#The Imitation Conductor

[buubonita]

I was chatting with a friend about Killer and his relationship with Horror. And we've noticed how little we see of them compared to Dust/Killer or Dust/Horror.

Killer is a very private person and probably doesn't like having anyone around much less someone who is supposed to be "a toy" for him. So we had this crazy idea that, since Killer usually imitates others when he's not able to feel, he reproduces attitudes that Nightmare has with him towards his companions.

If they get too close, Killer pushes them away and tells them that it's not something they can do.

Although I generally think that Horror in particular has no interest in other alternate versions of himself, Dust and Killer are an exception in a hypothetical scenario in which he is forced to live with them. His way of relating to Killer seems a bit disastrous and almost impossible (that's why I think of Dust as a direct conductor of both).

Besides, knowing Sans' nature, I wouldn't be surprised if Horror found ways to chip away at the surface of Killer's manufactured attitude eventually in between clashes with the relative normality they share together.

Killer is a creepy piece of shit and that plays havoc with Horror's paranoia. Imagine waking up to this freak standing over your bed with the most unsettling stare.

In other words, I want Killer to get the same treatment the fandom gives Dust and Horror because Killer deserves it. Make them make out! Make them fight for a while and cuddle on the floor! Cutely covered in blood and bruises, let them cuddle for a while.

Please, thanks.

[ripeteeth]

Of All Literature - Serhiy Zhadan

Of all literature

and all language

I’m most interested in words

used to address

the dead.

What if someone spoke a sentence

that could stir the sonic field of death?

Listen to me,

you — deprived of the sweet receptors of song.

Listen to me now,

hear my whisper,

distorted by the acoustics of nonexistence.

Listen to me,

you — marked by dialects, like scars throughout your lives,

you — whose throats were scratched since childhood by the burning

needles of the alphabet,

you — singers who could imitate bird calls.

I know — it is unfair

you cannot answer

the voices calling out to you from the mist today,

you cannot say anything to defend yourself,

you cannot protect the vacant land of night

between memory and expectation.

But language is important even after death,

like the deepening of a riverbed,

like the rise of heat for the first time in autumn

in a great home.

The only rule — grow roots,

break through.

The only change — reach out for a branch, grab hold of a voice.

There is nothing else.

No one will remember you for your silence.

No one but you can name the rivers nearby.

You who are only echoes,

you who are filled with silence,

speak, speak now,

speak as grass,

speak as frost,

speak as conductors of music.

(trans. Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps)

[historianroo]

a short list of historical figures who were queer: because I need people to understand that queer people have always been here.

with sources, because I am, after all, a historian.

Most of these figures are musicans, it is because I am studying to be a historical musicologist (basically a music historian).

Leonard Berenstein– (1918-1990) Composer, conductor, musician. Known for his musical West Side Story. Most likely a gay man, perhaps bisexual. While there are plenty of letters and first hand confirmations that exist, this Guardian article conveys the information well enough.

Pytor Illich Tchaikovsky– (1840-1892) Russian composer, best known for his ballets: Swan Lake, and the Nutcracker, as well as his 1812 Overture, which features canon fire (and has become a meme on Tumblr). A gay man, as confirmed by multiple historians that have dedicated their life to his research, and by me, who spent a few weeks translating letters that talk about his love for men and his fear of what that would do to his life. This article talks about John Wiley (a historian) had to say about it.

Benjamin Britten– (1913-1976) Known for his vocal compositions, if you are an english classically trained vocalist you know Britten's compositions. Known especially for his War Requiem and his opera Peter Grimes. He and fellow musician Peter Pears had a long lived relationship. This article speaks about it more.

Ethel Smyth– (1857-1944) A lifelong disrupter, demanded (rightly so) for people to listen to her music in a time where women were not given the space to compose. A lesbian who fought for the right for women to perform and be a part of orchestras and conductor her own works when women conducters were few and far between. This article, written by a woman, speaks on her life well.

Francis Poulenc– (1899-1963) A Parisian man with a marked love of mostly men, but did father one daughter and dedicated a few compositions to her mother. This article speaks well on his love.

Alan Turing– (1912-1954) A gay icon of mine, Turing was a British Mathmetician and codebreaker who you have to thank for your phone and for the earlier end of the second World War. This article speaks about his life, as well as the film Imitation Game (2014) discusses it to some extent.

Freddie Mercury–(1946-1991) The beloved lead singer of the band Queen was a notourious queer icon, who had many love affairs with men but did say that he loved one woman when he was younger, for this reason, I will not say whether he was bisexual or gay. But a queer icon nonetheless. This article discusses the topic.

