#I am done with this particular part of otto's life

[bookandhook]

A Man Called Ove: Book Review #1

There are a total of four books that I began in December of 2022, all of which remain unfinished for the moment, put aside for one book in particular. The only reason for that being is that I saw a trailer for A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks and thought 'huh, that looks vaguely familiar'. It was then that I remembered picking up a certain book at Savers earlier in the year on impulse that currently sat, unread, amongst a bunch of other unread books on my fairly new IKEA bookcase that is already filled to the brim.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman made its way onto my TBR for two reasons and two reasons only:

It was going to make me cry, allegedly.

The main character is a grumpy, lonely, old man who learns to love life again (allegedly).

(Full review under the READ MORE. Spoilers marked as such.)

(The cat on the cover also got me, but I digress)

Anyone who knows me in my daily life knows that this is my absolute weakness. Do I know why I love grumpy old men so much? No. Sometimes I suspect it has to do with the fact that both me and my parents were on the same wavelength at one point about the movie Up.

A condensed version of this for people who are interested in this book would be-

The writing was easy and enjoyable. The author has a way of writing Ove that is blunt and to the point, very much like his character. I have a nasty habit of not entirely looking up any sort of warnings about books before going in, because I am the type of person who mainly gets bothered/triggered by visual media instead of that which I am reading. For those going into this book though I would warn strongly that suicide is the main focus of this book. If that is upsetting to you then I suggest you skip this book entirely or be heavily forewarned going in. Also I should be warning against cancer, major accidents, child-loss, and character death.

The main character, Ove, is also very much, as it is stated, a very grumpy and old-fashioned old man. This book is riddled with the horrors of dealing with stubborn old people in retail, homophobic language, racist language, fatphobic language etc. Anything horrible you can think of an old person saying off the cuff is in it-- BUT-- in my own opinion-- it is done well. It is done in an intentional way to show that Ove, though old fashioned and a bit of an asshole, is not a bad character. He does actually care, or learn to care in his own way. His language is a reflection of his life up to a certain point.

We will now enter the part of my review that is riddled with spoilers. You have been warned.

As was mentioned before, suicide is the main focus of this book. Though the main character is not successful, there are many MANY attempts riddled throughout. All of which are interrupted either comedic or otherwise. Ove, struggling with the loss of his wife to cancer and the only person who he feels understood him in this world, has decided that he will join her. Through seeing Ove's day to day you also get flashbacks to his life with Sonja. The two are written to be opposites in every single way, and it is very endearing. Where Ove is blunt, straightforward, and logical Sonja is sweet, poetic, and imaginative. She reads excessively and he builds her bookcases, that is the easiest way I can sum it up that made my heart truly melt.

In order to not truly spoil some of the stuff in the spoiler ridden section of my review I will leave Ove's relationship with the neighbors that move in across from him mostly untouched. It is, also, a huge part of this book, but the slow build of it and the heartwarming ending is something I think is best experienced should you read this portion and decide to dive into this book yourself. It builds on a relationship that I, personally, haven't really seen in media yet (much let alone books, but maybe there are ones out there that I just haven't found yet.)

Honestly, just think Russel and Mr. Fredrickson, but...grown up and Russel is a pregnant lady. I know, I know- just trust me.

Throughout the course of this book, Ove rekindles old relationships, builds new ones, gets the neighborhood to view him differently than they once have, adopts a cat, and also lets a young man who gets kicked out by his father for being gay come and stay with him in his house. Every page had something else on it that either made me laugh, cry, or just flat out shake my head.

END SPOILER SECTION

According to my Storygraph I began this book on the 5th of January and finished it on the 21st. For someone who is currently stuck in a little bit of a reading rut I am counting 17 days to finish a book as a complete win.

For my first book of 2023 I found this one leaving me hopeful. Even though this was a bit of a heavier read for me to start my year it didn't leave me feeling sad. As someone who has recently experienced loss and my own intense struggles with depression and feeling misunderstood this hit right to the core. Sometimes, books don't fully affect me aside from an intense focus and lingering obsession with the world- but since this was grounded in reality and not fantasy it did hit me in a way I didn't fully expect. I truly loved it, though I can see why other's would not. The rest is up for you to decide.

[withouthonor-a]

anonymous sent ; how would otto have reacted if viserys had chosen to wed laena velaryon [or anyone besides alicent]?

hi, nonny! this is an excellent question! personally, i believe this to have a bit of a two-part answer based on how i choose to write otto and my studies as a history major in uni with a specific interest in the middle ages.

first and foremost, otto's responsibility as the hand of the king is for the safety and security of the realm, a role i believe he takes very seriously in his time as hand for both jaehaerys and viserys ( and later on aegon ). there are two notable scenes where i feel like we see this come through, first, when he impresses that viserys must marry again because he has no male heirs and then when otto brings the news of daemon and rhaenyra to viserys personally. we'll set aside his ambitions for a moment and circle back to it here soon, as they are very important to his character, but i think there's more to his motives behind pushing alicent to be the queen than wanting his blood on the iron throne.

otto certainly would have rejected a marriage between laena velaryon and viserys and continued to express his displeasure in it if the marriage had happened. male heirs were the most important thing that would need to come from viserys' next marriage, and none would come from laena, who was only twelve at the time she was suggested as a match.

i think it is important to remember that westeros was patriarchal when considering the motives of otto; as powerful as the king is, he remains more of a figurehead for the realm above all else. otto's life and family depend on him being a suitable hand to the king, and the kingdoms do as well. westeros was not ready for a female king, and we see as much when rhaenys is passed over in the great council of 101, where it was voted on who would succeed jaehaerys. the lords of westeros chose to pass over rhaenys, and a few decades wasn't going to sway their opinions on the matter, and ultimately otto knew this.

when we come to alicent being chosen as viserys' next bride and queen is when things become a little more complicated. i am someone who typically follows book material over the show, as i do have quite a bit of stuff from the show i do not agree with, but i'll stick to what is given to us in the show for this particular ask. the best way i can explain otto's push for alicent and viserys to become close was so he personally could ensure the matter of male heirs, more so than if viserys had married someone from another house. a little bit of that "i have to do it myself for it to get done" mentality if you will.

back to your original question, as i am sure i have answered everything but what you actually asked me; so sorry about that, dear nonny! overall, as long as whoever was chosen was old enough and could seem like they could deliver the male heir that was so desired, i don't think otto would have reacted badly to it. the mere fact that laena being put forth as a match being so young is what ultimately forces otto to act as swiftly as he does. he puts forward someone who he deems suitable to bring forth the male heir that will ensure peace for the kingdoms as he does not believe rhaenyra's reign on the iron throne will guarantee that.

i hope this answers your question at least a little bit; thank you for sending this in!

[babblish]

Under the Sun — Part One: The White Rabbit AN OTTOBIOGRAPHY

Fandom: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)   Rating: Mature   Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships/Characters: Otto Scaarbach/Original Character(s), Otto Scaarbach & Original Character(s) Theme: Historical Drama, Espionage, Assassination, The Janus Order is a Cult, Character Study Regarding Cognitive Dissonance and Self Policing

Chapter 39; And the Day has Come

Kozlóv meets with Scaarbach one last time in his home and place of business. The two share a slice of chocolate cake, speak of what it means to be pairbonded over such an oath, and think ahead to the future. All things must come to an end sooner or later, and for the couple, that day has come. The 15th of June, 1872.

The building was empty for the first time in a very long time. The humans had packed their things and left, long faced and bitter, but they knew nothing of the terror that gripped Scaarbach like a vice. He sat in the kitchen, eyes fixed on the kettle on the stove, waiting, just waiting for the time to come. His mind raced, desperately begging him to go through with what he had planned, but he had agreed to two conflicting arrangements and his flesh and stone fought within him for dominance.

He made himself a tea, sweetened liberally with honey as he had no further use for it, and sipped it in silence, breathless in dread. His old clock ticked, far slower than his heart beat, legging bouncing, eyes unblinking.The side entrance creaked open and Scaarbach leapt out of his seat. Kozlóv smiled nervously and closed the door.

“Are you ready to do this?” Kozlóv asked, “The carriage is waiting to go.”

Scaarbach looked up at him, imploringly, “Not yet…,” his eyes widened at the show of weakness, “No! I mean… I had all this food in the pantry, and we can’t take it with us, and I was waiting and waiting,” he smiled hopefully, “I thought it would be nice to have a meal with you, once last time before we leave this place forever.”

Kozlóv gave him a complicated stare, “We don’t have time, Ottokar.”

“Sasha, it’s only a chocolate cake, how long do you think it would take us to eat a slice?” Scaarbach demanded nervously, desperately trying to hide the quaver in his voice.

Kozlóv grunted, “Fine.” He sat at the kitchen table, biting his lip as Scaarbach uncovered the cake he had panic baked that morning.

— Life in the Janus Order isn’t easy, but becoming its Grand Commandant is even harder

[catgirlxox]

A train of thought...

I heard someone say that part of being a good person is giving yourself credit for your talents.

In that case, I find it quite disheartening to realize that when Ben does this, people often roll their eyes at him and call him “full of himself” or “arrogant.” 

A common argument is that they do this because they themselves never get credit for helping him with those achievements. But this is a blatant lie. He has done so multiple times, it just seems to be forgotten. 

Gar: Ben Tennyson, you have once again demonstrated why you are the greatest hero in the universe! 

Ben: Oh, please. You’re too kind. But I couldn’t have done it without my friends here! Kevin’s car got totally messed up. 

(“OTTO Motives”, Ben 10: Omniverse) 

This actually supports the idea that Ben does learn from what others deem to be his mistakes and actually does put forth an effort to change not only how he acts, but most importantly, his thinking. 

“Being a hero isn’t about fame. It’s about putting other people before yourself or what you want. It’s about doing the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do. It’s about about making a difference.” (Ben, “Malfactor”)

One could argue that saving lives is really not a talent. That it is rather a “duty.” But I would argue is that, while being a hero may more accurately be classified as a duty than a talent, one must have certain traits which allow them to be such a successful hero. These qualities can then be credited as one’s talents.

Ben is strategic, a quick thinker, learns quickly,and has a great memory (especially eidetic memory,”the ability to recall images from memory vividly after only a few instances of exposure, with high precision for a brief time after exposure”). The Ben 10 wiki lists the following as Ben’s “abilities” as well: 

“Advanced Intuition, Enhanced Eidetic Memory, Exceptional Leadership Skills, Freestyle, Hand-to-Hand Combatant, Marksmanship, and Spontaneous Learning/Understanding.” (source)

These are talents which he has developed over the course of his adventures, or what we know as his continuity. 

Nobody is born immediately being amazing at anything. We develop and learn how to do specific things and those become our talents. Ben specifically has had many occasions in which he could develop these strengths which he then puts to use (whether Ben himself, or anyone else, realizes it or not) when in battle, in alien form, saving lives. 

It is disheartening to just say that the official count of the amount of times he has saved the whole universe is just three when he has been through so much to achieve those wins. Every time there is a bad guy causing trouble, that situation can escalate into a more difficult situation to deal with. Ben being there stop the problem before it gets worse should also be counted as saving the whole universe because, if the situation had gotten out of hand, the whole universe could still potentially be in danger. 

But he has learned he must think and act fast to prevent that from happening. 

That is a talent. 

Ultimate Alien’s “The Ultimate Sacrifice” really puts true Ben’s character on display. Everyone praises him for sacrificing his own life to free beings which he had just learned existed. 

