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offtorivendell · 2 years ago

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The Dusk Court - Part II, Powerful Heirlooms and the Four Treasures of the Tuatha de Danann

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Disclaimer - this theory is simply that, a theory, which may or may not come to pass. When I’m specifying which Prythian object of power was “inspired by” each of the Tuatha de Danann’s four treasures, I’m only listing my thoughts. When I refer to "the Dusk Court," I am speaking of either the Court precursor that once existed, or its lost people. Thank you as always to @ladynightcourt3 and @wingedblooms for all of your theory chats and help, you are both so appreciated. 💜

Spoilers - all ACOTAR, CC and TOG books to date (November 2022).

This post is a long time coming, as it began as a follow up to my The Dusk Court, the Hewn City and Hybern theory in June (I think) of 2021. The Hybern part of that theory appears to have been debunked in CC HOSAB, though I do still think that Hybern could play into everything, but the Hewn City is, in my opinion, still quite relevant (especially because there is a Lord Thanatos there, who shares a name with the Prince of the Ravine - one of the circles of Hel we learnt about in CC). Are the people of the Court of Nightmares aware of Hel's Thanatos, or is the name cultural in some way? But I digress...

Suggested reading:

The Dusk Court - Part I

Is ACOTAR's Koschei the Death God actually Fionn, the once - and, he likely hopes, future - High King of Prythian?

Theia's Secret Legacy

Powerful parallels between Bryce, Theia and the Archeron sisters

Are the Archeron sisters distantly descended from the Starborn fae of the Dusk Court? OP from @wingedblooms, with my reblog

From what Nesta Archeron saw in the unhallowed catacombs - unholy, wicked, unconsecrated; underground cemetery - of the Hewn City, we can assume that the Court of Nightmares has amassed a decent hoard of magical objects, presumably many of which made the journey with them from what would have been the Dusk Court (if that theory pans out in any way), though that may not be the case for all of them. The "half-imprisoned" objects gave me Sword in the Stone vibes - and, as I've said before, I wouldn't be surprised if Azriel himself had an Arthur freeing Excalibur moment with Truth-Teller when he found it - but I doubt that they all contain the same level of power as the Veritas, the Ouroboros, Gwydion, Narben and Truth Teller. Some seem very powerful, and possibly imbued with raw power like Made items, but not all.

Feyre frowned at her mate. “They’re different from the objects of power in the Hewn City? What can they do?” Nesta had tried her best to forget that night she and Amren had gone to test her so-called gift against the hoard within those unhallowed catacombs. The objects had been half-imprisoned in the stone itself: knives and necklaces and orbs and books, all shimmering with power. None of it pleasant. For the Dread Trove to be worse than what she’d witnessed … - Nesta, ACOSF, chapter 20

Rhys’s eyes flicked to Ataraxia, then to Cassian. “Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. A millennium of peace followed, and the lands were divided into rough territories that were the precursors to the courts—but at the end of those thousand years, they were at each other’s throats, on the brink of war.” His face tightened. “Fionn unified them and set himself above them as High King. The first and only High King this land has ever had.” Nesta could have sworn the last words were spoken with a sharp look toward Cassian. But Cassian only winked at Rhys. “What happened to the High King?” Feyre asked. Rhys ran a hand over a page of the book. “Fionn was betrayed by his queen, who had been leader of her own territory, and by his dearest friend, who was his general. They killed him, taking some of his bloodline’s most powerful and precious weapons, and then out of the chaos that followed, the seven High Lords rose, and the courts have been in place ever since.” - ACOSF, chapter 55

It is curious, though, and potentially relevant, that besides the Dread Trove objects - the Crown, Harp and Mask, and one a mystery - we have learnt of four other historically significant magical items, two of which are canonically linked to Mor’s family, who I suspect are a cadet branch of the Dusk Court's old High Family, and two weapons (three if we count Truth-Teller). Four magical objects - the Veritas, the Ouroboros, Gwydion and Narben - potentially tied to a Court who theoretically fled underground, or into hiding, millennia ago… sounds familiar, no?

“She brought me to a room full of treasure. Strange objects. And it …” She tugged at the tight sleeve of her gown. “Some of it wanted to hurt us. As if it were alive—aware. Like … like in all those stories and lies we were fed over the wall.” - ACOWAR, chapter 27

The Tuatha De Danann, who I mentioned briefly in Part I, The Theory as a possible inspiration for the history of the now defunct Dusk Court of Prythian, are said to have had amongst their magical objects Four Treasures, or Jewels (1, 2), when they arrived in Ireland in a great cloud of smoke (or mist) from four island cities (other stories say that they arrived in ships, and that the cloud was the result of those ships being burnt):

The Undry - the Cauldron of Abundance, brought from Murias, the fortress of pinnacles, and was given to Dagda Mor, by the druid Seimhias. It is said that everyone leaves it satisfied, or that it contains an endless food supply, and that its waters could heal any wound - even going so far as to raise the dead, that it was a bottomless passage to the Otherworld. Dagda was a father figure/king amongst the Tuatha De, and was known for both his wisdom and magic.

Lia Fail - the Stone of Kings, brought from Falias, the city of the sciences. It was supposedly placed in Tara, and still exists there today. Whenever a true king of Ireland sat on it, it would cry out loud beneath him. It is also known as the Coronation Stone of Tara.

Spear of Destiny - the Spear of Lugh of the Silver Arm, brough from Goirias, the city of the faith, where “every word was a prayer.” The druid Easras is said to have warped the fates into Lugh’s spear, such that any who held it would never lose a battle, but would die if it was lost.

Claiomh Solais - the Sword of Light, forged by Uiscias in the day-foundries of the city of Fionnias/Finias the bright, and used in battle by Nuada, the first king of the Tuatha De; it is also known as the sword of Nuada. It was described as glowing like a torch, and will slay whomever it was drawn against. It is said to have fallen into the underworld after it was used to slay the Taker of Souls, but rumours exist that a fairy queen reclaimed it, and will lend it to heroes who complete three tasks for her.

The four objects that I suspect are linked to the Dusk Court are probably not exact replicas of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha De Danann, but they could have been inspired by them and, as I will attempt to explain, contain similar properties/have been paralleled in the text. Azriel’s dagger, Truth-Teller, is likely also important, so I will discuss it here, too (though I have a more detailed post here if you're interested).

Veritas - inspired by the Undry

There was an orb, it turned out, that had belonged to Mor’s family for millennia: the Veritas. It was rife with the truth-magic she’d claimed to possess—that many in her bloodline also bore. And the Veritas was one of their most valued and guarded talismans. - ACOMAF, chapter 41

The Veritas is an intriguing object; a valued and guarded “talisman” - an object thought to have magical powers that can bring about good luck - of Mor’s family, that has existed for millennia, at the very least. It’s power appears to be kin to what Mor “claimed to possess,” which I suspect is more than simply being able to know or tell truths. What if the Veritas could also do more than satisfy people of the truth of a matter?

The orb was known amongst the humans, had been wielded by them in the War, Rhys told me over a quiet dinner that night. The queens would know it. And would know it was absolute truth, not illusion or a trick, when we used it to show them—like peering into a living painting—that this city and its good people existed. - ACOMAF, chapter 41

I suspect that the Veritas is the ACOTAR version of The Undry, Dagda’s Cauldron of Abundance. As Feyre noted in ACOMAF, Rhys told her over dinner that the queens would know the Veritas, that it would be able to satisfy their desire for proof of the Night Court’s intentions for the Book of Breathings. Describing the Veritas itself as like a “ripe apple” brought food back to mind, and Feyre’s description of the cloud that came from the Veritas as leaking from the orb, swirling, roiling and drifting across the carpet, is using imagery that brings to mind both the water that would be inside any cauldron, including the Undry, as well as the Cauldron of ACOTAR itself, but the Tuatha de Danann's arrival to Ireland in mythology. There are also potential water/rift associations which, if confirmed, could parallel the Book of Breathings being thrown into Prythian's Cauldron and ending up in Midgard, with Bryce.

The obvious water and cauldron based adjectives also reminded me of when Elain was washed from the Cauldron, in chapter 65 of ACOMAF, “as if she’d been thrown by a wave.” The Veritas is also frequently described as an orb - a spherical body, a globe - which could be a reference to the Cauldron of ACOTAR, which is tied to the life of their world.

Mor opened the lid of the black box. The silver orb inside glimmered like a star under glass. “This is the Veritas,” Mor said in a voice that was young and old. “The gift of my first ancestor to our bloodline. Only a few times in the history of Prythian have we used it—have we unleashed its truth upon the world.” She lifted the orb from its velvet nest. It was no larger than a ripe apple, and fit within her cupped palms as if her entire body, her entire being, had been molded for it. “Truth is deadly. Truth is freedom. Truth can break and mend and bind. The Veritas holds in it the truth of the world. I am the Morrigan,” she said, her eyes not wholly of this earth. The hair on my arms rose. “You know I speak truth.” She set the Veritas onto the carpet between us. Both queens leaned in. But it was Rhys who said, “You desire proof of our goodness, our intentions, so that you may trust the Book in our hands?” The Veritas began pulsing, a web of light spreading with each throb. … Mor stretched out a hand, and a pale cloud swirled from the orb, merging with its light as it drifted past our ankles. The queens flinched, the guards edging forward with hands on their weapons. But the clouds continued roiling as the truth of it, of Velaris, leaked from the orb, from whatever it dragged up from Mor, from Rhys. From the truth of the world. - ACOMAF, chapter 57

The Veritas was then further paralleled with the Undry at the Inner Circle’s meeting with the queens, as Mor mentioned that it had been given to her bloodline - the Morrigan of Irish mythology was married to Dagda - and that Truth can “break and mend and bind,” which sounds like a nod to the Undry’s ability to heal any wound, not to mention the possibilities for the Veritas future use. Thinking further along this track, could the Veritas “break and mend and bind” a mating bond, if the right person were to wield it? Healing any wound could also, possibly, play a role with the crossover going forward; can the Veritas somehow access the same space between as the Cauldron, or a pocket realm of sorts? Could it play a role in breaking apart the rifts, sealing out the Asteri/any other enemies like the Valg, and then mend and bind the populations of the Dusk Court and other involved fae worlds?

Ouroboros - inspired by the Lia Fail

“My sister had a collection of mirrors in her black castle,” the Carver said. We halted once more. “She admired herself day and night in those mirrors, gloating over her youth and beauty. There was one mirror -- the Ouroboros, she called it. It was old, even when we were young. A window to the world. All could be seen, all could be told through its dark surface. Keir possesses it -- an heirloom of his household. Bring it to me. That is my price. The Ouroboros, and I am yours to wield. If you can find a way to free me.” A hateful smile. - ACOWAR, chapter 24

The Ouroboros in our real world is an ancient symbol that depicts a serpent swallowing its own tail, which signifies “the mystery of cyclical time, which flows back into itself,” and is an emblem of wholeness, or infinity. This is likely significant, as cyclical time, which focuses on the idea of “renewal, repetition, and regeneration,” appears to be a common theme amongst SJM’s works.

I won’t mention her use of cyclical time in Throne of Glass, as that would contain too many spoilers (and take up too much time), but it is also rife both in A Court of Thorns and Roses itself, and between CC, TOG and ACOTAR, in the many parallels that we have all noted between characters as individuals, and their relationships. One clear example of this - and please note that I am not suggesting that Lucien is anything like Beron in either his personality or behaviour, just that Lucien's position in his respective "love triangle" appears to be the same - is the parallel between the relationships of Azriel, Elain and Lucien Vanserra, and Helion, the Lady of Autumn, and Beron Vanserra. As we saw in TOG, the “repeated” event tends to resolve itself successfully, so I suspect that (though of course I could be wrong), in this instance, Beron and Lucien are foils for each other, used to highlight how terrible Beron is, and that Lucien will not - would not - go down the same path.

The Ouroboros that we know from ACOTAR is also known as the “the Mirror of Beginnings and Endings, which definitely sounds like it has taken inspiration from the ancient Ouroboros of our own world, yet I believe that, in the context of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha De Danann, it may represent the Lia Fail - the Stone of Kings. This is potentially more of an abstract parallel than that of the any of the other pairings, but please bear with me, and I think (and hope) it will make sense.

The Ouroboros in ACOTAR might show you your true self, warts and all - perhaps even your "fanged beast" - but it is constantly written in terms of mastery, worthiness, and servitude, which are three themes that are strongly associated with kings… and High Lords. The Bone Carver even called Feyre and Rhys “majesties” when they went to speak to him about the Ouroboros (a possible nod to any future high king plot, perhaps).

“Feyre and Cassian spoke to the Bone Carver. He wants the Ouroboros in exchange for serving us—fighting Hybern for us. - ACOWAR, chapter 27

I could not find an account of anyone who had mastered it. Faced what lurked within and walked away with the mirror in their possession. - ACOWAR, chapter 29

“Pick something else,” I replied. And not a fool’s errand this time. “What would you give me? Riches do me no good down here. Power holds no sway over the stone.” … “It is rude, Majesties, to speak when no one can hear you.” - ACOWAR, chapter 40

Rage—blistering rage started to fill in the holes left by what I’d beheld in that mirror. “You wanted to see if I was worthy?” - ACOWAR, chapter 68.

Feyre looked into and mastered the mirror to prove herself worthy of the Bone Carver’s service in the war against Hybern in ACOWAR, the imagery of which is a metaphor for the Lia Fail declaring whether the person who sits on top of it as being worthy of a kingdom and its rule.

The last we saw of the Ouroboros, Feyre gave it to the Carver in his cell at the Prison. Is it still there? Could it be the reason why Elain - and likely Azriel - will visit the Prison in the book that they will likely share? If "power holds no sway over the stone," was the Ouroboros a chess piece that needed to be moved to the Prison to facilitate future events, and the Bone Carver knew this? How? Regardless, given both Feyre and Rhys, as well as Nesta and Cassian, journeyed there together, it seems safe to assume that Elain and her love interest will do the same.

Whether or not the Ouroboros is still in the Carver’s cell in the Prison, I believe it will play a part in Elain’s - and potentially Azriel’s - story. If you look carefully, the mirror has consistently been written in terms and themes that we associate with Elain, Az, and both of them combined. Feyre thought, in chapter 27 of ACOWAR, that Elain “might very well have gone mad” when she was Seeing things after her transformation, and Rhys noted in chapter 7 of ACOFAS that the “lightless, airless prison” in which Azriel spent his childhood was meant to “break him.” Lucien even told Feyre he wanted to see if Elain was "worth" fighting for.

Furthermore, beginnings are representative of the rebirth of Spring, and Endings with Death - both themes that many associate with Elain and Azriel, respectively. In chapters 67 and 68 of ACOWAR, the Mirror is extensively linked to moonlight and winter - again, possibly metaphors for Elain and Azriel… and maybe the Mother and Koschei/Void related beings? I realise that Nesta also has associations with moonlight, however I think Elain shares some of this imagery: she smells like jasmine and honey, and jasmine is the first scent Feyre smelt when she arrives at the moonstone palace above the Court of Nightmares, where the Ouroboros was once kept; additionally, Mor was admiring a moonstone necklace when she and Feyre were discussing Elain, Azriel and Truth-Teller in ACOFAS (I'll come back to the Truth-Teller scene below).

