team to play against? A: Carolina.

Q: What's your favorite Girl Scout Cookie flavor? Do you know what those are? A: (He did not know what those were and so he said) No cookies for me.

Q: (I didn't hear the question that well, but I think it was something like this) Who on the team would you want your daughter to date? A: I would say everyone because they know if they're not nice to my daughter they'd be in trouble.

#Nico Hischier #New Jersey Devils #Jonas Siegenthaler #NJD #Devils #pls watch this entire thing I swear its worth it #he's so sweet #someone asks for him to say hello to their math teacher and he goes will you get a good grade if I do this #what an absolute sweetheart #Youtube

[otakween]

Digimon Frontier - Episode 3

For this episode I decided to check out the English dub for Frontier. I really enjoyed it! My problem is that the Digimon dubs are more fun and nostalgic to watch, but I'm always really conscious of missing out on lore and emotional beats. Maybe I'll finish the sub and then watch the dub someday when I wanna revisit this.

Notes:

The American OP is hype as heck! I like the tribal vibe with the drums. I think I like the Japanese digivolution music a little better though.

I liked most of the English VAs but Takuya sounds like a 30 year old lol. For some reason, Izumi's Italian outbursts were a lot funnier in English, "Mamma mia!"

I coulda sworn Takuya said he was in the 4th grade in the last episode but now he's in the 5th? In the dub he's in the 6th, so let's just say he's somewhere in the upper elementary range.

I really loved Tomoki's digivolution sequence. I like how his hand movements are a little more childish/cheerful than Takuya or Koji's Also, in the dub I love how he said "EXECUTE" lol. I know they meant like "executing a program" but I was just thinking of the murder version of "execute" hehe.

So I guess Bokomon and Neemon have a boke/tsukkomi dynamic going on. I think they overdid Bokomon's bullying a bit tho

Lol @ the DigiCode fixing one (1) single bridge in this episode whereas in the first episode they fixed like an entire village. I guess some digimon get you better results than others? (Also they said that the bridge "protected them from bad digimon," how does that work?)

So they've established a bunch of times now that there are supposed to be 10 warriors. Betting the cast will expand with some minor characters later.

I just noticed this, but Takuya has a little symbol on his shirt and hat but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a reference to something or it's just a cool graphic.

Speaking of graphics, I finally noticed that the symbols for the spirits are literally just kanji. Like Agnimon's is the kanji for fire, Wolfmon is light, Chackmon is ice...

Uhhh...why is the dub name for Chackmon (Kumamon) way more Japanese sounding? I guess they couldn't have used Kumamon in the sub cuz...

Chackmon is a weird name and even after reading the etymology on the wiki I don't really get it.

These kids are kinda savage. First Bokomon is pleading with them to save his world and they just look annoyed and then when Agnimon is battling all the Candlemon they're just like "wow, he's really trying to fight a fire type? What a dumbass" (paraphrasing) and they walk off (to be fair, Takuya told them to hide, but still!) It was really funny when Bokomon was telling the Candlemon that the kids were there to save the Digital World and Takuya was like "not really" lol.

I'm glad that they were at least given the chance to go home because otherwise it feels a little bit like they're being blackmailed into being heroes (save our world or you'll never see your home again)

I'm sure someone has meme'd on Agnimon being covered in white drippy wax before...I'll refrain.

I feel like we already have too much lore here. First it was Cherubimon was messing up the world and now it's actually Lucemon that was the OG world messer-upper? Now I dunno who the big bad is!

If there are 10 warriors...I wonder what the elements are gonna be. Well I guess Pokemon has managed to come up with a zillion "elements." Is someone gonna end up with "heart?" hahaha

Didn't expect Wizardmon to show up as a baddie-of-the-week. Feels weird.

I kinda like that Koji is taking his sweet time to join the party. We don't need his drama in the friend group.

#digimon frontier #digimon #anime #why did I have so much to say about this?

[yoakesan]

I finally faced Cazador playing as Astarion and. Oh boy. If the dialogue options that appear are what realistically comes to his mind, then I'm more heartbroken than before 😭

Like (paraphrased from Italian, I don't remember the original lines in English) "I was free from your rules. I drank the blood of sentient creatures"... idk something about Astarion seeing Cazador at last and feeling the urge to tell him that he's not feeding on rats anymore, that his life has improved, makes me wanna cry.

Another interesting thing is how most of those options are about either freedom or revenge/justice (there's even one that's like "I'm a vengeful angel, that's what you turned me into") and only the last one mentions ascension. And I think in that moment Astarion isn't exactly thinking about power— he's dealing with his trauma, and he's vulnerable.

