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hrk4 · 2 years ago

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The year that was...

Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face With stars to fill my dreams I am a traveller of both time and space To be where I have been To sit with elders of a gentle race This world has seldom seen They talk of days for which they sit and wait [When] all will be revealed — Opening lines of the song ‘Kashmir’ (1975) by Led Zeppelin

As a high school student, I was fascinated with astronomy. Every trip to the planetarium evoked in me such wonder, such joy that my measly earthly problems would fade away like a fart in the wind. By the time I was sixteen, I had decided to study astrophysics as my major. Destiny willed otherwise but those early years spent in the company of the cosmos gave me an infallible device to face the trials and adversities that life would put me through every now and then: Zoom Out. Whether it is a political crisis faced by a continent or an irksome bout of cough afflicting an individual, it just makes sense to see the bigger picture. Play around with the space-time coordinates and suddenly you find yourself seeing the problem from a completely different perspective.

Easier said than done.

Therefore, we seek support to put precept into practice: Travel. Books. Music. A resource upgrade. And most important of all, the company of the wise—of those “elders of a gentle race.”

In Chapter 13 of the Gita, enumerating various parameters that constitute Wisdom, Krishna mentions: “…जन्म-मृत्यु-जरा-व्याधि-दुःख-दोषानुदर्शनम्” (…janma-mrityu-jaraa-vyaadhi-duhkha-dosha-anudarshanam), which means Insight into the limitations and tribulations of birth, death, dotage, disease, and pain that comes by constant contact with these malaises of life.

Mere connexion with these experiences does not suffice to bestow upon us that deep insight; there is hardly a human anywhere who hasn’t been dirtied by these scars, but only a handful come out of it cleansed, revived, enlightened.

My 2022 had more than a fair share of vicissitudes and vexations but I would be ungrateful if I discount the immense assistance received from family and friends, travel, books, music, and the company of savants. I would also be nearsighted, nay sightless, if I fail to notice the many things that did go my way.

I was an ecstatic witness to the unfolding of two historic book projects – i. the publication of a mediaeval era manuscript (with translation, notes, and a scholarly introduction by Arjun Bharadwaj) titled ‘Sangeeta-darpana,’ which was a family heirloom of the legendary dancer Pt. Birju Maharaj (it had been his life’s dream to bring out the ms. and he lived to see the final draft and even composed a Foreword for the same). ii. a Festschrift volume for Dr. S R Ramaswamy titled ‘Deepa-saakshi’—with over fifty essays—put together under the guidance of Shataavadhaani Dr. R Ganesh. This led to—via a sort of domino effect no doubt—the publication of a two-volume anthology of original English Essays and Speeches of SRR (Vol. 1 comprises essays on literature, culture, and eminent personages while Vol. 2 contains writings on environment, economics, and swadeshi).

A few other books that came out in 2022 that I had the chance to behold, sitting in a front row seat – ‘The Dewans of Mysore’ (English translation of Vol. 4 of D V Gundappa’s Art Gallery of Memories done by Karthik Muralidharan et al.); the reprint of two of Rallapalli Anantakrishna Sarma’s books after a period of some fifty years – ‘Sahitya mattu Jeevanakale’ and ‘Gaanakale;’ SRR’s monograph ‘Drashtaara Savarkar;’ ‘Pratibhaadootam,’ a brilliant khanda-kaavya by Dr. Ganesh; and the ‘BWW Bangalore Anthology’ (edited by Bhumika Anand).

The Vedic seers of yore envisioned life as a grand celebration. Looking back at 2022, there were quite a few celebrations I was privileged to be a part of –

My uncle Seshadri turned eighty-five and my cousin Balaji had organized a lovely get-together in Om Shanti—a century-old Malleswaram bungalow and one of the last bastions of the delectable days of the Garden City; and my uncle, one of the last of the old school luminaries “whose passions not his masters are / whose soul is still prepared for death / Untied unto the world by care / of public fame or private breath,” as Sir Henry Wotton would say.

Bill Melton, the founder of The Melton Foundation, and someone who has greatly inspired me, turned eighty and the MFers celebrated it online.

In July, my guru Dr. L Subramaniam turned seventy-five and he insisted on spending the day at home with his family, sans all ostentation. It was my good fortune to be invited to spend the evening at his place with his children and grandchildren. Warm reminiscences of the days past accompanied by the merry bellowing of his grandson (constantly chaperoned by his big sister) and gourmet Japanese cuisine filled up the evening.

In September, my niece Mahathi got married in a grand ceremony spread over three days—and it was lovely to spend time with relatives, many of whom I had not seen in years.

Dr. S R Ramaswamy—who is much more than a mentor to me—turned eighty-five and his family-friends-admirers held a grand celebration (much to his chagrin) at the Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs, which has been his karma-bhoomi since 1945.

The friend of friends, Sri Ramachandra K B S turned sixty this year and our study group came together to celebrate it by causing him as much embarrassment as we could.

In December, my guru—sorry, vidvan-mitra—Dr. R Ganesh turned sixty and the day happily coincided (or perhaps it was by design?) with another event that brought many friends together.

In addition to formal celebrations, I enjoyed numerous get-togethers with friends old and new, young and old, living abroad and in the neighbourhood.

A particularly memorable meeting was thanks to my mother, who took me and my brother to meet the very first person who saw us on this planet—i.e., my mother’s gynaecologist Dr. Lalitha Bhaskar, who continues her practice in the very same nursing home in Malleswaram.

“Travel is fatal,” said Mark Twain, “to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…” and should that be the case, I hope I have been the victim at least in some measure. At the very start of 2022, I was off on a tour – to Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, and Palampur. Among the many highlights of the trip was a visit to the Norbulingka Institute, a residential school for Tibetan arts. The serenity of the place was only matched by the intensity of training by the students.

In June, LS sir was invited to play at the opening of the prestigious Moscow Jazz Festival and his manager was unable to travel with him for some reason—and sir asked me if I would like to go with him to Russia. The Indian Embassy had invited him and I was assured that it would be safe to travel! The open air show went really well—with thousands of music lovers standing in pouring rain listening to LS sir play. After the show, we went to see the Bolshoi Theatre and the following day, we went to the Tchaikovsky Museum in Moscow.

Being a huge fan of Tchaikovsky, LS sir wasn’t satisfied with the visit to museum; he wanted to visit Tchaikovsky’s house, which was in the outskirts of Moscow. Our local guide told us that we might miss the flight—but sir wanted to go. And on the way we realised that it was the weekly holiday and visitors weren’t allowed into the Tchaikovsky house. But they made an exception for Dr. LS, which meant we basically had a private tour of the place. And sure enough, we reached in time for our flight back home as well.

In addition to a few day-trips to different temples (Belur, Halebidu, Kolar, etc.) with friends, I also visited Hampi—thanks to Nirupama and Rajendra, who had a grand performance for August 15th at Hospet. For Dasara, my friend Shreehari and I went to Mysore and spent a charming weekend with our friends Kiran and Ajay, who had even made minute-to-minute plans for what we were to do (which, sadly, failed miserably; clearly, they had been unaware of my rapacious capacity for lethargy). For the year end, as always, there was a boys’ trip (this time, to a beautiful British era bungalow outside Munnar).

The German poet Goethe famously said, “Tell me who your companions are and I’ll tell you who you are. If I know how you spend your time, I can tell what will become of you.”

At least we must strive to spend time wisely and with wise people. In my life, I have been singularly fortunate to come in contact with great minds. ’22 was no exception.

Sometime in late January, LS sir called me and said, “It looks like my concert schedule is getting back to the pre-Covid days starting from March. I have a few big tours coming up. So, why don’t you come and spend a few weeks with me in February. You won’t have any distractions—you can just focus on violin practice.” On two separate occasions, I spent a few weeks at his place; mimicking the guru-kula-vaasa of old. This is where the student really gets to see the life of the guru from a broader perspective. LS sir had been anointed aasthaana-vidvaan of the Sringeri Mutt and he had to play a concert there. To watch him prepare for the concert was a masterclass in itself. It was possibly the first time he was playing there and he was so particular about not disappointing even a single member of the audience—and I realized that if he demands a certain intensity of practice from his students, he applies a far more rigorous standard to himself. In addition to learning a few lessons about assiduous practice, I also gleaned a lot of interesting episodes from his younger days. The conversations with Kavita ma’am about old Hindi film music are also cherished memories of mine. On one of the days I was there, I got the chance to meet the Salil Chowdhury’s daughter. Also, through the course of the year, I was able to assist LS sir in the preparation of his book of Carnatic compositions, which will come out in early ’23.

For several years, every Saturday morning in SRR’s office there is a gathering of friends—facetiously dubbed ‘Anubhava Mantapa’—and the conversations wildly swing from the ridiculous to the sublime, peppered with rib-tickling humour and long disremembered anecdotes. When I was asked to contribute an essay about SRR to the Festschrift volume, I thought it might be worthwhile to attend a few of these Saturday sessions. What started off as a self-imposed research assignment became a sacrosanct ritual. SRR’s casual utterances during the course of these meetings has proven to be no less than revelations to me.

Thanks to my friends Nirupama and Rajendra, I got the wonderful opportunity to meet Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam and interact with her. It was fascinating to catch a glimpse into the way she looked at things.

In addition to my recurrent discussions on a variety of topics with Prof. L V Shanthakumari, Dr. Y S Rajan, Dr. R Ganesh, and Dr. Manoj G, I had the opportunity to interact on more than one occasion with Sri Ramakrishna Rao (retired entrepreneur and senior VHP kaaryakarta) and Dr. Vaman Acharya (industrialist and former PCB chairman). I also got introduced to a few other remarkable individuals – Sri Nagesh Hegde (journalist and science writer), Prof. Swaminathan (founder of Tamil Heritage Trust, former IIT-D prof.) and Sri Sampathkumar (social worker, formerly a senior executive in TCS).

One of great archaeologists and scholars of our times, Dr. R Nagaswamy passed away in early 2022. A few weeks before that, he had called me and had spoken about his grand vision to bring out a book on how the Raamaayana has influenced the lives of the common people in different States—and he wanted to have this ready by the time the grand temple at Ayodhya was completed. Although his dream did not materialise, I was amazed at the energy and enthusiasm of a nonagenarian savant.

Death and disease loomed large in 2022. Three elders from my mother’s mother’s family breathed their last—first my grandmother’s sister, then her sister-in-law, and most recently her brother-in-law. The last of the three—Sri S Rangarajan—worked in the ICAO and had travelled to more than a hundred countries during the course of his career, meeting various global leaders and diplomats (including the notorious Idi Amin). Over the past decade, I would meet him at least once a year, if not more, and always learnt something new. It is a great blessing to his family and friends that he wrote his memoirs during the last three years and the remarkably gutsy man he was, he completed it before he died. The first volume of his multi-volume memoirs was published a few weeks before his death and days before he passed away, he signed copies for a few friends and relatives. I was fortunate to receive a signed copy.

The medico-geriatric situation in my own home has been rather bleak with my mother facing a serious health issue and my grandmother (hitting ninety-six soon) dealing with memory loss and lack of will to live.

I suppose that like joy, sorrow too brings people together and that must be seen as the silver lining. In the course of all these travails, I spent quality time with many of my relatives.

But the news that really hit me hard was that of the sudden death of a close family friend who was a few years younger than me. He had come down from the US for the winter holidays and succumbed to a health condition that abruptly turned serious. These are times when we are rendered speechless even to question Destiny.

In other news, I completed twenty years of driving and as a gift to myself, I sold my fifteen-year-old Royal Enfield Bullet and started using public transport. This, however, didn’t increase my exercising/walking—something I wish to change in ’23.

Although I did play a chamber concert in a friend’s house, the time I could give for violin playing was below par. Yet another thing I wish to majorly remedy in ’23.

What I did do consistently was solve cryptic crossword puzzles on a daily basis—and I hope to continue that unhindered.

I gave a three-day lecture on the first few volumes of DVG’s Art Gallery of Memories at the Gokhale Institute and will continue speaking on the topic in April this year. I also gave a couple of lectures on the Gita.

As I enter my fortieth year in some time, I have taken steps towards retirement. By the time I hit the milestone in 2024, I hope to be rid of all pressures—work, goals, money, achievements, etc., the ultimate goal being ‘यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्ग��े’ (‘yathaa deepo nivaatastho na ingate’)—a lamp that doesn’t flicker when sheltered from the wind.

Thanks for reading this far! In the Appendix, I share nine books (and a website) that have been the labour of love undertaken by people whom I have been closely associated with. It is just a glimpse of the remarkable things that people in my circle are doing—it is neither exhaustive nor diverse nor in any order; just a quick list that I could draw up in the course of an afternoon despite my failing memory and social media abstinence.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy new year! Hari

Appendix

A Passage Through India An anthology of nineteen episodic essays on Indian history covering a period of over a century before 1947. This is a translation of two Kannada books by Dr. S R Ramaswamy undertaken by Prof. Vedavyas M G and Paresh Nadig.

