#and that combined with her use of all the other senses forms such immersive and poetic imagery

[atticfish]

1 episode in and i'm gonna be thinking about desiquest every day for the rest of my life

[datamodel-of-disaster]

Ask game time! Thanks for the tag, @filmamir!

1. Are you named after anyone?

I keep saying if I do anything noteworthy enough in my life to deserve a wikipedia page, someone has to add me to List of things named after Bernhard Riemann - Wikipedia, so... yes.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday night, and also, longer ago than I remember. Are the tears mine if the sadness isn't? It be like that sometimes.

3. Do you have kids?

No, and thank the powers that be (mostly contraception) for that!

4. What sports do you play/have played?

No real sports, unless highschool PE counts. I was a fervent and pretty skilled skier for a while but my partner is afraid of skiing and its too expensive to go on my own, so it's been years since I did it.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Not as much as you'd think. I'm a painfully sincere person much of the time.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

I hate to be *that* person, but... their vibe. Fake car salesperson smiles, awkward "haha we will ignore that!" silences, confrontational high-schooler convo style... Some people just have fucky energy, idk what else to say. That said, my actual opinion of people takes a while to form -it's like a committee vote more or less.

7. What's your eye colour?

Blue-green

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings all the way. I can watch unhappy endings if the movie is aesthetic(TM) or it's more about the art or history of the film than the narrative, but if I'm immersing myself in a story-story, the person(s) the narrative makes me root for better fucking make it to a happy end.

I'm very selective about scary movies: they need to be aesthetic, and satisfying.

9. Any talents?

... not... really? I kinda struggle with linking my qualities to "talents". I don't have many (if any) things I'm just "naturally good" at; even skill sets I'm now proud of were not something I ever had a natural aptitude for, and if I developed a skill it was 99% of the time out of necessity rather than enjoyment.

I guess I have... shockingly broad bandwidth for other people's issues. Like... interpersonal exhaustion? I don't know her, man. Mostly due to a combination of voyeuristic enjoyment of knowing and understanding things about others, my sense of empathy being almost entirely generated through fine-grained psych analysis rather than instinct, and the *very* odd given that my own personality temporarily stabilizes when exposed to interpersonal input. I'm not sure that's a talent so much as a condition, though xD

10. Where were you born?

Belgium

11. What are your hobbies?

At the moment, mostly writing Tron fanfiction. I also draw (sometimes), paint and kitbash Warhammer 40k minis (been a while), do metalwork (I need a new welding helm T_T), do gothic and fetish modelling, thrift and collect things for my house, etcetera. I cycle through hobbies mostly. Writing is my most stable one -I dare say I keeps me sane.

12. Do you have any pets?

I have a cat! Her name is Meoi (Quenya for "Cat", in honour of Huan and terrible Feanorian naming traditions -retired Silmarillion fan here)

13. How tall are you?

1m70 but most people assume I'm a good bit taller because I'm broad-shouldered and always in 17cm platform stilettos.

14. Favourite subject in school?

Oof. Tough one. I've been out of school for a good long while. The person I was in high-school would have picked physics, followed closely by math. Leaving the following period in the middle (lalala), at uni *in the major I actually graduated from*, my favourites were Architectural Theory, Medieval Image Culture, and Visual Analysis.

15. Dream job?

Oof again. Opinions divided on this one.

I like to say my dream job needs to meet the following criteria:

- I am competent at the job and reasonably regularly get this confirmed by others

- Every day at work I know largely what is expected of me, and what is expected fully falls within my capacity to deliver.

- I have tangible, well-described tasks and goals and never have to "be proactive about finding more work" or "try to look more productive".

- I have good coworkers I get along with, at least professionally.

- No extraneous admin tasks or timesheet micromanagement.

- GOOD PAY

If I'm really ambitious, I would add to that:

- I'm an expert (or just really, really good) at it.

But let's be honest, actual dream jobs Riemann over here has dreamed of having or pursuing? Interior designer/stylist, professional fetish performer/pro-domme, and Enterprise IT Architect.

Yeah.

You see why I stick to bullet point lists.

Tagging... @bowiesinspace @inquisitor-gayfax @clevermird @et-novum and everyone else who feels like it!

[catherinebrae]

01/11/2024

Everything that once had become a part of me that significant once were an art, and for now, I am willing subliminally to leave a mark, a trace in one’s life. Nothing has sense when left without beauty.

This is a new form of perfectionism that leads to an infinite search for magnificence in imperfection. Every little detail, even the most insignificant one, draws a thrilling picture in combination. The only problem here is that I lack spectators.

I need someone who will look. Who will observe. Who will immerse. Who will evaluate.

How unlucky I am, therefore, to leave bloody prints instead of flowers, for there’s nobody to look at them.

And yet, what about making spectators a part of my art? Then they are with me forever

Yesterday, I took great pleasure in playing chess with my father. We played 4 games, out of which I won only one.

02/11/24

Silence can be found if you know where to look for it. It will never chase you like a sound. Today is the last time of a warm breath. Today is her birthday.

It is amazing how often she comes to me in my dreams lately, and it is the same as the last warm breath of today. I sincerely hope that she is happy, and to not dive into dissimulation, these will be the only lines I devote to her today.

I understood my hunger. It is not that hunger of food, of the morning meal that I passed. Yet I have no idea what I am eager for. Who am I eager for exactly? My eyes are burned with the Sun of November.

07/11/2024

How to believe in horoscopes? There's no such house that will promise me compatibility. It's predestined for me to watch from the sidelines, even though I can be around from time to time. But it is neither better nor worse, as if somebody else was in my place.

Did you get upset when I left? Or were you just curious why? Did you think about my foolishness and go on? How could I rebuke you for that?

I do not spare leaving the note for you. I do not spare you leaving it without an answer. Everything that you see as a blessing is a blessing for me, so who am I to judge your choice?

Instead, I feel guilty for my expectations. It remains to wait for summer.

12/11/2024

November evenings are becoming colder. Early in the morning, the fog goes down on my town. I love this town, although I had to grow up to feel it with my heart. It will always be waiting for me amid all these mountains. My cradle.

14/11/2024

I noticed me getting used to—and even devouring it—despair. Incomprehensible is the blur between my own will to stay in this labyrinth and the compulsion to stay in it.

On the other side, it helps me to find a phoenix.

And my despair is always the same: looking for someone and not being able to find them. It looks like pomegranate juice spilling over the edges. But only in my head when I try to look at it metaphorically. In reality, it is just me being overdramatic. Everybody moves on on that stage.

20/11/2024

White wine has become for me a symbol of the pain that intoxicates me every time my lips touch the cold edges of the glass. I do not want to pity myself. I am not a little girl who is unaware of the consequences of her own actions. So God forbid me to cry over her again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

I want to live. At the same time, I do not.

Who am I? Where do I belong? I want to scream to the world, show myself as I am.

It scares me that these thoughts are directed at her. Not at me and not at you. I want her to look at me, for her to suffer, for her to cry. I love her and I hate her. I will never forgive her.

26/11/2024

I don't want to listen to strangers. Even for a new story, although it is necessary to write.

I submitted to an essay competition to remember my name. Got drunk again from the wine but had something healthy for breakfast.

Everything is balanced except for the feelings. I adore you more and more, but I continue to sob with hatred. Do you even think of me? Of course, I dream of hearing yes. But there is still common sense in me that whispers in my ear—go away. All that remains is to come to terms with this.

People are coughing and sneezing all around—what can you write about here? A book about what? Maybe about medical provisions, but God, I feel so disgusted."

28/11/2024

She doesn’t love me. She is not obsessed with me. Too calm when it’s a storm. And I am not a poet. I am not a passionate lover. Maybe I am a jester, but I am not a clown.

I cannot look at the snow, for I cry my eyes out. The same applies to you. Stupid decisions, strange coincidences, unremarkable feelings, and a stupid trick.

If she was here now, how would I behave? I would be deafeningly loud for her to notice. She may not see me, but at least she can hear me.

Today the syrniki didn't turn out. Stupid—I didn’t add flour; had to have butter and apricot jam for breakfast. I sent an essay to Belarus. Didn’t put in the maximum amount of effort; it’s not my best work.

Constantly thinking about Kaliningrad. And small things that make our life better. But this simplicity makes everything complex.

06/12/24

I realized what the meaning of this setting sun was. It's not even in you. It's in what it's like to live through something you didn't know or feel before. There's a little less than a month left, which I'll dedicate to summing up. Maybe it's time to stop pretending to be a warrior? After all, I'm weak.

27/12/2024

The New Year is in 4 days. This year was too stuffed with I-don`t-know-why.

Maybe I am not the weakest one?

17/01/2025

The most horrifying thing for me in love that is left behind is to know suddenly that it was mutual.

Just to learn that you lost your time mourning something what is still alive. Not happenning for me, but anyways. But I still search for signs as for fragments of something dear to the heart at the site of the explosion.

Do I need her love? Do I love her or just want her attention so nothing were in vain? The only thing I know for sure is that I want her to love me. Although I will never crawl back to her again.

27/01/2025

Something is changing but I cannot see what exactly.

10/02/25

I am writing this in order to finally put a logical start to that very new life that I have been dreaming about for long enough for it to become a new face of the old model. I have to be honest with myself and look at things as they really are.

The traits of a narcissist are quite rightly traced in me, however, it is absolutely foolish to suppose that my personality is built on unimaginable dogmas, habits and thoughts that modern society today ascribes to people who are doomed to suffer from themselves.

What I want and expect from myself are adequate requirements that I could have met for a very long time, but for reasons unknown to me I hid my own potential from myself.

As for my passionate dream of throwing into the mud everyone who hurt me, who dared to doubt that I am a worthy part, I am not at all ashamed of it and ask that it be called an act of justice, since in its very nature I invest the peace of my soul. I do not take responsibility for its disorder, but I expect it to be cured only by myself. Methods are different, and I will choose the one that completely suits both my soul and my ego.

I want to admit that I hold not just anger towards my friends from the past, but a resentment that truly eats me up from the inside.

One day it will pass. But now I want to say that I don’t possess the slightest respect for any of them and don’t wish anything good. I would only be glad if their lives turned out in the worst possible way for any impudent, pretentious creature.

For myself, I consider it unfair to think that I get the worst of everything. To do that, you have to be the worst of God's creation, which fate itself hates. Obviously, I don't consider myself to be such. I now consider comparing myself to others an insult, because I have not yet found a person next to me worthy of wanting to be like at least a little. I want to be like myself and the ideal of myself that I created by observing people who have achieved something and who have long since left this world.

And about the important thing… Whatever was called what was happening between me and her, it would not have led to anything favorable. Perhaps I loved her, but after what I went through, after the wounds inflicted where least expected, I must admit the failure of even such theoretical love.

However, I admit that feelings still remain in me and God forbid I fall into this swamp. God forbid she beckons me even with a finger, because I can go there. I need to endure just a little bit before this nightmare ends. And yet I am afraid to meet her in other objects of my adoration. I don’t want to anymore.

[being-mughal]

2.The Art of Integration: The Last of Us Part II

Video games have evolved into a powerful art form, with many games embodying the principles of gesamtkunstwerk or ‘total artwork.’ Seamlessly blending story, graphics, sound design, and gameplay to deliver an emotionally compelling experience, The Last of Us Part II (2020) by Naughty Dog is a perfect example of all these components working together. This blog explores how The Last of Us Part II functions as a gesamtkunstwerk and how it uses the specific medium of video games to create work with extraordinary impact.

Medium Specificity in The Last of Us Part II

Medium specificity emphasizes the unique characteristics of a particular medium and determines how creators express themselves (Maras and Sutton, 2000). As a form of communication, video games allow players to engage with stories in ways not possible in other art forms.

The interactions in The Last of Us Part II add emotional weight to the story. Players control both Ellie and Abby, often making morally ambiguous decisions. Combined with the interactive nature of the game, these narrative structures immerse the player in the complex moral dilemmas of the story. For example, in key moments of battle, players are forced to confront their opponents’ humanity, creating an emotional resonance that would be lost in a non-interactive format.

If this story had been told in a movie or a novel, it wouldn’t have the same sense of communication that defines the game. The ability to control the characters and see the immediate consequences of decisions is key to the story’s immersive and emotional depth.

Gesamtkunstwerk: An Integrated Vision of Art

Gesamtkunstwerk combines various forms of art into a unified whole (Seiferle, 2023). The Last of Us Part II exemplifies this concept by combining visual art, sound, gameplay, and storytelling into one cohesive experience.

The story is deep: The story of The Last of Us Part II is a cycle of revenge, forgiveness, and violence. Its non-linear narrative, rich character development, and dual perspective make for a deep emotional experience. Naughty Dog's writing pushes the boundaries of video game history, providing moments that challenge players to consider choices and prejudices.

Visual perfection: The game’s visuals are stunningly realistic, with a wide variety of environments, ranging from urban wastelands to lush deserts. Naughty Dog used advanced motion capture technology to bring characters to life, capturing subtle expressions of raw emotion.

Sound design and music: Gustavo Santaolalla’s haunting music and careful sound design enhance the emotional impact of the game. The contrast between the peaceful sounds of nature and the intense battle scenes immerses the player in the game world.

(Gustavo's name and likeness is modelled after Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed the music for both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II.As noted by The Last of Us Wiki (2021), Gustavo plays an important role in the series.)

Game mechanics: The game is deeply connected to the story. Players must steal, fight, and explore—actions that reinforce the themes of survival, revenge, and redemption. For example, Ellie’s use of makeshift weapons and guerrilla tactics conveys her desperation, while Abby’s strength-based combat highlights her resilience.

Real-Life Parallels: Technology and Platforms

Naughty Dog developed The Last of Us Part II for the PlayStation 4, using the platform’s hardware to deliver superior graphics and smooth gameplay. The studio used advanced graphic techniques and rendering to create realistic characters and environments.

If the play had been adapted into a film, it would have lost much of its impact. The interactivity of the game, allowing players to experience the emotional journeys of the characters, is central to its story. While a movie can depict a story, it would lack the personal connection that game interaction creates.

According to Eurogamer (2024), the PS5 remaster of The Last of Us Part 2 offers significant technical improvements. Conclusion: The Last of Us Part II is a prime example of how video games can act as a gesamtkunstwerk, combining art forms into a cohesive experience. Its use of medium specificity highlights the unique ability of video games to convey emotional and immersive information. With the strength of its form, this game transcends the boundaries of traditional art, proving that video games are a legitimate and enjoyable form of art.

References:

Maras, S. and Sutton, D. (2000). ‘Medium Specificity Re-visited’. Convergence, 6(2), pp. 98–113. doi: 0.1177/135485650000600207. Available at:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240730000_Medium_Specificity_Re-visited [Accessed: 10 October 2024].

Naughty Dog (2020). The Last of Us Part II. [Video Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment.Available at: https://www.naughtydog.com/ [Accessed: 10 October 2024].

Santaolalla, G. (2020). The Last of Us Part II Original Soundtrack. [Music]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://www.naughtydog.com/ [Accessed: 11 October 2024].

Seiferle, R. (2023). ‘Gesamtkunstwerk Definition Overview and Analysis’. The Art Story. Available at: https://www.theartstory.org/definition/gesamtkunstwerk/ [Accessed: 11 October 2024].

Wikipedia contributors (2024). The Last of Us Part II. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us_Part_II [Accessed: 11October 2024].