Finally, seeing Cazador on his knees and being able to say "Do it. Beg," which I don't remember happening if you're not playing Astarion?? Though I'm not sure?? Anyway. Yes. I'm in love.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #cazador

[chocoadepti]

Nicola Drama CD Vol. 1 - Epilogo del 1927

This is an extremely rough translation, mainly mtl'd. Corrections more than welcome!!

That's a lot of people.

Forty thousand people...no, how many hundreds of thousands? It was a good thing I saved a hotel room. As I expected, I didn't want to join that crowd.

I had heard that New Year's Eve in New York is celebrated in Times Square rather than Trinity Church, but it was more than I expected.

The neon signs lit up the city more than usual, making it look white and shiny. It's so beautiful when you look down from a high place like this. But it's a shame that the night sky is so hazy, the beauty of the stars was better back in our hometown.

How is it, do you miss Burlone?

I don't think I'm the nostalgic type, but lately I've been thinking about that town a lot.

The street corner where I met you and the bar we used to go, the open-air restaurant in Veleno we passed by on a date, the shopping streets of Creta, and the Christmas Eve when we looked out over the square. ((Not quite sure about this part!))

I wonder why, there have been my share of bad times, but all I can remember are the good memories. And most of them are memories of you.

I hope one day, I don't know how many years or decades it will be, I'll have the chance to go back.

You see, for example, when passenger planes become stable enough to cross the Atlantic, it will be much easier and simpler to travel between America and Italy than it is now.

Ah, the Ball Drop. The countdown to the new year has begun. Less than a minute to 1928.

Yeah, this latest technology is pretty amazing. I heard they used a hundred bulbs in the Times Square Ball.

How do you like this kind of lively New Year's Eve? We haven't spent much time in church so far, but it's a good thing we went to the evening mass, so we were able to show our sincerity to God, right? ((Not sure about this part!!))

Here it seems to be the norm to do the ceremonies early and then have festivities at night with friends. I heard that New Year's Eve has become the mainstream, though I suppose it depends on the religious sect. ((Also not sure!!))

Oh, look, it's going to fall soon.

Five, Four, Three, Two, One

Here it comes. A new year has begun, 1928.

I'm glad to be here with you, my precious one, at this moment.

You're so cute too. I'm sure my wife will be just as cute next year and beyond.

I am glad that we were able to spend our first New Year's alone together after we got married.

After a few years, when it becomes normal for us to spend time together, it would be nice to invite not only family but also friends and have a party with everyone.

But that's a long way off. For now, I want to have you all to myself at least while we are newlyweds.

Eh, you also feel the same way?

Ah, I'm not doubting that you think so too, but you're being unusually honest, so I wondered what was wrong. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to question (??) you.

I was just happy and a little surprised.

I'm sorry.

Will you forgive me?

Grazie.

I think we've been out here too long, your cheeks are getting all cold. (??)

No, I'm not okay because you're so cold (??), so let's go back inside.

Come here, let's get you warmed up. I guess I'm colder than I thought too. It really does seem to get freezing cold in the winter here.

Yeah, I don't like the heat or the cold to begin with, but the reason I don't like winter is because it reminds me of so many things.

Ah, that's right, I've never talked about it with you. It was about 10 years ago now, I had spent winter in the Alps. I was stationed on the Italian Front.

I never regretted that choice. It was my own decision and I feel I did my duty. To paraphrase you, even if I could rewind time, I would make the same choice.

So many of my comrades died in that place, so many of them took up arms to protect their country, and many of them were broken by fear, crying to see their families and loved ones, but their tears soon froze and many of them died with regrets because they could do nothing about it. ((??))

Compared to them, I was very lucky. I could return to my hometown without losing anything. I still had two arms and both my legs were still connected.

It was good to return to my life (?), and the first thing I thought about was what to do with the rest of my life that I hadn't used up. But I didn't think too much about it. I knew what I wanted a long time ago, and I thought I would use my life for someone else.

I wanted to die protecting someone or something, just like my comrades.

It's not that I wanted to die, it's just that I've long since forgotten how strongly I wanted to not die. I'm willing to die to achieve my goals, and I've always been okay with that.

I'm sorry to tell you this, but listen, it's not like that anymore.

I'm Mafia, and I'm always in danger. The more power my Family gains, the more people will try to kill us. There are so many mafiosos in this city, and they are always looking for opportunities to take down other organizations.

We have left Burlone and arrived in New York, but I am sure that tough times will continue to occur.

Still, I won't die. No matter what, I won't die and leave you alone under any circumstances, I swear to God.

Ah, but it doesn't sound very credible for me to swear to God after what I did, does it?

Then, I'll swear to you, who is more important than God.

I will survive, even if I have to slurp up muddy water. Definitely.

I have lived my whole life for someone else. For my mother, for my country, for Dante, for my Family. I was told to do so, or I was forced to do so, and I thought it was my role to do so.

