#classic lyceum

[kensingtonbae]

There are two things classicists will NEVER forget even if they get dementia:

ο η το

του της του

το τη το

τον την το

AND THE GREAT ‘fero fers tuli latum ferre’

I have nobody to talk about this online i feel ancient

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated

[bones-ivy-breath]

Anna Pavlova programs, 1915. From The New York Public Library.

[panicinthestudio]

Marble statue of the so-called Apollo Lykeios, 130-161 CE

Roman

Marble

H. with plinth 80 in. (203.2 cm.)

Copy of a Greek bronze of the mid-4th century B.C. often attributed to Praxiteles Right ankle and foot, right knee and area above and below, left kneecap and foot, tree trunk, and base are modern restorations. This is a Roman version of a famous statue of Apollo that stood in the Lyceum, a large outdoor gymnasium just outside the walls of Athens. The Roman writer Lucian described the work as Apollo resting after his labors with his right arm resting on his head. This copy was part of a collection of ancient sculpture assembled by the Marquess Vincenzo Giustiniani in the first third of the seventeenth century in Rome. The stance is somewhat awkward as the legs were restored from numerous pieces. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Broken Stones

Photo by #Antonio Rooney

[kaijuno]

“In this photo, my mom had just turned 18 years old. She was about to finish high school at a classical lyceum, where only eight students made it to the end—two girls and six boys. The others were all children of doctors, professors, and lawyers, but she was the only one whose parents were an electrician and a homemaker. My grandparents had only an elementary school education, and she had to wake up at five every morning to catch the bus with the working men to get to school. By her senior year, her paternal grandfather told her it was time to find a job; they were looking for a secretary, a well-paid and prestigious position for a good girl.

My mom was excellent in school and was sad to stop studying, but they couldn't afford it; there wasn't enough money. Then one evening, her father, my beloved grandfather Lidio, took her aside and said: "This money was set aside for your dowry. Take it and enroll in university. You can always buy sheets later." It was 1960, and my grandfather didn't even have a middle school diploma. He was an orphan from a young age, yet he was always light years ahead. After all, he had two daughters, and to those who said, "Poor thing, it’s a pity you didn't have a boy," he always replied that his daughters were the best thing life could offer him.

My mom graduated in five years, studying in the mornings and tutoring in the afternoons to support herself. She became a teacher, and since retiring, she writes books and edits theses, all thanks to a revolutionary working-class father who, in 1960, chose to invest in education rather than household linens. My grandfather was a superhero.”

[verita-lapalissiana]

i think we should totally reform the school system in italy. i have this huge complex vision but i know no one cares probably and i can't be bothered to explain in full but i think elementary school should be extended to include the last year of kindergarten as some sort of mandatory preschool year to learn the alphabet, arithmetics, get everything going a year earlier, keep the kids longer in school, include more laboratory activities, maybe even some hours dedicated to the local dialect or to a migratory language. i think by middle school everyone should at least learn basics of their local dialect and of a migratory language of their choosing.

religion should only be taught in elementary school, it should give a wide perspective on most religions and it should drop the "catholic" in the name. and then starting in middle school (which ideally would start two years earlier and last four years) it should be replaced by a broader subject, like social and civic education but like, as a full subject that could also be used for proper sexual education, and to teach antiracism and antisexism and antihomophobia and all those antis that are very much needed in today's society.

then the last year of middle school+first year of high school could become, like, some sort of preparatory gymnasium with a schedule that can be partially adjusted towards theoretical or practical subjects, depending on whether one is planning to attend a lyceum or a technical high school, and the following four years would be basically an extended version of what the triennium currently looks like in most high schools, although with a bunch of extra hours that can be personalised for laboratories and stuff like that.

also as someone who did classical lyceum, i think classical lyceum should either die forever or change in lots of ways, like adding a couple hours of philology or giving the ability to choose something other than greek, like quranic arabic, sanskrit, or old german/english/norse/whatever (latin would still be mandatory of course). also, lets make a couple new lyceums like theatrical or medical (<- this one would be pretty cool and automatically grant access to medicine/veterinary/dentistry so we can also get rid of that fucking stupid test d'ingresso). i dunno maybe im going crazy but if i ever become minister for education i would do something like this

[pers-books]

Jodie Whittaker to star in The Duchess in the West End

Zinnie Harris’ twist on John Webster’s classic was first seen in Edinburgh five years ago

Jodie Whittaker in a black top and green suede jacket smiles into the camera. Photographer: Dan Wooller

Jodie Whittaker will return to the London stage this summer.

The Doctor Who and Broadchurch star will lead The Duchess, Zinnie Harris’ take on John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi. 

Harris’ take on the classic tragedy was first seen at the Edinburgh Lyceum Theatre in 2019, where it said that she “reinvents the play in a compelling way.” It follows a recently widowed woman who, finding love and a second husband, is haunted and punished by her two brothers.