Keir rose to his feet, smirking like a cat with a canary in its mouth. “To take the Ouroboros, to claim it, you must first look into it.” He headed for the doors, not waiting to be dismissed. “And everyone who has attempted to do so has either gone mad or been broken beyond repair. Even a High Lord or two, if legend is true.” A shrug. “So it is yours, if you dare to face it.” Keir paused at the threshold as the doors opened on a phantom wind. - ACOWAR, chapter 26

But as for the Carver … “He wanted a—gift. In exchange. The Ouroboros.” The Suriel let out a sound that might have been a gasp—delight or horror, I did not know. “The Mirror of Beginnings and Endings.” “Yes—but … I cannot retrieve it.” “You are afraid to look. To see what is within.” “Will it drive me—mad? Break me?” - ACOWAR, chapter 58

I did not expect the snow. Or the moonlight. The chamber must have lain beneath the palace of moonstone—shafts in the rough rock leading outside, welcoming in snowdrifts and moonlight. […] And there, against the far wall of the chamber, snow crusting its surface, its bronze casing … The Ouroboros. - ACOWAR, chapter 68

The Clever Crow, on Instagram, has suggested that Elain could potentially scry from the Carver’s Prison cell, with the bones present - such as that of the midengard worm - and the stone in of the Prison acting in place of the bones and stones that Nesta used before, which would be a fascinating twist and a possible way for her to boost her Sight.

Alternatively, Elain demonstrated in ACOWAR that she could simply use a mental image, a map and her Sight (or some similar/related power) to locate things and beings at will. Will Elain - or, less likely - Azriel, or both of them together, use the Ouroboros to scry, attempt to See - to spy on? - a place or point in time or space, or even go somewhere? Possibly using the orrery as her star map for long distances, as @wingedblooms and I have wondered? It screams of witch mirrors. This link is suggested by following line from Feyre’s POV, when she blinked after she had mastered the Mirror, which sounds suspiciously like Elain coming out of a Vision.

“That is none of your concern.” For the mirror … it had shown me. So many things. I did not know how long had passed. Time—it had been different inside the mirror. […] I blinked slowly. - ACOWAR, chapter 68.

Given the multiple associations of Elain with the moon (not as many as Nesta, I know, but imo they do exist), Sight, rebirth, shadows and light, I suspect that the following two quotes could be suggesting that Elain will use the Ouroboros, with the full moon that the figurine of the - assumed - Mother is holding being a metaphor for Elain holding the Mirror, while the snake devouring its tail sounds like it's half-hiding itself, as the shadows hid Elain's rose.

The Ouroboros. It was a massive, round disc—as tall as I was. Taller. And the metal around it had been fashioned after a massive serpent, the mirror held within its coils as it devoured its own tail. Ending and beginning. - ACOWAR, chapter 68

Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she’d placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess—perhaps even the Mother herself. - ACOSF, chapter 56

And finally, coming back to the Truth-Teller scene from chapter 69 of ACOWAR, the imagery in the final quote appears to invoke Azriel passing his legendary blade off to Elain: "Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife." I'll elaborate on this further when I discuss Gwydion, but I think this could possibly be SJM hinting at Truth-Teller being the moon, which represents the Mother (and I wouldn't be surprised if that was Theia, or someone from whom Theia was descended).

Narben - inspired by the Spear of Lugh

@merymoonbeam recently posted a theory that touched on the Spear of Lugh and Sword of Light, and my interpretation of the final two members of the Tuatha de Danann's four jewels matches hers (please read her amazing theory here).

We don't know a whole lot about the blade called Narben, which means "scar" in German, but we do know that it is older than Gwydion - which the ending of CC HOSAB revealed to us as Bryce and Ruhn's Starsword - and has powers "far darker." No holy, saviour's light to be seen there, or so they say.

Rhys murmured, “I have never seen anything like this.” His magic set the three blades to rotating, allowing them to observe every facet. Az’s face was still slack with awe. “Amarantha destroyed one,” Amren said. Cassian started. “I never heard that.” Amren amended, “Rumor claimed she dumped one into the sea. It would not come to Amarantha’s hand, nor the hands of any of her commanders, and rather than let the King of Hybern attain it, she disposed of it.” Azriel asked, “Which sword?” “Narben.” Amren’s red lips quirked downward. “At least that’s what rumor said. You were Under the Mountain then, Rhys. She would have kept it secret. I only heard from a fleeing water-nymph that it had been done.” “Narben was even older than Gwydion,” Rhys said. “Where the hell was it?” “I don’t know, but she found it, and when it would not bend to her, she destroyed it. As she did all good things.” It was as much as Amren would say about that terrible time. “It was perhaps in our favor. Had the King of Hybern possessed Narben, I fear we would have lost the war.” Narben’s powers had not been the holy, savior’s light of Gwydion, but ones far darker. “I can’t believe that witch threw it into the sea,” Cassian said. “Again, it was a rumor, heard from someone who heard it from someone. Who knows if she actually found Narben? Even if it would not obey her, she’d have been a fool to throw it away.” “Amarantha could be shortsighted,” Rhys said. Cassian hated the sound of her name on his brother’s tongue. From the flare of rage on Azriel’s face, so did the shadowsinger. “But you, Rhysand, are not.” Amren nodded to the still-rotating weapons. “With these three blades, you could make yourself High King.” The words clanged through the room. Cassian slowly blinked. - ACOSF, chapter 42

A naked, golden-haired male stood before her. He was of average height, his golden skin sculpted with muscle, his sharp-boned face simmering with hate. Not a repulsive, awful creature, but one of beauty. His black eyes narrowed upon the blade as he hissed, “That is not Narben.” The name meant nothing to her. Nesta lunged, thrusting Ataraxia into eighth position. Lanthys leaped back. Cassian groaned, stirring to consciousness as she held the ground in front of her. “Which death-god are you?” Lanthys demanded, glancing between the blade and her. The silver fire sizzling in her eyes. - ACOSF, chapter 54

Nesta considered all Lanthys had said. “And what is Narben?” “Lanthys asked about it?” “He said my sword isn’t Narben. He sounded surprised.” Rhys studied her blade. “Narben is a death-sword. It’s lost, possibly destroyed, but stories say it can slay even monsters like Lanthys.” “So can Nesta’s sword, apparently,” Feyre said, studying the blade as well. “Beheading him with it killed him,” Rhys mused. “A slice from it seemed to bind him into a physical form,” Nesta corrected. “Cassian’s dagger struck true only after Lanthys had been forced to give up his mist.” “Interesting,” Rhys murmured. - ACOSF, chapter 55

I do still wonder if Truth-Teller, which we know from the end of CC HOSAB pulses with a dark light - could have been the blade of Narben somehow turned into a spear, as Azriel (with his many references to death) found it, Elain managed to slay the King of Hybern using it with no previous training (and that's not to belittle her defeat of Hybern, or the fact she may have managed to use great magic with no training after only a few months tops as a faerie), and Azriel might be so protective over TT not only because it's (likely) Made, and non-Made beings cannot use it, but it might also lead to his doom if lost (which, hello scary future plot point).

That being said, Narben could still be it's own blade/spear, a third in a trio of weapons to mirror the trove that Nesta Made in ACOSF (and this is the way I lean, purely because SJM seems to love balance and cyclical events in her writings, and "three" features quite consistently). As I mentioned above, Narben contains, at least as far as we know, powers far darker than those of Gwydion. We also know that "light and dark and gray" formed part of the Book of Breathings' prophecy back in ACOMAF; could Gwydion be the light, Narben the dark, and Truth-Teller the grey? The bridge between the two?

Additionally, Amarantha was rumoured to have found it during her reign, supposedly destroying it when it would not bend to her will; was that because Narben, like Gwydion, was Made by the Cauldron, so she could not access its powers, as a non-Made faerie? If Narben is actually a spear, did Amarantha then remove its hypothetical blade from its shaft… could Narben's shaft be the age worn bond Nesta saw when she was in her song-lured scrying? Will Elain and Azriel have to chase down both components of it to wield it at it's full power? Perhaps in Hel?

As an aside, it's interesting that the Spear of Lugh is also known as the Spear of Destiny. The fates were apparently warped into Lugh's spear, which was then brought from (and so I assume forged in) Goirias, known as the city of the faith. This, to me, sounds very much like it could apply to a blade of some sort used by a priestess, and forged in a temple. I know I have theorised about her before (and also suggested that Narben could have been Fionn and/or Koschei's blade - I never said I was consistent lol), but which priestess has a very unknown past, we've never seen her face to judge her age or features, and is associated by name with the fates/Moirai? CLOTHO.

Could Clotho/Narben have been far older than Theia/Gwydion, and with powers far darker? Theia was known for her light, and Clotho, as I've said before, was first introduced from the shadows. It's not substantiated by much, but who knows at this point.

Gwydion - inspired by the Sword of Light

Back when I first drafted this post, in June 2021 (shh, I know, it's been almost a year and a half), we had no idea what was awaiting us at the end of CC HOSAB, but after the discovery that Gwydion is, in fact, the Starsword - which shines with light and is wielded by the heir to Theia's power - it's pretty likely that if anything was to be inspired by the Sword of Light, it would be Gwydion.

“All three,” Cassian said. “First the sword, then the dagger, and then the great sword.” Rhys and Amren exchanged a look. Cassian demanded, “What?” [...] “Once, the High Fae were more elemental, more given to reading the stars and crafting masterpieces of art and jewelry and weaponry. Their gifts were rawer, more connected to nature, and they could imbue objects with that power.” Cassian instantly knew where this was headed. “Nesta put her power in those swords?” “No one has been able to create a magic sword in more than ten thousand years,” Amren said. “The last one Made, the great blade Gwydion, vanished around the time the last of the Trove went missing.” - ACOSF, chapter 42

Was Narben made first, then Truth-Teller, and then, finally, Gwydion? We know from CC HOSAB that Gwydion was Theia's, and belongs to her female heirs… Could Narben and Truth-Teller be the same? Whether or not Narben was Clotho's, or another female of Theia's line, it's interesting (and I know I've said this before) that Gwydion and Truth-Teller were found by two males who are heavily associated with shadows (and while we know Ruhn pulled the Starsword from a rock, I only suspect that Az might have done the same with Truth-Teller) before passing them on to a female who has a power associated with the Greek goddess Theia (Light and Sight) to be used for maximum magical effect (ie. Bryce and Elain).

Could the "true Fae High King" actually have referred to Theia all along, and "King" just meant ruler, but the language has evolved to mean male only? Did Fionn, who is possibly Koschei, co-opt Theia's power for himself and rewrite history to suit? The "true" reminds me a little too much of Dusk's Truth for me to let this idea go.

“This sword isn’t Gwydion,” Cassian said, well aware of the myths regarding the sword. It had belonged to a true Fae High King in Prythian, as there had been in Hybern. He had united the lands, its people—and for a while, with that sword, peace had reigned. Until he had been betrayed by his own queen and his fiercest general, and lost the sword to them, and the lands fell into darkness once more. Never again to see another High King—only High Lords, who ruled the territories that had once answered to the king. “Gwydion is gone,” Amren said, a shade sadly, “or has been gladly missing for millennia.” She nodded toward the great sword. “This is something new.” Azriel said, “Nesta created a new magic sword.” “Yes,” Amren said. “Only the Great Powers could do that—Gwydion was given its powers when the High Priestess Oleanna dipped it into the Cauldron during its crafting.” Cassian’s blood chilled, waves rippling over his skin. “One touch from Nesta’s magic while the blade was still hot …” “And the blade was infused with it.” - ACOSF, chapter 42

If you're up to date with Crescent City, then you know that Gwydion is, at that point (wherever it will play into ACOTAR's timeline), no longer missing from Prythian, and I'm excited to see what happens next, and who may wield it in a future ACOTAR book, whether that's Azriel, Elain, Mor or Feyre. At the very least, I'm excited to see if this "broken blade" type pairing (with its Riddle of Strider vibes, "renewed shall be blade that was broken") can do something special. 👀

Truth-Teller - inspired by Fragarach

Fragarach was not one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha de Danann, however, I believe it still rates a mention in this post. Given we now know from CC HOSAB that Gwydion and Truth-Teller are paired blades, as @icedflames had theorised (light and dark light, alpha and omega), I think it's likely significant that both the Sword of Light and Fragarach were both used by Nuada, the first high king of the Tuatha de Danann. The Sword of Light was said to be used by Nuada in battle, and Fragarach - which was also known as The Answerer or the Whisperer - was Nuada's own blade, as well.

Does this mean that both Gwydion/the Starsword and Truth-Teller were Theia's own blades? Did the different properties of each, light and dark light, allow her to access different aspects of her own hypothetical powers? We know that Theia was a Starborn faerie with a very specific and powerful light, but was she also a Seer, able to access the murky space between as Elain theoretically can? And, as I keep obsessing about, could she be the Mother figure known to Prythian?

For a much more detailed look at Truth-Teller and Fragarach's parallels, and how they may have been pointing towards Elain all along, please read this post here. Essentially, though, I would not be at all surprised if Truth-Teller was able to help Elain access the murky realm, and possibly the Ouroboros, especially while she was still learning, allowing her access to her powers (posts by @wingedblooms): Sight, of which we already know, as well as others. I think and hope she can winnow, as Azriel does, at a minimum.

At any rate, whether this theory is accurate or not, I can't wait to see where everything is going. Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this theory, please consider reblogging. 💜

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dai-bendu-conlang · 4 years ago

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Qui-Gon’s Last Words in Dai-Bendu — a Meta/Explanation

So very early into this project, loosingletters and I (ghostwriter) watched The Phantom Menace together, and when Qui-Gon died, we looked at each other and were like “We can make this way sadder in translation, can’t we?”

And so off we went, with that goal in mind.

Because we went into this thinking “can we improve this interaction via language/translation?” we need to first first explain why we don’t love Qui-Gon’s last words in canon, to then explain why we made the changes that we did.

The reasons are as follows:

Qui-Gon’s last words have nothing to do with Obi-Wan, the person he is saying goodbye to.

His last words being an order about Anakin left a weird taste in our mouths

We wanted this to feel more intimate and more emotional

So, we started with ways we could change the connotation of the words being used. We came at it from a lens of assuming that the dialogue was a classic “bad translation” of what was actually said; as in, someone translated the literal meanings of the words into English, and lost a lot of the social meanings that the words might have in their original contexts.

Here are Qui-Gon’s original last words, in canon:

Obi-Wan: Master! Master! Qui-Gon: It’s too late. It’s too… Obi-Wan: No! Qui-Gon: Obi-Wan, promise...promise me you'll train the boy Obi-Wan: Yes, Master Qui-Gon: He is the chosen one...he will...bring balance...train him!

(Sidenote: upon actually looking up the dialogue, we were honestly shocked by how, like. Bare bones it is. And how pretty much all the emotion of that scene comes only from Neeson and McGregor acting their hearts out. So, kudos.)

When looking at this dialogue, we singled out the following things as points we could build on:

Jedi cultural values regarding teaching (which we all have a lot of Feelings about)

The word “promise”

The whole idea of balance

And then we proceeded to go to town.

