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writingquestionsanswered · 2 years ago

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How do i know if im being overly descriptive? Not necessarily like purple prose but i feel like i try to describe every little action or thing in a scene and it makes my writing wordy but at the same time i dont know what i should focus on when describing something ;-; any tips?

Concerned About Over Description

The main purpose of description in fiction is to convey important information to the reader. The secondary purpose of description in fiction is to help the reader visualize what's happening in the story.

In both cases, most of the details provided should be necessary. A good way to think about it is if I'm providing five details about a thing, at least three of those details should be absolutely necessary, meaning that without those details, the information or visualization I'm trying to convey isn't possible.

Let's say your character is a princess, and near the beginning of the story, she walks into her mother's throne room and catches the end of a conversation between her and a member of her privy council. This conversation helps to set up the inciting incident, and since this is the first time the character has entered the throne room in the story, it will need to be described.

My mother's throne room was in the newer part of the castle--the part that was built by my grandfather with funds he seized from his patricidal older brother before banishing him from the kingdom. Compared to the rest of the castle, with its damp stone walls and drafty rooms, my mother's throne room is modern and lavish. The stone walls are covered by rich tapestries, the floor is covered in colorful ceramic tile, and the room is awash in the cozy light of four enormous braziers that hang low from the ceiling. I'd rather be in this room than any other in the castle, but mostly I'd just rather be anywhere but this castle.

This paragraph gives some necessary detail about both the castle and the throne room specifically. We've all seen drafty medieval castles in movies and TV shows, so "damp stone walls and drafty rooms" tells us pretty much everything we need to know. It's easy to surmise that the castle is old, especially compared to the "newer part of the castle" with its "modern" throne room. What we don't do, however, is describe every detail of either room. "Rich tapestries," "colorful ceramic tile," and "the cozy light of four enormous braziers" gives the reader enough to imagine this room. We don't need to describe the throne unless it's different from any other medieval-style throne the reader might imagine, or unless there's something specific about the throne's appearance that is important to the story. For example, in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, the Iron Throne is famously made of the broken swords of Targaryen enemies. We also get a little back story detail woven in at this relevant moment.

As I step to the center of the room, Mother raises her hand, cautioning me to wait while she finishes speaking with her privy councilor. They speak in hushed tones, though I'm close enough to make out every word.

Here's our first glimpse of the Queen, chatting with her privy councilor. We don't need to describe every movement either one of them makes, because the only movement that's important is that she raises her hand to hold off her daughter's approach. It's also important that they're whispering. Both of these together indicate that whatever they're talking about is a sensitive matter, which would obviously be important.

Mother's councilor, Sir Godwin says, "Victarmond is preparing the army to march home from the border. They will leave at sunrise. If they are still there when the raiders attack tomorrow night, King Jarold will know we were warned." His voice cracks a little at the end.

We don't get any information about Sir Godwin. Maybe he's not an important character so it doesn't matter what he looks like. Even if he was an important character, if we've already been told that the nobles wear lavish and colorful silks and satins, we don't need to describe what Sir Godwin is wearing unless it's different. For example, if he wears plainly colored linens instead, that tells us something important about him. Also, we don't need to see Sir Godwin's every movement, or his body language/facial expressions unless they're important. The only thing that's important here is that Sir Godwin is a little bit nervous for some reason, and that is conveyed by his voice cracking.

"Very well," Mother says with a solemn nod, the pearls dangling from her ears swinging from the motion. "Send word to Victarmond to stay put, but tell him to send a message back to me stating some cause for delay. If Jarold does have a spy in my council, at least we'll have an excuse." "At once, Queen," Sir Godwin said with a nod before scurrying out of the room.

We can probably assume the queen is seated upon the throne, as that's what monarchs tend to do in throne rooms. There's really no body language or facial expressions that are important here outside of the solemn nod--which conveys the gravity of the situation being discussed. Since no other body language, facial expressions, or actions are important, there's no reason to describe them.

Perhaps the queen's attire has been described in an earlier scene, so it isn't described here. It would only need to be described again if it was dramatically different from what she was wearing previously, and if there was an important reason for that difference. For example, if she was wearing everyday garments in the earlier scene, but now she was dressed in ceremonial robes because she's going to be greeted by dignitaries from another kingdom, that would obviously be important. Since that's not the case, her clothing isn't described. However, the detail about her pearl earrings reminds us that she's lavishly dressed because... well, she's the queen.

Sir Godwin's final line of dialogue is punctuated only by a submissive nod and his scurrying out of the room, which indicates that he's scurrying off to follow the queen's orders. Nothing else about his movement is described because there's nothing else important about it.

So... before you put a detail into your description, whether that's a detail about character appearance, setting appearance, movement, or body language/facial expression, ask yourself whether or not its important. Does it tell the reader anything they need to know to understand the character or setting? Does it help the reader imagine what they need to be visualizing? If not, you can probably skip the detail.

But... having said that... the amount of detail writers like to use varies from writer to writer. So, like I said, if you want to keep a couple details that simply add to the visualization, that's okay, too. Just don't go overboard. If you wanted to do 3/5 important details or even 6/10 important details, that's probably fine. You wouldn't want to do 3 important details and 20 unimportant details. :)

I hope that helps!

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theres-an-impulstor-among-us · 4 years ago

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I’m back! With more oneshot suggestions! Woo!

Please, if you have the ability to, supply me with alter brainrot. Here’s a basic plot outline (I always come prepared lol):

BadTimes has finally been banned. After years of antics with his counterpart, he finally stepped over the line. He doesn’t know what he did, all he knows is that it was too much. He gets dragged out of the void by EX and Hels, who also want to apologize to their counterparts. The three set out on a short flangsty journey of misunderstood-ness and attempts at proving themselves worthy of forgiveness.