Whittaker was last on stage in Antigone at the National Theatre opposite Christopher Eccleston, back in 2012. She said today: “I’m beyond delighted to return to the stage after over a decade, and even more so to lead Zinnie Harris’ incredibly powerful adaptation of John Webster’s harrowing drama. Zinnie has so brilliantly propelled The Duchess of Malfi into contemporary culture, which is what originally drew me to the piece. Being able to portray the Duchess’ tragic and captivating story on stage every night is a true honour.”

It is set to play at the Trafalgar Theatre, running from for 11 weeks only from Sat 5 October to Friday 20 December 2024. Whittaker won’t appear on 18 and 19 October.

Further cast and creative team members are to be announced.

Tickets are on sale now.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

oh i've been trying to find this interview again, which i remembered mainly for the parts about [interviewing the parents which is so Interviewing The Parents] but has many fun details

The first time Will Roland auditioned for “Be More Chill,” he didn’t get the part. “It’s the reality of our business,” says the actor, whose family moved from Manhattan to Locust Valley when he was 8. “On any given day . . . you may be the person who is going to get the job and you may not be.” But let’s not feel too bad for Roland, whose theatrical trajectory is the stuff most people only dream of. At the same time he was auditioning for “Chill,” the sci-fi musical that made it to Broadway after its cast album went viral (more on that later), he was also involved with a workshop for, as he puts it, “another little show called ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.” He got cast in that show, playing Evan’s friend, Jared, a character who brings comic relief to a work that has its devastating moments. Roland looks back on his four years with the show as “an absolutely incredible experience.” The writers worked “my sense of humor, and the sardonic way I observe things” into this classic theater role of the clown, “the one who comes out and observes the ridiculousness of the situation,” says Roland, sitting in the balcony of the Lyceum Theatre where he’s rehearsing his next big Broadway gig — the lead in “Be More Chill,” which opens March 10. Obviously, everything turned out just fine for Roland, and for “Be More Chill,” a pop-rock musical based on a 2004 young adult sci-fi novel by Ned Vizzini that appeared to be dead in the water until the cast album went viral on social media. After the show played at a small theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 2015, “I thought it was going to be the next big thing,” says Joe Iconis, the Garden City native who wrote the music and lyrics. “There was so much momentum.” But after a review in The New York Times that “was not particularly helpful,” interest dwindled and Iconis and his partners moved on. Happily, some things are meant to be. The Red Bank theater had enough faith in the musical to order a cast album, and suddenly the fan base exploded, videos were all over YouTube and fan art appeared on Tumblr. That led to an Off-Broadway production last summer that sold out before performances started, and eventually to the Broadway run, with Roland, who is part of Iconis’ extended theatrical family, very much back in the picture.

Real people, real issues The young star was decidedly upbeat on Valentine’s Day, the afternoon following the first preview when he says those extremely vocal fans “brought some hard-core joy into this building.” Like everyone involved, he’s intrigued by the way the show took off, but really, he points out, it’s nothing more than word-of-mouth, which “just happens to be the internet right now.” On the other hand, he says, “I don’t know that word-of-mouth has ever put so much wind into the sails of a production.” When asked why the show resonates so strongly with fans, Roland says what they love about the show “is the same thing that I love about the show . . . that it is an honest depiction of real people dealing with real issues.” Roland plays Jeremy, a nerdy high schooler who never fits in until he swallows a SQUIP (a quantum computer in pill form) that has the power to turn him into one of the cool kids. There’s significant fantasy at play, says Roland, but “there is truth to every one of these characters . . . it doesn’t speak in broad, heart-rending poetry, it speaks in really human language.” Does he see himself in the character? “I think he sees himself in me a little bit,” jokes Roland, who talks about first getting involved with theater at Friends Academy in Locust Valley, which he attended from sixth grade through high school. “What they created for me, first and foremost, was a space where I found community and acceptance and belonging,” he says, which he notes, is why a lot of people start doing theater. Roland was serious about his goals “from the moment I met him,” says Tracey Foster, director of arts at Friends. “He knew what he wanted to do in life.” As the title character in “Oliver!” one of his first major roles at the school, Foster says that beyond his “big, booming, beautiful voice,” he was “touching, tender and scrappy.” (Roland’s recollection differs: “My voice was changing so it sounded really bad,” though he acknowledges that he’s “channeling a lot of those days in this performance.”) From the beginning, Foster says, Roland displayed “a wonderful combination of confidence and humility that . . . let him make mistakes and keep moving forward, pick himself up when he needed to.” Those qualities, she notes, suggest that “he’ll be able to survive the bumps in the industry.” Foster was in the audience for the first preview and naturally thought Roland was “spectacular.” But she also has raves for the production, which she first saw Off-Broadway. “They grew it up for Broadway,” she says, “in a way that was beautiful and fulfilling.”