A quote such as this, however, would probably just be chalked up to him being the often argued “good hero but bad human” who is cocky sometimes and selfless sometimes too. 

“Am I dead?” 

“I'm too young to die, and too famous. Not to mention handsome, and smart and talented. And charming let’s not forget that.”

What is interesting about this part of the episode is that he doesn’t say it with a smile, or to anybody else in particular except himself. That almost makes it sound like a self reminder of his worth, and why he wouldn't deserve to die or suffer needlessly. 

But if he truly valued all of these things over the values of others, it would not make sense for him to ultimately choose to allow himself to die further in the episode. 

In conclusion, since all of these things are true, then he definitely has something to be proud of himself for and should be allowed to accept due credit. More often than not, he is the one everyone always depends on to ultimately save the day, after all. 

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of Marvel: Week of August 28th, 2019

Best of this Week: Spider-Man Life Story #6: The ‘10s - Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, Drew Hennessy, Frank D’Armata and Travis Lanham

All good things must come to an end. That’s the main theme of this final issue of Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley’s phenomenal Life Story miniseries as it recounts the last adventure that Spider-Man goes on as he leaves the world free and safe in the capable hands of the new generation of superheroes.

Comic books are cyclical. For some heroes, you get a short run, 6-12 issues and then they disappear for years until they’re needed again for some big event. For the bigger heroes, there are ongoing series that last years upon years with some BIG changes that inevitably get reversed for the sake of reestablishing the status quo. It’s understandable, recognizable names draw big money, but there’s only so many times you can see a hero fight a particular villain before it becomes trite and meaningless.

The same goes for their daily lives as well. Peter Parker has been stuck as a meandering young adult for the better part of a decade since the events of One More Day and he hasn’t been allowed to grow past his immaturity, save for the few times when the situations have become desperate and dire. Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows tried to posit a family man Peter Parker in an alternate universe, but for the most part he came off as just regular Peter with a kid to banter off of. Nick Spencer and Tom Taylor are doing their best in their respective Spider-Man series to get Spider-Man back to a position where things actively change for him, but Chip Zdarsky has gone the extra mile.

The Spider-Man Life Story miniseries goes through Peter’s life if he actually aged with the decades that all of his comics took place in. He goes through the struggles of being an American citizen straddling the fence during Vietnam, the aftermath boiling to a superhuman civil war, a better Clone Saga of the 90s, Aunt May’s death, the start of the information age and finally having children and watching them grow up. Peter Parker is allowed to grow old, change with the times. He sees old friends die, new heroes emerge, give his take on current events of the time and it’s all been amazing.

I know I mentioned that fighting the same villains over and over can seem trite and meaningless, but that’s only when they’re done for the sake of being done. In this fantastic take on the Superior Spider-Man story, Peter and Otto have their absolute final confrontation with one another over the body and soul of the young Miles Morales. Peter and Miles are shot into space to stop some sort of satellite created by Doctor Doom that allowed him to fill the power vacuum left by Captain America and Iron Man’s Civil War. As the two explore, Peter is attacked by Kraven wearing the Venom symbiote, but he dispatches the villain easily and it’s revealed that the suit was just piloting a are skeleton.

Miles questions how it was possible and Peter replies that all of his old enemies are dead and rightfully accuses Miles of being Otto Octavius, Doctor Octopus. Otto reveals his scheme, but instead of fighting Pete physically, he chooses instead to go into the mindscape and have a battle of the intellect as they were always destined to do. 

Bagey pulls out all of his stops as he draws Spider-Man costumes from the various decades as well as beautifully illustrates some of the best of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery as they battle for supremacy. Set against a white background, the characters shine with their vibrant colors, dynamic posing and Bagley’s ever amazing facial expressions. I have never seen Otto look so menacingly mad and subsequently, once Peter defeats him, absolutely crushed. 

Using the only person that Peter knew Otto cared about, Aunt May, she’s able to convince Otto to let go of his hatred and rage. She tells him to let Miles live his life, to move on. I really felt this and inside, it feels like Zdarsky is also telling us that sometimes we have to let the status quo go. Spider-Man has been around for longer than some of us have been alive and will be long after most of us are gone. Do we really want him to be the same mid-20s to early 30s hero that we knew, or do we want to spend our time with someone new? Miles Morales is a little more than ten years old, he’s fairly young as a character and I wholeheartedly believe that he can carry on the Spider-Man name on his own.

As the satellite starts to collapse and there’s only one escape pod left, Peter chooses to save Miles and sacrifice himself so that the future can flourish in peace due to his heroism. It’s a true heroes death and something that we almost never see (and likely never will), but if this were a true moment of closure, then I would be happy with it. Peter Parker is known for having more guilt than a Catholic who hasn’t been to Mass for a month (or Daredevil) and as he finally closes his eyes for the final time, he has a nice conversation with Mary Jane and recounts his recurring dream of the day he truly learned about power and responsibility. The last panel is his guilt finally being washed away.

If there is one series I would recommend anyone read, hands down, without a doubt it would be this one. Chip Zdarsky has a strange yet beautiful understanding of how to tell a story with characters that some of us know better than our own family members. Mark Bagley has the art skills to make us care about them immensely as well. Putting these two together as well as their amazing inker in Andrew Hennessy and colorist in Frank D’Armata, they sell you on each decade presented and how Peter changes throughout. 

Spider-Man isn’t the same plucky youth we met in the 1960s. By the end of his story, he’s led a full life full of adventure and his time has been well spent making sure that it was a future worth living in. Isn’t that something that we all can only dream of?

---------------------------------------------------

God is Here.

Runner Up: Absolute Carnage #2 - Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin and Clayton Cowles

After the events of the last issue there aren’t enough words to describe just how hopeless things are looking for anyone who has ever worn a symbiote.

Spider-Man and venom have been backed into a corner by Carnage and his horde of infected inmates at the Ravencroft Asylum. With no other options Eddie decides it best to break out and punches a hole through the wall for a tactical retreat. Eddie is typically known for his ability to brute force his way through any problem, but Carnage is a new monster altogether and as he sees Spider-Man running out of energy, he gives into the fear that they might die.

In the past, the combined might of Spider-Man and Venom has been more than enough to combat Cletus Kasady. Even when Cletus had help, he still couldn't hold a candle to the heroes, but now, they're almost low tier by comparison.

Spider-Man notes that he's almost out of web fluid, so there's no way that they're swinging out of there, so Eddie and the Symbiote utilize one of their badass upgrades, spreads his wings and flies out of Ravencroft with Peter screaming frantically "WHATISGOINGONRIGHTNOWIHATEALLOFIT!" They then land on a roof in the city, defeated and horrified that they may not be able to stop Carnage this time.

Spider-Man says that he'll try to get a hold of Wolverine and Captain America and Eddie says that he'll go find any of the lowlifes that have been Symbiotes and the two split to complete their missions. Carnage chooses not to follow after them, instead he waits and plots. This issue then turns into a bit of a catch up game for the other tie in issues while Carnage gloats to Norman that everything is running smoothly and that the world will be painted red soon enough.

Ryan Stegman absolutely smashes the art in this issue with absolutely killer detail, expressions of fear and disgusting visuals, especially in Carnage's underground lair - The sprawling mass of symbiotic flesh that covers New York's sewage system, packed full of infected humans is a dreadful sight. In the beginning of the issue, Stegman drew a splash page of Carnage with other panels overlaid, showing one of his eyes of madness and the decayed flesh that's absolutely under the symbiote. It's an absolutely terrifying sight that set the tone of this horror show.

Not only were these shots great, but Stegman kills one of the moments that happens in the Miles Morales tie-in where Miles and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) fight off the infected hordes trying to take Gargan's spine. In the tie-in, the art is more subdued and less violent, but here, Stegman turns it into something to get squeamish over. Gargan tries to abandon Miles to fight the infected alone, but is thrown back into the fight by Venom.

Unfortunately, Carnage is there waiting to pounce. He plunges a tendril into Mac's back and DIGS around to get that spine. There's no need to leave anything to the imagination as the blood spurts out, Gargan screams in agony and Kasady looks like he's having the goddamned time of his life. Mayer and Martin's colors and inks really sell just how violent all of this is. It's almost gross just how close they get the color right and how dark the scene is. Miles swoops in to save him, but… no good deed goes unpunished.

Absolute Carnage absolutely does what it set out to do. I have never been more afraid for the Marvel Universe than I am right now. Of course, there have been universal threats, but with how close and personal this feels and the looming feeling of dread knowing that Knull is THIS close to returning is mortifying. Normally a villain will just kill a hero or destroy them and whatnot, but Carnage wants nothing but massacre. If there's not torture and blood then what is it all worth?

Everything that Cates and Stegman have been building to has lead us here. To say that it's beginning to lay off would be an understatement. The dividends of fear are fore more exponential than anyone could have anticipated and this will likely go down as one of the greatest Venom/Carnage stories ever written. Absolute High Recommend.

[garryspolicememories]

                  Policing Memories of

           Garry Crawford Circa 1962

                               Part IX

      During the 1960’s I had many strange, weird and sometime sad investigations at Warren Detachment. Many of the investigations were mine some were completed by my fellow officers. One that I remember concerned a farmer whose first name was Albert, he had a farm on the 5th., Concession of Dunnet Township. I was dispatched to what I thought would be a fatal farm accident. Albert was not at the scene when I first arrived as he had been taken to the hospital. My investigation revealed that he had been run over by a farm tractor. I never got the full story until a day or so later when I was able to interview Albert.

     Albert owned one of those Farmall tractors made by International Harvester. It had very large rear wheels and small front wheels that were located very close together. It turned out that Albert’s tractor would not start, so he hooked a team of horses to the front of the tractor while standing opposite the motor at the front. He snapped the reins on the horses and commanded for them to get-up. The horses bolted pulling the tractor forward, the large wheel on the right side came forward and knocked Albert down, then the horses continued pulling the tractor so that the rear wheel passed over his head. We were standing in the yard beside the tractor as he related what had happened. Albert had very large ears. I took a second look as he related his story, as both of his ears were as black as my shoes; where his head had been pushed into the ground. I found it took a little control to keep from smiling. The good news was that he had survived.

                        The Man From Poland

     We had several residences in our Detachment area where the occupant lived alone. One such person was a man from Poland who lived alone in a little log shack about a mile off Highway 17 west of Markstay.

     A neighbour had discovered his body in his shack when he went to check on him. At that time the part of Poland that he had lived in was behind the Iron Curtain. I am not sure just who did the investigation, I think it may have been John Roe. I know Dick Wood was there. At any rate when they did a search of the shack, as would be a normal coarse of action in such circumstances, a cloth bag was discovered wedged in the S of the sink trap. The bag contained $14,000.00. This was an unusual find for those days, as that amount of money would buy a pretty nice house. As I said before this was a mile off the highway, it was winter time. There was about a foot and a half of snow on the ground. There was no snowmobiles or rescue units at that time, so we had to improvise. There was a fellow named Otto Bender who owned a Service station just west of the Markstay Bridge. He had built a tow truck using the body of an old army truck from the second world war. It was about a six- wheel drive. The platform of the truck was taken up with the A-frame and towing wench. So the deceased was wrapped in an old mattress, then laid over the front fender of the truck. The old army truck was able to drive through the deep snow. I remember there was some problem with disposing of the money as there was no next of kin and it was further complicated by the deceased coming from behind the Iron curtain. The money was turned over to the federal government who had a special fund for such disposal.