David Bowie– (1947-2016) A performer I have always loved and dearly miss, who is known for his bisexuality and fantastic outfits. This Billboard article discusses his sexuality. But it is important to note, that he came out as gay first, and then bisexual, which does not mean he was changing his mind or wanting to conform, but instead was becoming more comfortable with his own sexuality as he aged, something that should be a more generally accepted thing.

Leonardo da Vinci– (1452-1519) While there are guesses about this mans sexuality, it is generally believed and agreed upon that he was at least queer. While more research must be done, this article speaks on the subject well enough.

There are plenty more that I could talk about and that I want to talk about but that would take so long.

The most important thing: Queer people have always been here, and they are amazing and beautiful and deserved so much better than what history gave them.

Please reply with more (and sources) if you have them.

[dailyhelldorm]

2024 Spring New Profiles

Translation included new profiles, spring voice lines, and other things I can think of in this post.

New profiles

Translator's note: I based my translation on ENstars's profiles to make the comparison easily when you read them inside the EN game.

Other than that, I said f-ck it and ball.

Messing up when singing is no good, I need to concentrate.

Shiratori Aira

CV: Amasaki Kohei

The lovely with thorns

Aira is an idol who is also a big fan of other idols. He is a quarter French because his mother is half French and half Japanese. Aira is amiable, outgoing, and brave. Although he thinks of himself as a plain person, Aira also has low self-esteem due to his past underachieving feelings. He has grown a lot, facing forward along with other people around him. Aira has a clear and pure singing voice, and his performance is filled with a lot of fanservice. Aira is a member of ALKALOID at STARMAKER PRODUCTION.

As an idol, he strives to grow more so he can someday be someone else's favorite idol. Aira intends to be more active with his involvement, like working on his unit’s live performance.

Profile

167cm/53kg

Blood type: B

Age: 16 (ES second year, on Apr 1st)

Birthday: Nov 27th

Hobbies: Studying Idols, Collecting idol goods, Updating SNS

Specialty: Knowledge about idols

Since I was born anyway, won’t it be wasted to not enjoy my life?

Tenshouin Eichi

CV: Midorikawa Hikaru

The idol conductor performing dreams

Eichi is the Idol representative for STARMAKER PRODUCTION. He is calm and thoughtful. He also has a love for idols deeper than anyone else, thus, he often gives them harsh trials to overcome. He has a delicate and soft singing voice, and his performance is always elegant and classy. Eichi is the leader of fine at STARMAKER PRODUCTION.

He has raised idols to the global level, and Eichi himself also strikes to be the top idols like his beloved ones. He is currently holding in check his personal work, but thinking about his well-being makes Eichi reconsider increasing them.

Profile

179cm/59kg

Blood type: O

Age: 19 (ES second year, on Apr 1st)

Birthday: Jan 10th

Hobbies: Making black tea, playing piano

Specialty: Chess, Skill Imitation

As long as everyone desires, may this radical, immoral, and sweet night ever lasting!

Sakuma Rei

CV: Masuda Toshiki

The demon king luring you into dark night

A self-proclaimed vampire who possesses a wealth of knowledge, but he is weak under the sun so he needs to try his best in the daytime. He is calm and thoughtful, holding the charisma that can attract other people. He dotes on his younger brother Sakuma Ritsu. His singing voice is mellow and refined, and his performance is majestic and powerful. A member of Rhythm Link, as well as UNDEAD's leader.

He challenges himself with new things, and strives to live on as a normal human and as an idol.

Profile

180cm/62kg

Blood type: B

Age: 20 (ES second year, on Apr 1st)

Birthday: Nov 2nd

Hobbies: Learning languages, drinking wine, reading, watching movies

Specialty: Playing instruments, discerning eye.

New 2024 Spring Voice Lines

To hear the lines, please view this thread on twitter.

Aira

Morning: “When you are being supported by your favorite idols, the moment the new season arrives, it also gives you the feeling to work harder right? Everyone, please do your best!”

Noon: “Have you had lunch yet? If not, how about we go together to a restaurant that serves seasonal spring vegetables?”

Evening: “When I was out shopping with Hiro-kun, we found a flower bed so pretty that I unconsciously took a photo of it. I got a really nice pic of it ♪”

Night: “When I was cleaning my bag, I found a petal inside it. Since when did it get inside huh?”

Eichi

Morning: “When I look at the blooming street filled with flowers, I can't help but feel joy. I can feel the warm spring has come to visit.”

Noon: “Fhuwah… I have let you see my inappropriate side. But since it is spring, even I can feel a little bit sleepy.”

Evening: “Maybe I will go out for a short walk right now. Don't worry, I will return before my body gets cold.”

Night: “As a way to enjoy the spring’s night, everyone in ‘fine’ decided to hold a little tea party. Do you want to join?”