The Dai Bendu translation of this dialogue is as follows:

Obi-Wan: Jaieh! Jaieh! Qui-Gon: Im enoh...nev forpai paikazah Obi-Wan: Shet. Qui-Gon: Obi-Wan, ikio… ikio fehl paipadenji keel nev paqorak. Obi-Wan: Haj dai, Jaieh. Qui-Gon: Enoah kar... daisha. Pauji... kar aimato’ak. Paden... karak.

Firstly, the things we didn’t change, ie: pretty much all of Obi-Wan’s dialogue.

Obi-Wan says, in order, “Master, Master!” (though he uses the Jedi-specific word for it, which also translates to “teacher”), “No.” and “Yes, Master,” just like in the original script. The most significant thing here is that the Dai Bendu word for “Yes” directly translates to “Force-Wills,” which could be read as some unintentional, ouchy subtext that both implies that Obi-Wan is agreeing with Qui-Gon’s point about Anakin being the Chosen One as a final act of comfort (because he’s expressed doubt about the possibility before), as well as conceding to both himself, Qui-Gon, and the universe that the Force has willed his Master’s death.

Next, the things that changed from the script mostly as a symptom of the ways that Dai Bendu is different from English/Basic. For instance, Qui-Gon refers to Anakin as “the child” rather than “the boy,” because Dai Bendu does not express gender in that way. Instead of saying “it’s too late,” a more word-for-word direct translation of “Im enoh nev forpai paikazah” would be “no time is left,” which both lines up with how we imagine time works in Dai Bendu (link here), and is more natural to the way Dai Bendu handles sentence structure (“it’s too late” is a very English sentence construction).

And now we get to the meaning changes. Other than changing the structure, “im enoh nev forpai paikazah” also adds “pai,” our consequential prefix, to “kazah,” which is the present-tense of the verb “kaza” or “to leave.” That makes the sentence mean something like “no time is left, and because of that the future has changed.” This is essentially Qui-Gon admitting to both himself and to Obi-Wan that his death is going to change, at the very least, Obi-Wan’s future forever, and also the future of the entire universe (though whether or not Qui-Gon knows this last part, in a Force-saturated moment right before death, is unclear in both the original version and our version).

Qui-Gon’s next line is “Obi-Wan, ikio… ikio fehl paipadenji keel nev paqorak.” Again, we have the consequential prefix, this time attached to “paden,” which means “to guide/to teach,” here in the future tense. The implication of that being something like “teach him and it will alter the future.” Adding the consequential prefix to something which is already in the future tense is considered repetitive — comparable to saying something like “it is so enormously big” in English. A native speaker making the choice to add it here illustrates a conscious emphasis. Qui-Gon is really trying to express how important he thinks teaching Anakin is.

We also have a lot of Thoughts and Feelings about the Jedi as a people who are dedicated to teaching as a cultural value. On top of being archivists and having/keeping a vast collection of knowledge, Jedi do pretty much nothing but study/learn their entire lives. They are dedicated diplomats and so on, but outside of that they seem to want to foster understanding and that in-and-of itself is always a lesson. In TCW, for instance, everything is a teachable moment for someone. The fact that so much careful consideration is put into who you pick as your Padawan, and that you retain a deep connection to them even when the apprenticeship is over, shows that this connection and this act of teaching is immensely important. It is considered a standard part of each Jedi’s life to step into that teaching role at least once — nearly every Jedi takes on at least one apprentice. If you take Obi-Wan as an example, he spent half his time in the PT being a student, and then the other half being a teacher. So here, Qui-Gon is taking one of their culture’s most important values and handing it to Obi-Wan.

Then we have the word for “promise” we used, “ikio.” While we have a standard word for promise, “aima,” the word that Qui-Gon uses here instead is one with more cultural meaning. “Ikio” refers to a very specific kind of promise, something like “promise me because you love me,” or “promise me because I trust you above all.” The word dates back to the Jedi-Sith schism, where it was used as an oath to state that you trust this person to take your lightsaber and bring it back to your home temple, should you die in battle.

Which means that, holistically, the line “Obi-Wan, ikio… ikio fehl paipadenji keel nev paqorak” both places the highest amount of trust possible in Obi-Wan’s hands, while also stating that Qui-Gon believes him ready of preforming one of their most culturally important values, and trusts him implicitly to carry that out.

Finally, the line “Enoah kar... daisha. Pauji... kar aimato’ak. Paden... karak.” Some of this is, again, just us having words in Dai Bendu which Basic doesn’t have. “Daisha” is the word for Chosen One, the one referred to as such specifically to that old prophecy Qui-Gon likes so much. It’s a word that all Jedi would be familiar with, but usually in the context of folk tales. It’s like calling someone “The Once and Future King.” (Which also makes Qui-Gon talking to the Council way funnier — “hey guys, I found King Arthur!” “what the fuck??”). Qui-Gon also uses the third person Jedi/in-community pronouns when referring to Anakin, showing that he already thinks of this kid as a Jedi.

Then there is the concept of “aimato,” here in the accusative case as “aimato’ak.” Aimato is the word for “cosmic balance,” which is both a very important idea in Jedi philosophy, and also a very big and abstract concept. And like any other big and abstract concept which has a large impact on lives and culture, like Love or Brotherhood or Democracy or God, it’s something that individual people and individual Jedi have different conceptions of and ideas about. This is a culture of warrior-philosophers — pretty much everyone has a slightly different theory as to what aimato/”cosmic balance” is supposed to mean and what it will look like when it is achieved, or if it’s possible to achieve, from "it means that one day the Force shows itself to all people" to "it's about finding balance within only yourself" to "it means that evil will finally stand down" to "it means that all who strive for it will achieve peace" to "it's in tiny everyday moments." People sit around and debate this for hours.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan deeply disagree on it’s definition, given their specialties in the Living vs. Unifying Force, and have essentially had an ongoing debate about it for years. It’s an old, comfortable argument both of them know that neither is ever going to win. They could both probably recite the other’s points in their sleep. However, it’s something they end up going back to every time they have a spare moment with nothing else to do.

Qui-Gon bringing it up here is not only referring to something very important in their culture, it’s almost like referencing an old, treasured inside joke between him and his student, which is something Obi-Wan would pick up on right away.

So, to summarize; we attempted to modify this very... Anakin-focused last dialogue, and instead make it about Qui-Gon telling Obi-Wan he trusts him above all, specifically to teach (which, again, with Jedi and their teaching focused culture is a HUGE thing) and to continue their discussions and keep their traditions going with this child.

It’s also a fun thought experiment in translation studies — sometimes, things really can get lost in a one-for-one translation of something, when cultural and collaborative meaning aren’t considered and translated accordingly.

Thank you for reading!

#Dai Bendu #star wars #star wars meta #obi wan kenobi #Qui Gon Jinn #jedi #jedi culture #meta

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wizardouxie · 4 years ago

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MBTI Types in Wizards: Tales of Arcadia!

Author’s Note: Keep in mind that this is simply my interpretation and that if the writers were to ever confirm types for each character, I’d be fine with whatever they went with. Also this is going to be a pretty long post, so strap in and enjoy!

Jim - ISFJ or “The Protector”

ISFJs are industrious caretakers, loyal to traditions and organizations. They are practical, compassionate, and caring, and are motivated to provide for others and protect them from the perils of life.

ISFJs are conventional and grounded, and enjoy contributing to established structures of society. They are steady and committed workers with a deep sense of responsibility to others. They focus on fulfilling their duties, particularly when they are taking care of the needs of other people. They want others to know that they are reliable and can be trusted to do what is expected of them. They are conscientious and methodical, and persist until the job is done.

Strengths: Practical, Hardworking, Supportive, True to their Word

Toby - ESFJ or “The Provider”

ESFJs are conscientious helpers, sensitive to the needs of others and energetically dedicated to their responsibilities. They are highly attuned to their emotional environment and attentive to both the feelings of others and the perception others have of them.

ESFJs like a sense of harmony and cooperation around them, and are eager to please and provide. ESFJs value loyalty and tradition, and usually make their family and friends their top priority. They are generous with their time, effort, and emotions. They often take on the concerns of others as if they were their own, and will attempt to put their significant organizational talents to use to bring order to other people's lives.

Strengths - Practicality, Warm/Sensitive, Loyal/Dutiful, Always Steps Up

Claire - INFP or “The Healer”

INFPs are imaginative idealists, guided by their own core values and beliefs. To a Healer, possibilities are paramount; the realism of the moment is only of passing concern. They see potential for a better future, and pursue truth and meaning with their own individual flair.

INFPs are sensitive, caring, and compassionate, and are deeply concerned with the personal growth of themselves and others. Individualistic and nonjudgmental, INFPs believe that each person must find their own path. They enjoy spending time exploring their own ideas and values, and are gently encouraging to others to do the same.

INFPs are creative and often artistic; they enjoy finding new outlets for self-expression.

Strengths - Idealism, Integrity, Compromise, Dedication

Blinky - ENTP or “The Visionary”

ENTPs are inspired innovators, motivated to find new solutions to intellectually challenging problems. They are curious and clever, and seek to comprehend the people, systems, and principles that surround them. Open-minded and unconventional, Visionaries want to analyze, understand, and influence other people.

ENTPs enjoy playing with ideas and especially like to banter with others. They use their quick wit and command of language to keep the upper hand with other people, often cheerfully poking fun at their habits and eccentricities.

While the ENTP enjoys challenging others, in the end they are usually happy to live and let live. They are rarely judgmental, but they may have little patience for people who can't keep up.

Strengths - Fearlessness, Innovation, Adaptability, Confidence

Aaarrrgghh - ISFP or “The Composer”

ISFPs are gentle caretakers who live in the present moment and enjoy their surroundings with cheerful, low-key enthusiasm. They are flexible and spontaneous, and like to go with the flow to enjoy what life has to offer.

ISFPs are quiet and unassuming, and may be hard to get to know. However, to those who know them well, the ISFP is warm and friendly, eager to share in life's many experiences.

Strengths: Observant, Bold and Spontaneous, Principled, Individualistic

Steve - ESFP or “The Performer”

ESFPs are vivacious entertainers who charm and engage those around them. They are spontaneous, energetic, and fun-loving, and take pleasure in the things around them: food, clothes, nature, animals, and especially people.

ESFPs are typically warm and talkative and have a contagious enthusiasm for life. They like to be in the middle of the action and the center of attention. They have a playful, open sense of humor, and like to draw out other people and help them have a good time.

Strengths: Showmanship, Supportive, Positivity, Bold/Practical

Douxie - ENFJ or “The Teacher”

ENFJs are idealist organizers, driven to implement their vision of what is best for humanity. They often act as catalysts for human growth because of their ability to see potential in other people and their charisma in persuading others to their ideas. They are focused on values and vision, and are passionate about the possibilities for people.

ENFJs are typically energetic and driven, and often have a lot on their plates. They are tuned into the needs of others and acutely aware of human suffering; however, they also tend to be optimistic and forward-thinking, intuitively seeing opportunity for improvement. The ENFJ is ambitious, but their ambition is not self-serving: rather, they feel personally responsible for making the world a better place.

Strengths: Peacekeeping, Communication, Persuasiveness, Leadership

Archie - INFJ or “The Counselor”

INFJs are creative nurturers with a strong sense of personal integrity and a drive to help others realize their potential. Creative and dedicated, they have a talent for helping others with original solutions to their personal challenges.

The Counselor has a unique ability to intuit others' emotions and motivations, and will often know how someone else is feeling before that person knows it himself. They trust their insights about others and have strong faith in their ability to read people. Although they are sensitive, they are also reserved; the INFJ is a private sort, and is selective about sharing intimate thoughts and feelings.

Strengths: Practical Insight, Compassion, Keeping the Peace, Decisiveness

Merlin - ISTJ or “The Inspector”

ISTJs are responsible organizers, driven to create and enforce order within systems and institutions. They are neat and orderly, inside and out, and tend to have a procedure for everything they do. Reliable and dutiful, ISTJs want to uphold tradition and follow regulations. ISTJs are steady, productive contributors.

Although they are Introverted, ISTJs are rarely isolated; typical ISTJs know just where they belong in life, and want to understand how they can participate in established organizations and systems. They concern themselves with maintaining the social order and making sure that standards are met.

Strengths: Perseverance, Planning, Detail Orientation, Loyalty

Morgana - INTJ or “The Mastermind”

INTJs are analytical problem-solvers, eager to improve systems and processes with their innovative ideas. They have a talent for seeing possibilities for improvement, whether at work, at home, or in themselves. Often intellectual, INTJs enjoy logical reasoning and complex problem-solving. They approach life by analyzing the theory behind what they see, and are typically focused inward, on their own thoughtful study of the world around them.

INTJs are drawn to logical systems and are much less comfortable with the unpredictable nature of other people and their emotions. They are typically independent and selective about their relationships, preferring to associate with people who they find intellectually stimulating.

Strengths: Strategy, Innovation, Determination, Willingness to Learn

Arthur - ESTJ or “The Supervisor”

ESTJs are hardworking traditionalists, eager to take charge in organizing projects and people. Orderly, rule-abiding, and conscientious, ESTJs like to get things done, and tend to go about projects in a systematic, methodical way.

ESTJs are the consummate organizers, and want to bring structure to their surroundings. They value predictability and prefer things to proceed in a logical order. When they see a lack of organization, the ESTJ often takes the initiative to establish processes and guidelines, so that everyone knows what's expected.

Strengths: Organization and efficiency, Dedication and commitment, Integrity, Stewardship

Deya - ISTP or “The Craftsman”

ISTPs are observant artisans with an understanding of mechanics and an interest in troubleshooting. They approach their environments with a flexible logic, looking for practical solutions to the problems at hand. They are independent and adaptable, and typically interact with the world around them in a self-directed, spontaneous manner.

ISTPs are attentive to details and responsive to the demands of the world around them. Because of their astute sense of their environment, they are good at moving quickly and responding to emergencies. ISTPs are reserved, but not withdrawn: the ISTP enjoys taking action, and approaches the world with a keen appreciation for the physical and sensory experiences it has to offer.

Strengths: Practical and creative, Problem solving, Common sense and world savvy, Flexible

Nari - INTP or “The Architect”

INTPs are philosophical innovators, fascinated by logical analysis, systems, and design. They are preoccupied with theory, and search for the universal law behind everything they see. They want to understand the unifying themes of life, in all their complexity.

INTPs are detached, analytical observers who can seem oblivious to the world around them because they are so deeply absorbed in thought. They spend much of their time focused internally: exploring concepts, making connections, and seeking understanding. To the Architect, life is an ongoing inquiry into the mysteries of the universe.

Strengths: Analytically brilliance, Objective, Imaginative, Enthusiastic

Skrael - ESTP or “The Dynamo”

ESTPs are energetic thrillseekers who are at their best when putting out fires, whether literal or metaphorical. They bring a sense of dynamic energy to their interactions with others and the world around them. They assess situations quickly and move adeptly to respond to immediate problems with practical solutions.

Active and playful, ESTPs are often the life of the party and have a good sense of humor. They use their keen powers of observation to assess their audience and adapt quickly to keep interactions exciting. Although they typically appear very social, they are rarely sensitive; the ESTP prefers to keep things fast-paced and silly rather than emotional or serious.