                            Sexual Assaults

     I investigated many sexual assaults during my early years as a Constable. We did not have the advantages of DNA Identification back in the 1960’s, but we did have a very good Centre of Forensic Science back then and we used them extensively to identify and compare blood types, hair, fiber, paints etc. They were very helpful in identifying culprits and also in eliminating suspects.

     Blood type can be identified from any body fluid, eg: blood, saliva, urine, semen etc. Each additional factor s can add to a more positive identification of the test person, such as whether the person is a secretor or non- secretor, whether the person is sterile or not, if there are some indications of a particular disease or not. In most cases we look for hair both from the victim and the culprit to be transferred from one to the other. Fibers are also very important. As in most cases where two persons are together there are fibers pass back and forth, from clothing, bedding etc. The Centre of Forensic Sciences is continually upgrading and changing. I remember the first rape case I investigated in the early 60’s, they had me take saliva samples in three different ways so they could establish if there was a difference in the shelf life and identification. The first sample was to collect it in a sterile bottle, the second to have the samples put on to a Kleenex tissue then air dryed. The final sample was submitted without first drying it.

     I imagine the procedures have not changed much, but in those days each Detachment had a number of rape kits. When we investigated a rape, a kit was taken to the hospital along with the victim. A doctor assisted by a nurse would take samples from the victim, hair, semen, clothing, necessary swabs and any observed evidence that may be of assistance in identifying or confirming the perpetrator. These would be turned over to the investigating officer or assisting identification officer. He or she would then maintain continuity of the evidence by maintaining its control. This would be done by bagging and tagging with forensic numbered tags, plus keeping them in a locked location where there was control. Each step was carefully recorded in the members notebook. Subsequently each item that was later used as evidence in court could be shown to have continuity of possession and not have been tampered with. Each person who handled it would be able to testify as to their part in the possession, thus proving continuity of possession and control.

     When suspects were identified comparison samples would be handled in a similar way. These would be collected from the suspect by an assisting identification officer or many times by the investigating officer. In many cases these samples would be the suspects clothing hair, body fluids etc. This also pertained to the scene of the assault, whether it be a home or vehicle.

     In many cases we had line-ups which would include the suspects and people of similar stature and appearance as the suspects. In most cases we had nine to fourteen people. The victim would then be asked to view the line-up and identify those that they believed were the perpetrators by pointing them out and identifying there numbered position in the line-up. This could also be done with photographs.

     Statements were always taken from the victim and suspects. This was a very important part of the investigation. Statements from an accused usually require a Voir dire before they can be submitted as evidence. A Voir dire is simply a trial within a trial to decide if the statement was properly obtained and can be or cannot be admitted as evidence. In most cases however a statement given by and accused that states a certain fact  eg. The accused states he hid the weapon in a particular place, and when the officer looked in that place he found the weapon as described. That part of the statement would be admissible, even if the remainder of the statement was ruled in the Voir dire as not being admissible. When taking a statement we use to try to have a second officer witness the circumstance so that he could testify as to no threat or other inducement was being used. It was extremely important that the investigating officer and the witnessing member, not be personally involved. In many cases we are witnessing something that is extremely disgusting. It is not our job to be judge and jury. It is our job to collect the evidence in a impartial manner. Therefore we cannot think or allow ourselves to be personally involved. Doing so would negate the statement or evidence so obtained.

   A Sexual Assault Investigation 1969

     It was 50 years ago that I was dispatched to investigate an alleged sexual assault. A young woman from Southern Ontario had hitch hiked out west with her boy friend and the couple were returning home hitch hiking in the area of Stinson east of Sudbury on Highway 17. They were given a ride by four young men. The men took the couple to a side-road just east of Markstay where they restrained the young women’s companion and forcibly raped the young woman. They then travelled on east on Highway 17 to another location on a side-road about a mile east of Warren where the young woman was forced to have sex with the four young men again. The couple were released at this point and were able to report the crime.

     A description of the four young men and their vehicle was obtained. They were subsequently located and taken into custody. The men were taken to the Sudbury Detachment and with the help of the Identification Branch a physical Line-up was arranged. It was learned that a similar rape had occurred in the Sudbury Detachment Area about six months prior to the Warren Detachment rape. Constable August Ketzler had investigated that rape. The victim from the Warren Rape viewed the Line-up and quickly identified the four culprits. The victim from the Sudbury rape that had alleged being raped by four young men also viewed the Line-up separately and identified three of the young men that had been involved in the Warren rape. The four individuals were questioned and initially denied the rape but admitted to having consensual sex, but on further questioning two of them admitted to both rapes. They also advised that a different fourth person was involved in the Sudbury rape. They further advised that the other person was from Scotland. That his vehicle had been used in the Sudbury Rape and that he had sold it and returned to Scotland.

     The disposition of the vehicle was tracked and it was learned that the vehicle had been traded in to Gardner Motors in Sudbury and had two other owner since the rape. The vehicle was subsequently tracked down and brought to the Sudbury District headquarters for examination by our Identification Officers. I was present when they searched the vehicle. When the Officers removed the rear seat of the vehicle, the victims drivers licence was located under the seat.

     The culprit from Scotland was subsequently returned for trial.

     All five accused were convicted and sentence to lengthy prison turns in a federal prison. It was sometime later that I was in receipt of a letter from the wives of three of the culprits. They were all living together in Kingston, so they could be near there husbands. The letter was as follows. You will note they gave me a promotion. I never did understand how they could be so forgiving.

     If you wish to read my previous submissions, they are all stored at the following URL: <garryspolicememories.tumblr.com>

[trollhuntingdirectory]

What It Takes To Survive

Changelings.

To the common troll, the very utterance of the word evokes worry, suspicion, a suspicious glance to those around us. We all know our history with their people, a history full of deception, espionage, assassinations and infiltration. To the common troll, a changeling brings with them tragedy and misfortune.

But indeed, it is not just the common troll that suffers. To be a changeling is to never know peace. If they are found by trolls, they are killed. If they are found by humans, they are killed. This is the life of a changeling.

(Please click below for the full story)

Let’s make one thing very clear. I don’t excuse the horrors brought to our communities by the hands of these half-trolls, half-humans. There have been many deaths, and many tears shed, all for a purpose that none of us have yet to figure out, and may well never know.

But, at the same time, I will not deny that their existence is an ongoing hardship, and even those who have attempted to return after being taken have been chased away with stone and steel and the cries of ‘Impure’ at their backs. There is no home for them among trolls, or with humans, where they must always play pretend. Pretend has many more downsides, I’ve learned. Man may not be made of living stone like my people, but they are just as bloodthirsty, and capable of the same evil as Gumm Gumms and those who worship Gunmar.

Now, I know it’s going to be foolish to admit, but I did try tracking down a changeling up in Arcadia a while back. Not to capture or fight, but to speak with. It wasn’t easy, obviously. They hide in plain sight, and I cannot be out during the day like them.

Perhaps they got tired of my snooping, or suspicious at the very least, but I did catch the attention of one. Death threats aside, he was polite, and with a few exchanged words, a deal was struck.

He would grant me audience, I would agree to leave his people alone and not disclose any information that could be seen as a threat to their security. I imagine he was also amenable to the idea that a story may make sympathizers among trolls, making their goal easier to obtain. Doubtful, of course, but the idea of sympathy was not a poor one.

“The old Vespa Warehouse,” he told me. “Tomorrow night. We shall speak there, and you may ask for whatever story you wish. I cannot promise that it will be legitimate, though.”

Of course not, I thought. But the cataloguing of a real changeling’s life would be a welcome addition to my archives of Trollkind, and I’ve always been told that my curiosity was my constant lead to trouble.

Say what you will about changelings, but they keep to their words when bargains are struck, regardless of if they intended a backstab or not, which I had a feeling wouldn’t be necessary here.

He was in a small office within the building, sitting alone in a deteriorating room, waiting patiently. He seemed rather pleased that I’d shown up, at the very least. He greeted me, I took a seat nearby, and he asked a definitive question. What did I wish to know. I asked for only two things. His name, and what he’d done to survive among humans for so long.

The first was easy, just Otto. A surname was inconsequential, he was bound to change it in a few decades anyways.

The second, he found, was harder to answer.

“I am not sure if I understand this question fully, mein freund.” He said carefully, arms crossed.

“You’ve been on the surface for the last couple of centuries, right? We all know the humans have gone to war with themselves more than a few times. What was it like going through them, pretending to be human?” I asked.

Again, he found trouble finding his answer.

“I... hm. The last I was caught in, I did not pretend to be human for very long, I will admit, but that is a long, and difficult story.”

I encouraged him to tell his tale, though I could tell that the memories were something he did not want to bring to surface. This was a story to earn sympathy, to show the hardships of his species, to keep record of their stories as I would any other troll. It took some time, and some silence, but eventually, he told me his harrowing years in Poland, back in the human year of 1939.

“You must forgive me now if I do not remember everything correctly, but these times, they were chaotic, and I did a great many things to survive them. You trolls had long left to America by this time, with very few communities remaining as far as my people could tell, so I doubt you’d know much about World War Two outside of books. Back then, I was just another changeling, so to speak. A bit of muscle, just a quiet ear to the ground to send word back to the others in the area as was needed. My human life was nothing important... but that meant that food got harder to come by at that time, and neither of these things seemed to deter German soldiers from seeking me out. They were looking for magic, you see. Their fuhrer wished for power, be it from the deaths of other humans or from that which they call supernatural and arcane. Fellow changelings were captured, and it makes me understandably sick to think of what was done to them, but the most important thing was the safety of our sanctuary at the time.”

He paused, and looked me in the eye.

“I only mention it because it is gone now. Months before its destruction, sights had finally been set on me, and that place was the only that would keep me safe. We are not as indestructible as you, after all. Humans are always looking for ways to kill things even faster, even more painfully. One could easily brush off an arrow or sword, but wartime ballistic weapons pierce and hurt even our hardiest changelings these days. That much has been the way of things for a hundred years or so, now. But that is is aside from the point. You wish to know how I lived through such a dangerous time, when humans could easily shoot me down and were actively hunting me. The truth is, I’m... not proud of how. It was certainly not my first option, either, but one does what they must when they are cornered.” He paused, pushing his small glasses up his face a little.

“The first time it happened, I was cornered by a soldier in a back alley, in a town that I doubt still exists. He’d shot me in the leg, I was limping and helpless. I’m not sure how I’d been exposed, but he was after me because I was a changeling. A lucky reason to be hunted, many humans did not have that luxury, and were taken for far more mundane reasons... The first time it happened, I was cornered, and I was injured, and something in me snapped. I was a younger troll then, more quick to act on instinct.”

He shook his head, and looked troubled. I assured him that he didn’t need to continue if he didn’t wish it so, but he told me it was fine. It was difficult, but it was indeed something to be archived. If anything of changelings should be remembered, it’s what happens when they are pushed from all sides.