Rei

Morning: “If one stays up until dawn, they can see a beautiful sunrise. They often say spring is daybreak(*) after all ♪”

Noon: “When I look up at the beautiful spring sky, I can see Hibiki-kun’s air balloon. He looks like he has fun flying in the air.”

Evening: “I went and bought too many dangos… so I called Sakasaki-kun up and we enjoyed the treats together ♪”

Night: “Have you seen the released magazine the other day? What do you think, me and the night sakura tree in the background look quite picturesque, don't you think?

(*) Note: he means the most beautiful spring moment is at dawn. It's a reference to Sei Shonagon’s poem.

New Office Interactions

Currently moving to a new post because the amount of interactions is too much.

New Gacha Screenshots

Aira: Turning all the love and appreciation feelings into strength... I will show you, I will fly higher with my wings!

Eichi: I will brighten this world, with the shining stars known as idols.

Rei: The solemnity of the demon king reigning darkness... Shall you burn it deep into your eyes...

Old lines (with audio) Aira: Sending all my love to the fans out there in the world, Aira~bu ♪ Eichi: I shall grant your wishes. Toward our dream we desire. Rei: Come, the late night is the time of mine...

New Bloomed lines

From this thread (with audio)

Aira: Little by little, I come closer to the idol vision I have dreamed of.

Eichi: With your hands and mine, we shall continue to perform our beautiful melody.

Rei: Always standing still in one place is no good, I attempt to advance forward as well.

Old lines Aira: I, I wonder can I become ‘a good idol’ too… ♪ Eichi: I work hard for instants like this, for moments when I can recall the feeling of happiness. Rei: A demon king shall not only reign the night but this whole world as well ♪

[elderscrollsconceptart]

• I want to preface this by saying art and musical preferences are subjective. Everything below is just my personal opinion and preferences.

• I also don't want anyone to confuse criticism with hating. I like Inon Zur but I have some thoughts on his musical involvement in TES 6.

I *really* hope that they get someone besides Inon Zur to conduct the OST for TES VI.

The Music is perhaps my favorite part of TES. There's been many times when I'm totally burned out or bored with the games, but I never grow tired of the music. For example I have fallen asleep to the Oblivion OST more times than I can remember and the Morrowind theme is my favorite piece of video game music of all time. (Inon Zur's theme for Fallout New Vegas is my second favorite!!!)

Hearing the Arena and Daggerfall themes on an old burned CD were actually my first exposure to TES in any direct form and were the impetus to my later interest in the series. The music of TES matters so deeply to me. I never want to feel the urge to avoid or feel disappointed by any of it. It would bum me TF out if I was disappointed by the music of TES 6.

For Inon Zur, I LOVE his work on the Fallout soundtracks, but I just do not think his style works for TES.

I really don't like his music in the teaser they used for the now (old) trailer for TESVI. I also don't particularly like Zur's work on the blades OST either. To be clear, his TES music so far is *fine* but its not excellent like the OSTs for Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim were. His TES music is..just fine..

Honestly there are parts of the Blade soundtrack that sound like unused tracks from Fallout (eg. "A worthy foe") Zur loves him some horns, large brass instruments, and drums and while those instruments are fine, an overuse of them just doesn't't work in TES.

His typical style is just too brassy and "hard" for TES IMO. Even when he's trying to be soft with his music it just sounds off. Almost looming and rough. TES is fantasy, it needs flutes, soft vocal harmonies, and strings. Even the parts of ths Blades OST with strings and harmonies sound weirdly harsh and coarse for what they're trying to do. His music has a "dark" tone to me, like everything is tinged in a looming danger. IDK how to describe it. There are also moments in the Blades OST where it feels like he's trying to imitate Jeremy Soule's style and it just falls flat.

I dont believe Zur operates with the necessary softness, warmth, and pulse lowering harmony required for a good TES soundtrack. Yes there are dungeon and combat themes in all the games, but the most beloved TES music is the themes and ambient tracks. Inon Zur's Fallout work is incredible but his style naturally meshes really well with the Fallout games. Don't get me wrong, he's a fantastic artist, but his forays into TES music have been unsatisfying to me personally and doesn't mesh with the series.

I want to be as clear as I can because im not trying to bash him. *Inon Zur is a really good musician and conductor* I just don't think his style works for TES.

I love most or Zur's work, but I hope they get someone with more fitting musical style to make the OST for TES VI.