The Last of Us Wiki. (2021). Gustavo. The Last of Us Wiki. Available at: https://thelastofus.fandom.com/wiki/Gustavo [Accessed 13Oct. 2024].

Eurogamer. (2024). The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered PS5 tech analysis. Eurogamer. Available at: https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2024-the-last-of-us-part-2-remastered-ps5-tech-analysis [Accessed 13 Oct. 2024].

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

In her review of Kamala's acceptance of the Democrat nomination, Maureen Dowd remarked upon the candidate "ensorcelling smile". I had never read nor heard that word before although it clearly suggests sorcery.

As it turns out

An "ensorcelling smile" refers to a smile that is captivating or enchanting, as if it has a magical or spellbinding effect on those who see it. The word "ensorcelling" comes from "ensorcell," which means to enchant or bewitch. So, an ensorcelling smile is one that charms or fascinates, almost as if it casts a spell on the observer.

MMMMKKKKAAAYYY

Now Maureen Dowd is a great writer and therefore very careful of her word choice. Maureen has a wonderful vocabulary so literary decision making was very much in play with her choice of the adjective ensorcelling. She might have chosen captivating, alluring, bewitching, enchanting, spellbinding, entrancing, mesmerizing, or hypnotic.

But nooo. Maureen purposefully went with ensorcelling whihc is by far the least commonly used of all the adjectives while at the same time being the adjective most closely alligned with the word magic.

Let's rate all of the possibilities in terms of magic, shall we?

Let's rate all of the possibilities in terms of magic, shall we?

Captivating: This is the most neutral term, emphasizing strong natural attraction or interest. It implies a significant level of engagement but doesn’t suggest any magical influence.

Alluring: Similar to captivating, but with a slightly more seductive quality. It implies a subtle, almost irresistible appeal that goes beyond the ordinary charm, making it a bit more magical than captivating but still grounded in natural allure.

Bewitching: This word introduces a hint of magic, suggesting a charm that feels almost otherworldly. It implies an enchanting quality with a slight touch of the supernatural.

Enchanting: This term falls between bewitching and spellbinding. It carries a more explicit sense of magic and delight, suggesting a captivating charm with a clear hint of enchantment.

Spellbinding: Here, the magic becomes more pronounced. It implies a powerful, almost hypnotic attraction that holds one’s attention as if by spell, elevating the sense of enchantment significantly.

Entrancing: This word suggests an immersive, almost transportive quality. It combines charm and a sense of enchantment to create a deeper, more absorbing effect than spellbinding.

Mesmerizing: This term indicates a strong, hypnotic influence, often with an almost trance-like quality. It implies a deep, captivating spell that goes beyond mere attraction.

Hypnotic: Closely related to mesmerizing, this word suggests a powerful, trance-inducing effect. It is used for something that holds one's attention in a way that feels both compelling and magical.

Ensorcelling: Finally, "ensorcelling" represents the pinnacle of magical implication. This term, though rare, conveys a direct and potent form of enchantment. It suggests not just charm or allure, but an active, almost supernatural influence that captivates and controls. The choice of "ensorcelling" indicates a level of magical power that transcends the other adjectives, capturing a sense of deep, profound enchantment.

In her review, Maureen Dowd’s choice of "ensorcelling" highlights not just the allure of Kamala Harris’s smile but a profound, almost mystical impact. It's a deliberate selection that acknowledges the deeper, more magical influence she exerts. By choosing the least common, most magical term, Dowd underscores the extraordinary effect Harris’s smile has on those who encounter it, setting it apart from the more mundane descriptors and aligning it with a level of enchantment that is truly spellbinding.

Furthermore, since bewitching is easily associated with "witches" and enscorcelling with sorcerers there are differences in terms of gender implications, power dynamics and negative connotations.

Bewitching carries a historical weight often associated with female figures in folklore and literature—witches who wield charm with a certain slyness or subtlety. This term can imply a seductive, enchanting quality that is more about personal allure than overt control. Historically, the term "bewitching" has often been applied to women in a way that underscores both their charm and their perceived manipulative power. It hints at a quality of fascination that might be seen as both alluring and potentially deceptive. The word evokes a sense of enchantment that is intimately linked with gendered stereotypes of women as bewitching, mysterious, or even dangerous.

On the other hand, ensorcelling implies a different, more overtly magical form of influence. The term suggests not just charm but an active, almost coercive power that directly affects the observer. Unlike "bewitching," which may carry connotations of subtlety and seduction, "ensorcelling" conveys a more direct and potent form of enchantment. This term implies an ability to exert control or influence through a form of magic that feels more substantial and authoritative. It is less about personal allure and more about a commanding presence that actively enraptures and influences.

In terms of gender implications, "ensorcelling" can be seen as less tied to traditional female stereotypes than "bewitching." While "bewitching" may carry undertones of seduction associated with female figures, "ensorcelling" suggests a broader, more universal form of magical authority. It can apply to any figure—regardless of gender—who exerts a profound, almost supernatural influence over others.

Regarding power dynamics, "ensorcelling" often implies a higher level of control and influence. It suggests that the enchantment is not merely charming but possesses a significant, sometimes overwhelming power. This contrasts with "bewitching," which may be seen as less about control and more about fascination. The negative implications of "ensorcelling" are also more pronounced. The term can suggest a form of enchantment that is not just captivating but potentially invasive or manipulative, where the enchantment crosses into the realm of direct influence.

In summary, while both terms convey a sense of magical influence, "bewitching" often has a more subtle, seductive connotation with historical gender implications, whereas "ensorcelling" suggests a more powerful and direct form of enchantment that is less tied to traditional gender roles and more about an overarching, commanding presence.

Maureen Dowd’s use of "ensorcelling" to describe Kamala Harris’s smile highlights this profound, almost sovereign form of charm—one that transcends mere allure and touches upon a deeper, more commanding form of influence.

Bewitching can suggest an attraction that is compelling but not necessarily overpowering. The threat, if any, is often tied to the idea of deception or allure rather than overt power. Ensorcelling suggests an active and potent form of magic. The use of this term implies a level of power that can override personal autonomy, making it feel more threatening because it suggests an overwhelming influence that could potentially dominate or control. In summary, "ensorcelling" is more threatening due to its implication of direct, overwhelming magical power and control, as opposed to the more passive, seductive nature of "bewitching." The term "ensorcelling" evokes a stronger sense of invasion and dominance, making it feel more menacing in comparison.

In her opinion piece, Maureen Dowd is suggesting a sinister magnetism to Kamala' s smile and Dowd is doing so with precise decision making in terms of vocabulary and sense of destiny.

g" conveys a more direct and potent form of enchantment. This term implies an ability to exert control or influence through a form of magic that feels more substantial and authoritative. It is less about personal allure and more about a commanding presence that actively enraptures and influences.

In terms of gender implications, "ensorcelling" can be seen as less tied to traditional female stereotypes than "bewitching." While "bewitching" may carry undertones of seduction associated with female figures, "ensorcelling" suggests a broader, more universal form of magical authority. It can apply to any figure—regardless of gender—who exerts a profound, almost supernatural influence over others.

Regarding power dynamics, "ensorcelling" often implies a higher level of control and influence. It suggests that the enchantment is not merely charming but possesses a significant, sometimes overwhelming power. This contrasts with "bewitching," which may be seen as less about control and more about fascination. The negative implications of "ensorcelling" are also more pronounced. The term can suggest a form of enchantment that is not just captivating but potentially invasive or manipulative, where the enchantment crosses into the realm of direct influence.

In summary, while both terms convey a sense of magical influence, "bewitching" often has a more subtle, seductive connotation with historical gender implications, whereas "ensorcelling" suggests a more powerful and direct form of enchantment that is less tied to traditional gender roles and more about an overarching, commanding presence. Maureen Dowd’s use of "ensorcelling" to describe Kamala Harris’s smile highlights this profound, almost sovereign form of charm—one that transcends mere allure and touches upon a deeper, more commanding form of influence.

This addition explores the subtle differences between the terms, particularly in how they relate to gender, power, and potential negative implications.

You said: which is more threatening and why ChatGPT said: ChatGPT In comparing "bewitching" and "ensorcelling," "ensorcelling" is generally more threatening. Here’s why:

Direct Control vs. Subtle Influence:

Bewitching implies a subtle, seductive quality. While it suggests an ability to enchant and fascinate, the influence is often portrayed as more passive and less invasive. The term conveys a sense of charm that might be powerful, but it doesn’t necessarily imply direct control or manipulation. Ensorcelling, on the other hand, implies a more direct and potent form of influence. The term suggests an active, almost coercive power that can significantly affect or manipulate the observer. This implies a stronger, more immediate form of control, making it feel more invasive and threatening. Magical Intensity:

Bewitching often carries a sense of enchantment that is pleasant or intriguing. It may evoke a sense of danger or deception, but it generally implies a charm that is captivating rather than overwhelmingly threatening. Ensorcelling denotes a deeper, more intense form of magic. It suggests that the enchantment is not just captivating but has the power to affect someone on a profound level. This sense of magical authority can be more menacing, as it implies a stronger influence over the person's will or perception. Historical and Cultural Context:

Bewitching has historical connotations tied to witches and their perceived ability to charm or deceive. While this can imply a certain level of threat, it is often associated with the more romanticized or mysterious aspects of enchantment rather than outright danger. Ensorcelling is less commonly used and carries a more explicit sense of magical dominance. It evokes a stronger sense of control and power, which can be perceived as more threatening due to its implication of a deliberate, forceful manipulation. Implications of Power:

Bewitching can suggest an attraction that is compelling but not necessarily overpowering. The threat, if any, is often tied to the idea of deception or allure rather than overt power. Ensorcelling suggests an active and potent form of magic. The use of this term implies a level of power that can override personal autonomy, making it feel more threatening because it suggests an overwhelming influence that could potentially dominate or control. In summary, "ensorcelling" is more threatening due to its implication of direct, overwhelming magical power and control, as opposed to the more passive, seductive nature of "bewitching." The term "ensorcelling" evokes a stronger sense of invasion and dominance, making it feel more menacing in comparison.

In her opinion piece then Maureen Dowd is suggesting a sinister magnetism to Kamala' s smile and is doing so with precise decision making in terms of vocabulary and sense of destiny.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alluring is similar to captivating but with a slightly more seductive quality which implies attraction that is subtly powerful but grounded in natuaral appeal. Alluring is between captivating and bewitching in its suggestion of magical application

Here are a few more words that could be placed on the spectrum, along with where they might fit in terms of their level of implied magic or enchantment:

Alluring: Similar to "captivating," but with a slightly more seductive or enticing quality. It can imply attraction that is subtly powerful but still grounded in natural appeal.

Alluring is more magical than captivating but less so than bewitching.

Enchanting is the middle ground between bewitching and spellbinding.

Placement: Between "captivating" and "bewitching." Enchanting: This word suggests something charming or delightful, with a gentle magical quality. It’s often used to describe things that feel magical in a positive, delightful way.

Placement: Between "bewitching" and "spellbinding." It has more of a magical connotation than "bewitching" but is generally lighter and more pleasant. Mesmerizing: Implies a hypnotic effect, where something holds your attention so completely that it almost feels like you're in a trance. It can have a slightly magical or mysterious undertone, though it often refers to the effect of something intensely compelling.

Placement: Between "spellbinding" and "ensorcelling." It’s stronger than "spellbinding" and suggests a more hypnotic, almost magical grip on attention. Entrancing: This word suggests being so absorbed or fascinated by something that you are almost figuratively "transported" or put into a trance-like state. It carries a strong sense of enchantment.

Placement: Between "enchanting" and "ensorcelling." It has a more immersive, magical feel than "enchanting" but isn't as overtly mystical as "ensorcelling." Hypnotic: Refers to something that exerts a powerful, almost trance-inducing influence, often with a rhythmic or repetitive quality. It can imply a strong, nearly magical influence on one's focus or attention.

Placement: Between "mesmerizing" and "ensorcelling." It suggests a strong, compelling power, potentially bordering on magical. Revised Spectrum:

Captivating: Natural attraction or interest. Alluring: Seductive or enticing appeal. Bewitching: Subtle magical charm or allure. Enchanting: Delightful charm with a gentle magical quality. Spellbinding: Mesmerizing and intensely captivating. Entrancing: Absorbing with a sense of enchantment or being transported. Mesmerizing: Hypnotic and deeply compelling. Hypnotic: Trance-inducing with strong influence. Ensorcelling: Direct magical enchantment or spell-casting. Each word on this spectrum implies a different level of magical or enchanting influence, from the purely natural to the strongly mystical.

You said: how do they rate in terms of usage frequency ChatGPT said: ChatGPT In terms of usage frequency, these words vary widely. Here's a general ranking from most to least commonly used:

Captivating: This is the most commonly used word on the list. It’s widely used in everyday language to describe something that strongly attracts or holds attention.

Alluring: Also fairly common, especially in contexts related to attractiveness or appeal, though it's less frequent than "captivating."

Enchanting: This word is used quite often, especially in descriptions of things that are charming or delightful with a magical or fairy-tale-like quality.

Bewitching: Less common than "enchanting," but still fairly familiar. It’s often used in literature or to describe a particularly strong or mysterious allure.

Mesmerizing: Moderately common, particularly in contexts where something is so compelling that it feels almost hypnotic.

Spellbinding: Used less frequently than the above terms, but still recognized. It’s often used to describe performances, stories, or experiences that hold attention completely.

Entrancing: Less common, mostly found in literary or poetic contexts. It conveys a stronger sense of enchantment than "captivating."

Hypnotic: Moderately common, though often used in more specific contexts (e.g., describing music, rhythms, or something that induces a trance-like state).

Ensorcelling: By far the least common on the list. It’s a rare word, often found in fantasy literature or more archaic language. Most people are less familiar with it compared to the other terms.

Captivating: Natural attraction or interest. Alluring: Seductive or enticing appeal. Bewitching: Subtle magical charm or allure. Enchanting: Delightful charm with a gentle magical quality. Spellbinding: Mesmerizing and intensely captivating. Entrancing: Absorbing with a sense of enchantment or being transported. Mesmerizing: Hypnotic and deeply compelling. Hypnotic: Trance-inducing with strong influence. Ensorcelling: Direct magical enchantment or spell-casting. Each word on this spectrum implies a different level of magical or enchanting influence, from the purely natural to the strongly mystical.

You said: the diffetence between ensorceliing and bewitiching ChatGPT said: ChatGPT "Ensorcelling" and "bewitching" are both terms used to describe something that has a magical or captivating effect, but they carry slightly different nuances:

Ensorcelling: This term is less commonly used and comes from the word "ensorcell," which directly means to enchant or put under a spell. It often implies a more mystical or magical influence, as if someone or something is literally casting a spell to captivate or control.

Bewitching: This term is more widely used and can describe something that charms or captivates in a way that feels magical or irresistible. While it can imply a literal spell, it is more often used metaphorically to describe someone or something that is extremely attractive or alluring in a way that feels almost supernatural.

In summary: "Ensorcelling" has a stronger connotation of literal magic or enchantment, while "bewitching" is more commonly used and can apply to anything that is powerfully attractive or charming, whether literally magical or not.