Acting in his soul Roland’s family, of course, saw his raw talent early on. “Will sang before he spoke,” says his mom, Beth Roland, explaining that since she was a fan of “putting my child in front of a TV,” the first words out of his mouth were Big Bird’s alphabet song. Now, she says, “acting is just in him . . . it’s in his soul. I think he acts in his real life.” His dad, Bill Roland, who gets endearingly emotional when talking about watching his son onstage, has a simple response when asked about Will’s success. “Passion,” he says. For now, Roland, who turns 30 on Tuesday, is thinking less about the past than about opening night, managing the inevitable changes that Iconis and book writer Joe Tracz are throwing at the cast. He is getting married next year (check out Instagram for photos of his proposal at the ritzy but rustic Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown). After that, who knows? “Be More Chill” could run for years, and there’s a movie in the works. No one’s called yet, but Roland says, “I would very much like to be involved.” Wisely, Roland is not thinking too far ahead. “I love doing TV and film, new plays, new movies,” he says, “really getting to put my stink into a character.” He looks forward to the day he can call his own shots and thinks at some point directing might be an option. “My dream role,” he says, admitting that he’s borrowing the thought from others, “hasn’t been written yet.”

Behind the music and lyrics “When I wrote ‘Michael in the Bathroom,’ I was writing about myself,” says Joe Iconis, the Garden City native who wrote the music and lyrics for “Be More Chill.” If you don’t have a teenager in the house, note that the runaway hit from the show has all but broken the internet (it has its own Instagram account with, at last look, more than 12,000 posts). Iconis says when he wrote the song, about a guy who locks himself in a bathroom rather than face the other kids at a Halloween party run amok, he was writing about his adult self. But, he adds, “I hoped that young people would relate to it because it is a universal thing . . . someone else is going through this, not just the character in the show.” The success of the song and the show is part of a growing Iconis moment in New York theater right now. His musical “Broadway Bounty Hunter” will get its New York City debut this summer starring Annie Golden, and the cabaret group known as Joe Iconis & Family is set for a run in April and May at Feinstein’s / 54 Below. Sitting in a balcony lobby at the Lyceum Theatre, where “Be More Chill” is in previews, Iconis talks about getting the theater bug at 6, when his dad took him to see “Little Shop of Horrors” for his birthday. “I was immediately hooked,” he says, but as he grew older he realized performing was not for him. “I was terribly scared to be on stage.” With the support of his nontheatrical family (his dad is in information technology, his mom is superintendent of the Massapequa School District), the self-described “theater nerd” focused on music and says he knew by sixth grade that he wanted to be a Broadway composer. “I was definitely the only child who could say that. Ever.” As he works toward opening night on March 10, Iconis is focusing on fine-tuning the piece (“musical changes, script changes, things we want to tighten, numbers we want to reorder and rearrange”). It’s a huge enterprise, he says, but his faith in the show grows by the minute. He calls it “the little show that could.”

[scotianostra]

Happy 60th Birthday Scottish actress Blythe Duff, born 25th November 1962 in East Kilbride.

Her love of acting started with youth theatre. On leaving Hunter High School she joined The Company, a youth opportunities theatre company, based at the Glasgow Arts Centre in Washington Street and spent her summers with the Scottish Youth Theatre. She entered the profession in 1983 with her first job at the Young Playwrights Festival, I’m sure she would have known my old school friend, who won The Young Scottish Playwright of the year award back then, may he rest in peace.

Blythe worked in theatre for seven years, appearing with Scottish Opera in Street Scene as Shirley Kaplan in 1989, and at the Coliseum Theatre in London with the English National Opera. She also performed on the soundtrack album which was released on Decca Records in 1989. She was working for Scottish Opera when she landed the role of Jackie Reid in the sixth series of Taggart in 1990. Her first appearance was a community police officer in the second episode of the sixth series, “Death Comes Softly”, on 3rd December 1990, in which she is credited as playing WPC Reid. In the third episode, which first aired on 31st December 1990, she was credited as playing Jackie Reid and her character was seconded to CID as DC Reid. By series eight in 1993 her character was promoted to Detective Sergeant. She became the longest-serving member of the Taggart cast after James Macpherson left the show in 2002. The last Taggart was shown in 2011, seeing Jackie Reid finally reach Detective Inspector.

Apart from Taggart, and a couple of short films Blythe has only really appeared as herself, voice overs and quiz shows etc as well as crime shows and documentaries. She has however performed on stage regularly and was a double winner, in 2013 and 2014, of the Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland, for her role as Fay Black in Iron, Rona Munro’s psychological drama set within a women’s prison.

Duff is married to former police officer Tom Forrest and became stepmother to his two daughters Sarah and Katie. She was made a patron of Scottish Youth Theatre in the year 2000. Blythe was Chieftain of Bute Highland Games in 2009 and Chieftain of the Cowal Games in 2011.

She was given an Honorary Doctorate in June 2011 from Glasgow Caledonian University for her outstanding contribution to the performing arts.

In 2020 Duff and singer Cameron Barnes teamed up to re-imagine the classic Christmas song Fairytale of New York to raise funds for freelance creatives and their families.

Blythe said about growing up in Calderwood, East Kilbride, surrounded by references to Shakespeare due to the new town’s habit of clustering local street names around a certain theme. “The streets all had brilliant names” she says. “You live next to Edmond Kean and Hamlet and MacBeth, all these theatre references on street signs. I wonder whether or not that was soaking into my subconscious from an early age. I only thought about that when I was older but I like the idea.”