[grapehyasynth]

au set in the early 1900s where the new philharmonic orchestra in sweden is struggling, its funds low and its attendance meagre. wilhelm has been hired as its conductor, but everyone says he only got the position because of his famous older brother, who's been conducting internationally for years. meanwhile simon is an up-and-coming composer desperate to get his work taken seriously. he hounds wilhelm, waiting for him outside the concert hall they're only able to reserve at odd hours, following him halfway home and trying to convince him to get the orchestra to perform one of simon's pieces. one day he gets into the concert hall as the rehearsal is wrapping up, and he stands on the conductor's platform with wilhelm, asking him to imagine the music - while wille looks at the sheet music, simon demonstrates - "here the woodwinds will rise, da da da, and then vwoom, a sudden pause before the aching cello" - and he imitates all the instruments, and wilhelm can hear it, can hear the entire symphony. it's an electric composition. wilhelm agrees to bring it to the orchestra. as they work together to bring the piece to reality, they both find themselves falling: wilhelm for this composer who could probably make a living on his voice alone but who dreams of music beyond himself; simon of this fidgety young man who both hates the limelight and longs to step out of his brother's shadow, who comes alive when he conducts, swoopy dark blonde bangs bouncing, long arms declaring and guiding.

[hmslusitania]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Art lately. What it means, and what it means for people to create it, and what it means to be derivative, and what machines might do with it and the fact machine generated art (also called AI art in some circles) makes a hodgepodge, and the statement “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Because what is machine generated art but imitation? Surely this is flattery?

Some months ago I had the opportunity to go to the Portland Symphony. It was for nerd reasons, the performance list was the battle between Star Wars vs Star Trek, but the conductor hadn’t arranged solely for pieces from Star Trek, or solely for John Williams. He included the theme from ET, and Thus Spake Zarathustra and Blue Danube from 2001, and then the music of a science fiction film from the 1930s no one in the audience had ever heard of before. And somewhere in the middle, he included one additional piece. It was his own, the first of his original compositions he’d ever had performed for an audience.

And it was lovely! It was an absolutely delightful piece of music, and he’d structured the show well enough that we could hear the pieces he’d incorporated that were from the Star Trek theme, that were in conversation with Michael Giacchino’s new Star Trek theme, that were borrowed from Strauss, that had John Williams oozing from the semiquavers and the rests.

It was imitation, and it was derivative, and it was beautiful and full of heart. It was the answer to why imitation is the sincerest form of flattery — it’s because that level of imitation isn’t saying “I couldn’t come up with anything on my own so I borrowed yours” it’s saying “the art you created so moved me that I could not imagine trying to express this piece of my soul without incorporating this thing you created into it.”

When people select the art that we imitate and that we derivate from, it’s an expression of love. It is an acknowledgement that the other has created something beautiful that spoke to us that we now can’t live without.

When computers do it, it’s just soulless. It’s matching defined bits and slapping them together. It isn’t an act of art or love (art and love are, of course, the same thing in their own way) it’s simply… mimicry. Heartless mimicry. It cannot replace actual art and everyone who tries to pretend it can is my enemy.

[thefirstknife]

New week, new Veil Log entry, same me (insane).

Chioma: Chioma Esi, research log: Veil interface. Maya and I have finalized a prototype interface for the Veil. Hopefully, it'll allow our research team to investigate it in detail. The system's designed like an orchestra, with a central "conductor" directing a symphony of minds to act like a distributed network. The... idea came to us by watching how collective networks like SIVA and the Vex operate. The hope is we can aggregate and parse the vast amounts of psychic data emitting from the Veil. Turn it into something intelligible. If we're successful, the interface will provide us with a starting point for any future technological research tied to the Veil. The risks of — of such integration are high. The estimates mortality rates are... but I... I... I don't know what I'm doing. This is wrong. This is so wrong! We shouldn't — all she ever talks about is survival! "Think big picture!" What about your survival? What about your heart? My heart? [sighs tearfully] I can't keep doing this. I can't. I can't! Nimbus: Damn. Osiris: I... again, I see a shadow of myself in Maya Sundaresh. The man I could have become had I let obsession continue to rule me. I'm worried what the next recording will reveal. Nimbus: Me too.

This broke me. Chioma's VA is incredible.

But besides the emotional damage, this is once again super interesting. The prototype interface is one of the first things that we encounter as we're going towards the Veil from the final mission of the campaign. The first of the chairs we see is what Nimbus calls a CloudArk prototype:

It's here more generally referring to the room we're in itself; the room we're getting the logs from also features prototype interfaces that were used for initially communicating with and researching the Veil and matches the descryption of being designed like an orchestra. There's 12 of the chair-interfaces in there and they're all facing the Veil and there's a long walkway overlooking the facility that might be where the "conductor" would stand.

Either way, the early researchers found a way to tap into the Veil without getting physically close by plugging themselves into these machines. Having more people plugged in at the same time allowed them to spread the load of the psychic connection and limit casualties.

However, casualties were still happening. It's super interesting that Chioma is still reminding us that the base technology here was inspired by SIVA and the Vex because they're collective networks and they seem to have more success with this sort of thing. So the researchers have to also become a collective network by linking themselves through these machines with the Veil. Eerily similar now to how the Witness' people linked their minds.