Now, I understand. Just like Dante, I was also bound to my blood for so long.

But now I'm free. You broke my cage, and now I just honestly want to be with you, to do this not because of someone else, but from my own desire. This is my wish, and no one else's. I want to live for my own sake, to make my own wish come true. I'm sorry that I couldn't say that I'll live for you. I'm being selfish and doing what I want for myself. (?? I'm not very sure about this part!))

Eh, you're saying that it's only natural? That I'm not being selfish.

That's why I fell in love with you/That's why I'm crazy about you. (Two different interpretations here lol)

I love you, my precious. Thank you.

If you were to live for me, then of course I'd be happy. But, if you were to live for yourself, and then you want to be with me, and stay by my side, then I'll be more than happy.

That's right, Signorina, how do you want to spend your first day of the year? If you want to get up early and go out, then you may need to go to bed. Or do you want to stay up late until the sun rises? Of course, if you want to chat then I'm also welcome to that.

We can talk while lounging in bed, but there may not be much of a conversation. Ah, I'm not trying to distract you, but, you see, I know myself pretty well.

Well, why don't we sit on the couch and chat, then that way I'm sure I won't disregard your wishes.

How about I make you something warm? Like hot milk?

Just like that night we met, I took your shaking hand and tucked you in. I was hoping to get you to let your guard down and maybe even fall in love with me, but I never thought that I would be the one to fall. I thought I had prepared for that quite carefully.

You see, Sister Sophia came to the house the next day and asked me to take care of you here, right? Actually, I had arranged that in advance.

You were very surprised at that time, weren't you? You never would have thought that and experienced and serious Sister would ask such a favor from the Mafia.

I told her in advance that it was necessary for your safety. I though that she(you?) would be hesitant to do so, and more than anything, I thought she(you?) would be scared. I asked her to make it a proposal from the Sisters.

I was planning a lot of things like this without you seeing it.

Well, I was betrayed by my own heart, which should have been the easiest to control.

All right, sit back and wait for me to make it soon. Ah, you're going to follow me? You're being more honest and sweet tonight than usual. How cute. How about we skip talking and go to bed instead?

I'm joking, I'm joking!

But we can't stay awake forever, so we'll go to bed sooner or later, right? If you're sleepy then, I'll caress your cheek and thank you for being my wife, kiss you softly and go to sleep with you. But if we go to bed and your eyes are still wide open and you're still acting sweet like this, then I'll live up to your expectations. It's ok to sleep in until afternoon tomorrow, after all there's no butler here to get mad at me.

My hot milk is a recipe that Giulia taught me. I heat it slowly over low heat like this. The trick is to keep stirring without boiling.

Can you pass me the mugs? Grazie.

Honey and cinnamon are the finishing touches.

Here you go, Signorina, be careful not to burn your tongue.

Maybe a bit too sweet. I'm glad you like it, your smile is the best reward of all.

Do you remember when I said it was enough for me to have a lovely wife at home?

That was my true feeling at the time. You didn't need to go out, do housework, or work, I just wanted you to be at home waiting for me to come home. I didn't want anything more than that, I was satisfied just by your presence.

But things are a little different now.

I want to have you all to myself, but I don't want to lock you away.

The woman I fell in love with is probably not the type of person who likes to stay at home, and even if she says she doesn't have to do anything, she should find something she can do and make an effort. (??)

I like that about you.

I want you to live your life the way you do.

Of course, if you want to stay at home all the time, that's fine. Even if you are just lounging in bed every day, my love for you will not change. But if you want to cook, or clean, or whatever else, then I'll convince Bartolo. He's a bit of a pain, but I can handle it.

Just because you're my wife doesn't mean you have to subject yourself to the rules that impose obligations or don't give rights. (??)

That's a bad tradition.

If you want to go out and find something you want to do and work hard to make it happen, then I'll support you. Of course I have my concerns, because I think it's best for you to stay home so you're not involved in anything dangerous or put in harm's way.

And I know that starting something new can be exhausting, painful, and hurtful.

I used to want to keep you away from all that, but that's my own ego, and if I really love you, then I shouldn't blindfold you, right?

I want you to see the world with your own eyes./ I must allow you to see the world with your own eyes. ((?? Unsure if this one too))

I've grown up a bit in the past year to be able to think this way, don't you think?

If you start something new and still have a hard time, then I will comfort you a lot. I will encourage you until you feel better and help you until the problem is solved. And afterwards I'll make you something like this, hot milk or whatever you like, hold you close until the tears stop, and go to sleep with you.

Then when morning comes, the two of us can work together again.

Instead of leaning on one person, let's take each other's hand and live together forever, supporting each other even when trials sometimes come our way.

You have always faced me with sincerity.

I will look straight back at you and respond to that that sincerity with my own.

Hey, my precious, I believe in your heart and mind.