Duff has recently joined Joinsed the cast of the World Premiere of New Musical Wild Rose, she recently commented, “I really can’t wait to start rehearsals for Nicole Taylor’s brilliant Wild Rose. The film really landed with so many people and I have a feeling the musical will live up to all expectations. It was late 80s when I last played on the Lyceum stage so I can’t wait to be in that beautiful theatre again.

The production begins its life in Scotland where the piece is set, opening The Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh in 2025 as part of the company’s Spring season. Based on the excellent, critically acclaimed award-winning film of the same name written by Taylor, directed by Tom Harper and produced by Faye Ward (Fable Pictures), the production opens on 14th March, with previews from 6 March, and runs until 5th April.

[vestaldestroyer]

When you get this you have to list 5 books/book series you love 📚♥️. Then send this ask to last 5 persons from you notification. Spread love. 💌

This probably won't be interesting to many people because I mostly read Czech books (it's hard to read books translated from English when you're a translator and can spot all the mistakes)

1. Poselství jednorožců - Michaela Burdová

(Unicorns' prophecy) I love everything by this author but this series, her first, is my favourite. A classic adventure fantasy, very basic and cliche and amateurish (she wrote it when she was 16!) but there's so much love put into it.

2. Rafaelova škola - Renata Štulcová

(Raffaello's lyceum) Now, I have a love hate relationship with this one. I've been following this series since I was 11, for 10 years. It's an esoteric fantasy set in my country, and it really makes you feel like there's magic everywhere in everyday life, just hiding around the corner. It was my dream to translate it into English one day. Except, in the fifth book, the author brings in an alternate love interest to the MC's literal soulmate, who is a Mr Perfect (and a very shitty, manipulative boyfriend but it's romanticised) and decides to make him the main love interest, because she fell in love with the fake image of perfection she'd created herself. For 6 years, I was waiting for the twist, where it would be revealed that he sucks and that the original love interest is her one true love. It never came. (Sorry for the rant. Very passionate about this one.)

3. Sedmý smysl - Ilka Pacovská

(Seventh sense. Pretty sure that at least one book was translated into English) Another one I read when I was eleven. I remember because the protagonist had the same name as me and was also eleven. Anyway, this (also fantasy) changed the way I see life and magic and was definitely a part of what made me who I am today. Also gave me minor claustrophobia, the description of protagonists being in The Punishment Hole without light or food for several days was very vivid.

4. Křišťály moci - Michaela Burdová

(Crystals of power) Same author as 1. Very similar story, but more complex and better written. I didn't even mind reading what is essentially a reskin of her first series, because of one scene that I will remember forever: At one point, the protag's bf is presumed dead. And she decides, fuck the prophecy, I won't wait until I have all the crystals, grabs a dagger and goes to kill the villain immediately. It doesn't work, obviously, but it's such a girlboss moment.

Pony Club Rivals - Stacy Gregg

Oh look, this one is originally in English! And yes, it's a horse girl book. I don't care. I've only read the first two parts, others weren't translated. Sure, I could buy them in English, but I don't think the story is finished anyway, so I wouldn't get the closure I want. Either way, this book set a bar for (straight) romance in my heart, and veeery few have been able to clear it. It's awesome. Don't try to date me unless you're as charming as the guy she gets together with at the end of the second book. (Or Veragin from Poselství jednorožců. That works too.)

Obviously, bsd and yuumori would be on this list, but I tried to sticking to actual books. Hope this makes at least a little sense.

[consulcato]

I didn't know what to post so I just said to myself: "Why not speak about life in Liceo Classico?" Honestly I know you guys don't care about it but hey I'm going to speak about it because I'm kinda bored so yeah 😎🤟

Let's start with a brief introduction of what is the Liceo Classico.

The Italian “Liceo Classico” is a high school major in humanities: it is possibly the only high school in the world where pupils study both Latin and Ancient Greek and it’s internationally renowned for its advanced curricula in philosophy, literature and history. The literal translation from Italian to English of “Liceo Classico” is “Classical Lyceum” but, as we anticipated above, it’s correctly translated as “humanistic secondary school” or “high school major in humanities”. The “Liceo Classico” is the oldest and most prestigious secondary school in Italy and, before 2012, was actually divided in two segments: the first two years – called "Ginnasio" or “Gymnasium” – trained the students for the second part – the real “Liceo” – which lasts three years. Now, the first two years are called "biennio" (transl. two-year period) and the last three "triennio" (transl. three-year period). Besides that, it was considered so prestigious that, up to 1969, you could not attend an Italian university of any kind if you hadn’t obtained a “Liceo Classico” diploma.

This is our week hours. The translation is:

Monday:

8.15-9.15= Italian

9.15-10.15= Science

10.25-11.15= English

11.15-12.15= Maths

12.15-13.15= Religion

Tuesday:

8.15-9.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

9.15-10.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

10.25-11.15= English

11.15-12.15= Italian

12.15-13.15= Geography and history

Wednesday:

8.15-9.15= P.E

9.15-10.15= P.E.