This is all the beginnings of the CloudArk, where Neomuni upload themselves and live in a virtual reality. While their bodies are physically in cryo, their minds are in the CloudArk. Again, ominous now with the recent reveals about the Witness. I'm still of the belief that this ability will be important for us to be able to enter the portal. Really interesting re-reading this post now that we DO know about the Witness and that it merged its entire species into one being by using the knowledge of Darkness and the Veil; this now strengthens the possibility that in order to pass through the portal, we need to be psychically merged with... something. The CloudArk might end up being the technology we use to do it and we're being shown how the Neomuni discovered this technology and used it to make the CloudArk by imitating other "collective networks." So far only one "collective network" managed to successfully enter the portal: the Witness.

The rest of this, as I've said already, has broken me. Chioma's pain about Maya's descent into madness is truly heartbreaking and even more so with Osiris recognising his own obsessesion through Maya. Chioma's plea for Maya to stop this is also heartbreaking from our perspective because we know that they didn't stop. The technology was finished and constructed and is still in use today. And as an added beauty to this, it's a gay man finding a connection with a lesbian. I cannot even begin to express how incredible it feels to get this sort of insanely good scifi story where literally everyone involved in the quest is LGBT+.

[marina41trench]

Yotsuba Tamaki - PTT Xmas RabbiChat [3/5] - Tamaki and Carousel

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Tsumugi: Thank you for your work at the PV filming!

Tamaki: Great work too Manager~

Tamaki: Today’s very fun

Tsumugi: You were in high spirits!

The staff complimented you saying that they’re glad you’re excited!

Tamaki: Hehe

Tamaki: The director complimented me too

Tsumugi: I expect nothing less!

Tsumugi:

Tamaki: It really looked like an amusement park

Tamaki: I got really surprised that the set looked so good lol

Tsumugi: I’ve heard the details, but I was surprised when I saw the scale of it! (laugh)

Tsumugi: It’s a bit of a waste that it has to be dismantled after a day…

Tamaki: I agree

Tamaki: Since it’s once in a lifetime I rode the carousel equivalent to a week

Tamaki:

Tamaki: You should’ve rode it too

Tsumugi: The truth is, before all of you arrived, I rode on it once as part of safety confirmation…!

Tamaki: I see

Tamaki: Just by yourself?

Tsumugi: Yes…

Tsumugi: Though the staff was looking after me… ><

Tamaki: That’s hilarious lololol

Tamaki: That’s so surreal lol

Tsumugi:

Tamaki: We would’ve looked after you if you said it

Tsumugi: That’s just too embarrassing…! ><

Tamaki:

Tsumugi: I was a bit jealous when I saw all of you enjoying the rides (laugh)

Tamaki: Everyone’s having so much fun

Tamaki: Rikkun rode the carousel multiple times

Tamaki: Nagicchi looked very like a prince riding the white horse

Tamaki: It was hilarious seeing Yama-san treated like a driver lolol

Tsumugi: Yamato-san acted like a true driver as well!

Tamaki: Yup lol

CHOICE

1) Everyone had fun riding the train.

Tamaki: It was amusing to see Nagicchi imitating a conductor lol

Is he trying to perfectly imitate the announcer at Akihabara

2) Everyone had fun playing an instrument.

Tamaki: It’s the one where So-chan was playing on the toy piano!

Mikki might’ve won the intro quiz by himself, but I won the MEZZO” songs!

3) Everyone had fun playing with the stuffed toys.

Tamaki: It was funny to see Yama-san hug a stuffed toy.

He looked so embarrassed lol

Tamaki: Oh yeah during break time Sou-chan said he's practicing hypnotism

Tamaki: He’s reciting some kind of spell

Tamaki:

Tsumugi: It seems like it’s his Christmas Party performance.

Tamaki: He wants Ban-chan and everyone to enjoy, right?

Tsumugi: He said there are tutorial videos about it and uses it to study.

I’ll look forward to whatever hypnotism he’ll show us!

Tamaki: Doesn’t that sound crazy?

Tamaki: He’ll brainwash me

Tamaki: That you’ll love vegetables

Tamaki: He’ll always say that

Tamaki:

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: Is it possible that he just wants you to eat tasty vegetables…?

Tamaki: Nevermind me, he should fix his sense of taste first

Tamaki: I’m scared of the dining table turning red

Tamaki:

Tsumugi: It seems that there are people who are hard to hypnotize and there are people who get hypnotized easily…

Tamaki: Do I look like I get hypnotized easily?

Tsumugi: I-I’m not sure…?

Tsumugi: I heard that are imaginative and honest people are easier to hypnotize!