You said: and spellbinding ChatGPT said: ChatGPT "Spellbinding" is another term related to the idea of being captivated or enchanted, and it shares similarities with both "ensorcelling" and "bewitching." Here's how it compares:

Spellbinding: This term describes something that holds your attention completely, as if you are under a spell. It can refer to anything that is so fascinating, exciting, or compelling that it completely captivates or engrosses the observer. Unlike "ensorcelling," which suggests an active magical influence, "spellbinding" often emphasizes the effect of intense focus or rapt attention rather than a literal spell.

Bewitching: As mentioned earlier, "bewitching" can describe something charming or captivating, with a hint of magic or irresistible allure. It may involve a more personal or emotional appeal, often associated with attractiveness or charm.

Ensorcelling: This term implies a more direct and mystical influence, as if someone is being literally enchanted or put under a spell. It suggests a stronger, more deliberate magical force.

In summary: "Spellbinding" focuses on the effect of being completely absorbed or captivated by something, often in a compelling or mesmerizing way. It can be used to describe anything that holds your attention intensely. "Bewitching" often has a more personal, alluring charm, while "ensorcelling" suggests a more direct and magical enchantment.

You said: how about captivating ChatGPT said: ChatGPT "Captivating" is a term that describes something that attracts and holds your attention or interest in a very strong, almost irresistible way. Here's how it compares to the other terms:

Captivating: This term is often used to describe something that is fascinating, charming, or attractive, drawing people in with its appeal. Unlike "ensorcelling," "bewitching," or "spellbinding," "captivating" doesn't necessarily imply any magical or mystical influence. It focuses more on the strong appeal or charm that naturally holds someone's interest.

Spellbinding: Implies that something is so fascinating or compelling that it holds your complete attention, as if you are under a spell. "Spellbinding" can be used to describe anything from a performance to a story that utterly engrosses you.

Bewitching: Has a slightly more magical or enchanting quality, often associated with personal charm or allure. It suggests a kind of irresistible attraction, sometimes with a hint of danger or mystique.

Ensorcelling: Suggests a more direct magical influence, as if someone or something is literally casting a spell to captivate or control. It's a stronger term that emphasizes the mystical or supernatural aspect.

In summary: "Captivating" describes something that is extremely attractive or interesting in a way that naturally draws in and holds attention. It is a broader, more neutral term without the magical or mystical connotations of "ensorcelling," "bewitching," or "spellbinding."

You said: I see that you've rated the words in terms of their level of magic is this true ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Yes, that's correct! The words can indeed be seen as existing on a spectrum of "magic" or enchantment:

Captivating: No magical connotation; simply strong natural attraction or interest. Spellbinding: Strongly captivating, often with an intense or mesmerizing effect, but not necessarily magical. Bewitching: Implies an almost magical charm or allure, with a subtle hint of enchantment or mystery. Ensorcelling: Directly associated with magic or enchantment, suggesting a literal or metaphorical spell being cast. So, as you move from "captivating" to "ensorcelling," the level of implied magic or enchantment increases.

You said: what other words might be used and where would they be placed ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Here are a few more words that could be placed on the spectrum, along with where they might fit in terms of their level of implied magic or enchantment:

Alluring: Similar to "captivating," but with a slightly more seductive or enticing quality. It can imply attraction that is subtly powerful but still grounded in natural appeal.

Placement: Between "captivating" and "bewitching." Enchanting: This word suggests something charming or delightful, with a gentle magical quality. It’s often used to describe things that feel magical in a positive, delightful way.

Placement: Between "bewitching" and "spellbinding." It has more of a magical connotation than "bewitching" but is generally lighter and more pleasant. Mesmerizing: Implies a hypnotic effect, where something holds your attention so completely that it almost feels like you're in a trance. It can have a slightly magical or mysterious undertone, though it often refers to the effect of something intensely compelling.

Placement: Between "spellbinding" and "ensorcelling." It’s stronger than "spellbinding" and suggests a more hypnotic, almost magical grip on attention. Entrancing: This word suggests being so absorbed or fascinated by something that you are almost figuratively "transported" or put into a trance-like state. It carries a strong sense of enchantment.

Placement: Between "enchanting" and "ensorcelling." It has a more immersive, magical feel than "enchanting" but isn't as overtly mystical as "ensorcelling." Hypnotic: Refers to something that exerts a powerful, almost trance-inducing influence, often with a rhythmic or repetitive quality. It can imply a strong, nearly magical influence on one's focus or attention.

Placement: Between "mesmerizing" and "ensorcelling." It suggests a strong, compelling power, potentially bordering on magical. Revised Spectrum:

Captivating: Natural attraction or interest. Alluring: Seductive or enticing appeal. Bewitching: Subtle magical charm or allure. Enchanting: Delightful charm with a gentle magical quality. Spellbinding: Mesmerizing and intensely captivating. Entrancing: Absorbing with a sense of enchantment or being transported. Mesmerizing: Hypnotic and deeply compelling. Hypnotic: Trance-inducing with strong influence. Ensorcelling: Direct magical enchantment or spell-casting. Each word on this spectrum implies a different level of magical or enchanting influence, from the purely natural to the strongly mystical.

You said: how do they rate in terms of usage frequency ChatGPT said: ChatGPT In terms of usage frequency, these words vary widely. Here's a general ranking from most to least commonly used:

Captivating: This is the most commonly used word on the list. It’s widely used in everyday language to describe something that strongly attracts or holds attention.

Alluring: Also fairly common, especially in contexts related to attractiveness or appeal, though it's less frequent than "captivating."

Enchanting: This word is used quite often, especially in descriptions of things that are charming or delightful with a magical or fairy-tale-like quality.

Bewitching: Less common than "enchanting," but still fairly familiar. It’s often used in literature or to describe a particularly strong or mysterious allure.

Mesmerizing: Moderately common, particularly in contexts where something is so compelling that it feels almost hypnotic.

Spellbinding: Used less frequently than the above terms, but still recognized. It’s often used to describe performances, stories, or experiences that hold attention completely.

Entrancing: Less common, mostly found in literary or poetic contexts. It conveys a stronger sense of enchantment than "captivating."

Hypnotic: Moderately common, though often used in more specific contexts (e.g., describing music, rhythms, or something that induces a trance-like state).

Ensorcelling: By far the least common on the list. It’s a rare word, often found in fantasy literature or more archaic language. Most people are less familiar with it compared to the other terms.

Revised Ranking by Frequency:

Captivating Alluring Enchanting Bewitching Mesmerizing Spellbinding Hypnotic Entrancing Ensorcelling This ranking gives a sense of how often you might encounter these words in everyday language, with "captivating" being the most frequent and "ensorcelling" being the rarest.

You said: bew itching implies witches enscorcelling implies sorcerors….whihc of the two are the more negative, more threatening ChatGPT said: ChatGPT You're correct that "bewitching" is associated with witches and "ensorcelling" with sorcerers. In terms of their connotations:

Bewitching: Historically, witches were often viewed with suspicion and fear, especially during times when accusations of witchcraft could lead to severe consequences. As a result, "bewitching" can carry a subtle undercurrent of danger or malevolence, particularly in contexts where the charm or allure seems to have a potentially harmful or deceptive side. However, in modern usage, "bewitching" is more often used to describe something alluring and attractive, with only a faint suggestion of something mysterious or slightly dangerous.

Ensorcelling: The term "ensorcelling," linked to sorcerers, has a more directly magical and mystical connotation. Sorcerers are often depicted as wielding powerful and potentially dark magic, which can be seen as more overtly threatening. The word itself suggests a stronger and more deliberate act of enchantment, one that might be used to manipulate or control someone.

Comparison:

More Negative or Threatening: "Ensorcelling" tends to have a more threatening connotation because it implies a deliberate and possibly malevolent act of magical control. Sorcerers, as figures in mythology and literature, are often portrayed as more powerful and dangerous than witches, who might be seen as more cunning or mysterious but not necessarily as powerful.

Less Negative, More Alluring: "Bewitching" can have a negative or dangerous undertone, especially when considering its historical context. However, it is more commonly used today to describe something or someone that is captivating and alluring, with less emphasis on outright danger.

In summary, "ensorcelling" is generally the more negative and threatening of the two, while "bewitching" leans more toward being alluring with a hint of mystery or danger.

[balancingbabiesandbrushes]

lemonade

"Ever Is Over All" by Pipilotti Rist (1997) is a two-channel video installation created by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist. Two projection sites with sequences of moving images contrast one another on the film. One screen shows a girl in a light blue dress with red shoes, pacing along a city street, merrily swinging, with large sweeping movements, a long-stemmed flower, which she uses as a weapon against the windows of parked cars on either side. The other screen is an almost meditative slow-motion of a field of bright red flowers swaying in the wind. The woman's actions are reflected by a background score that alternates between dreamy music and the ambient sounds of the street.

Key Details include conflicting imagery: The peaceful, pastoral images of flowers with what the woman is doing—destroying yet enjoying every bit. Soundtrack: The juxtaposition of calming music with the hard sound of shattering glass. Expression and Movement: Self-assured, almost with an indifferent touch. Setting: The city space versus naturalistic images.

"Ever Is Over All" explores themes related to freedom or liberation, possibly broadly or abstractly. The film does not follow a traditional narrative structure. It focuses on visual, auditory, or sensory experience rather than telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Understanding the film is more about experiencing it through your senses rather than following a plot. The emotions, visuals, sounds, and overall atmosphere convey meaning and evoke responses rather than a structured story.

The act of this woman smashing windows of cars with a flower can be taken as a metaphor for showing nonconformity towards the things defined as right in one's mind while living within a society characterized by norms and expectations. The flower, a symbol of femininity and beauty, now becomes a tool for a show of rebellion. The serene pictures of flowers represent the Juxtaposition of Serenity and Destruction in contrast with the act of vandalism, which insists on the duality of human nature and the coexistence of beauty and violence. One can say that the video critiques the repression of feminine expression and the social consequence of straying beyond prescribed roles. Sensory Appeal Rist's vibrant color palette and slow-motion graphics, combined with her dynamic soundtrack, all solicit the viewer's senses to its extension; its imagery immerses the viewer. The dreamy quality of the field of flowers is balanced by the sudden, dramatic visual and sound response of shattering glass: multiple fields of conflicting emotions.

"Ever Is Over All" is more metaphorical and symbolic than narrative. It resembles a painting in the sense that its visual construction and coloration are used to create feelings. The fact that the video is not linear and that it is more interested in sensory feelings also associates it more with these arts than television. It is a challenge of Common Viewing Rist's composition; therefore, it challenges its audience's usual way of viewing television—most people who are accustomed to television watch linearly and passively. "Ever Is Over All" is anything but passive. Viewers are left to fit together the story themselves from these pieces of disjointed images and sound to make their own sense. It is a very subjective form of viewing.

[bertarojas]

*✶   about  berta rojas

name:  berta rojas

age: twenty2

sexuality: bisexual

relationship  status  :  tba

tw you’ll find in this bio  :  none

berta  rojas,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two, was  a  multifaceted young  woman  who  embodied  creativity and  determination.  her  love  for  design  was  ingrained  in  her  very  being,  a  passion  that  had  blossomed from  her  upbringing in  a  family of  artists  and  craftsmen.

growing  up  in  euroville,  berta's father,  javier,  was  a  renowned rally  racer  who  passed  on  his  love  for  speed  and  adrenaline to  his  daughter. from  a  young  age,  berta  found  joy  in  driving, relishing  the  exhilarating sensation  of  speed  and  the  freedom  of  the  open  road.  the  experience  of  being  behind the  wheel  fueled her  creativity  and  served  as  an  outlet for  her  spirited nature.

however,  berta's  true  artistic  calling lay  in  the  world  of  design.  she  possessed  an  innate  talent for  blending  colors, shapes,  and  textures to  create  unique and  captivating  pieces. her  designs  were  a  reflection of  her  vibrant personality,  combining  elements of  boldness,  elegance, and  unexpected  flair.

despite  her  love  for  the  fast-paced  world  of  design, berta  also  cherished quiet  moments  spent  immersed  in  literature.  while  she  relished the  excitement  of  parties  and  social  gatherings, she  found  solace in  the  pages  of  books, often  seeking  refuge in  her  favorite novels  to  nourish her  imagination  and  expand  her  horizons.  the  juxtaposition  of  her  outgoing and  introspective  sides  added  depth  to  her  character,  allowing her  to  appreciate the  richness  of  life  in  all  its  forms.

when  berta  turned twenty-one,  she  made  the  bold  decision  to  move  out  of  her  father's  home,  desiring  a  space  where  she  could  fully  unleash her  creativity.  she  yearned  for  a  dedicated area  to  bring  her  design visions  to  life,  free  from  distractions  and  the  constraints of  a  traditional living  arrangement.  this  move  proved pivotal  in  shaping her  artistic  journey, providing  her  with  the  freedom and  independence  she  needed  to  explore  her  talents  and  refine  her  craft.

berta's  natural  talent and  unwavering  determination soon  caught  the  attention  of  the  design world.  her  unique creations,  inspired  by  her  love  for  driving, literature,  and  the  eclectic  nature of  euroville,  garnered acclaim  and  recognition. as  a  designer, she  effortlessly  melded her  passions,  infusing her  designs  with  a  sense  of  adventure, elegance,  and  a  touch  of  rebellion.

while  berta's  career took  her  to  grand  runways and  prestigious  fashion events,  she  remained grounded  and  secure in  her  identity. despite  her  love  for  parties and  the  glamorous aspects  of  her  profession,  she  never  lost  sight  of  her  core  values  and  the  importance of  staying  true  to  herself. berta  used  her  platform  to  advocate  for  sustainable fashion and  inclusivity  within the  industry,  determined to  leave  a  positive  impact on  both  the  environment  and  society.

in  the  midst  of  her  flourishing  career, berta  always  found  time  to  return  to  her  love  for  driving. on  weekends,  she  would  venture out  into  the  countryside,  where  she  would  let  the  wind  whip  through  her  hair  as  she  navigated twisting  roads  and  embraced  the  exhilaration  of  speed.  these  moments  of  freedom  fueled her  creativity  and  served  as  a  reminder of  her  roots  and  the  connection  to  her  father.

berta  rojas,  the  determined,  impulsive, and  intelligent  designer, carved  her  own  path  in  the  world  of  fashion. her  love  for  driving,  passion for  design,  and  insatiable  appetite for  literature  and  social  engagement made  her  a  captivating  and  dynamic  individual. as  she  continued to  grow  and  evolve,  she  aimed  to  inspire  others with  her  unique vision  and  creative prowess,  leaving  an  indelible  mark  on  the  industry  she  loved.