So can you believe in me too? There is no room for hypocrisy in my feelings for you.

I will always be with you this year, next year, and no matter how many years pass, I will protect you no matter what happens.

I will continue to love you the best I can.

So don't ever leave me.

Please love me.

#piofiore #piofiore translation #drama cd translation #nicola francesca

[historia-vitae-magistras]

this is not an hc but I'm just curious with what's the most heartwarming thing (it could be an object or a story from old letters) that you've encountered as an archivist? I'm considering this career path too

Oh man... like as an overall project, this collection of a... we'd call them a social worker now, but in 1910s Boston it was a function of the local parish and its a series of data and anecdotes as this woman is going around in Irish and Italian neighborhoods kind of doing a childhood census but pretty in depth. So you get lots of notes about this child loving peas or that child playing with blocks and their heights and first words and other things come up.

But my favourite single piece is a bit of a letter from the 1780s I translated when it was accessioned from a husband and wife writing to their relatives and it has like 3 sentences about their two year old daughter tumbling down a hill for fun and being caught by the father only for him to pick her up and find she was holding their very traumatized cat and it ends, (me paraphrasing my own translation) "the baby was much amused by this tumble, parsley was not" the cat was Parsley! I love that one. So much personality popping off the page.

#the ask box || probis pateo #archives || sing o muse the voices of the dead

[vulturevanity]

This isn't accusatory in any way but I'm concerned by how many people in the lgbt+ community have been using the "one stick alone is weak, many sticks together are strong" as a motto for protecting each other and pushing for intersectionalism. because that's like, THE og symbol of fascism.

Fascism: from Italian Fascio, from Latin Fascis, meaning "bundle of sticks". It symbolizes strength through unity, was connected to Roman Fascis (a symbolic axe tied along several wooden rods symbolizing the power of Roman civic magistrates over all other citizens, to the point it was used to execute people at will). This idea was relentless used to sell the nationalist idea of an Italy united against the commonly perceived threats by radical conservative italians.

(Paraphrased from the wikipedia article about fascism)

Please, please read more about what we're fighting against and maybe don't adopt reactionary dogwhistles into our vocabulary in the fight against anti-lgbt+ rhetoric

#lgbt activism #queer activism #anti fascism #babbles #please reblog because I need people to know this

[cto10121]

R&J vs. RetJ: The Nurse’s Betrayal

So this meta of the Nurse’s betrayal of Juliet in RetJ got me thinking of how Presgurvic et al. translated that scene—the Nurse advising Juliet to marry Paris—from the Shakespeare, and how the characterization of the Nurse has changed as well.

In Shakespeare’s original, the Nurse goes on a mini tangent in which she reveals her reasons for wanting Juliet to marry Paris. I’m too lazy to reproduce it here, so here’s a quick and nasty paraphrase:

Paris is great, and Romeo sucks compared to him. It’s an upgrade!!!

Romeo would have to sneak into town to see Juliet and be a husband to her, and that’s not really tenable in the long run

Ergo, Juliet is as good as not married, leaving her free to start anew and marry Paris

Juliet, of course, manages to hold it together and waits until the Nurse leaves before cursing her a blue streak and resolving never to trust her again.

Notice how Shakespeare doesn’t allow the Nurse to give substantial reasons why Juliet should forget Romeo. Number 2 and 3 are merely practical while Number 1 is purely superficial, if consistent with the Nurse’s character and her remarks (liking Paris better than Romeo).

In Presgurvic’s musical, however, the Nurse does offer (1) substantial reason why Juliet should forget Romeo and marry Paris: As in, Romeo killed Tybalt. In the Original French, she has this key lyric:

Juliette, comment peux-tu encore (Juliette, how can you still)

L’aimer quand ton cousin est mort? (Love him, when your cousin is dead?)

Je t’en supplie, tu dois dire “oui” (I beg you, you must say yes)

À ce marie qu’on t’a promis (To this fiancé they have promised you to)

Why this change?

Well, for one thing, the context is amid the very dramatic Demain. Whereas in Shakespeare’s play this scene came in the aftermath of Lord Capulet’s ultimatum, the musical has the Nurse answer Juliette and decide right then and there.

For another, for better or for worse, the Nurse is a much more serious and less comically superficial character in the musical than in the play. In short, Presgurvic’s nurse is a de facto mother figure. Her love for Juliette is well-established in Et Voilà, which is heartbreaking in pretty much every version, but the French is particularly grieving. And sure enough, during Demain that we see French Nurse pacing, conflicted.

So when it comes to her betrayal of Juliet, the reason definitely need to be better than “Paris>>>>Romeo” as if this were a YA love triangle and the Nurse were choosing Team Paris. Hence, Romeo killing Tybalt being a dealbreaker.