;)

Now THIS was a lot of fun to write! Ended up being very long tho so I’m sorry about that, but I hope the quality is still good. I also hope you like the ending, even though it went off in a different direction than I originally intended :)

...

“He’s there! He’s right there! Just grab him!”

“It’s harder than it looks, okay?! Back off!”

He gasped as he felt himself get wrenched back into existence. Stumbling as his feet touched the ground, he pitched forwards and would have fallen over if he hadn’t been caught by a pair of strong arms.

“Easy, man,” came a British-accented voice. “Easy. Just breathe, alright? Breathe.”

He took in a few gulping breaths, his oxygen-starved lungs drinking in the fresh air, and closed his eyes against the dizziness that was threatening to topple him. He widened his stance slightly, his shaky legs strengthening by the second.

Finally, he opened his eyes and found himself looking at two people. One was wearing a familiar helmet and the other was dressed in full armour. They both looked almost exactly like two people he knew very well.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“You first,” said the helmeted one, identifying them as the British-accented one who had caught him earlier.

“My name is BadTimesWithScar,” he said. “You can call me BadTimes, or just Bad.”

Bad could see a spark of interest in the helmeted person’s eyes, even through the visor. “You’re GoodTimesWithScar’s evil counterpart?” They circled Bad, looking him up and down. “I guess I should’ve expected that, huh? Considering you look almost exactly like him.”

“In that case, am I to assume you guys are Xisuma and Welsknight’s evil clones?” said Bad.

The helmeted being nodded. “Sure am. I’m Evil Xisuma, but you can call me EX.”

“Hi, I’m Helsknight,” blurted out the armour-clad one. “I like rap battles and medieval-style architecture.”

Bad stared at him.

“I’ve been making him do group therapy,” EX explained tiredly. “He was utterly obsessed with violence and destruction when he got here. It got a little too much to handle after a while.”

“Speaking of which, where is “here”?” Bad asked, staring around at the blank world they were standing in.

EX shrugged. “It doesn’t really have a name. It’s the place I ended up after I got banned by Xisuma.”

“B-Banned?! Wait a sec…” Bad frowned as memories came back to him. “How did I get here?”

“Well, I pulled you out of the void,” said EX. “That’s where people go when they get banned.” They jerked their thumb at Hels. “I fished him out of the void too a few weeks ago.”

“I tried to kill them,” said Hels helpfully.

EX nodded wearily. “He did.”

“Wait, wait.” Bad stared at the two in shock. “Does this mean… I’VE been banned?!”

“Yup.” EX spread their arms wide. “Welcome to the banishment club.”

“What did you do to get banned?” Hels asked eagerly. “Did you destroy stuff? Kill someone? Try to take over the server? I did that, by the way.”

“I…” Bad hesitated, his shoulders drooping. “I don’t know.”

Frowning, EX and Hels exchanged a look. “How do you not know?” the former asked slowly. “Surely you must have done something bad enough to get flung into the void permanently.”

Bad shook his head. “Look, you guys are legendary on the server. So legendary I didn’t even believe you existed. Everyone knows the evil stuff you guys did to get banned, but I’m not like that. I like spreading mischief and pranking people. That’s what I exist to do; it’s literally what Scar created me for. So the fact that I’ve somehow crossed the line without even realising what I did is beyond worrying.” His eyes widened in fear. “Oh no, did I hurt Scar?! Oh no, oh no… I gotta… I gotta go apologise to him!”

EX caught him by the wrist as he tried to dash off. “Hold on, there. You’ve been banned, remember? You can’t just waltz back onto the server.”

“There has to be another way!”

“There is, there is.” EX gave him a serious look. “But it’s risky. Going back to a server you’ve been banned from can be more trouble than it’s worth. If someone sees you before you get the chance to talk to Scar… Well, let’s just say there’s worse punishments than just being banned.”

“I have to see Scar,” said Bad determinedly. “I have to find out what I did and apologise for it. Are you two gonna help me or not?”

After a moment, EX said, “I’m up for sneaking back onto Hermitcraft. I’d like to apologise to Xisuma for… uh… the incident that got me banned. What about you, Hels?”

“I just wanna have another rap battle with Wels,” Hels said.

Bad frowned at him. “Are you… you know… alright? In the head?”

Hels stuck up both his thumbs. “Nope!” he said cheerfully. “Thinking about rap battles and medieval-style architecture is the only thing keeping my taste for blood at bay.”

A pause followed his words.

“Wonderful,” EX sighed. “Remind me to join you in group therapy next time; it doesn’t seem to be working all that well. Anyway, time to sneak back onto Hermitcraft. Let’s get going.”

…

“Are you sure this is the right way?” asked Bad, unable to see even his companions in the pitch black tunnel. “Who even put this tunnel here? And where does it lead?”

“I’m not taking questions about secret tunnels and whether or not I know where I’m going,” came EX’s voice from the front of the group. “Something tells me the answers won’t alleviate your fear.”

Thoroughly unnerved by this, Bad leant forward slightly to address Hels, who was walking between him and EX. “Hey Hels, what are you gonna do when we get back to Hermitcraft?”

“I’m gonna apologise to Wels for trying to take over the server, explain to him that group therapy has helped me calm my bloodlust, and then destroy him in a rap battle.”

Bad sighed quietly. “Well… at least you’ve got a plan.”

“Up here,” called EX after a few more minutes.

Light was starting to shine through the end of the tunnel. As Bad followed EX and Hels out, blinking against the light, he recognised the place they had ended up.