Mannina Kanasu Dr. Ganesh has written over sixty books on a variety of topics related to Indian culture and heritage but this is his first published novel. Combining the plot-lines of Bhasa’s Svapna-vaasavadattam and Shoodraka’s Mricchakatikam, he takes the reader on a journey to the past, painting a vivid picture of India some twenty-five centuries ago.

Prekshaniyam This is a remarkable anthology of essays on classical Indian theatre and dance by Dr. Ganesh, translated into English with additional notes and detailed indices by the multifaceted scholar Arjun Bharadwaj, who has given the dance world two noteworthy treatises in 2022.

Eye-opener Having worked in the Avoidable Blindness space for over two decades now, my father Rtn. Dr. M V Ravikumar co-wrote (with Dr. N Ramesh) a treatise on the history of community ophthalmology in India, which was released during a national conference in May ’22. Incidentally, he was also honoured on the occasion. In addition to this, he wrote two short monographs, one on our ancestral house (Home Sweet Home) and another on his personal journey in social work related to eye-care (From Darkness to Light).

India’s Heroes My young friend Aditya Kashyap—all of twelve years old, and a resident of Dubai—is a huge fan of the Indian Army. Deeply inspired by the courage and sacrifice of our soldiers, he wrote poems about each of the Param Vir Chakra winners and his parents have brought it out as a book. It is no surprise that he was felicitated by the Indian Army and also our Defence Minister.

Sudha-suparneeyam A kaavya in beautiful Halagannada (classical Kannada) by Neelakanth Kulkarni on the life of Garuda and his fantastic adventures.

Stri-parva A novel by Ganesh Bhat Koppalatota on the episode from the Mahaabhaarata that will hit the stands very soon.

Proshitapriyasamaagama A classical Kannada translation of Oliver Goldsmith’s The Hermit by S G Narasimhacharya along with word-for-word meaning and notes by Gautham Dikshit. This work also includes a lovely translation of Longfellow’s A Psalm of Life (rendered into Kannada verse by Dr. Ganesh).

Memories Never Die Sripriya Srinivasan’s English translation of a Tamil book by Dr. Y S Rajan and Dr. Nazeema (Kalam’s niece) that reveals unknown facets of A P J Abdul Kalam. It will be published in early ′23.

Ambuda A remarkable digital Sanskrit library started by my cousin Arun Prasad that hopes to change the way Sanskrit texts are archived online.

#memoirs newyear

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fundinson · 3 years ago

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tags overhaul pt. 2

#ARC 1: YEARS OF PEACE AND PLENTY.#ARC 2: MOUNTAIN SMOKE BENEATH THE MOON.#ARC 3: SHINE AND BURN.#V: SONGS OF YORE RESUNG.#V: OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE.

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flockrest · 1 year ago

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The truth is, he's probably the least qualified person to answer a question of these proportions. The Hylian speaks of a time in the great, far distance — asks, so earnestly, how he may ever be able to return to a home not yet built. It's not something Dineli really understands, or can hope to really understand. His people's Songs don't have much to say on the workings of magicks of this nature; Link, he feels, must know this.

Yet Dineli is asked anyway. An exploration of all options on a matter he's never broached to this depth himself — a last resort, perhaps. This seems a thread of thought well-worn to the point of fraying. In a time like this, with the threat of something so much larger and more present nipping at their heels, it borders on pitiful: Link's case of time displacement may be strange and unfamiliar, but this longing desperation is something he's seen before.

"Understood," the Hylian says, thanking him for nothing. It is a great swallowing of the feelings woven into the contours of his face and motions.

Dineli lets the silence sit for a moment longer. "When these ordeals pass," he eventually continues, "we will have time to search for another answer."

flockrest asked:

❝ what’s done cannot be undone. ❞ ( from dineli to link )

Meme Tag -- @flockrest

Link tries his best to hide his disappointment by a stoic expression, but it's no good. Lips roll together to form a thin line, eyes dart away to study the distant horizon. He'd been asking the various Sages if they had any insight about how he might return to his time. Yes, he knows there's greater concerns here for him to worry about, but he can't help but think about the people he's left behind. Again, no luck.

But he doesn't want to be rude to the Sage of the Wind either, even if his voice is startlingly familiar. Tapping at his chest, he raises a fist next to his temple before sticking his pointer finger up. Tapping his chin, he then swings his hand forward. << I understand. Thank you. >>

There's no way to reverse the traveling through time he did. No way back forward except the slow way, and by then, he'll be long gone.

#gloryseized #06. gloryseized #( link :((((#birb grandpa says hello back!!#i think this was already implied but placing this during the imprisoning war...just because dineli would not be sage before then #and his understanding of hylian sign language still leaves much to be desired but it wouldn't be total confusion from his side then sldkfj #* oratorio / ic.#* ic / para.#* v / songs of yore.

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i-have-oneirataxia · 4 years ago

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Barley Lightfoot Headcannons:

i wrote all of these sleep deprived and hungry so please exuse all of it-

Dates:

Going on a quest.

Quests of Yore night.

He'd play a mixtape he made you.

You'd star gaze together on top of Guinevere.

Dance sessions in the back of Guinevere.

Midnight trips to 24hour gas stations for snacks and slushies.

Going to concerts together.

Making each other playlists.

Getting lost in the woods.

Going to a museum.

Going to a skate park.

Going on a camping trip.

Going on a picnic.

Drive-in movies.

Board game night.

Going bowling.

Have a Nerf gun war.

Cooking together.

Taking a dance class together.

Watching the sunset on top of Guinevere.

Pillow forts and movie nights in the back of Guinevere.

Making a fire pit and roasting marshmallows on the beach.

Favourite Forms of Affection:

To Do To You:

Kissing your hand (the back, your knuckles, your palm, etc,.); He’d take your hand in his, bowing down, his lips brushing delicately against your knuckles. He’d look up at you from this position, his eyes locked onto yours, enchanted.

Kissing your forehead; He’d lean down, his lips pressing to your forehead comfortingly.

Cuddling; -Read excerpt below-

Holding your hand; Your fingers laced together, swinging between you as he gently strokes your hand with the pad of his thumb.

Holding your face; He enjoys holding your face in the palms of his hands, stroking your cheeks and breathing you in.

To Have Done To Him:

Playing with his hair; Your fingers gently comb through his hair, massaging his scalp with your nails.

Kissing his neck; You lean up, your lips brushing the crook of his neck, leaving a delicate peck.

Hugging him; You embrace him fully, arms wrapped tightly around his middle, nuzzling his chest and taking him all in.

Stroking his upper arm/chest; Your fingers dance along his skin, doodling and writing little notes of fixation.

Kissing his forehead; You get up on your tippy-toes, taking his cheeks in the palms of your hands, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, right between his eyebrows. Then leaning your forehead against his, just admiring him.

Big Spoon V. Little Spoon:

Barley is very cuddly and doesn’t really mind either way, he just likes being near to you.

He enjoys holding you close to his chest, wrapped safely in his arms where he can breathe you in. You love listening to the calming melody his heart plays for you whenever you’re like this. Your nails draw soothing shapes and patterns along his arm, dancing along his skin, as his chest rises and falls beneath you, almost lulling you to sleep. He just watches, enamored by you, as his pointer finger draws a delicate line between your eyebrows and along the bridge of your nose over and over.

Or when you have him laid on your stomach, whispering words of adoration as you gently run your fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. He’d lay there, his fingers wandering tiredly along your outer thigh, writing your name again and again.

It doesn’t matter to him, he just enjoys laying with you in his company.

Nicknames:

Nicknames he'd use for you:

Treasure

Beloved

My Heart

My Heart’s Fire

Mouse

Little Mouse

Love

Pumpkin

My World

Sweetness

Strawberry

Peanut

Bumblebee

Angel Eyes

Honey

Hon

Nicknames you'd use for him:

Prince Charming

Charming

Sweet Boy

Teddy

Teddy Bear

Angel

Sugar

Little Bear

Love

Biscuit

Little Biscuit

Honeybee

Buttercup

Honey

Hon

How He Kisses (slight nsfw)

Him cradling your face in his hands

You having to get on your tippy-toes for a kiss.

Him lifting you into the air to kiss you.

Sweet and modest kisses, very soft and slow, but also passionate.

His lips are slightly chapped, but you don’t mind.

He’s a gentle starter, very innocent and tender.

Sweet kisses turning into heated make-out sessions.

Lots of soft moans and gasps swapped between lips.

Him biting your bottom lip when things get heated.

For him to lift you up and wrap your legs around his waist when fervent.

What it's Like Sharing a Bed With Him

Lot’s of cuddling- he’s quite the cuddle-bug.

You lay your head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat while he plays with your hair.

Falling asleep on separate sides of the bed and waking up with your legs in a tangled heap and you wrapped tightly in Barley’s arms.

Songs That Represent Your Relationship

‘Mr Loverman’ by Ricky Montgomery

‘Line Without a Hook’ by Ricky Montgomery

‘Nicotine’ by P!ATD

‘House of Gold’ by Twenty One Pilots

‘Sweater Weather’ by The Neighbourhood

‘Everybody Talks’ by Neon Trees

‘Soldier, Poet, King’ by The Oh Hellos

‘I Wouldn’t Mind’ by He Is We

‘Royalty’ by Conor Maynard

‘Honeybee’ by Steam Powered Giraffe

‘Nightingale’ by Demi Lovato

‘Stereo Hearts’ by Gym Class Heroes

‘A Teenagers Romance’ by Ricky Nelson

‘Put Your Head on my Shoulder’ by Paul Anka

‘Hey Stupid, I Love You’ by JP Saxe

‘I do Adore’ by Mindy Gledhill

‘Still into you’ by Paramore

‘Someone to you’ by BANNERS

‘Bad Romance’ cover by Halestorm

‘Feel it Again’ by Hudson Taylor

‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz

‘Unconditionally’ by Katy Perry

‘Would you be so Kind’ by Dodie

‘Loser’ by Julian Moon

‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Elvis Presley

‘18’ by Anarbor

‘Someone you Like’ by The Girl and the Dreamcatcher

‘Gentleman’ by Will Jay

‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ by Kelly Clarkson

‘Sk8er Boi’ by Avril Lavigne

‘Partners in Crime’ by Set it Off

‘Shut up and Dance’ by WALK THE MOON

‘Take my Hand’ by Picture This

‘Out of my League’ by Stephan Speaks

‘Yellow Hearts’ by Anthony Saunders

‘Giants’ by Dermot Kennedy

‘Safe and Sound’ by Capital Cities

‘Be Around Me’ by Will Joseph Cook

‘Snow’ by Ricky Montgomery

hello, if you enjoyed, thank you, if not, valid. im going to start taking requests for fics if youd like to send any in, go for it! :^)

#barley onward #barley lightfoot fanfic #barley x reader #barley lightfoot x reader #barley lightfoot #fanfic #headcanon #barley headcanons #barley lightfoot headcanons #onward #onward x reader

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horniboihozier · 2 years ago

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i had thoughts: swan upon leda

i listened to swan upon leda, as a hozier fan is wont to do and i have thoughts. so first of all, i do not understand the technicalities of music, whatever opinions i have are just that, opinions, there is no technical expertise to back them up so yeah. now, onto the song.

so before i go into anything i will go into what i felt. when i first heard the song, i half-focused on the lyrics and half on the melody. could not really grasp either. but the melody just struck me. it seemed v different from any of his previous melodies. i put the song on repeat and just heard it over and over again. i just felt... overwhelmed, i guess? i mean, i was so fucking excited about the song being released that i'm not sure i really paid attention to the song a first few times. but it is a melody you can lose yourself in.

so, the melody seems pretty different from the rest of his songs. it seems almost like a classical melody in some places? which could be just another pointer to the fact that it's based on a classical greek myth (greek classical myth? idk). but then it also feels performative? as in, the whole going back to the classics, myths is a performance being put up to hide the actual ugly nature of the events happening. it also feels like it might be a pointer to how people experience and view the myths? so let me give an example. swan and the leda is a story where zeus rapes leda in the form of a swan and yet, whenever it is discussed, zeus escapes condemnation and censure in the name of "but it's a classic" or "but it was written a thousand years ago". you see what i'm trying to say right? the justification of his behaviour is that it belongs to the past, to antiquity. so in a way, the music seems to me to be questioning and ridiculing the whole premise of the glorification of antiquity.

it's almost as if the music is masking the lyrics, which is v similar to cherry wine - soft melody and soft descriptions almost masquerading the ugly reality.

now onto the lyrics (i will be referring to the lyrics on azlyrics.com). as always. brilliant. absolutely brilliant. i can't say i have understood or comprehended it in its entirety, but i can definitely say that i absolutely loved whatever i managed to interpret. so obv, the angle that hozier is going for is women's oppression from the days of yore, especially in the context of roe v wade. that much is v v evident right from the beginning -

A husband waits outside

A crying child pushes a child into the night

here, he writes 'a crying child' which has obvious implications of paedophilia and child rape. but it may also be indicative of the way women were (and to an extent, still are) viewed as - infantile, incapable of making their own decisions, in need of guidance from men. so it also shows how the agency of women is completely ignored and forcibly taken away.

