#gray lensman

[fabiansociety]

“…near them there crouched or huddled or lay at ease a many-tentacled creature indescribable to man. It was not exactly like an octopus. Though spiny, it did not resemble at all closely a sea-cucumber. Nor, although it was scaly and toothy and wingy, was it, save in the vaguest possible way, similar to a lizard, a sea serpent, or a vulture. Such a description by negatives is, of course, pitifully inadequate; but, unfortunately, it is the best that can be done.”

you ever wonder what lovecraft would sound like if he was normal about the sea

[xinu1941-1966]

illustration：真鍋博　hiroshi MANABE

グレー・レンズマン　1974　創元推理文庫 japan

Gray Lensman 　1939

#真鍋博　#hiroshi MANABE　#Edward E. Smith　#EEスミス　#レンズマン　#Lensman Series　#lensman

[believerindaydreams]

Thursday again: hurricane winds edition

We had one (1) nice warm day and then the weather turned nasty again. City. Gal. Even with kippers and gray skies you ain't gonna be London, please come up with some better weather soon.

Listening

Reading

Running with the Night. Lionel Richie. Subject of a series of stupid injokes with SO.

I am a sucker for 80s chords is what.

Working on the David Kyle Lensman reread. I've developed a distaste for second wave feminism narratives about "girl is pretending to be male to get a male-only job but when she is inevitably revealed it's all okay cos she is Just As Good As A Boy and hey she gets to wear dresses again."

Kyle has one as an OC. The other OC is a dude with Dead Wife Man Pain. I am perhaps too jaded by Fallout to object to the trope as much as I ought to.

However, the important part is that Kyle writes a very good dragon, which is what I'm here for. Worsel my beloved!

Visiting

The only good thing about spending a dumb amount of time at Best Buy was getting to shop at the associated strip mall, which means I am now supplied with jelly beans, fried crab, and a party sized bag of cups. Are plastic cups good for the environment? No. Will I drink water if I have to wash all those cups? Also no.

Drinking

Trader Joe's coconut drink is absolutely the best coconut drink I've had outside of an Indian restaurant. naturally it therefore costs umpty zillion dollars and can't be bought in bulk.

Playing

The Long Dark just updated and all the mods are in disarray. Wish I hadn't updated in a fit of enthusiasm.

I can play spider solitaire on a phone again tho! Yay!

Writing

Not feeling it.

[sawbuckplus]

The Gray Lensman would slap the dark side out of them.

Why Gray Jedi aren’t a thing.

TLDR: the “Gray Jedi” is a concept that fundamentally misinterprets the Jedi and the Force.

The above picture is the only time the term “Gray Jedi” was used in-universe. And that moment is now non-canon.

The original idea was that a Gray Jedi is a regular Jedi who sometimes disagrees with the Jedi Council’s rules. Like Qui-Gon. 

The concept, however, has de-evolved into this non-conformist rebel-figure, who allows their emotions to run amok, and uses both the Light and Dark Sides simultaneously while staying ‘balanced’.

Being able to balance out Light & Dark might work great in a video-game, but at the end of the day, canonically, you can do no such a thing.

This embellishment of the “Gray Jedi” comes from either:

An “I want my in-game character/OC to use Force Lightning but still be a good guy” mentality.

A “screw The Man” mentality.

What’s the closest thing we get to a Gray Jedi, in canon?

The first beings that come to mind when talking about Force users who can use Light and Dark in conjunction or at least in a balanced way are Bendu and the Mortis Father.

Both of whom are never actually shown using the Dark Side. We just assume they can because they say they’re the Balance, the One in the middle.

But even if they could… they’re essentially immortal gods. In Canon, no mortal can use light and dark in conjunction without inevitably falling to the dark, or facing horrible consequences anyway. That’s what Quinlan Vos’ story is all about.

Among mortals, the only two examples we really have are:

Ahsoka who follows Jedi teachings, but is not, herself, a Jedi. She could be considered the closest thing to a conventional Gray Jedi.