Strengths: Can-do attitude, Bold, Direct, Observant/Perceptive

Bellroc - ENTJ or “The Commander”

ENTJs are strategic leaders, motivated to organize change. They are quick to see inefficiency and conceptualize new solutions, and enjoy developing long-range plans to accomplish their vision. They excel at logical reasoning and are usually articulate and quick-witted.

ENTJs are analytical and objective, and like bringing order to the world around them. When there are flaws in a system, the ENTJ sees them, and enjoys the process of discovering and implementing a better way. ENTJs are assertive and enjoy taking charge; they see their role as that of leader and manager, organizing people and processes to achieve their goals.

Strengths: Strong willed, Efficient, Strategic thinking, Charismatic leader

If you have any other characters that you’d like to request for MBTI type, lemme know!

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yngwrthr · 3 years ago

Quote

Seizure of political power by the proletariat is the fundamental prerequisite of socialism. Nevertheless, experience has shown that planned production and distribution cannot replace market exchange and the market as the link between individual economic units overnight. Were this possible, then the legal form of property would be historically absolutely done for. It would have completed the cycle of its development and returned to its point of origin, to objects of direct, individual use; that is, it would in practice once more have become a primitive relation. And as a consequence of this the legal form as such would also be condemned to death. So long as the task of building a unified planned economy has not been completed, so long as the market-dominated relationship between individual enterprises and groups of enterprises remains in existence, the legal form too will remain in force.

Evgeny Pashukanis, “Law and Marxism: A General Theory: Towards a Critique of the Fundamental Juridicial Concepts”, 1924, ed. by Chris Arthur, London: Pluto Press, 1983, pp. 130-131.

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inceptionficrx · 4 years ago

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Wednesday Hump Day Week 5: Travel

Preste atención a las advertencias.

Impasse by nekare

Summary: Creation and destruction is fluid in the dreaming. When something falls into pieces, it can become something new before it hits the ground. This fact is etched into Arthur’s brain, always there in the forefront of his mind, but it is only lately that he has begun to think of Eames in the same terms.

Born Ready by @theroguehuntress

Summary: Arthur's supposed to be finding his soulmate, but he's tired of each day repeating again and again, trapping him in an endless loop of Thursdays.

A Forger’s Guide to Hacking History by liternee109

Summary: Arthur was used to tall tales and lies that could never dream about being even close to true. That was until he found a man ridiculous enough to pull them off.

A Unified Theory of You by Ler

Summary: Arthur meets the woman called Ariadne when he is twelve, she is old and they've been married for about three decades.

helium shores by @rudimentaryflair

Summary: The others have left already, gone to start new lives or return to old ones. In front of him, the carousel slows to a stop; Arthur feels it then, that change in the air, in his chest, his bones, his being. Something ended. Something started. His hands clench around the straps of his bag, and he breathes in, out.

“So,” Eames says from beside him, “where to now?”

All the Lonely People by TheVioletHour (TinternAbbey)

Summary: Eames is a down-on-his-luck chauffeur who falls in love at first sight with Arthur, the man he drives to the airport. When Arthur leaves behind a mysterious briefcase, Eames is determined—with the help of his cat grooming roommate Yusuf—to track him down and return it, even if it means driving two thousand miles to find him.

[Dumb and Dumber AU, but with somewhat less stupidity and more dreams.]

#inceptionficrx #week 5 #inceptiversary #travel

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ultimaa · 5 years ago

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About Shingeki no Kyojin 125 - Theories and ramblings.

Annie and her New Year's resolutions.

More than one we looked forward to Annie's return and I am deeply glad that our favorite blondie has already left her glass prison, but why has Annie returned? What are your purposes? Well, she makes it clear in her conversation with Hitch: go back to her father. We know that Annie appreciates her father more than anyone in the world; if she had to do all the atrocities she did to return to her father, she would do it again. It's not that Annie is bad, but, as Nietzsche said: “Whatever is done for love always occurs beyond good and evil.” Human nature is like that, and Annie knows that she has committed unforgivable sins. She is not proud, but she will not punish herself. SnK's world is cruel, but if there is something that represents love and kindness, it is family: Eren swore to avenge his mother; Mikasa lost her parents, but found similar figures in the Jaegers; Armin lost his grandfather; Reiner wanted to become a warrior for his father to return to his mother; Connie, who lost his family because of Zeke, is willing to sacrifice Falco, a poor child, to recover his mother... Annie's motivation is deeply human and reminds me of John Marston, protagonist of Red Dead Redemption. John had only one goal: to hunt his old friends, who were outlaws, so that the Government would return him to his family. If Abigail and Jack, his wife and son, had been killed, what would have happened to John? We will never know, but when John is killed by government agents, his son Jack takes revenge a few years later, continuing the cycle of violence and death. In the end, John... loses, because his son has become a criminal.

If Mr. Leonhardt dies, something I see very possible under the circumstances, what will happen to Annie? Her great goal has vanished. Nothing makes sense anymore. If even the most sacred and beloved has died, what should Annie do? We meet like this with someone whose life has no direction. Someone who has lost beauty in a devastated and corrupted world. It is the seed of nihilism. Isayama is not characterized by fulfilling the dreams of his protagonists, not in the way that the viewer wants: yes, Armin reaches the sea, but what does this mean? It is the beginning of the end. The human being needs to cling to dreams, turn his back on reality to continue existing in it; however... What happens when nothing makes sense anymore? It is absurd, it is hopeless. It is something that could knock the strongest. According to Albert Camus, someone who has lost the meaning of his life has only three options: suicide, clinging to God or... continuing in the absurd, rebelling against it, turning life into an act of rebellion against nonsense. So, in the hypothetical case of his father dying, what should Annie do? Should he act like Jack Marston and continue the violence? I do not think so. Annie doesn't enjoy killing. Her face witnessing Marco's death is good proof of that. Annie must find a new purpose: end the violence, with that barbaric world that takes away what you love. Understand that she has lost everything, but not everything is lost. While something is at stage, we must continue fighting. In Red Dead Redemption II, Arthur Morgan knows his end is near; the love of his life has left and Dutch, the man who gave him a home and a direction, has become a mad and heartless man. However, not everything is lost. He can still save some (including John Marston and his family, as RDR II is a prequel to the first game) and he succeeds. Arthur finishes his story as a redeemed character; he, who had spent his entire life killing, lying and stealing, ends up redeeming himself. However, Arthur Morgan was not seeking self-redemption, but a future for others. It's something we can apply to Annie. His final role cannot consist in returning with his father and being happy. We know Isayama: God is more likely to come down to Earth.

Connie, Falco and a decisive meeting.

And if Annie can aspire to redemption, Connie is willing to morally condemn himself. Come on, we all know that Falco is not meant to be titan food. Connie, in addition to the prankster par excellence with Sasha, is a character with a story as tragic as any other: he lost everything, but the possibility of recovering his mother gives him hope. But sacrifice Falco? Is Connie able to do something like that? I do not think so. Connie is human; Anger and revenge are very human things, but so is understanding. Connie will abandon his plan sooner or later, when he accepts that, beyond the vessel of one of Titan's powers, Falco is just a child. A child, like his siblings. A child who is not guilty. A boy who, like him, has lost his brother and his friends. Taking into account that Connie, along with Sasha, cried when they faced Reiner during the Return to Shigansina, we must understand that he is a sensitive and empathetic character, blinded by anger and the possibility of recovering a loved one. Armin and Gabi go in search of them, but will their intervention be necessary? Mikasa warns Armin that they won't be able to reach Connie; indeed, I don't think they reach it. Armin, Gabi, Hanji, Levi, Magath, Pieck, Connie and Falco are more likely to meet. Remember that, because when it happens I will come to brag hehehe. What if they meet? The cocktail would be fantastic. They may be Paradise's last hope. Also, I want to see the reunion of Falco and Gabi; because they are very cute and deserve it. How much do we bet that Gabi ends up crying like a baby while hugging Falco? And with that confession at the last minute, I wouldn't be surprised if Isayama felt romantic and gave us a kiss between them. Imagine the faces of adults. I may be delirious, but if it happens... here I will be, again, with ‘I told you so’.

On the other hand, such a reunion can return hope to Armin. Levi, who is the strongest soldier of all time, the Messi of Paradise (yes, I had to make the comparison sorry CR7), is alive; fatally wounded, but alive. In addition, Hanji, who represents leadership, is also fine. With these two pieces again on the chess board, it is possible to trace the game. In addition, Hanji and Levi's encounter with Magath and Pieck constitutes a point of union between Erdia and Marley. In the end, it seems that yhe idea of Eren as the final and unifying enemy of humanity begins to make sense, even if he has not proposed it. After all, if you can't with your enemy... join him against something much worse.

Jean and Mikasa: replacements.

While we know that the commander and the eternal captain are alive, Jean and Mikasa believe otherwise. Well, if I were one of these two, I could only think one thing: WE'RE FUCKED. Fortunately, Isayama has wanted these two to receive the fatal (and false) news. It's not by chance. Nothing is. We know Jean Kirstein and Mikasa Ackerman well; I could say that we have grown up with them. Jean, a guy who started out as an arrogant bastard and who soon revealed his impressive leadership ability; Mikasa, a woman with a force only inferior to Captain Levi. Well, here I go: Jean must take over from Hanji and Mikasa from Levi. We have seen a practically shattered Jean, almost subjected to Folch; However, Mikasa, despite her situation, remains more or less well, keeping a level head. Don't get me wrong: she's pretty screwed, but she seems better than Jean now. During the battle of Trost there is a critical moment: the gas is running out and everyone is going to die. Then Mikasa arrived and, far from being blocked by Eren's supposed death, he tried to motivate them in her own way, you know: I am strong, much stronger than you. We already know that Mikasa is a woman of few words, but her message was enough to encourage Jean and the others. Yes, the current Mikasa is not the Mikasa of ninety chapters ago, but her character has reached a key point: she has to take the reins, think for herself. Only they can stop Folch and handle the situation in Shigansina. Their characters need it. Hanji is a leader, yes, but Jean has much more potential; Mikasa is not Levi, but she is an Ackerman, the only one capable of fighting, and in these four years she has been able to perfect her skill. If these two start working well together, they can be a lethal and decisive combo.

Louise and the scarf.

Well, if a scarf is not in your closet on a cold winter day it may not mean anything important: it may be in the washing machine, with the other clothes. However, Mikasa Ackerman's scarf is not just any scarf, but it contains crucial values and stories for her... and for Eren. The scarf has taken a very important role during the last arc and has now disappeared, Louise has taken it. And it's normal, because Mikasa is her idol. Well, we all know what meanings the scarf has, which represents positive values in a world like Shingeki no Kyojin. The scarf has no place in the current situation; everyone is hopeless and crestfallen, dejected and defeated. And when will the scarf return? I have read the following theory out there: Eren will find Louise's unrecognizable corpse and believe it is Mikasa, recovering the scarf and feeling like real shit. Yes, that would be a possibility of fulfilling what our boy said in chapter 50. The scarf will return when the barbarity ceases, when that beauty returns, in the words of Mikasa, who lives in a cruel world. And we know that it will return due to the first panel of chapter 1 of the manga, Eren's mysterious dream.

I'm sorry if I have grammatical mistakes: English is not my mother tongue.

#snk manga #snk 125 #snk thoughts #aot #shingeki no kyojin #Eren Jaeger #eren aot #levi heichou #levi aot #snk levi #mikasa aot #mikasa ackerman #jean kirstein #connie springer #falco grice #gabi braun #snk theory

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fifthimageart · 5 years ago

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Bloom & Decay (Draft XX)

Introduction:

Propagation in the Wasteland

Memories announce themselves as degrading reels of film, playing over and over, with subtle variations depending upon how forcefully we try to change the moments long-since experienced. However, even in the best imagined outcomes, reality molds the mind back to the inevitable result of the things that have already come to pass. So much of our early lives, simple joys, and ignorance based bliss is lost into the void of the mind and its need to distinguish, pasts, presents, and futures*.

In writing on the Destruction of Art Symposium, a month-long symposium focused on the exhibition of destructive and destroyed works that took place in 1966

London, Art historian Kristine Stiles describes Destruction in art as not being the same as destruction of art. Moreover, she went on to write that the destruction in art addresses the negative aspects of both social and political institutions, and manifests as an attack on the traditional identity of the visual arts themselves. While these artists were responding to their individual overarching philosophies of destruction in the form of ephemeral art object and performance based works, there was never an established movement nor manifesto unifying the practice. Though the symposium itself was formulated by the artist Gustav Metzger, who coined the term ‘Auto-Destructive Art’ seven years prior, it would seem final meditations of both destruction and decay as separate from any particular canon following the month-long event would end there.

Eight years later, In the 1974 essay Theory of the Avant-Garde, Peter Bürger presents a similar problem, more directly asking the question as to how the development of art and literature could be reconstructed within a bourgeois society. This question, alluding to a later point made in the piece in which definitions of individual works are thus not made through the autonomy of the object itself, but rather solely through socially institutionalized investigation. The institution of art itself, then presents itself as the system of production and distribution of the prevailing ideas that dictate an object's reception of what we would consider to be Art. Dadaism had poised itself as a radical movement 50 years prior within the European avant-garde, in their manifested criticism of art as an institution (TAV_PB.22). The movement, in fact challenged nineteenth century aestheticism and art object through the self-criticism of art, or rather the theoretical destruction of Art within the realm of the institution. The Dadaists were among the first to introduce a means of subverting capitalist ideas directly within the western art canon, while also destroying traditional comprehension of what we would call aesthetic experience. Though, the paradox in the base ideas of an anti-art itself, reside in the fact that such concepts have long since been inducted into institutional canon, and by extension the greater art market. As recognized by Gustav Metzger, ‘They did not destroy enough’(ADA_GM_30). Object even in a Dadist manner, acting as a signifier to nothing but itself and the meaninglessness nature of the modern world, was still left with meaning by its physical presence in the facet of a world it was attempting to critique.

In Antony Hudek’s The Object (pub.2014), objecthood is understood as a thing that has obtained verified value through the perception of the individual, or a conformed and collective intellect. In both cases, objects become subjects themselves. Later in the text, Hudek addresses the relationship between this valued and venerated thing, as being made object in relationship to the specifically thinking subject (Tobj.HudPg17). However, arguably in both cases, the object is nothing more than a thing, oppressed with meaning and extensions of two subjects’ own ego and narcissism. Consider an art object. In the process of making, a cumulation of things that would have otherwise been overlooked (in the most general sense where one does not actively seek the particularly used material, or in the more ideal situation in which the material is sourced other than otherwise commodified or sentimental means), suddenly become object. That object then becomes one of subjective perceptions by a larger body. The art object, in that particular moment of exhibition, transforms into a mirror, in which this primary subject observes and make reflected judgment on a now secondary subject, the maker. The object itself then operates as if both hiding its own past thingness and intent, in ambiguous form and meaning. However, as the object becomes further commodified through institution, original thinghood transcends to proposed magnificence.