To enact at last the perfect plan

One more sweet boy to be butchered by men

But the gateway to the world

Was still outside the reach of him

Would never belong to angels

Had never belonged to men

The swan upon Leda

Empire upon Jerusalem

now this could indicate a bunch of things. (i don't want to go into what it means, this is purely what i think about it.) okay, so i think it's perhaps like the boy will be butchered as soon as he steps into the world of men, which is, the world, in general. so basically, he is fucked as soon as he is born i guess. and the gateway to the world seems indicative of the process of birth. so it is something that is monitored by the woman - it is the question of her bodily autonomy. her body is not to be dictated by angels (religion) or men (other people, but mainly men in power). and another thing that i found v interesting is the imagery of death that has been associated with abortion, but in such a different way from the traditional, conservative narrative. idk about other places but at least here in india (at least in marathi, which is my mother tongue), one of the statements generally made when someone passes away or passes away early is that: “it was their time” or “it was their destiny, what can be done?” and i see that reflected in the lines “But the gateway to the world // Was still outside the reach of him.” it is more of a statement that it was the child’s destiny to not be born instead of the usual nonsensical conservative retort of calling the women murderers and killers and whatnot. it’s such a brilliant conflation of the concept of destiny as it is associated with birth and death. like if death is a person’s destiny, then so is their birth. some people are destined not to be born. i honestly have no idea whether im making any sense at this point or not but yeah i don’t seem to be capable of stopping.

also the Empire upon Jerusalem bit i find rather intriguing. initially i was wondering what mythical connotation could this point to, bc you know, Jerusalem. but i googled empire upon jerusalem and one of the first lines on the wikipedia page is that Jerusalem has been attacked 52 times. so here instead of having any specific symbolism from the christian mythology, it seems like a symbol of holiness or perceived sanctity, and of autonomy and the continual loss of autonomy at the behest of the Empire(s).

next, he brings in the myth of Setanta which, honestly, i have no idea to interpret. when i googled it, i just found that it was an irish myth about this kid called setanta who killed culann’s hound in self-defence and then offered to act as his guard-dog bc he had offended culann leading to his name Cú Chulainn which means the hound of culann. the only thing i can make out of it is the whole solderifying of children? or more like, weaponisation of children as in the conservative narrative about any progressive endeavour is always: bUT wHat AbOuT tHE ChiLdReN? even in the abortion debate, it’s the hypothetical, unborn beings who are being weaponised to control women’s bodies. but i think im lowkey (highkey actually, but let’s not talk about that) grasping at straws here. essentially, i don’t really know what to make of this part.

okay so i think arguably my favourite line from the song comes in this stanza:

The gateway to the world

Gone in a trembling hand

When nature unmakes the boundary

The pillar of myth still stands

The swan upon Leda

Occupier upon ancient land

“When nature unmakes the boundary // The pillar of myth still stands.” i mean, what could be more powerful and symbolic than this? and it is so fucking open to interpretation. like, i see two ways in which i can understand this. first one, even when nature is changing the boundaries, unmaking and expanding the boundaries, the myths still hold on to the boundary and prevent change. the myths are what are holding us back. or, there is a possibility of this almost diametrically opposite interpretation that while nature is fucking with people, it is the myth which stands fast with people. in this interpretation, the conventional idea of mythology and myths is completely reverted. generally, myths are seen as contrary to progress and fantastical. but here, myths can become the source of hope and strength that humanity can rely on to make progress even when it is opposed by nature. honestly, i might just prefer the second interpretation slightly more to the first one bc it feels almost like poetic justice? taking all the conservative talking points and turning them on their head.

that’s it. (for now). one of these days, once my exams are over, i shall get around to expanding my thoughts.

#hozier #swan upon leda #i had thoughts #unedited #i vomitted words and did not look back #so yeah #this is just my interpretation #idk #essentially the expansion of the earlier post #tw: mentions of death #tw: allusion/mention of rape

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flockrest · 1 year ago

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It would be wise to reveal yourself.

“Dineli, the first Sage of Wind,” recites a soft voice. “T’is an honor to have claimed such a title or so I’m told. Tell me, are your responsibilities as an elder and now sage a bit overwhelming?”

Perhaps it says something of his weariness, that his first concern should do with how this is not a voice he recognises. It comes from the shadows creeping nearer in the wake of a setting sun — from the line of trees he just left behind, surely, even as he finds nothing peering out from the visible gaps between those trunks.

He entertains the notion for a farcical second. A voice he's never heard, from some person he cannot see. These are strange times.

Dangerous times.

The feathers lining his neck and crest slowly rise in unease. He keeps his bow at rest, but his other wing lifts to hover about his quiver. Whoever — whatever — this is, they are too close to Peaks Among the Ripples for him to simply ignore. "You speak as though I know you."

#abysmalwitch #( hi glaive!! at least. i think this is glaive?#i'm pretty sure. this is you sdlfkjdf thanks for sending this in!! apologies for the delay! lmk if you'd like anything changed!#always love unprompted things; esp to muses like dineli! <3 )#* oratorio / ic.#* ic / short.#* oratorio / answer.#* v / songs of yore.#01. abysmalwitch

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aboveallarescuer · 4 years ago

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Daenerys Targaryen in A Storm of Swords vs Game of Thrones - Episode 3.5: Kissed by Fire

In this series of posts, I intend to analyze precisely how the show writers downplayed or erased several key aspects of Daenerys Targaryen’s characterization, even when they had the books to help them write her as the compelling, intelligent, compassionate, frugal, open-minded and self-critical character that GRRM created.

I want to make it clear that these posts are not primarily meant to offer a better alternative to what the show writers gave us. I understand that they had many constraints (e.g. other storylines to handle, a limited amount of time to write the scripts, budget, actors who may have asked for a certain number of lines, etc) working against them. However, considering how disrespectful the show’s ending was to Daenerys Targaryen and how the book material that they left out makes it even more ludicrous to think that she will also become a villain in A Song of Ice and Fire, I believe that these reviews are more than warranted. They are meant to dissect everything about Dany’s characterization that was lost in translation, with a lot of book evidence to corroborate my statements.

Since these reviews will dissect scene by scene, I recommend taking a look at this post because I will use its sequence to order Dany’s scenes.

This post is relevant in case you want to know which chapters were adapted in which GoT episodes (however, I didn’t make the list myself, all the information comes from the GoT Wiki, so I can’t guarantee that it’s 100% reliable).

In general, I will call the Dany from the books “Dany” and the Dany from the TV series “show!Dany”.

Scene 5

This episode was written by Bryan Cogman, but he admits here that the scenes in Essos were actually written by D&D.

Before I talk about the scene itself, we need to consider that its premise is flawed to begin with. Neither Barristan nor Jorah are known for making jokes and being friendly and amusing in general, they are actually known for lacking a sense of humor:

And Daario Naharis made her laugh, which Ser Jorah never did. (ASOS Daenerys V)

"Give that tongue of yours a rest unless you'd rather I tied it in a knot."

Tyrion swallowed his retort. His lip was still fat and swollen from the last time he had pushed the big knight too far. Hard hands and no sense of humor makes for a bad marriage. That much he'd learned on the road from Selhorys. (ADWD Tyrion VII)

Twice exiled, and small wonder, Tyrion thought. I'd exile him too if I could. The man is cold, brooding, sullen, deaf to humor. And those are his good points. (ADWD Tyrion VIII)

Littlefinger was the last. As Ned looked to him, Lord Petyr stifled a yawn. "When you find yourself in bed with an ugly woman, the best thing to do is close your eyes and get on with it," he declared. "Waiting won't make the maid any prettier. Kiss her and be done with it."

"Kiss her?" Ser Barristan repeated, aghast.

"A steel kiss," said Littlefinger. (AGOT Eddard VIII)

In the purple hall, Dany found her ebon bench piled high about with satin pillows. The sight brought a wan smile to her lips. Ser Barristan’s work, she knew. The old knight was a good man, but sometimes very literal. It was only a jape, ser, she thought, but she sat on one of the pillows just the same. (ADWD Daenerys II)

Which is not to say that they can't ever laugh at people's jokes or make jokes themselves, but it's noticeable that the show's time to depict Dany's storyline is limited and that they still chose to write a scene that has little to do with their core personality traits.

Even more importantly, these two are unable to be friendly with one another because Jorah is too suspicious of Barristan and wants to isolate Dany from other men:

“In King’s Landing, your ancestors raised an immense domed castle for their dragons. The Dragonpit, it is called. It still stands atop the Hill of Rhaenys, though all in ruins now. That was where the royal dragons dwelt in days of yore, and a cavernous dwelling it was, with iron doors so wide that thirty knights could ride through them abreast. Yet even so, it was noted that none of the pit dragons ever reached the size of their ancestors. The maesters say it was because of the walls around them, and the great dome above their heads.”

“If walls could keep us small, peasants would all be tiny and kings as large as giants,” said Ser Jorah. “I’ve seen huge men born in hovels, and dwarfs who dwelt in castles.”

“Men are men,” Whitebeard replied. “Dragons are dragons.”

Ser Jorah snorted his disdain. “How profound.” The exile knight had no love for the old man, he’d made that plain from the first. “What do you know of dragons, anyway?” (ASOS Daenerys I)

“It was said that no man ever knew Prince Rhaegar, truly. I had the privilege of seeing him in tourney, though, and often heard him play his harp with its silver strings.”

Ser Jorah snorted. “Along with a thousand others at some harvest feast. Next you’ll claim you squired for him.” (ASOS Daenerys I)

“A warrior without peer ... those are fine words, Your Grace, but words win no battles.”

“Swords win battles,” Ser Jorah said bluntly. “And Prince Rhaegar knew how to use one.” (ASOS Daenerys I) 

“...A change in the wind may bring the gift of victory.” He glanced at Ser Jorah. “Or a lady’s favor knotted round an arm.”

Mormont’s face darkened. “Be careful what you say, old man.”

Arstan had seen Ser Jorah fight at Lannisport, Dany knew, in the tourney Mormont had won with a lady’s favor knotted round his arm. He had won the lady too; Lynesse of House Hightower, his second wife, highborn and beautiful ... but she had ruined him, and abandoned him, and the memory of her was bitter to him now. “Be gentle, my knight.” She put a hand on Jorah’s arm. “Arstan had no wish to give offense, I’m certain.”

“As you say, Khaleesi.” Ser Jorah’s voice was grudging. (ASOS Daenerys I)

Ser Jorah watched with a frown on his blunt honest face. Mormont was big and burly, strong of jaw and thick of shoulder. Not a handsome man by any means, but as true a friend as Dany had ever known. “You would be wise to take that old man’s words well salted,” he told her when Whitebeard was out of earshot.

[...] “This Arstan Whitebeard is playing you false. He is too old to be a squire, and too well spoken to be serving that oaf of a eunuch.” (ASOS Daenerys I)

“Sit, good ser, and tell me what is troubling you.”

“Three things.” Ser Jorah sat. “Strong Belwas. This Arstan Whitebeard. And Illyrio Mopatis, who sent them.” (ASOS Daenerys I)

But when Mero was gone, Arstan Whitebeard said, “That one has an evil reputation, even in Westeros. Do not be misled by his manner, Your Grace. He will drink three toasts to your health tonight, and rape you on the morrow.”

“The old man’s right for once,” Ser Jorah said. (ASOS Daenerys IV)

“Whilst you have an honest beard, is that what you are telling me? You are the only man I should ever trust?”

He stiffened. “I did not say that.”

“You say it every day. Pyat Pree’s a liar, Xaro’s a schemer, Belwas a braggart, Arstan an assassin ... do you think I’m still some virgin girl, that I cannot hear the words behind the words?” (ASOS Daenerys IV)

“Khaleesi, before you kneels Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, who betrayed your House to serve the Usurper Robert Baratheon.”

The old knight did not so much as blink. “The crow calls the raven black, and you speak of betrayal.” (ASOS Daenerys V)

I doubt their book counterparts would spend their time apart from Dany talking to each other about their pasts, and I think that's a significant change because it's another way that makes show!Jorah (whose book counterpart is a slaver who tries to groom, isolate and undermine Dany) be seen in a much more positive light than in the books.

JORAH: It was a bitch of a siege.

BARRISTAN: Mm, you were first through the breach at Pyke?

JORAH: The second. Thoros of Myr went in alone, waving that flaming sword of his.

BARRISTAN: Thoros of Myr. Bloody madman. Robert knighted you after the battle?

JORAH: Proudest moment of my life. One knee in the dust, the king's sword on my shoulder, listening to the words. "In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave." All I could think of was how badly I had to piss. In full plate metal for 16 hours. Never occurred to me till the fighting was over. I was very nearly the first man knighted to piss on the king's boots.

