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[ilbosco-newcapital]

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[ettawritesnstudies]

I finished Runaways but I scheduled my Livestream for next week!

Context:

I'm going to make the anthology one way or another to launch with the book, this is just a matter of prioritizing. It'll involve editing the current Kofi stories, writing some new ones, and making supplemental content.

I have 0 thoughts for Inklings currently but it's coming up soon so I should probably figure that out.

End of the Road is a NA paranormal coming of age story about one way road trips, grief, and ghosts. Could be published after runaways because they have a folklore/supernatural element connecting them. Capitalizes on the 20something angst.

Vilotta's Adventure is a MG historical fiction set in Renaissance Italy following a princess who apprentices with Leonardo da Vinci when he comes to her parents court to paint a portrait of her mother. She gets to be an inventor, has a series of misadventures, and learns about friendship along the way. Could be published after Runaways because they're both MG, bonus points for Educational Content™. Rewrite of the first novel I ever wrote so it's not going anywhere.

Art stream: I'd still do 25 minute sprints w/ no talking and just art on screen so you can write without distractions or I show you my progress during breaks. Motive: I miss drawing and my brain hurts.

[itsukismoon]

Main Story - Chapter 4 (Summary)

For previous chapters, please refer to here and here

Heads up: very long summary. 憧蝶 Is the name of the organisation Nanashi, Testament, Mirror and the Dark Night Duo are a part of. I’m unsure of how to translate the name so I’ll just call them “Butterfly”.

Est reveals that 150 years ago, separated cases w the same symptoms as the ones from black fairies’ miasma already appeared. finding the records of this was extremely hard for two reasons: 1) either medical limitation (medicine at the time still didnt know what was going on) 2) someone is currently trying to hide the information. hes pretty sure theres some kind of connection. but anyway, knowing this can be a huge help to Kaiai, who will go back w Sion to Sorciana (capital of the Country of Magic, the setting of ch.2 and HQ of Magia Seminar Guild) to look further into the matter. now its Gui’s turn to speak, and he drops a few bombs:

If they want to know more about the key, they need to go to the mechanics’ guild (Niji no kanata) and look for Oswald, a grandmeister whos a leading figure in mechanical engineering. in the now out-of-print record book by him, the encyclopaedia of inventions and dreams, there is a secret box (secret boxes open only if certain instructions are followed, kind of like in da vinci’s code). in particular, said secret box presents the same motifs and decorations as Emma’s key, and apparently it was made for Eden, Emma’s father. the box’s whereabouts are unclear, but they still should go find Oswald and ask.

In order to go there, the mechanical city of Woodman, the shortest route is to take the moon road to Dilettant, gastronomy’s country. so that’ll be their next destination! Emma’s worried that the butterfly will act and break some havoc, but Camus walks in and tells her not to worry, Bloody lady will take it upon itself to keep in control the situation so that they cant do anything without being noticed. Mam’s pride has been hurt after the incident, so she has already sent multiple spies all across the world. they will get revenge on the Butterfly. Camus also reminds Emma about her purification powers, and that she should definitely check that out. Crow chimes in adding that if they get to Oswald and find out more about eden, Emma will find out more about herself and her origins! and when that happens they will definitely be there for her, since shes their nakama :)

The gang arrives in Dilettant, and Rouge starts fawning over the mouth-watering smells and sounds of wine glasses being clinked, but before he can run off the others stop him: they’re not here to have fun, they have to be careful about the butterfly! Itsuki apologises, saying that the next moon road to Woodman will take some more time to appear, so in the meantime they’re stuck here. Noah scolds rouge for his usual careless behaviour, and Gran approaches Rouge asking something but seeming very indecisive about it, like he doesn't want to ask it in front of the others. Victor arrives, happy to have found a nice brand of liquor. apparently, while everyone at Bloody lady is busy dealing w the aftermath of the incident, he joined tsukiwatari to look for some ingredients. he says that his job is to keep the bar lively and provide for a resting place when things are rough. he also notices that everyone has a weary face, and asks if they're going to spend the entire week being miserable. they should enjoy their time here, after all, tsukiwatari is the guild of exploration, they should be having fun in new places.

He explains that Dilettant used to be the country of manors (荘園) with an extremely elitist society and poor culture. the feudal lords who owned the land had all the power, and if you were not one of them, your life was basically terrible. social status used to be everything, but then Oscar, the duke of Dilettant and self-proclaimed “genius of the tongue”, came and changed the way of life of the entire country, whose economy is now based on food and good cuisine. he has an extremely refined sense of taste and chose only the finest of flavours while promoting all talented chefs regardless of their social status. Emma remembers hearing of him from Lannes, who had to spend three entire days analysing all of his guild’s (Gastronomy) reports. apparently Oscar eats 20 meals a day lol. Itsuki explains that the prestigious guild reviews local specialties, has a magazine with all kinds of recipes, and the guild home is a restaurant, Ballroom, whose reservations run out for months at a time. although tsukiwatari would like to eat there, they’ll have to settle for something else.

All around them are shops self promoting themselves as Oscars favourites, etc. all of a sudden, said Oscar walks out of a restaurant, people gathering all around and the owner following in tow. Oscar walks to the restaurant banner saying that the food has been “approved by Oscar himself”, and he tears it down, adding “what a foolish thing”. as this happens, tsukiwatari can clearly see that he has a black fairy with him, although he doesn't seem to be losing his control. Emma calls Navi to ask if he has any idea of whats going on, but he's just as clueless as them. in the meantime Oscar leaves, so they chase after him in the back alleys of the town, but instead they find some monster/black fairy familiars. after defeating them, Gran asks Rouge if he knows something

Rouge:” what?? why would i know something??”

Gran:” ah… i see…. yeah, that makes sense…”

Anyway, since they have lost sight of Oscar, they decide to go to the guild hq to see if they can talk things out. they meet Walter, who notices Emma’s guildkeeper pin and asks if shes here on federation business. he's a bit scary, so the interaction goes like this:

Emma: "u-uhm-" Crow: "cmon don't be scared" rouge: "ahah, get in the right spirit! those arms and neck etc... so broad" Noah: "..." Itsuki: "don't be afraid. if its broadness, Gran wont lose either" Gran: "oi💢"

They tell him they want to meet w Oscar, but Walter is crystal clear: the duke is not meeting anyone as hes busy preparing for the week’s big event; and he walks off. the gang hears a pair of familiar voices: Joe and Ace are working as trainees at the guild to become chefs because apparently they just got fired from the Butterfly AND they know nothing about Oscar’s black fairy. Emma asks them what their goal is, trying to destroy people’s dreams.

“its for the greater evil! the greater evil is just greater evil!!! right Ace?

“yeah!!! nothing more nothing less!” (they're just stupid)

They ask more questions to them but they just don't know shit. Noah says they're about as useless as Rouge. someone from the Gastronomy guild steps in, asking them to go wash the dishes instead of wasting their time around… it’s Cuit! he introduces himself to the group, telling them he couldn't help but overhear those two talking about evil, black fairies and Oscar’s name being mentioned.

In the meantime, at the Butterfly’s hq, Mirror asks if they’ve made today’s move yet. Testament denies, saying that they overdid it last time, so now the federation is keeping a close eye on them. furthermore, Bloody lady has apparently found the hq? they predicted this, but its still quite a bother: its best to lay low for a while. in the meantime, Nanashi should infiltrate somewhere… he complains about being alone, since Testament fired the Dark Night duo. doesn't Mirror want to help wink wink? “no, I'm a bystander.”

Back to the guild, Cuit apologises to the others for Walter: he’s very quiet and due to his appearance he can come off as a bit scary; in truth, Cuit describes him as a gentle bear in the forest (+side note for those who do not know it: he's a poison expert! thats his job at the guild since, according to Cuit, the more poisonous the ingredient the tastier it is). while the entire place is in chaos due to the upcoming big event, a crying woman is yelling at Kuchen, Cuit’s older brother. she and Kuchen had a date yesterday, but he didn't go, and she asks him whether his job or her are more important.