Tamaki: Manager and Rikkun will get hypnotized easily

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: Y-You too? Tamaki:

Tsumugi:

[daystarvoyage]

ATTENTION OWL HOUSE FANS LETS FLOCK UP THE FASHION!!

hello all of you lovely star voyagers, This is the brown sugar queen Kyoko cane

Gearing up for momocon this spring, hoping everyone has a good day, on the spacey voyage, with this cosplay queen who does a variety of entertainment media & talks about animation Topics.

So haven't posted in a while cause I have a new job & life etc, outside fandom, truly going to make up all of that with a new video this Friday, once I get a voting poll up.

I'm still rewatching season 2 of The Owl House & is quite interesting, choices, from relationships being promoted, to writing character growth, development & retconning.

Yes, there are a lot of problems I listed above in the Owl house, (especially the fandom toxicity on what you can or cant love Shippings for one, from hive mind mentality to bullying others or just lgbt rep problem erasure how they perceived it as, which is not true.

Now on My platforms, I celebrate anything & welcome opinions that are constructive well- well-explained & reasonable cause so many of kids watch all these influencers & being impressible come to life, as they say, art imitates life, life imitates art, these kid's brains wired like a train with no conductor on board lol.

One example is the fashion in the show, I feel the staff didn't do everyone justice like with the writing & costuming for the characters but they got my girl Luz, Hunter & other hex side students looking they shop at Payless & Platos in the slums at times.

so here is my video elaborating & critiquing the Owl House fashion at times the wardrobes hit & miss in the series, The videos were all edited by me so hoping anyone support ask good well reasonable questions.

Make sure to check out Daystar Voyage on YouTube LIKE COMMENT SUBSCRIBE

WITH LOVE SINCERITY from the boogie oogie brown sugar queen

Kyoko CANE Sergeant Of the Daystar Voyage. Seeya at momocon 2024

[opera-ghosts]

OTD in Music History: 45-year-old composer, conductor, and pianist Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) shocks the Viennese musical world of 1878 by revealing the famous big bushy beard that he will sport for the rest of his life.

Having always been clean-shaven up to that point, Brahms warned one friend in advance of the big reveal: "I am coming [to the concert] with a large beard! Prepare your wife for a most awful sight.”

Singer George Henschel (1850 – 1934) recalled what happened that night:

"I saw a man who was unknown to me, rather stout, of middle height, and with long hair and a full beard, approaching... In a very deep and hoarse voice, he gravely introduced himself as 'Musikdirektor Muller from Braunschweig.' ... An instant later, we all found ourselves laughing heartily at the perfect success of Brahms's disguise.”

Brahms was a notorious practical joker, and he must have savored the confusion he had caused. Even better, not everyone caught on so quickly – his good friend, the noted Beethoven scholar Gustav Nottebohm (1817 – 1892), apparently spent a whole evening conversing earnestly with ‘Kapellmeister Muller.’

Poor Nottebohm was also the target of one of Brahms’s most infamous practical jokes. Once, on a scrap of old music paper that he had procured, Brahms jotted down a then-current pop tune in an expert imitation of Beethoven’s musical handwriting (Brahms was an autograph collector) and bribed a local street vendor to wrap the manuscript around a sausage and sell it to Nottebohm. Brahms then arranged to be with him when this exchange occurred, and he was delighted to see the old pedant unwrap the sausage, step under a streetlight to furtively examine the paper (with his eyes popping out), and then slip it into his pocket and finish eating the greasy sausage, barehanded…

PICTURED: A copy of one of the last photos taken of the beardless Brahms, which he signed on the front with an inscription on the back that is actually dated to the year *after* he unveiled his beard.

[myemuisemo]

It's time to learn from Letters from Watson "What John Rance Had to Tell."

But first, Holmes explains some of his deductions. He does not explain what the long fingernails on the right hand mean.

And he comes out with what is for me, as a modern reader, a doozy:

The A [in RACHE], if you noticed, was printed somewhat after the German fashion. Now, a real German invariably prints in the Latin character, so that we may safely say that this was not written by one, but by a clumsy imitator who overdid his part. It was simply a ruse to divert inquiry into a wrong channel.

What? A German fashion of writing?

OKAY. It turns out that, prior to World War II, German was written in different scripts than other European languages, which the University of Wisconsin has documented for us because German immigrants continued to use them.

Here are a snipper of UW's examples of Kurrent and Sütterlin, as well as capital letters from Wikimedia's Fraktur.

The Fraktur A looks so much like a U that I can't believe Lestrade wouldn't have read the word as "ruche" and decided the victim was a dressmaker.

Calligrascapes gives examples of Spencerian (U.S.) and Copperplate (UK) handwriting of the late Victorian period here. Lower-case A looks almost the same as in Kurrent. I feel like our wall-scrawler must have used Sütterlin.