[ouvirogalo]

PROGRAMME INFO (2)

*a break down of each video*

#1 - THE ETHEREAL NATURE OF NOVELTY / THE ETHEREAL NOVELTY OF NATURE - exploring creativity and discoveryDespite the misleading acronym branding ADHD folks as having an ‘attention deficit’ , people with ADHD do not ‘lack attention’ - we lack the ability to regulate how we filter and allocate our attention to different stimuli.1 The teacher’s voice is just as piercing as the car outside - the lighting, the smell of the air, the feel of our clothes (it’s almost like an internalised mode of epic theatre, where every element of our world is of equal importance). Contrary to this idea of ‘deficit’, we actually exhibit a higher ability to focus than the average neurotypical person2- enabling us to tap into levels of sensory awareness and observation that many others might miss. This is why people with ADHD (despite its very real detrimental effects) are considered to be good creatives and problem solvers - as they have a tendency to solve problems through unorthodox, interdisciplinary and more divergent ways of thinking. Neuro-diversity is then incredibly beneficial in the workplace, and people with ADHD are even twice as likely to start their own business.3Due to a baseline deficiency in dopamine, the brains of people with ADHD often seek dopamine at its extremes, being primarily driven by interest, novelty, challenge, urgency and passion. This is why many children with ADHD may exhibit a resistance to focus in the classroom (where teachers brand them as lacking focus) but can easily spend hours immersed in something that genuinely thrills them. Because we cannot sufficiently regulate our attention, we are more easily driven by these intense parameters of stimuli. As many people with ADHD also exhibit a form of hypersensitivity to stimuli4, encountering newness can be an incredibly euphoric experience, and we can experience moments of intense stimulation, where we feel we are brimming with ideas and thoughts. This euphoria for novelty and creativity forms the underpinning theme for the first video. As many metaphors surrounding attention and focus centre around the semantics of sight (e.g out of sight out of mind, blindsided etc.) the eyes are used as the primary vessel to portray the fascinating exploration of different textures, movements and colours - evoking a child-like sense of discovery through the wide and constantly intrigued eyes. The ambient birdsong accompanying video too places us in a weird phase of childhood nostalgia. We see the subject of this video encounter different colours and textures in different combinations, learning patterns, movements and rhythms. She views herself from the outside, feels her skin, and starts to grasp what it means to be alive. All that she views is in fact a reflection of herself - there is so much rich imagery within her, so much untapped potential, so many ideas and visions and daydreams -  yet to be disrupted by the oppressive doctrines of family, school or work. 

[murroughod]

Chapter 2 of my seminar paper that i wrote on how Cross uses animals in her work. Chapter 2 Placing Humans Back into Nature Connecting with Animals: Page 7 Most of Dorothy Cross’s recent work concerns itself with the natural world taking inspiration from the land around her home in Connemara and wild places further afield. Much of her work is about the interaction between humans and nature and the transformation this can cause. In a recent interview with RTE she described herself as “an artist who made work about our connection with nature.”14 Even in her early work Cross shows a connection to nature and the animal through her work with cow skins and udders and works like Snake, though these works I think used the animal more as a representation of the repressed in us as humans and our unconscious places free from societal rules than as a way of exploring nature or our interactions with it. Having said that some of the ‘Udder’ works like Virgin Shroud (1993) where a cow skin is draped over a dummy, are in part an attempt to place the human body back in touch with nature and the animal from where, in many ways, it has been removed. “She wants her art, she says, to ‘Relocate ourselves as animal.’”15 In doing so we can find our way back into a more harmonious relationship with nature. This combination of a name: Virgin Shroud (1993) that references religion, as well as the pose of the dummy under the shroud so clearly evoke Christianity. This religion has always separated humans from animals, placing us above all other living things, but by covering this idea of the sacred virgin Mary with the cow skin, Cross challenges this idea of a separate and higher realm by showing how we are all animals, and through the shroud, we are all mortal and die. A more explicit example of this wish to place the human body back among nature might be Jellyfish Lake 2002 (fig. 3). In this piece as shown above (Fig. 3) Cross swims naked through a lake in Palau, Micronesia which is filled with golden jellyfish. Jellyfish of course are generally associated with fear of stings and are avoided out of this reaction of danger or disgust by most people. This can to a certain extent be representative of nature in general as it’s often dangerous and uncomfortable to be around. but here, Cross immerses herself fully in the lake, naked, unprotected. Although the species in the film ‘rhizostomae’ are not dangerous16 the general knowledge that we are fearful of jellyfish for their stings can work with the metaphor. “The bare skin and our knowledge of the jellyfish’s ability to sting flickers our response from an appreciation of beauty to a sense of emphatic danger.” 17 These ideas of danger and discomfort are counteracted by the visual beauty of the jellyfish, the dreamlike way they swim through the water lightly brushing past the nude human so that our fear is overcome by the natural beauty of the film. This is helped by the way Cross drifts through the water, clearly at ease and her motions even begin resemble the jellyfish with her arms and hair waving like tentacles as she floats by the surface. “Combining human and natural forms, Cross imagines more intimate immersion of man in nature”18. Through this piece Cross places the human back into nature, welcoming the things we most shy away from. Finally I’ll look at some pieces by Cross that were originally part of the exhibition/installation Sapiens (2007). In these pieces Cross documented the practices and rituals of the Shark Callers from the village of Kontu, on the island of New Ireland in Melanesia.19 Shark Callers are men who “go out in narrow out-rigger canoes using rattles and their voice to ‘call’ shark up from the depths. It is an

Page | 9 ancient practice where the fishermen believe the shark are led to them by their ancestors.”20 (an example of one out in his canoe can be seen in fig. 4 below.) “They prepare by sleeping alone and avoiding foods like pork and flying fox.”21 While this series of photographs and videos deals more with people than animals, the shark still is at the center of the works as the thematic heart that ties the people Cross is documenting to the natural world. Cross was deeply moved by the natural beauty of the island which remains untarnished by the forces of modern industrial technology; and by the culture of the people who are living there who have such a close, interlinked connection with the natural world and the animals around them. As Cross observes; “New Ireland is one of the most remote and beautiful places I have ever been.”22 She talks about how the people there use sharpened oyster shells to peel sweet potatoes and wear hats made of banana leaves.23 She is clearly verty taken with the life that the people of New Ireland lead and how closely all aspects of their lives are interlinked with the natural world around them. These connections and the culture they pursue are a real world example of the ideal connection to nature Cross evokes in her art works, where she places the body back into the animal and in close relation to the rest of nature. However as she documents in this series, New Ireland and the shark callers are under threat from the outside world. Cross’s lingering memory of her time in New Ireland in 2006 was how the silky, mako and oceanic white tip sharks were becoming worryingly scarce due to increased fishing by Malaysians and Chinese, who harvest their fins for traditional cures and shark fin soup. “The ancient way of life for the New Irelanders is coming to an end,” says Cross. “What was a balanced life, symbiotic with what nature provided, is becoming extinct.”

Cross looks at the impending loss of this idyllic way of life through the video piece Selam shark-caller (2007) in which Cross interviews Selam Kerasimbe (fig. 5), an old shark caller who was once the head shark caller of the village, but is no longer, as many of the villagers believe he has lost his magic.25 This fact alone can be taken as a metaphor for how New Ireland is losing it’s magic as it comes under the influence of the modern world. In the video “Selam Kerasimbe, sang a song to camera. He began to weep but gestured to continue to film. He sang a song that was only ever sung alone in the canoe when a shark is caught and the caller is returning to shore. He wept as he believed that the art of shark- calling was dying.”26 Cross says Selam also told her that some of the villagers were considering doing shark calling for tourists, taking something sanctified and deeply important to him and the culture he grew up in into something crassly commercial and false; stripping away all the spiritual meaning of the practice as it would be peddled out for cash. There is such a huge sadness to this video as, through Selam mourning the decay of his world, we also mourn the decay of our connection to nature. With that said, Cross’s New-Ireland series, despite having such sad elements, can still be taken as a celebration of such a way of life and the hopeful idea that we could all gain from living closer to nature both physically and spiritually.

[keepingsecretstokeepyoutk]

I have a number of thoughts, sorry if any of these have already been pointed out -

The mermaid line and anon’s interpretation of it just made a few things click into place for me

“A woman walks down the center of an empty suburban street, shaking from the cold. She peers around with wide, curious eyes, as if she’s seeing the world for the first time”

As I’m sure many other have already, I interpret this woman to be Taylor, the suburban landscape is symbolic for living a “normal” life, instead of being locked away in her usual mansion flats to keep herself safe (like a Princess locked away in a castle, you know like the bejeweled castle she was burning down, a parallel to burning down the lover house). She’s seeing the world for the first time because it’s her first time on a suburban street when one of the houses is her own - let alone first time walking alone at night! And also because this IS the real world, and it’s her first time immersed in it. Her world was one of “pageant queens and big pretenders”.

Next: “she is drenched in salt water, as if she just crawled from the ocean” so literally a mermaid who just got her legs?!?!

Then: “she wears an odd combination of tattered clothing - remnants of a tattered gown and a comfortable sweatshirt - that doesn’t quite make sense.” The remnants of a tattered gown are a Cinderella reference, after midnight, when the spell is broken/wears off - it’s a remnant of her glamorous, successful life that she is leaving behind. And the sweatshirt that “doesn’t quite make sense” I believe symbolizes the comfort of her previous hiding, which she is also leaving behind because it didn’t ultimately makes sense, it didn’t make her happy.

“There is something odd about her” - because she spent all of her formative years, nearly her whole life, not living in the real world, both due to fame and due to being in hiding and playing a part

The next bit about the house not like the others cause it’s her is simply her coming home to her family, who have been waiting for her to be ready to do this.

Finally: “There is a Jack-o-lantern perched by the front door…and as she watches, the flame🕯️finally 🕯️ flickers 🌬️ out 🎃”

Two main points I have about this:

1. Obviously this symbolizes the end of the closeting era, the end of hiding, which makes me think that the whole idea of Halloween is meant to symbolize the era of hiding, because people dress up as different characters (just like she has played a different character for her whole career). “Sheep put away their wolf’s clothing” also sounds like letting ones guard down, and reminds me of “threw out our cloaks and our daggers cause it’s morning now, it’s brighter now”. Also think of Phoebe’s song Halloween “baby it’s halloween, we can be anything”. The pumpkin image of course also ties in perfectly with the Cinderella references that have already been made. She’s turned back into a pumpkin, her real self without all of the witchy shit to cast a spell and make her appear to be someone else (reminds of the spell casting circle in Willow MV and of course the eras performance of the same song).

2. The two candle emojis, of course a reference to the Willow/cardigan MV universe. The two candles burning down we initially thought might be two years, but what if it’s two original albums?? Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department. Which should bring us to the end of the tour, which is when I believe she will likely risk coming out (I still think that for safety reasons she’s now coming out until your is over, at the very least)

Again, sorry if all of this has already been said, but the little mermaid being front of brain made that whole text just make sense.

(Sorry if someone else pointed this out already) “mermaids who have traded tails for sweatpants” from 🎃 11th message!!! Fits the little mermaid tale - she gains legs to be with the one she loves.

🥹

🎃 Masqueraders with masks removed, mermaids who have traded tails for sweatpants. A woman walks down the center of an empty suburban street, shaking from the cold.

[wroteonedad]

The e-World of Molly Soda

2023. The further in time we get, the more I realise how chronically online we've all become. Low key Instagram photo dumps are king, we're being sucked into the world of producing short videos for various different platforms and A.I is becoming bigger by the day. I still remember when DALL-E Mini first launched (I say this like it was a long time ago, but it wasn't) and I was typing things in like Wembley lasagne and some other unhinged subjects that could never happen in the real world. This little machine would then make me this cute little pixilated image combining the keywords into something weird. It's been a few months and already there are apps stealing thousands of artists work and combining it for a small fraction of their price to allow you to have about 50 forms of A.I generated selfies. Personally, I don't see the hype with those but it's whatever makes you happy. Who am I to judge? I think that Covid has really pushed the way that we as a society have become so reliant on being online, all the time. I think there are a lot of artists out there who also use being reliant on the Internet to push their forms of work out there.

Take Molly Soda for example, a performance artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Soda works from every form of digital medium that could possibly exist. Much of her work is selfie based. She makes GIFs, zines, videos and then produces them for both online gallery spaces and physical real life gallery spaces. A breakdown to show examples of this is to talk through a variation of works that she has created during the span of her career so far, all being different but fairly similar. You'll see what I mean as I speak.

Exhibit A) Comfort Zone for Annka Kutlys Gallery (14 October - 12 November 2016)

Installation view images of Comfort Zone by Molly Soda. (2016).

The full installation features a multi-media selection including photos and moving images made viewable on the laptop on top of the plinth. The works themselves are to challenge the notion of what art is to the viewer. How would you feel to walk into a space that is full of digitalised images and videos, as if you were to step into someone's iPhone gallery and have to view every piece. It explores how we engage with electronic devices which are always with us, the way our phones buzz with notifications from various social medias as the day goes on. An endless cycle. The video from the laptop on top of the plinth is titled All by myself, this features 18 hours of footage taken directly from Soda's MacBook camera roll and is then published into a video format for the audience to see. A selection of images that were never intended to reach a public audience the way that it did. Perhaps it is there to make you feel a little bit uncomfortable, immersed with all of these images of a person you don't know, images of theirs that are supposed to be private to them. But through their private images, they are stepping into their comfort zone because they have no secrets to hide from anybody.

The floor of the gallery space featured two pink TV screens, something that is nostalgic, as if you've entered someone's room from the early 2000's, featuring All I have is my phone and Phone Zone, both of these being images of Molly Soda on her phone. Instant messaging, social media, being able to speak to anyone in the world at the tip of our fingers is taking over our lives, and this is what the collection of works has been made to portray. It's powerful in a sense of how uncomfortable the works would make specific audiences in the gallery space. I on the other hand feel as though there should be more work in galleries that challenge the notion of art and instead discuss the concept of social media and digital work. Sometimes I feel as though digital works should leave the digital world and be displayed in a real life space.

Screenshot taken from Molly Soda's website.

As Soda puts it, 'a screen recording of what someone does on their computer or on their phone in the day is like a diary entry at this point.' and perhaps I'm starting to see it too. In this day and age, you truly don't know someone until you've seen their Internet history and their saved tabs which sit on the top of their Chrome. Much of the time, Soda bases her work more on classic Internet, the early 2000s. This could be purely down to how desensitised the Internet used to be, the things that I saw on the Internet when I was a child that I shouldn't have seen astound me and it's insane to me to see how much of the Internet now seems to be under lock and key. As Molly Soda puts it, classic Internet is something that was important for her personal development, but also for Internet development as a whole. Looking at her website specifically, I feel as though I am on a MySpace page, something that is oversharing so much that it doesn't look like it's sharing anything at all with anybody. Soda has spoken openly about how the general aesthetic of the Internet has changed over time, a world that was so femme and female orientated is suddenly something that is so dull. 'I think the aesthetics really got smashed. There are no more glitter graphics. (Does anyone remember Blingee??). 'It's really streamlined and white and blue, with no music. It's a little strange.'

Screenshot taken from Molly Soda's website.

It's nostalgia. It's bright pink moving blinged out images. It's when people would insert music players onto their Tumblr's and pirate music in order to play their favourite music loudly on their blog as you click it core. It's something that just doesn't happen anymore. It's make your YouTube channel entirely pink and filled with colourful comments core. But it isn't all about the aesthetics and the cute pink colours filling your screen. It's about being filled with shame as a teenager. It's about deleting your old Tweets because you said something so embarrassing that you don't want anybody to ever see that, a modern day version of making your social media private so your future boss can't find out anything about you. Soda's works are curated to be vulnerable, as in she is displaying herself in that way to the public. Perhaps as a comfort thing, to remind girls that it is okay to be embarrassed by past images or things you've said that is deep on the online archives forever.

All I have is my phone (2016)

Comfort Zone is such an important exhibition in coming to terms with the online world. One of its key reasons is also to do with not only how we are addicted to our phones and being chronically online, but also how we perceive ourselves online in this day and age. How we have these fake identities that we use to make our ordinary lives seem so much more interesting than they actually are. But also how even when we post ourselves in these public spaces and then perceive ourselves in these spaces, that they then follow us into our private spaces. How we wake up first thing in the morning, looking rough and we immediately look at the notifications on our phone, or we look at who's been watching our Instagram stories while we've been sleeping. We can never escape the world of the persona we are on the Internet, and it is brave of Soda to mix both the public and the private to create these artworks. 'The moment I post something and make it public, it becomes less of a big deal. All of a sudden, I'm in control.' Long story short, none of us should be afraid to be a little unhinged on the Internet.