K:”shut uppp. and don't come to my workplace, its annoying” + “don't say such embarrassing things. its obvious that my job is more important”

After the woman runs away in tears, Riche, Kuchen and Cuit’s younger brother and Gastronomy’s sommelier, comes into the picture, lightly scolding him. Kuchen defends himself, it’s not his fault that she’s taking it so seriously: he was just playing around with her. Cuit adds that sometimes the other person will take things more seriously, so he has to think about these things.

before Kuchen can say anything else, he notices the group and asks about them. they all move to a more secluded space where they introduce each other (Emma holds her hand out to Riche in greeting but he hides behind Cuit, they don't say it here but Riche has a fear of women or smth lol; then Kuchen teases Emma saying shes easy to read, and its obvious shes angry at him for making the girl cry early; they don't start on the right foot). they tell the trio about black fairies, and the fact that Oscar is currently being possessed. according to Riche this adds up onto his recent behaviour: he's been distancing himself from everyone more than usual, he's been visiting restaurants alone, places he had previously rated as bad, etc. the problem is that Oscar is the pillar of gastronomy in the country, and with this upcoming event of the week, the “Grand Ball”, the fact that Oscar is like this while also being the one in charge for all the chefs and dishes in charge is a HUGE problem. the event will be a national banquet where many foreign royals and nobles will attend: if it doesn't go well, it’ll be over for the entire country. but here comes the dilemma the group cant wrap their head around: black fairies make people aggressive and go out if control; why is it that Oscar looks so calm? the only way to find out is to meet him.

In the mean time, in a small alleyway, a chef is yelling and complaining that he didn't get chosen for the Grand Ball banquet. this is so unfair blah blah blah. all of a sudden, though, Oscar approaches him…

Walter is updated of the situation, but he refuses to force a meeting between the group and Oscar unless actual chaos happens. Oscar’s daily work is still fundamentally important, and mustn't be impeded in any way. the only way to actually get them to meet him is by proposing a food that he has never eaten before… Crow remembers an ancient recipe of a banished dish they found during an expedition, the Dark Pot. according to Cuit, its a legend among chefs worldwide, and it was banned because of its extremely strong flavour. Walter is certain Oscar has never eaten the dish before, since he’s never had to poison taste it; if they manage to make it, he will surely come. however, since the main chef and menu for the Grand Ball haven't been chosen yet, the group will have to handle this themselves, as even Cuit is working to get Oscar’s approval. the Dark Night duo overhears the convo, and they challenge the group to become the world’s best chefs. moving on, with Lannes’ help Emma manages to get a copy of the translated recipe, which leaves everyone confused:

ingredients: slim pig belly, floppy onions, blissful cabbage, smiling potatoes, snow grass (”sukisusuki kusa” lol), magma cacao pulp, mad grapes (according to Cuit they can all be purchased in Dilettant)

some of the steps include: sprinkle salt following your heart, stir the ingredients while shouting the food spell “◯◉◇☆x~!”, simmer it as hot as your first love.

the recipe doesn't make sense. they decide to rely on crow’s good luck to make a decent dish.

snow grass: ill be very brief because these chapters are mostly humour based. Emma, Noah, Itsuki, Crow and Walter go to a forest to get the grass; there’s plenty of poisonous plants which is why Walter is tagging along. the Dark Night duo is also following the group and they eat poisonous plants bc they see Walter doing it thus getting food poisoning. they get to where the grass is, and the taller they get it the better. the duo jumps ahead, but they get trapped by the grass who traps enemies in self-defence. Itsuki follows suit, but when extracting the grass, the plant lets out a soul-wrenching scream, while also working an aphrodisiac on Itsuki, making him fall in love. Crow jumps in to the rescue and everything goes well. heres a few things we find out during this ch: Itsuki loves cooking but he’s terrible at it (which is why he’s giving it his all to make this dish), Noah used to live in a forest with other kids but said forest doesn't exist anymore, Walter comes from a family of poison specialists, and he holds Oscar in an extremely high regard.

magma cocoa powder: now its only Emma and Kuchen, and he takes her to a shop that sells the cocoa they need, which is apparently extremely spicy. Emma politely thanks him, but he tells her to stop being so formal and to drop the “-san” honorific. as he laughs at her stiffness, and a crowd of girls go crazy from afar because omg THE Kuchen just laughed!!!! and who is that his new gf???? they banter for a bit until Emma changes the topic, asking him if he’s ready for the Grand Ball. Kuchen replies saying that he’ll just do it the same as always: if he’s the one making the chocolate then obviously it will be the best. then Emma says “you have so much confidence. you truly are a genius chocolatier, aren't you?” to which Kuchen doesn't reply, a troubled expression on his face. as they walk, Emma spots a shop with a poster saying their chocolate was even approved by Kuchen, who stops dead in his tracks and asks Emma to buy him some. she does, but apparently the chocolate is low-quality. he tears the poster down and starts fighting with the owner, who apparently knows him. Kuchen accuses him of copying the recipe of the chocolatier who used to work for the shop, the one he had actually praised, and of mass-producing the chocolate to save money. they get into a bitter fight, and the owner yells at Kuchen that an arrogant person like him will be shunned immediately the moment he loses Oscar’s backing. they walk off, and kuchen explains that things like these happen quite often; but in any case, he has no intention of leaving the guild: if there’s anywhere he can create the best chocolate in the world, that’s next to Oscar. Emma says that she understands, and that his passion for chocolate is shining through, which leaves Kuchen shocked (they usually take him for a fool). they go back to the guild, where Victor is fighting w Riche to make him try a spritz (Riche is a full believer of pure wine only despite liking the spritz). Emma approaches Cuit, complimenting him for his hard work and adding that she should truly be more like him. Cuit says “yeah thats right… if it wasn't for hard work I probably… (implying he’s no one without hard work → talentless), leaving Emma like ???????

mud grapes: Riche, Victor and Emma this time! they visit the most famous vineyard in the outskirts of the city, and they easily get the grapes as the vineyard gifts them for the special occasion, although usually mud grapes cannot be grown artificially. Emma mentions that she thanks both Kuchen and Riche-san, and Riche stops dead in his tracks. DID SHE JUST CALL KUCHEN WITHOUT A HONORIFIC?? ARE THEY ALREADY THIS CLOSE??? WHAT HAPPENED DURING THAT OUTING!!! IS SHE TRYING TO DISTRACT HIS BROTHERS!!! etc. Emma is trying to defend herself but Riche is literally standing meters away bc of his (hasnt been explained yet) problem with women, whatever that is (Emma believes he just hates her, but Victor understands right away).

(im not putting many pics in these summaries but i just want you guys to understand)

He gets closer while still hiding behind Victor. he admits she’s different from all the other women that get close to his brothers, and they kinda make peace? but Emma feels a weird sensation, the same one she felt when she saw Oscar from afar, and shivers. Navi appears from the key, scaring Riche shitless, telling her she’s almost got the right answer! this time its just familiars though! a fight ensues, and once its over, due to the presence of the familiars, Emma knows that a black fairy is nearby, although shes unsure as to who might be behind this all.

In the meantime, in the city, Gran is alone with Rouge. the latter playfully asks him whats going on: everyone’s busy gathering the ingredients but he's inviting him out to hang out. Gran tells him that he's grateful for his presence, and that despite acting sleazy, he's always very helpful, especially when the others get a bit chaotic. however, he's been doubting him ever since the incident at Bloody lady. when Itsuki and Noah were abducted, the kidnapper dropped a handkerchief: its the one Gran gave Rouge on the very first day they met. furthermore, he guided them around the casino, gave them information on the secret gathering, and he was able to precede the DN duo. Gran asks if he’s a tsukiwatari nakama, if he's truly family?