“One moment, he was approaching gun raised, the next... I was no longer in my glamour, and no longer hungry. It was... Hm. I was, scared, I think. We changelings were never part of the Pact you trolls follow, but we also normally don’t... eat, uh, humans. We ourselves are half human, so in a way it is cannibalism, yes? I was horrified, naturally. Killing a fleshbag is easy, but to lose control and eat was something different entirely. That’s when I knew I needed to return to my sanctuary. They would have food there, and shelter, and surely safety from the soldiers who wanted my capture. It was months before I reached it, having to hide often, trying to avoid losing control, and... occasionally losing it.” He laughed, nervously, as if it was an embarrassment. “The safe haven was gone when I came across it. Whether those inside had destroyed it to keep our existence safe, or there had been a lucky strike from a Luftwaffe, I will never know. It was still burning when I got there, with the soldiers pouring over it for anything useful. Those bastards, they do not realize how easily we crumble to dust. There was nothing for them there, but for me, it just meant there was nowhere for me to go... This is where things get fuzzy. I lost control, again, I think. And there are... moments, I remember, of lucidity, after that. Forests, snow, sometimes I think I came across soldiers, but I don’t know if I killed them or not. I was... not myself, then, but I still was particular. Only the soldiers and men with the armbands were eaten. You look in those history books from the surface, mein freund. You’ll see I did the fleshbags a service.”

“Ah, but that’s beside the point. The point is. Humans drove me into the woods. I did not have any changelings alive to help me anymore, and the local trolls would easily sniff me out. You asked me what I did to survive? Apparently, I lost my mind and ran off into the wilderness, for a length of time I still cannot seem to comprehend. I’ve been given numbers numerous times after being found, but they mean nothing to me. I survived by becoming a wild animal, because there was nowhere else to go.”

It’s been a few days since the meeting with the changeling, and I still wonder about a great many things. What is it like to lose yourself to instinct to survive? How do you life your life unable to find community, unable to trust others of your kind? What must it be like, to not be welcomed by anybody in times of trouble? The life of a changeling is a complicated one, and despite what many full blooded trolls may believe, they are still as much troll as any of us.

Perhaps Otto told a lie to earn sympathy, perhaps he told a truth to get it off his chest and forget about it for good... Or, perhaps, he hoped to have something of his people remembered in some way that wasn’t of fear or distrust. I don’t think I’ll ever know the truth, I don’t even know if he still lives, though changelings are notorious for faking deaths. There is only one thing for certain that I learned from this.

What would we do to survive in a world that is against us from all sides? Who would we turn to out of desperation and anger? What would we do to keep our people from extinction? These are questions we should always ask ourselves in the face of changelings who work against us. You do not have to like them or what they do, but you cannot deny their existence.

These are real trolls, three dimensional and complicated as any other, and we must never forget this.

[vittusirkus]

what's your favorite episode of pgg?

What! A! Question!You’re not going easy on me, huh?What I first thought of was the party episode from season one. And it was my favourite for a long time. It’s the first big group shoot we did, and the first time we filmed with Otto (Charlie), and realized what a treasure he is. It’s also directed by Iiris Sydänmaanlakka, and I really enjoy both, her directing and editing (Like I would - and have - let her organize my life for me.) This is not to say that I prefer her style to Tuulia’s in any shape or form. Tuulia is a freaking hero, and I’ve never not liked a video she’s done. But I just feel like Iiris’s compact style compliments this particular video really well. It’s nice to watch, because it brings to mind good memories, and also, because it’s the first episode that brings our version of Avonlea alive! All the people are here, and there is movement, and music. And there is Charlie. Who is one of my favourites if only for the way Otto played him.So yeah, the party episode was my favourite for a long time, but SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN, that it would feel dishonest to still claim that it was my favourite.

Other strong competitors areDicks Will Be Dicks, which I think is the first thing I ever wrote for this show, in the back of my Maori Studies notebook back in New Zealand.Molding Young Minds is one that I keep returning to. I’m proud of the script, I feel like it flows nicely, and I think the dynamic of these particular people together - which we only see twice - is very interesting, and pleasant to watch. And anything with @pottu-superi in it is a favourite anyway.Speaking of Viviana, I gotta say, Weddings and Rejections is probably my most watched PGG episode - again, I’m proud of the script, but mainly just because the way Viviana plays Jane with her nose in the air is just. so. FUNNY. We had to do so many takes of everything, because every time I looked at her, and saw the nose ring, I just started to laugh hysterically. Good times.(A Walk With Ruby gets a special mention, because the script draws a lot of my own life and is therefore important to me, but more importantly because Sara Vaittinen is so freaking talented, and she does such a good job.)Writing-wise especially I’m also proud of the proposal episode and the latest one.BUTI must say in the name of honesty, since I have to pick a single favourite (though I kinda cheated), it would be THIS CHATTING WITH GIL EPISODE. Again, I am proud of the writing ( for some reason the credit is marked to Janika, but it is indeed written by me. @localobnoxiousbisexual wrote the part were they discuss Willow’s coming out, but the rest is me.)It is so weird, that this episode where they basically just nerd out for almost 10 minutes, feels like such an important moment in the narrative. I guess it is the first time we see with certainty, that Gilbert had a crush on Anne, but also, we see how close they’ve become and how important they are to each other, romantic or platonic. It just feels nice. It’s one of those episodes where nothing really happens, but we learn so much about the characters. It’s also really dear to me, because you guys loved it so much.It just feels like this warm, nice moment where time is still, and there are just two kindred spirits.(And also G-spot, which I laughed so hard about when I came up with it, and nobody else seemed to find it funny.)Sorry about the novel. But I mean… This show has been my life and soul for like 3 and a half years, you can’t ask me to limit myself :DAnd thank you for asking!

[corcordium1983]

music tag game/list 10 songs you are currently obsessed with

I was tagged by Tilly @timobeechalamet, thank you lov!! These things are always so much fun, but you know I’m also going to ramble a lot!!

1. Sleeping At Last - Atlas: Three , this is definitely the song that has had the most poignant impact on my life recently. I listened to it for the first time when I was just starting to come out of a really long depressive episode, and I remember just crying and laughing simultaneously out of relief at 3 am alone in my bedroom. I was at a point where I was only just starting to realise that maybe I AM worthy of love, maybe I’m not entirely useless and worthless, and that maybe I shouldn’t let my productivity and accomplishments (or lack thereof) define my self-worth. There’s one verse in particular that I really feel the need to quote, so here you go: 

Maybe I’ve done enough Finally catching up For the first time I see an image of My brokenness utterly worthy of love Maybe I’ve done enough

2. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes , another banger that was actually just released. P!ATD has been such a big influence for me for years now, because like most people on this website I grew up listening to their music. I am LOVING the energy of all three singles from Pray For The Wicked that have been released already, but this song in particular just puts me into a good mood instantly, and makes me feel like I could conquer the world.

3. The 1975 - The Sound , because let’s be real, when will I not be obsessed with The 1975? I just love this song so much in particular, because despite the slightly sad lyrics, this is the kind of intimacy I crave. The thought of knowing when someone’s around simply because you know the sound of their heart, I think that’s a very powerful image.

4.Troye Sivan - Bloom , just like with Tilly’s list, this song made it onto my list. I’ve been obsessed with Troye Sivan since he was a lil kid making youtube videos in his bedroom, and seeing his journey throughout the years has been amazing. He’s gone from just being a youtuber, to branching out into music, to selling out venues the world over, to topping the charts. I think this song is also an amazing example of the personal journey he’s been on; he’s now fully out and proud and writing bops about bottoming, and it’s amazing that over the years we’ve gotten to see him bloom.

5. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better , because Sufjan is bae, and all his music is amazing, simple as that!

6. Rusty Clanton - All My Favorite Places , Rusty’s someone I’ve been obsessed with for a while now, ever since I got him as my Youtube Valentine like two years ago. He’s for sure one of the most talented songwriters on youtube, and I can always relate to his music so much, something most people in his comments agree with. If you like acoustic, chill, sometimes kind of sad music, Rusty’s the one for you!

7. Pentatonix - Sorry Not Sorry , because Pentatonix recently released a new album of covers, and they’re all fucking amazing! Scott being sassy and Mitch’s high notes on this track truly kill me!

8. Vampire Weekend - A-Punk , because this is the perfect song to listen to while walking/when you need to get shit done. It gives you so much energy, and idk about you but I want to jump around like crazy whenever I listen to it!

9. Todrick Hall - Type , because Todrick always delivers when it comes to telling it like it is. I relate to this song so hard, because somehow I always tend to pick the wrong guys (which is part of the reason why I don’t date guys anymore ahah). Plus, it includes epic lines such as “I’ve got 99 problems but I’ll take one more, love shopping at the asshole store”.

10. Håkan Hellström - Din Tid Kommer (Otto Knows Remix) , because if you’re Swedish/speak Swedish/are in any way in contact with Swedish culture, you know that listening to Håkan is obligatory during summer. This is also one of those songs that just makes you feel good and hopeful about life, and it’s making me want to run around outside in the rain and just feel alive. Sorry for the massive amounts of rambling ahah, but that’s just what you get with me I guess.

I tag @thestarsaregivenonceonly, @nomadevans and @melonlordtiberius!

[comfort--cafe]

How do I start focus on my own happiness? I realize the ignoring my problems and doing other stuff makes everything worse and I want to end it. I want to be okay again and know my limits if that makes any sense?? I don't know

Salutations!

Start with this question.

What do you consider true happiness? What isyour image of your own happiness?

Is it fame, perfection, relationship, friendship,goals, dreams. What would happiness be to you?

I can’t help you too much on this question, asfinding happiness is dependent on what a person considers happiness.  So, I’ll share my experiences in hopes that itprovides you some sort of in-sight to this reply.

It’s also important to realize that thingscannot always be happy.

My favorite quote, (in my opinion) capturesthis thought,

“Gotta have opposites dark and light, dark andlight in painting. It’s like in life. Gotta have a little sadness once in awhile so you know when the good times comes.” - Bob Ross

This also applies to ourselves, sometimes we needsadness within ourselves, disappointment, depression, isolation, regret, shame,and emptiness. These are all so important in realizing how wonderful the smallmoments of happiness are in our lives. In realizing how, our lives are just a tiny,not even that. A single second of a fraction in the greater scheme of life.

“We're not doomed. In the grand scheme of things, we're justtiny specks that will one day be forgotten. So it doesn't matter what we did inthe past, or how we'll be remembered. The only thing that matters is right now.This moment. This one spectacular moment we are sharing together.” -  Bojack Horseman

Happiness to me, is knowing that bad times arein the future. Knowing that I will fall, I will tumble, and I will stumble. Iwill get scars, and sometime I won’t. But I know, I can get back up, I know I cangrow and get better from it. Because I decided to get better, and I decidedthat I can make something out of the situation. Even if it isn’t perfect. Lifeis not made to be perfect, but in some weird way. That makes it perfect. Itkeeps things working, and it helps thing grow and develop. Not only us ashumans and our morals, but humanity as a collective society working towards somethinggreater. There’s a lot of chaos in our world, but with that chaos we can use itand create something out of it. That to me is happiness, knowing that things aren’talways good or bad, and being okay with it.

“All art is exorcism. I paint dreams and visionstoo; the dreams and visions of my time. Painting is the effort to produceorder; order in yourself. There is much chaos in me, much chaos in our time.” - Otto Dix

Now happiness is not just one thing. There’s areason why I’ve mentioned multiple quotes throughout this response. BojackHorseman, Bob Ross, Otto Dix, and David Bowie are all a part of two major thingin my mind. Creation and improvement.

I love Bojack Horsman for the characterisationof characters and the relationship these characters have with each other andhow this reflects on our own lives. How they struggle to become better people.

I love Bob Ross for his calming yet forgivingand loving nature, how he inspires others to create. How he improved his ownlife through his own sadness.

I love how David Bowie creates from his souland sings what he wants to sing, he does what makes him happy. Self-improvement.

I love how Otto Dix painted the chaos andnature of humanity in his time (WW1 – WW2), not to make people depressed and shocked,but to help people realize that something needs to be done.