While opulence often has (understandably) more association with physical tokens of wealth, this can be arguably more abstracted in that opulence is the way in which we manifest, cast out, and assert our productions of grandeur into a system that demands it in exchange for the false promise of value (heroism) in the greater and perversely commodified heroic machine*(EB). Post-opulence then, is a theory aimed at dismantling and reversing the deconstruction/reconstruction process. Though the relationship to the art object is similar to that of destructionist practice, it is also a recycling practice between a materials’ thingness and objecthood. Post-opulence introduces unpredictability in material presence, rather than finding comfort in the stable image or object. It aims first, to reveal the sought ideal and iconic states as nothing more than a mimetic reflections of questionable institutional/social standards (Destruction of Art). Secondly, actively creates afflictions and ambivalence toward a conventional aesthetic, through the destruction of the art object (Destruction in Art). Post-Opulence highlights the investment in an idealized form, to then reduce the object back to a state of “thingness”. Moreover, explores a struggle that ensues between the formerly idealized art object (Icon) and new variable form revealed, through a process of deconstruction and decay. Post-Opulence rejects notions of value and stagnation in a commodified system, and operates as institutional disruption in that it consistently makes reference to both actions and signals of changed circumstances and time.

The Reality of Decay

Every moment of our life belongs to the present only for a moment; then it belongs for ever to the past. Every evening we are poorer by a day. We would perhaps grow frantic at the sight of this ebbing away of our short span of time were we not secretly conscious in the profoundest depths of our being that we share in the inexhaustible well of eternity, out of which we tan for ever draw new life and renewed time (*VE).

In his essay, On the Vanity of Existence (1924), Arthur Schopenhauer describes our existence as a fruitless struggle amidst a life dictated by instability and confusion. In that the living body is a dedicated mechanism to strife, in the pursuit of a recognized sustainable present of satisfaction. However, this journey will inevitably end in vain as that which was meant to embody a lasting existence, would not have non-being as its preordained goal(*VE). Arguably, the objective reality is that at one moment life is, and eventually it is not. Moreover, it’s in our subjective reality during the process of life, that such definitions become skewed and distorted through culture and institution. It is through such domineering vessels of that even our basic realities are taken from us, being supplemented by false promises of eternal life, hollow examples of transcendence, and vacant reward for allowing our individual realities to be managed by forces no better nor worse than ourselves. In this, the made environment shapes the way in which we define and find value in our own individual definitions of what our realities are.

Post-Opulence then is eventually interested in both the exploration and disentombing of this turn from humanity's rebellion toward a false dominance of a commodified society. This being said, the visual experience should not be reinforced to just seek the supplementation of permanent images and icons, but go on to embrace the decay of them. While representation is inherently mimetic of reality, Modernist ideology called for the delusion of it and is thus much more dangerous. Where the physicality of the made form is a manifestation of tangible truth, paintings manipulate the texture of the mind. To quote Harold Rosenberg, “Art as action rests on the enormous assumption that the artist accepts as real only that which he is in the process of creating”. In what could’ve been unknowingly hinted by him at the time, was the potential for narcissism in self-referential types of art that creates a volatile iconization of itself in the form of artistic commodity. Good art being overdetermined by economy, while external society is abstracted away.

The Icon

‘It doesn’t matter whether the cultural hero-system is frankly magical, religious, and primitive or secular, scientific, and civilized. It is still a mythical hero-system in which people serve in order to form a feeling of primary value, of cosmic specialness, of ultimate usefulness to creation, of unshakable meaning. They earn this feeling by carving out a place in nature, by building an edifice that reflects human value: a temple, a cathedral, a totem pole, a skyscraper, a family that spans three generations. The hope and belief is that the things that man creates in society are of lasting worth and meaning, that they outlive or outshine death and decay, that man and his products count (*DeDeath5). ‘

An icon is representative of something otherworldly. Moreover, is by extension defined as an object or image deployed to aid devotion/action toward such heroisms. Secondly, an icon is defined separately as a representative symbol, or as being worthy of veneration. Even in such surface definitions, there’s a redundancy in both definitional cases, as an icon serves as nothing more than a manifested access point to something perceived as greater than the self. Whether in a composition, place of worship, or in our pockets, we imbue faith and define reality via iconic vehicles of reconciliation and promises of fixed access to the infinite.

In The Denial of Death (pub.1973), cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker poses that the human mind is occupied by both anxiety and despair as we meditate upon impending demise. Moreover, as humans we seek a buffer or antidote to this truth, in adopting a greater urge to heroism - an application of significance to one’s own existence*(also freud). However, while certain imagined heroisms are inaccessible to most, we find ways of seeking heroism in our daily routines (i.e. work, religion, politics, relationships). This heroism is short lived, in that its destined for failure. This is because the cosmic significance of the individual person is nonexistent. Additionally, we subscribe to what is ultimately the illusion of permanent meaning. As religion was the once prominent means of establishing this illusion of greater individual significance, the institution in this form began to lose its hold as modernity began to supplement this need via a cultural heroism defined by its respective culture.

It’s in the latter that we begin to see the rise of cultural heroes (or icons), and the creation of heroic machines. These apparatuses, being of the institution, dictate the rhetoric that the average individual can only hope to fold into the illusion of being a part of the greater heroic movement. Again, this machine being directed and represented by the culture in which it grows, for better or worse. Becker, asserts that this quest for cultural heroism is the most actualized form of heroism that an individual could hope to achieve. There are rare instances, however, that Becker coined as being called genuine heroism. For Becker, genuine heroism refers to a small population of people that do not require any form of heroism illusion to live, and can face the impossible situation of living that we find ourselves in.

I think that taking life seriously means something such as this: that whatever [humanity] does on this planet has to be done in the lived truth of the terror of creation, the grotesque, of the rumble of panic underneath everything. Otherwise, it is false (DD_EB).] good quote

Applying such a context once again to this idea of the physical icon, the Post-Opulent role is that of the institutional iconoclast, and the introduction of an aesthetic anti-heroism. In that while one accepts that we are indeed subject to the individual limitations of the unconscious drives to cultural heroism, the objects and images we produce in this world are fleeting offerings to the two facts of our current temporal finitude: being and non-being. Moreover, by redirecting the productions of oneself away from satiating the cultural/institutional beast in favor of starving it, one may produce an aesthetic theory or practice similar to that which can be viewed as a genuine heroism.

Final Notes: Anti-Heroism & Reverence of the Non-Opulent Object

In the 1995 piece by John F. Schumaker, The Corruption of Reality, When an individual is in need of order in a chaotic system, the solution requires the individual to establish and maintain an unjustified or artificial order. Schumaker goes on to assert that this develops into a second system of operation that begins to eliminate competing data from the individual consciousness. Thus, the ordered institution becomes dependent on a social body of individual dissociation(CR.34). The example Schumaker provides in regard to the way in which the artificial reality takes hold, is the institution of religion. Much like hypnosis, such institutions produce a state of complacency by way of deconstruction of the individual scope via disassociation, and supplementing through a reconstructive process of suggestion (CR.81). Object and icon begin to then form as waypoints, or rather as gaslights along a darkened street, leading the collective consciousness down a path laid down by unknown entities that claim such passages safe.

Some worthwhile examples come to mind that would reveal the bridge between “hypnotic” and religious behavior. Consider the recently publicized miracle that took place when a figure of Christ on the cross began to shed tears. The cross was situated high against the front wall of the church, too high in fact for anyone actually to see the drops of water firsthand. Yet a great percentage of people who visited the church were convinced wholeheartedly that tears were being shed by the figure. At a later point, zoom cameras were able to show that there were no changes to the figure’s eyes, even while people reported seeing the tears. // They stared at the eyes for long periods of time, which had a trance-inducing effect due to the visual monotony*. At the same time, the staring caused eye fatigue and some inevitable perceptual variations // These effects were then interpreted in relation to believers’ original suggestion, namely, that Christ’s eyes would water (CR.81).’

Here is one example of iconic object, fulfilling the role as a vessel of prescribed imaginative illusion and suggested magnificence, or rather opulence. The maker venerates the thing to object with meaning and direction toward a subject, the object then becomes a mimetic representation and reflection, of the once subjected target. This new observer, with prescribed reason, imbue in the cycle of deconstruction and reconstruction of meaning. In short, an object and the concept of its meaning, means little compared to the amount that institution itself can

There is no art without ourselves, or acknowledgement of the lack of it.

Chapter I

On the Destruction of Ideology:

Post-Opulence & Critique in Early Iconoclasm

If all that changes slowly may be explained by life, all that changes quickly is explained by fire. Fire is the ultra-living element. It is intimate and it is universal. - (PF/GB)

Icon and sacred object have always served as powerful means of instilling pillars of power. While we may think of the word icon in solely western terms, such as digital representation of files or in relationship to objects of Christianity, this use of object or image as vessel to areas beyond our conceptual understanding is a cross cultural phenomenon that has spanned throughout time. From the objects of polytheism and pagan era deity worship, to contemporary vessels such as photographs that capture and represent memory, all can fall within the theoretical characterization of the ‘Mimesis’. This, being the concept that artistic expression and creation are nothing more than a re-representation and imitation of both internal and external realities. In this sense, the iconoclast or destroyer (in terms of being an antithesis to the ‘maker’), inadvertently still holds a specific aesthetic sensibility and potential to create a work that reveals an opposite reality than the initial object implies. Aesthetically and socially speaking, we now exist in a time where iconoclasm thus can be argued to have the ability to present itself as an evidence of progressive victory over historically problematic institutions. Iconoclasm then could be argued to better be described as a conceptual construct, that has evolved in relationship to an auto-destructive culture that in fact created the environment that fosters it. Reframing the negative associations of the destruction of Icon based on Byzantine era victors and influences, iconoclasm overall serves as both a powerful aesthetic strategy and political tool. The legitimacy of the destruction of the icon, has found both evolution and intersection within whole practices of sociopolitical life and contemporary aesthetics. The French Revolution, being one way that iconoclasm had found its most drastic shifts in narrative following the period in which it was defined solely by it’s religious targets, French revolutionaries destroyed artworks and portraits of the wealthy, as these symbolized the luxury, vanity, and opulence of the aristocracy. However, as the social valuation of art itself began to grow, these revolutionaries evolved once more this concept of iconoclasm, and created new techniques of destroying and transforming symbolic meaning through the process of renaming, rededication, and the full removals from sites where display and interpretation can be institutionally controlled.

Hugo Ball, a key theorist and practitioner of the Dadaists in early twentieth century Zurich, took this concept of reframing in the realm of iconoclasm by motivating the Dada movement though complex thinking on language, philosophy, theology, mysticism, history, and politics. Not only did the views of Dada contradict Christian mysticism, but characterized similar institutions (such as the museum), as ‘outdated, hierarchical repositories of power’. Dada thus was at an intersection between iconoclasm, anarchism, and aesthetic experience. Moreover, viewed the iconoclastic movements as being a singular mold of both religious and secular, although its participants would claim one or the other. Dada was responding to aestheticization of late 19th century art, which itself was the aristocratic bourgeoisie response to industrialization - While the use of the term iconoclasm in Balls essays were in relationship to a historical ‘Bildersturm’, otherwise known as the 16th century’s Great Iconoclasm during Europe’s Protestant Reformation, it was treated as an important means of force in political conflicts that continued to resonate into the twentieth century.

Prefacing Modernism, it was thought that ‘Because man is unable to escape the concrete, all abstraction, as an attempt to manage without the image, leads only to an impoverishment, a dilution of, a surrogate for the linguistic process.’ Moreover, that ‘Abstraction breeds arrogance; it makes men appear the same as or similar to God (even if only in illusion)’. In which case, the museum presents itself as it’s church.

In his essay, Functions of the Museum (1973), Daniel Buren describes the museum as being a privileged place with three specific realms of function: In the Aesthetic, Economic, and Mystical. First, it frames itself as the central viewpoint in which to consume the narratives of the collection, under the guise of individual emphasis or freedom from agenda. The museum exhibits what it wants to show, to which point the institution itself becomes synonymous to stage. Secondly, the museum removes object from commonplace, creating an inclusive value system based on the privileged/selected. Thirdly, perpetuates a self-reflecting mythysism of omnipotent power over what is consumed as ‘Art’, in both it’s implied promise and intention of self-preservation. This preservation, perpetuating the idealistic notion of becoming eternal*DB within it.

The museum has been tasked with a cultures’ protection against time itself. It is an artificial space, ‘granting it an appearance of immortality which serves a remarkably well discourse which the prevalent bourgeois ideology attaches to it*DB. The museum presents itself as self-evident, all while protecting itself and it’s own fragility through the serving upward collection of voice and gesture. This collection, becoming where art becomes born and buried* in the museum’s ability to create the space for simplification. The two roles of the collection then presents itself as either a silencing of the many, or the embedding of value upon the privileged few.

Chapter II

Destructive Nature:

Modernism, Auto-Destructive Art, and Post-Opulence

In the western canon, following the end of World War II, iconoclasm via the abstract form (i.e. Tachisme and Abstract Expressionism) became the predominant means of cultural expression within a mass episode of cultural forgetting within the western world. That being, there were no means of both accurately confronting and aestheticizing the horrors of the post-war world that remained grounded in both its reality and truth. In the destruction of recognizable imagery, In favor of the abstract form, reality was even further removed and that unpleasantness successfully buried.

Auto-Destructive Art (1959) was acutely concerned with the problems of the repressed aggressions of and toward the individual, as well as those within the greater society. Additionally, operated against a system that was viewed by Metzger as being the maker of its own destruction, responding to WWII, and the increased Industrialization of war and nuclear armament. In three separate manifestos, he went on to criticize privileged institutions and their dominion of both nature as a tangible entity, and in more metaphysical forms in relationship to the greater society. Metzger viewed people as being vessels of the unresolved and suppressed aggressions against ourselves. Moreover, That this predisposition toward destruction served as a critical threat to the continuation of the institutional illusion of balance and control. It is for this reason that he rationalized, that due to this conflicting unconscious allure, any art celebrating this pleasure would be quickly rejected*(GMB).

How have we progressed in regard to the way in which we in a neo-gilded culture, invest in the ideals of the ideal, consume art, and adorn creation as a half-realized concept; keeping in mind that no product of creation can or will exist in its most opulent or idealized form forever. Additionally, within a culture that both appropriates and consumes the aesthetic and moral principles of it’s would be counter. Mass media, as an example, serves us daily reminders of the realities of our modern day capacity for destruction, disruption, and decay. Through it, catastrophe and their sediments are made both palatable and distant, creating a cognitive distance as a kind of means of not looking, alienation, and disassociation. The question as to whether or not art object can both accurately describe reality and catalyze redemption, is one I put before Post-Opulence to answer, through the reclamation of destruction within the infrathin* moments between a completely destructive process and its inherent aesthetic manifestation following.

The contemporary ways of viewing of this progression/interaction with the perceived and ‘finalized’ art object, mirrors Jean Baudrillard’s theory of hyperreality, in which reality itself is formed from an endless reproduction of the real. Moreover, Developing into a relationship of equivalence, indifference, then the extinction of the original*. The way in which mass production has shaped our way of viewing, has both destroyed and altered the relationships we have with our own experienced reality. Additionally, it has created a perceived hierarchy of these two visual forms of completion and degradation into two opposing icons of status.