From Soda being chronically online as she has grown up, it only makes sense that she has also managed to pretty much rinse out YouTube and every type of video that has trended on there over the years too. 'People think, 'oh if I just post a bunch of videos about my life, eventually I'll be able to quit my day job and become a lifestyle blogger.' I'm always thinking about how the successful YouTuber is a new version of the American dream-'if I just work enough at curating my life, eventually I'll be paid to just exist.' And while it's been true for people to make this aspect of their life to work, for many others it hasn't worked out the way they wanted. Soda has also been very plain in the way in which YouTubers design their space for when they talk in their videos, and how it is very similar to how the layouts of social media work. Very plain. She notices their interior and how they choose not to show many items in their space purely on the grounds of how they don't want their audience to notice it. 'Everything has to be really clean and look a certain way.' She speaks of how platforms such as YouTube have overtime become too advertisement friendly and how everyone is becoming the same through that. How can you as creator be different to everybody else if you look the same and act the same as everybody else? It's as if the Internet has become a very bland space where everybody wants minimal and everybody wants to talk about the same things at the same time, so when you finally find someone online who has a little bit of a personality, it's whelming.

Finally, another one of Molly Soda's exhibitions, You Got This, a show that took place just before Covid hit in 2020. The show is mixed with Internet culture with the use of American suburbia. Essentially, these two concepts are two very different things, but also interlink within each other perfectly. It is the way in which the Internet and the suburbs are heavily controlled places where status is defined by wealth you can project and what others think of you.

It is interesting because Soda's project heavily relies on video content, and because of Covid, most of the exhibition is now online forever on her YouTube account.

Decorating the desktop is an interesting concept for the way in which we view spaces and also art. It is not something that is typically art, especially when you consider it in the world of digital format. Do we even think about the design of our desktops? The only time I ever thought about my desktop was when I was back in uni and I had to show my lecturer my work and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole when I connected my laptop to the big screen and everyone could see the HD image of Antonio Garza crying and holding a knife that was my desktop image at the time. Soda likes to view the desktop space as a form of interior design because our homely spaces have become like sets because we are always broadcasting them. The way in which Soda decorates her desktop space is very much like how the space of a room a YouTuber sits in looks like. White space, big open spaces, plants and *that* inspirational quote that you can always find somewhere. Not only that, but the music. Name one YouTuber who doesn't use music like this when creating the outro to their videos, which then leads you to hyperlinks of other videos just like the one you've watched.

House Tour is another empty of example of this. The lofi beat that plays as the intro to the video starts, this video feels as though it is a punch in the face to all online influencers who post home tours, what's in my bag videos, you know the ones I mean. The house is literally the suburban mansion, the modern day American dream, but the homes always look exactly the same. It's unnerving at best.

Molly Soda's work has to be one of my favourites at the moment. It is so cool to me seeing someone who has such an Internet presence and makes it work so well with the response to art at the same time. The works are statement pieces, all so different but so alike. I would love to see a collective of these works myself in a gallery space and I really love how she keeps it real, or does she. Looking at this work has made me want to be even more unhinged on the Internet, as if I'm not bad enough for spam posting absolute garbage on my story for my boss to see.

Molly Soda's website for more.

Further reading:

Molly Soda's Comfort Zone gallery synopsis.

Molly Soda on making art from your Internet history.

Molly Soda challenges the the notion of private areas as safe-havens.

What Molly Soda has learned from watching YouTube all day.

Molly Soda wants you to know You Got This.

[mochiimiiki]

| Act one: Possibility |

[Xiao x F!reader]

[Pyro vision reader]

Summary: Feelings are something of a concept, humans determine their meaning and everyone else simply accepts. But what if he has no concept of emotions and you’re in denial? What becomes of it then?

Warnings: spoilers for xiao’s story, angst, violence, blood, slow burn

A/N: first time writing a proper fic sooo be nice! also italics are being used for past events!!

Masterlist

- - - - - -

Your encounter was an accident. A mistake, a flaw in the matrix. However, It was a memory you held onto even after all of those years. Staring across Dihua Marsh, your mind couldn’t help but wonder, wonder all the way back to the vigilant yaksha. Whom refused to converse his name. His real name.

It was in the depths of night where the demons lurked, and as an adventurer you often encountered such mutated creatures. It was not your duty to defend the land nor protect the innocent from the midnight stalkers. Yet, you felt obligated to. Perhaps it was a form of misconception or the chivalry in which your father had brought you up with. Nevertheless, you found yourself stalking a possessed abyss mage. In hopes of vanquishing it before the mutant could perform damage upon any civillians.

The moon guided you, luring you to where the beast crept. Through squinted eyes, you could just about see a sleeping village a few hundred metres from where you stood. Determination pumped through your veins, urging you onwards with a singular goal; vanquish your opponent.

In the brief moments that you were distracted the target had vanished. Frantically, you begun searching. ‘Where’d it go...?’ You breathed to yourself. Fear creeping along your spine and infecting your mind.

Suddenly, a cryo shot sent you flying back into a rock. Your back hit it with a thud and the wind was knocked from you. Dazed it took you a moment to adjust your senses. As your vision became focused you quickly rolled out of the way as another cryo shot narrowly missed you. Reaching for your bow you aimed at the abyss mage.

You scoffed. A cryo abyss mage? The fight would be over in no time. Your bow charged quickly and you launched your attack. You jumped with glee, You’d hit the shield directly in a patch you’d grown accustomed to know as a weak spot. However, as the steam cleared from the melt combination you realised you’d done little to no damage. The unsettling anxiety seeped it’s way into your heart once more. “I-Impossible!” You declared, to no one in particular. “I hit you!” The abyss mage let out a low chuckle. It’s sonar voice vibrating off of the trees and rocks that littered your midnight hunt. However, you realised something was off with this mage. Not only was it’s voice an octave lower but a strange black mist eminated from its being. Was it possible this was the kind of creature your father had warned you about...?

Before you got a chance to react the abyss mage launched you backwards once more. This time you landed in the soggy pits of the marsh. You blindly fumbled with your bow attempting to ignite it with your pyro element. However, the dampness of both yourself and the weapon caused evaporate. You silently cursed. No, no, no! This couldn’t be happening not now, not when you were so close. Repeatedly you tried again. Only looking up as you heard the familiar chuckle of your enemy.

Squeezing your eyes shut you begged Rex Lapis to not let your life end so soon. You had so much to learn! So many places to be and you still had to find the truth of...

You thoughts came to an abrupt end.

Suddenly, a gush of wind sped past your face, in turn your eyes shot open. It was just in time too, as you witnessed your saviour.

In the moonlight his hair appeared dark grey and his clothings multiple shades of silver however, black and turquoise mist eminated off of his being. Your eyes widened in shock as one blast of his power shattered the cryo abyss mage’s shield. “EVIL CONQUERING!” He cried throwing it back into the same rock it had once thrown you into.

Pulling enough energy from your damaged body you limped over to your saviour. “You saved me!” Exclaiming in delight. “How did you... no I should be thanking you! Thank-” Yet, before you could continue your praise a final blast of cryo hit you from the dying mage. Falling to the ground you felt your senses dim. Blurry vision caught sight of your masked hero finishing off the job only to finally pass out. A deep, charcoal black enveloping you in an everlasting grip.

- - -

Upon awakening you had found yourself placed in a bed in a familiar building. One you had only viewed on the outside: Wangshu Inn. Clambering out of the comfort of the bed you stumbled to the doorway.

A violet sky was clear from the room in which you occupied. Dim stars twinkled as a rouge sun dawned. You stumbled over to the balcony, confusion clouding your thoughts and erroding the pain.

You collapsed onto the railing of the balcony, thanking the red painted wood for the sturdiness it granted. You glanced out across Dihua Marsh. It’s landscape accentuated by the red light from the dawning sun, her face glowing brightly and guiding adventurers and monsters alike into the unknown.

“What are you doing?” A low voice growled behind you. Instantly you jumped from the disturbance to the peace, immediately after regretting it as a sharp pain jolted through your side. Glancing down your eyes settled upon a bandage wrapped around your waist. You realised the only material shielding you against the harshness of the cool autumn morn was the bandages that started at your chest and ending at your waist. Instantaneously a flush crept over your face and along your neck. “Y-You did this? Pervert!” You shouted, a finger pointing accusingly.

For a moment the boy appeared taken aback before scoffing. “First of all.” He growled taking a menacing step towards you. “I didn’t do that.” He glanced down, taking another step. “Second I saved your life, so even if I had you should have been grateful.” Another step. “And last of all, it was the Inn keeper who helped you. You can thank her later.” He was inches away from you, his brows furrowed in irritation and it was clear your comment had irked him.

You swallowed thickly and uncomfortably. You pushed against his chest, attempting to create distance between himself and you. However, he remained rooted in place. Whether, or not he intended to intimidate you or was simply setting straight facts you were unsure of.

Eventually, he acknowledged your efforts and with a grunt stepped backwards. You tried to steady your thoughts, and clear your mind. Up until now you’d been thinking irrationally and it had ended with you in a critical state.

You opened your mouth to speak once more when with a dismissal of his hand the man spoke first, “Unfortunately, there are other matters that require my assistance. If you’ll excuse me.” Though he seemingly asked for his departure you knew that it was more of a statement than a request. “W-wait!” you cried suddenly, grasping his wrist as he leaped onto the railing of the Wangshu inn.

The man stared puzzlingly at your hand, almost in a way that suggested he’d never been touched by a mortal before. “I didn’t ask your name.”

“I go by many names.” The figure retorted bluntly, an action that caused your hand to retract and your face to drop. With a sigh he spoke once more, his tone etched with a little less aggression. “However, you may call me vigilant Yaksha Xiao. Or for short Xiao. Should you ever need my help, or cannot face killing a monster call my name. I will aid you.”

With that he vanished before your eyes. Taking on the form of shadows and fleeing into the Abyss.

- - -

Staring across the Marsh now it appeared so different. Not only had it been two years since your return to Liyue but it was also daytime upon your arrival, a splintering summer sun sparkled brightly amongst the leaping clouds. It suddenly occurred to you amongst your reminiscing that you had never gazed upon the marsh in the daylight. To bestow it the title of breath taking was an understatement, to simply put it, it was exquisite. How the summer rays of light bounced across the murky waters of the marsh and that they illuminated the once gloomy surroundings. It was a sight to behold, it was beyond enchanting as it bewitched its onlookers and lured them to an untimely death.

“Ma’am?” A voice called for you, intruding your thoughts. She gave you a gentle smile, one you knew was plastered on to appease customers. “Your room is ready madam.” She spoke so softly that had you been immersed in a conversation with another you may not have heard her. You exchanged a polite nod as she led you up the stairs of the Wangshu Inn.

Despite your absence from Liyue for two years the Inn had not particularly changed. It was still lined in the same ruby red railings albeit faded to a salmon blush. And it had the same wooden floors, that creaked and squeaked ever so slightly under foot.

“Here is your room, I hope you enjoy your stay.” Quietly excused the girl as she departed. Leaving you standing alone in the doorway to a room too large to fit a single person.

Hauling in your luggage you flopped down onto the bed. The scent of Fresh linen tickled your nostrils, a particularly summery smell.

As the night progressed you had departed from your room and explored a little more of the grounds belonging to the Wangshu Inn. Fully satisfied with your miniature expedition you retired to the cafe and settled in for a long night.

- - -

The evening wore on tranquility reflected in the expressionless faces of the Inn stayers and keepers alike. As the café grew quieter you had taken it upon yourself to mark out your journey on your map. Small red exes marked the spots of your previous journeys, and although you wanted to pursue the land of the unmarked you had unfinished business to complete in Liyue harbour. Tapping your pencil on the page as you pondered your next move a shout caught your attention. Your quiet night had come to an abrupt end when a face you believed you’d never set your eyes on again appeared before you.

It was the dead of night. The only two souls that remained in the lobby of the Inn were you and the owner’s wife. When suddenly, a third party joined.

In stumbled an extremely battered and bruised man. His hair was knotted in scruffs and a deep gash seeped into the skin in his chest. With a startled cry the woman behind the reception desk ran to his side.

You stared in horror into the cat like eyes of this man. A flash of a familiarity flickered in them, in a brief possibility that he recognised you a bubbling emotion of hope fluttered in your stomach. However, the feeling was all but short lived as his eyes fluttered closed and he collapsed, toppling to the floor. Completely unconscious.

[latinalivinghistory]

Hello, reenactor and regular living historian here! I actually LOVE historical film costuming because it's like the ultimate combination of theatrical and historical clothing. The clothes are there to tell a story just as much as the actors are and it's marvelous.

Insisting that period films or shows must adhere to strict historical accuracy is often unrealistic because the farther down the rabbit hole you go, the more difficult it is to make a historical garment look "right" with modern construction techniques and especially for filming you often have to have fuck you levels of multiples of any given garment. Having been that nerd that sews all her clothes entirely by hand, the physical demand and time needed to do all that is just completely unrealistic for a film or theatre production. There's budget, there's deadlines, there's the fact that everything is going to get beat all to hell...it's just not going to happen, even if the aesthetic is 100% historical. Examples that spring to mind are things like Master & Commander, Ang Lee's Sense & Sensibility, and Downton Abbey.

Then you've got the whole other end of the spectrum like A Knight's Tale, which somehow people keep bitchin about not being "historically accurate" even now a billion years after it was made and we were gifted Paul Bettany's bare ass (and are still somehow ungrateful?) and missing that the historical inaccuracy is the whole entire point. The clothing is there to supplement the narrative, not serve as set dressing to be an immersive historical experience. Becoming Jane did this as well, but more subtly, where Jane would consistently wear the "next step" of fashion at any given point in the film, showing her being "ahead of her time" as a character.

Then you have stuff like Bridgerton, which has clothing that is meant to be Fun. It's fun to watch, it's pretty, it's extra, and it helps to spin this fantasy-historical world where you can suspend your disbelief and dive head first into the romance of it all. There are also things like Outlander which I do not understand what they are going for but seem to be using a lot of reenactorisms and fantasy tropes in a pseudo-historical fantasy timeline to...show strong women characters? Because they wear leather belts and never cover their somehow-always-clean-and-plopped-curly-hair and somehow this makes up for the excess of sexual violence in the story? Sometimes the narrative is too violent or exploitative to be helped by the clothing, even if it is aesthetically pleasing cottagecore historybounding eye candy.

Anyway, the point here is to say--let yourself watch period dramas, even if the clothes aren't perfectly period. Look for what the designer and the director might be doing with the costuming. And now that everything is filmed in like 800k and you can see into the actors' pores, enjoy the details that costumers lovingly incorporate into each garment when they have the time and staffing to do so! The costume shop works hard and deserves appreciation and recognition even if the end result isn't an actual time machine. Even in living history where we stand exactly where our ancestors stood and do the things they did every day, we can never exactly relive their experiences, so give yourself permission to enjoy the costuming art form for what it is, not what it can never be.

This is why I am not allowed to watch period dramas anymore

[lil-blueee]

Redamancy | Takashi Mitsuya x Reader (Tokyo Revengers)

Redamancy (n.): The act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full.