Emma and Gran meet up at the guild. Noah didn't really care about the cooking part so he went somewhere. as for Rouge… Gran says he went for a drink somewhere. Victor is also somewhere in the city. this means that Itsuki and Crow are the only two ones cooking (aka… its BAD). when they walk in the kitchen, Gran nearly collapses to the floor, attacked by a black miasma coming from Itsuki’s plate. he begs Emma to try the food (its actually black materia), and Emma is like “THIS IS EDIBLE????”; she wants to try regardless, since Itsuki’s eyes are shining like two stars. Gran tells her to wait, he needs to fetch stomach medicine first- and Crow just tells Itsuki that theres no way Emma can eat that unless he wants to actually kill her… Itsuki apologises, he got too ahead of himself :( the black fairies appear and start making fun of him (”this… this has the smell of death”, “humans eat such trash??? their foolishness knows no bounds…”). The rest of the preparations are a bit of a mess, with Crow cutting the vegetables in fist-sized portions, the unclear instructions on seasoning, etc. As the dish is slow cooking, Emma meets Riche outside the kitchen, and together they overhear Kuchen and Cuit talking from another kitchen. Cuit, despite being terribly busy with managing guests and staff, has decided to change his menu, in order to better suit Kuchen’s perfect dessert. Riche accuses Emma of peeping, but Kuchen overhears their banter and invites them in, where he has Emma try the desert he’ll serve at the grand ball: a multilayered chocolate cake. Emma finds it perfect, commenting that this is why Kuchen is so confident… this remark leaves Cuit feeling insecure, so he excuses himself with a lie and leaves.

Emma returns to the dark pot kitchen, and we are told the DN duo’s past (directly narrated by them despite no one asking lol). They lived in a nameless country, in a nameless city, with no parents nor house, a place rampant with diseases and crime. Their dream was to become the world’s no.1 heroes of justice. They would stand up to adults bullying children, getting beaten up in their stead. One day, they fell into a trap made by the bad guys, were confronted by the police and had to run away from the city. Then, they arrived to a certain country, where they started working as servants to a certain noble, an evil man who stole money from the people. They tried finding evidence of his crimes to get him prosecuted, but failed and were accused instead. This process of being kicked out and being accused repeated itself a few times, until they decided to become bounty hunters to make ends meet. On their first job, they got saved by Nanashi who, upon hearing of their past, told them that since they had always lost to “evil” then they just had to become even more “evil” to win. To conquer evil with evil (ikemen villains im looking at you). And thats how they started working with the Butterfly. Unfortunately, they were fired from there too, and after Oscar approached them in Dilettant, they have decided to prove their worth through cooking. Crow says that Joe (pink haired brother, the oldest one) is making a terrible face, and that dreams are supposed to be more fun to talk about. Ace disagrees, some happy people with sparkling dreams like them and no hardships could never understand. The duo goes back to taking care of their pot.

In the meantime, Victor and Noah are talking together as they stroll through town. Noah thinks the others act a bit too friendly, and he points out how weird Primus club is for having members that don't trust each other like Camus and Ymir. Victor says that although his guild is made up of selfish people with different agendas and personalities, the casino is an irreplaceable home to all of them. As they talk, they spot Oscar with no black fairy, and they chase after him. Scene cuts to Nanashi who has successfully infiltrated somewhere, he talks to himself until he goes “damn… I'm already at the talking to myself stage? I might be missing Joe and Ace more than i thought… hey, black fairy, you’re the only one I can count on here; there’s someone that’ll be perfect for you…”.

The dark pot has been completed! Emma goes into the courtyard to report to Cuit, and finds him sitting on a bench. He apologises for not being of much help, and when asked about how his menu is proceeding, he answers that it’s still a bit… blurry. Emma notices a mug with snow grass soup in it. Cuit asks if she wants to try it, and when she does she’s overjoyed! Then, they proceed to have a cute little interaction where he asks her to drop the honourifics, while he switches from “Emma-san” to “Emma-chan”! Feeling a bit less shy, she asks him if he’s worried about anything, adding that as a guildkeeper she can help him with anything at all! Cuit laughs and inches closer, he’s so happy: first she compliments his cooking with sparkling eyes, now she’s lending an ear to him… he explains that his Grand Ball full course meal included Riche’s wines and Kuchen’s chocolate; however, he knows that Oscar won’t choose him for the event, so he’s just holding back his brothers. On the other hand, Kuchen managed to create the perfect dish effortlessly, so he can’t help but compare himself to his brother. Emma tells him that the only thing she can say is that the soup he made was so delicious, she smiled. that’s why—

Victor: “WE HAVE A PROBLEM!”.

Victor and Noah come rushing in the garden and they start telling how they chased Oscar into a suspicious building where he was having a suspicious meeting with about 10 suspicious looking chefs, where he told them that the Ball is approaching soon so failure will not be an option as his black fairy hovered behind him. Emma and Cuit suspect he’s planning to make the black fairy go wild at the Grand Ball. Riche approaches them, but he seems unresponsive. A black fairy appears at his side, together with Nanashi, who declares not to know anything about Oscar’s situation (is he telling the truth though?); Crow and the others went to patrol the streets, so now they have to handle Riche by themselves. Riche pours wine into a glass, then smashes it on the ground once he’s gulped it all down. Kuchen arrives at the scene, and Riche starts with a monologue on how he will never forgive his brothers! They are just TOO WONDERFUL! Kuchen has received a gift from God, Which is why he’s the best chocolatier around; the women he dates are unworthy, and he should just cut them all off!!!!!! And why is Cuit so insecure when his cooking is one of the best around!!!!!!!!! When he was a kid he was a troublemaker who got into fights a lot, but he always made sure to come back home in time because he wanted to eat Cuit’s meals!!!!!!!! He will never forgive him for underestimating his own cooking. Kuchen understands, then asks Cuit if he’s been looking at the face of the person who eats his food lately. Emma joins in, but before much can be said, Riche continues: HOW DARES OSCAR LEAVE HIS BROTHERS OUT THE GRAND BALL!!!!!! HE CANT FORGIVE HIM! HE’LL DESTROY EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Fight ensues, the black fairy is purified and sucked into the key, and riche collapses to the ground. Nanashi says “purification complete, met my quota, time to leave!”. Then he swears he doesn't know anything about Oscar’s black fairy: things have been tough on them lately. Noah:”So cant u just stay still??” Nanashi:”Nope! I wanted to see Emma-chan! ;P”. Dark night duo walk into the scene by chance, where they see Nanashi. The latter comments how they have given up so easily on their dream to become the most evil duo in the world; but whatever, he didn’t really mind their stupid positivism (Joe and Ace are left “!!!!”). Then he leaves.

Riche awakens some time later in one of the castle bedrooms (IDK if i said this before but the guild’s hq is called castle Edouard) after getting patched up by Walter, who pats him on the head and looks at Kuchen before stepping to the side. This prompts the eldest to speak up, apologising to Riche and promising he’ll try not to worry him too much in the future. Cuit also promises to believe in himself more, and that he’ll definitely have Oscar approve of his cooking for the Ball (cue Walter patting his head lol; every time he does it everyone always gets embarrassed and blushes. He approached Kuchen like 👁️👁️ and Kuchen goes “N-no…im fine….”). Crow, Gran and Itsuki come into the room, and they start discussing what just happened. Regardless of whether it’s the Butterfly’s work or not, they have to stop the duke before things turn violent. However, Cuit asks for 2 days of time: if there’s truly something wrong with Oscar, Cuit and his brothers want to ascertain it w their own hands.

Flashback: Cuit loses a competition because a rival chef mixed something into his dishes. Oscar steps in, saying that he ate Cuit’s dish, and that man added 25.8 grams of Bougetto (?) liquor in the sauce. The other chef defends himself: even if this is Oscar we’re talking about, he can’t treat him however he wants, he’s the chef of the yadda yadda family and blah blah blah. Oscar has no ears for someone tarnishing gourmet food. “Cuit, let’s go”. That Noble family is actually really close with the royal family, And they don’t let anyone get in their way, so Oscar’s position could be in trouble; but he doesn’t care, as he will not allow food to be degraded. He adds that if something were to happen to him, then Cuit and the others will have to take up his role.

If the black fairy is distorting Oscar’s belief, then it is up to them to do something about it; this is their gourmet pride (chapter title drop oooh). Walter will keep an eye on Oscar and let them know if he does anything suspicious, whereas Emma promises to step in in case things go south: as a guildkeeper, she wont let meisters get hurt!