Also, also notice that French Nurse says “your cousin” instead of Tybalt, emphasizing family ties. The feud in the musical is a lot more intense and consequential than in the play, so it makes sense that the Nurse would use that as a crutch for her argument—and for it to hold water.

Whether the Nurse truly believes that Romeo is no longer deserving of Juliette’s affections because of his killing of Tybalt (there is a bit of Anita’s “A Boy Like That” from West Side Story) or is merely using that as an incentive for Juliette to move on depends largely on the direction and actress. Hell, it can even be a bit of both.

Other versions either follow the French lead or, well, worse. Russian Nurse tells Juliette: “You killed love yourselves / Your cousin, Tybalt, is dead” and shares her verse with the Capulets. Italian Nurse clutches pearls: “My God, how can you tell me / You’ll go against your father?” and stands with the Capulet parents to form a trio (at least French and Russian Nurse stood apart!!!). Austrian Nurse is as diplomatic as the French Nurse, but once again she shares her verse with Lady Capulet and they duet.

And then there’s Hungarian Nurse.

The Strange Case of the Hungarian Nurse

The Hungarian Nurse is much thornier case, imo.

Throughout the musical she is a consistently warm and affectionate mother figure towards Juliette, if retaining key elements of Shakespeare!Nurse’s bawdiness and materialism. Whereas most Nurses scold Juliette for her “I want both” line, Hungarian Nurse is only affectionately amused and gently corrects her. She plays the protective Mama Bear with Rómeó, although it’s clear she approves of him.

Then Holnap/Demain comes. Hungarian Nurse is visibly worried, no doubt conflicted. She strokes Júlia’s face, but then flinches when Júlia embraces her. And her lyric is much harsher than in any of the versions so far:

Nurse. Mondd, hogy tudnád szeretni azt, ki képes volt ölni? (Tell me, how can you love a killer?)

Az Istenért, ne ellenkezz! Menj Páriszhoz, és ne kérdezz! (For God’s sake, don’t protest! Just marry Paris and don’t ask questions!)

Hungarian Nurse calls Rómeó a killer and not only exerts her to marry Paris, but to shut up and not ask any more questions.

So this is beyond the original French or even Shakespeare Nurse’s coldness. Even so, Hungarian Nurse doesn’t join the Capulet chorus but exits shortly afterwards. Why, Hungarian Nurse?

Occam’s Razor? Attila misconstrued the original French as harsher than it was and translated accordingly. Or he decided that it needed to be more ✨dramatic✨.

In-universe, though, Hungarian Nurse could be opting for some really tough love à la French. She recognizes the danger Júlia is in, what with being married secretly but without any of the protections of such a marriage, and wants to make sure she is provided for. She recognizes there is nothing she or Júlia can do to stop this wedding, so she is as harsh can be. Anything to break Júlia off of Rómeó.

Still, it’s a character break. French Nurse and other Nurses has at least been shown to be disciplined with Juliet for what she thinks is important (“Love is not marriage”). And even then her lyric is couched diplomatically. Hungarian Nurse seems too indulgent with Júlia to opt for such a slash-and-burn tactic.

I guess this is what happens when productions mix up both Shakespeare and Presgurvic canon. The Hungarian production wanted a version more in line with the Shakespeare characterization, which retains the social commentary of the feud and the rationale for the tragedy. It just happens to go against the softer Presgurvic characterization.

Either way, no matter how justified, both Shakespeare and Presgurvic achieve the same effect: It is a de facto betrayal of Juliet in a scene where the adults in her life fail and abandon her.

#romeo et juliette #romeo and juliet #there is no struggle #retj meta #rj meta #r&j meta #rómeó és júlia #résj #i’m sensing this is going to be a series ha #i’m just so fascinated by how the musical changes so much #and yet it feels so much in tune with the shakespeare #well the original french anyway #it’s that score #it brings it all to life #re: the hungarian they just made the capulets very horrible in this scene #i mean more than they already are in the play #cristina metas

[josefavomjaaga]

From the preface:

Please enjoy reading the book as much as I had a great time assembling it!

Done! 😁 - Well, I of course do not know how much fun the author had in assembling the book. But I doubt it was more than I had while reading.

As I do not read Italian I often feel cut off from a lot of valuable sources on Eugène's life. This book does help at least a little with that. I am particularly grateful because Cesare's memoirs seem to be the most important (only?) source for the incident when Eugène insulted his Italian troops, an incident that caused a major disgruntlement between him and general Pino and would have dire consequences, Pino of course being one of the major actors in the Milan riots of April 1814 that ended any attempt to install the viceroy as king of Italy and caused Eugène to leave the country forever.