Treasure the time you spend together,

Treasure the ride in the evening time,

Treasure the confession under the night sky.

May you all feel the love and fall in love!

____________________

It is now eventide, the moment when the Sun deliberately goes down, exuding its vibrant red and orange rays that tints the former azure firmament. And here you are, resting on the leather chesterfield sofa while gazing at those skylights above. Broken lines of cumulus, or cotton-like clouds, are stretching for miles in the air, reflecting those fiery shades that intensifies the whole scene's saturation.

"Beautiful." You mumble, eyes lingering at that exquisite sight.

It doesn't take that long for a pitch black color to invade the sky, noticing that dusk is coming to your city. You raise up both arms to stretch that stiff upper body before a small growl grabs your attention. Looking at the clock, it's a quarter past six already.

"Guess he'll come back late tonight. I've to eat alone then."

You place your right hand on your stomach to feel that small rumbling sound - a signal for dinner time. The corners of your lips pull down to reveal a sad but so-be-it face. "Well, time to eat." You reheat the bento box in the microwave and prepare a glass of water before bringing them both to the table. Hands clasp together, you mumble, "Itadakimasu."

After finishing your meal, you sip a cup of warm tea while walking towards the bust mannequin, where the sleeveless white bridal gown is put on. Four different length of layers were sew from the waist line, covering half of the chapel train - the last and longest layer of the dress. To break free from the usual, monotonous gown, that man thoroughly embroidered roses on the left lateral, artfully arranged those small flowers from the shoulder to the side of the waist, and bigger ones when reaching the end of the train.

There's only one more piece left to complete the dress, a wedding veil. And it's also the final task for you - the girl making a messy bun for her wavy silver hair with apparent black highlights. Heading to the table where the folded tulle fabric is laying, you put the tea cup down, left hand slowly grabs your pair of black eyeglasses beside it. Eyes giving a quick glance at those thin lines drawn by tailor's chalk, you take one deep breath, ignoring some strains of hair falling down on the side and hold the sharp piece of scissors. After all, this dress is made for Hinata Tachibana, one of your best friends. I can't screw it.

You slowly cut off the excess length of the tulle until those metal blades return to their starting point, making the cabbage falls down the ground. Your other hand holds the outside edge of the fabric to trim its corners slightly, adding the curve for a graceful look. "Now then," A delighted smile appears on your face. Your sparkling gaze is looking through the edge of the veil again to see any jagged or uneven fabric needs cutting.

Immersing yourself in your work, you don't even recognize the presence of another man at the entrance, crossing his arms on one another. His head leans against the door frame, looking at you with those adoring droopy lavender eyes. "Quite meticulous, aren't you?" The lilac-haired mumbles, giving his compliment before he turns around and walks along the hall.

After that final touch, you sigh in relief, gently using your left hand surface to mop the sweat from your brow. "All we need to do is sew it. I should wait for Taka—" You startle. Whatever touches against your cheek literally makes your heart jump because of the cold sensation.

"What in the—" Like a natural reflex, you turn your head around to search for the source, but that sixth sense of yours can somehow guess the person standing behind this.

"You call for me?" He asks in a soft tone voice. In front of you right now is Takashi Mitsuya, a gentleman in his dark grey suit layered with a black shin length trench coat, projecting his professional image which instantly forms the first impression to anyone he meets. Hand passes you a bottle of water, the lilac-haired chuckles at the face he saw.

You keep staring at him, your eyebrows pull closer together while your lips tighten, making an angry but quite adorable face in his opinion. As you're about to give him a piece of your mind, his genuine smile immediately blows your anger away. That gentleman appearance, combining with his somewhat irresistible face are like a deadly combo suppressing your anger. How can I get mad like this? Placing your palm on the forehead, you ask yourself before telling him,

"You can just give it normal—"

Hold up! You pause when a thought runs through your mind and interrupts your speech. An idea? No, more like a revenge! Lower your face while smirking devilishly, one side of his slit eyebrow lifts up as he wonders what has got into you until...

"Actually, thank you very much, Takashi."

Calling for his name in a mischievous voice, you raise your slender hand not to take that bottle but to gently grab the other big, masculine one. Eyes lock with the others droopy lavender, you smile innocently as a way to express your affection toward him.

It doesn't take that long for the Second Division Captain to realize your intention. Instead of questioning about your rapid change in behavior, the lilac-haired decides to go along with your act. [First name]-chan, you're no match for me. His surprised face soon reveals a smirk, taking his time to respond you.

"My my~ you really mean it, [First name]?" said Mitsuya in a low tone voice.

He takes a few steps toward while you're doing the opposite, walking backward till your body hits the table without noticing. You startle but your attention is still drawn to his hand pulling the tie knot side to side to loosen that black plain necktie. This soon piques your curiosity. Is it because of the heat or he's doing it on purpose? However, judging the look on his face, you have every reason to eliminate the former assumption. Actually, no one will argue once they meet his sharp, yet flirtatious glance trying to lure you in his sweet trap. The gap is now shortened to only a few centimeters apart, Mitsuya rests both of his hands on the table to trap you inside then leans his lips closer to your reddened ear.

"Or you're asking for something else?" He whispers, sending shivers down your spine.

A flush of excitement is rising to your cheek, but you - my friend, show no signal of being dominated. In spite of the wild beating heart in your chest, you naturally grabs his tie and pulls it closer, looking straight into that man's eyes. "Make a guess."

Now you've done it. That confident expression of yours finally pulls the trigger for a massive explosion in his heart. It's not really something unexpected, but the Captain can't help himself whenever he sees you like this. The lilac-haired signs, looking down the ground to hide his defeated face. But, things won't end that easy.

"Alright, you said it. But," Unveiling a devilish smirk, his left hand wraps around your waist and gives a sudden pull, making your eyes widen from his unexpected move, "don't mad at me afterward."

The other hand is gently placing on your cheek before his thumb touches your lips. He's not gonna... There are butterflies in your stomach as you realize his intention, but sadly, it's too late to escape by now. Feeling his head is leaning closer, you place both hands on his chest to try and stop him though his body doesn't move a single bit. Hold up, hold up, hold up!!! Too close!

"Takashi, wait—" Your eyes shut immediately, knowing what he's about to do.  

Mitsuya pauses when his lips are only a few centimeters away. That man is taking a glance at your heavily blushing face and secretly smiling to see this shy and nervous side of yours. Oh my, now I'm the meanie. He signs. Well then...

Soft. Something touches the tip your nose - a light kiss, as light as a feather. As your mind is still trying to comprehend the whole thing, his giggle soon gets you back to your senses.

"I'm just joking! You don't have to worry!" You open your eyes and freeze like a statue. Noticing how tense up you are, his hand gently caresses your cheek where the heat is still lingering around. "Did I scare you, [First name]-chan?"

You know the answer, don't you? Well, he did surprise you in a way but... why not let him guess a little longer? "Who would?" You mumble.

"Really? Shall we try again the—"

Like an instinct, your palm covers his lower face as you know he won't leave you time to answer.

"Not so fast. I won't be tricked again." You smile cheerfully because this time for sure, victory is in your hand. However, life rarely happens according to your plans, and especially when you are with him.

His gaze sharpens and that makes you think twice about your action. Just when you're about to let your hand down, the lavender-eyed holds it in position and gives your palm a kiss. You raise your eyebrows and are completely shocked at his gesture. Mitsuya gently places your hand in his palm, bowing down like a gentleman greets a lady before his lips touch your knuckles. This greeting gesture, hand-kissing, normally indicates courtesy and politeness but not in this case scenario. 

"Are you sure about that, my Muse?" He asks with a mischievous smile.

And the Cupid - the god of love in the Ancient Roman, shots his arrow right through your heart, again. Love and passion are spreading out from your wound, making you fall for this man for... how many times you have lost count to be honest. The only difference is that you sink deeper and deeper every time the Cupid has his decision.

"So now you're into role play just simply because of the suit? And what Muse would wear a white tube top with grey sweatpants like me?" You chortle.

"Well, doing it once in a while isn't so bad though." He answers. "And you're always beautiful no matter what you wear."

That makes your heart skip a beat. He always says what in his mind, even if you're ready for it or not. "You sure are good with words." Whispering softly, you don't know what to do but to smile happily like a child.

"Anyway, how was the meeting with your customers?" You ask.

"The good news is we have a big order coming up. It's for their wedding and they chose the design already. One mermaid wedding dress and a tuxedo. We have to make five dresses for the bridesmaids too, so it's gonna be a busy week."

"Oh no, it's not that much... Lemme fainted a little." Without waiting him to respond, you let your head fall down on his shoulder, creating a big "thump" sound in the ears. The Captain is trying hard not to laugh by now. He gently pats that heavy head of yours.

"But still, I'll try my best to help. Can't let my beloved handle everything, right?" There you go, being mischievous again.

Wish you could see his face at that time. It was the most happiest face in the world. He wraps you in his arms for a full, warm embrace. "And I don't want my Muse to be exhausted too."

"But we'll put that aside for now. Wanna go for a ride? It must be bored to spend your whole day in the workshop."

Your eyes wide open to hear his suggestion. How long has it been since the last ride you guys had with each other? You're obviously happy to hear that but you're quite concerned about his health. "Maybe you should rest for today, you must be tired already."

"It's okay. I need to refresh my mind a bit. Lemme get change real quick." He gives you a light pat on your head.

Standing in front of the garage, you're gazing at Mitsuya, who is wearing an energetic set of cloth, opposite to the formal style earlier. He layers his white tee with a loose black baseball jacket with cream leather sleeves. This jacket was you two first couple cloth, and it was made by you-know-who. For the bottom, he puts on grey sweatpants and a pair of sneakers.

Your man is taking his baby Impulse out. The lavender-eyed is looking for something, your helmet. He slowly puts it on for you to ensure your safety while you sit behind him.

"Hold on tight." No matter how many times he has taken you out, that sentence always comes up first like a habit. Yes, you understand clearly that he cares about you, but seeing him like this somehow makes you want to tease him.  

"Come on! It's not like my first time letting my boyfriend take me for a ride~" Leaning your body closer to his back, you slowly give that muscular body a hug from behind. The lilac-haired sighs, lowers his head before turning around.

"And it's not like my first time saying this to my girlfriend." He responds while gives you a light flick on your forehead. "I just want to make sure you'll feel safe."

You release your hands to touch the spot where he aimed. Knitting your eyebrows, you ask. "Alright, but do you have to give me a flick?"

"Cause I feel like it." Now your nose is being pinched. Right after when you try to react, Mitsuya grabs your hands and puts them around his waist again. "Alright, no more teasing. We'll be back late if we don't leave now."

You actively tighten your arms so that someone won't give a long lecture again. "Fine, baka Taka."

"That's my girl." Closing his eyes, those lips reveal a winsome smile before his black full face helmet covers it. Once everything is set, he starts the engine and drive you both to the main road.

Resting your head on his firm back, your eyes slowly observe the night life in the city, looking at those cars running on the road and how people spend the rest of their night. Every time the winds blow through your hair, they always give a sense of relaxation, relieving all the stress you have during those working hours.

You breathe out bit by bit, tighten your embrace without noticing, which is a good sign for the person sitting in front of you. Glad she's enjoying this. The lilac-haired chuckles in secret, feels glad at your reaction.

Fifteen minutes have passed by, you two leave the city center, driving on a deserted road that leads to an abandon outdoor parking space overlooking the city's view. This is his go-to place whenever he seeks for the tranquility and now, it's yours too. Mitsuya drives right to the spot where you can observe the mesmerizing scene below and parks his Impulse.

Arms in the air, you stand up and stretch your back after spending nearly the whole day in his workshop, helping him to finish the wedding dress on time. Turn your head around to look at the man sitting side saddle, you ask. "Just three days left. We'll finish Hina-chan dress before it, right?"

"Yeah, I only need to sew the veil and adjust the length of the dress a bit." Mitsuya responds before gazing at you with a delighted face. "It all thanks to your help! Your skills have improved a lot after two months."

"Really? Guess I have to thank someone being patient while teaching me too~" Your mind then recalls how many times he sighed and flicked your forehead when you messed up during your practice. Despite of that, your caring teacher always there to explain and demonstrate again and again. Also, you can't forget the times you injured yourself because of your clumsiness, and he was always there to help you. Those are the memories that you're always cherish.

"I'll still be in your care, Sensei~" You giggle.

Sitting beside the man you love, you lean your head on his shoulder while getting lost in thought. 12 years huh... They finally make it. The fact that Hanagaki could travel back in time is always unbelievable because to you, it's something that only appears in sci-fi movies. You're really grateful that he tries to save everyone even if he has to risk his life. Not knowing what the future may hold, every moment staying with Mitsuya just becomes precious and you truly appreciate it.

Hina-chan finally escapes from the Death, now they're about to engage. "I'm glad for them."

Hearing your mumble, his left arm, which wrapped around your waist, moves its way up to pat your head. Those fingers that he uses to design beautiful clothes are now gently stroking your hair.

"What're you thinking about?" He asks out of curiosity.

"I was thinking..." After a few seconds of consideration, you say something out of the blue "when will I become a bride?"

From your unexpected answer, Mitsuya completely freezes. His astonished face with raised eyebrows and wide-opened lavender eyes is fully drawn to you. Looks like someone's heart just skips a beat. You really are...

Not seeing the Captain react, you ask him with concern. "Taka— Wh—what???"

As you're about to lift your head up, his hand quickly covers your eyes, pressing it down to the old position. You're wondering what the heck is going, not knowing Mitsuya is facing the other direction, hands cover his face. He's making time for the blush to fade away but it's impossible when you're struggling like this. 

"Stay still for awhile, will you?" A long sigh escapes from his lips when you're trying to pull his hand off.

After realizing how physically strong he is, you finally surrender. "Fine, I give up."

The atmosphere go into silent, no one has opened up first because you're waiting for him, and your boyfriend? He's still trying to calm himself down. Once Mitsuya gets back to his cool, usual shelf, he removes his hand to reveal your sound sleeping face.

"[First name]-chan?" He whispers.

Oh... She must be exhausted. Caressing your cheek before moving to your ear, his mind suddenly recalls your words. The Captain tries to move his other hand without waking you up, manages to take something out of his pocket. He then remains silent, eyes are focusing that small box lying in the palm of his right hand. "A bride, you said..."

His thumb opens the box, staring at the thing placing in the middle. For some reasons, your man hesitates before taking out the circle object, raising it up to the night sky and gazing deeply.

"You should fall for someone else." He mumbles.

"That's what I said when you confessed your feelings. But you, you still stay around after everything we went through, after knowing my background." Mitsuya pinches your cheek lightly because he doesn't want to interrupt your sleep.

"How stubborn you are."

You can feel something touch your face but only make an annoyed expression like a reflex.

"You always talk to me, run toward me whenever I'm around, and even learn how to sew. And just like that, I get familiar with your presence in my life."

"I used to think if you were in love with someone else, I would be rooting for you and make sure you find a good guy. But right now, I don't think I can let you go—— No, more like I won't let you go this time."

His hand puts something on your right ear. It's his other signature piercing - a black huggie earring with silver crosses.

"One for me, one for my most important person. Hope you won't laugh at my childish thought, I was young and bold." He chuckles at his own thought.

"I'm not ready to be your spouse yet, not when I'm still struggling with financial issues. I don't want my love to struggle it with me."