Rael Averross, who is unconventional because he drinks, has sex, dresses like a civilian, but doesn’t let himself get emotionally attached (or at least that’s what he thinks) thus staying true to the spirit of the Jedi code, if not the letter.

A lot of people point to Qui-Gon, but he’s actually a pretty standard Jedi, all things considered. He simply has the occasional ideological difference with the Council.

The concept of a Gray Jedi is flawed in Legends too.

Almost all of them inevitably fall to the Dark Side, whenever they try to use it while being Jedi.

Cade Skywalker. Had he not had any friends there to save him, he’d have been a Sith a while ago. The whole point of his arc in Star Wars: Legacy, is realizing that by using both the Light & Dark Sides as tools, he was inevitably using the Dark Side more and more.

Lucien Draay, Celeste Morne, Rajivari (there’s a reason the Je'Daii decided to stick to only using the Light Side).

Also in Legends, literally anybody who knew how to use Vaapad except for Windu. Sora Bulq, Depa Billaba, Quinlan Vos, all try to walk the line between Light & Dark and inevitably fall to the Dark Side. That’s ¾ people.

Finally, there’s a trope that Luke’s New Jedi Order, in Legends, is an Order that’s more in the middle, and allows usage of both Dark Side and Light Side powers. Also not really accurate. Legends Luke is only shown using Force Lightning once, in a high pressure situation, and he later on explicitly says that a Jedi shouldn’t compromise with the Dark Side:

Where do we see “Gray Jedi” characters the most?

In video-games.

As seen in KOTOR, The Force Unleashed and the Jedi Knight series, using both the Light Side and Dark Side is possible because using Force Lightning is cool, but developers don’t want anybody to actually play a whole game as the bad guy.

It’s why Starkiller turns good halfway through the game. It’s why Revan and Jaden Korr can become evil only towards the end of their respective games.

These games make players use both sides of the Force for entertainment only.

Using both the Light and Dark Side makes you half as strong when using either.

Finally, in Legends, Gray Jedi are only half as strong as your average Jedi or Sith. Which makes sense.

You use both? You’re half as good at either than you would be if you focused on one.

If they were canon, how efficient would a Gray Jedi be?

Not at all.

A Jedi is, like, 75% diplomat, like an ambassador, and 25% policeman… at an intergalactic scale. That’s why they need to be balanced (aka calm and collected) and have self-control.

‘Cause if they’re angry one day on a mission, a negotiation with millions of lives in the balance will fail, or the wrong person gets sliced in half because that Jedi was ‘having a bad day’. They’re government workers who need to objectively deal with planets with billions of inhabitants on the daily, a modicum of self-restraint is required.

If you can’t handle it, you can leave. The Jedi aren’t just government workers, they’re a family, and in-canon have been shown being very supportive. Because being a Jedi is hard, so of course they’re all understanding about it. When Dooku left, they built him a a statue, made him keep his lightsaber, remembered him fondly (they’re not even considering him as a suspect for murder), etc.

A Gray Jedi is basically a Jedi who doesn’t feel like doing their job right, but doesn’t have the decency to leave. Or a Jedi who’s gotten so used to doing it wrong that they’ve rationalized it. They’re Denzel Washington in Training Day. Not entirely bad, but open to doing bad for the greater good (whereas in reality, he’s just a dirty cop).

In conclusion, like Freddie Prinze Jr said: A Gray Jedi is pure fan-fiction. Nothing more.

The sentiment of “I’m perfect the way I am, flaws and all, so fuck The Man” is nice and very cool, but it misunderstands what the Dark Side is and who the Jedi are.

The Dark Side isn’t a flaw, like “oh I’m passive-aggressive”. It’s not just “being angry”. Any Jedi can get angry and it’s fine as long as it’s not interfering (directly or indirectly) with a mission and as long as they move past it. And it’s also not just a set of cool superpowers.

The Dark Side is corrosive. By itself, it naturally co-exists with the Light Side, but whenever any of its adepts venture too deep into it, inevitably they try to consume and control everything.