“Wait, is this the Mycelium Resistance headquarters?” he said.

EX shrugged. “Don’t ask me; I’ve never been in this world before. I got banned on the last one and I’ve never had a reason to sneak back. That being said, what on earth is the Mycelium Resistance?”

“Oh, it’s a loooong story. But the good thing is nobody uses this base anymore, so we should be safe down here if we need to flee from an angry mob of Hermits. Which we will.”

“That’s the spirit,” EX responded wryly. “So which way out?”

Bad led the other two towards the giant hole in the wall. “We can get out this way. I remember Scar brought me down here to show me the excellent work he and his government buddies did at destroying the rebel base.”

“Government?” repeated EX confusedly.

“Oh, yeah, Scar’s the mayor. You didn’t know that?”

EX shook their head. “Like I said, I’ve never been in the Season 7 world. Not properly, anyway. Not enough to know the ins and outs of what’s going on.”

The group made it to the surface of the shopping district. Bad could see the town hall nearby. “Okay, I’m gonna go see Scar.”

“Good luck,” said EX. “I’ll wander around and see if I bump into Xisuma.”

“I’ll take you to his flower farm,” Hels offered. “I went there once to hide from Wels and steal some flowers. Didn’t work; he caught me and banned me.”

“Well, hopefully history won’t repeat itself.”

Bad left his new friends behind and headed to the town hall, keeping a wary eye out for any Hermits nearby. He didn’t see anyone around, but that didn’t mean nobody was there.

But thankfully, he made it to the town hall undetected and entered quietly. He found Scar just inside, polishing the diamond throne. The mayor glanced up, his eyes widening when he registered his evil clone standing there. “Bad? Oh my gosh, I… What happened to you? Where’s your hat?”

Bad’s hands flew to his head, realising for the first time that he didn’t have his hat anymore. “It must have fallen off in the void. Scar, I got banned and I don’t know why.”

“You were banned?! And you still came back here?!” Scar shook his head. “You need to leave before Xisuma finds you.”

“But I-!”

“No, just go! Before we get into trouble.”

“I just want to know why I was banned,” said Bad desperately. “Then I’ll go right back to where I came from and I’ll never bother you again. I promise.”

Scar hesitated, a conflicted look on his face. Finally, he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t actually think X was gonna do it.”

Bad frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Back during the war, I was under a lot of stress. I did things I’m not exactly proud of. Eventually, I realised that what I was doing… was making me more like you. I couldn’t handle that, so I went to Xisuma and asked if he could get you out of the way so people didn’t notice I was turning into you. I didn’t-.”

“Wait, wait, wait…!” Bad waved his hands to stop his counterpart. “Let me get this straight… You got me banned because you were afraid you were becoming evil, like me?”

Scar nodded slowly. “I swear, I didn’t think he was actually gonna ban you.”

“What else did you expect the server admin to do?!” snapped Bad.

“I don’t know! I’m sorry, Bad, really!”

“If you’re really sorry, then go to Xisuma and explain you want me unbanned!”

To Bad’s surprise and dismay, Scar shook his head. “I can’t do that. I’m sorry, but I’m the mayor; a good mayor now. A good mayor can’t have an evil clone of himself on the server anymore. I really am sor-.”

“Oh, stop saying you’re sorry!” Bad’s voice cracked. “I can’t believe this! After all these years of funny pranks and harmless shenanigans, you’re just tossing me aside?”

“Bad, you’re not harmless,” Scar snapped back. “You don’t realise it, but you’ve caused some real damage over the years. You’ve destroyed things, killed people, upset people, caused irreparable damage to the server. The only reason Xisuma hasn’t banned you sooner is because I kept standing up for you. Did you seriously never notice the fact that I was the only Hermit who ever had kind words for you? You never noticed the other Hermits glaring at you in the shopping district or walking the other way when you came by?”

Bad stared at Scar in shock and horror. “N-No, I… I didn’t… Scar, I… I never meant to cause bad things.”

“Your name literally contains the phrase “Bad Times”!”

“I-I can change, Scar!” Bad was almost physically begging at this point. “I can change, I promise! I can be worthy of forgiveness if you give me a chance.”

Scar firmly shook his head. “You’re an evil Hermit and you always will be. I’m sorry, but there’s no place on the server for you. Not anymore.”

Red hot anger started to build inside Bad. “No, you… you can’t do this to me. After everything we’ve been through, you can’t just decide I don’t belong here anymore!”

Scar took a step back, away from Bad. “Just get outta here before I call Xisuma to deal with you.”

Bad hesitated.

In the ensuing pause, a loud crash sounded from outside.

Seizing his chance, Bad snatched the hat from Scar’s head and dashed out of the town hall. When he got outside, he found Xisuma and EX locked in a battle just outside the building. Xisuma appeared to be winning.

Bad dashed down the stairs and slammed right into Xisuma, sending the admin tumbling to the ground. Before Xisuma could recover, Bad grabbed EX’s hand and pulled them back towards the shopping district.

“Where’s Hels?” Bad demanded.

“I sent him back to the tunnel. Whether he’s still there, I don’t know. Bad, what happened?”

“I’ll explain later.”

The two jumped down the secret entrance to the base and rushed back towards the entrance to the tunnel.

“Hey, guys.” Hels emerged from one of the rooms, holding an armful of mycelium. “They have purple grass here.”

Letting go of EX’s hand, Bad beckoned to Hels. “C’mon, we’re getting outta here.”

“Can I bring the purple grass?”

“Will it help distract you from, as you put it, your bloodlust?” EX inquired.

Hels beamed. “Yes.”