10.25-11.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

11.15-12.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

12.15-13.15= / (we leave school earlier)

Thursday:

8.15-9.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

9.15-10.15= English

10.25-11.15= Geography and history

11.15-12.15= Maths

12.15-13.15= /

Friday:

8.15-9.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

9.15-10.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

10.25-11.15= Geography and history

11.15-12.15= Maths

12.15-13.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

Saturday:

8.15-9.15= Latin/[Ancient] Greek

9.15-10.15= Science

10.25-11.15= Italian

11.15-12.15= Italian

12.15-13.15= /

Our school schedule is not messed up at all, actually. This is really good, considering many things. Of course, we have homework everyday and this week, for example, we had a test every day and the next days we'll have tests so yes, this is normal here. Oh, plus, not only tests, but also oral exams where our geography and history professor gives us 110 pages for the next day at 11.27 p.m. Oh, and she's a real bastard, like, she calls 8 people to her desks, does 2 questions each (things that she didn't say in class/things that aren't in the book), she continues to interrogate even when the bell of the end of the lesson rings and she gave all the people in my class a 3 (We have a 1-10 grading system, and below 6 it's a red grade, an insufficient). Like, for tomorrow, I have 130 pages plus the greek oral exam! Oh, also, today our latin-greek prof (don't get me wrong, we love her) entered our class and said "put your desks apart 😃😃" That means, there was a surprise test. Of greek. And god I went to school with 37.4 degrees of temperature (basically a fever) and pfft my mind was not working so yes 😭

These stuff that you see up here are our daily homeworks...of greek. Because yes, we have latin too for the same day!

These are the homework I had to do for today.

Ahem, so, after you cried and asked yourself why the fuck did you go to this school, you watch the clock and see it's 1 am and you think you can finally sleep, but you remember that the professor said some homework in class and she didn't put it on electronic register. With the will to live below zero, you take the enormous dictionaries.

The last step is believing that God actually exists, since you finished at 4 am and you have 2 hours to rest before waking up earlier (6 am) than the other days since you didn't understand half of the stuff that your prof will interrogate you on.

[ospreyeamon]

sith education in the reconstituted empire

While home-schooling is prohibited for the Empire’s Force-blind majority, Sith families are permitted to home-school their Force-adept offspring until it is time for them to face the Sith Trials at an Academy. Unlike general education lyceums which are all day schools, the Sith Academies and under-academies are all boarding schools. Young Force-adepts are permitted to attend a lyceum rather than an under-academy. Many families prefer general education lyceums to Sith under-academies, even knowing that the life-or-death Trials await, because the under-academies have a tendency to produce acolytes with boarding school syndrome on space steroids.

The registration of young Imperial Force-adepts is necessarily complicated by the fact the Imperial bureaucracy recognises Force-sensitives and Force-adepts as separate, though overlapping, categories. Because 99% of red sith are Force-sensitive but half are only sensitive, the Sith know there will be some children displaying classic signs of Force-sensitivity like talking to ghosts who will never be able to budge a leaf with telekinesis. The Sith are also aware that Force-adepts can initially manifest subtle abilities like a knack for languages, finding lost or hidden things, and reflex games. While there are some families in the Empire desperate to hide their children’s Sith-potential there are others over-enthusiastically presenting Force-blind kids for Sith tutoring because they are just so certain their precious baby has all the makings of a mighty Sith Lord. Hence, a tiered registration system; Force-sensitives to Force-adepts to acolytes to Sith.

It is easy for children to be added to the Empire’s register of Force-sensitivities and there are plenty of false positives. Really, this pool exists to narrow down the number of people to be vetted as potential Force-adepts. Once a person has been verified as a nascent Force-adept they are legally required to undertake the Sith Trials when they reach the age of majority. If they have already come of age before being identified, they will be thrust into the Trials immediately. This is widely considered a death sentence, though the example Sith Inquisitor’s Apprentice Xivhkalrainik proves it is possible to survive.

The Sith Academies proper are for acolytes in their eighth year or older (17.5+ years). Most acolytes spend their eighth year at an Academy having graduated from an under-academy, tertiary lyceum, or private tutorage, but some will attend only for the Trials. The under-academies accept children from their fifth to seventh years of life (10 to 17.5 years). It is rare for Force-adepts to manifest dangerous abilities before their fifth year, and the ones that do are nearly always the children of Sith families emulating Sith relatives.

Sith who want their children to receive the socialisation of a general education, or don’t want or can’t afford tutoring in general subjects, enrol their offspring in the general education system and teach them the ways of the Force outside lyceum hours. Young Force-adepts are permitted to participate in general education until the end of their eighth year of life when they must enrol in a Sith Academy to face the Trials – but there are caveats. Force-adept children from non-Sith families must have a registered Sith tutor from their manifestation as a Force-adept or fifth year of life (whichever comes last) to their eighth year of life. At the start of each tercile, the tutor must make a formal declaration that it is safe for their student to be enrolled in general education in order for their enrolment to be accepted.