Three days later, they finally get to meet Oscar to have him try the dark pot; he gives them some kind of backhanded compliments which make the group feel like he’s indirectly yelling/mad at them. However, before trying their dish, they request him to try Cuit/Riche/Kuchen’s meal first. I will not be translating the entirety of the meal the they give Oscar however: Cuit proposes a dish made with foreign vegetables, and Oscar is not happy with this decision; Cuit points out that these vegetables are not inferior in quality despite being cheaper, but they give a more homely feeling, something that is kind of important to Oscar if you read his past story. He then goes on to explain how they tried incorporating the guests’ countries of origin in the menu for the grand ball. This is a great responsibility, because it means that all dishes must be equally good, or the guests from a certain country will be displeased; it’s why Cuit wants to be the one to handle the menu: the skill of a chef is seen in these situations. After the meal, it appears that Oscar is extremely pleased. But.

“I will not let you serve this at the Grand Ball”.

Everyone’s appalled, so they just hit him with their suspicions. Oscar’s black fairy, Feld, appears. And he seems to be, extremely angry, to the point where Oscar is struggling to stand up. He directly addresses him by name, telling him to calm down (meaning he’s by now acquainted with the fairy). Navi comes out of the key, and he points out how Feld is different from all other black fairies they have met until now: instead of being violently out of control, he feels a bit weak. They explain to Oscar what the situation is and what black fairies are. Feld appeared in front of Oscar one day, and “stirred” his emotions, which he accepted as a good thing, as he, too, is driven by anger just like Feld. This basically means that the fairy has been trying to go out of control, but Oscar has been resisting through sheer willpower alone, although his body suffers from it. Emma gets ready to purify him, but Oscar refuses to let go of this anger now. Emma, ask him what in the world is he so angry about? He mysteriously tells her that if she wants to understand she has to follow him.

Fast forward a bit, Emma is accompanying Oscar to a party held at an aristocratic mansion. she doesn’t really know what’s happening plus she’s worried about messing up w her manners in such a lavish place. Oscar says:” don’t worry about the nobles, just think of them as potatoes” (lol) “but Oscar that’s disrespectful!” “Yeah, poor potatoes, sorry for comparing you to these people..” (LOLL). During the meal all the aristocrats are chatting among themselves and Oscar looks angrier and angrier although Emma doesn’t really understand why. Then, an aristocrat approaches Oscar and they start talking: the latter asks about how his chef (someone who Oscar noticed as being quite talented) was doing, and the noble replied saying that he was replaced with a chef from another noble family of chefs who are famous for producing top-quality cooks. The aristocrat keeps talking, looking down on “untalented nobodies” and whatnot. When dinner is over, Emma confesses she kind of understands him now: what most of those people enjoyed was not the good food but the title and brand that came with the chefs. Oscar goes on to say how these people eat food that is made with high-quality ingredients and praise it because of the quality of the ingredients themselves; as he says this a dark aura surrounds him. This is the disease that is currently rampant in the country: chefs’ competitiveness should be encouraged, but the people evaluating them are rotten to the core. As a result, unknown but skilled chefs are being deprived of opportunities to grow. He is enraged at the current state of the country, which is why the guild is having the Grand Ball. He simply tells her to look forward to it.

The day comes and Emma is allowed to sit next to Oscar in case the black fairy goes crazy. The dishes are brought in and everyone is enjoying the taste of them without knowing the names of the chefs and where the ingredients come from; therefore Oscar is forcing them to “enjoy the food” rather than the titles that come with it.

At the end of the night he presents the 10 chefs who prepared the entire menu to the invitees: the Dilettant aristocrats recognised them as being the unknown chefs they fired from their kitchens in favour of celebrity chefs; Oscar exposes their hypocrisy in front of the foreign guests, making them appear as fools. On the other hand, foreign guests are delighted at the idea of hiring these unknown but extremely skilled chefs. Later, Oscar finally confronts the Dilettant aristocrats, outing his ire and disgust. The aristocrats fall silent and when they leave, they are embarrassed and with red faces. Oscar delightfully laughs like a child at them. Him and Emma chitchat about everything that went on and the way Oscar had to train the chefs by making them do the dishes 300 times. As they talk, they are approached by an extremely well-dressed man and his attendant: it’s Dilettant’s king, who thanks Oscar for hitting at those nobles’ reputation in public. The country can now finally start working to meet the standards of its reputation as a country of food lovers.

Later on Emma purifies Oscar of the black fairy who now regains some kind of consciousness and he starts speaking (after he sends Evan flying with a punch). The person he used to protect once upon a time was a man who was accused of a crime he didn’t commit and who died in despair. Navi ask him what the hell he is since he wasn’t inside the key nor he was losing control. Mateo and Rive (?) come from the key, and mentioned their own experiences: they were overwhelmed by negative emotions and it is impossible for the host to maintain a sense of self. Feld doesn’t remember anything at all. However, he has a vague memory of a huge tree, which is the one Emma saw during the “purification incident” back with Bloody Lady (CH2 PT18). This seems to resonate with all black fairies present. 

Emma reports the information to Crow, and they surmise that the tree might be the place where black fairies originate from. They also suppose that Eden, Emma’s father, might be there.

The next day it is officially a week since the group has arrived in the city and tomorrow they will have to leave to the next country. Before that, they are having Oscar to try the dark pots: Itsuki and Crow’s being red, whereas joe and ace’s being black. All of a sudden Rouge has also come back from whatever he was doing in the city, leaving a very perplexed Gran, and an angry Victor and Noah. Oscar tries both but the first is terrible, and the second just tastes weird (is this goldilocks?); Crow defends himself by asking if this is not the taste of rare and ancient cuisine. But no later than he speaks, Cuit walks in with a third pot, containing a golden coloured soup. Obviously it’s amazing. The DN duo says that technically the others’ rating was “terrible”, whereas theirs is “weird”, meaning they technically won the challenge. Regardless, they don’t feel as happy as they thought they would, because, as Emma points out, this is not their real dream (she says that despite them being villains, she really liked the look in their eyes). Oscar admits approaching them not for their cooking skills but for their anger. They realise that what the others are saying is right and that they are destined to fight evil with evil. Before leaving Joe turns to Emma and tells her that although he was flattered at her “love confession” (which never happened), he cannot accept her feelings yet (Emma:”i somehow got dumped!!!”).

(Some sort of flashback i think?) Rouge tells Gran how kind Emma is to everyone, even someone like him. The fact that the others consider him as family makes him a bit uncomfortable and he thinks he doesn’t really deserve it, especially since he doesn’t believe in the “ fundamentals” (?) of people. However, Gran points out, he still mindful of them which is why he doesn’t say anything about it. Rouge cannot bring himself to tell those kids that there is a traitor among us (amogus…).

The DN duo is leaving; Emma tries to inform them of something but Joe is like “no I’m sorry I can’t be with you even if you try to stop me we cannot be together. I have something to do. Blah blah blah”. The truth was that actually Cuit had invited all of them to the guild’s top famous restaurant. There, he manages to guess what everyone wants to eat specifically without them saying anything at all. Everyone pretty much starts eating like animals since Cuit’s food is so good. Even Victor, who normally speaks in a very polite and kind of effeminate way goes “BRO WHAT THE HELL THIS IS SO FUC- i mean! How delicious^^!”. Kuchen brings in some chocolates he made with the super spicy magma cacao, telling Emma that the smile on her face when eating these chocolates is the cutest and most honest until now. Oscar walks in, apologising for not being able to show his gratitude better. He notices Kuchen’s chocolates and tells him to use no additives next time, just make it 100% spicy (kuchen:”YOU’LL DIE LIKE THAT??” But of course he accepts the challenge from Oscar). Oscar then turns to Cuit, informing him that the course menu he proposed the other day is to be served to the next trilateral talks under direct request of his majesty. Oscar and Walter pretty much run away after this because after the Grand Ball happened the avalanche of work that was put off is now cascading on top of them like crazy. Cuit feels sorry that they can’t help him in any way and he wishes that they had a guild keeper, hinting at Emma. He lets her know that since Oscar went through the trouble of coming all the way here to bid farwell to them, he must’ve surely taken a liking to her.

The time to go to Woodland has come, and the moonroad has appeared without delay. Victor is to return to Grayland, and Rouge appears to be leaving as well (“the winds are calling for me! Being a wandering poet is toughhh-“ Noah:”then just fly to the ends of the world.”). He says he’s joking, there’s something he actually needs to look into, though he promises he’ll come rushing to help them when they’re in a pinch. We find out through the conversation that he has with Victor after the others leave that Rouge is actually going to Record as he has business with the federation. While the others are walking and talking to each other on the moon road, Navi appears from the key and informs Emma that the black fairy they captured in record, the one that had been asleep all along, has just woken up. Emma is engulfed by a white light and the black fairy tells her that he has awakened due to her powers of purification growing stronger. Then he disappears and when Emma returns to normal, nobody but Navi can see her. The scene cut to Testament commenting how the Awakening has started.