“Alright, then, yes. You can bring the… uh… purple grass.”

As the evil Hermits made their way back through the tunnel, EX eventually decided to break the silence. “So… Long story short, Xisuma didn’t forgive me. How’d it go with Scar?”

“Scar got me banned because he was afraid of turning into me,” replied Bad shortly. “And he refuses to get it reversed because he’s afraid having an evil clone whom everyone on the server hates will damage his image as mayor.”

A pause followed.

“Oof, that’s rough,” EX remarked sympathetically. “What are you going to do now?”

“There’s nothing else I CAN do. I’ve been banned and the only person on the server who might stick up for me is refusing to do so. I guess that means I’m stuck with you two permanently.”

Another pause.

“I didn’t even get to have another rap battle with Wels,” said Hels sadly.

“Hey.” EX stopped at the very end of the tunnel, turning back to face their friends. “Let’s all quit moping. We tried asking for forgiveness and it didn’t work. No more grovelling, no more trying to change, no more stupid group therapy. We’re evil Hermits, right?”

“Yeah!” cheered Hels.

“And evil Hermits want to spread chaos and destruction, right? We should be who we are, without worrying what our counterparts will think of us. They’ve rejected us, so now they think we’re no longer their problem. Let’s show them how wrong they are. Let’s show them how evil we can really be.”

“YEAH!” Hels whooped, his red eyes flashing dangerously. “BLOODLUST!”

“We’re not straight-up murdering people, though, Hels,” added EX sternly. “That’s not the kind of chaos we spread.”

“Oh.” Hels settled down. “Okay. Fair enough.”

Chuckling quietly, EX turned to Bad. “What do you say?”

After a moment, a grin spread over Bad’s face and he swept Scar’s hat onto his head. “I say let’s do it. If Scar says I’m evil, who am I to deny it?”

“Exactly.” EX slung one arm over Bad’s shoulders and the other over Hels’s, grinning at their evil compatriots. “It’s time to be the evil Hermits we were created to be.”

#hermitcraft #evil xisuma #helsknight #badtimeswithscar #xisuma #goodtimeswithscar #welsknight #long post #Vaunna writes

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mitigatedchaos · 5 years ago

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Banished

(1,400 words, ~ 6 mins)

Banished, Colonial Charter, The North, and the 4 gigabyte Megamod

I purchased the game Banished (2014) some time ago, but hadn't gotten around to actually playing it until recently. (I also replayed the excellent Populous: The Beginning, a game released back in 1998, and thus presumably older than some of the people that read this blog. Both are or were going for around $5-7 lately.)

Reviews described death waves, crop infestations, entire towns lost due to starvation, families killed by frostbite, and fires wiping out house, smithy, and storage barn alike. And sure, I could micro-manage a hundred tiny medieval villagers in a never-ending fight against the crushing poverty of the era, slowly grinding away surplus on meagre human and animal power, always one harsh winter away from ruin in an unforgiving wild landscape... or, having bought it on sale, I could wait and test it out when the mood struck me.

After playing vanilla Banished, I wasn't sure who wrote those reviews.

(The old way would have been to attribute this to console gamers, but this is a forward-thinking blog and we embrace inter-system solidarity.)

Build the hut to gather some berries, then plunk down some houses and a woodcutter before the winter hits and you, too, will soon be waiting impatiently for the randomly-determined traders to bring the specific variety of seed or animal you were hoping for and finally give your villagers the nutritionally-balanced breakfast they deserve. Yields will vary with the climate and seasons (and you'll lose some yields when winter comes early), but stored food in Banished doesn't rot and only about a quarter of your villagers will need to be assigned to food production.

If you're used to these kinds of games - say you racked up some hours in Anno 2070 - vanilla Banished will seem light on content. The production chains are short, the variety of goods is low, and there are only two kinds of houses. If it seems as it were made with a development budget of "just one guy," well it more or less was.

Once getting a grasp on vanilla, it was time to get some mods. More specifically, mod compilation packs, something I've learned to appreciate from industrial minecraft.

Colonial Charter

Colonial Charter is a mod pack with a relatively unified aesthetic and theme (although less unified on either count than The North, which we'll discuss later). You're (implicitly) a colonial governor working on behalf of some European power perhaps in the 1600s or 1700s. If you were hoping to engage in the true violence of the colonial era, setting out to conquer a continent with only muskets of iron and a will of steel, you will be disappointed - Banished does not feature combat. With one fierce touch, hunters transmute a deer into venison and leather without even the pretense of a bow and arrow, and so Colonial Charter represents your colony's entirely-optional military adventures as just another production building, this time masquerading as a rocky outcrop. (It does dutifully note your soldiers will require snazzy uniforms, the 'full livery' itself the result of a production chain.) If you want to build the rest of the fort, though, with cannons and wooden palisades and the like, you're in luck. Vanilla Banished has certain rustic charm to the art, and that's still on display here, so you may well find yourself taking a picture of your snow-covered frontier fortress with canons that don't do anything.

Both vanilla Banished and Colonial Charter lack a capstone building, like Anno 2070's 'monuments,' as well as, it seems, specific victory conditions. Disasters, when activated, seem relatively rare. In one game two wooden houses burned down, hardly a major setback for the Mitigated East Pensachussets Company. In another, a tornado tore through an uninhabited part of the map, and in another, a disease outbreak resulted in the (ordered) slaughter of about 75% of my supply of beef cows - a herd which was itself only one third of my supply of farm animals. In fact, with traders taking food in trade, I was often swimming in supplies, the only real constraints being the slow rate of production for Building Supplies or Fancy Homewares and waiting for traders to bring the right kinds of seeds (either for specific industrial purposes, for diet balance, or for a diversity of crops to resist blight).