Of course the book now leaves me with a ton of additional questions (which, for the record, is a good thing!). Mostly, as this seems to be my current pet peeve, I would love to know more about the author and the date and story of the book's publication. If I interprete Cesare's Wikipedia page correctly, these memoirs were first published in 1826/1827, which would connect them to the growing Italian nationalism, to the Carbonari movement and the first stages of the Risorgimento in upper Italy.

Which would explain why Cesare occasionally has dying Italian soldiers hold inspirational speeches about their home country before they draw their last.

On the other hand, it's curious that Cesare de Laugier seems to have received his decoration of the "Légion d'Honneur" in 1819 - i.e., from the Bourbon monarchy? Cesare seems like an interesting fellow in any case 😁.

I also feel like, while recounting the march to Moscow, he really may have followed his personal diary and notes, for the story of the retreat he often simply paraphrased Labaume or Ségur. There are plenty of instances when he at length describes events that he was not present at.

In any case, I highly recommend this book for an additional perspective on the Russian campaign (and because Eugène is mentioned in it - even if not always favourably).

#jonas de neef #memoirs #cesare de laugier #russian retreat #russian campaign #russia 1812

[watching-pictures-move]

Put On Your Raincoats | Aunt Peg (Spinelli, 1980)

A Juliet Anderson star vehicle that makes a great case for her as a performer if you haven’t already been sold on her. Here she plays a movie producer who fucks and sucks her way through the day, sometimes even across time and cross cut with a different set of characters thanks to the power of flashbacks and editing. Thanks to movie magic, her libido knows no limits.

I understand this was actually a loop carrier, but it hangs together surprisingly well. There are a number of recognizable stars here, including:

A dorky, clean shaven Mike Horner as her assistant;

Jamie Gillis as an Italian director doing his Dracula accent;

Michael Morrison as her brother in law who she seduces on a vibrating chair (the sexiest piece of furniture after the waterbed) in a flashback;

Sharon Kane as her niece who has a Robin Williams poster in her room and who gets so turned on by this that she goes and fucks her boyfriend in the same flashback despite Anderson not being present, and at the end has sex with Anderson in the back of the limo in a scene that likely represents what everybody hoped On the Prowl would have been like (hot and heavy) instead of what it actually was (dudes awkwardly fumbling and unable to get it up while we only see their backs and Gillis mutters under his breath);

Serena, Seka and Billy Dee.

But this is very much Anderson’s picture, as the proceedings feel entirely powered by her presence and her character’s free, amoral pursuit of sex. Some of what she does is in taboo or otherwise ethically murky territory, and I can imagine a version of this movie that leaned into that darkness, but the sheer joy of Anderson’s presence keeps this a pretty light affair. To paraphrase the Madeline Bell theme song, she’s really a star.

Pornographically speaking, this does the whole cross-cutting between sex scenes thing, but it works better here than usual as the different scenes are allowed to play out long enough that their energy level isn’t defused when we switch. Plus it means that Anderson is never far from our hearts and minds, which is always a good thing. And while I don’t usually go into the gory details, I will note that this is the only Golden Age porno I can remember seeing that features footjobs in the action. Not a complaint, just an observation.

#film #movie review #put on your raincoats #aunt peg #anthony spinelli

[noir-wanderer]

ORIGINAL BACKGROUND

(paraphrased from Wikipedia)

Il dissoluto punito, ossia il Don Giovanni (translates to The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni), or simply known as Don Giovanni, is a two-act opera with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. A dramma giocoso blending comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements, it tells the story of its titular character—a young, arrogant, and sexually promiscuous nobleman, who abused and outraged everyone else in the cast until he encountered something he could not kill, beat up, dodge, or outwit.

This piece was first premiered by the Prague Italian Opera at the National Theater (of Bohemia), now called the Estates Theatre, on 29 October 1787. One interesting fun fact about this score is the customary omission of the final ensemble, which is the return to D major and the innocent simplicity of the last few bars to conclude the opera, that began with the original run in Prague. It wasn’t until the later part of 20th century that many productions started to include the last segment. The concluding ensemble tells the moral of the opera story:

“Questo è il fin di chi fa mal, e de’ perfidi la morte alla vita è sempre ugual.”

— “Such is the end of the evildoer: the death of a sinner always reflects his life.”

Mozart had written more than 800 scores in his short lifespan of 35 years. Widely considered as one of the greatest and most influential composers of the Classical period, many of his works are acknowledged as pinnacles of the symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral repertoire. Besides Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro (1786), and Così fan tutte (1790) are collectively regarded the most celebrated opera works that both Mozart and Da Ponte had collaborated together.

TAKT OP. SYMPHONY

A beautiful woman dressed in men’s clothing who always wear a comfortable look. Narcissistic and in her own pace, but is able to read the atmosphere and respond smartly, and she always remember to thank those around her. Her swordsmanship is top notch. She has a great love of all things beautiful and pretty, also easy to be seduced.