The Jedi aren’t The Man, they’re the underdog. They’re trying to do good but their boss, the Senate, is just a bunch of corrupt assholes who won’t let the Jedi do any real good, most of the time. (It’s the whole reason Dooku left, he’s tired of being the underdog, he wants to have the power to change the system.)

So, by all means, let’s keep our own creative juices flowing and keep making our OCs interesting and giving them badass powers (I know I am). 

But in-universe, you can’t be a ‘healthy cancer patient’. If you’ve got cancer then you’re not healthy, by virtue of having cancer. It’s the same thing. You can’t balance out Light and Dark, because, inevitably, that cancer will spread and eating a healthy salad every day won’t stop it from spreading.

And while it’s very comforting to see that some people on the LucasFilm story group know this…

… it’s also very concerning to consider that we were this close from having Gray Jedi in Episode IX: Duel of the Fates…

So yeah. Gray Jedi aren’t canon, nor should they be.

[audiobooks535]

audiobook : Gray Lensman by E. E. Smith

#audiobook #audiobooks #audiobookstagram #audiobooklove #loveaudiobooks #audiobooklover #audiobooknarrator #audiobooksrock #audiobookreview #audiobooksofinstagram #audiobookph #audiobooksph #audiobookclub #audiobookaddict #audiobookobsession #freeaudiobooks #iloveaudiobooks #audiobooki #freeaudiobook #audiobookworm #audiobooksforthewin #eaudiobooks #audiobooksrule #newaudiobook #audiobooksforfree #audiobooksforkids

[thepaisleyreview]

Science-Fiction. Sorted.

Key: strikethrough means duplicate to be deleted ; bold means recommended ; I have not listened to everything.

A-C

Abbott, Edwin A - Flatland (1884) Banks, Iain M - Use of Weapons (1990) Bear, Greg - Eon (1985) Bester, Alfred - The Demolished Man (1953) Bradbury, Ray - The Martian Chronicles Brin, David - Startide Rising (1983) Brin, David - The Postman (1985) Brin, David - The Uplift War (1987)

Dick, Philip K

Dick, Philip K - UBIK (1969) Dick, Phillip K - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch 1964 Philip K Dick - VALIS - 1981 Dick, Philip K - Broken Bubble (1988) Dick, Philip K - Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep (1966) Dick, Philip K - Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (1974) Dick, Philip K - Interviews [ note: unsorted ] Dick, Philip K - Mr. Spaceship (1953) Dick, Philip K - Of Withered Apples Dick, Philip K - Radio Free Albemuth (1976) Dick, Philip K -The Man in the High Castle (1962) Dick, Philip K - The Minority Report and Other Stories (2002) Dick, Philip K - Ubik (1969) Dick, Phillip K -A Scanner Darkly (1977) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick - BBC Radio

E-G

Effinger, George Alec - A Fire In The Sun (Budayeen 2) Effinger, George Alec - The Exile Kiss (Budayeen 3) Effinger, George Alec - When Gravity Fails (Budayeen 1) Farmer, Philip Jose - To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971)

Gibson, William [note: incomplete - have misfiled some]

Gibson, William - All Tomorrows Parties Count Zero (1986) (96kb mp3) Gibson, William - Idoru Neuromancer (1984) [ note: read by the author ] Pattern Recognition (2003) Virtual Light The Peripheral - William Gibson (2014) Agency Alien III An Audible Original Drama

H - Haldeman, Joe - The Forever War Hamilton, Peter F - The Reality Dysfunction (1996) Herbert, Frank - Dune Keyes, Daniel - Flowers for Algernon LeGuin, Ursula - The Dispossessed - 1974 LeGuin, Ursula - The Lathe of Heaven - 1971 LeGuin, Ursula - The Left Hand Of Darkness (1969) LeGuin, Ursula - The Left Hand of Darkness (Alt Copy) LeGuin, Ursula - The Word For The World Is Forest (1976) Lem, Stanislaw - Solaris (1950) L'Engle, Madelein - A Wrinkle in Time Lewis, CS - Out of the Silent Planet (1938) May, Julian - The Many-Colored Land (1981)