"Just a little more, will you wait for me, [First name]-chan?"

[highladyluck]

“Magic Dagger Curse Is My Middle Name” & Human Evil in Wheel of Time

Part 2 of a series of essays on the theme “Tuon is Mat’s Replacement Shadar Logoth Dagger”. (Part 1 was “Stealing Is The Way to Mat Cauthon’s Heart”.)

This discusses the many parallels Tuon has to Mat’s dagger on a symbolic level, covering both her and her role as leader of Seanchan. But mostly, I talk an extraordinary amount about how the Shaido, Whitecloaks, and Seanchan reflect the archetypal in-universe human evil of Shadar Logoth.

Magic Dagger Curse Is My Middle Name

Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag (now Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag) has a lot of names, and I'd found puns or references in most of them. There's the "Lady Luck" pun of "Empress Fortuona". There's the very appropriate "Kore" (Persephone's and Tuon's pre-kidnapping moniker, meaning "Maiden") for a girl who gets kidnapped and dragged through both the human underworld (a circus, and a dive bar that's literally called a hell) and the death-related underworld (a literal ghost town full of ghosts, and the hell of guerilla warfare). There's "Devi", a reference to divinity, which replaces "Kore". Paendrag is of course an Arthurian legend reference.

But the one name I never quite understood was her only other permanent name- "Athaem". The 13th Depository Blog suggests it was meant to evoke both "athame" - a knife or dagger used in magic rituals - and "anathema" - a curse, especially one that exiles someone. Go on, let that sink in. Tuon's middle name is "Magic Dagger Curse". Tuon "Magic Dagger Curse" Paendrag. Fortuona "Magic Dagger Curse" Paendrag. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH THAT TUON'S ACTUAL MIDDLE NAME HAS ACTUALLY BEEN "MAGIC DAGGER CURSE" THIS ENTIRE TIME.

Basically that's all I actually need to say here to prove that Tuon is the symbolic return of Mat's sexy cursed magic dagger that isolates the bearer via paranoia and suspicion, but let's throw in some of the other parallels just for fun and so you have time to recover from the psychic damage I just dealt you. There's some fun ones just around rubies specifically and the color red.

The Shadar Logoth dagger has a large dark ruby on it, the size of Mat's thumbnail. Mat estimates it would buy a dozen farms back home, and when Mat first meets Tuon, he notices she's 'wearing a fortune in rubies'. Also, before she becomes Empress, Tuon's signature color is red; she's got red fingernails, red and a very dark green are the imperial colors as seen on the Deathwatch guards, she buys a lot of red silk in Jurador, and presumably the roses in the Raven and Roses imperial sign are red, as she treasures Mat's present of red silk rosebuds. (Interestingly, she starts going more blue once she becomes Empress- I'm thinking specifically of the blue nails and dress she has when she declares maritime Ebou Dar her capital.)

Tuon also has other physical similarities to edged weapons in general, and the dagger specifically. Like the dagger, she looks ornamental but could absolutely kill you. Mat describes her hands as "bladed like an ax" when she strikes a footpad in the throat to save him. She's also sharp, in the sense of being very intelligent and canny. Also, she could learn to channel, and in being a sul'dam is a conduit for magic, so she fits that aspect of the dagger as well. And, last but not least, like the dagger, Tuon is a fascinating and deadly artifact of a powerful civilization that embraces a uniquely human form of evil.

Shadar Logoth as Ultimate Human Evil

In the books, Shadar Logoth is our loadstone for what is described as a specifically human kind of evil, separate from the absolute, somewhat abstracted "evil for evil's sake" that is the province of the Dark One. The Dark One's ideology as practiced by humans ends up being nihilism, or rather, self-interested nihilism. (Ishamael isn't a pure nihilist, he's ok with getting worldly power while there's still a world.) In contrast, Shadar Logoth's downfall is a kind of corruption; evil things done in the name of, and for the sake of, good things. There are other cultures that do that, of course, but Shadar Logoth is the purest example of 'the ends justify the means', since their 'end' was fighting the Dark One.

"The victory of the Light is all. That was the battlecry Mordeth gave them, and the men of Aridhol shouted it while their deeds abandoned the Light. [...] No enemy had come to Aridhol but Aridhol. Suspicion and hate had given birth to something that fed on that which created it, something locked in the bedrock on which the city stood." -Moiraine, The Eye of the World

The goal of opposing the Dark One (an abstract idea of evil) at any cost led them to turn on and destroy not just their allies but ultimately each other.

Mat's Shadar Logoth dagger is a part of Shadar Logoth that has most of the powers of the whole. When carried by an individual, it can brainwash, induce (semi-justified) paranoia, kill via corruption, and infect others. These are all powers associated with Aridhol/Shadar Logoth. About the only thing the dagger can't do that we see other elements of Shadar Logoth do is shapechange or snatch bodies (#JustMordethThings) and move semi-instinctually on its own (like Mashadar). Shadar Logoth is established as Peak Human Evil, an evil so archetypal it has undergone a sort of dark apotheosis and become both a physical and metaphysical force.

Because it is so archetypal, we should expect to see aspects of it reflected in other Randland cultures that are antagonistic to our heroes, but which are not explicitly pledged to the Dark One.  We should also expect to see the same part to whole dynamic in those cultures' leaders. Rand is a great example of this part-to-whole dynamic; as the Dragon Reborn who is 'one with the land', he struggles against increasing paranoia and self-hatred, which leads him to act as his own antagonist for much of the series, even as he explicitly fights against the Dark One. It's the Shadar Logoth struggle writ large. Therefore, the leader of a corrupted, Shadar Logoth-esque culture will be a powerful and faithful representative of the traits of that culture; you could say they are the purest expression of that culture.

This is a tenet of Robert Jordan's worldbuilding and narrative, and applies to more than just the antagonist leaders; protagonist leaders also stand in practically and symbolically for their culture or group. Over the course of the series, nations and groups end up led by the 'best' people for the job, where 'best' is some combination of 'most representative', 'most competent', and/or 'best adhering to their culture's ethical tenets' (which often happen to be our protagonists). This has the possibly unintended/unconscious effect of justifying autocracy, monarchy, etc in-world because it's all adhering to aristocracy, 'rule by the best', where 'best' is rather culturally relative. It's also an artifact in-universe of the world moving to a wartime footing; anyone who isn't the best person for the job gets tossed out of the way in the name of prepping for Tarmon Gai'don, by some combination of The Will of The Pattern as well as actual effort on the part of our heroes.

On a more meta level, Robert Jordan's choice to use third person limited points of view means we get a lot of POV characters who are very embedded in their cultures and serve as an immersive cultural crash course for the reader. They tend to be either main or secondary characters who are movers and shakers in the plot (justifying the time we spend in their heads) or there to provide an outsider reaction to main or secondary characters (again, justifying the time we spend in their heads.) Robert Jordan's writing is concerned with the use, abuse, and fluctuations of power, but it's worth noting that he doesn't give us POVs of characters who are structurally and permanently without power.

POV characters often have moments of powerlessness, either in the beginning of their narratives or at the end, but if you happen to be a WoT character who never had power and never will, RJ isn't interested in showing us the inside of your head. For example, we don't ever get a POV from an ordinary da'covale who spends the entire series out of control of their own destiny, even though that could be a very powerful outsider perspective. Instead, we get POVs from sojhin, who are movers and shakers in their own right. (These are great POVs--Karede's POV in chapter 36 of KOD is maybe my favorite of the entire series, it's a work of art--but again, there's a bias here in who we observe observing.) In a series where people bemoan or celebrate being constrained by fate and consciously question if they have free will, we somehow don't hear from those who have never had worldly power; we only hear from those who do, or once did.

(I find this disappointing, and it's one of the reasons I find it difficult to recommend the Wheel of Time books- which are obviously deeply personally significant to me, and which I find fun, interesting, and more often than not, well-written- without caveats. The series is so obviously about power and choice and the ways they influence each other, and uses third person limited POV so skillfully, that it is surprising and disturbing to me that we are not exposed directly to the point of view of those who have been permanently and structurally deprived of power. We miss an opportunity to engage with the core themes on that level, and also uncover an authorial bias that hasn't aged very well and which makes me look at some of RJ's other choices with a more jaundiced eye. I believe WoT would have been stronger and richer thematically if it had grappled directly with the realities and perspectives of those who remained powerless throughout the events of the series. And whether it was an unconscious or deliberate choice to leave out those perspectives, not having them there lessens my trust and acceptance of Robert Jordan's takes on power and choice. But I digress!)

Heirs of Shadar Logoth: The Shaido

So, there are other antagonist cultures that we spend a lot of time with but which are not explicitly allied with the Dark One (though we are always shown their leaders being subject to the Dark One's influence, through their advisors and high-ranking coworkers, who are Darkfriend characters that have positions of structural power and influence.) Overall, the Shadar Logoth archetype means we are looking for structural corruption, fear, hatred, and the cultural belief that the ends justify the means. In-universe, that's what human evil looks like, and we expect to find it in our secondary antagonists.

So let's take a look at the Shaido, who are attempting to recapture a glorious (fictional) past by imposing a corrupted version of their original values on others; the Whitecloaks, who spread authoritative dehumanization and bigotry in the name of order and righteousness; and the Seanchan, who have the dubious distinction of doing *both*, which is why they win the door prize for Most Problematic Antagonist Who Isn't Literally Allied With The Dark One.

The Shaido are an example of a corrupted culture that imposes its corruption on others, especially others that do not meaningfully consent to be assimilated. Their corruption starts with suspicion and fear and leads to brainwashing; they choose to believe a lie because it is more palatable than the truth, and because they fear becoming powerless and losing their cultural identity. They and the Aiel that joined them cannot accept Rand's truth bomb about the origins of the Aiel as pacifists. It's an idea so counter to modern Aiel self-image and culture that the secret was carefully hidden and used as a test of character for Aiel leaders.

In the test, the knowledge that they had betrayed their original ideals to survive was presented in the original emotional and logistical contexts, which may have helped the Aiel who went through the test survive learning about it; it's easier to empathize and overcome fear and disgust if you know why people made the decisions they did. To survive, and to self-govern, the honor-bound Aiel leadership has learned to forgive themselves for their corruption, while not losing the lessons they learned from it, and empathize with people almost entirely unlike themselves. (How effective are they at that? Your mileage may vary.)

Normally, only those who could accept the information could reach the highest leadership roles. Sevanna, whom the Shaido exodus coalesces under after the death of Couladin, is the only Wise One who didn't go through that testing process (she got in on a technicality), which makes her uniquely qualified to lead the group that can't accept this information. Like that group, she lacks humility or the ability to accept unpleasant truths; however, she's self-confident, politically skilled, culturally competent, and has a clear vision for her people, which are the other qualities that the Aiel select for in their leaders. (I cannot believe that today I woke up and said nice things about Sevanna!)

She's presented as somewhat 'corrupted' by wetlander ways, greedy for wealth and power, but I think it's more that she's off the leash of strict Aiel morality; she goes on a reign of terror, taking more than she needs of any resource, and capturing non-Aiel and keeping them as permanent gai'shain. This is clearly slavery in a more modern sense. The Aiel proper have a sort of ancient-style slavery, based on taking prisoners of war, that is time-bound, highly regulated, and that everybody more or less consents to by living in that society. (I say more-or-less; not sure your average civilian Aiel precisely consents the way a warrior might consent, but then again, everyone in Aiel society is a little bit of a warrior.) Sevanna's unconsenting, permanent, non-Aiel gai'shain are a clear violation of all of these tenets, and resemble the bodysnatching and invasive nature of the Shadar Logoth evil. Fear turns into hatred of both kinds of uncorrupted Aiel (the originals, and the modern) and of those groups of people who are not like them. In the end, the Shaido dissolve, their corruption having weakened them so that they fall prey to outside forces.

Heirs of Shadar Logoth: The Children of the Light/Whitecloaks

The Whitecloaks are an obvious heir to Shadar Logoth, as they persecute channelers and anyone they consider a Darkfriend in the name of order, righteousness, and the Light. Whitecloaks represent the paranoia, assassination, and brainwashing powers of Shadar Logoth, and insofar as they have assimilated Amadicia and make forays across borders, they also cover invasion, though to perhaps a smaller degree than the Shaido (or the Seanchan). The Whitecloaks are also good intentions, corrupted; yes, Darkfriends are bad, yes, the Light is good, no, not everyone you don't like or who has power you want is a Darkfriend! They turn neighbor against neighbor, harrass, torture, and murder the innocent as well as the guilty, and generally do all the bad behavior you would expect of a military quasi-religious order that considers itself above the law. Also, Mordeth/Fain literally got his grubby hands all over the Whitecloaks early in the story and made them even worse.

Galad is a really good example of the 'best man for the job' ending up in it; Galad's extremely uncompromising morality is most likeable and practical when he's fulfilling a 'reformer' role in a group that really needs it, and when he's not in that role, his entire deal can feel excessive and alienating. (Although I will note that if you think about how his mom abandoned him to pursue what she was told was her duty, and his dad was a real asshole, you can kind of see why Galad has such a strict moral code and won't let something like family or feelings get in the way of carrying out his duty... anyway just having feelings about Galad, don't mind me.) When leading the Whitecloaks he recalls them to their original ideals and purpose, which is literally fighting the Shadow on an actual battlefield, and makes them hew to ethical standards from the original Lothair Mantelear text and his own personal extremely high standards.

He purifies the Children of the Light, insofar as they can be purified, purging the corrupt people and practices. This allows the Whitecloaks to ally with the Light, rather than sitting out the Last Battle or killing important Light-allied groups. But the Whitecloak channelerphobia is not going to be eradicated so easily, and that's mostly what Galad’s family was objecting to about him joining the Whitecloaks in the first place. And even Galad starts to succumb to it by the end of the series, although to be fair the White Tower had definitely done a number on his family by that point. Post-Last-Battle, Galad is really going to have to grapple with 'what is the practical purpose of a bunch of armed busybodies who think they're better than everyone else and who have a very deep-seated hatred and fear of channelers?' One hopes he'll convert them to a peaceable monastic order doing community service. If anyone can do it, it's probably Galad, but I think it's not going to be easy and it's also not clear to me if Galad is going to have the same opinion about the necessity that I do.

Heirs of Shadar Logoth: The Seanchan

So, now we come to the Seanchan, who are a rich, complex, fascinating culture that combines the best and worst thematic elements of both the Shaido and the Whitecloaks. Twice the fun, twice the flavor! Like the Shaido, they are the corruption of an honor-based culture that now assimilates other people and cultures without their consent. The Seanchan have a strongly-held honor system that uses public and private shame as a deterrent to unethical behavior, similar to ji'e'toh, but like the Shaido, they apply it to conquered peoples under duress; even if the Seanchan themselves are ok living this way, there's no real consent happening when they conquer.

Like the Shaido, the Seanchan claim to be the true heirs of an ancient legacy, the children of the child of Artur Hawkwing, but have spent enough time in Seanchan to absorb all sorts of concepts Artur Hawkwing never had (slavery, taming weird beasties, exploiting Aes Sedai rather than just avoiding or fighting them). Their culture is also built on convenient fictions; the knowledge that sul'dam can learn to channel, and that some can be held by the a'dam, is likely to produce a truth bomb down the line, one way or another. And the Seanchan are an imperial power, which means they automatically follow the natural growth and rules of empire; always be expanding, always be consuming, always be exploiting. They're Mashadar, baby!