This seriously restricts the ability of many families to keep their children at home because Sith tutoring is expensive. Because only true Sith, not mere acolytes, can be registered as a tutor and Sith have prestigious well-compensated jobs open to them in the Empire’s military and government, the pool of candidates is small. Unless you have a lot of money, a personal connection to a Sith you can call on, or a group of other families in the same position to pool funds with you, the under-academy may be your only real option.

Fosterage is another solution for those with Sith connections. Among the Cult of the Emperor – Vitiate’s rusted-on core supporters who believe that only another Sith is worthy to marry a Sith – there is a lot of shuffling of children around extended families, with nascent Force-adepts placed under the care of Sith relatives while any Force-blind children those Sith might have are passed off to non-Sith relatives in turn. Families with a member in the close service of an amicable Sith might send a child to become part of the Sith’s household, if the Sith is willing to have them raised alongside their own offspring.

Sith also tend to see to the upbringing of any Force-sensitive slave children they discover in their ownership rather than ship them off to an under-academy. There are many reasons for this; some seek future minions bound to them by gratitude for freeing them, others are more concerned with depriving the Emperor of their service and loyalty, some forcibly adopt them out of a desire for Sith children, others see them as training tools for the born children they already have.

There are some significant differences between the Sith Academies on different worlds. Not all Academies have associated under-academies and not all Academies have the right to host recognised Trials. The curriculum varies far more than between lyceums. Some Academies are more Sith-centric than others to the point of being overwhelmingly so; all literature studied is literature written by Sith, the history taught revolves around the lives of famous Sith, life sciences are only covered so far as they pertain to alchemy and healing, etc. The kind of Sith philosophy and techniques taught can also differ. Most modern Sith practice is a synthesis of its Dark Jedi and Kissai origins, but the proportion drawn from and emphasis placed on each exists on something of a sliding scale.

Korriban’s Academy by the Valley of the Dark Lords has a very mixed reputation – prestigious, but unreliable in its students’ educational outcomes. A fine crucible for those who already have the skill and drive to make themselves Sith but not an institution that will improve an acolyte’s prospects of surviving their Trials. Opinions as to why vary; some believe the admittance of slaves drags all forced to attend the Academy beside them down, others that some Overseers’ determination that no slaves should survive the Trials results in the collateral deaths of perfectly good free-born acolytes, others that the Academy has developed a toxic culture where acolytes believe that success comes from outside connections and base subterfuge rather than true strength. Korriban’s graduates are fewer – more powerful, more volatile, more cunning, more arrogant. It is still a popular option for acolytes who have completed the bulk of their education elsewhere and are only enrolling in the Academy to undertake the Sith Trials.

Zoist and Dromund Kaas host Academies considered good choices for would-be Sith planning on careers working with the Science Bureau or Imperial Military respectively. Not as famous as Korriban but they offer excellent electives in the sciences or military history and strategy. A strong rivalry has developed between these Academies and Korriban because their Overseers and other administrators are bitter about promising acolytes running off to the new Academy on Korriban to undertake the Trials.

The planet Tavôya has five Academies, none of which are empowered to host official Sith Trials. Obscure, as nearly all their students are local and they are relieved from the official oversight which comes with holding official Trials, but competent, as most graduates survive to become Sith. None of the Academies have associated under-academies; it is assumed students arrive after finishing general education with their non-Force-adept peers. Tavôya’s Academies act as feeders to Korriban and Krayiss, among others.

There are only two known early-years under-academies, one on Taroth Vel and one on Korriban. They have the honour of being under the direct purview of the Emperor. Few Sith outside his fanatical group of core supporters would willingly hand a child of theirs over to them; to do so at such a young age would break their bonds with their family.

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

Ramones - California Sun

[a-wild-things-rambles]

yall get to se this redesign of mine pre text cause im proud af of it.

The Best Of Bob Marley & The Wailers recreated in the Two tone styles, specifically emulating the selector greatest hits. used the original photo of what would become the classic 'walt jabasco' two tone man and drew it in a similar but more detailed style.

Really enjoying this project, and I get to listen to great music as 'research'. another three faux covers will be done of: Live! At The Lyceum In the style of the selector to much pressure album, a recreation of an japan exclusive collaboration [it had a black n white ensemble shot with no bg] in the style of the original specials album, and return of the big guns by the skatalites in the style of the message to you rudy single.

Planning to do backs and possibly even booklets and get it all in some cd cases to photograph

[poemshubs]

19th Century Russian Poet: Nikolai Gumiley

Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev, born on April 15, 1886, is a figure whose contributions to Russian poetry resonate deeply in the literary landscape of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although not a 19th-century poet in the strictest sense of the word, his works were profoundly influenced by the poets of that era and played an integral role in the transition from the Romanticism of the 19th century to the modernist movements of the early 20th century. Known for his distinct style, profound intellectual engagement, and his place in the Russian Silver Age, Gumilev’s poetry is a remarkable bridge between the traditions of Russian poetry that had come before him and the modernist innovations that defined the decades following his death.