But buildings don't require maintenance, so even a relatively slow production of Building Supplies is just a cap on the rate of expansion (while in real life, if you don't continuously produce the same, your building stock will gradually decrease in number and condition). Banished could use some elements from Anno 2070 - the combat or the missions help to liven things up and create breaks in the periods of building and stringing up production chains, and present a bit of risk/reward in how you allocate your resources. Alternatively, a genius aspect of The Sims 3 was the "wishes" system, both the "lifetime wish" and the more ephemeral ones that came up in response to immedate context, which could be "promised," creating a stream of game-seeded player-directed mini-goals that implicitly create a narrative around the relatively empty vessels of the sims themselves.

Story aspects presented in either way might be interesting - and a good resource sink.

The North

The North is a mod best acquired from its website. The Steam Workshop edition is out of date.

The North is more-or-less everything I thought Banished would be, but Norse, and still without unpreserved food rotting. Starting with only a chapel, one man's worth of rye, and around 20 nomads, none of whom were in the posession of tools, I subsequently struggled to reap enough surplus production to afford a charcoal pile in the hopes of maybe one day using it to fuel a blacksmith, as often even if the grain were planted early, winter would arrive early, and despite throwing every villager in the village at the fields, not enough grain could be collected to survive the year before it succumbed to bitter cold. In one village an entire population froze to death. In another, they starved. It was, in a word, brutal.

But the difficulty of The North depends a lot on the starting conditions. In the Shepard start with three families for a total of nine villagers (six adults), each with tools and the village starting with a herd of sheep, the situation was much easier. The North requires a lot of micro-management. It extends the idea of the game's developer of a more personal style of city-builder, where each villager and each family matters. In this case fewer villagers was better - while rotating one or two through the production chain to replace the tools, there were fewer mouths to feed, and thus less overhead needed for manual hunting and gathering.

The buildings are nicely-made, but while in vanilla and Colonial Charter child villagers reach age 18 after about 4 game years, in The North it appears villagers age one year per game year. This makes the situation easier to handle (as The North is tough!), but growth takes longer. Ultimately I didn't want to micro-manage the village for 100 years to get it up to size, though it might be worthwhile to visit it every now and again for the gentle gardening feel of the shepard's hamlet.

Megamod

The problem with the 4.67-gigabyte (once uncompressed; it's 1.5 GB compressed) Megamod is that it has too many mods. This makes it in some ways reminiscent of Minecraft modpacks like Feed the Beast (long live Industrialcraft). If you want to build the perfect-looking little village, Megamod is probably the best - especially if you want to stretch across the whole map, rigging up canals, moats, ponds and castles. But it's unfocused, with too many concepts and too many buildings. Some of the buildings are great, while others are clearly novice efforts. With so many options for everything, it would likely be easy to min-max and lose the element that makes Banished a game. Had all the effort that went into these mods been, instead, applied as one project with a relatively coherent vision of gameplay, it would have been able to produce a game that is 'complete' in a way that vanilla Banished is not.

Alas, with normal Banished food yields in Megamod, I set my villagers off to gathering up food and farming and wandered off to look through the piles and piles of buildings. I'd say that maybe somewhere in Megamod is a tornado shelter, but I doubt the base game code supports it. In the Early Summer season, a tornado ripped through what very little existed of the whole town, destroying every building and carrying off all the villagers to the great beyond.

#longpost #miti does media

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inneralpacacheesecake-blog · 6 years ago

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Blog post #15

1) Yes, I do think that Wagner’s music should still be performed even though there has been lots of controversy over it because of his anti-semitic views. In the article, Wagner Israel and the Palestinians, the author states that “Wagner was the first composer to very consciously calculate and demand the speed of dynamic developments” and this is a style in music that can still be seen today. His music was so unique for his time period and it influenced many composers. Many composers loved his new style of music and often times tried to incorporate his style into their music. If the decision was made to no longer perform Wagner’s music than it would only make sense to also not perform any music that was influenced by his work. I don’t think that would be fair to the musicians that were not anti-Semitic but decided to mimic his style. Also if the decision was made to not perform his music then I think we would also have to change the style of our movie theaters. The design of many modern movie theaters is another art form that was also influenced by Wagner. If we were to get rid of one form of his art, his music, then it would only make sense to get rid of the other which would be the design of his theaters and I don’t think this would be a good idea. I don’t think that it is necessary to get rid of his work completely, but I do think that it is important to inform people of his anti-Semitic views. In the article, Divorcing music from anti-Semitism Israeli soprano takes on taboo at Wagner fest, the author suggests that it was not uncommon for people to be prejudice towards Jews. The author states that it wasn’t until “1669 that it became legal for Jews to move somewhat freely in Berlin and the surrounding area”. Although this doesn’t change the fact that Wagner was anti-semitic, I think it is important to note that this was something that he probably grew up believing. I think that this music should still be played because of how unique and influential it was for many composers that came after Wagner. I also think it should still be performed by Jewish musicians, like the Jewish singer in the article, as well because I think it kind of erases that anti-Semitic stigma around Wagner’s music.

Wagner and Me

1) Fry believes that the article that Wagner wrote, Judaism in Music, has “stained his reputation to this day”. He thought that anti-Semitism was widespread during the time period in which Wagner was growing up, however, Wagner seemed to have a personal issue with the Jews as well. Fry suggests that Wagner was jealous of the lives that other Jewish composures, such as Mendelssohn, were living during this period as well. This contributed to his anti-Semitic views. Fry says that although he wasn’t a very pleasant man it does not change the fact that his music is incredibly supreme and I think that he would say that his music should still be performed as well. He says that he sees Wagner’s music as the most beautiful tapestry with a stain on it. You can still appreciate all of the beautiful aspects of his music even though he was a bad dude.