In the books, the siege of Pyke is brought up in this context:

“By then my father had taken the black, so I was Lord of Bear Island in my own right. I had no lack of marriage offers, but before I could reach a decision Lord Balon Greyjoy rose in rebellion against the Usurper, and Ned Stark called his banners to help his friend Robert. The final battle was on Pyke. When Robert’s stonethrowers opened a breach in King Balon’s wall, a priest from Myr was the first man through, but I was not far behind. For that I won my knighthood.”

“To celebrate his victory, Robert ordained that a tourney should be held outside Lannisport. It was there I saw Lynesse, a maid half my age. She had come up from Oldtown with her father to see her brothers joust. I could not take my eyes off her. In a fit of madness, I begged her favor to wear in the tourney, never dreaming she would grant my request, yet she did.”

[...] “What did she look like, your Lady Lynesse?”

Ser Jorah smiled sadly. “Why, she looked a bit like you, Daenerys.” He bowed low. “Sleep well, my queen.”

Dany shivered, and pulled the lionskin tight about her. She looked like me. It explained much that she had not truly understood. He wants me, she realized. He loves me as he loved her, not as a knight loves his queen but as a man loves a woman. She tried to imagine herself in Ser Jorah’s arms, kissing him, pleasuring him, letting him enter her. It was no good. When she closed her eyes, his face kept changing into Drogo’s.

[...] She had heard the longing in Ser Jorah’s voice when he spoke of his Bear Island. He can never have me, but one day I can give him back his home and honor. That much I can do for him. (ACOK Daenerys I)

As we can see above, the siege of Pyke is brought up to contextualize Jorah and Lynesse's relationship and parallel their relationship with Dany and Jorah's current one. It is there to service Dany's storyline, motivations and relationships - with that backstory, she realizes at that point that, while Jorah loves her, she can't love him back. This makes her feel guilty, so much so that she thinks she has to compensate by bringing him back home. This is also an instance that displays how deeply ingrained patriarchal views are on this universe - because Dany is a woman, she thinks she owes her knight something in return for his protection. The roles of liege and object of desire intersect in a way that wouldn't happen to a king.

But why am I saying all of this? My point is that connections between past and present in ASOIAF matter only to the extent that they say something about our POV characters. The Arianne/Rhaenyra and Arianne/Nymeria comparisons matter only to the extent that they inform Arianne's motivations and storyline, as well as the Jon Snow/Blackfyres one, which informs Catelyn's views on Jon. By contrast, the show brought up the siege in Pyke only so that we would empathize with show!Jorah again, but that was never the main purpose in the books, in which the backstory primarily serviced Dany's character. But then, the show writers are intent on erasing how creepy and disrespectful Jorah's treatment of Dany in the books is.

Also, the only new detail that they added was that Jorah wanted to urinate while Robert was knighting him. Was that really necessary?

BARRISTAN: Robert would have laughed. He was a good man, a great warrior. And a terrible king. I burned away my years fighting for terrible kings.

In the books, Barristan has more conflicted feelings about Robert Baratheon than he ever lets on in the show:

“Some truths are hard to hear. Robert was a ... a good knight ... chivalrous, brave ... he spared my life, and the lives of many others ...[”] (ASOS Daenerys VI)

I came to bring Daenerys home. Yet he had lost her, just as he had lost her father and her brother. Even Robert. I failed him too. (ADWD The Queensguard)

And what did Robert say when he saw them? Did he smile? Barristan Selmy had been badly wounded on the Trident, so he had been spared the sight of Lord Tywin's gift, but oft he wondered. If I had seen him smile over the red ruins of Rhaegar's children, no army on this earth could have stopped me from killing him. (ADWD The Kingsguard)

Barristan may admit Robert's value as a knight (highly questionable as it is), praise him for showing mercy to the Targaryen loyalists and be ashamed for "failing" him. At the same time, Barristan still feels anger for the deaths of Rhaegar's children, so much so that he can't stop himself from thinking he would avenge them if he had seen Robert smiling at the sight of their corpses. Also, when he thinks about the people he failed, he thinks that he failed "even Robert", which shows that he had considerably less regard for him than he did either Dany or Rhaegar.

I don't think Barristan would ever call Robert a "good man", and I think his feelings for Robert are particularly important because they inform Barristan's siding with Ned when he asks Robert not to kill Dany, as well as why he chose to follow Viserys (Rhaegar's heir) instead of Stannis (Robert's heir) and why he demands that the Shavepate does not kill Dany's hostages if he is to side with him.

Also, again, Barristan would never share his personal feelings (much less negative ones) about anyone with Jorah.

The infuriating part, though, is this one:

JORAH: You swore an oath.

BARRISTAN: Yes. And a man of honor keeps his vows, even if he's serving a drunk or a lunatic. Just once in my life before it's over, I want to know what it's like to serve with pride, to fight for someone I believe in. Do you believe in her?

JORAH: With all my heart.

First, they portray show!Jorah as a reliable source as to whether we should trust show!Dany or not. While one might argue that these are two different characters, not only the erasure of Jorah's negative behaviors for the sake of an unrequited love story is still disgusting, but Jorah was never a reliable source about Dany in the books.

Second, Barristan's arc is partly about finding out on his own that Dany is a worthy liege after spending years following bad kings:

“...The truth is, I wanted to watch you for a time before pledging you my sword. To make certain that you were not ...”

“... my father’s daughter?” If she was not her father’s daughter, who was she?

“... mad,” he finished. “But I see no taint in you.”  (ASOS Daenerys VI)

“So I am a coin in the hands of some god, is that what you are saying, ser?”

“No,” Ser Barristan replied. “You are the trueborn heir of Westeros. To the end of my days I shall remain your faithful knight, should you find me worthy to bear a sword again. If not, I am content to serve Strong Belwas as his squire.” (ASOS Daenerys VI)

“I flung my sword at Joffrey’s feet and have not touched one since. Only from the hand of my queen will I accept a sword again.”

“As you wish.” Dany took the sword from Brown Ben and offered it hilt first. The old man took it reverently. “Now kneel,” she told him, “and swear it to my service.”

He went to one knee and lay the blade before her as he said the words. (ASOS Daenerys VI)

“Freedom to starve?” asked Dany sharply. “Freedom to die? Am I a dragon, or a harpy?” Am I mad? Do I have the taint?

“A dragon,” Ser Barristan said with certainty. (ASOS Daenerys VI)

Having show!Barristan ask show!Jorah's opinion on show!Dany diminishes the impact of the passages above, which display his own judgment based on the time he spent on Dany's side.

Having show!Barristan ask show!Jorah's opinion on show!Dany undercuts Barristan's arc. The show writers might have show!Barristan say that he wants to "fight for someone [he] believe[s] in", but that's just lip service; these words ring hollow because we don't see him finding out for himself.

Could the show writers have added an original scene that gives the characters around show!Dany more to do? Of course (though I've argued before that even the scenes focusing on show!Dany are often seen from the viewpoint of her advisors and prevent us from fully experiencing the journey with show!Dany herself). But they should have thought about whether it fits into their characterizations in the books and, if it doesn't, why is that change necessary? What does having show!Barristan not find out on his own that show!Dany is a liege worth following cause besides undermining both Dany's and Barristan's characters? What does having show!Jorah not be a creepy and be a reliable source about show!Dany cause besides making a slaver look better?

Show!Grey Worm's first scene has its strengths. I like how it displays show!Dany's genuine empathy for the Unsullied, as well as show!Grey Worm's admiration for her. The actors gave good performances. There is one departure from the books (that I don't really understand the purpose of; they probably forgot about it), though:

DAENERYS: What is your name?

GREY WORM: Grey Worm.

DAENERYS: Grey Worm...

MISSANDEI: All Unsullied boys are given new names when they are cut ... Grey Worm, Red Flea, Black Rat. Names that remind them what they are ... vermin.

The books go even further on the slavers' dehumanization of the Unsullied:

“This one’s name is Red Flea, your worship.” 

The girl repeated their exchange in the Common Tongue. 

“And yesterday, what was it?” 

“Black Rat, your worship.” 

“The day before?” 

“Brown Flea, your worship.” 

“Before that?” 

“This one does not recall, your worship. Blue Toad, perhaps. Or Blue Worm.”

“Tell her all their names are such,” Kraznys commanded the girl. “It reminds them that by themselves they are vermin. The name disks are thrown in an empty cask at duty’s end, and each dawn plucked up again at random.”

“More madness,” said Arstan, when he heard. “How can any man possibly remember a new name every day?”

“Those who cannot are culled in training, along with those who cannot run all day in full pack, scale a mountain in the black of night, walk across a bed of coals, or slay an infant.” (ASOS Daenerys II)

Not only their names remind them that they are vermin, they are also changed every day so that they lose their sense of individuality.

Even with this change, I'd say that the scene still conveys how unacceptable and cruel the slavers' treatment was.

There are other changes that I find more concerning. The first is the most inconsequential: why is show!Missandei calling show!Dany khaleesi instead of Your Grace? Only Jorah and her khalasar call her by that title in the books. I suppose this is a Doylist issue since s3!Dany was more recognized as "khaleesi" than "Daenerys" by the audience, but it still goes against their characterizations.

The second is that, as I said in my 3.4 review, this scene would have made more sense in Astapor:

One of the first things Dany had done after the fall of Astapor was abolish the custom of giving the Unsullied new slave names every day. Most of those born free had returned to their birth names; those who still remembered them, at least. Others had called themselves after heroes or gods, and sometimes weapons, gems, and even flowers, which resulted in soldiers with some very peculiar names, to Dany’s ears. Grey Worm had remained Grey Worm. When she asked him why, he said, “It is a lucky name. The name this one was born to was accursed. That was the name he had when he was taken for a slave. But Grey Worm is the name this one drew the day Daenerys Stormborn set him free.” (ASOS Daenerys IV)

Dany still had to choose which freedmen would occupy the ruling council, so I assume she stayed in Astapor for a few days. With that in mind, if abolishing the custom of new slave names was one of the first things Dany did after the fall of Astapor, it's much more likely that she did it there rather than on the march to Yunkai. Why couldn't they have written this scene there? Because seeing her leave Astapor makes for a more visually impressive scene, I guess. As I said before, though, it gives weight to the superficial reading that show!Dany only went to the city, took its military force and left (even if we'll later find out that she also installed a ruling council there in 4.5). Being faithful to the books would've prevented any misconception of this sort from happening.

My third and final issue is that this scene is meant to be of secondary importance in the books. As one can see in ASOS Daenerys IV, it only appears as a brief flashback in the context of a scene in which Dany is seen giving Grey Worm military orders. That's because the focus of the chapter is on Dany's character development as a leader and a military tactician (similar to how ASOS Daenerys VI only shows the conquest of Meereen as a brief flashback in the context of Jorah telling Dany that her "sewer rats" won her the city; that's because the focus of the chapter is less on the adrenaline and victory and more on the aftermath of the sack and its negative consequences, intertwined with Dany's personal problems).

One might argue that we could have had both this scene and show!Dany's character development in the next episodes. However, as I will explain in future reviews, the show writers don't care about show!Dany's character development at all, which is why it becomes enough of an issue for me to bring it up.

JORAH: King Robert wanted her dead.

BARRISTAN: Of course he wanted her dead. She's a Targaryen. The last Targaryen.

JORAH: I suppose no one on the small council could speak sense to him.

In this interview with Bryan Cogman, Elio Garcia interprets show!Jorah's actions as if he were "fishing for information about just what Barristan knew about him and his dealings with Varys". That's not an unreasonable guess, but it's another one that does a disservice to Barristan's character. In the books, Barristan only hid information from Dany about Jorah because revealing Jorah's betrayal would mean revealing his identity. If his identity had been already revealed, he would have told her much earlier - that's what happens right after she finds out that he's Barristan Selmy, after all:

“...And since the day you wed Khal Drogo, there has been an informer by your side selling your secrets, trading whispers to the Spider for gold and promises.” (ASOS Daenerys V)

However, because the show writers probably know this, they made another change just as detrimental to Barristan's character:

BARRISTAN: I didn't sit on the small council.

JORAH: No? Doesn't the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard traditionally ...

BARRISTAN: Traditionally, yes, but I killed a dozen of Robert's friends during his rebellion. He didn't want advice on how to govern from a man who had fought for the Mad King. Can't say I minded much. I always hated the politics.

I'm not saying that the Barristan of the books loves the politics or that he's one of the best political players of the books. Far from that. Still, his character development culminates in these realizations:

The gods of Westeros were far away, yet Ser Barristan Selmy paused for a moment to say a silent prayer, asking the Crone to light his way to wisdom. For the children, he told himself. For the city. For my queen. (ADWD The Queensguard)

His queen was the Mother of Dragons; he would not allow her children to come to harm. (ADWD The Kingbreaker)

"You would break King Hizdahr's peace, old man?"

"I would shatter it." Once, long ago, a prince had named him Barristan the Bold. A part of that boy was in him still. (ADWD The Queen's Hand)

Before Dany, Barristan remained silent as he watched Aerys and Robert committing atrocities and abusing their power. After Dany, he's not only revolting against a bad king (Hizdahr), he's also taking on her anti-slavery cause and declaring war against the slavers. That's character development. Siding with Ned against Dany's death was Barristan’s first (albeit small) act of rebellion and the beginning of an arc that will later lead him to fight against slavery because of the very girl whose murder he opposed.