[dankusner]

Feast of the Gods, Jan van Bijlert, 1635

The Apollonian and Dionysian, two great western principles, govern sexual personae in life and art.

My theory is this:

Dionysus is identification,

Apollo objectification.

Dionysus is the empathic, the sympathetic, emotion transporting us into other people, other palaces, other times.

Apollo is the hard, cold separation of western personality and categorical thought.

Dionysus is energy, ecstasy, hysteria, promiscuity, emotionalism — heedless indiscriminateness of idea or practice.

Apollo is obsessiveness, voyeurism, idolatry, fascism — frigidity and aggression of the eye, petrification of objects. …

The quarrel between Apollo and Dionysus is the quarrel between the higher cortex and the older limbic and reptilian brains.

C. Paglia

In a healthy culture, Apollonian order beats back Dionysian wild, and learns something from it in the bargain. 

Christians express outrage over Last Supper drag performance during opening ceremonies of Olympics

An “artistic” performance involving drag during the Olympics’ opening ceremonies has spurred intense backlash.

After a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting ‘The Last Supper’ was featured during the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night, the Paris 2024 organizers issued an apology to Catholics and other Christian groups.

The reenactment included drag queens, a transgender model, a naked singer portraying the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, and a child.

Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet said, “The idea was to really trigger a reflection.”

Well, you succeeded in triggering something… worldwide outrage.

Anne Descamps, spokesperson for Paris 2024, mentioned during a press conference that the opening ceremony’s focus was to “celebrate community tolerance.”

I think it is safe to say people are getting tired of being told that we must celebrate debauchery in the name of “tolerance.”

Fitness guru Jillian Michaels posted on X: “Dear fellow gays… We demand tolerance and respect but then make a mockery of something sacred for over 2 billion Christians. This type of hypocrisy and lack of understanding is a bad look. We get outraged when the extreme right bashes us, but then we do this shit. What kind of reaction do you think they will have towards the LGBTQ+ community after this. This is NOT how we break down barriers it’s how you build them.”

Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini criticized the scene, calling it insulting and “sleazy.”

He said, “Opening the Olympics by insulting billions of Christians across the world was a really bad start.”

Here’s what House Speaker Mike Johnson had to say about it:

“Last night’s mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today. But we know that truth and virtue will always prevail. ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ (John 1:5),” he posted.

As extensively covered by The Dallas Express, drag has come under fire in Texas for allegedly being “derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny,” at least according to one university president who canceled a drag show that was supposed to be held on his campus.

Anyway, here’s some of what Fox News reported on the controversy:Prominent Catholic leader and evangelist Bishop Robert Barron rebuked the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Paris this week for “mocking this very central moment in Christianity.”

Barron, the head of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota and viral Catholic influencer, posted a video to X Friday lamenting the startling display of drag queens posing as Christ and his apostles at the Last Supper that was part of the opening ceremony of the summer games in the French capital.

“What do I see but this gross mockery of the Last Supper,” Barron told his more than 285 thousand X followers on Friday.

Barron told Fox News Digital that the spectacle of the drag queen “Last Supper” performance was a sign Christians in the West were becoming too passive and “weak.”

The controversial display featured numerous performers, including drag queens and a large woman in a halo crown, parodying “The Last Supper,” a universally recognizable painting by renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci of Christ and his apostles on the night of Passover before Christ’s passion and death.

Controversy Erupts Over Paris Olympics Take on Leonardo’s ‘Last Supper’

Organizers of the Paris Olympic Games have apologized for what appeared to be reenactment of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper at the opening ceremonies featuring a colorful cast of drag queens.

But they insist the scene was actually meant to be an ancient Greek bacchanal—not a mockery of a key moment from the Christian religion.

“The idea was to create a big pagan party in link with the God of Mount Olympus,” opening ceremony director Thomas Jolly, told France’s BFMTV. “[The Last Supper is] not my inspiration and that should be pretty obvious.”

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide,” he added in an interview with the AP, noting that he had been bullied as a child for being gay.

The four-hour event saw athletes float along the River Seine in a unique take on the parade of nations, with performances along the route to the Eiffel Tower.

On the Passerelle Debilly bridge, a drag fashion show kicked off with the figures posing dramatically along one side of the raised catwalk, as if sitting at a long table.

The central figure, DJ and producer Barbara Butch, was behind a turntable wearing an elaborate, rayed silver head piece that some viewers interpreted as a reference to Jesus with a halo.

“In this scene from the Olympic opening ceremony, the famous painting of The Last Supper is recreated, Jesus is replaced with an obese woman, while queer and trans figures (including a child!) depict her apostles,” Jenna Ellis, Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign attorney to, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“The idea of the central figure with a halo and a group of followers on either side—it’s so typical of The Last Supper iconography that to read it in any other way might be a little foolhardy,” art historian Sasha Grishin, of Australian National University, told the New York Times.

But social media users suggested that Butch wasn’t meant to be Jesus, but the French Lady Liberty, also known as Marianne, a symbol of the nation.

There were also at least 17 Olympic performers, compared to the 12 apostles in The Last Supper, with poses that recalled voguing more than the clustered groupings of three men in the Leonardo fresco.

And The Last Supper doesn’t have obvious ties to French culture, which was heavily referenced during the opening ceremonies.

Leonardo’s other most famous work, the Mona Lisa, is of course housed at the Louvre.

The painting had a fun cameo in the festivities, when it was stolen by Despicable Me henchmen the Minions.

There is, however, a notable Old Master work that does call France home that seems a closer match to the controversial Olympic tableaux.

That’s Jan Harmensz van Biljert’s The Feast of the Gods, a 1635 Dutch painting from the collection of the Magnin Museum, in Dijon, eastern France.

In that work, the gods are sitting at a long table, with Apollo, the sun god, at the center.

There is also a child at the meal, matching the child in the Olympic performance that angered some viewers.

“Does this painting remind you of something?” the museum wrote on X after the ceremony’s conclusion.

(The similarities were also pointed out by a handful of social media users with deep art historical knowledge.)

The bacchanalian nature of the opening ceremonies scene became more explicit when the drag queens were joined by French actor Philippe Katerine.

He was playing the role of the Greek deity Dionysus, god of wine—for which France is well known—and festivity, and father of Sequana, the goddess of the Seine river.

Skin painted bright blue and nearly nude, he was revealed beneath a giant silver cloche surrounded by fruit like the main course of the feast.

In all, it was a tribute to French joie de vivre, as well as the nation’s reputation for gastronomic excellence.

The official Olympics social media account shared a photo of the scene, noting that the “interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.”

“We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that,” Jolly said at a press conference following the event.

“In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.”

Nevertheless, the outrage from conservative voices on social media was immediate, calling the performance blasphemous and even satanic.

Official statements from various religious groups followed. The French Catholic Church’s conference of bishops “deplored a ceremony that included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity.”

And politicians also chimed in, with Mike Johnson, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, calling the performance “shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world,” on X.

“Opening the Olympics by insulting billions of Christians around the world was a really bad start, dear French,” Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s far-right League party and the nation’s deputy prime minister, added.

Models walk along a catwalk on the Passerelle Debilly bridge, illuminated at night, during the Olympic opening ceremonies in Paris.

The scene's resemblance to the Last Supper sparked controversy among conservative Christians.

In response, the Olympic organizers did issue an apology.

“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said during an International Olympic Committee news conference.

“If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

However, event producers also issued a statement to the Wrap contradicting Jolly’s denials.

“For the ‘Festivities’ segment, Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting,” producers told the.

“Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect towards any religious group or belief… [Jolly] is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art. From Andy Warhol to The Simpsons, many have done it before him.”