— Official character description in the game. Character design by LAM.

#murmure noir. #yiuno rei #yiuno; moebius #noir; au #histoire; takt op. etheirys #miroir noir. #noir; cosplay #ballade noire. #noir; musique #noir; lore #don giovanni #takt op. symphony #takt op. #-- wolfgang amadeus mozart

[catilinas]

your 'horrible horrible catiline. wow!' tag has got into my brain and now I have to Say It whenever I see something around about him somewhere. which is Often. 10/10 Good Phrase That Haunts My Head Like Some Kind of Old Dead Roman.

oh literally same ever since @garland-on-thy-brow first posted it! it's a translation paraphrase of a line scene from raffaello giovagnoli's novel about spartacus. i think. i have not read it because there is no english translation but it Has tempted me to try to learn italian on several occasions

#i borrowed a copy of his novel saturnino from the library one time and tried to like. vibe my way through italian using latin #but alas it did not fucking work #beeps

[pricklylegs]

A lot of one's "Culture" is tied up in the food one eats.

Steak, for example. Nearly every culture has steak. Big prime cut slab of grilled meat. Roasted vegetables are another one, even if the meats and vegetables vary between geographies.

But you go to an "ethnic" restaurant? I've found that "ethnic" restaurants tend to serve dishes that are descended directly from what the POOR people ate. Because the rich folks walked off with all the steaks and the good veggies.

The chop suey in Chinese restaurants? Descended from "tsop sui" which, loosely translated," is "leftovers," or "odds and ends." I'm told it was served to the Chinese who built the railroads on the west coast by their wives and camp cooks. Odds and ends, whatever they could scrounge, cooked up and sauced over to make it palatable.

Cajun restaurants serve dishes descended from whatever the swamp folks could hunt, cultivate, or flat out FIND.

Damn near EVERYTHING at Taco Bell is descended from po-folks Mexican cooking, described in the words of Nanny Ogg as "whatever was left after the rich blokes walked off with the best parts of the cow." Or the chicken, or the fish or whatever. I mean, how else would a culture invent tamales?

I'll tell you: generations of grannies and moms and sisters working with whatever they had, figuring out what worked best, how to make it better, and adding new twists as they went along. Chinese, Mexican, Cajun, Italian, Greek, whatever. Grannies is grannies, and they will find a way, to paraphrase Jeff Goldblum.

Started out as poor people food... and now it's restaurant fare.

And based on a cartoon I reposted earlier... I found myself wondering how, over the course of enough generations... grannies might somehow generate entirely new dishes and entrees... out of Government Commodity Food...

Can it be done? Don't underestimate the grannies, man. Credit to Tom O Bedlam

[imperatorium]

can u explain ghost for me? i kno its a band but there's a sister? multiple ghost men? i dont understand but i want to

Oh, bless, anon! I'd be more than happy to. :)

I did actually make a pretty comprehensive post for another friend a couple years ago, which you can read here: https://imperatorium.tumblr.com/post/614954763444011008/hello-friend-i-do-not-understand-your-other

But besides that, to summarize - Ghost is a band with an accompanying fictional storyline. In real life, the band is comprised entirely of one whole person, Tobias Forge, supported by his touring band. In real life, the band's American manager was not accepting of the fact that Tobias's intention were just to be an "anonymous" band, masked and costumed. The manager decided they needed a story, so Tobias was like, "Fuck it, we ball," and gave us a story.

Within the fictional world of Ghost, the band is the Satanic Church's musical side project - kind of like the worship band at an over-the-top Christian megachurch. Like any other popular Christian rock band - but, you know, for Satan. The band had its first go in the 1960s, but then really came into full being in 2010 and has since done nothing but rise to its full power as you would know them know - the band with the really popular song on TikTok.

There are several important characters within the story/band, who I will now highlight in order of appearance IRL (rather than chronologically in fiction).

PAPA EMERITUS I: Sometimes called "Primo" (Italian for "first") by the fandom. Led Ghost at the time of their debut album, Opus Eponymous. Because he was originally intended to just be a costume and a mask, there's not much canon depth to his story. Was allegedly in his 70s during his reign as antipope and lead singer, but this still does not make sense to me. Mostly a serious old bat, did a lot of "proof of concept" songs that sound very much like what you would expect from a Theatrically Satanic Metal Band.

PAPA EMERITUS II - Papa I's replacement in 2013. Sometimes referred to as "Secundo" ("second" in Italian) by the fandom. His album is called Infestissumam and the cover is a parody of the Amadeus poster, so I respect him for that if nothing else. Notably in his 50s when he took over from Papa I and much more personality, which can be seen in the "Papaganda" videos. He speaks the most Italian and looks like he doesn't not want us to call him Signore Mondiale out of paint. Very much a jaded hedonist who was all too aware of the temporary position he was in as both Antipope and leader of the band.