McDevitt, Jack - Chindi McDevitt, Jack - Engines_of_god McDevitt, Jack - Time Travelers Never Die -2009 McDevitt, Jack - Echo- Jack McDevitt McDevitt, Jack - Seeker McDevitt, Jack - The Devil's Eye McDevitt, Jack - Polaris-Jack McDevitt McDevitt, Jack - talentforwar.m4b McDonald, Ian - Hyberabad Days Morgan, Richard - Altered Carbon (2002) Niven, Larry - Ringworld - 1970 Niven & Pournelle - The Mote in God's Eye Pohl, Frederik - Gateway Powers, Tim - On Stranger Tides Powers, Tim - Declare Powers, Tim - The Anubis Gates Powers, Tim - Three Days to Never Reynolds, Alasdair Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds - 2000

Robinson, Kim Stanley - Aurora.m4a Robinson, Kim Stanley - Mars Trilogy [AudioBooks] Robinson, Kim Stanley - New York 2140 Robinson, Kim Stanley - The Years of Rice and Salt Robinson, Kim Stanley - Three Californias Triptych 01 - The Wild Shore [Rudnicki] Robinson, Kim Stanley- Three Californias Triptych 02 - The Gold Coast [Rudnicki] Robinson, Kim Stanley- Three Californias Triptych 03 - Pacific Edge [Rudnicki] Rucker, Rudy Rucker, Rudy - Ware 1 - Software Rucker, Rudy - Ware 2 - Wetware Rucker, Rudy - Ware 3 - Freeware Rucker, Rudy - Ware 4 - Realware

Sagan, Carl - Contact Scalzi, John - Old Man's War (2005) Shelley, Mary - Frankenstein (1818) Simak, Clifford - Way Station (1963) Simmons, Dan - Hyperion Simmons, Dan - Ilium (2003) Smith, E E 'Doc' - Gray Lensman (1940) Stephenson, Neal - The Diamond Age (1995) Sterling, Bruce - Mirrorshades - The Cyberpunk Anthology

Wells, HG - The Invisible Man (1897) Wells, HG - The War of the Worlds Wells, Martha - Artifical condition Willis, Connie - Doomsday Book (1992) Wyndham, John - The Day of the Triffids (1951) Wyndham, John - The Chrysalids Verne, Jules - Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) Vinge, Vernor - A Fire Upon the Deep (1991)

[nem0c]

The Gray--the unadorned, neutral-colored leather that was the proud garb of that branch of the Patrol to which he was thenceforth to belong. It had been tailored to his measurements, and he could not help studying with approval his reflection in the mirror. The round, almost visorless cap, heavily and softly quilted in protection against the helmet of his armor. The heavy goggles, opaque to all radiation harmful to the eyes. The short jacket, emphasizing broad shoulders and narrow waist. The trim breeches and high boots, encasing powerful, tapering legs.

"What an outfit--what an outfit!" he breathed. "And maybe I ain't such a bad-looking ape, at that, in these Grays!"

He did not then, and never did realize that he was wearing the plainest, drabbest, most strictly utilitarian uniform in existence; for to him, as to all others who knew it, the sheer, stark simplicity of the Unattached Lensman's plain gray leather transcended by far the gaudy trappings of the other branches of the Service. He had admired himself boyishly, as men do, feeling a trifle ashamed in so doing; but he did not then and never did appreciate what a striking figure of a man he really was as he strode out of Quarters and down the wide avenue toward the Brittania's dock.

E. E. ‘Doc’ Smith, Galactic Patrol

[tara-of-helium]

Gray Lensman. Edward E. Smith, 1939. Illustrated by Ric Binkley.