[theadaptableeducator]

How and where did politics influence art movements?: An ‘Ism’ Overview - Perspectives Comparing And contrasting art movements

Politics has had a significant influence on art movements throughout history. Here are a few examples:

Renaissance Art: The Renaissance period in Europe was marked by a revival of classical learning and humanism. It was also a time of political upheaval, with city-states vying for power and the Catholic Church asserting its dominance. Art during this period was often used as a tool for political propaganda. For example, Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper" was commissioned by the Duke of Milan to celebrate his power and influence.

Socialist Realism: In the Soviet Union, the government mandated a style of art called Socialist Realism, which was intended to promote the ideals of communism. The style emphasized the depiction of the working class and the importance of collective effort. This style of art was used to promote the government's policies and to shape public opinion.

Pop Art: In the 1960s, the United States was going through a period of social and political upheaval, with the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and other issues dominating the national discourse. Pop art emerged as a response to this environment, with artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein using imagery from popular culture to comment on consumerism and the commodification of art.

Feminist Art: The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s inspired a new wave of artists who sought to challenge traditional gender roles and the male-dominated art world. Feminist artists like Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro created works that celebrated women's experiences and highlighted issues like domestic violence and reproductive rights.

Street Art: Street art, which emerged in the 1980s, was often a response to urban decay and social inequality. Street artists used public spaces to make political statements and to challenge the status quo. For example, the graffiti artist Banksy has created works that criticize government policies and the excesses of capitalism.

These are just a few examples of how politics has influenced art movements. In general, art has often been used as a tool for social and political commentary, and many artists have been motivated by a desire to effect social change.

[qnewsau]

Sydney Olympics featured our own drag show 24 years ago

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/sydney-olympics-featured-our-own-drag-show-24-years-ago/

Sydney Olympics featured our own drag show 24 years ago

Footage of Sydney’s own Olympics drag show from our closing ceremony in 2000 has resurfaced after the homophobic backlash to the Paris Games.

For more than four days, Christians and other conservatives have been up in arms that during the Paris opening ceremony, a group of French performers dared to recreate Leonardi da Vinci’s The Last Supper while queer.

Aussies are now also reminiscing on the last time we hosted the Olympics, in Sydney in 2000.

At the closing ceremony in Sydney, dozens of Australian drag performers join the loud and colourful parade around the stadium. The drag float was a tribute to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Sydney 2000 closing ceremony had drag queens driving heels in a tribute to Priscilla FYI pic.twitter.com/QYMFvSLrdx

— adam (@adamjmoussa) July 26, 2024

Forty-six of Sydney’s top drag queens were approached and cast in the performance, putting on original gowns and costumes from the 1994 queer classic.

A recreated Priscilla bus was also part of the parade, and during the closing ceremony, performers attached giant lashes to the buses’ windscreen.

Drag queen Vanessa Wagner rode atop a giant pink wig on the Priscilla bus.

Out in front, drag performers pedalled the iconic giant high heel shoe bicycles.

The Priscilla float in the Sydney 2000 closing ceremony was one of a few that celebrated Aussie films.

It followed Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan, who was surrounded by Australian animal costumes as he rode atop a giant Akubra hat.

‘The homosexual capital of the world’

The drag queens’ involvement in the Sydney closing ceremony – which also featured Kylie Minogue – was kept very hush-hush.

Olympics bosses announced it around three weeks before the Games began, and at the time, there was backlash.

Callers raged to conservative talkback radio stations that a Priscilla show was “endorsing a gay lifestyle”.

Church leaders and far-right politicians warned it could make Sydney the “homosexual capital of the world.”

“This blatant condoning of a public homosexual display during the closing ceremony will not enhance the Olympic Games nor Australia as host to the Games,” NSW MP Reverend Fred Nile said in 2000.

“Homosexual and lesbian behaviour is not a true representation of Australian culture and lifestyle.

“Drag queens do not truly represent our great Aussie culture at all.”

In reality, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was a box office hit and became an Australian classic. The film is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

The movie is returning to cinemas in September. It now has a popular outback drag festival dedicated to it. A highly-anticipated sequel is in development 30 years later.

In just under a decade, Brisbane will bring the Olympics back to Australia in 2032. Bring back the shoe bicycles!

The Gold Coast hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2018. At Surfers Paradise during the Games, Courtney Act hosted an entire concert dedicated to drag queens and queer performers.

Read more:

Drag Race host Nicky Doll’s defiant response to Olympics backlash

Guy Pearce weighs in on Priscilla Queen of the Desert sequel

‘Save the queen’: How the original Priscilla bus was rediscovered

‘They booed’: Stephan Elliott recalls horror first Priscilla screening

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.28 (after 1960)

1961 – Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners is published in several internationally read newspapers. This will later be thought of as the founding of the human rights organization Amnesty International. 1964 – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is founded, with Yasser Arafat elected as its first leader. 1968 – Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 892 crashes near Nala Sopara in India, killing 30. 1974 – Northern Ireland's power-sharing Sunningdale Agreement collapses following a general strike by loyalists. 1975 – Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States. 1977 – In Southgate, Kentucky, the Beverly Hills Supper Club is engulfed in fire, killing 165 people inside. 1979 – Konstantinos Karamanlis signs the full treaty of the accession of Greece with the European Economic Community. 1987 – An 18-year-old West German pilot, Mathias Rust, evades Soviet Union air defences and lands a private plane in Red Square in Moscow, Russia. 1991 – The capital city of Addis Ababa falls to the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, ending both the Derg regime in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Civil War. 1995 – The 7.0 Mw  Neftegorsk earthquake shakes the former Russian settlement of Neftegorsk with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage was $64.1–300 million, with 1,989 deaths and 750 injured. The settlement was not rebuilt. 1996 – U.S. President Bill Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal, Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal, and the Governor of Arkansas, Jim Guy Tucker, are convicted of fraud. 1998 – Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of nuclear tests by India with five of its own codenamed Chagai-I, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions. Pakistan celebrates Youm-e-Takbir annually. 1999 – In Milan, Italy, after 22 years of restoration work, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece The Last Supper is put back on display. 2002 – The last steel girder is removed from the original World Trade Center site. Cleanup duties officially end with closing ceremonies at Ground Zero in Manhattan, New York City. 2003 – Peter Hollingworth resigns as Governor-General of Australia following criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse allegations during his tenure as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane. 2004 – The Iraqi Governing Council chooses Ayad Allawi, a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile, as prime minister of Iraq's interim government. 2008 – The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty. 2010 – In West Bengal, India, the Jnaneswari Express train derailment and subsequent collision kills 148 passengers. 2011 – Malta votes on the introduction of divorce; the proposal was approved by 53% of voters, resulting in a law allowing divorce under certain conditions being enacted later in the year. 2016 – Harambe, a gorilla, is shot to death after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, resulting in widespread criticism and sparking various internet memes. 2017 – Former Formula One driver Takuma Sato wins his first Indianapolis 500, the first Japanese and Asian driver to do so. Double world champion Fernando Alonso retires from an engine issue in his first entry of the event.

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[labbaik-ya-hussain-as]

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞 - 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙣 𝙅𝙤𝙝𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚

When Israeli president Isaac Herzog described the assault on Gaza as a war “to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization,” he wasn’t really lying. He was telling the truth — just maybe not quite in the way that he meant it.

The demolition of Gaza is indeed being perpetrated in defense of western values, and is itself a perfect embodiment of western values. Not the western values they teach you about in school, but the hidden ones they don’t want you to look at. Not the attractive packaging with the advertising slogans on the label, but the product that’s actually inside the box.

For centuries western civilization has depended heavily on war, genocide, theft, colonialism and imperialism, which it has justified using narratives premised on religion, racism and ethnic supremacy — all of which we are seeing play out in the incineration of Gaza today.

What we are seeing in Gaza is a much better representation of what western civilization is really about than all the gibberish about freedom and democracy we learned about in school. A much better representation of western civilization than all the art and literature we’ve been proudly congratulating ourselves on over the centuries. A much better representation of western civilization than the love and compassion we like to pretend our Judeo-Christian values revolve around.

It’s been so surreal watching western rightists babbling about how savage and barbaric Muslim culture is amid the 2023 zombie resurrection of Bush-era Islamophobia, even while western civilization amasses a mountain of ten thousand child corpses.