On HBO, not only we'll never see show!Barristan doing any of this (because he'll be killed off earlier), we are seeing him dismiss the importance of political action, which is the very opposite of the ultimate realization of his book counterpart's arc. And what's worse is that all of these changes are being made for the sake of show!Jorah's character.

JORAH: Yeah, I imagine I would, too. Hours spent jabbering about backstabbings and betrayals the world over.

I don't know if show!Jorah reducing politics to "jabbering about backstabbings and betrayals the world over" is necessarily proof that this is what the show writers think. That being said, that dismissal can be considered foreshadowing of how little they will care about adapting Dany's ADWD storyline properly. It can also be interpreted as proof of how they tend to oversimplify the characters according to their basic archetypes. If Jorah and Barristan are warriors, of course they don't care about politics and are friendly with each other (all men are friendly with each other and all women are catty with each other, right? See also: Tyrion/Davos, Jon/Gendry, Sansa/Arya, Dany/Sansa, etc).

BARRISTAN: Mm-hmm. Still, she'll have to wade through that muck if she wants to rule the Seven Kingdoms. She'll have good men around her to advise her, men with experience.

JORAH: Which men do you have in mind?

BARRISTAN: Forgive me, Ser Jorah, for what I'm about to say, but your reputation in Westeros has suffered over the years.

JORAH: It suffered for a reason. I sold men into slavery.

BARRISTAN: I don't know if your presence by her side will help our cause when we go home.

JORAH: Our cause? Forgive me, Ser Barristan, but I was busy defending the khaleesi against King Robert's assassins while you were still bowing to the man.

BARRISTAN: We both want her to rule. Am I wrong?

JORAH: You only joined us a few days ago. I can't speak to your intentions.

BARRISTAN: If we're truly her loyal servants, we will do whatever needs to be done, no matter the cost, no matter our pride.

JORAH: You're not Lord Commander here. You're just another exile. And I take my orders from the queen.

First, I don’t know why the heck would show!Barristan tell show!Jorah rather than show!Dany that Jorah’s presence might not help her cause. Not only it makes him dumb (because show!Jorah obviously wouldn't take that well), it also makes it seem that he likes show!Jorah enough to advise him to leave, which is not true at all in the books, as I've already showed above.

Second, I hate that this exchange makes it seem that show!Jorah feels guilty for selling men into slavery (he doesn't in the books). He was still trying to normalize slavery in 3.1 and 3.3!

I know that fandom tends to praise Bryan Cogman for trying to correct plot holes and for paying attention to the books' events and the show's continuity. That knowledge doesn't mean he necessarily understands the characters well - he certainly does not understand Dany well, and this comment is proof of his ignorance:

“Yeah, it’s probably refreshing for Iain Glen! How many times can he explain something about Essos culture to Dany? ;)”

If he really understood Dany, he would also say that we don't just see Jorah giving Dany knowledge. We also see her retain that knowledge and apply it later, we also see that she has knowledge of her own (because, let's not forget, she has lived in Essos for almost her whole life, certainly for a longer period than Jorah) and we also see her making decisions of her own volition. The misconception that Dany is ignorant and too reliant on the men around her is dismissive of her character, but it unfortunately informs the show's writing of her, for they erase many moments showcasing her intelligence and competence.

He also says that "the Dany stuff is a challenge" because of the lack of material, which is a flimsy excuse - many key scenes of her chapters were cut (see here), even if she doesn't have a lot of chapters in ASOS. Lack of material to adapt was never an issue for anyone in any storyline. The show writers should have been overwhelmed with the amount of material they had and the necessity to select them properly (which they failed to do because they mostly looked at the scenes as plot points).

I'm nitpicking his comments, admittedly, because he also said that (show!)Dany's story is "the rise of a villain". He really doesn't know anything about her.

For this review, there's no comment of mine on any Inside the Episode because D&D's Inside the Episode 3.5 doesn't talk about show!Dany's storyline. I'm not commenting on show!Dany's clothes either because she's wearing the same clothes from episode 3.4 and I've talked about them here.

#daenerys targaryen #asoiaf meta #valyrianscrolls #barristan selmy #grey worm #asos vs got #asoiaf vs got #jorah mormont #a storm of swords #s3

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rohanrider3 · 4 years ago

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Games We Play

Tagged by @noisypaintersong :)

Favorite Color: Hmmmmm deep, deep red, like a burgundy. Or maybe a deep dark purple.

Last Song: Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos (2015), courtesy of the linked below FANTASTIC music video of Tales of Arcadia (possible spoilers for the TOA series in it, fyi.) The TIMING and the GRAPHICS of the video at 0:45 had me hooked and watching it on repeat. And it doesn’t hurt that I absolutely adore Douxie, the “poet”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QPbhndNOEM

Last Movie: The Old Guard (Netflix) (So. GOOD.)

Sweet, Spicy, or Savory: Hm...savory, I think....

Tea or Coffee: Coffee for power housing through paperwork, etc., but when I want to just read my way through fun books for the day (oh for the halcyon days of yore!!) I brew a huge pot of tea and make my way through that.

Currently Reading: *cries in tired* Hopefully some crafting books I got from the library soon. And finishing some novels as well!

Tagging: @disappearinginq @atlantis-is-burning @sockablock @bucketfullofstars and whoever else wants to play 😊

#tagged

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totalvibration · 5 years ago

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55 Albums Released in 2019 That Splash Oat Milk In My Earl Grey

This year felt like slo-mo, a holding pattern and a fast-forward button stumbling towards unknown ends. I spent the early months in paternal bliss and sleep deprivation, caring for my newborn daughter, then spent the rest of the year running to slow down… to make the most of small moments with my family, to juggle that thing every lifestyle magazine calls the work-life balance, to know when I need help and being willing to ask for it, to making priorities with loved ones.

Also, after years of oolongs and a staunch no-milk-in-tea-except-milk-teas policy, I started putting honey and oat milk in my Earl Grey, an old tea standby that's felt warmly familiar in colder months. Similarly, I dug my heels into familiar-to-me gnarly metal, deep drone and abrasive punk this year, uninterested in poptimist takes on indie-rock. In an effort to maximize more time with new family and less with bulls***, I leaned hard into my Viking's Choice column at NPR Music (which went weekly!) to shout out underground debauchery and beauty to anyone who would listen.

Below are 55 albums (and a few reissues and archival releases) that hit me in different ways over 2019. No ranking, just links out to Bandcamp where available. They come paired with emoji because that's a thing I do on Twitter.

See also:

Viking's Choice: The Year In The Loud And The Weird (my annual year-end episode of All Songs Considered)

20 Punk Albums Released In 2019 That Flip Eggs, Pick Up Chains

20 Metal Albums Released In 2019 That Bluurgh Over Sick Riffs

A nine-hour playlist of 2019 jamz

But first, some stray thoughts:

Ta-Nehisi Coates' still-ongoing Captain America run has been extremely rewarding. A beloved superhero comes to terms with the line between patriotism and nationalism as Coates underlines that American progress often comes from reluctance.

Daniel Warren Johnson's Murder Falcon spoke to me not only as a metalhead who loves cartoonishly kick-ass violence, but also as a dude with a tender heart… that final issue still gets me in the feels.

Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colours is secretly a trilogy of movies about the loving, painstaking process of creation, specifically music. I'd never seen any of them until paternity leave (and a sleeping baby) gave me hours to binge long-neglected to-watch lists. In 1993's Blue, in particular, a composition mirrors the grief of Juliette Binoche in an exquisite performance.

Tiny Desk concerts I produced for NPR Music in 2019: American Football (with a children’s choir!), Thou, Erin Rae, Carly Rae Jepsen (sort of), Jimmy Eat World and Mount Eerie (videos coming in 2020).

There’s a gallery at Glenstone, a truly stunning museum experience, that’s literally just a room full of books, a sculpted wooden bench and a large window that looks out on the rolling hills of Maryland. I could spend hours there.

The second season of KCRW's Lost Notes, hosted by Jessica Hopper, built episodes like albums, sequenced with eureka moments throughout. See: the story of a teenage Farsi New Wave sibling duo and a difficult and necessary reassessment of John Fahey through the women in his life.

High Spirits (May 7, Atlas Brew Works) is such a force for good. Heavy metal singalongs about love, friendship and positivity. I feel like this band needs to tour with Sheer Mag to be fully appreciated by an unknowing audience.

Has your baseball team ever won the pennant with the sleeping baby on your chest? So many silent screams of joy in our household as the Nats not only won the National League, but the whole dang World Series. I haven't lived in a city/state with a baseball team that's gone to the World Series since 1995.

Circuit Des Yeux's Haley Fohr (Dec. 5, Hirshhorn) tuned her voice to feedback hum and the rest that followed felt like a wordless eulogy for 2019. I felt renewed by it.

I can't think of a prettier song released in 2019 than "This Time Around" by Jessica Pratt. It is saudade whispered into the wind.

This was my Linda Ronstadt year. Heart Like a Wheel, Canciones de mi Padre, her records with the Stone Poneys — the Queen of LA, with a voice that both bursts out of and melts into dusk, softened the edges of long days with an equally adventurous and easygoing spirit.

🚙 Petrol Girls, Cut & Stitch: In 2019, it was crucial — life-affirming and -saving, even — to make your own noise. "This is the sound / It moves in our bodies / It passes through time / Brings what came before us," Petrol Girls' Ren Aldridge screamed at the top of a turbulent punk record filled with compassion. That boundless philosophy resonated with me this year — to listen and absorb more deeply, to excavate the traces of memory in music.

👽 Blood Incantation, Hidden History of the Human Race: Simultaneously exists in the gaping maw of death-metal tradition and the galaxy brain of its future.

💾 Kali Malone, The Sacrificial Code: Seeks the solemnity of the drone in the pipe organ, but leans into the vulnerability pushed through the air.

🕹️ billy woods & Kenny Segal, Hiding Places: An album-length self-excavation that crawls through moldy memories in a brutal poetry that is at times darkly funny but mostly wrestles with personal and societal truths that'll leave you touched, shook.

📟 Holly Herndon, PROTO: One of our deepest thinkers went to the past to make music from the future.

🚨 Rakta, Falha Comum: Creepazoid emanations from a subterranean plane.

🐣 Sunwatchers, Illegal Moves: Ecstatic protest music summoning the beauty and rage of Alice Coltrane, Sonny Sharrock, Rhys Chatham and Hawkwind.

🏞 Bill Orcutt, Odds Against Tomorrow: The most engaging, radical, but surprisingly accessible solo guitar album of the year. Bill Orcutt's ragged-yet-tender guitar skronk gives shaggy texture to rapturous melodies.

🍕 Control Top, Covert Contracts: This hits some dance-punky Erase Errata sweet spots for me, but with the technical finesse of a power trio.

🚟 Real Life Rock & Roll Band, Hollerin' the Spirit: Applies minimalist techniques to rumbling, dueling guitar histrionics with a reckless, but locked-in energy. Never woulda thunk American Football and Henry Flynt could hoedown together.

🐠 Caroline Shaw & Attacca Quartet, Orange: Balances austere beauty with rumbling earth. Riveting music for string quartet.

💥 Mdou Moctor, Ilana (The Creator): Where ZZ Top bombast, Black Sabbath riffs and Tuareg trance rhythms swirl into an acid-rock stomp.

👑 Vagabon, Vagabon: Goes so many places, yet always returns home.

🎭 JPEGMAFIA, All My Heroes Are Cornballs: A neon-freaked feast blasted in slow mo and fast forward all at once.

🌆 Denzel Curry, ZUU: Dude's a metal rapper without a metal band, but if he ever started one, I'm down 100 percent.

💨 Whistling Arrow, Whistling Arrow: An avant UK supergroup of prepared guitar, violin, electronics and hypnotic percussion drinks deep of dark lagers and mossy earth.

🐸 101 Notes on Jazz: Things are getting hard around the boloney hole...

🐳 M. Sage, Catch a Blessing: Warm, fuzzy world-building from blocks of sound stretched and warped into a new nostalgia.

🚇 Mizmor, Cairn: Deliberate and patient in its annihilating pace; lumbering, yet regally melodic riffs echo into a chasm of feedback.

🌅 Takafumi Matsubara, Strange, Beautiful And Fast: Next-level grind from the Gridlink mastermind and friends. While No One Knows What the Dead Think picked up where Discordance Axis left off, Takafumi Matsubara shreds into the future.

🐎 American Football, LP3: A reunion that keeps on giving and growing. Impressionistic in its quietly bursting arrangements and attuned to the individual talents of its vocal guests, especially that stunning duet with Hayley Williams.

🔋 v/a, Seitō: In the Beginning, Woman Was the Sun: This compilation does for modern Japanese women in experimental music what P.S.F.’s Tokyo Flashback comps did for the Japanese psychedelic scenes of yore.