[vintagegeekculture]

I discovered that my local library's ebook selection only had "First Lensman" out of the whole series, shrugged and checked it out anyway, and - well - long story short, my cosplayer's heart went all a-flutter over Jill's "violent shade of 'radio-active' green" dress from the Ambassadors' Ball.

I'm leaning kind of "Iris van Herpen but 1950s spacefuture" as I try to design something based on the description given (the nature of the bodice in particular made me think of her designs), but then I realized you'd probably know if there was an illustrated edition out there to use as further reference. So - is there? Or am I flying blind beyond the implicit influence of eveningwear styles in the year the book was published?

(Either way, I finally have an excuse to dip my toes into constructing an evening gown! Thank you for selling me on this series!)

I am delighted to hear I inspired you. My statement there was not entirely serious and I never expected anyone would do it. I'd like to see what you come up with. You should consider looking into the works of my personal favorite fashion designer, Charles James, active from the 40s-60s. One of the most striking things about his outfits are the simplicity. This, for instance, is all one piece of cloth, the emphasis is not on frills or ornamentation but streamlining, calling attention to the silhouette.

There are a couple moments in the Lensman books you should probably take a look at, if you're interested in costume ideas for women that are evening gowns. The first is the Grand Ball for the Grand Fleet in Chapter 2 of Gray Lensman. I always liked that one because it was a rare glimpse of what everyday life in the Lensman Galaxy looked like. We spent too much time with Lensman and in the criminal underworld and with battle fleets.

The city's largest ball-room was a blaze of light and color. A thousand polychromatic lamps flooded their radiance downward through draped bunting upon an even more colorful throng. Two thousand items of feminine loveliness were there, in raiment whose fabrics were the boasts of hundreds of planets, whose hues and shades put the spectrum itself to shame. There were over two thousand men, clad in plain or beribboned or bemedaled full civilian dress, or in the variously panoplied dress uniforms of the many Services.

"You're dancing with Miss Forrester first, Kinnison," the surgeon introduced them informally, and the Lensman found himself gliding away with a stunning blonde, ravishingly and revealingly dressed in a dazzlingly blue wisp of Manarkan glamorette--fashion's dernier cri.

To the uninformed, Kinnison's garb of plain gray leather might have seemed incongruous indeed in that brilliantly and fastidiously dressed assemblage. But to those people, as to us of today, the drab, starkly utilitarian uniform of the Unattached Lensman transcended far any other, however resplendent, worn by man: and literally hundreds of eyes followed the strikingly handsome couple as they slid rhythmically out upon the polished floor. But a measure of the tall beauty's customary poise had deserted her. She was slimly taut in the circle of the Lensman's arm, her eyes were downcast, and suddenly she missed a step.

I don't recommend dressing up as a Lyranian at all, unless you wish to be very very popular. Although there is one notable and terrible female villain, in a series for which that is a rarity: one of the Black Lensmen, the evil counterparts created to counter the Lensmen, is a psionically gifted female Lyranian.

Another outfit that probably suggests itself is in Second Stage Lensmen, when Clarissa becomes the Red Lensman, the first female Lensman in history. Clarissa MacDougal was prone to Midwestern modesty to the point it was hysterical:

It was, and very shortly Sector Chief Nurse Clarrissa MacDougall appeared in her wonted immaculately-white, stiffly-starched uniform. She would not wear the Grays to which she was entitled; nor would she--except when defying Kinnison--claim as her right any one of the perquisites or privileges which were so indubitably hers. She was not, never had been, and never would or could be a real Lensman, she insisted. At best, she was only a synthetic--or an imitation--or a sort of amateur--or maybe a "Red" Lensman--handy to have around, perhaps, for certain kinds of jobs, but absolutely and definitely not a regular Lensman. And it was this attitude which was to make the Red Lensman not merely tolerated, but loved as she was loved by Lensmen, Patrolmen, and civilians alike throughout the length, breadth, and thickness of Civilization's bounds.