That mountain of child corpses is a much better representation of western culture than anything Mozart, da Vinci or Shakespeare ever produced.

This is western civilization. This is what it looks like.

Western civilization, where Julian Assange awaits his final appeal in February against US extradition for journalism which exposed US war crimes.

Where we are fed a nonstop deluge of mass media propaganda to manufacture our consent for wars and aggression which have killed millions and displaced tens of millions in the 21st century alone.

Where we are kept distracted by vapid entertainment and artificial culture wars so we don’t think too hard about what this civilization is and who it is killing and maiming and starving and exploiting.

Where news cycles are dominated more by celebrity gossip and Donald Trump’s latest mouth farts than by the mass atrocities that are being actively facilitated by western governments.

Where liberals congratulate themselves for having progressive views on race and gender while the officials they elect help rip apart children’s bodies with military explosives.

Part 2 of 2 below:

Where Zionist Jews center themselves and their emotions because opposition to an active genocide makes them feel like they are being persecuted, and where Israel supporters who are not Jewish still kind of feel like they are being persecuted also.

Where a giant globe-spanning empire powered by militarism, imperialism, capitalism and authoritarianism devours human flesh with an insatiable appetite while we congratulate ourselves on how much better we are than nations like Iran or China.

These are western values. This is western civilization.

Ask somebody to tell you what their values are and they’ll give you a bunch of pleasant-sounding words about family and love and caring or whatever. Watch their actions to see what their actual values are and you’ll often get a very different story.

That’s us. That’s western civilization. We say we value freedom, justice, truth, peace and free expression, but our actions paint a very different picture. The real western values, the actual product inside the box underneath the attractive label, are the ones you see acted out in Gaza today.

[ilbosco-newcapital]

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[voskhozhdeniye]

When Israeli president Isaac Herzog described the assault on Gaza as a war “to save Western civilization, to save the values of Western civilization,” he wasn’t really lying. He was telling the truth — just maybe not quite in the way that he meant it. The demolition of Gaza is indeed being perpetrated in defense of western values, and is itself a perfect embodiment of western values. Not the western values they teach you about in school, but the hidden ones they don’t want you to look at. Not the attractive packaging with the advertising slogans on the label, but the product that’s actually inside the box. For centuries western civilization has depended heavily on war, genocide, theft, colonialism and imperialism, which it has justified using narratives premised on religion, racism and ethnic supremacy — all of which we are seeing play out in the incineration of Gaza today. What we are seeing in Gaza is a much better representation of what western civilization is really about than all the gibberish about freedom and democracy we learned about in school. A much better representation of western civilization than all the art and literature we’ve been proudly congratulating ourselves on over the centuries. A much better representation of western civilization than the love and compassion we like to pretend our Judeo-Christian values revolve around. It’s been so surreal watching western rightists babbling about how savage and barbaric Muslim culture is amid the 2023 zombie resurrection of Bush-era Islamophobia, even while western civilization amasses a mountain of ten thousand child corpses. That mountain of child corpses is a much better representation of western culture than anything Mozart, da Vinci or Shakespeare ever produced. This is western civilization. This is what it looks like. Western civilization, where Julian Assange awaits his final appeal in February against US extradition for journalism which exposed US war crimes. Where we are fed a nonstop deluge of mass media propaganda to manufacture our consent for wars and aggression which have killed millions and displaced tens of millions in the 21st century alone. Where we are kept distracted by vapid entertainment and artificial culture wars so we don’t think too hard about what this civilization is and who it is killing and maiming and starving and exploiting. Where news cycles are dominated more by celebrity gossip and Donald Trump’s latest mouth farts than by the mass atrocities that are being actively facilitated by western governments. Where liberals congratulate themselves for having progressive views on race and gender while the officials they elect help rip apart children’s bodies with military explosives. Where Zionist Jews center themselves and their emotions because opposition to an active genocide makes them feel like they are being persecuted, and where Israel supporters who are not Jewish still kind of feel like they are being persecuted also. Where a giant globe-spanning empire powered by militarism, imperialism, capitalism and authoritarianism devours human flesh with an insatiable appetite while we congratulate ourselves on how much better we are than nations like Iran or China. These are western values. This is western civilization. Ask somebody to tell you what their values are and they’ll give you a bunch of pleasant-sounding words about family and love and caring or whatever. Watch their actions to see what their actual values are and you’ll often get a very different story. That’s us. That’s western civilization. We say we value freedom, justice, truth, peace and free expression, but our actions paint a very different picture. The real western values, the actual product inside the box underneath the attractive label, are the ones you see acted out in Gaza today.

[solaris-girl]

100-ish classics and must-reads

solaris girl's list of 100 must-reads :-)

( bold = read. constantly updating!)

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 

1984 - George Orwell 

Animal Farm - George Orwell

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

The Giver - Lois Lowrey

The Book Thief - Markus Zusack

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain

The Stranger - Albert Camus

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky

Les Miserables -Victor Hugo

The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde

The Call of the Wild - Jack London

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

The Old Man and the Sea - Earnest Hemingway

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Catch - 22 - Joseph Heller

The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

Our Town - Thornton Wilder

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - Ken Kesey

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Candide - Voltaire

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate - Naomi Klein

The Raven - Edgar Allen Poe

Emma - Jane Austen

The Republic - Plato

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli 

Beloved - Toni Morrison

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

The Tell Tale Heart and Other Readings - Edgar Allan Poe

Atonement - Ian McEwan

Sidhartha - Hermann Hesse

The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco

Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neal Hurston

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry

The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R Tolkien

Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespear

The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom

Moby-Dick - Herman Melville

The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

I, Claudius - Robert Graves

The Pearl - John Steinbeck

The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

Middlemarch - George Eliot

The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Angels and Demons - Dan Brown

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

White Fang - Jack London

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein

The Godfather - Mario Puzo

The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Bronte

A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway

[mytalemyworld]

Songül: Since I am a cop, there are some news I was informed. A guy was caught in Edirne. He will give a statement, more like as a witness for a drug case. And the poeple from Ankara (the capital city) said they would come and interrogate him, however he must be protected until he appears in court which means someone has to protect him for 24 hours. This is what they said, I didn't say that. Sadi: Anddd?? Songül: And when it comes to the witness protection, you know, it's Songül Payaslı's job. They said I had to protect the witness. Sadi: Hold on a second. This witness...is a guy? Songül: Yes. Sadi: It won't do. Call Ankara and say it. It's not like there is a shortage of cops in this country.

His trademark question: Is the person a guy? And Songül is way too cute. She is like witness protection is my speical talent. Lol. 

Songül: There is nothing to be angry about. Sadi: I am not angry. Say that you have an Al Capone already. You are my bodyguard. If something happens to me here, you will be responsible. I am a repentant ex-mafia who has a bodyguard with the official permisson given by the Republic of Turkiye. Songül: Yes, you are, honey. Keep quiet, don't talk loudly. Sadi: I turned a new page in my life. Songül: You can do that. Nobody says you can't. Sadi: I trusted you. I trusted my bodyguard. Songül: But the guy would be left alone otherwise. That Italian guy. Don't drive a wedge between Italy and our country. Why did you smile? You seem to be angry. Sadi: What's that got to do with Italy? Songül: You can't believe it but he is Italian as much as he's a man. Sadi: May God give me patience! Look, it doesn't matter if it's him or not, even if Leonardo Da Vinci himself rose from dead it would not do. Neither would the other Italians. If it's necessesary, we will go to Ankara together. Songül: No, this is not necessesary- Sadi: Per favore Principessa...per favore Mamma Mia che cosa fai...see, you can have a witness who speaks Italian, is native and from here. Songül: The first and foremost witness I have is you. Of course I won't choose any other witness over you. Calm down. Sadi: Where is he from? North or South Italy? Songül: I don't know. I never asked. (jokes) He is from the middle, I guess. Sadi: Songül, my beautiful wife, it won't do. Songül: It will do. You have no right to say anything. This is my job in the end.

He is still grumbling ( “A stranger Italian will stay with my wife in a hotel room!”) and she is laughing.

May your happiness last forever my clown couple. 

The funny fact is that he was kidnapped for real after she had been tasked with protecting another witness. See, you can never joke about anything in this show. It may become real.