All of these things I love, involved creationand improvement. It’s why I too love to create and improve. Either through my music,singing, art, it what makes me happy within myself.

“I'mjust an individual who doesn't feel that I need to have somebody qualify mywork in any particular way. I'm working for me.” - David Bowie

Creating is what makes me happy in the deepestsense, what I consider is my essence.

In philosophy, there’s essence (a certain setof core properties that are necessary, or essential for a thing to be what itis) and existence (to exist) . For example, if a knife had a wooden handle or ametal handle it wouldn’t matter. It’s still a knife. But if it didn’t have themetal blade, could you call it a knife. The blade is the essential property ofthe knife.  

This leads to the question, does existenceprecedes essence or does essence precedes existence?

So, does essence precedes existence?

The knife was created in order to kill.

Or does existence precedes essence.

Was the knife created, and then used to kill?

You could apply this to humans, now I deeplybelieve that existence precedes essence. I believe that my essential propertyis to create. I wasn’t born to create. But I decided that I needed to create,and it was such an important part of who I am. It is a part of who I am. Thisdoesn’t apply to what others think I should do, or what I believe is the rightthing to do. It’s what makes me happy.

I don’t want to rant for too long. But fromthis, you need to know what makes you happy and what you consider happiness. It’ssomething specialized to you, I cannot completely answer it. But through myexperience, I hope I can help you find your own. Explore different ideas, reador watch LOTS of philosophy videos (I recommend either TEDxTalk, Crash Course Philosophy,or The School of Life, Bojack Horseman (I highly highly recommend watching thistv series, it provides an emotional release to a lot of questions the majorityof people have about life)). Talk to others, get their opinions, open up yourmind to new concepts and ideas.

Do what makes you happy.

This is something that is developed over time,don’t expect to have an epiphany in the middle of the night. Work at it overtime, and slowly, it will start unfolding and start reveling itself to you.Always ask yourself questions, and always keep thinking. Even if it seemsdepressing and hopeless, keep thinking and pushing. Share your ideas with someonewho listens and tries to understand. Explore your ideas with others, continue improvingyourself.  

In one basic summary; start by understandingyourself more on a deeper lever

_______________________________________________________________

This is all based on my personal experience, so some of it might not apply to you. All in all, understand and learn about yourself.

Thank you forordering at the comfort-café!

Come visit us againanytime!

Mod Chef

[yessadirichards]

Anne Frank's diary more relevant than ever, 75 years on

AMSTERDAM

A lifetime ago, a Jewish girl confided in her diary as she spent two years in isolation from the outside world in a doomed attempt to escape mortal danger.

Anne Frank, a teenager from Amsterdam, wrote of her hopes, fears and dreams as she and her family hid from the Nazis in a secret annex behind a canal-side house.

Seventy-five years ago this year, after their hiding place was discovered, Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, aged 15.

But the diary that her father published after World War II won a worldwide audience as a reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust, and remains more relevant than ever.

"The most important part of the diary is that it offers some insight into what it means to be human," Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam, told AFP. "That is exactly why it has remained relevant during the 75 years after the Second World War and why it will remain relevant, I am absolutely convinced, for generations to come."

The "Diary of a Young Girl" has become one of the world's most-read books, selling 30 million copies and being translated into more than 70 languages.

But it had humble beginnings, as a birthday present for the 13-year-old Anne.

Born in Frankfurt, she moved to the Netherlands aged three with her parents Otto and Edith and her older sister Margot to escape rising anti-Semitism in Hitler's Germany.

But in 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, and then stepped up their persecution of the Jews there too.

Anne began writing shortly before the family went into hiding in 1942 in the secret annex that Otto Frank had built behind his business premises on Prinsengracht, one of Amsterdam's most beautiful canals.

Addressing her diary as "Dear Kitty", over the next two years she described her thoughts and feelings about life in isolation with her family and the four other Jewish people they lived in hiding there with.

Life in the annex was hard. Anne wrote with searing honesty about her feelings towards its other occupants, in particular her difficult relationship with her mother.

She also harbored serious ambitions of being a writer, penning stories and starting her own book about her experiences.

Through it all, there remains the voice of a schoolgirl examining her place in the world -- just like today's young people, says Leopold.

"She's their peer. They recognize her voice, what she was thinking of, what she was doing when she was struggling with her relationship with her mother," he said.

The last entry was on August 1, 1944. Three days later, German agents raided the house.

There are several theories about why, including that the Franks were betrayed by neighbors or because of black market activities in the warehouse below, but as Leopold says "it's all unsubstantiated, so we don't know."

The Franks were transported by train to the Auschwitz concentration camp -- but were split up and Anne and Margot were sent to Belsen.

Both sisters contracted typhus and Anne is believed to have died some time in February 1945, two months before Allied troops liberated Belsen on April 15.

After the war, Otto Frank returned to Amsterdam to find his wife and daughters dead and the house stripped.

In all, only 38,000 of the 140,000 Jews who lived in the Netherlands survived the Holocaust -- one of the highest percentages of any European nation, and a lasting shame for the country which only this year issued the first government apology.

But the diary had been saved by Miep Gies, one of the people who had helped those in the secret annex.

After several rejections, it was published in 1947 in Dutch, said Leopold, although it did not become the phenomenon it is now until it was finally published in English in the United States in 1952.

Over the years further research into the papers has revealed different sides to Anne.

Passages about her sexuality as well as Edith Frank that Otto Frank had edited out of the original version were restored in later editions.

The diary's immediacy means it has kept its relevance, especially in the "challenging times that we live in in 2020" with the "rise of nationalism, the rise of the extreme right wing," said Leopold.

"What was done to Anne Frank was the work of human beings, and I think it's important to learn about that."

The Anne Frank House -- which is currently closed to the public because of the coronavirus but continues its educational programs -- is now focused on communicating her legacy for the next 75 years, as memories of the Holocaust fade.

That can be a challenge, Leopold admitted, with younger social media obsessed visitors seemingly as interested in taking selfies as in history.

But, he said, that interest in her story was "increasing rather than decreasing", with half of the Anne Frank House's 1.3 million visitors a year being aged under 30.

"It's a mirror to us," said Leopold.

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Moooore Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow stuff, courtesy of another Tom King interview: 

King was on the Supergirl Radio podcast this week, and while a lot of it is just a repeat of what was said in the previous interview on ComicPop Elseworlds Exchange, there were still some interesting bits, IMO!

They opened with some general questions--how did he start writing, when did he get into superhero comics, etc. 

And then, the Supergirl portion!

The hosts asked where he first encountered Supergirl, and as before, he said that Supergirl is one of those characters that everyone just knows, like Batman and Superman. So he felt there was never a time where he wasn’t at least aware of her.

If forced to pinpoint something specific, though: the cartoons (Superman: The Animated Series and JLU) and for Kara Zor-El in particular, hardcover trades of the 70s stuff.

He had some AWESOME Carmine Infantino art, from the issue where Supergirl fights a bunch of mini-supergirls, in Daring New Adventures.

When asked if he used any of those stories for this new project, King again said that he went back to the ORIGINAL origin, in the Silver Age Otto Binder stuff.

Because he’s written Superman, the hosts asked if he thinks about the differences/similarities between the two when writing Supergirl.

He said that Kara’s more of a survivor than Clark, she’s been through more; he feels that Superman is always striving to be the icon that is Superman, whereas Kara can just be herself. 

He describes her as harder, more cynical, ‘she’ll drop an F-bomb here or there,’ she’s ‘old and crusty.’

The hosts asked him how he came to be on the book and while it’s basically the same story he told on the other podcast, there were a few additional details he mentioned here.

He specifically said that editors were frustrated, because there is this. Thought? Among creators, that Supergirl is perfect, and there are no fun Supergirl stories to tell. 

(Brief, opinionated interjection here: HOGWASH!)

He again brought up the idea that people can be precious with Supergirl; he said she is precious, but she’s also badass.

When asked if there was any particular piece of Supergirl mythology that he wanted/was excited to use, King said that this book isn’t really about that--he again used the expression of stripping off the barnacles that have built up on the characters over the years, really getting at the most basic, pure take on them.

He was like, ‘we keep the dog, maybe the horse if we can make time for him, because [Comet] is the weirdest thing in all of comics.’

Elaborating on the book/lack of Supergirl mythology: He put her in space, gave her a simple mission, and let the story be a thesis on why Supergirl is awesome.

Next question was about the comic writing process.

King said there’s no set way to write a comic script; he tends to write ‘full scripts’; they resemble movie scripts in that there’s panel descriptions for each page, as well as the dialogue for each panel.

His descriptions are light, though. For example, he’ll simply put: ‘Supergirl encounters a Space Dragon’, and leave the rest up to Bilquis.

Again had nothing but praise and excitement re: working with Evely and Lopes. 

Said Evely adds such depth and emotion and storytelling to the artwork.

Then there was a question from the live chat; the listener noted that a lot of King’s work contains romance/is focused on romantic love. They asked if this book would also be about romantic love, or another kind of love.

King: This is not a romance. The love in this comic is a friendship love, between Kara and Ruthye.

When asked if other pre-existing characters would make an appearance: There will be shout-outs, but this is first and foremost a book about Supergirl; she is at the center of the book.

The goal is to make her one of the pillars of DC Comics.

On the subject of the ‘western’ part of the space western: Again mentioned True Grit, as well as The Searchers, and Red River.

Compared Kara to John Wayne.

Likes the idea of a character who has a simple mission, needs to go somewhere, and travels through various lands to get there, like the Odyssey.

Initially, he was going to have Kara be a sort of ingenue who learns to be tough as she goes on this journey, but his editor said, ‘No, she should be the teacher, instructing this young girl on how to be tough’ b/c Kara has the life experience. And King was like, ‘yeah! Let’s do that!’

And of course, because it is Supergirl Radio, they asked if he’s watched the show.

He watched the 1st and 2nd seasons with his daughter, then they fell behind/stopped watching because she moved on to other things, but he loved it! Specifically loved that he could watch a superhero show with her; good bonding time.

They asked him about incorporating stuff from the show and he said that he opted not to do that, as it’s sometimes not done well/feels forced. The example he used is that it’s very hard to get something like Calista Flockhart’s performance from the TV show into the comics, both in terms of the actual writing, and also in terms of legal stuff like the likeness rights, etc. 

Then they talked about KRYPTO! And King’s own dog, Roxy. 

Because King is a dog owner, he said he found it very hard to write Krypto sometimes, because he never wanted to put him in danger.

He also said that you can feel like a dog is a family member, and that is how Kara views Krypto; he is not a pet, or a tool, but a member of her family.

Another live chat question: Does he think of Kara differently, now that he’s written her?

King said she’s a much tougher character, than he initially thought.

Compared her to Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark; you don’t see him become Indy, he just already IS Indy, and he’s done this stuff a hundred times over.

And then he shared a little bit of issue 2 to illustrate this point: Ruthye and Kara encounter a guy who has beef with Superman, so he decides to take it out on Kara, and Kara easily dispatches him; Ruthye (the narrator of the book) marvels at how this happens everywhere they go, and it’s just a daily occurrence for Kara, because everyone thinks she’s the weak link/a way to get back at Clark.

Final question was about what he hopes is his legacy/the takeaway of this book.

King said he wants it to do well, and convince DC/the editors that there ALWAYS needs to be a Supergirl book on the stands.

And now, SOME THOUGHTS!