Where Auto-Destructive Art and Post-Opulence diverge, is in the intention toward the intimate actualization of a specific set of ethical and political ideals, rather than solely becoming a grand spectacle of them. Auto-Destructive Art was interested in complex and large-scale forms, somewhat hypocritical (ironic?) relations to the art market itself, and rings problematically absolute in its overall practice. The practice always needing something tougher (GM-pg34), and was characteristically power driven and hungry in it’s goal of being a ‘constructive force in society (GM-36)’. Auto-Destructive Art craved destruction in the form of violence, expelling through force of action, rather than decomposition. Post-Opulence is based on the passing of time, rather than a specific and complex manipulation of it. Moreover, it strives to relinquish control, rather than perform it. Where the theory of Auto-Destructive Art was an attack on the capitalist art market through performance in conjunction with maximal material form, Post-Opulence is rejection of the idealized or fixed state of material form, as well as an attack on the notions of extended iconization through similarly problematic traditional gallery systems.

Aside from acknowledged relationships to Dada, Auto-Destructive Art sucessfully lacked being a complete theory. However, the work of Auto-Destructive Art began to be defined by its scientific motivations, idealizing the future machine based experiences ‘that we need’ (GM_ADAC-191). These, being equally fallible frameworks subject to the draw of institutional self-preservation. Auto-Destructive Art found manifestation (or lack thereof) not only in the physical practice of deconstructing works, Destruction in art, but also by means of the manifesto/lecture format. Much like Post-Opulence, acting somewhat beyond a means of a self-authoritative or object based artistic practice, Auto-Destructive Art worked as a synthesis of the aesthetic values of destruction, and the performative aspects of public/collective engagement. Specifically to Post-Opulence, the lecture/manifesto takes form in events which have been informally called ‘burnings’. However, the overall criticism of Auto-Destructive Art in relationship to Post-Opulence, is in the synthetic and violent texture of the Auto Destructive movement itself.

(Image credits for Key)

As a continual modernization process provided the western world with a means of dealing with the traumas of war and its disasters, it additionally left open the questions surrounding whom truly carries the authority over the conventions of art and its institutional value. Clement Greenberg, a prominent art critic of the mid-twentieth century, adopted a new iconoclastic ideology and championed Abstract Expressionism within the western canon. His rejection to representation was not due to a personal dislike of the narrative image, but rather out of necessity as aesthetic progress called for it. Abstract expressionism created a standard and climate for the privileged to foster the grand modernist narrative, in that it demanded critical analyses, interpretations, and informed opinions (BJM_37). Here, iconoclasm has found itself appropriated as a tool of illusionary progress in the form of the abstract. Illusionary, in its failure in this form to provide a genuine challenge against normative consumer/capitalist ideology at the time.

The modern studio itself can be seen to conform to the limitations of the neutral space, to which the hope it is to be selected, exhibited, and sold. While on the one hand the studio was a private space, a heroic space, the studio was and remains a space with the intention of convenience for the organizer, curator, or exhibitors own designs*(DB_FS). Institution provides an easy to understand space, in which it’s own values characterize the studio into a described, ‘boutique where we find ready-to-wear-art’ *(DB_FS); tailored and fitted to the markets’ needs. Said institution, abstracting that which challenges between its space of production and its space of exhibition and distribution.

It would seem the case that such institutional powers (Which were/continue to be problematic and white-male dominant) would continue to provide answers. To that point, and the institutionalization of art itself in the development of higher conceptual frameworks belonging to those who can access it, has transformed Art into a vessel

(or icon) of a flawed social order. The concepts and aesthetics of the artistic field grew in relationship with the post war period, which today are still taught as fundamental knowledge. However, Abstract Expressionism eventually removed a necessary conflict between an ‘Advanced Art’ and the dominant culture, in that it kept alive the social and political norms of the west, and thus became an icon in both its material reality and lack of image.

Minimalism and the Rhetoric of Power

Instead of causing us to remember the past like the old monuments, the new monuments seem to cause us to forget the future. Instead of being made of natural materials, such as marble, granite, or other kinds of rock, the new monuments are made of artificial materials, plastic, chrome, and electric light. They are not built for the ages, but rather against the ages. They are involved in a systematic reduction of time down to fractions of seconds, rather than in representing the long spaces of centuries. Both past and future are placed into an objective present (RS_NM11)

Minimalism acted as a theoretical reversal of power relations between individual values and those of society. Where in reality, in its compositions, minimalism represented authority. It not only embodied a prevailing social authority, but also the currency of power of the social patriarch. Moreover, made a case of an inherent discourse of implied power that was present in minimalist work, contextualized by inscribed problematic meaning. These included implications of industry, representations mimicking the rhetoric of a perceived dominant figure (the male), and a visual violence/aggression that would be directed toward the viewer, and as a complete occupation of communal space.

In Anna Chave’s essay, Minimalism and the Rhetoric of Power (1990), Robert Morris’s work is described as being reminiscent of “carceral images of discipline and punishment”. The images themselves portray imprisonment or and repression, and Chave goes on to comment that even in [Morris’s] writings, he was more interested in power, rather than the countering of the current political/social context of the time. As an example, the Morris piece Hearing was a gallery installation made up by a copper chair, zinc table, and a heated led bed. In the description of the piece, all the installed objects were connected with live electricity, with load speakers playing an interrogation. While the compositions are a clear reference to a prison setting, the implied and forced narrative is that of a context of intimidation and the policed state.

Dan Flavin’s work is described as having including corporate references, in its recontextualizing the mass produced fluorescent light. Moreover, generated a market practice that was solely supported by its authorship over the readily available material, in short, selling the name.

‘Flavin’s Diagonal not only looks technological and commercial - like Minimalism generally - it is an industrial product and, as such, it speaks of the extensive power exercised by the commodity in a society where virtually everything is for sale’ - (Adorno, Pg.46)

Donald Judd’s work can also be argued to be making reference to an implied inner figure or ‘Strong body’. Through composition and scale, Judd’s work captures the characterization of the proverbial ‘strong silent type’ as described by Chave. Moreover, in the work there is the expression of power, which similarly lacks feeling or communication.

While Minimalist sculpture did succeed in its aim of expressing an implicit power over time and space, the model and phallic heavy references to outdated notion, exposed the monuments to their own overcompensation evolving since the previous period. It’s not until pieces are introduced having other dilapidated form via destruction or judgment from time and the elements, that the absolute nature of the works begin to feel less absolute and thus less authoritarian in nature.

Chapter III

Destruction on Display:

Practice & Presentation

It’s in these created moments of chaos, destruction, and broken silence, that we momentarily operate outside of a reality constructed by the mundane. The spectacle of the broken glass, engages our most primal drives, alerting us to the space in which we’re operating, but also instantaneously connects us to a space we presently share with others. By means of joining a destructive process with the power invested in a sought idealized state, a struggle over iconic form through its breaking, salvaging, and reuse begins to be exhumed. Additionally, creates reference to the actions and signals of changed circumstance & time.

In recent years however, we have seen a progression toward the dismantling of this resonant flawed modernity in both iconoclastic aesthetics and social intervention in the Contemporary. The practice and concept, both being free from the confines of institutional structure and influence. As an example, Earlier in 2017, the city council of Charlottesville voted to remove a confederate statue of Robert E. Lee and the surrounding park. Later, on August 12th a ‘Unite the Right’ Rally was scheduled following months of earlier protest from white nationalists. This rally, resulting in the death of one and injury of nineteen others when a white nationalist, James Alex Fields, drove his car through a crowd of counter protesters.

By no means do I make this illustration lightly, but it's worth exploring the fantasticism and need for the illusion/safety found in connection to such a fetishised preservation of toxicity as monument. Moreover, the social revelations made by such progressive iconoclastic action toward said icon and monument, comprised of nothing but material and thing. Ernest Becker might understand this relationship as being the essence of transference as a certain taming of terror, by means of creating order in a chaotic universe (*EB_DD145-9). In that certain monuments, or icons, represent what we aim to be loved by or to hate. In the former, comes with the consequence of Transference Terror*, in which one fears to lose the love of the object that manifests as an icon of one’s heroistic ideal(*EB_145-9). Iconoclasm in this sense, successfully disrupts and challenges the heroic projects/objects of the oppressing institutional body, while revealing it’s reality and greater insignificance. Following the events of Charlottesville, there was a wave of stated illegal and legal instances of iconoclasm of Confederate monuments in Durham, North Carolina, and Baltimore, Maryland**(NI_pg1-9). While the subject is still one between proposed ‘heritage’ and social progress, iconoclasm now manifests as an aesthetic tool that still makes the propositions of progress, however through actual physical instances and evidences of destruction.

During the same year as this Iconoclastic wave, contemporary artists Doreen Garner and Kenya (Robinson), came out with their two-person exhibition White Man On A Pedestal (WMOAP), opening at Pioneer Works in 2017:

Installation view of ‘White Man On A Pedestal’ at Pioneer Works, 2017

‘Pioneer Works is pleased to present White Man On A Pedestal (WMOAP), a two-person exhibition by Doreen Garner and Kenya (Robinson), from November 10 – December 17, 2017. WMOAP questions a prevailing western history that uses white-male-heteronormativity as its persistent model.

Both artists approach WMOAP from an individual practice that is responsive to their individual experiences as black women, operating in a system of white male supremacy. At a time when removing Confederate statues—literally white men on pedestals—were cultural flashpoints of whiteness and class, Garner and (Robinson) play with the size, texture, and scale of white monumentality itself, referencing both real and imagined figureheads of historical exclusion’

Installation view of ‘White Man On A Pedestal’ at Pioneer Works, 2017

Iconoclasm has thus serves as a subtle force of change, beyond the conventional ideas surrounding it as simple brutality. The questions remain open in the aesthetic exploration of the destruction in art, vs. the destruction of art. Moreover, aesthetic iconoclasm being a matter of politics, art, and navigated areas of intersection in relationship to the greater social body. Other exhibitions and areas of site are considered when visualizing some successful means of destruction both in and of art.

Spiral Jetty and La Jetée are two examples of a makers attempt to reconcile with such destructions through time. In each, we get a sense of an acknowledgement and understanding of a descension of the past into a present chaos, entropy. In Spiral Jetty, it’s in the form of the natural degrading archaeology of the pieces’ direct exposure to the elements. The variable and unstable manifestation of form at this location, act as as both a time-marker and the exhumed nature of these decaying themes in relation to the present. Likewise, in the film La Jetée, the subject character of the film, is in constant reference to an abstract time before the dropping of the bomb.

In the present, both works express a returning to a work in progress, both with the intention of resolution, albeit a resolution resulting in decay each time. With the spiral jetty, in it’s created intention, is inevitably going to find itself eroded, as our protagonist in La Jetée is to be ‘liquidated’ as the task becomes complete.

Nothing distinguishes memories from ordinary moments. Only later do they become memorable by the scars they leave. (Narrator, La Jetée)

In the film, there is also a sense of the auto-destructive attitude toward technology and humankind’s industry both to create and destroy. However, the Spiral Jetty again better represents the idea of passive destruction vs. that based around its violet nature. In the former, it’s either the implied violence of individual erasure or world ending catastrophe, and the latter being a relinquishing of something of human production to the natural progress of time and decay.

Lastly, in the documentation piece (Spiral jetty), there’s an interesting shot of Smithson in his film as we follow the maker via helicopter. He runs down the jetty for what seems like an endless amount of time as he progresses towards the center. However, as he follows this spiral form and begins to get closer to the eye, past and near future parts of the track began to be revealed in the frame. Until reaching the center and conclusion of the track, leaving the artist nowhere to go. Likewise in La Jetée, the protagonist asks those residing in the future to return to the beginning, but once returned and as he runs down the pier, it’s revealed that at the end is in fact the inevitability of death. It’s in these final moments, that past, present, and future clash for our subjects, leading to a progressively quickened state of entropy and closure.

Show the line between Bloom & Decay

When Attitudes Become form

Formalized

Passive/conceptual disruption

HS - LA Exhibit

Theme/theatre

aggressive/violent disruption

Contrast to Post-Op

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spaceexp · 6 years ago

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Clocks, gravity, and the limits of relativity

ESA - Columbus Space Lab patch. 23 May 2019 The International Space Station will host the most precise clocks ever to leave Earth. Accurate to a second in 300 million years the clocks will push the measurement of time to test the limits of the theory of relativity and our understanding of gravity. Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicted that gravity and speed influences time, the faster you travel the more time slows down, but also the more gravity pulling on you the more time slows down.

European space laboratory Columbus where ACES will be installed

On 29 May 1919 Einstein’s theory was first put to the test when Arthur Eddington observed light “bending” around the Sun during a solar eclipse. Forty years later, the Pound-Rebka experiment first measured the redshift effect induced by gravity in a laboratory – but a century later scientists are still searching for the limits of the theory. “The theory of relativity describes our Universe on the large scale, but on the border with the infinitesimally small scale the theory does not jibe and it remains inconsistent with quantum mechanics,” explains Luigi Cacciapuoti, ESA’s Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space (ACES) project scientist. “Today’s attempts at unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics predict violations of the Einstein’s equivalence principle.”

Negative photo of the 1919 solar eclipse

Einstein’s principle details how gravity interferes with time and space. One of its most interesting manifestations is time dilation due to gravity. This effect has been proven by comparing clocks at different altitudes such as on mountains, in valleys and in space. Clocks at higher altitude show time passes faster with respect to a clock on the Earth surface as there is less gravity from Earth the farther you are from our planet. Flying at 400 km altitude on the Space Station, the Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space will make more precise measurements than ever before. Internet of clocks ACES will create an “internet of clocks”, connecting the most accurate atomic timepieces the world over and compare their timekeeping with the ones on humankind’s weightless laboratory as it flies overhead. Comparing time down to a stability of hundreds femtoseconds – one millionth of a billionth of a second – requires techniques that push the limits of current technology. ACES has two ways for the clocks to transmit their data, a microwave link and an optical link. Both connections exchange two-way timing signals between the ground stations and the space terminal, when the timing signal heads upwards to the Space Station and when it returns down to Earth.

ACES clock

The unprecedented accuracy this setup offers brings some nice bonuses to the ACES experiment. Clocks on the ground will be compared among themselves providing local measurements of geopotential differences, helping scientists to study our planet and its gravity. The frequencies of the laser and microwave links will help understand how light and radio waves propagate through the troposphere and ionosphere thus providing information on climate. Finally, the internet of clocks will allow scientists to distribute time and to synchronise their clocks worldwide for large-scale Earth-based experiments and for other applications that require precise timing.

Columbus module with ACES

“The next generation of atomic clocks and the link techniques that we are developing could one-day be used to observe gravitational waves themselves as ESA’s proposed LISA mission,” adds Luigi, “but right now ACES will help us test as best we can Einstein’s theory of general relativity, searching for tiny violations that, if found, might open a window to a new theory of physics that must come.” The clocks have been tested and integrated on the ACES payload and the microwave link for ACES is undergoing tests before final integration with the full experiment. ACES will be ready for launch to the Space Station by 2020. Related links: European space laboratory Columbus: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Columbus Pound-Rebka experiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound%E2%80%93Rebka_experiment International Space Station Benefits for Humanity: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/International_Space_Station_Benefits_for_Humanity Images, Text, Credits: ESA/D. Ducros/NASA/Royal Astronomical Society/CNES. Greetings, Orbiter.ch Full article

#space #science

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blackswordmeister · 6 years ago

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The following is a critical analysis I did on Mordred’s Song by Blind Guardian some years back. Figured I’d post it here and see what everybody else thought of it.