2) Some things that I learned from the video that I had not considered before was that Wagner was considered to be an international composer and he did not make reference to Germany a lot in his work. This was surprising to me because I always thought of him as being like a German nationalist. Something else I learned from the video was that the design of Neuschwanstein Castle was all inspired by Wagner’s work. I learned that the design of the Nazi rally grounds was inspired by the stages that Wagner designed for his operas. Hitler wanted his audience to be impacted by the visual appeal of his stage just like the audience at Wagner’s operas. I learned that the Wagner family invited Hitler with open arms when he visited them for the first time. They were also big supporters of him even early on in his rise to power. I learned that some Jews who were taken prisoner and sent to concentration camps would sometimes be saved if they could perform music by Wagner because they would be asked to play it for German soldiers. A Jewish survivor of Auschwitz said that she would never forbid anyone from listening to the music that Wagner composed.

Lohengrin

1) The story was influenced by the events that took place in 933 when King Hennery the Flower of Saxony was uniting many German states to rise up against Hungarian invaders. This is a story of good vs bad which takes place during the medieval era. There are a lot of knights and Kings as wells magical characters such as evil witches.

2) No, in the story, the hero who saves the lady in distress does not want his story to be told. This is the opposite of what Wagner wanted. I think that he wanted everyone to know of his work and for his story to be told.

3) Both are played at the beginning of the opera however an overture is generally longer than a prelude. An overture will introduce the audience to all the major themes that will be important throughout the opera. This is different from a prelude which, after doing the reading, I interrupted as a way to tell a short story that would be important to know before watching the opera. For example, the prelude to Lohengrin is telling the story of the Holy Grail.

4) Elsa is being accused of murdering her little brother Gottfried who is the child-Duke of Brabant. Count Friedrich von Telramund, the children’s guardian, believes that her motive for killing her brother was so that she could take over as Duchess of Brabant.

5) Telramund and Ortrud are banished and the settle to Antwerp castle.

6) She is a Pagan and she believed in Wodon and Freia

7) Elsa feels “unequal and unworthy” because Lohengrin won’t tell her his name. She has so many questions about why he wouldn’t share this with her that it starts to make her mad.

8) Elsa dies because of guilt when Lohengrin has to return home because his identity has been exposed. Telramund is killed by Lohengrin when tries to attack him. Ortrud dies when Lohengrin prays to God after Orturd says that is not possible to bring back Gottfried.

9) I thought it was kind of funny and it probably was a “had to be there” kind of moment, but no I did not laugh out loud. I could see how a person who is really serious about operas may find this hysterical because I feel like operas, or at least Wagner’s operas, were supposed to be followed exactly how they were written and this particular incident of Lohengrin missing the Swan boat was defiantly not in the script.

10) I am excited to see how Ortrud is portrayed in the opera. The reading suggests that she was supposed to be very awful and the author states that she is “one of the truly great bitches of opera” (page 107). I am also excited to see all the cool costumes worn by the performers. I have always been a big fan of story’s that take place during the medieval time period.

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wild-west-wind · 6 years ago

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Hey so below the cut is the beginning of my Western/Fantasy/Mystery story Coyote Draw. It’s a very rough draft, I’m not really trying to edit as I go so it should be readable by grammar/spelling alone (readable content-wise now that’s dubious). Tell me what you think, or tell me that it’s trash. Well, I guess if it’s trash tell me something constructive with it like “Do this better.” That’d be cool. Anon message me if that’s easier.

Synopsis: In this section Gertrude Bell and Elizabeth Cagney are introduced as members of the Hesselius National Detective Agency, a semi-international private detective firm specializing in supernatural cases. Gertrude and Elizabeth have been sent out to Sun Springs, NM to prove a potentially wrongly convicted man innocent of the brutal murder of a surveyor.

Notes: It’s probably pretty bad. The style is very brief and to-the-point and I don’t know if I’m going to stick with that. I’m not sure if it’s to brief or too long for the content that it covers. I think I should describe characters more. It starts with an animal dying. If that bothers you skip to the third sentence.

Anyway, here it is:

A few hours outside of Santa Fe the 8:45 to Springer hit a bison. The impact shook Elizabeth Cagney awake. Her companion on the trip, as in all matters, was still awake. It was too loud to sleep. Gertrude Bell thought it was funny how quick her Elizabeth nodded off. City folk sleep through anything.

Elizabeth grimaced as she stirred. Bags under her eyes betrayed a late night wasted in Santa Fe. She wished she could say it was spent drinking and gambling. It was spent reading. Drinking was a strictly a secondary venture. That is not to say that she had not drink a great deal. Elizabeth scrambled for her coffee. She held the canteen of muddy coffee so tight her knuckles went white. She whispered a bit, her eyes closed tight. The canteen popped and fizzled as it got hot. She offered it to Gertrude first.

Gertrude almost smiled. “I’m fine, I ‘spect you need that more than I do.”

Gertrude was right. Elizabeth threw back the canteen. Her face was red with pain, but she brightened up instantly. Gertrude appreciated the routine. Elizabeth always offered, she always refused. Elizabeth was always flushed. Always smiled.

“So how far out are we?” Elizabeth asked. She shook the residual heat out of her hands.

“About 3 hours,” Gertrude guessed. Her watch stopped working after a sand storm in Barstow. “We get off in Springer, then we ride the rest of the way.”