[kvetchlandia]

Harold Chapman     Gregory Corso in Room 41, the Beat Hotel.  Here, He Wrote the Poem 'Bomb,' Which was Originally Printed in the Form of a Mushroom Cloud,. Paris     c.1956

                   Budger of history   Brake of time   You   Bomb        Toy of universe   Grandest of all snatched sky   I cannot hate you        Do I hate the mischievous thunderbolt   the jawbone of an ass     The bumpy club of One Million B.C.   the mace   the flail    the axe   Catapult Da Vinci   tomahawk Cochise   flintlock Kidd   dagger Rathbone    Ah and the sad desparate gun of Verlaine   Pushkin   Dillinger   Bogart And hath not St. Michael a burning sword   St. George a lance   David a sling Bomb   you are as cruel as man makes you   and you're no crueller than cancer  All Man hates you   they'd rather die by car-crash   lightning   drowning Falling off a roof   electric-chair  heart-attack   old age   old age   O Bomb     They'd rather die by anything but you   Death's finger is free-lance  Not up to man whether you boom or not   Death has long since distributed its  categorical blue   I sing thee Bomb   Death's extravagance   Death's jubilee   Gem of Death's supremest blue   The flyer will crash   his death will differ    with the climbor who'll fall   to die by cobra is not to die by bad pork Some die by swamp   some by sea  and some by the bushy-haired man in the night   O there are deaths like witches of Arc   Scarey deaths like Boris Karloff    No-feeling deaths like birth-death   sadless deaths like old pain Bowery  Abandoned deaths   like Capital Punishment   stately deaths like senators   And unthinkable deaths like Harpo Marx   girls on Vogue covers   my own     I do not know just how horrible Bombdeath is   I can only imagine      Yet no other death I know has so laughable a preview   I scope      a city   New York City   streaming   starkeyed   subway shelter        Scores and scores   A fumble of humanity   High heels bend            Hats whelming away   Youth forgetting their combs          Ladies not knowing what to do   with their shopping bags            Unperturbed gum machines   Yet dangerous 3rd rail          Ritz Brothers   from the Bronx   caught in the A train                The smiling Schenley poster will always smile                   Impish death   Satyr Bomb   Bombdeath                     Turtles exploding over Istanbul                         The jaguar's flying foot                        soon to sink in arctic snow                     Penguins plunged against the Sphinx                        The top of the Empire state                    arrowed in a broccoli field in Sicily                 Eiffel shaped like a C in Magnolia Gardens                       St. Sophia peeling over Sudan                     O athletic Death   Sportive Bomb                       the temples of ancient times                         their grand ruin ceased                      Electrons   Protons   Neutrons                         gathering Hersperean hair                    walking the dolorous gulf of Arcady                          joining marble helmsmen                       entering the final ampitheater                     with a hymnody feeling of all Troys                        heralding cypressean torches                         racing plumes and banners                 and yet knowing Homer with a step of grace                       Lo the visiting team of Present                           the home team of Past                       Lyre and tube together joined                     Hark the hotdog soda olive grape                      gala galaxy robed and uniformed                      commissary   O the happy stands                      Ethereal root and cheer and boo                     The billioned all-time attendance                          The Zeusian pandemonium                            Hermes racing Owens                          The Spitball of Buddha                            Christ striking out                           Luther stealing third                      Planeterium Death   Hosannah Bomb                     Gush the final rose   O Spring Bomb                     Come with thy gown of dynamite green                       unmenace Nature's inviolate eye                         Before you the wimpled Past                   behind you the hallooing Future   O Bomb                        Bound in the grassy clarion air                         like the fox of the tally-ho                  thy field the universe thy hedge the geo                 Leap Bomb   bound Bomb   frolic zig and zag                The stars a swarm of bees in thy binging bag                      Stick angels on your jubilee feet                    wheels of rainlight on your bunky seat                     You are due and behold you are due                       and the heavens are with you                   hosanna incalescent glorious liaison                 BOMB O havoc antiphony molten cleft BOOM                    Bomb mark infinity a sudden furnace                 spread thy multitudinous encompassed Sweep                         set forth awful agenda              Carrion stars   charnel planets   carcass elements             Corpse the universe   tee-hee finger-in-the-mouth hop                       over its long long dead Nor                    From thy nimbled matted spastic eye                    exhaust deluges of celestial ghouls                      From thy appellational womb                   spew birth-gusts of of great worms                        Rip open your belly Bomb               from your belly outflock vulturic salutations               Battle forth your spangled hyena finger stumps                       along the brink of Paradise                         O Bomb   O final Pied Piper                both sun and firefly behind your shock waltz                          God abandoned mock-nude                 beneath His thin false-talc's apocalypse                        He cannot hear thy flute's                        happy-the-day profanations               He is spilled deaf into the Silencer's warty ear                    His Kingdom an eternity of crude wax                      Clogged clarions untrumpet Him                        Sealed angels unsing Him                      A thunderless God   A dead God                       O Bomb   thy BOOM His tomb                 That I lean forward on a desk of science                  an astrologer dabbling in dragon prose               half-smart about wars   bombs   especially bombs              That I am unable to hate what is necessary to love                That I can't exist in a world that consents            a child in a park   a man dying in an electric-chair                    That I am able to laugh at all things          all that I know and do not know   thus to conceal my pain              That I say I am a poet and therefore love all man           knowing my words to be the acquainted prophecy of all men                and my unwords no less an acquaintanceship                           That I am manifold                     a man pursuing the big lies of gold                      or a poet roaming in bright ashes                    or that which I imagine myself to be                a shark-toothed sleep   a man-eater of dreams                   I need not then be all-smart about bombs              Happily so   for if I felt bombs were caterpillars                   I'd doubt not they'd become butterflies                         There is a hell for bombs                      They're there   I see them there                       They sit in bits and sing songs                    mostly German songs                      And two very long American songs                    and they wish there were more songs                   especially Russian and Chinese songs                  and some more very long American songs                    Poor little Bomb that'll never be                       an Eskimo song   I love thee                        I want to put a lollipop                            in thy furcal mouth                     A wig of Goldilocks on thy baldy bean                  and have you skip with me Hansel and Gretel                        along the Hollywoodian screen                      O Bomb in which all lovely things                   moral and physical anxiously participate                O fairylike plucked from the                          grandest universe tree                      O piece of heaven which gives                     both mountain and anthill a sun                I am standing before your fantastic lily door                I bring you Midgardian roses   Arcadian musk                 Reputed cosmetics from the girls of heaven                   Welcome me   fear not thy opened door                     nor thy cold ghost's grey memory                   nor the pimps of indefinite weather                       their cruel terrestial thaw                          Oppenheimer is seated                       in the dark pocket of Light                    Fermi is dry in Death's Mozambique                         Einstein his mythmouth                 a barnacled wreath on the moon-squid's head             Let me in   Bomb   rise from that pregnant-rat corner                nor fear the raised-broom nations of the world                           O Bomb I love you                 I want to kiss your clank   eat your boom                    You are a paean   an acme of scream                      a lyric hat of Mister Thunder                        O resound thy tanky knees                     BOOM   BOOM   BOOM   BOOM   BOOM                      BOOM ye skies and BOOM ye suns                    BOOM BOOM ye moons   ye stars BOOM                     nights ye BOOM   ye days ye BOOM                 BOOM BOOM ye winds   ye clouds ye rains                    go BANG ye lakes   ye oceans BING                     Barracuda BOOM and cougar BOOM                       Ubangi BOOM   orangutang                 BING BANG BONG BOOM   bee bear baboon                        ye BANG ye BONG ye BING                       the tail the fin the wing                 Yes   Yes   into our midst a bomb will fall                 Flowers will leap in joy their roots aching          Fields will kneel proud beneath the halleluyahs of the wind            Pinkbombs will blossom   Elkbombs will perk their ears           Ah many a bomb that day will awe the bird a gentle look                 Yet   not enough to say a bomb will fall                  or even contend celestial fire goes out                Know that the earth will madonna the Bomb         that in the hearts of men to come more bombs will be born            magisterial bombs wrapped in ermine   all beautiful               and they'll sit plunk on earth's grumpy empires                     fierce with moustaches of gold

-- Gregory Corso, “Bomb”  1958