👗 Carly Rae Jepsen, Dedicated: Didn't hold together as much as I wanted, or play like E•MO•TION's late-night mixtape, but every time one of its singles popped up on a friend's playlist -- "Julien," "Want You in My Room," "The Sound" and especially the slow-burn synth-pop exhaustion of "Too Much" -- I'd think, "Carly Rae Jepsen is the Queen of the Song I Needed Right Now."

🌕 Rong, wormhat: Just bonkers. Boston's Rong channels the joyous chaos of Japanese punks Melt-Banana and the aggro skronk of Brainiac with a tad of Deerhoof's weirdo-pop hooks.

✊🏿 Sounds of Liberation, Sounds of Liberation / Unreleased Columbia University 1973: Free jazz and funk band deep in spiritual grooves. Killer performances all around, but such a trip to hear more from young vibraphonist Khan Jamal during his Drum Dance to the Motherland era.

🐬 Great Grandpa, Four of Arrows: If Sixpence None the Richer made an emo record, but only had Return of the Frog Queen on the mood board.

📳 Sarah Louise, Nighttime Birds and Morning Stars: One of my favorite guitarists right now. Digitally processes melodies and single notes in an electronic elation landing somewhere between Robert Fripp, Alice Coltrane and Terry Riley.

📮 Sarah Hennies, Reservoir 1: An immersive sound cycle in constant motion, a quiet rumble that slowly transforms in and out of a glorious clatter.

👣 Psychedelic Speed Freaks, Psychedelic Speed Freaks: Munehiro Narita essentially picks up where High Rise left off, still plays the guitar like it's about to blow up.

🍩 Town Portal, Of Violence: Most instrumental post/prog-rock puts me to sleep, but this Danish trio illustrates just how dynamic and sound-rich this music can be.

🛀 Jim O'Rourke, steamroom 45: An electronic excavation from the deep abyss. The 37-minute "Sigaretstraat" is a master class in patience, dynamics and sublime dissonance.

🎀 Cristina Quesada, I Think I Heard a Rumor: Multi-lingual, ultra-chic dance-pop with super-smart synth arrangements. Think: Tiki drinks and mod dresses.

⏹ John Luther Adams, Become Desert: Truly time-less music; as in, music without time.

⏏ Julia Reidy, brace, brace: Late night, longform excursions that offer an alternate Blade Runner soundtrack with frenzied 12-string, fuzzy synth glossolalia and an Auto-Tuned bummer haze.

🚞 A Million Dollars, I Love Your Voice and I Love You: Weird and warped twee-pop that woulda headlined Silent Barn.

📠 Priests, The Seduction of Kansas: Truth-telling and truth-seeking through a mangled disco haze and bleak New Wave romanticism.

🏭 Werner Durand with Amelia Cuni and Victor Meertens, processions: Majestic drones capture an undulating wonder with enveloping somnolence.

🎳 Sheer Mag, A Distant Call: The denim-and-leather-jacket-wearing standard bearers of truly independent rock and roll double-downed on their sound, but opened their hearts a bit more.

📒 Susan Alcorn / Joe McPhee / Ken Vandermark, Invitation to a Dream: Illuminates the flickering motions of exploration.

😱 Serpent Column, Mirror in Darkness: Pitch-black metal chaos with forceful melodies twisted into the tableau. Honestly? Deathspell Omega but skramz.

🏅 Pernice Brothers, Spread the Feeling: Joe Pernice digs into his '80s record collection to return with some of his most delicately written, winsome guitar-pop in years and tons of one-liners: "Love is a shoeless charlatan, a silver-tongued huckster with a sadist’s lipless grin."

🍓 Kalie Schorr, Open Book: Whip-smart, hook-twanged country-pop raised on MTV2 pop-punk and Sheryl Crow.

📀 Angel Olsen, All Mirrors: In a year where we lost Scott Walker, this felt like a torch passed from 1969.

😪 Mount Eerie, Lost Wisdom pt. 2: Phil Elverum draws us in evermore, revisiting a beloved album, mode and collaborator (the remarkable Julie Doiron), and molding them into his ever-changing songwriting and circumstance. Contains the most tender couplet of the year, which I'll carry with me always: "If ever the bonfire that I carry around could warm you again / I will be out here in the weather for you glowing."

🙉 75 Dollar Bill, I Was Real: Serious hypno-grooves from these drone excavators.

👢 Karen Marks, Cold Cafe: The early '80s artist behind the Sky Girl comp's broodiest track gets a few more songs of existential synth-pop and jangly post-punk. Just wanna put them on mixtapes for friends.

🍻 Haunt, If Icarus Could Fly: Synthesizes an earnest, studied love for '80s heavy metal with tons of guitar harmonies and can-crushing anthems, yes, but also a ton of heart.

🍖 Bob Dylan, The Rolling Thunder Revue: The strangest, most mystical and wild Dylan persona in all of its face-painted glory.

🌹 A Pregnant Light, Broken Play: Damian Master's endless creativity and shameless bravado coalesce into a rugged beauty. As always, riffs for days.

🦄 Fire-Toolz, Field Whispers (Into the Crystal Palace): Clashes New Age synthscapes, clubby raves, jazz fusion and metal shrieks into an idiosyncratic master's pure creation.

🌇 Maria W Horn, Epistasis: Quiet, yet forceful acoustic elements are wrapped in the sinews of technology to blur composition. A stirring mix of icy string drones and minimalist piano.

🐲 Soul Glo, The N**** in Me Is Me: Distills the rage and terror of living in America while being black with blunt force.

🍢 Mára, Here Behold Your Own: Snapshots of a time before parenthood rendered in garbled organ, ambient guitar loops and echoing lullabies. Felt this one deeply.

🚙 The Go-Betweens, G Stands for Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 2: There's a live KCRW version of "Quiet Heart" that just absolutely destroys me. Deeply thankful for the presentation and preservation that's gone into these box sets.

😈 Bat for Lashes, Lost Girls: A coming-of-age concept album about a teenage vampire gang that was somehow severely overlooked. Some of Natasha's most tender songwriting and a rich synth-pop world that'd make M83 jealous.

#2019 in music

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tsaomengde · 5 years ago

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One of the best things I learned in Terrance Hayes's poetry class at CMU is that I'm not a poet. Saved me a lot of time and effort. But now I'm writing a novel with a funeral scene, and I was like, there really should be some in-universe poetry or song to help flesh out the culture here.

And yesterday I got to the part of LotR where Galadriel sings her Song of Eldamar. The melody they composed for the audiobook is very sweet, and sad. Here is an excellent cover using that melody (skip to 0:53): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05RIBqSYJXM

There's a lot of drawing out Elvish words into extra syllables to make it fit, but it's nice! So I wrote a funerary song of redemption that is supposed to go with the melody. I've (badly) sung it through, and it mostly fits with a little noodging. Haven't worked with rhyme and meter in a long time, but it was a fun exercise and I'm sharing with all of you. Below the cut if you’re interested.

There was a ship, Upon the sea, Its only task To carry me O’er the crashing waves Beneath a stormy sky And to the distant shore.

The waves did rise, To drown the ship, And drown we did For all my cries Eased not the iron grip Closed about my heart From all my sins of yore.

And in the dark, Beneath the waves, Without a spark Of any hope I began to hear The sound of distant words: A voice in tone most kind.

It spoke to me, I took a breath, Because it said This angry sea Is no more than the Weight of all your sins Upon your reeling mind.

My eyes were blind, For they were shut, But at the last I opened them And it was then I saw That I had always been Upon that distant shore.

#lotr #poetry #galadriel #writing #my writing

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trinuviel · 7 years ago

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Crowned with Fire – True and False Lights in A Song of Ice and Fire (part 2)

In the previous installment in this series, I wrote about the tower crowned with fire – the lighthouse – as a positive image of truth and guidance. Thus, the Lighthouse is an example of a true light in GRRM’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. In this post, I’ll examine the imagery of the crown of fire in relation to the notion of false light and the destructive side of fire.

WRECKERS AND DECEPTIVE LIGHTS

The lighthouse is, as noted, a positive image in ASoIaF. It guides ships into safe harbor during the darkness of the night. However, as so many things, the lighthouse and its function can be abused for nefarious purposes - such as deliberately wrecking ships on treacherous shores, a detail @lostlittlesatellites and @shinynewrevulsions made me aware of in Davos’ story.

These days the Sistermen left open piracy to Salladhor Saan and his ilk and confined themselves to wrecking. The beacons that burned along the shores of the Three Sisters were supposed to warn of shoals and reefs and rocks and lead the way to safety, but on stormy nights and foggy ones, some Sistermen would use false lights to draw unwary captains to their doom. (ADwD, Davos I)

Wreckers form a subset of smugglers and pirates. They use beacons to deliberately lure ships into dangerous waters on nights with poor visibility.

(Image from the miniseries Jamaica Inn)

In this context, the practice of wrecking subverts the positive imagery of the lighthouse and recasts the beacon as a false light that lures the unwary traveler astray.

A BURNING CROWN

I want to return to the imagery of something/someone being crowned by fire because it is an image that recurs in the text, sometimes in different variations. One particular striking image is the one of a crown of fire, which is related to Stannis Baratheon and Daenerys Targaryen.

Stannis has a terrifying vision in the flames of a king that is consumed by a burning crown:

“Last night, gazing into that hearth, I saw things in the flames as well. I saw a king, a crown of fire on his brows, burning . . . burning, Davos. His own crown consumed his flesh and turned him into ash. – Stannis Baratheon to Davos Seaworth, (ASoS, Davos V)

This vision is very interesting to me because it can be read both as a foreshadowing as well as an expression of Stannis’ own fears regarding the role that Melisandre cast him as: Azor Ahai come again. Stannis fears that he’ll be consumed by the path that Melisandre has set him upon – and he isn’t wrong. Melisandre is mistaken in her identification of Stannis as the saviour her religion has promised. She tries to manipulate the events circumstances to fit the prophecy, which only results in a “magical” sword that is subtly wrong (x) and (x). She desperately wants to believe that she has found the promised saviour but instead Melisandre has created a “false light” with the glowing sword that she gifts Stannis through an elaborate, fiery ceremony at Dragonstone.

The imagery of a burning crown also appears in one of Daenerys’ chapters in a very literal manner when she has Drogon set one of the slavers of Astapor on fire:

And Dany swept the lash down as hard as she could across the slaver's face. Kraznys screamed and staggered back, the blood running red down his cheeks into his perfumed beard. The harpy's fingers had torn his features half to pieces with one slash, but she did not pause to contemplate the ruin. "Drogon," she sang out loudly, sweetly, all her fear forgotten. "Dracarys."

The black dragon spread his wings and roared. A lance of swirling dark flame took Kraznys full in the face. His eyes melted and ran down his cheeks, and the oil in his hair and beard burst so fiercely into fire that for an instant the slaver wore a burning crown twice as tall as his head. The sudden stench of charred meat overwhelmed even his perfume, and his wail seemed to drown all other sound. Then the Plaza of Punishment blew apart into blood and chaos.(ASoS, Daenerys III)

This scene takes place when Daenerys buys a slave army in Astapor, only to turn them on the slavers. This is the moment where her anti-slavery crusade is born – on the Plaza of Punishment in Astapor, the slavers are punished with fire and blood. However, it is also the first real and premeditated action Dany takes towards her ambition of reclaiming her father’s throne in Westeros. She is in Astapor to acquire an army to conquer Westeros and she begins her quest for the Iron Throne by giving a man a burning crown of fire. As with Stannis, the imagery of the burning crown is a destructive one.

THE FIERY PIT

In my previous post, I mentioned that it was a particular quote from the novella The Princess and the Queen that inspired the subject of this series of metas: “Atop the Hill of Rhaenys, the Dragonpit wore a crown of yellow fire, burning so bright it seemed as if the sun was rising.” In this context, the image of the crown of fire is associated with a false light, a fire so bright that it could be mistaken for the dawn. If the tower crowned with fire – the lighthouse – is an image of a true light, then the burning Dragonpit is its opposite: the fiery pit is a false light – and this false light is closely associated with dragonfire.

The Dragonpit is a significant architectural landmark in King’s Landing. It sits atop The Hill of Rhaenys and is just as visually prominent as the Red Keep on Aegon’s High Hill and The Sept of Baelor on Visenya’s Hill.

(King’s Landing. Art by Tomasz Jedruszek)

When it comes to the history of King’s Landing, Rhaenys’ Hill has felt the devastating effects of both dragon- and wildfire several times over. The Dragonpit was not the first large building that was raised upon The Hill of Rhaenys. Originally, the hill was crowned by the Sept of Remembrance, built in memory of Queen Rhaenys Targaryen after she was killed in the First Dornish War. Maegor I Targaryen (called the Cruel) unleased the fire of Balerion the Black Dread on the Sept of Remembrance during his conflict with the Faith Militant.

(Maegor I Targaryen and Balerion burn the Sept of Remembrance. Art by Jordi Gonzalez Escamilla)

After the burning of The Sept of Remembrance, Maegor I had the Dragonpit built as a residence for the Targaryen dragons. Approximately 90 years later the Dragonpit burns down during the Dance of the Dragons when a mob of people stormed the building in order to kill the dragons.