The Hesselius National Detective Agency gave them an advance to pay the thirty-one dollar train fare. They did not offer to pay 25 for a pack horse. They didn’t offer a ticket to ship Gertrude’s horse either. Gertrude never thought to ask for it.

Out in the desert flowers were blooming. Word was there was a big storm a few months back flooded most of the southern Rockies. As the train shot by there were explosions and gold and pink cactus flowers. The effervescent yellow of agave and ragleaf. A spatter of lilac Elizabeth said could have been columbine. Without much prompting she could rattle off every possible name and use for every one of those flowers. Every spell they were good for. It came with the territory. Gertrude mostly knew which ones you could eat, which ones could make a person sick, and which ones could kill a horse.

On a rainy January morning Elizabeth and Gertrude got a letter from the Hesselius National Detective Agency. The two of them had been Hessians in variously official capacities since the war. Usually they would take jobs off the board in their home office. Gertrude didn’t want to hear the message. She took the paper and sent the messenger away. She held it tight in her hand, crushing the paper and cracking the small wax seal on the back. Elizabeth had to read the letter for her. They had been called in. The Director wanted to see them personally.

“Aw hell,” Gertrude spat, “We walked headlong into this one Lizzie.” Her lip trembled, but her hands were dead still.

Elizabeth rested a hand on Gertrude’s shoulder. She brushed a lock of hair from her brow. “We’re not on the outs Gert,” Elizabeth spoke to Gertrude like a child. “It might be a job. May be a promotion.” Gertrude threw herself into her old rocking chair. The floor creaked loud.

“Listen Gertie,” Gertrude looked away. Elizabeth stepped in front of her and forced her head up. “Listen, if we get fired, we can just banish him. That old boggle won’t know what hit him. Hell, we’ll be on the outs but we might get a medal for the trouble.”

Gertrude coughed up a dry laugh. “Okay, but it better be a big medal.”

“Of course.”

“Gold.”

“I should expect nothing less.”

Elizabeth helped Gertrude dawn a white bodice and her hound’s-tooth riding jacket. Gertrude tossed Elizabeth her waxed canvas cape from the coat rack. They set out into the rain.

Cole Boggs was a squat, broad man. As a boy some poor soul must have asked him to speak up. He chose to head that advice literally, and has not spoken in less than a bellow since. For 15 years he had been the director of the American branch of the Hesselius National Detective Agency. He despised those under his employ that called themselves “Hessians,” and so almost all did.

Boggs’ office was littered with what might charitably be called mementos. On the wall behind him, between two bay windows, was a rack containing four medieval swords. Every wall was lined with mismatched glass-doored curios. Each was full of old books, tarnished jewelry, carved cubes and spheres with various arcane writings. A suit of rusted Viennese armor stood sentry over two seven foot tall safes in the opposite corner of the room. Save for three chairs and a path from the door, every horizontal surface of the office was covered with superficially valuable trash.

“Ladies?” He roared over a newspaper written in indecipherable script, “Do come in, I need just a moment to finish up here.”

Elizabeth and Gertrude stepped inside, and sat down in adjacent leather chairs. Their arms were worn through by hundreds of elbows. The leather was dry and cracking. They may have been the second oldest thing in the room.

After a moment’s pause, and without looking up, Boggs began to speak; “I presume you know why I’ve asked you to come in here.”

Gertrude’s face flushed. Elizabeth reached over and grabbed her hand.

“Now, you’re aware that our last client was less than pleased with your performance—“

“Sir allow me t’explain I—“ Gertrude tried to interject.

“Ms. Bell, please allow me to finish as I think you will be pleased by what I have to say,” Boggs filled his mammoth lungs, “but you were right. Entirely correct. Mr. Lux was indeed stealing from the town’s till, and he was indeed conspiring to use that money for nefarious purposes, though the authorities are not yet sure what those were.”

Gertrude slouched as much a whalebone corset would allow. Boggs continued; “While we were certainly not hired to have our client imprisoned, you’ve brought a spattering of good press for the agency.”

Cole Boggs finally lowered his newspaper. “We have a client in New Mexico. He has asked for you two specifically. He believes a man was wrongly accused of murder in Sun Springs. Charming little town. He’d like you to go out and prove him right.”

“Who—“ before Elizabeth could inhale Boggs barked, “Who is none of your business.”

“—Is the suspect?” Elizabeth finished. Her crystal blue eyes found Boggs’. A ripple coursed down his body, and for a brief moment something closer to his true form was visible.

“Of course. Yes. The suspect. The accused is a Mr. Balthazar Farkas. A lycanthrope. The evidence is quite damning. A surveyor by the name of Oramel Hawkins was working near Farkas’ home. He was slaughtered and dismembered early in the morning. A local magician, Grant Heston, saw the dismemberment. A local deputy found blood-soaked rags in Mr. Farkas’ cabin. Farkas has been in trouble with the law before: in ’67 he killed a Shiner who had a bounty for his hide, in broad daylight. The folks in Sun Springs remember that well. It’s a quiet town.”

“So he did it?” Elizabeth asked, sensing that Boggs was done.

“It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it.”

Elizabeth winced. “So, are we to try and get a guilty man freed from facing justice then?”

Boggs hummed, “No, I wouldn’t say that. He may not be guilty. It may be a case of mistaken identity. The murder wasn’t observed, focus on that.”

Gertrude, taking care to avoid eye contact with anyone in the room, mused, “Out in the country like that you see what you expect to see. If you’re scared of the werewolf down the way, you’ll see him when you may’ve seen a coyote or a damned cactus,” She glanced at Elizabeth. “Plenty of ways you could choose to see something when you’re looking right at another.”

Elizabeth laughed. Boggs didn’t get it.