As mentioned, a lot of this stuff was already covered in the prior podcast, BUT! There are some new details here that build on those points.

For instance: King is really committing to a harder, cynical Kara. Who knows if she’ll remain that way by journey’s end, but that’s the take he’s going with.

(And, as before: not my preferred/ideal Kara! But I am open to seeing this. Largely because it is rooted in like. Character backstory/history; he’s not being edgy for edge's sake.)

Also, NO ROMANCE. 

*insert happy muppet flailing here*

I will admit that I had the extremely cursed thought that he’d bring back Comet, or worse, 90s Comet as some sort of guest star--and maybe he will, who knows! But I don’t get that vibe, really. Like, maybe as a fun shout-out, but not a full-on character in the story.

I do like that he repeatedly emphasized that this is a very simple book, with Kara at the center, and that it’s basically about Supergirl, and why she’s awesome.

Especially given how Future State whiffed that one.

That said, was a little dismayed to learn that Ruthye will be the narrator of the whole thing. It brings back horrible visions of Future State, and it’s harder for the reader to get into a character’s head when you’ve got someone else narrating the whole thing, but. We’ll see.

(What might take the edge off of this narrative choice is Evely’s art, since you can better determine Kara’s emotions/thoughts/etc.)

Interestingly, King didn’t want to comment too much on this book’s potential connection to Future State: Superwoman which...has me a little concerned.

(Please, never let that book be canon. PLEASE.)

The further details on the BTS stuff is disappointing, but not surprising. ‘Supergirl is too perfect/boring’ is a take that 1.) mirrors the same nonsense you see about Superman, and why everyone would rather be writing Batman and 2.) has existed FOREVER, and was particularly prevalent after the introduction of Power Girl. 

(It’s also flat-out wrong, in the same way that ‘Superman is boring’ is wrong.)

Other little things: Love that King says Kara views Krypto as a family member (because he totally is), and the Camine Infantino art was SO COOL.

SO, OVERALL: Gonna have to get used to the idea of an old, crusty Kara.

(Honestly I can’t even be mad at that description because I kinda find it funny? I mean, what with the Superman Fortnite announcement recently, I’m feeling pretty old and crusty, ngl. XD)

But I like a lot of the stuff King’s said so far.

Some of it does give me a little pause--like the heavy emphasis on the Supergirl part of her identity, as opposed to Kara, and how she’s just this awesome badass, with no real mention of other aspects of her character--but.

As should be very clear by now, I’m not in it for the writing.

Rather. I am here primarily because of

*takes a deep breath*

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!

[rosejardine-blog]

Project Proposal

Self-directed Study Proposal – Final Major Project

FMP Title:

Engram: The Consolidation of Memory

The exhibit likely to be selected for presentation is a large Board or Canvas, a Cemented Structural Form or Words. The work will be entitled Engram. If time allows, I may also revisit Traces and Reverberation, which were researched previously, and have built towards and are parts of Engram. However, I currently have a DSS statement which acknowledges current limitation and extenuating circumstances.

Background Context

In neuropsychology, the term ‘Engram’ is postulated as a hypothetical means by which memory traces are stored. The hypothesis postulates a change in the neural account for the persistence of memory. It seems appropriate to conclude my earlier in-depth analysis of Traces and Reverberation within this focus on that which is eventually engrained and solid, yet evolving. ‘Engram’ refers to a unit of cognitive information inside the brain, which has occurred in response to external stimuli. The key and intriguing aspect of this hypothesis for me is that the ‘external stimuli’ which this science refers to are emotion, experience, and perception - a life lived. This cogently relates to my employment as a Community Development Worker in an area of multiple deprivations,  and my visual arts practice. Over the last two years have I worked to explore emotion, or more specifically, the ‘Traces’ and ‘Reverberation’ of past memory growing faint, then remerging, connecting, and continuing to echo after it has ended.  Therefore, in contextualizing the final major project exhibition, it is useful to briefly revisit these two earlier components of the final work.

Traces

The original meaning of the term ‘traces’ refers not only to the trace marks and residual evidence of what has taken place, but also to a path followed. Paths are equally about meandering journeys as they are about destinations. Sometimes they lead nowhere. It is possible that enduring remnants of ‘Traces' in my visual arts practice can be analysed from differing perspectives; for example, to consider them as that which is known and distant, that shrouded and not fully known and underpinnings unearthed or built upon. In some ways, ‘Traces’ attempts to explore what is both there and what is not. However, simultaneously, the work also addresses the spaces in between. It attempts to reach that which is renounced, disavowed and denied.

Reverberation

Reverberation is defined as a resonance, an echolike force or effect, or repercussion. It refers to something which persists after its source has stopped.  This links past and future.  It incorporates that which is beyond a current physical presence into the traces, echoes, and repercussions of prior knowledge and experience. Repetition, seriality, and pattern are well documented in the research literature. Breaking up a surface into increments (pattern) makes one more aware of the form’s inaccessible interior.  My earlier work and exhibition have explored this area in further depth [http://goo.gl/5WrrdQ]. It relates to areas such as domesticity, repetition, communication, connection, and trauma. It is about working out how things make us feel, as well as thinking about the interconnectivity of factors.

Engram

The progression of my work to Engram incorporates the above considerations, but also into not only how individual memories form, but how memories interact with each other and change over time. Several artists have been key to my thinking in this area. These include Otto Dix, Anslem Keiffer, and Hemali Bhuti.

Research has started to reveal that related memories can merge into a single representation, especially if the memories are acquired in close succession to each other. These findings gain further potency, when we contextualise aspects of emotion and meaning in visual arts practice, with wider research theory. I have attempted to unpick and synthesise these issues in my investigations. They relate to inherent non-translatable things. My practice has worked to embed and synthesise emotional explorations within personal visual arts practice and theoretical contexts.  In pursuit of wider realisation and transformative understanding, the task draws upon communication between experiential, theoretical, perceptual, and tacit knowledge. Our memory is not just pockets and islands of information - we build concepts, and we link things together that have common threads between them.

Aims and Objectives:

Aims:

This work aims to complete a sustained, in-depth and theoretically informed major project in    Fine Art. It will explore an area of personal interest to me (‘Engram’), and undertake comprehensive extension, development, and synthesis of these concerns in my arts-based practice.

Objectives:

·      To thoroughly investigate my concerns in the area of ‘Engram’.

·      To demonstrate a breadth and depth of knowledge which exhibits skill and originality in its application and assimilation of knowledge

·      To apply analytical and critical skills to problem-solving, reflective evaluation and the interpretation of my chosen line of enquiry

·      To synthesise and realise the finished work in an appropriate form.

·      To use the knowledge gained in previous practical investigations to inform practice, question findings, and methodologies.

·      To use contextual research to inform the work I have done.  

·      To provide a framework for contextual research findings and observations to be documented.

·      To enable my critical assessment of practice to go beyond the superficial and to have depth.

·      To reference contemporary practitioners to provide critical reflection of my own investigations.

·      To demonstrate independent engagement in extending the opportunities that the materials and process allow.

·      To articulate and demonstrate why particular materials, methods, and processes have been selected in my work.

·      To communicate how the format and history of the medium, processes, method, and material relate to and support the choice of my subject matter.

·      To push, challenge and develop the boundaries of my medium and method

·      To achieve the full resolution of my concerns.

·      To take responsibility for the initiation, development, and evaluation of the work I have undertaken.

Timeline (planning your investigation):

    January 2019: Research in Practice Submission (Foundations of current work)

    January – March 2019: Ongoing research & technical investigations

March-April 2019: Ongoing practice experimentation and contextual research

May-June 2019: Ongoing experimentations in prescribed course & external gallery visits        

                          Workshop and lecture and tutorials attendance

Monday 1 July: Take up residence in college studio space. Build Canvases and embark on

                         final pieces for selection prior to the Exhibition.

August 1-5: Installation and set-up of MAFA Exhibition

Tuesday 6 August: MAFA Exhibition Evaluation/Grading

Tuesday 6 August: Submission of Critical Evaluation & supporting documentation (Blog, Website, etc).  

Overview:

The topic area of my final major project has come through extensive research and experimentation in the immediately preceding research in practice module, in addition to earlier modules and practice. This has set strong foundations for the development of an in-depth piece of work. This research in Practice Dissertation was entitled ‘Traces’. In that module, I developed thinking and reflective practice through three developing sections of inquiry. They explored the interaction between art, psychological and philosophical theories with personal art practice. It worked to embed and synthesise emotional explorations and personal visual arts practice within theoretical contexts.  

Materials

I have continued to research and experiment with my topic since then. This includes investigations into absorbency, dilutions, and the use different materials. Most recently I have been making abstract work where the surface of the work is only the first layer. I have been using a variety of materials such as resin wire and impasto to encase and layer. I have also been exploring ideas about the addition and removal of materials. Such explorations are a core mechanism of inquiry in my work. Process and application are significant aspects of it. There are various quests for malleability, translucency, surface superficiality, complexity, and depth. The process of mark-making and sensitive or harsh application are attempted evocatively and with purpose. There is an ongoing, possibly pointless, quest for liberated individual ‘uninfluenced meaning.  Equally, to fully consider the material world in addition to that of the ‘human’ one. It is an effort to access the raw, unfiltered reality.  This is explored in utilising direct physical experience and creating, rather than illustrating. Earlier work involving the use of cement and the encasing of objects within resins stemmed from a play on Picasso’s ‘Still Life’ constructions [http://goo.gl/5WrrdQ].

This final major project continues to explore the previously mentioned interaction between art, psychological and philosophical theories with personal art practice. Relevancies to practice will be selected, which articulate critical and developmental thinking. The key focus of the work is emotion. I am further developing language and vocabulary within my practice.  My preceding research in practice work and ongoing experimentation utilises a range of materials. These include experiments in: the stark ‘blocking out' of qualities of Tippex correction fluid; allowing milk to rot on paper; decay; cement; resin; oil; nail varnish; eggs; tar; wire; sand; salt; alcohol; rust; old tools; slate; bitumen; oil; talcum; encaustic; cold wax; powder; straw; hair latex; fading photographs and thick layers of paint and plaster. The thinking behind these practice experimentations is the recognition that it is not only physical senses which perceive and interpret experience but a vast range of other influences. These contribute to and generate our emotion, meaning, and knowledge.

Output/Form (A paper, or if practice based what are you going to produce, visuals can be included)

I am going to select three items for the Exhibition. These will be selected from ongoing studio practice which will continue to take place through the Month or July until the Exhibition Evaluation on August 6th.

It is anticipated that the work will be selected from:

-       A large painting on board;

-       A large painting on canvas;

-       A cemented form (my wedding gown which I handmade 22 years ago);

-       A hanging exhibit printed with words utilised in my research and practice dissertation;

-       An encased in glass ‘painting' (containing materials such as shop-bought plaster and paint).

I also intend to produce a brochure to accompany the Exhibits in time for the Private View.

Literature/Sources:

Araujo, A. Repetition, pattern and the domestic: notes on the

relationship between pattern and home-making. Textile: The Journal of

Cloth and Culture, 8 (2). pp. 180-201. ISSN 1475-9756 (2010)

Available at: http://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/3316/

Bachelard, G. The Poetics of Space (translated by Maria Jolas, with a new foreword by John R. Stilgoe) - Boston: Beacon Press (1994)

Biro, M. Anselm Kiefer - London: Phaidon (2013)

Bruce, Darryl ‘Fifty Years Since Lashley's In Search of the Engram’. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences. 10 (3): 308–318. doi:10.1076/jhin.10.3.308.9086.(2001).