MORDRED: VILLAIN OR VICTIM

Abstract

The following analysis is on “Mordred’s Song” by German power metal band Blind Guardian and its driving theme is that Mordred is less a villain and more a victim of fate. The ballad gives us Mordred’s side of the story concerning his feelings regarding his fate as the ultimate betrayer of his father King Arthur, the usurper of Camelot, and the cause of his final downfall as well as her personal feelings regarding his destiny. Instead of the popular depiction of him as a cursed child who maliciously covets his father’s throne, kingdom and (in some versions) even his queen, here he is depicted as a tragic victim of fate groomed for his entire life to destroy his father, never given a say otherwise. In other words, a pawn in another’s bid for power.

In Morte D’Arthur, compiled by Sir Thomas Malory, Mordred is the bastard son of King Arthur conceived by his half-sister Morgauise. Much like his father before him, his conception is marked by the breaking of numerous societal and religious taboos such as incest, witchcraft and in some versions, rape. It is foretold that this “child of evil” will eventually be the one to bring about Arthur’s doom. Years down the line, Mordred eventually grows to become one of the Knights of the Round Table and actually proves to be one of its more prominent members, earning praise from even Lancelot himself. It all goes downhill once he learns who his father is and the circumstances of his birth. All details aside, he eventually launches a coup in an attempt to oust his father as king and usurp the throne of Camelot. In many versions of the epic, Mordred is often cast as the villain, the devil child, the archetypal dark prince, an “evil bastard” in a figurative and literal sense. One such alternative character interpretation comes from German power metal band, Blind Guardian in their aptly titled “Mordred’s Song”. Here, listeners are given a chance to see through Mordred’s eyes and walk in his shoes as he feels trapped by his supposed destiny to bring about his father and Camelot’s downfall. Here, the so-called “evil prince” is less a villain seeking to supplant Arthur as king and more of a victim of fate, lamenting what he’s essentially been groomed all his life to do.

The very first line “I’ve lost my battle before it starts” (Line 1) foretells that he’s fully aware that he was essentially doomed from the start. With his birth marked by the breaking of numerous taboos and his eventual bid to oust Arthur and take Camelot, (and in some versions Guinevere as well) Mordred knows that it’s all to easy for him to be labelled as somebody destined to be the villain. “I’ve gone beyond the truth, it’s just another lie.”(lines 30-31) indicates to listeners that Mordred has been manipulated and lied to all his life to the point that he doesn’t know who to believe anymore. It remains unclear whether Mordred’s attempted power grasp was made of his own volition or whether he was influenced or manipulated by another.

“But fate fooled me and changed my cards” (lines 12-13) is a possible reference to tarot cards often used in divination and fortune telling, thus further highlighting Mordred’s role in the ballad as a victim of fate. “No Joker’s on my side” (line 19) references the joker card’s usual status in many card games as the “trump card” which often ensures victory where it would be impossible under normal circumstances. The line tells us that Mordred has no “trump card” that allows him to defy his dark destiny. The chorus line “I turn off the light and murder the dawn” represents Mordred’s apparent resignation to his fate. He knows that because of the circumstances of his birth and his usurpation of the throne, this verse indicates that he’s fully aware that he’s doomed to be forever be cast as the villain, the traitorous son, the Judas Iscariot of Camelot. Especially since that while Arthur has committed some actions worth calling out for the sake of keeping his throne. (i.e. the May Day massacre where in an attempt to get rid of the then unknown Mordred, Arthur pulls a Herod and decrees that every child born on May 1 of that year to be carted off to sea to be shipwrecked. Mordred himself survived that event.), Arthur is not remembered either in his time or in modern days as a tyrant. However, Mordred during his reign as “interim king” is well received as king because as noble as Arthur was, his reign was marked by near constant warfare whereas Mordred promises the peace that has long eluded the land. The line “In agony, we’re unified” (line 34) speaks upon Mordred’s feelings of loneliness regarding his father. In Mary Stewart’s book, “The Wicked Day”, it shows that Mordred possibly loved Arthur as his father and felt some sort of loyalty towards him in spite of his fate as shown in the following exchange with his mother:

Morgause tells Mordred:

If Merlin saw it written in the stars that you would be Arthur’s doom, then how can you escape it? There will come a day, the wicked day of destiny, when all will come to pass as he foretold (Stewart, 234)

Mordred’s reply to this

Now that I am warned, I shall know what to do. If I have to leave court and stay away from him, I shall do it. No power on earth can make me lift a hand to kill unless I wish it, and this death I swear to you I shall never undertake. I swear it by the Goddess herself (235)

As Amber Kelly-Anderson notes in her own analysis on Mordred,

“Mary Stewart really focuses on the development of Mordred, whose destiny is dictated by fate and misunderstanding, rather than the innate malevolence of earlier characterizations in the Legend. In The Wicked Day Stewart’s Mordred is a thoughtful, conflicted young man who acts out of necessity rather than malice; his treachery is rather reluctant and the result of circumstance (Amber). In this way, Mordred’s character is redefined, making him more human and less villainous.” (Sheble, p. 13) The line can also be used to hint at the feelings of not just the son but the father as well. In the same manner that there is no indication on how Mordred feels about his actions, Arthur’s feelings on facing his son in battle are ambiguous as well. Both of them know that the path they’ve been set on can only end one of two ways. Either the father dies by the hand of the son or the son dies by the hand of the father. Either way, their relationship is doomed to end in tragedy.

The song references Mordred’s father, Arthur, referring to his eventual fate of his attempt to usurp his throne and meeting him in battle. “I am the fallen one” (chorus line 2) can also be taken as a sort of Biblical reference regarding fallen angels. For example, Lucifer, whose pride and jealousy saw him cast from heaven, taking a host of angels with him into hell. Lucifer would ultimately become Satan, the source of all evil according to Christian doctrine and the mortal enemy of God and his servants. “Wash away the blood on my hands, my father’s blood” (lines 32-33) foreshadows his final showdown with his father towards the end of the Battle of Camlann, the ultimate confrontation between father and son where both strike each other down.

The driving theme behind Blind Guardian’s ballad “Mordred’s Song” is that Mordred is not so much a villain lusting after his father’s throne as he is more of a victim of fate, resigning himself to being branded as a traitor and fallen knight. Here, Mordred is no scion of evil as he is often cast but more of a tragic villain trapped by fate to ultimately slay the father and by extension bring about the downfall of Camelot as well as his own in the process. Metaphors are used to highlight his personal pain as he struggles between his personal morals and what he’s been groomed all his life to do. Symbolism is used. Allusions to the Arthurian stories hint at the guilt Mordred possibly feels for his actions and hint at his final confrontation with his father. In the end, the ballad asks its listeners “Is Mordred is truly the villain as he is often presented as or is he simply a victim cursed by fate and groomed since childhood to play a role he probably never wanted to begin with? Is Sir Mordred, true son of King Arthur Pendragon, a villain or a victim?

Annotated Bibliography

Blind Guardian, “Mordred’s Song” from the album “Imaginations form the Other Side” from Century Media Records. Retrieved from

:http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/blindguardian/imaginationsfromtheotherside.html#5

The source material for the analysis. The song is essentially Mordred’s side of the story in his final dealings with his father. The ballad sees him lamenting what he’s been groomed all of his life to do. Eventually, he resigns to his fate.

Malory, Sir T. Le “Morte D’Arthur” from CRW, 2007ISBN 1904633978, 9781904633976

The original saga of King Arthur as compiled by Sir Thomas Malory as well as the inspiration for the previously discussed ballad. It includes the tales of Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, including Mordred himself. Here, it details Mordred’s knighthood and ends with the eventual coup against his father Arthur.

Sheble M. The Once and Future Hero, A Vindicated Mordred (2011, March 10) Retrieved from:

http://nchchonors.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011-SIRP-Sheble-Margaret.pdf

The source of the quotes found in this analysis. This is Margaret Sheble’s own analysis regarding the character of Mordred. Here, she examines many aspects of Mordred’s character, including theories concerning his childhood, his relationships with those around him and finally his eventual fall into villainy.

Steward, M., “The Wicked Day” Published from Ballatine Books, 1983 ISBN 0-449-91185-3

(paperback)

Fourth in Mary Stewart’s five part “Merlin” series. As with the ballad above, Mordred is shown as a victim of fate rather than a fallen knight. Here, Mordred is shown to be close with his father Arthur, but circumstances beyond his control as Mordred is drawn into the intrigues and infighting that marked the end of his reign.

#old college paper #blind guardian #mordred's song #critical analysis #critique is welcome

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eotheria · 6 years ago

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The World of Eotheria According to Lady Valentine

Part 16: The Sultanate of Etrana

And now we come to the third of the three greater human nations: Etrana. Though they are roughly on equal footing to Kresnik and LaCroix in terms of size and military strength, they have long chosen a stance of non-intervention when it comes to assisting their neighbors to the west, prefering to concentrate on their own internal affairs instead. This has not endeared themselves to Kresnik or LaCroix, particularly when both nations are at each others’ throats and just waiting for an excuse to go to war.

Etranan people make up the vast majority of the human population in their own nation, unsurprisingly. The people of Etrana are generally tall and muscular, with dark mahogany skin, curly black hair, and dark eyes. LaCroixians and Northerners, described in the previous chapter, are also known in Etrana, but are comparatively rare, making up roughly one out of every twenty humans in Etrana.

The founding of the Sultanate is a relatively recent development compared to the other human nations. In the past, the region of Etrana was the focus of a great many wars between three distinct provinces, Dumabail (northwestern Etrana), Nurhatlar (southwestern Etrana), and Az’zashtun (eastern Etrana). The three provinces would be unified in a single nation as a result of what is now known as the War of Unification. The seeds were actually sown in 633 BGE, when the Kordran Empire attempted an invasion of Nurhatlar and Az’zashtun. The two nations joined forces to fend off the hobgoblins, and soon after turned their blades to another common enemy: Dumabail. The province of Dumabail surrendered after a six year long war, and the Sultanate of Etrana was founded in 614 BGE. The sultanate held for a long time; there had been a number of internal conflicts, but nothing that ever amounted to civil war, and once the Seven Goddesses descended, all infighting, for the most part, ceased.

Etrana takes great pride as a sea-faring nation. They were the first to discover the continent of Olbera, the New World, though little is still known about it. They also founded a number of island nations between Etrana and Olbera, all of which are territories of the Sultanate. Interestingly, Etrana has begun its own experiments into magitech research,and recently developed the first fully steam powered ship. It’s relatively primitive compared to the great magitechnology that Kresnik has produced, but by all accounts it’s effective and efficient.

The Sultanate

Etrana is the only one of the seven nations that maintains an absolute monarchy. In theory at least. In practice this power is not so absolute. Though Etrana has no diet, parliament, senate, or the like, it does have a military order called the Yellow Shields. The Yellow Shields were formed in 228 GE after the overthrowing of the infamous Mad Sultan Hayyan, a man who’d been pushed to the throne by his family despite showing signs of mental illness at an early age. Among his acts, he ordered the murder of his entire family out of sheer paranoia, accused an order of Nahaniel worshipers of conspiring with the Kordran and ordered them burned at the stake, and, most bizarrely of all, insisted that he could fly. Hayyan’s successor, an Etranan statesman named Farhad, signed a law to grant the Yellow Shields emergency powers if ever the sultan of Etrana were to overstep the bounds of his position.

The problem is that Farhad never thought of a way to police the Yellow Shields themselves (he had thought that, being devout Nahaniel worshipers, the Yellow Shields would be beyond such temptations). This arrangement worked out well for the first hundred years or so, but eventually the Yellow Shields realized that there were plenty of loopholes to allow them to grant themselves emergency powers whenever they wanted and take control of Etrana if need be. As the old saying goes, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. No less than three sultans have been overthrown by the Yellow Shields since this law was put into place, and not all of them for particularly good reasons, and the Yellow Shields have, on several occasions, used the mere threat of taking control to get the sultan to do whatever they wanted. That’s not to say the sultan is completely hopeless. The Yellow Shields can be tried and convicted of treason if they go too far. It’s just that it’s very difficult to find proof of such, and every attempt to change the law to reduce the power of the Yellow Shields has been met with swift resistance. It doesn’t help that more and more these days the Yellow Shields have been rumored to be receiving direct funding from some of Etrana’s wealthiest, which may well make them pawns of the filthy rich.

The current sultan, Alhazad ak’Khim, age 44, is no stranger to this game of political intrigue. He’s well liked by the people, but not so much by the nobility and the wealthy. To his credit, he has worked towards compromise. The Yellow Shields and the wealthy have conceded to a number of tax reforms to improve the lives of the poor. However, there is one thing they absolutely will not budge on: they refuse to take any part in the current political struggle between the Kresnik Empire, the LaCroix Union, and the Kordran Empire. Most in Etrana see the struggle between Kresnik and LaCroix to be a matter between the two nations. Although King Arthur IV of LaCroix tactfully warned the leaders of Etrana that Kresnik would not stop with LaCroix, most feel that much of Kresnik’s hostility towards LaCroix was LaCroix’s fault. After all, LaCroix was the one who built a union and fortified their borders simply because they feared that Kresnik was looking their way next. And while Etrana has no love for the Kordran Empire, they not see them as an immediate danger. Of course, the fact that Etrana does not share a border with Kordran might have a lot to do with that.

Enemies of Etrana

That’s not to say that Etrana does not have its own struggles. They absolutely do. Minotaurs, vile worshipers of Rakkadi, demon lord of violence, have taken hold in northwestern Etrana, in the fertile grasslands. These minotaurs were forced out of LaCroix by their ancient enemies, the gnolls, and regularly raid Etranan villages in the name of their deranged demon lord. However, not all minotaurs are vicious and violent. Some of the more peaceful minotaur tribes that denounce Rakkadi were also displaced from LaCroix and found their way to Etrana, and while many Etranans give them a wide berth, they are more than happy to lend a hand in dealing with their more violent brethren.

A much greater threat to the Etranans are the lamia. These beings resemble centaurs somewhat, though with the lower body of a different creature entirely, usually a feline, though goat and antelope lamia are known. The lamia make their homes in the deserts of northern and central Etrana. Like minotaurs, lamia are worshipers of a demon lord. In this case, the lamia worship Saya, the demon queen of desire. Seductive creatures by nature, lamia are quite hedonistic, seeking to surround themselves with beauty and slaves. But don’t let this fool you into thinking them weak. Lamia are masters of illusion, misdirection, and mirages to deceive and destroy their foes. And when they need to throw down, they’re very capable of such. There are four known tribes of lamia, but all of them are allied with one another and have effectively declared war on Etrana, seeking to take what they consider their ancestral homelands. The Etranans have been at war with the lamia for centuries, but have never rid themselves of these creatures for any long period of time. Every time it seems they are defeated, they return, stronger than ever. The fact that a lamia can disguise themselves as a human (and very easily at that) might have had something to do with it. The only fortunate thing about the lamia is that they detest all other races, including the Rakkadi worshiping minotaurs, detailed above.