That our killer is familiar with a German A implies he either reads German comfortably or corresponds regularly with people of German ancestry. Since Holmes says "a real German" would use Latin letters (so he corresponds with Germans or visits Germany), killer is presumably familiar with a German-American community, which is certainly plausible if he's from Ohio (or Pennsylvania, or much of the Upper Midwest).

Whew.

Holmes' passing mention of going "to Halle's concert to see Norman Neruda" is about seeing Czech violinist Wilma Norman-Neruda perform at an occasion organized by Anglo-German pianist and conductor Sir Charles Hallé (also Norman-Neruda's future second husband).

Finally, we arrive at the home of Constable Rance. Last episode, it was given as Audley Court, Kennington Toll Gate. The latter part is a real place, the site of a toll gate that was demolished about 15 years before the time of the story. Here's an old photo shared by The Underground Map.

Today the site of the toll gate is a plaza with public art.

The "long succession of dingy streets and dreary by-ways" suggests the cab ride was to somewhere near the old toll gate site (possibly just west of St. Mark's Church, which is the tower in the background), rather than directly to the triangle of land where it sat. There's not a lot of space right there, due to Kennington Park, which has a long history as a public common and site of hangings.

I suspect any police constable trying to live in London today would sympathize with Rance's living in a "sordid dwelling." Rance also takes bribes.

Rance is, of course, astonished by Holmes' powers of deduction. But what was the "drunk" man singing? I was sure in my heart that "Columbine" was "Columbia" (an old-fangled term for the United States) and searching for that made it possible to cheat when I Heard of Sherlock's discussion of this matter came up in my search results. It's "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean." Here's an audio file.

“Had he a whip in his hand?”

Where on earth did a whip come from? We've no such wounds on the victim, and the killer came with him in a cab.

I might not have gone but for you, and so have missed the finest study I ever came across: a study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn’t we use a little art jargon. There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.

And... title drop! If this is the fates weaving the tapestry of life, surely it says something about Holmes that all the other threads are colorless besides murder.

[starlitpaths]

[who, what, where — scene 1]

Bailu enters the scene with eyes squinted narrow. She scours the stage, waving to townsfolk that aren't there and looking to a sky that is naught but lights. She does this for some time, creating a panorama with little more than her wordless (over)acting. Then, once she feels she is ready, she dramatically gasps.

"Oh madam! Oh madam!"

Bailu chirps, cape flying behind her as she sprints to stage right. Though she misses her blocking by quite a few paces, and the stage lights that descend upon her don't fall quite right. Half of her body remains in shadow. But, no matter—the protagonist shall always be triumphant. According to the cliche ingenia that pollute the Luofu mediascape, anyways. That aside, what's important is that she is able to see her partner and throw out her lines. Theater amateur she may be, she at least manages that.

There, atop the small raised platform that is set upon the stage, is the Express' very own conductor, Himeko. Bailu places her hands on her hips.

"You seem to be in need of assistance, madam! Allow me to help, madam! Wee?" her eyes widen for a spell, and she quickly corrects herself, "Oui?"

[ Who, What, Where — Scene 1 ] 

Himeko watched with a weary expression as she stood on her platform, awaiting for her cue, raising her eyebrow as Bailu squinted at imaginary townsfolk, then charged across the stage in a dramatic but wildly off-kilter fashion. When the little lady finally arrived (overextended) on her designated mark, Himeko closed her eyes for a beat, as though in silent contemplation out of her character’s suffering.

The lighting around the stage dimmed then, the spotlight falling onto her as she spoke, her voice echoing to imitate that of a thought only the audience could hear.

“ Every morning, she comes hurtling over from… Wherever it is she resides, and each time… ” She took a deep breath in, making it a point to rise her shoulders enough that their viewers could see before dropping them with a sigh. “ I’ve already tried denying her twice, and oh, the look she gives me when I do, but every time she comes to help me, I only end up further from finishing than before. ”

Himeko paused, gesturing with a flick of her wrist toward the imaginary lawn stretching beyond the stage lights. Her garden, composed of plastic flowers and grass painted upon wood, appeared wholly untended and a mess. As she dropped her head in apparent “defeat,” the lighting around the stage brightened up. Her smile forced as she turned to the helpful missy once more, hands on her knees so she could crouch down to her height.

“ Oh! Young lady, every day you come to help me and I couldn’t be more grateful! But perhaps… Perhaps today, you might let me handle it myself, hm? ”

[elipheleh]

Walt Whitman

Continuing my series of learning about things referenced in the book, I'm looking at things Alex references when he talks about engaging with queer history. These are all tagged #a series of learning about things that are referenced in the book, if you want to block the tag.

Walt Whitman, born May 1819, is one of America's influential poets. He is best known for Leaves of Grass, a poetry collection initially published in 1855 but continually amended until his death in 1892. It grew from 12 poems to over 400.