A thousand shrieks and shouts echoed across the city, mingling with the dragon’s roar. Atop the Hill of Rhaenys, the Dragonpit wore a crown of yellow fire, burning so bright it seemed as if the sun was rising. Even the queen trembled as she watched, the tears glistening on her cheeks. Many of the queen’s companions on the rooftop fled, fearing that the fires would soon engulf the entire city, even the Red Keep atop Aegon’s High Hill. (The Princess and the Queen)

What is left is a burnt out shell of the mighty dome.

(The Dragonpit. Art by Franz Miklis)

About 70 years later, the Dragonpit is used to store the bodies of the multitudes that succumbed to the Great Spring Sickness. There, the bodies were cremated by wildfire.

" A dreadful time, ser, dreadful. Strong men would wake healthy at the break of day and be dead by evenfall. So many died so quickly there was no time to bury them. They piled them in the Dragonpit instead, and when the corpses were ten feet deep, Lord Rivers commanded the pyromancers to burn them. The light of the fires shone through the windows, as it did of yore when living dragons still nested beneath the dome. By night you could see the glow all through the city, the dark green glow of wildfire.” (The Sworn Sword)

Corpses were piled in the ruins of the Dragonpit until they stood ten feet high and, in the end, Bloodraven had the pyromancers burn the corpses where they lay. A quarter of the city went up in flames along with them, but there was nothing else to be done. (tWoIaF)

During Robert’s Rebellion, King Aerys II Targaryen had 300 jars of wildfire hidden beneath the Dragonpit. Those jars where found by the Guild of the Pyromancers in the periode leading up to the Battle of the Blackwater. It is unclear whether there still is wildfire hidden beneath the Dragonpit.

I want to return to the burning of the Dragonpit in the novella The Princess and the Queen because the description of how dragons and men attacked each other shares some strong similarities with a scene that takes place in another pit: the scene in Daznak’s Pit in Meereen that ends with Daenerys Targaryen riding Drogon for the first time in A Dance with Dragons.

Let’s have a look at how the Storming of the Dragonpit is described in The Princess and the Queen:

No two chronicles agree on how many men and women died that night beneath the Dragonpit’s great dome: two hundred or two thousand, be that as it may. For every man who perished, ten suffered burns and yet survived. Trapped within the pit, hemmed in by walls and dome and bound by heavy chains, the dragons could not fly away, or use their wings to evade attacks and swoop down on their foes. Instead they fought with horns and claws and teeth, turning this way and that like bulls in a Flea Bottom rat pit … but these bulls could breathe fire. The Dragonpit was transformed into a fiery hell where burning men staggered screaming through the smoke, the flesh sloughing from their blackened bones, but for every man who died, ten more appeared, shouting that the dragons must need die. One by one, they did.

Shrykos was the first dragon to succumb, slain by a woodsman known as Hobb the Hewer, who leapt onto her neck, driving his axe down into the beast’s skull as Shrykos roared and twisted, trying to throw him off. Seven blows did Hobb deliver with his legs locked round the dragon’s neck, and each time his axe came down he roared out the name of one of the Seven. It was the seventh blow, the Stranger’s blow, that slew the dragon, crashing through scale and bones into the beast’s brain.

[…]

The last of the four pit dragons did not die so easily. Legend has it that Dreamfyre had broken free of two of her chains at Queen Helaena’s death. The remaining bonds she burst now, tearing the stanchions from the walls as the mob rushed her, then plunging into them with tooth and claw, ripping men apart and tearing off their limbs even as she loosed her terrible fires. (The Princess and the Queen)

Now, let us take a look at another dragon-on-human bloodbath in another pit.

In A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen attends the gladiatorial combats in Daznak’s Pit in Meereen in celebration of the political marriage she made with a local nobleman, Hizdar zo Loraq. The blood and violence of the brutal games attract Drogon, the largest of Daenerys’ dragons and when he descends upon the pit to feast on the corpse of on of the fighters, all hell breaks loose.

One man took it on himself to be a hero. He was one of the spearmen sent out to drive the boar back to his pen. Perhaps he was drunk, or mad. Perhaps he had loved Barsena Blackhair from afar or had heard some whisper of the girl Hazzea. Perhaps he was just some common man who wanted bards to sing of him. He darted forward, his boar spear in his hands. Red sand kicked up beneath his heels, and shouts rang out from the seats. Drogon raised his head, blood dripping from his teeth. The hero leapt onto his back and drove the iron spearpoint down at the base of the dragon's long scaled neck. Dany and Drogon screamed as one. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

The hero leaned into his spear, using his weight to twist the point in deeper. Drogon arched upward with a hiss of pain. His tail lashed sideways. She watched his head crane around at the end of that long serpentine neck, saw his black wings unfold. The dragonslayer lost his footing and went tumbling to the sand. He was trying to struggle back to his feet when the dragon's teeth closed hard around his forearm. "No" was all the man had time to shout. Drogon wrenched his arm from his shoulder and tossed it aside as a dog might toss a rodent in a rat pit. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

The spearmen were running too. Some were rushing toward the dragon, spears in hand. Others were rushing away, throwing down their weapons as they fled. The hero was jerking on the sand, the bright blood pouring from the ragged stump of his shoulder. His spear remained in Drogon's back, wobbling as the dragon beat his wings. Smoke rose from the wound. As the other spears closed in, the dragon spat fire, bathing two men in black flame. His tail lashed sideways and caught the pitmaster creeping up behind him, breaking him in two. Another attacker stabbed at his eyes until the dragon caught him in his jaws and tore his belly out. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

There are several points of comparison between the scenes from The Princess and the Queen and A Dance with Dragons:

Dragons burning people and tearing them limb from limb.

A man leaps onto the neck of a dragon and injures it with an axe and a spear respectively.

The phrase RAT PIT is used in both scenes, which binds them together through associative logic.

Furthermore, both scenes makes an associative connection between dragons – fire – hell. The Dragonpit is described as a “fiery hell” in The Princess and the Queen whereas Daenerys places hell in Drogon’s molten eyes:

Drogon roared. The sound filled the pit. A furnace wind engulfed her. The dragon's long scaled neck stretched toward her. When his mouth opened, she could see bits of broken bone and charred flesh between his black teeth. His eyes were molten. I am looking into hell, but I dare not look away. She had never been so certain of anything. If I run from him, he will burn me and devour me. (ADwD, Daenerys IX)

FALSE LIGHTS: PROPHECIES AND DRAGONFIRE

I find it noteworthy that both Stannis and Daenerys have the burning crown as a negative image in their chapters, especially since they are both associated with the prophecies of Azor Ahai come again and The Prince that was Promised. I have written about that here and here. Maester Aemon correctly identifies Stannis’ glowing sword, which looks like the sun made steel, as a false light – an empty glamour that will only lead into darkness. Thus, the misinterpretation of a prophecy is a dangerous thing and prophecy itself can function as a false light, which I’d argue that it does in the case of AA come again.

In the same manner, I’d argue that dragonfire constitutes another false light. If the tower crowned with fire (the Lighthouse) represents a true light, then its inversion, the fiery pit as exemplified in the Dragonpit wearing a crown of fire represents another false light. I’ve demonstrated that the Storming of the Dragonpit and Drogon’s attack on Daznak’s Pit in Meereen are connected through an associative logic based on similarities in the way these events are described – so I’d argue that you could make a case for dragonfire as another representation of a false light.

I’ve come to believe that Daenerys’ dragons won’t be the solution to the threat of the Others (see my metas here, here and here). Stannis, his false Lightbringer and the burning crown that devours the wearer from his vision represents the false light that leads Melisandre astray. Daenerys and her dragons represent another false light that lead the readers astray because the text itself introduces the possibility of the dragons as an easy solution to the problem through one of Daenerys’ dreams:

That night she dreamt that she was Rhaegar, riding to the Trident. But she was mounted on a dragon, not a horse. When she saw the Usurper's rebel host across the river they were armored all in ice, but she bathed them in dragonfire and they melted away like dew and turned the Trident into a torrent. Some small part of her knew that she was dreaming, but another part exulted. This is how it was meant to be. The other was a nightmare, and I have only now awakened. (ASoS, Daenerys III)

Now it is established that Daenerys may have prophetic dreams like her ancestor Daenys the Dreamer. However, I cannot help but be suspicious of the ease with which the warriors armed in ice are defeated by the dragons in Dany’s dream. They simply melt away like dew after she bathes them in dragonfire. Then there’s the part of her that knows she’s dreaming but wishes that the dream is the reality. If we look at this passage in a Doylist context, the same conclusions can be applied to audience expectation. We want the dragons to be the solution to the problem of the Others because it seems straightforward and easy – but GRRM has said something that indicates that the dragons may be more of a threat than a salvation to Westeros:

Well, of course, the two outlying ones — the things going on north of the Wall, and then there is Targaryen on the other continent with her dragons — are of course the ice and fire of the title, “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The central stuff — the stuff that’s happening in the middle, in King’s Landing, the capital of the seven kingdoms […]You know, one of the dynamics I started with, there was the sense of people being so consumed by their petty struggles for power within the seven kingdoms, within King’s Landing — who’s going to be king? Who’s going to be on the Small Council? Who’s going to determine the policies? — that they’re blind to the much greater and more dangerous threats that are happening far away on the periphery of their kingdoms. (GRRM)

In this quote, GRRM explicitly states that the Fire of Dany and her dragons is one of two great, dangerous threats against Westeros that people are blind to – that blindness can be applied to bot a Watsonian and a Doylist perspective. The political players in Westeros as well as the audience are blind to the threat that Dany’s dragons present. It is very likely that she isn’t the promised saviour but rather a Destroyer on a scale that is almost equal to the others, which is something that I’ve written about previously.

Interestingly enough, Dany has this dream the night before she has Drogon give the slaver Kraznys a burning crown that kills him. It is also noteworthy that Drogon’s flame is dark. Dragons have different coloured flames and Drogon’s flame is black fire shot with red. (Viserion’s flame is a pale golden fire shot with red and orange and Rhaegal’s flame is orange-yellow fire shot through with green). Drogon is Dany’s mount, the dragon she bonds with and his fire is black – hardly a flame that illuminates the darkness.

“THE LIGHT THAT BRINGS THE DAWN” – THE NIGHT’S WATCH

I have written several metas that touches upon the threat of the Others in relation to the symbolism employed as well as the prophecies about a chosen saviour: the series Azor Ahai, The Prince that was Promised and the Red Sword of Heroes 1-6, The Ice and the Fire of the Song 1-3 and others. They can be found here.

When pondering these issues, I keep coming back to the Night’s Watch in a way that has continued to surprise me. The legend of Lightbringer is quite possibly inspired by the obsidian blades that kills White Walkers with ease and the Night’s Watch is connected to the strongest defense against the Others: the Wall – an edifice built of ice and infused with a magic rooted in the living land.

As the story stands, the Night’s Watch is in no condition to counter this magical threat against the kingdom. The institution has dwindled in numbers as well as in reputation – and it is crippled by neglect. It has become the repository of criminals, traitors and minor nobles with nowhere else to go. They are in no way equipped to handle the threat of the Others.

Yet the symbolism of the Lighthouse is connected to the NW. The Last Hero is quite possibly Brandon the Builder who also is the likely founder of the NW as well as the builder of the Wall (and the Hightower = Lighthouse). These elements point to the NW as part of the solution and therefore I think it can be illuminating to take a closer look at the institution and its ideology.

An important aspect of the NW is their role as apolitical protectors of the entire realm. They are The Shield that Guards the Realms of Men! They quite literally represent the ideal of people banding together against a common enemy regardless of politics, etc. This is a common trope in fantasy fiction – and GRRM uses the NW to examine this trope, subvert it and very likely reconstruct it. In my opinion, this is why the Lighthouse/Beacon as a representation of a true light that guides people through the darkness/night is connected to the Night’s Watch on a symbolic level as well as through an associative logic within the text itself.

#asoaif #meta #crowned with fire #the dragonpit #dragons #false lights #the night's watch #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire

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goodbysunball · 7 years ago

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Best of 2017

Countering the truly embarrassing news cycle of the past year was the deluge of great new music released upon the world, so much so that I’m leaving a good chunk of more than deserving albums hanging. To simplify everything, this is a compendium of what was played most around here, along with a handful of new-to-me reissues/archival releases.

I skipped doing the rap recap this year because my list was so pathetically brief, and doing so seemed both short-sighted and irrelevant. That being said: Quelle Chris’ Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often was my favorite album, followed by Starlito’s Manifest Destiny and Playboi Carti’s vapid, relentlessly fun album. Goldlink’s “Crew” featuring Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy was my favorite song, like everyone else.

Full list of 30 records below. We’ll do better next year.