Let's zoom in on the slavery, since that's one prong of what makes the Seanchan evil. It's a kind of bodysnatching and brainwashing, and there are some really interesting parallels here to the Shaido and Aiel. The Seanchan have three forms of institutional slavery; so'jhin, da'covale, and damane. So'jhin, hereditary upper servants of the upper class, have the most power and are analogous but not precisely equivalent to normal Aiel gai'shain. Like standard gai'shain, they are considered property that can be traded, have some level of autonomy and ability to direct their lives, certain rights and privileges, and in theory can be manumitted.

Unlike gai'shain, they actually can have more political power than free people. Also unlike gai'shain, they are not guaranteed manumission after a set time, and while I think the gai'shain consent issue is a little muddy (Aiel can't help being born Aiel and thus subject to Aiel raids) so'jhin are born into slavery and have therefore absolutely not consented to it. So'jhin appear to be based at least partially on Byzantine examples of high-ranking slaves, and slavery in other very complex and bureaucratic cultures where those in power needed highly competent administrators, but didn't want the administrators supplanting them.

Da'covale are equivalent to Shaido gai'shain; often (but not always) captured from other cultures, absent the rights and privileges of regular gai'shain or so'jihn, and bound to involuntary servitude for life, although they can in theory be manumitted. (Shaido gai'shain have the option of trying to escape, I guess.) They have very little autonomy and power to direct their lives. It may be possible for da'covale to become so'jihn, so again there is a kind of internal mobility/potential access to power that doesn't have an exact equivalent with the Aiel models, but that's offset by the lack of consent; da'covale can also be born into slavery. One can be made da'covale as punishment for defiance or anything else the Seanchan see as a crime, or born into it. It seems historically equivalent to ancient, prisoner-of-war-type slavery, mixed with the carcereal state; you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or you fucked up, and that's the justification for making you a slave.

Damane have some points in common with both regular Aiel and Shaido versions of dat'sang; they are all slavery in the form of the carcereal state/slavery as an outcome of the justice system. Dat'sang are 'despised ones', usually those accused of being Darkfriends or who have committed heinous crimes. It's a punishment that is apparently permanent and unrecallable, and they are sentenced to the most shaming labor in the worst conditions. They are cast-out from the community and forced to serve it in the most degrading way. Marath'damane, channelers with the spark who are not leashed, are treated like dat'sang are, in that they are cast out of their communities and shamed for their 'crimes'. Once they are leashed, though, they become integral parts of Seanchan society and are told to take pride in the service they can provide, which is very unlike the dat'sang cultural experience. Damane are enslaved and exploited for their talents, ostensibly to keep the general population safe from their magic powers and their potential political power, but also because they're an incredibly powerful military and infrastructure resource.

The first damane was created out of a combination of fear, greed, and hatred. One Seanchan-local Aes Sedai captured a rival and brought her to Luthair Paendrag, who she knew would be receptive to constraining the power of channelers. What she didn't count on was that solution being institutionalized, and that she'd eventually fall prey to it herself; a classic Shadar Logoth "do a shitty thing unto others and eventually you'll just be doing a shitty thing to yourself" move. Both the existing Seanchan population and Luthair's group had already othered, hated, and feared channelers, the Seanchan possibly for logical contextual reasons (seems like the Seanchan Aes Sedai were all independent Americans who didn't want to be governed by a universal code of ethics or subject to institutional oversight, which is not conducive to living in a society), and Luthair because of Ishamael’s original corruption of Artur Hawkwing.

In the end, the combined Luthair group/original Seanchan institutionalized their channeler bigotry, saying that the ends (preventing channelers from exploiting non-channelers) justified the means (exploiting channelers). Damane are never, ever freed and now the Seanchan think of channeling independently as inherently a corruption and a crime; something that makes the involuntary channeler evil and unhuman. They also break channelers, brainwashing them into thinking that this is for their own good (and not just for the good of the state).

(Another meta aside: Because involuntarily channeling is a genetic trait that the channeler has no control over, leashing damane feels to a modern reader, especially US ones, I think, very much like the race-based slavery of our recent past. Especially the idea that the enslaved person is enslaved as a punishment for a crime; this is something that would hit a US reader pretty hard, given that the US's booming prison population is the only legal slave labor force in the US and is also disproportionately made up of people of color. I am pretty sure that explicit parallels between racist slavery and the practice of leashing damane would be supported by Robert Jordan, especially since he literally put the Seanchan on post-apocalyptic North and South America. They have other influences, including Imperial Japan and Imperial China, and the Byzantine Empire, but in this way, and also because of the Texas accents, they are very, very American.)

The Seanchan are also similar to the Whitecloaks; they're both military groups who hate and fear channelers, and they are particularly susceptible to paranoia and assassination/extrajudicial murder. The Shadow didn't have any trouble infliltrating either the Whitecloak command structure (especially the Questioners) or the Seanchan Blood; there's a certain background level of 'the ends justify the means' going on in Seanchan and Whitecloak power centers that makes them fertile ground for recruitment. The Whitecloaks and the Seanchan both have a kind of secret police; Questioners and Seekers (they even have similar names!) who operate under certain strictures with respect to their upper management, but who can basically do whatever the hell they want to ordinary people. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you that secret police are PEAK Shadar Logoth; they were always judging everyone else, generating paranoia and mistrust.

The Blood and Imperial family are also a really great example of Shadar Logoth values creating a (somewhat) functioning society full of extremely fucked-up people; the more power you have, the more delicately you have to step and the harder you have to watch your own back. The higher up you go, the less trust you are able to have in others, until you reach the point where people are sending assassins after an imperial baby, and the imperial baby grows up thinking that's completely normal and fair and it's their fault if they are ever not good enough to dodge it. (Hi, sorry, please excuse me and my many, many feelings about Tuon.) That kind of thing makes you very, very sharp, assuming you survive; it also makes you very inured to violence and most comfortable when you've got a high baseline paranoia going at all times. It puts you in danger and it gives you the means to survive danger; it's very Shadar Logoth dagger, which attracts Darkfriends but also gives you the ability to sense the Darkfriends right back, and incidentally stab the hell out of them.

A Part With the Power of the Whole: Tuon and the Seanchan

So, we have all the sins of Shadar Logoth united in the Seanchan; they're invaders, they brainwash and bodysnatch, they're paranoid, they assassinate and murder, they've institutionalized hate and fear, they're structurally corrupt in that power in their society is based on lies and exploitation, and they think that when it comes to dealing with their mortal enemies (channelers), the ends justify the means. And their leader, Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag, Empress of Seanchan, is indeed many of these things wrapped up in one efficient and deadly package.

She's a sul'dam and she enjoys her work breaking and training damane; she's had siblings assassinated and we've seen her kill onscreen; she's deeply suspicious, always second-guessing and skeptical (except about received values and information from her culture); she embodies and enforces Seanchan culture and power. She is all Seanchan in one person, and she'd tell you that proudly. She tries to assimilate *herself* into the state, because she thinks that's what she's supposed to do, to best serve her people. She wants to be the part that is an exact mirror of the whole, and she wants the whole to be perfect, so she wants herself to be perfect, too.

Do you see the shades of Galad, here? Like Galad, she has a strict and impractically idealistic moral code that makes her somewhat unpopular wherever she goes; she's too unpredictable, merciful, and flexible for her counterparts in the Blood (she's always surprising them with her unconventional choices) and too perfectly Seanchan for her allies (who are all horrified by the damane thing, or the da'covale thing, or the assassination thing, etc etc.) The things people grudgingly praise her for are sincerity, competence, compassion within the bounds of her ethical structure, and (sometimes) a willingness to consider new information or accept oversight, the last of which is only impressive because of how enormous her ego is and how thoroughly she's been indoctrinated to believe she's inherently correct and all-powerful.

She is the best of Seanchan, within the context of Seanchan: she survived, took, and kept power, making her the most competent imperial daughter; she's very ethical within Seanchan strictures, not striking first unless threatened, working to acknowledge and correct personal faults, keeping her word, showing concern and mercy for those she believes are suffering, being thoughtful and careful of consequences when she exercises power; she is most representative of all of Seanchan's flaws and virtues, as a sul'dam, Empress, and Lightside ally. (That said: is Tuon the most ethical Seanchan within a broader cultural context? Hell no, that's Egeanin, who goes through a long and painful process of realizing and rejecting the corrupt and nasty parts of Seanchan culture, after it rejects her.)

To conclude: just like Mat's Shadar Logoth dagger, Tuon is a fascinating and dangerous tool of a powerful, antagonistic civilization that embraces a uniquely human form of evil. Her middle name is literally "Magic Knife Curse", Seanchan is the most Shadar Logoth-y of non-Shadow-aligned antagonist cultures, and she also follows the very Robert Jordan pattern of leaders fractally reflecting the culture or group they lead.

[swordandboardllc]

All You Will Ever Need To Know About Writing Horses, Part 1.

Trust me, I’m not exaggerating with that title. Before I became a full-time writer, I spent my days teaching riding lessons. I went to university for Equine Sciences, and spent my teenage years apprenticing under a marvelous horseman who taught both working cowhorse and fixed ‘problem’ horses.

Note: if a term isn’t defined, feel free to ask for the definition in the comments. It likely isn’t a term you would want to use in a fantasy setting, but further education is always awesome!

Getting the Details Correct: Why Does It Matter?

Immersion, first and foremost. Horseback riding is not an uncommon hobby, especially among fantasy readers. While some readers are fairly forgiving of issues, it’s one of my personal biggest pet peeves. So to make it easy for writers, here are all the major details most people don’t know, don’t get correct, etc etc.

The Basics: horse 101

Anatomy

Hoof & Leg

Horses stand on what is the equivalent to the human middle fingernail. The leg is the equivalent of the finger. That’s why horse legs are spindly and fragile.

hooves need to be picked out by their caregivers (riders or grooms) at minimum before and after riding. Debris can get caught in the grooves of the hoof (or in the shoes) which can lead to injuries (think of if you had a piece of gravel jammed under your fingernail and then had to type with it)

Mouth

Horses have a space between their incisors before their molars, which is where the bit fits in their mouth.

The older the horse is, the more ground down their teeth are and the harder it is for them to break down forage.

Eyes

Horses have horizontal pupils, though their eyes are dark enough you don’t normally see them. Because their eyes are on the sides of their heads, they have blind spots directly in front of their nose, below their neck, and behind their tail.

Horses have terrible depth perception. They aren’t colorblind, but they are dichromatic (unlike humans who are trichromatic) and see blues and greens. No reds.

Tack (Gear)

Halters & Lead Ropes/Shanks

Rope or leather that goes around a horse’s muzzle, along the cheeks, and then behind the ears and below the jaw. Depending on the time period and culture, these can be plain and simple or highly decorated.

Arabian halters are usually styled differently as a thing chain that goes behind the ears, sometimes across the brown, down the cheeks and around the muzzle.

Halters do not have anything go into the horse’s mouth and the lead rope attaches underneath it. Halters can be left on when the horse is being ridden (under the bridle) and the lead rope can be tied around the neck or attached to the saddle if there is a place for it.

Bridles

The general style of a bridle is similar to a halter, except that instead of having a piece that attaches around the muzzle (a noseband), the cheek pieces attach to the bit.

Reins attach to the bit and then go back to the rider. There are two main types of rein: split reins and loop reins. Loop reins are one single piece of leather (or two that buckle or tie together in the middle) from one end of the bit to the other. Split reins are two pieces of leather, one for each side of the bit. Managing split reins can be very difficult for beginner riders (I always tied them together to make a loop rein or just gave my students loop reins until they mastered the basics).

Bits

There are too many different types to break down and this isn’t for the faint of heart to play around with. If you really want to get into this level of detail, comment and I’ll give you more info!

Bitless Bridles, Hackamores, Riding Halters, etc.

Lead ropes can be made into loop reins and the halter can be turned into a bitless bridle in this way. The average, well started horse will understand the pressure cues being given this way.

Saddles

Modern day saddles come in two main types: western and english. Both of these riding styles have ancient roots. Western saddles are bulkier, with a horn in the front. English saddles are smaller and lightweight.

Many ‘working saddles’ have a built up pommel area in the front of the saddle (in front of where your thighs would be if you were in the saddle). Consider what sort of setting you have, what kind of tools horses are being used for, etc. in your worldbuilding to figure out what kinds of saddles make the most sense.

Cinch/Girth

Cinch is the western term for the band that goes underneath the horse’s belly and keeps the saddle in place. Girth is the english term for it. As long as you keep consistent, either word is an acceptable term to use. To tack up properly, you need to “tighten the cinch”.

Stirrups need to be adjusted between riders that have different leg lengths. So if you have an extremely tall character and an extremely short one, please take a moment to adjust the stirrups before they sit in a saddle the other was riding in.

Saddle Blankets

Saddle blankets go underneath the saddle as a protective layer between the saddle and the horse. Western style saddles have lambskin on the underside of the saddle to have additional padding for the horse, but still require a blanket.

English style saddle blankets (saddle pads) are smaller and thinner than the western blankets as the english saddle is smaller and lighter.

"“Are you sure you are?” Loralee asked, glancing dubiously at Jin’s tack. Loralee handed her mare to Jin before double-checking the amira’s saddle. The cinch tightened an inch. Loralee buckled the clip and retied the knot before taking her mare back from Jin."  -- Chapter 8, The Dying Sun by L.J. Stanton

Diet & Care Needs

Obligate herbivores with one stomach, horses need frequent small meals to keep their gut-fill at appropriate levels. Large meals several times a day is harder on a horse’s body.

Horses primarily eat roughage (grasses). They can also have their diet supplemented with different grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Fun fact: horses don’t get drunk off beer.

Personality & Body Language (They Aren’t Dogs)

Horses are prey animals first and foremost, unlike dogs, and react to the world through that lens. It means there is a high likelihood of horses spooking at nothing, or at dark spots on the ground. They tend to be cautious at water crossings unless trained. They can be loyal, but they certainly don’t do things like wag their tails happily.

Whinnying and nickering aren’t anywhere near as common a behaviour as movies and television would have you believe (once again, prey animals). Horses will shriek, whinny, and nicker to communicate with each other for different reasons.

Blowing (exhaling loudly) in combination with lip licking is a stress relief/self soothing behaviour.

Horses greet each other by sniffing noses and smelling breath. A horse will do the same with a person or an animal that comes up to it (like a dog or a cat).

Pinned ears are a threat and sign of imminent danger. Pinned ears are usually followed by nipping, biting, shrieking, striking, and/or kicking

Striking is with the forelegs, kicking with the back legs.

HERD DYNAMICS

Lead Mare

decides where the herd stops to graze, drink, etc. etc.

helps decide whether or not spooking is necessary

Lead Stallion

protects the herd from predators and competition

Mares

make up the rest of the herd. These may be a group of sisters and aunts, but mares will come and go from herds as other stallions harass/steal mares, so they aren’t always related. Liking the stallion has a greater bond than family.

Bachelor Bands

colts (male foals) are kicked out of their birth herds when they reach sexual maturity. For safety, they will often form bachelor bands. During mating season, these bands may break up or splinter depending on whether there are herds with mares nearby.

Gaits (speeds)

Walk (4 beat)

Trot (2 beat, diagonals)

Canter/Lope (3 beat)

Gallop (4 beat with hang time)

See Part 2 in two weeks for Riding!

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