He has been described as a queer pioneer, and his work spoke to and inspired many queer men of the same time, including Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker. His poems often referenced queer love, although did so in ways that allowed him to deny it, and that signalled as queer to those of his own community. "The affection he felt toward these soldiers, his descriptions, seem to speak to a gay readership," Gooch said. "He wrote about 'comrades' a lot. He seemed to be writing in a sort of code."

Whitman's sexuality is, as is common with historical figures, debated. The theories range from Whitman being bisexual, to his relationships with men being deeply loving but platonic. Whitman did appear to have relationships with women, having a romantic friendship with Ellen Grey - an actress - in 1862, and he later referred to her as "an old sweetheart of mine." [Callow]

However, his relationships and encounters with men are also prevalent. Oscar Wilde was quoted as having told George Cecil Ives (a homosexual-rights activist) "I have the kiss of Walt Whitman still on my lips." [Stokes] Peter Doyle, a bus conductor, met Whitman in the mid 1860s, and they were inseparable for several years. When Doyle was interviewed in 1895, he said of Whitman: "We were familiar at once—I put my hand on his knee—we understood. He did not get out at the end of the trip—in fact went all the way back with me." [Kaplan] Another relationship Whitman had was with Harry Stafford, which lasted over several years. When writing to Whitman about the ring he had given Stafford, Stafford wrote "You know when you put it on there was but one thing to part it from me, and that was death." [Folsom]

-----

A very brief example of some of Whitman's poetry that has been read as queer:

Song of Myself (1892 version) 13 His blue shirt exposes his ample neck and breast and loosens over his hip-band, His glance is calm and commanding, he tosses the slouch of his hat away from his forehead, The sun falls on his crispy hair and mustache, falls on the black of his polish’d and perfect limbs. I behold the picturesque giant and love him, and I do not stop there, I go with the team also.

15 The machinist rolls up his sleeves, the policeman travels his beat, the gate-keeper marks who pass, The young fellow drives the express-wagon, (I love him, though I do not know him;)

"Live Oak, with Moss" VIII Hours of my torment—I wonder if other men           ever have the like out of the like           feelings?  Is there even one other like me—distracted           — his friend, his lover, lost to him? 

XI For an athlete loves me, and I him-But           toward him there is something fierce           and terrible in me,  I dare not tell it in words—not even in these           songs.  

See also; We Two Boys Together Clinging A Glimpse

Sources: Callow, Philip. From Noon to Starry Night: A Life of Walt Whitman Folsom, Ed (April 1, 1986). "An Unknown Photograph of Whitman and Harry Stafford". Walt Whitman Quarterly Review. 3 (4): 51–52. Kaplan, Justin (2003). Walt Whitman: A Life. Stokes, John, Oscar Wilde: Myths, Miracles and Imitations 1996 Wikipedia: Leaves of Grass Wikipedia: Walt Whitman

Additional Reading: Schmidgall, G. (1997). Walt Whitman: A Gay Life. Dutton. Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”: Just the Gay Parts Making Queer History: Walt Whitman - note the warning for anti-Black racism & nationalism Loving, Jerome. Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself. 1999

[aevumdaily]

Arcanus Archives Entries.

HISTORY OF ARCANUS RAILROADS BY THE INSTITUTE OF ARCANUS TRANSPORTATION

(This historical plaqe, found next to its counterpart: a golden conductor's watch, details a small part of Arcanus Isle's train history. However, some of the passage is indecipherable to the eye.)

While wagons and sturdy steeds like the Falcaniforms were most commonly used by Arcanus residents to transport goods, railroads were first introduced in Arcanus Isle in the year -4-——2 and have been a prominent staple of public and commercial transport ever since.

The first STEAM POWERED LOCOMOTIVE can be traced back to the mind of T.J. DUNCAN WHITACRE, who first engineered the vessel to accommodate its train passengers. Colloquially known as The Duncan Express, the WHITACRE LOCOMOTIVE line was best known for its pitch-changing whistle, which was said to imitate a four-note melody. Railroads quickly took off between ——6--4 —-, with many railroads across the I—-es being fashioned after the Whitacre Locomotives, which became the undisputed standard.

Over the years, and with no shortage of the great minds from the East Tower Company, steam powered trains gave way to the maglev trains now commonplace across Arcanus Isle, which don't use wheels to travel across its monorail system. Instead, many of the trolley systems that span across Arcanus Isle utilize the remnants of the steam powered days of old.

All Duncan Express trains were swiftly discontinued ——–—-- ——-. The schematics for the steam powered locomotives (and its I—-es brethren) can still be found under its classification number: 4-6-4-2.

[dailymtgflavortext]

Only an imitation of tortured shrieking—or so the Rakdos claim.

-Conductor of Cacophany