[snuh]

Jack Gaughan: Gray Lensman - Pyramid Books #X-1245, October 1965

[bookmaven]

TRIPLANETARY by EdwardEdward E. Smith E. Smith. [Lensman #1]

First serialized in Amazing, January 1934 with a cover by Leo Morey. First edition hardcover (Fantasy Press, 1948)Cover by A.J. Donnell.

———

TRIPLANETARY is a prologue to the Lensman series. It begins with the conflict between the Eddorians and the Arisians which has gone on throughout Earth history. The Arisians seek to breed human genetic lines to produce the ultimate weapon in their war with Eddore.

With the covert help of the Arisians, humanity explores the Solar System and forms the Triplanetary League — an alliance of between Earth, Mars, and Venus.

Interplanetary commerce is plagued by a fleet of pirates led by Gray Roger — actually Gharlane of Eddore. In the midst of a large-scale engagement between the pirates and the Triplanetary Patrol, an amphibious alien race known as the Nevians show up. The Nevians decide that humans are inferior beings, and carve up both fleets.

On Earth, scientists work feverishly on their new "Super Ship". It is equipped with mankind's first inertia-less drive and can travel faster than light.

Let the space opera begin!

[fanlit]

Gray Lensman: Book 4 of one of the greatest space operas. https://t.co/JysJ6wCQ0K … https://t.co/7YQ2BkBEhd #SFF (from the archive)

[outfitandtrend]

[ad_1] We’ll definitely take our Steven Meisel fix any way we can get it. Whether the legendary lensman is photographing campaigns for Moschino, Max Mara, Ports 1961, Alexander McQueen, Zara or Louis Vuitton, we’re always here for it. The latest brand to enlist Meisel is Stockholm-based label Totême. After impressing last season with Raquel Zimmermann captured by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, now Vittoria Ceretti poses before a stark backdrop sporting Totême’s Spring 2022 collection of simple silhouettes and sustainable fabrics. IMAGE: FASHIONGONEROGUE.COM“Simple, chic and timeless. I don’t mind classic Meisel when it’s so well executed,” voiced Lola701.“I love this. Simple, elegant and Vittoria Ceretti looks stunning,” echoed an obviously pleased McKinney.[ Not a tFS forum member yet? Click here to join! ]“A little in love with this! I am instantly transported back to the glory days of American Vogue‘s chic Meisel studio stories with Tonne Goodman styling. The white background is a refreshing change from gray, the styling here is elegant, sophisticated and glam and Vittoria looks truly wonderful,” raved vogue28.“The second and third shots are perfection,” declared KINGofVERSAILLES.VogueGirl8910 is in the same frame of mind: “The ads are very striking and stunning…”“This is the first time I’ve heard about this brand. Quite Max Mara, but I love it,” ivano chimed in. IMAGE: FASHIONGONEROGUE.COMSee more from Totême’s latest campaign and join the conversation here.(function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if (d.getElementById(id)) return;js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.7&appId=186081771460756"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); [ad_2] Source link

[believerindaydreams]

"Exotic rugs were scattered over the deck flooring, personally collected by the Gray Lensman before the things they had covered had personally collected him."

I am rather fond of David Kyle's Lensman books, some of the most successful authorized sequels I ever read. But he obviously thinks of Lensman Kim as a jock who happens to be able to calculate integrals in his head while Smith's Kim is a nerd who happens to be able to wield a thirty pound space axe. There's a difference.

[paperbacksciencefiction]

Gray Lensman by E. E. "Doc" Smith $4 Pyramid Books (1974) A book from Smith's classic Lensman series. The cover art was done by Jack Gaughan. . Overall Good Condition, Good Spine With Slight Lean And Slight Crease, Binding Tight, Pages Look Good . . . #graylensman #eedocsmith #paperbacksciencefiction https://www.instagram.com/p/CDT2HrMg5TM/?igshid=eevo9qp39aww

[nem0c]

Politely but firmly asked to leave the function

Gray Lensman, E. E. ‘Doc’ Smith, Astounding Science Fiction, 1939 Illustration: Charles Schneeman