Early Life and Background

Gumilev was born in the city of Kronstadt, a port town near St. Petersburg, into a family that was not unfamiliar with intellectual pursuits. His father, Stepan Gumilev, was an officer in the Russian Imperial Army, while his mother, Anna Ivanovna, was a talented woman with a strong cultural background. From an early age, Gumilev demonstrated a keen interest in literature, drawing inspiration from both his family environment and the intellectual circles of St. Petersburg, where he spent much of his youth.

Gumilev’s education at the prestigious Alexander Lyceum in St. Petersburg exposed him to classical literature, Russian literary traditions, and European works. His time at this school shaped his early literary aspirations and introduced him to the world of Russian poetry. By the early 20th century, he was already a significant member of the literary elite, known for his charm, intellectual acumen, and youthful vigor. But it was his exposure to European modernist poets, as well as his travels abroad, that significantly influenced his later works.

Gumilev’s Role in Russian Poetry

Although Gumilev’s work was shaped by the poetry of the 19th century, he was part of a movement that brought about significant change in Russian literary tradition. The Russian poetry of the late 19th century had been dominated by the works of poets like Alexander Pushkin, Fyodor Tyutchev, and Mikhail Lermontov, who focused on romantic and philosophical themes. The transition to the 20th century, however, brought with it a sense of rebellion, renewal, and experimentation that Gumilev embodied.

Gumilev’s involvement in the Russian Symbolist movement, particularly his relationship with poets such as Alexander Blok and Andrei Bely, marked a departure from the melancholic and introspective tones that defined much of 19th-century Russian poetry. The Symbolists were concerned with transcending the material world and seeking deeper, often spiritual meanings in their art. They embraced mystery, myth, and the exploration of human consciousness, all of which Gumilev skillfully incorporated into his poetry.

However, Gumilev was not just a passive participant in this movement. He played a leading role in the development of Russian poetry during the Silver Age, a period that is often considered the golden age of Russian lyricism. This era, which extended from the late 19th century into the early 20th century, saw an explosion of poetic forms and schools. Gumilev’s poetic innovation was notable in his ability to blend classical techniques with modern sensibilities. While other poets of his generation, such as Blok and Marina Tsvetaeva, were concerned with personal and existential themes, Gumilev approached his work with a strong sense of historical consciousness and national identity.

Gumilev and the Symbolist Movement

Gumilev was a central figure in Russian Symbolism, but his approach to the movement was distinct. While Russian Symbolists like Blok sought to explore spiritual themes and personal emotions, Gumilev viewed poetry as a form of art that was meant to evoke beauty, mystery, and a sense of the divine without necessarily engaging with the personal crises that defined much of Symbolist writing.

He believed in the concept of the “poetic image,” an abstraction that transcended individual emotion and sought to represent universal truths. Gumilev’s poetry often engaged with themes of mysticism, exoticism, and mythology, while his stylistic precision and vivid imagery were designed to convey a sense of purity and transcendence. The poems he wrote, such as The Country of the Gulls and The Muse, reflect his deep engagement with both the spiritual and artistic aspects of poetry, revealing the unique character of Russian poetry during this period.

A significant aspect of Gumilev’s contribution to the Russian Symbolist movement was his emphasis on “pure poetry.” He rejected the notion of poetry as merely a form of social commentary or personal expression, instead viewing it as a form of artistic beauty that existed independently of these concerns. This separation of art from politics and social issues set Gumilev apart from other poets of his time, many of whom became increasingly politically engaged as the Russian Revolution loomed on the horizon.

The Evolution of Gumilev’s Style

Gumilev’s poetry evolved significantly over his career, reflecting both his personal development and the broader shifts in Russian poetry during the early 20th century. His early works were heavily influenced by the Symbolists, characterized by their reliance on mysticism, symbolism, and the idea of art as a means of transcending the mundane world. His early poems, such as The Story of the Soldier and Poem of the End, were filled with vivid, dreamlike imagery and mystical motifs.

However, as Gumilev grew older, he began to move away from the mystical and metaphysical aspects of his earlier works and became increasingly interested in the more grounded aspects of history, geography, and national identity. His travels, particularly to Africa, left a profound mark on his work, leading him to explore exotic themes and landscapes in his poetry. Works like The African and The Country of the Gulls reflect his growing interest in the broader world and the mysteries of the natural and spiritual realms.

Gumilev’s later poetry, especially his work in the 1910s, also demonstrated a more measured and restrained aesthetic, diverging from the emotional intensity of his earlier poetry. He embraced a more formal approach to structure, often employing meter and rhyme in precise ways that reflected his belief in the importance of discipline and craftsmanship in the art of poetry. This formalism was in stark contrast to the more experimental forms of the Russian Futurists, who were gaining prominence at the time, and it reflected Gumilev’s belief in the power of tradition and craft.