The Sphinxes

There are very few things in Eotheria that give me pause. Some of my fellow vampires conspire against me, but even if all of them fought me at once I would not consider them a major threat. The insane worshipers of the Primordial Chaos are too disorganized for me to consider them any more than fodder. The Church of Galan, for the most part, knows better than to meddle in my affairs, and I have no fear of their goddesses. Even the light of the sun does not harm me as much as it once did.

And then there are the sphinxes of Etrana. These damnable creatures! They act as guardians of lost treasure troves of knowledge, claiming to be the servants of ancient gods unknown to all in Eotheria. They allow only the worthy to take of their treasures; and no, you're not worthy in their eyes. Trust me. if you believe yourself to be so, by all means, go to a sphinx's lair and let them ask you an unsolvable riddle. Even if you give the correct answer, odds are they won't be happy with the way you answered and will eat you anyway, or they'll tell you that answering correctly didn't guarantee they wouldn't eat you. They are a pain and a half to deal with, since they always know when you're lying, and it's all but impossible to tell what their intentions are. Their morality is bizarre to say the least. Most accept that morality is on a dual spectrum of good and evil, and law and chaos. Nowhere on these spectrum do sphinxes sit. If they follow any rules at all, they are rules of their own making that we cannot hope to comprehend. None of this would be all that annoying if not for one glaring problem. Reality has no rules where a sphinx is concerned! Gravity? Causality? Time and space? They laugh at such things. Attempting to fight a sphinx is folly simply because they don't have to kill you; they can simply force you to rapidly age backwards or deposit you in one of the elemental planes, never to be heard from again.

If there are any limitations to a sphinx's reality bending power it is that it is limited to their lairs (and mercifully they almost never leave them), and that they are bound by the Primordial Ban as everything else is. My outsider wizard acquaintance told me that sphinxes on other worlds are indeed the vault keepers of the gods that the Eotherian sphinxes claim they are. If this is the case, and if the sphinxes were around since the creation of the Primordial Ban, perhaps this is why they act as they do. Perhaps the weariness of the ages and the lack of any divine command from the outer planes has driven them as insane as they behave.

Either way, I can not even begin to fathom the amount of knowledge that the sphinxes have. For all I know they could very well teach Mephis, Demon Lord of Knowledge, a thing or two. They may know everything about Eotheria; when the Primordial Chaos will next awaken, who created the warforged, what became of the dragons, the nature of the gods of Eotheria, and many other secrets that I would love to know the answers to. Sadly with the vault keepers being as unhinged as they are, that knowledge may never leave the lairs of the sphinxes.

Nahaniel, the Navigator

With the Etranans having a passion for seafaring, it was only natural that their goddess would be a goddess of the sea. Nahaniel is represented as an Etranan woman, barefoot, wearing a long yellow scarf over her face. Said to be more capricious and mercurial than her fellow goddesses, Nahaniel embodies the wind: gentle and refreshing at her best, terrible and destructive at her worst. Despite this, she is seen as a benevolent goddess. She is often referred to by Etranans as “The Navigator”. Seamen who set sail from port always give prayers to Nahaniel, that she may guide them to a safe passage.

This finishes up Etrana. In the next chapter I will talk about the four lesser nations, beginning with Creat Pristan.

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aion-rsa · 3 years ago

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Superman & The Authority: The Case for a More Compassionate Man of Steel

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This article contains spoilers for Superman & The Authority.

The Man of Steel of Superman & The Authority looks a little different than you might be used to. Graying at the temples, a hint of smile lines around his eyes, and a capeless outfit that looks equally ready for some serious work in a laboratory or a super-powered street fight. It’s an older, wiser, Superman, sporting a look befitting a man with a teenage son and years of experience under his belt, and he brings all the patience and wisdom that you’d expect him to have as he reaches superheroic middle age.

And while this look is a holdover from the old 5G publishing initiative (the fixed timeline continuity shuffle which would have seen established characters age and legacy characters take over, abandoned when DC co-publisher Dan DiDio left the company), it’s about the only thing from DiDio’s Superman pitch that stuck around.

“We went to this restaurant and Dan proposed this notion,” Superman & The Authority writer Grant Morrison tells us by phone. “He said, ‘We want to do a Superman who’s older, and his son has taken over…but as Superman gets older, he becomes more fascistic and authoritarian.’”

For the writer behind arguably the definitive Superman story of our century in All-Star Superman, a tale full of hope and idealism even as it dealt with reflective meditations on mortality, the concept of an authoritarian Man of Steel didn’t sit right.

“I knew that Dan was just doing this to wind me up, because that’s the kind of story I just can’t abide…My version of Superman has always been this idea of what’s the best humanity can be,” Morrison says. “He’s got super strength, and he’s got super resolve, but he also has super compassion and super understanding. My version of Superman is unlikely to ever become an authoritarian monster.”

A Unifying Theory of Superman Continuity?

But Superman & The Authority (which features art by Mikel Janin, Jordie Bellaire, Travel Foreman, and more!) doesn’t open on that older Superman. It begins with the Man of Steel in his prime…hanging out with President John F. Kennedy in 1963. It’s a seemingly incongruous moment, and in true Morrison style, it’s explained away in a brief line of dialogue later in the book, but in their head, there’s more to the story. It’s similar in concept to a key piece of Morrison’s Batman epic, where the Dark Knight was briefly presumed dead but had simply become displaced in time, before we see him arriving in different eras and piecing his “self,” and ultimately the very idea of Batman, back together.

“I had this notion that Superman actually went through something similar,” Morrison says. “Maybe Darkseid zapped him with the Omega Beams, but a Superman who’s tumbling through time.”

And if you look closely at the background in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, you’ll spot evidence of this mysterious, untold, time-tossed adventure, from King Arthur’s actual roundtable to a famed ship from Greek mythology to what appears to be H.G. Wells’ time machine to a TARDIS and more.

“He was part of the court of King Arthur,” Morrison says. “He’s got the Argo in his Fortress of Solitude, so you think maybe this guy hung out with Hercules and Achilles. Maybe he had all these adventures in time. And part of that was to be in 1963 and work with Kennedy.”

Morrison famously made eight decades worth of Batman history fit together, but it’s not something that works as easily with Superman. Despite the fact that Morrison has penned tales of a brash, young Superman learning the ropes (during the New 52 Action Comics era from 2011-2012) as well as one at the very end (the aforementioned All-Star Superman), continuity scholars might want to adjust their expectations slightly.

“I kind of make a point of not allowing it to fit together perfectly,” Morrison says. “But I do have my own Superman who begins as the t-shirt and jeans kid from Action Comics and who maybe goes through this moment in Superman & The Authority then winds up some years later with All-Star Superman but it doesn’t quite fit. In my own head there is a unified version, [but] there have been so many big changes and radical overhauls in Superman that I don’t think you can do that without running into quite a few contradictions. It works with Batman in a way that it just doesn’t since Superman has been really overhauled a few times.”

As the main story of Superman & The Authority unfolds, we see that Superman has aged, and his power levels are a little lower than what is normally associated with the character. The reasoning for this has been explored in the pages of Action Comics by Philip Kennedy Johnson and Daniel Sampere, where after fighting off an alien threat, Superman finds his powers fading, even as a larger cosmic menace looms. After finding himself on the outs with the Justice League, Superman needs to put a team together, which is where the Authority comes in.

To put Superman in charge of the Authority, a team that was the product of some very- of-their-time early 21st Century comics, Morrison looked much further back for inspiration, not to the stories that spawned the Authority, but to one of the key influences of Superman himself: Doc Savage. First appearing in pulp adventure novels in 1933, Doc Savage was billed as “a superman” in his early appearances, was superhumanly strong and tough, a scientific genius with an arctic “fortress of solitude” who was known as “the Man of Bronze” and who had a team of adventurers at his disposal.

“If we have a Superman with these power levels then let’s do Doc Savage,” Morrison says. “Because that’s what it struck me as. The concept of Superman in his Arctic fortress and he has a team of experts who he can go to. I thought there was mileage in taking him back to those pulp roots and do a kind of Doc Savage version of Superman.”

Morrison then took that one step further, teasing elements of Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse’s own Doc Savage tribute, Tom Strong, in how Superman & The Authority uses another legacy hero…

Steel

“In issue two, we position Steel as our new Tom Strong in relation to Doc Savage,” Morrison says. “Steel becomes that kind of figure who’s the second generation version of that concept. It was very much thinking from the pulp roots onwards and the iterations of that and trying to work them back into DC continuity.”

Steel is a key figure in both Superman history and in this book in particular. John Henry Irons is a genius who created a suit of armor to honor his hero after Superman saved his life, and his daughter, Natasha Irons, now has taken up the superheroic mantle of Steel, as well. The second chapter of Superman & The Authority sees Natasha, a young Black woman, dealing with literal manifestations of the worst elements of the internet, some spouting frighteningly accurate dialogue. It’s an amusing detail considering how averse to social media Morrison remains.

“The truth is, I kind of read everything. I check everything, I just don’t participate,” Morrison says. “[It comes back to] the idea of an older Superman trying to deal with that kind of modernity. [When] we have Steel up against literal bots and literal trolls…but at the end Natasha Irons recognizes that this is just some kind of weird, crunchy, literal attempt to do the internet. So I also had to be a bit self aware about it as well because I’m just an old person looking at that. I’m not a native of that world.”

Manchester Black

With these interpretations of the internet running through the book, it’s fitting that the first person Superman recruits for his new Authority is someone who’d feel right at home as an internet edgelord: Manchester Black. Using Black here is itself self-referential, as the character and his team, the Elite, was first created in 2001 by Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke as a Superman antagonist meant to represent the kind of cynicism that had been popularized in comics by books like The Authority.

“I think people have thought Manchester Black is some kind of millennial caricature, because all the Authority members are Gen X, Gen Z, or millennial,” Morrison says. “But he’s a sociopath. People should always remember that. He’s really charismatic and he’s funny and he’s smart, but he’s a sociopath. He’s a monster. He has potential hidden agendas. He’s a master of using the language of anti-oppression to justify oppression and to also protect himself from criticism…He’s way worse than a millennial caricature. He’s a sociopathic monster who’s really sexy and charismatic.”

Building the New Authority

While many of the notions that rocketed comics like The Authority to success in the early part of the 21st Century have fallen out of fashion, Morrison still has a certain fondness for the concept, even as Superman & The Authority deliberately avoids many of them.

“I was very excited when The Authority came out by Warren Ellis and Brian Hitch,” Morrison says. “It seemed to take the notion of the JLA which I’d been doing at DC and advance it a little bit. It was kind of, what if the bastards were on our side? What if the left had these monstrous characters who would actually impose their will on the world? It seemed kind of exciting and interesting, but obviously as time went by, those type of characters seem to share some kind of DNA with terrorism, with authoritarianism, with all the things that became unpleasant.”

It’s part of the reason that the Authority introduced in this book only includes two members of that original team, Midnighter and Apollo (alongside Manchester Black, the full roster includes Steel, Enchantress, and new versions of Jack Kirby’s Lightray and OMAC).

“[The Authority] was great at the time, it was punk superheroes,” Morrison says. “But really it kind of trivialized world problems that then became bigger and bigger. So this was something different. This was, could we make an analog team that was like the Authority but wasn’t the original Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch, Frank Quitely Authority but took some of that attitude. It’s trying to capture that feeling but at the same time to interrogate it because it didn’t really work. A lot of what we hoped for, a lot of what the radical utopian left and the creative community hoped for didn’t really turn out the way we hoped or turned out in a way that yeah, that’s what we wanted but it was the bad guys who got it right.”

The Villains

There are multiple villains in Superman & The Authority , from Superman rogues’ gallery mainstay Brainiac to noted DC hero corrupter Eclipso, but the Ultra-Humanite. The first true supervillain the Man of Steel ever faced (before this, he was mostly taking on crooks, corrupt politicians, and the like), the Ultra-Humanite pre-dates Lex Luthor as the ultimate exploration of villainous mind over superhuman muscle. An evil scientist with a penchant for swapping his brain into other bodies, a favorite being an enormous albino gorilla, Morrison found a decidedly modern spin for the baddie.

“He was Superman’s earliest superhuman foe and I love the idea of updating the whole thing so that it becomes this collective intelligence,” Morrison says. “In the old stories he would transplant his brain and sometimes he was a beautiful young actress and other times a monster ape. There was just something brilliant about, at what point do you lose your identity? At what point do you become something else if you can transplant your brain? If he’s got multiple bodies, what if he now has multiple brains? You can clone the brain and the brain just resets so there’s all these Ultra-Humanites who can assume different bodies and attack the world as a kind of viral or distributed threat.”

But ultimately, the conflict between Superman and Ultra-Humanite as envisioned here comes down to something much more simple and timeless.

“Superman represents the singular, the hero of the 20th century, the sovereign human,” Morrison says. “Ultra-Humanite is something much more than that in the sense that he’s a network, a distributed intelligence. To have that against the notion of the individual in the singular man seemed interesting.”

Brainiac is famed for trying to “preserve” civilizations from across the cosmos by capturing them, although Morrison took a slightly different approach with the character here.

“We’ve come to a point where you can almost sympathize with [Brainiac],” Morrison says. “I was watching a thing [about] a scientist creating a genetic library of endangered animals, and it seemed so almost tragic. These animals are still here! The tigers are still here. You can’t save them in the real world, but you’re trying to preserve them as cell cultures in the hope that in the future…In the future? What? We’ve already got them and you can’t fucking deal with it! Where’s the place for the Siberian tiger in the future?”

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What’s Next for Grant Morrison and Superman?

It all wraps up in a way that’s very unlike Morrison’s previous Superman work. Unlike All-Star or Action Comics or even JLA, which ended with an undeniable summation of those versions of the character, Morrison opted to leave doors open for more stories.

“I wanted everything to be ambiguous,” Morrison says. “I wanted to break down in that fourth issue the basic structures of the superhero story. Who’s the villain? Who’s the good guy? What is the argument here? Superman actually just walking out of it at the end was my ultimate deconstruction. It’s kind of shocking. Even Brainiac, a machine, is shocked. I did want it to be like maybe Brainiac’s got a point and maybe there’s some way going forward where the Jon Kent Superman might find a way to deal with Brainiac. Are there other ways of dealing with these challenges posed by alleged villains?”

The final pages of Superman & The Authority certainly open the door to more adventures with the team, but Morrison doesn’t have any plans to return any time soon. Instead, the story will continue in the pages of Action Comics as the team heads into space to take on the resurgent threat of Warworld.

“I just came in to do the team lining up and meeting and going out to do whatever the next mission would have been,” Morrison says. “And it now dovetails with what Philip Kennedy Johnson’s doing in Action Comics. I really enjoyed the characters but that’s it for me. As this is kind of the final DC book I’m doing for a long time probably, leaving it as open ended, ‘to be continued,’ and being part of just a big story, I think is appropriate.”

Superman & The Authority is now available in hardcover, wherever comics are sold.

The post Superman & The Authority: The Case for a More Compassionate Man of Steel appeared first on Den of Geek.

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