SISTER IMPERATOR: Not a member of the band, but easily the most important person who exists (in my opinion). To paraphrase my roleplay journal info for her, she is the "mama superior" of the Satanic Church's organization of nuns called the Sisters of Sin, the devoted left-hand of the Antipope (spoilers - not either of the ones you've been introduced to), and "momager" of the Ghost project. First seen in the Summoning videos that came out around the end of Papa II's reign, she is tired of everyone's bullshit and wants Satanic world domination yesterday.

PAPA EMERITUS III: The entire fandom's heartthrob, sometimes called "Terzo" ("third" in Italian). A stinky baby. Very self-important. I love him. Anyway. His reveal in 2015 was the first time we learned that there was a familial bloodline we've been following this whole time. III is Papa II's "younger" brother (by only three months) and, thus, the world's oldest twink. Under his reign, the band won a Grammy for "Cirice" and he was also the first to technically have two albums, Meliora and Ceremony & Devotion - granted the latter of which is a live album. Also the first boy to have to be forcibly removed from his position because he did not want to leave.

PAPA EMERITUS ZERO, aka PAPA NIHIL: The patriarch of the Emeritus bloodline. The Actual Antipope of the Satanic Church and also the love of my life. He's adorable. Fucking look at him. He plays the fucking saxophone. We met him at Papa III's dethroning and soon thereafter learned that There Is Something Going On Between Him & Sister Imperator. (They're in love. Don't let anyone tell you it's not mutual.) He is stubborn and crotchety and old as balls...and also out of heirs by the time we see him and Sister first touch base regarding the band.

CARDINAL COPIA: Papa Nihil's personal assistant, second-most awarded employee of the month, the other apple of Sister Imperator's eye. A fifty-year-old minor. Keeps rats and rides tricycles. He's a good boy and I want to pick him up and carry him everywhere with me. He was the first lead singer of Ghost to take up as head of the band but not be granted the title of Antipope and released Prequelle. (It was a very Star Wars prequel situation - Nihil as the Jedi Council making Copia, as Anakin, a member of the Council but not raising him to the position of Jedi Knight.) Their relationship is contentious in part because Copia is not part of the bloodline.

Er, rather, he's """not""" part of the bloodline.

But actually!

So, remember when I said there was Something Going On Between Sister & Nihil? Yep, there's a backstory. And they are in love. The "Dance Macabre" video details Nihil's ascension to the Antipapacy with Sister's assistance. There's some debate about this video because Nihil implies in one of the story chapters that his family has a very long history as Antipopes within the Church but in this, we see him wander in a bit confused about what's happening until Sister guides him through the ritual. Draw your own conclusions - I know I have! (Mine start with the "Cirice" video, in case you need to take a peek at that again...)

We also learn that actually, Ghost as a musical project originally had its first go in the 1960s, led by Nihil himself! He released the two best songs the band will ever have (including "Mary On A Cross"), but...stardom was...a little too much for him (got a little too hung up on the stupid things like kissing groupies in front of his pregnant girlfriend) and the experiment was prematurely ended.

Did I mention that Sister Imperator is totally pregnant in 1969?

Well, it's a good thing that I did because she sure never has!

With WHOMST, you ask? Well, we don't officially know. But she sure did kill Papa I, II, and III (notably not her sons, despite her obvious relationship with Nihil) once Copia was officially made head of the band so no one would get in his way... (Tobias is not out here writing songs about his OCs, but that being said, I recommend taking a listen to "Witch Image" for my thoughts on this subject.)

PAPA EMERITUS IV: Our reigning Antipope! But, surprise - it's just Copia! Our little rat finally took the coveted position in March of 2020 shortly after Nihil expired on stage. I have still not recovered from the mixed emotions I feel about this situation - immensely proud of my baby boy, forever mourning the loss of my stupid husband. You know how it goes.

As Papa IV, Copia released Impera earlier this year, about two years after his ascension. It's about the rise and fall of empires and everyone seems to be taking this to be a portentous autobiography since the nature of the band is that there will always be some other Antipope waiting in the wings to take over, but I refuse to accept this reality because Copia is the Antichrist and my son and I love him and I'll burn this whole chapel of ritual down if anything bad happens to him ever.

...I think this is coherent, but if it isn't...then, I recommend reading the previous explanation I linked earlier and/or asking for any clarification needed! (I also recommend forgiving me, since sometimes I am very all over the place when I get excited to talk about what I like.)

And you know, actually, as it so happens, on the off chance that anyone does like when I get real hype about what really matters (to me) in Ghost (Sister & Nihil), I may have some good news about that for you all soon...

#the band ghost #thank you for letting me big yell about them again anon!