Political Engagement and Later Life

Despite his artistic and intellectual achievements, Gumilev’s life was marked by his increasing involvement in political and social issues. He was known for his support of the Russian monarchy and his conservative political views, which were in stark contrast to the more radical political movements of his time. Gumilev was an outspoken critic of the Bolshevik Revolution and the rise of Marxism in Russia, and his political views were one of the reasons for his eventual arrest and execution by the Soviet regime.

In 1921, Gumilev was arrested by the Bolshevik authorities on charges of participating in a counterrevolutionary conspiracy. He was executed by firing squad in August of that year, at the age of 35. His death marked a tragic end to the life of one of Russia’s most promising poets, and his execution was a profound loss to Russian poetry and the intellectual circles of the time.

Legacy and Influence

Despite his early death, Gumilev’s impact on Russian poetry was immense. His innovative use of imagery, his mastery of form, and his embrace of both classical and modernist techniques left a lasting legacy on subsequent generations of poets. He influenced poets such as Anna Akhmatova, his wife, and many others in the Russian Silver Age, who continued to explore the themes of mysticism, national identity, and beauty that Gumilev had so deftly worked into his poetry.

Though not as widely read in the West as some of his contemporaries, Gumilev’s poetry has had a lasting influence on Russian literature and beyond. His works continue to be studied for their technical brilliance, their exploration of spiritual themes, and their reflection of the tumultuous period in which they were written.

In the years following his death, Gumilev’s work was somewhat marginalized in the Soviet Union due to his political views and his association with the pre-revolutionary aristocracy. However, in recent years, there has been a renewed interest in his poetry, and scholars and readers alike are rediscovering the depth and complexity of his work.

Conclusion

Nikolai Gumilev stands as one of the most important figures in the transition from 19th-century Russian poetry to the modernist poetry of the 20th century. While he was not a 19th-century poet in the strictest sense, his work was deeply influenced by the poetic traditions of that time, and he played a central role in the development of Russian poetry during the Silver Age. Through his engagement with Symbolism, his commitment to poetic form, and his exploration of history and mythology, Gumilev left an indelible mark on Russian literature. His untimely death and the tragic circumstances surrounding it only add to the mystique of his legacy, but his influence continues to shape Russian poetry and the broader world of literature to this day.

[ericleo108]

08/16/2024 Click here for Spotify, Apple Music, or Youtube.

“Heart and brain” is my 83rd official release and my 136th track published. This is meditative music designed to make you think. The song is based on the classic dichotomy and fight between what the heart and head wants. The track explores the way each makes you feel with the brain being negative and analytical and the heart being positive and emotionally supportive. The song is a journey through the average persons mind and the fight between the heart and brain. 

The beat was made and the song was produced by KeyAno and the cover art is by ArtworkGang from Fiverr

I talk about this blog post and other updates in this last Sunday update (just below) or Follow Lyceum Recordz on YouTube for more.

Lyrics:

My heart and brain are always fighting One tries to encourage, the other one fights me In my head is a dichotomy  This is what it’s like for me There you go With a confident glow When you don’t know What is in store I can’t over come I just not as young I’m in a funk I feel like a bum You won’t succeed so just don’t start I’m your brain, I play that part Analytically analyze all your thoughts But this is what it like when it comes from the heart  You can do it, don’t you dare give up You’re resilient, tough  May never be enough But You Got that stuff that people love You should know just how and what it was, Is, can give and leave it crushed Feel the endorphins and the rush Of what it’s like to just Bring yourself better luck Pursue your dreams, reach your goal Don’t even let them tell you no Show them all the gull you hold You can play the game, don’t stop or fold You gotta have faith It’ll be okay Look toward the future Live for today Know what’s at stake You should just stay Plan and arrange Cuz Love finds a way Where’s your partner, I guess it’s wishful Cuz honestly who would kiss you No one on earth will ever get you If you're weak then cry, I’ll grab a tissue You suck, you won’t amount to shit It’s about the money and how to get A better status for how you live You may be present, just not a gift You’re better off doing drugs or quit You haven’t been happy since you were a kid And that’s just the way it is For the amount of effort that you give You can’t face the world, run and hide They all wish you weren’t alive You might as well put on a guise Cuz your real personality is a lie When you're at your lowest I’m at my slowest Overwhelmed by emotion Complete loss of focus I’ll take your depression Turn it to aggression Make you learn hard lessons About losing their affection Stop the nonsense, your amazing Your gut knows best, your brain is crazy Self-love medication daily It’ll take months for you to see and thank me If you feed me food thats good for you I’ll make the brain take the view  That health is wealth and justly due  With love, that’s free to choose You can do it, don’t you dare give up You’re resilient, tough  May never be enough But you got that stuff that people love You should know just how and what it was Is, can give and leave it crushed Feel the endorphins and the rush Of what it feels like to just Bring yourself better luck Pursue your dreams, reach your goals Don’t ever let them tell you no Show them all the gull you hold You can play the game, don’t stop or fold You gotta have faith It’ll be okay Look toward the future Live for today Know what’s at stake You should just stay Plan and arrange Cuz Love finds a way