Brisley, S. http://www.stuartbrisley.com

Celan, P. Death Fugue (1944).

Collingwood, R. G.

(Robin George).

The Principles of Art

- Oxford: University Press (1958).

Fortnum, R. On not knowing: how artists think London: Black Dog Publishing. (2013).    

Foster, H. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcdmq8U4cOM&t=9s. (accessed May 2019).

Freud, S. The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (translated by Anthea Bell with an introduction by Paul Keegan) - London: Penguin (2002).        

Hamilton, Ann. Available at https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/12/12/making-not-knowing-ann-hamilton/ (accessed December 2018).

Hume, D, 1711-1776; A treatise of human nature Harmondsworth: Penguin,

Kant, I. The critique of pure reason. Pacific Publishing Studio. (2011).

Kaur, R. Ecological psychology: New trends and innovations New Delhi: Deep &    Deep Publications, (2005).

Laing, R. D. (1960) The divided self : An existential study in sanity and madness.Tavistock.

Larrat-Smith, P.  Louise Bourgeois, the theory, and practice of psychoanalysis

Available at: http://arttattler.com/archivebourgeois.html  (accessed January 4th    2019).

McAvera, B. Emotional Subtext of Form and Space: A Conversation with Peter Randall-Page International Sculpture Center Vol.22 No. 6 (2003).

McBride, W. The philosophy of Marx London: Hutchinson, (1977).

Panofsky, E. Meaning in the Visual Arts – London: Penguin (1993).

Riley, B. available at http://www.artnet.com/artists/bridget-riley/. (Accessed December 2018).

Rothko, M. The Artist's Reality: Philosophies of Art - Yale University Press, New Haven (2006).

Saltzman, Lisa. Anselm Kiefer and Art after Auschwitz. New York, New York: Cambridge University Press, (1999).

Sarup. M   An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism.

Pearson Education. (1993)

Satre, J.P. (1991). Critique of Dialectical Reason Volume 1: Theory of Practical     Ensembles. London: Verso

Smith, R. Figure and Landscape: Barbara Hepworth’s Phenomenology of Perception TATE PAPERS NO 20

Methodology:

A practice-led research approach was adopted over a period of several months. It employed exploratory and investigative methodologies. These included technical research, contextual review, self-reflexive mapping, critical evaluation, documentary analysis, literature review, practice review, and participant observation. A range of studio practices and material investigations built on prior knowledge in visual arts, research, literature, and philosophy. This was informed by ongoing critical reflection and research. Observations are collated and documented in the prescribed module blog. The practice was also contextualised within traditional research methods, including literature searches. The analysis of conceptual frameworks and related theories worked to locate and export potential new perspectives.  Additional information sources included briefings, lectures, seminars, independent learning, diagnostic, individual and group tutorials, formal presentations, library research/ resources, study artist workshop, and gallery visits. Throughout the study period, knowledge was intensely interrogated via a wide-ranging series of investigative experimental and practical sessions in technical method and processes

Schedule of anticipated activity development of work to include tutorial dates and anticipated work ready:

I have enjoyed regular meetings and tutorials with my tutor and mentor, the artist Franziska  Schenk.

Method of Log (Blog/Vlog/Digital Platform/ Physical/Journal):

Personal Website (Commercial Focus):  

http://kildablue.com

Tumbler MA Reflective Log (Contextual Research & Experimentation):  https://rosejardine.tumblr.com

You are also required to submit and develop a reflective log of your research processes. Please outline how employability/professional context will inform your future plans and how this is going to be embedded into your Major Project submission.

My employability and professional context are embedded in the major project submission. I work as a Community Development Worker in an area of multiple deprivation. I work with people who face debilitating emotional experiences on a daily basis. My work focuses on social justice and counteracting inequality and marginalisation. I combine my art practice with a post-graduate qualification in public health and an undergraduate degree in Psychology. I am a registered Prescriber. Social engagement, social prescription and arts outreach are a large part of my role. In addition to the local residents, I work closely with specialists in Art Therapy, the Community, and Local Artists. The reflective log demonstrates the development of my practice. My work addresses the multi-layered concepts of emotion, experience and the consolidation of memory. I intend to build further exhibition of ready materials. I have a studio at home with a commercial element to it. I am a member of the Leamington Studio Artists Community. I take part in the local open studios, Art in the Park and other artist events. I have begun to develop a website - kildablue.com. I intend to continue to build my work by becoming more involved in activity in Coventry and Birmingham.

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

IT’S DAISY JOHNSON’S last reading on the last day of her American tour. A dark, snowy night in Minnesota, people arrive cocooned in outerwear with frost-nipped noses, and stand around in little puddles of melted snow. They’re here to see the author of Everything Under, a Man Booker shortlisted retelling of the Oedipus myth that stays with the reader well after the final page. Widely celebrated as the youngest Booker Prize nominee, Johnson deflects questions about her early career success, instead promoting the work of other writers, and speaking about the significance of telling women’s stories in new ways.

The book has an almost mystic, magical quality. In true mythic mode, the novel’s characters crusade for their own safety by evading memories, recovering memories, avoiding monsters, becoming monsters, recording language, and making up new languages to tell the stories that resist expression. During Johnson’s reading, the room seems to echo her words on the page. During a passage describing a mysterious monster, for instance — the “Bonak is here” — a latecomer charges up the center aisle to take a seat up front. Or when she reads the line about “old words sneaking back in,” a radio blasts a few lines of an old song from the other room. A week after the reading, I corresponded with Johnson a bit more about this uncanny way her words jump off the page and the challenges of contemporary mythmaking.

¤ 

AMY E. ELKINS: Everything Under is a world-building novel. Characters emerge as carefully crafted studies in how people present themselves to the world, and you devote pages to developing what those worlds look like — barns, kitchens, and canals become vivid settings for the unfolding dramas. In that way, your work is very visual, and I wonder if parts of your creative practice live off the page. I’m curious about how writers engage with the other arts: do you craft, dance, or paint? Are there visual artists who have inspired your aesthetic approach to myth and storytelling?

DAISY JOHNSON: This is a really interesting question. I think I am a visual person, the landscapes and places I am writing about are almost always based on somewhere I have been in reality, even if that place has changed a little in the writing. My process of editing is quite physical, printing out the pages and moving them around the floor, trying to see the right order. I think about the structure of literature quite physically, whether a book is a series of intersecting circles, or a straight line, or a straight line broken up with circles or other lines.

I used to enjoy painting and drawing but, as the thing that was my hobby has become my job, I’ve done less of it. I hope one day I will return to it. I love artists such as Anselm Kiefer and Jackson Pollock whose enormous work changes so much depending on your position to it. Francesca Woodman’s photos are something I think about a lot, the way the people in them intersect or are subsumed by their landscape.

Francesca Woodman! Now that you mention it, I can see how your work on the page seems to be in almost direct conversation with her photographs, which are so haunting and so personal but also deeply tied to much larger expressions about what it means to be a woman in the world, or even to just be a body in space.

In Blind Spot, Teju Cole describes the parallel experience of walking through a city and taking a series of photographs. He writes, “As some elements slip out of view, new ones become visible.” Was there anything that surprised you about the reception of Everything Under? Unexpected things your readers saw or didn’t see?

That’s so true about Woodman. So many of the women in her images seem to be dissolving or somehow becoming swallowed by their surroundings, it is a battle to occupy space. Another artist I love is Tom de Freston, whose enormous paintings often do something similar, the landscape and background volatile, sometimes seeming to encroach or endanger the inhabitants of the paintings. His most recent paintings seem, often, to be of domestic scenes, which is something I’m interested in (and we can see in Woodman too) and how we inhabit these spaces that are supposed to be safe (the home, the family) but are often anything but.

There is so much that readers have seen in Everything Under that I didn’t see. It is one of the most surprising and most enjoyable things about having a book published. Once the book is out of your hands, it does not belong to you as the writer anymore. Every reader has a different experience of it. I even like hearing about the times readers didn’t enjoy it because they found it confusing or for another reason, it changes the way you view your own work, which I think is very important. I do not write in isolation, I write for the people who will read the work. Everyone has an opinion about the dog in the book! Someone once asked me if the dog was eaten at the end. I had never considered this, but I thought that was perfect. Of course, it should seem like the dog was, possibly, eaten!

Poor Otto! I like the moments when he provides comic relief, always digging up the garden in a moment of crisis. In the novel, the narrator Gretel realizes she needs to search for her mother on the edges of society, and you could argue the book explores subcultures, especially in the context of sexuality and space. At one point, Gretel says, “I remembered how you used to say that we were outside everything.” Much of the novel centers on people living in boats or on the banks of canals. How did you research the Oxford boat community, and what is the most interesting thing you learned about this culture?

I struggled with where to set Everything Under. It felt a very pivotal thing to get right. My partner and I spent some time driving a canal boat around the river that surrounds Oxford, and I was taken with this landscape and with the people who populated it. I think the most interesting thing I learned about it was how isolated from the normal structures we take for granted these people are. They inhabit their own system of rules and structures and would never, for example, ring the police.

That’s so interesting, and I’m impressed! Did this watery space, combined with the nonnormative social structures you observed in the canals, influence the way you approached gender fluidity in the novel? I’m thinking in particular of the two transgender characters.

Certainly the book is about people on the fringes of society, whether physically or socially or bodily. It is about characters who are often sidelined and because of that, I think, they are good watchers, great narrators and observers.

The first reason that I wanted to write about transgender characters was because of the place gender change has in myth. There is a character I was thinking of in particular called Tiresias, a prophet who was born a man but lived for seven years as a woman. I knew I wanted to magpie this part of myth away. Another aspect of gender change I was interested in was the Shakespearean sort where characters change gender out of fear or necessity.

Many people have drawn comparisons between writing about water and writing about gender fluidity. This is not something I have done purposefully, but water comes into everything I write and often some sort of fluidity is not far behind: people change gender or shape, language is movable, death is not the end.

My first encounter with your work was reading “Starver,” a short story about a woman who turns into an eel in your short story collection, Fen. I read it sitting in a kayak, fairly convinced that fiction and real life had compressed and that an eel might appear at any minute beside the boat. No eels appeared that afternoon (just an inquisitive muskrat!), but I’m curious about the role of place, ecology, and metaphor in your work. Do particular concerns about the environment make their way into your writing?

I love that you read “Starver” in a kayak. I think it should only be read that way! Fen came, I think, from a place of anger. A lot of this anger was about the position of women in the world and in literature, the type of women who are written or not written about. But some of it certainly came from fears about the things we are doing to our world. I wanted a lot of Fen to be an answering back from otherwise silenced characters, and some of these characters were the animals that inhabit the fens and the landscape itself. I think a part of Fen was almost a thought experiment, an imagining about what would happen if the landscape and the animals could answer back, an almost apocalyptic uprising.

Most of my writing is set in the countryside, and I think it is because here it is clearest that the intersection between the world and the people is an uncomfortable one, an unequal one, a battle.

It’s a striking idea, that we might think of short story collections as a series of thought experiments (or a thought experiment that unfolds through a series of stories). Like you, I don’t think short stories get the attention they deserve. What is the most interesting story you’ve read lately?

This is not the way it is for all writers of short story but certainly for me the stories in a collection are linked, and come from wanting to explore a particular idea or see a thought to its conclusion. Each story folds out from the other like a fan or like a Russian doll, but they should also be able to stand on their own. I think this is why I love short story collections, because they can be read from start to end and that will give the reader one perspective, or they can be dipped in and out of just as easily.