12. Mount Trout, Screwy (self-released)

This unassuming, digital-only gem crept up on me as the months turned cold. Scraps of paper with notes written on them are held afloat by spare guitar lines; elsewhere winds whip in and chaos overtakes clarity. Lots of the lyrics sound like half-thoughts that forced themselves out after extended periods of solitude, sometimes peaceful, sometimes anguished. Screwy rewards patient attention without dragging you through the mud - but it’s there, should you need to cool off.

11. Group Doueh & Cheveu, Dakhla Sahara Session (Born Bad)

The intriguing pairing on Dakhla Sahara Session turns out to be one of the best surprises of the year, and easily one of the most listenable. Cheveu’s robotic yet effervescent contributions are immediately recognizable, as are Group Doueh’s swirling guitar lines and sweeping vocals; the two fit in and around each other, explosion welded together into a foundation for a colored smoke tower.

10. Leda, Gitarrmusik III-X (Förlag För Fri Musik)

The two people behind Neutral put out a lot of music this year, most of it well worth hunting down despite its highly limited, premium price barrier. I can’t claim to have heard everything, but by my count the two best were Neutral’s När mini-LP and Leda’s limited-to-100 Gitarrmusik III-X LP. Most of this sounds like King Blood collaborating with Robert Turman, looping machinations mixing with heavily distorted shredding, all of it recorded in a metal-walled bunker. Doesn’t sound like much on paper, but when you arrive at “Gitarrmusik VIII” and “IX,” time just about stops. (If you missed out, “Gitarrmusik I” and “II” are available here.)

9. The Body & Full of Hell, Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light (Thrill Jockey)

The first collaboration between these two heavyweights was a slow grower, both bands clearing the land by seeing how far out they could push their respective versions of extreme metal. Ascending, then, is the sound of the two bands communicating as one. The immediate standout is “Farewell, Man,” exactly what comes to mind when one imagines what kind of song the Body and Full of Hell could write together. But tracks like “Our Love Conducted With Shields Aloft,” all free drumming, violently humming noise and sandblasted vocals, hint at a broader, uglier horizon.

8. Bad Breeding, Divide (Iron Lung/La Vida Es Un Mus)

One of the year’s nastier hardcore records, and a reminder that the shitstorm at home extends across the Atlantic, too. The band’s got enough chops to rip through every track here - check out that stuttering riff on “Anamnesis,” and how it comes roaring back after a quick respite - but the best songs close each side. The screaming of “Now what?” that concludes “Leaving” is chilling, and serves as one of the best summations of this mess of a year.

7. The Terminals, Antiseptic (Ba Da Bing)

I’ve been hankerin’ for more Steven Cogle ever since that self-titled Dark Matter LP, and if that’s one of your favorite records of recent yore like it is mine, you oughta get your mitts on Antiseptic. The long-running band is absent Brian Crook, but he is ably replaced by Nicole Moffat, who also appeared on Dark Matter; her violin seeps into the empty pores, creating a dense, beautiful atmosphere ripe for Cogle’s powerful vocals. The deal’s done by the time “Edge of the Night” hits.

6. Taiwan Housing Project, Veblen Death Mask (Kill Rock Stars)

Wrecking crew led by Kilynn Lunsford and Mark Feehan brings the heat, here as two parts of a six-piece ensemble. The ten tracks on here range from caustic to catchy (”Eat or Be Eat” into “Luminous Oblong Blur” for the former, “Multidimensional Spectrum” for the latter), accentuated by sax blurts and ever-present static grime. If that ain’t enough, lyrics acidic enough to melt bone make Veblen Death Mask a complete meal worth droolin’ over.

5. Sida, s/t (Population)

The Theoreme LP that came out last year turned into one of my favorites this year, syrupy-thick industrial body music from one Maissa D. She fronts Sida, and she turns in the vocal performance of the year on their first LP. She seemed more restrained as Theoreme but that’s all out the window here; "Qu'Est-Ce Qui T'As Pris?” ups the ante and things don’t slow down from there. The band, for their part, turn in a burly and caustic punk/no wave hybrid that does all it can to keep up. An aural steamroller.

4. Omni, Multi-task (Trouble In Mind)

It was a real mistake to not include Omni’s deceptively catchy debut Deluxe on my year-end list last year, so when they came back and made an even better record, credit is due. Not sure how Frankie Broyles doesn’t sprain his wrist or let melodies go off the rails, but his snappy drumming and spindly guitar work are the stars of the show. The lyrics slyly present a general malaise with modern romance, and when it all clicks, like on “Supermoon” into “Date Night,” strap in.

3. Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, Rot (R.I.P. Society/What’s Your Rupture?)

Ready for Boredom was a great album full of weary-headed anthems, and it looks like growin’ up hasn’t come any easier for these bedwetters on Rot. The Boys left their glam rock tendencies (i.e., “Sally”) behind this time, and they stick to making gruff pop songs for people whose weeks slip by uneventfully more and more frequently. Songs like “Plastic Tears” and “Device” are urgent and unbelievably catchy, and whoever did the vocals on “Work Again” needs more time at the mic. The Replacements are still a good reference point for these guys, but after two rock-solid albums, it’s time they get to shed that flattering-yet-overbearing label and lay claim to this sound that they’ve perfected.

2. Dreamdecay, YÚ (Iron Lung)

Man, Dreamdecay are so good. They’ve softened the edges from N V N V N V but they’re even more potent this time around, figuring out how to include big slow-moving guitar riffs in a nominally punk framework. Songs like “Mirror” just about leave you on the floor with the guitar theatrics, while “IAN” is a one-way ticket to the stratosphere. All of it sounds incredible, and I think Andrew Earles said it best, so I’ll let him do the honors: “YÚ could easily rearrange how someone thinks about music… in that unforgettable way that stays with the experiencer forever.”

1. Aaron Dilloway, The Gag File (Dais)

What more can I say about The Gag File? I have gushed. Not only a complete statement of an album, but one of the only records to force a localized shutdown when it’s on, keeping everything else at arm’s length. A world unto its own. Clear the cobwebs out.

7″/12″

Anxiety, Wild Life 7″ (La Vida Es Un Mus)

There’s a good bit of cornball humor present in Anxiety’s lyrics and credited band member names, the sort of thing that has persisted/pervaded a lot of modern punk and hardcore. But these guys sell it, and more: with better (read: less juvenile) lyrics, sly and self-deprecating; a monster vocal performance (”Dumped” especially); and a blistering intensity that oughta put their peers on notice.

Bent, Mattress Springs 7″ (Emotional Response)

Bent’s been on my radar since their Non Soon tape, and this year they dropped the Snakes & Shapes LP, every bit the shifting, shambling and at times annoyingly silly experience Non Soon prepped me for. The Mattress Springs 7″ came soon after, and compressed all the best parts of the LP (including “Mattress Springs”) into several minutes of leaky roof drums, hypnotic bass lines and smothered, frantic guitar parts.

Crack Cloud, Anchoring Point 7″ (Good Person)

Whereas Bent are happy to let their songs droop and flow, Crack Cloud come across as almost militaristic in their approach. Perfectly rehearsed, not a hair out of place, and yet as urgent as anything released under the banner of post-punk in the past however-many-years. The first three jagged and dense tracks whip in and cut out, just in time but somehow just too soon; “Philosopher’s Calling” is the payoff.

Hothead, Richie Records Summer Singles Series 7″ (Richie)

The Richie Records Summer Singles Series once again distinguished itself in a household where 7″s aren’t really given the time of day. Sure, Writhing Squares Too breathed life into krautrock in 2017, and David Nance’s "Amethyst” is kingdom come on the right day, but Hothead? Their shambling take on two covers (and a quick sketch) netted them the gold.

Mordecai, What Is Art? 7″ (Sophomore Lounge)

Mordecai is one of America’s great treasures, ain’t no way around it. Their Abstract Recipe LP on Richie from this year is great, reclaiming the highs of Neil’s Generator while pushing further from their influences - but the two disparate sides of this 7″ compress everything great about the band into a tidy package. The A-side rambles out of the gate in the same way Abstract Recipe does, whereas the B-side goes all Don Howland: low fidelity, downtrodden but toe-tapping. Buy everything they’ve recorded.

Mutual Jerk, s/t 7″ (State Laughter)

“He’s really a nice guyyy” begins the A-side track “He’s Harmless,” and hoo boy you better sit down for this one, because that bass line is not quitting anytime soon. Feeble excuses pile up, a disinterested defense of a friend presented with a mocking snarl until the constant pummel causes the dam to burst. The flip cynically covers comfortable suburban lifestyles and macho hardcore, two new takes on No Trend's vast influence, but not quite reaching the impossible heights of song-of-the-year “He’s Harmless.”

Neutral, När 12″ (Omlott)

Neutral’s self-titled LP quickly turned into a favorite here in the early months of 2017. The duo kept busy all year, eventually releasing this mini-LP that favors electronics over guitars. The brittle backbone is the perfect support for Sofie Herner’s fragile yet mechanical vocals, a fitting soundtrack for a walk home so cold your eyelashes freeze. Shadow music that lacks a distinct time or place but leaves a flood of sensory overload in its wake.

Scorpion Violente, The Stalker 12″ (Bruit Direct Disques)

“The Wound”’s slow ooze remains one of my favorite musical moments of the year; there’s a reason it’s the only one you can’t stream via Bandcamp. Pay up, because if any modern label deserves your money, it’s Bruit Direct Disques.

The Shifters, “A Believer” b/w “Contrast of Form” (Market Square)

Brilliant little single of downer pop from the Shifters, whose self-titled cassette gained them a lot of Fall comparisons and was previously mined for a 7″ by It Takes Two. But it looks like they’ve got ambitions beyond the record nerd cadre: both songs are immediately satisfying without imparting a sticky sweetness - who can find fault with that?

Straightjacket Nation, s/t 12″ (La Vida Es Un Mus)

This is the punk record of the year for me, one that maybe got lost in the deluge of releases from La Vida Es Un Mus. If you wanna learn about effective vocal delivery in hardcore, please see “2021.” Eight tracks, all meat. Please tour the US.

Reissue/Archival

I don’t really feel too qualified to comment on music largely made before I was born, especially since I am the owner of several 2017 reissues with flowery press kits that I will probably never listen to again. But if you’re gonna be a sucker, let a sucker clue you in to these tried-and-true slabs deserving of any and all accolades. Unrepresented here, somewhat criminally, is the Black Editions, a label doing really amazing work reviving the P.S.F. catalog.

The And Band / Perfect Strangers, Noli Me Tangere split 7″ (Look Plastic/Noisyland)

Noli Me Tangere is two sides of barely-music from early ‘80s Christchurch, with this new edition featuring extensive liner notes from George Henderson, he of the And Band (and perhaps more recognizably, the Spies and the Puddle). Both sides showcase a coupla outcasted NZ bands supporting each others’ avant-scrawl, as inspirational as it is baffling.

Byron Morris & Gerald Wise, Unity LP (Eremite)

Freedom music, full of raw intensity (”Byard Lancaster did push-ups when not playing”) and fiery exchanges. The two sidelong pieces are demanding of your full attention, repaid in kind with chills so deep you’ll swear a spirit passed through ya.

Cosey Fanni Tutti, Time to Tell LP (Conspiracy International)

Gorgeous reissue with a foil-stamped gatefold and a huge booklet full of ephemera from the recording period. Less Throbbing Gristle menace than new age shimmer, especially on the B-side; the gentle ascent is the natural conclusion once you’ve lived through the stunning title track. Cosey, take me away.

Die Tödliche Doris, “ “ LP (États-Unis)

Brutally minimalistic post-punk from early ‘80s Germany, painstakingly restored by the Superior Viaduct sub-label États-Unis. The A-side is full of blistering, manic bursts; the flip smoothes things out, allowing ideas to stick around, proving this approach works in both short- and long-form. Call it ZNR meets DNA.

Harry Pussy, A Real New England Fuck Up LP (Palilalia)

Two live sets, one on each side, both monstrous and in shockingly high fidelity, especially given the circumstances detailed by Tom Lax and Tom Carter on the sleeve. The show from T.T. the Bear’s is the performance I always want (”Harry Pussy took the stage and sandblasted the night into oblivion”) and rarely get.

Khan Jamal Creative Art Ensemble, Drum Dance to the Motherland LP (Eremite)

Capping off a brilliant year for Eremite was a beautiful reissue of Drum Dance to the Motherland’s cosmic transmission. All of the hyperbolic reviews ring true when “Inner Peace” stumbles into a groove, but my favorite part is the almost painfully shrill horns on the title track.

Meat Thump, “Metal Gun” b/w “Left to Rust” 7″ (Coward Punch)

Coward Punch Records kept the memory of Brendon Annesley alive with a couple of archival Meat Thump 7″ers this year. The earlier one was good, but didn’t quite hit home; here, “Metal Gun” could be twice its length, and “Left to Rust” rambles down my spine in the same way that still-great “Box of Wine” 7″ does.

V/A, Oz Waves LP (Efficient Space)

I did not have more fun this year than when I was dancing along to this record like a poorly operated marionette, which was every time “Will I Dream?” started. Efficient Space continues to deliver the goods I didn’t know I needed.

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