I’ve been dipping in and out of Samanta Schweblin’s collection Mouthful of Birds recently, which is great. I’m reading it this way because each story has such an enormous punch to it that it doesn’t feel right to read it in one sitting. They are unapologetically weird. I’ve just finished one about butterflies that made me squirm, in a good way.

¤

Amy E. Elkins is a scholar, writer, and artist who teaches at Macalester College. She specializes in visual art and literature, modernism, and feminist approaches to the archive.

The post Writing on Water: A Conversation with Daisy Johnson on “Everything Under” appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books http://bit.ly/2WS0x8T

[sarahjart]

SELF DIRECTED: TATE MODERN- MAGIC REALISM, Art in Weimer Germany 1919-33

9th October

After the teaching time was over, I decided to take myself on a trip to the new free exhibition in Tate Modern: Magic Realism: Art in Weimar Germany 1919-33. 

The term ‘magic realism’ was first used by Franz Roh in his book Nach Expressionismus: Magischer Realismus. (After Expressionism: Magic Realism, published 1925). When using it Roh was describing a style that brought extreme realism to mundane subjects- revealing an internal mystery instead of imposing magical features onto an image of everyday reality. He writes: 

“We are offered a new style that is thoroughly of this world that celebrates the mundane. This new world of objects is still alien to the current idea of Realism. It employs various techniques that endow all things with a deeper meaning and reveal mysteries that always threaten the secure tranquillity of simple and ingenuous things.... it is a question of representing before our eyes, in an intuitive way, the fact, the interior figure, of the exterior world.“ 

Roh used ‘magical realism’ to explain the return to realism after expressionism. Where  expressionism sought to redesign objects to reveal their true spirits or meaning, magical realism does so in the faithful portrayal of the outside of object, said to draw out the ‘magical’ spirit of it in doing so. 

The Tate’s exhibition draws out artworks in these styles from Weimar Germany. The Weimar Republic the name given to the German government roughly between the two World Wars 1919- 1933. It took its name from the constitution for post war republic being drawn up at the town of Weimar in South Eastern Germany. The hope was that the Allies would treat more leniently a new peaceful German  Republic rather than the militaristic empire that had led Germany into war. Despite being a weak political and economic system, the Weimar period produced great advances for modern art and science due to greater freedom and tolerance. 

The profound social and political disarray after the First World War and the collapse of the Empire largely brought about this stylistic shift. Berlin in particular attracted a reputation for moral depravity and decadence in the context of the economic collapse. The reconfiguration of urban life was an important aspect of the Weimar moment. Alongside exploring how artists responded to social spaces and the studio, entertainment sites like the cabaret and the circus will be highlighted, including a display of Otto Dix’s enigmatic Zirkus (‘Circus’) print portfolio. Artists recognised the power in representing these realms of public fantasy and places where outsiders were welcomed. - Tate, Press Release- Magic Realism, 13th May 2018 

You can then, see the link between a post-war period of underlying weakness and turbulence with an exterior of flourishing artists and a movement that seeks to represent faithful exteriors in an attempt to draw out inner spirit and ‘magic’. I found these concepts absolutely fascinating. 

THE ARTWORK

Here is a selection of artworks from the exhibition that interested me of caught my eye. I have not used the photographs I took in the exhibition because I used my phone and therefore they are low quality, so I have found the same images on the internet (sourced at bottom of this post) 

Albert Birkle - ‘The Acrobat Schulz V’ (1921)

This image was the one that drew me to the exhibition in the first place- it being the primary piece used in the marketing by Tate. Birkle has depicted the acrobat schulz making one of the extravagant facial expressions he was known for.  The fluidity of the unusual ‘thrown back’ pose and the cartoonish element of his large rounded eyes  which, along with the white of his top, create a strong contrast with the soft yellows and greens of his skin and the background make the piece strangely appealing. The style of the mans face interested me in terms of character design, and the colour of the background reminded me of bruises. 

George Grosz- ‘A Married Couple’ (1930) 

This watercolour painting is part of a portfolio series by Grosz named Natural History of the German Middle Class. He wrote: 'The watercolour, or rather watercolour drawing was first done in thin pen, in general outlined with red ink, and later coloured (a bit like a Rowlandson print)' (letter of 8 September 1955). Like the previous artwork I was interested in this painting primarily in terms of character design. I am fascinated with the way artists represent a persons character and communicate the essence of their ‘spirit’ (to put it in terms of magic realism!). I found the loose, wet-into-wet technique Grosz has used with the watercolour gave the figures a softness, especially in their clothing that I have rarely seen before. 

Carl Grossberg- ‘Rokin (Rokin Street, Amsterdam)’  (1925)

Grossburg studied at the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus emphasised functionality which has influenced the stripped-back realism in this painting. Grossburg often chose architectural subjects where the  forms could be given crisp edges. This approach is exactly what interested me in the piece. Normally I don’t find images of buildings and architecture interesting, but in a successful example of magic realism, the representation of the reality of these buildings has really drawn out their character. I think the use of flat, contrasting colours and lack of pictorial depth makes the painting a pleasure to view. 

Albert Birkle- ‘ Crucifixion’ and ‘Hermit’  (1921) 

These two paintings, by the same artist as The Acrobat Schulz V, were the biggest eye-catchers of the show for me. The first thing that made me stare (apart from the grisly subject matter in Crucifixion  was the astounding use of colour. In person Birkles colours bring so much depth and life to his paintings that they almost become a presence in the room. His fluid style with long, languid shapes and twisted, sinuous forms add to the disturbing subject matter. 

Otto Dix- American Riding Act, International Riding Act (1922)

This series of etchings by Otto Dix capture everything I love about etching as a medium and character design. The etching technique gives wonderful weight and texture to unexpected ways to the lines. The horses, especially in American Riding Act show an excellent sense of movement, combined with the dynamic poses of their riders. I also find the juxtaposition between the two interesting- American Riding Act shows Native Americans in their way of life (minus the modern style gun) while International Riding Act shows the same action as frivolous circus entertainment, integrating other countries into America’s new colonialism. 

Overview

On an whole I very enjoyed the exhibition and was glad I went out of my way to see it. My favourite pieces of work were Otto Dix’s etchings. I am very excited to be able to make my own when I learn to use Camberwell’s etching equipment in November. I am also very interested in the ideas that make up magic realism as a movement and have been inspired to use the concept in my own work- perhaps in the current task based on drawings and rubbings of the college environment. 

Bibliography-

Tate. 2018. Magic Realism: Art in Weimar Germany 1919-33 – Exhibition at Tate Modern | Tate . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/magic-realism. [Accessed 14 October 2018].

Magic realism - Wikipedia. 2018. Magic realism - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism#Visual_art. [Accessed 14 October 2018].

Weimar Germany 1919-1933. 2018. Weimar Germany 1919-1933. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.historyhome.co.uk/europe/weimar.htm. [Accessed 14 October 2018].

Tate. 2018. ‘The Acrobat Schulz V’, Albert Birkle, 1921 | Tate . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/birkle-the-acrobat-schulz-v-x68292. [Accessed 14 October 2018].

Tate. 2018. ‘A Married Couple’, George Grosz, 1930 | Tate . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/grosz-a-married-couple-t00019. [Accessed 14 October 2018].

American riding act | LACMA Collections. 2018. American riding act | LACMA Collections. [ONLINE] Available at: https://collections.lacma.org/node/179565. [Accessed 14 October 2018].

1843. 2018. The other side of Weimar art | 1843. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.1843magazine.com/culture/look-closer/the-other-side-of-weimar-art. [Accessed 14 October 2018].

[pamphletstoinspire]

Children's Religious Stories - The Saints - Part 23

Story with image:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/childrens-religious-stories-saints-part-23-harold-baines/?published=t

ST HENRY AND ST CUNEGUND

HENRY, the young Duke of Bavaria who had been taught by St Wolfgang, became ruler of Germany in the year 1002, when he was thirty years old. He married the beautiful daughter of the Count of Luxembourg, Cunegund, and together husband and wife determined to give an example of Christian rulers of a Christian country. It was now 250 years since St Boniface had died, and, though there were still some heathens against whom Henry had to fight — the Prussians in the north and the Saracens in Italy in the south — his main work was to carry on the pattern which had been set by Boniface and Charles Martel and continued by Ulrich, Wolfgang, and other great bishops working with Otto the Great. The churchmen and the kings had helped each other to make a Christian Church in a Christian State; and now Henry, himself the head of the State but brought up by St Wolfgang, was to carry on the work of them all and to be the first of the Emperor-Saints.

There were times, however, when he became very tired of ruling and fighting, and wished that he could give it all up and become a simple monk. During every journey and campaign, whenever he entered a town or city for the first time, he would go immediately to say his prayers in a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he had always had a particular devotion.

Once he was praying this way in the Abbey of Verdun, when he made up his mind that he would have nothing more to do with the pomp and cares of his position, and would really take the step of becoming a monk. He had talked over the matter with Cunegund and, as they had no children, she was content for him to do it, because she herself would then become a nun; and as they loved each other very dearly, they knew they would still be close to each other in the love of God. So Henry went to the Abbot and told him that he wished to give up his crown and become an ordinary monk in the Benedictine Order.

"The first vow you will have to take," said the Abbot, "is the vow of obedience." "I am quite ready to obey whatever you, as my religious superior, would tell me to do," said Henry.

"Then," said the Abbot, "I order you to carry out the duties which God gave you. He made you Emperor, and you show your obedience to Him by ruling wisely and doing His will in the state of life He called you to."

So Henry went back to his capital and continued his reign.

One of the things that caused him most sorrow was the way in which some of the nobles blamed him for his love of religion. They thought the money he spent on building churches, especially the cathedral at Bamberg which he made one of the most beautiful in Europe at that time, could have been better spent in the interests of the court and the courtiers.

When Henry reproved them they took their revenge by making up false tales about Cunegund and spreading them round the court. Though both Henry and Cunegund knew they were lies, so many people came to believe them, and to say that the Empress was only pretending to be good but had really committed various crimes, that they felt something must be done. So Cunegund said that, before them all, she would submit to the ordeal which in those days was sometimes used instead of a trial. The accused persons had to walk barefoot over red-hot ploughshares, and if they were innocent God would, so people thought, prevent them being hurt, just as in the Old Testament story He had protected the young men in the burning fiery furnace.

Cunegund not only walked this path of fire without any hurt, but she actually carried a ploughshare in her hand.

After Henry died Cunegund became a nun, and spent the rest of her life doing good to all who needed it. Of all the nuns in her convent she was the most industrious; and when people said that it was strange that one who had been an Empress should work so hard she told them that she and Henry had always, in the sphere in which God had set them, worked as hard as they could for His glory. And long after she was dead the young nuns remembered that she was always quoting the words of St Paul — that those who did not work had no right to eat.

Henry and Cunegund were buried side by side in their Cathedral of Bamberg, where they still lie in the tomb that was made for them then, and where, from the sculptures of them, you can still see what they looked like. And in paintings of the saints you can easily recognize them because St Henry, wearing his Imperial crown and robes, holds in one hand the orb, representing the ruler-ship to which he returned because of his obedience, and in the other a model of Bamberg Cathedral; and St Cunegund is shown walking on the ploughshares, holding another ploughshare in her hand.

Four years after her death in Germany a prince who was to become a saint was made King of England.