To call Springer a town would be an overstatement verging on an outright lie. Most of the 320 acres called Springer on a map were farms. Right around the banks of the Cimarron River were a few buildings. Most of them were liable to get washed away if the river got any nearer to its banks. There were two general stores, a livery, a spattering of houses, a warehouse, and a tavern. The tavern must have been built old because no one lived here 7 years ago. Every month the trail was passable a wagon train full of copper would come in from Sun Springs. All spring and summer folks would drive their cattle and sheep out of the hills for sale.

#coyote draw #wip #for real though #it's pretty bad #it needs a lot of work #also posting this makes me really nervous #even though I know no one will read it

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hi-n-oops · 7 years ago

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Any recent fics you read that you liked? And what about that bottom louis fic rec you promised? ;))

I will do the recent fic list because I have had some awesome fics to read in the last few days. Also, I am gonna limit it to 10 fics lest I get carried away. On to the fics!!

Like an Endless Summer by objectlesson @horsegirlharry

Louis is a riding instructor at a summer camp, and Harry is a fellow counselor who he’s been successfully managing his crush on for the last two summers. That is, until Harry shows up this year leveled up and lethal, and all Louis’s formerly perfected veneer of nonchalance melts like a Popsicle in the sun.

**This is delightful. An absolute treat!!

Or Brûlant by iris_avis (starryeyedlarry) (WIP) @iris-avis

After completing his prestigious dance training overseas, Harry returns to England to begin teaching in one of London’s elite ballet schools. Only, certain dancers aren’t too happy to have him suddenly on board. Or his well-fitted lycra uniform. Throw in some unusual dynamics, tense elevation demonstrations and an unlikely dance partnership, and you’ve got yourself a pretty interesting edition of Matthew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’.

Or the one where Harry is the new ballet teacher, despite him being younger than everyone in his class, and Louis is less than impressed by his inescapable talent. They sort themselves out eventually.

**I am in love with this fic. Listen, even if you don’t love ballet, you will love this.

cupid’s defence by rhuubarb @rhuubarb

“Of course, the ONE time a ridiculously attractive man shows up at Louis’ home, butt naked, he turns out to be an arrogant love god. Not only that, but he’s an arrogant love god facing a multi-million pound lawsuit, possible banishment from Mount Olympus, and a shit ton of adjustment issues.”

Alternatively: Harry is Cupid, Louis and Liam own a law firm, and they’re all getting sued.

**HARRY CRIES GLITTER!! NEED I SAY MORE?!?! But in all seriousness, this fic is gold. Go read it!!

Carry This Feeling by Awriterwrites, dimpled_halo @dimpled-halo @a-writerwrites

Harry knows, objectively, that he shouldn’t try to get his ghostwriter into bed. He knows. But…he finds it hard to resist temptation when Louis waltzes into his home and his life and turns everything upside down. And, as it turns out, Louis might just need a little turning upside down too.

**This fic was a treat to read. Harry is a troubled soul and Louis helps him figure himself out.

under me, you by hazzafrazza (colberry) @colberry

You Won’t Believe Who Was Spotted Leaving Harry Styles’ Primrose Hill Pad!

If Harry was being completely honest, it probably wasn’t the best idea to be a world-renowned popstar and an infamous vigilante.

(Especially when all the comic books said never reveal your secret identity to keep your loved ones safe – which was all well and good, until Louis.)

Or: Harry wants a lot of things – fame, glory, Louis – but that last one is particularly hard to get when everyone thinks you’re dating your secret superhero alter-ego and suddenly you’ve become your own worst cockblock.

**This is fucking hilarious!! A very funny twist to your vigilante fics!!

Your Mess Is Mine by amory @amories

Louis is the father to the most brilliant little boy in the world who is all Louis really needs, or at least that’s what he tells himself. Harry is a gorgeous boybander fresh off a two year break and a massive scandal that’s left him a little broken and more than ready to move on.

They fall in love.

**I have been following this one since it had been a WIP. It is a good read.

Through Eerie Chaos by MediaWhore @mediawhorefics

For as long as anyone can remember, Old Hillsbridge Manor has always been believed to be haunted. Everyone in the village agrees and keeps a respectful, fearful, distance. New in town after a bad breakup and an internship that led to disappointment rather than a permanent job, Harry Styles figures taking pictures of the decrepit building could be a great new creative project. Or at least a much-needed distraction while he searches for a job and crashes at his parents’ new house. No one warned him about the apparitions though; about the music, the laughter, the people who flicker and vanish when you call after them, the echoes of a past that should be long gone… Harry has never believed in spirits but even he can admit that there’s something weird going on. What starts as mere curiosity evolves into a full-blown investigation and soon enough, Harry finds himself making friends with an aristocrat from the 1920s and struggling with finding the best way to tell him that he’s dead.

The Ghost Hunter AU where Niall lives to prove ghosts are real, Zayn is a skeptical librarian and Harry gets caught up in a century-old mystery and catches feeling in the process.

**This fic has probably been recced everywhere in every list as it should be. It is one of the most unique fics I have read. Also, the feels are real. Get ready to cry.

picture you staring by turnyourankle @floralhoran

If there’s one thing Louis won’t stand for it’s being replaced as his nieces’ favourite uncle.

Especially by some bloke they met barely hours into their holiday in Portugal who’s not even related to them.

**This is very short and very sweet!! Like super sweet!!!

Packed Lunches, Sticky Fingers and Accidental Levitation by LadyLondonderry @londonfoginacup

Harry Styles is a skilled work-from-home potionist five years out of university with a steady job, a house, and… eight kids.

He also might be heading towards a breakdown if he doesn’t get a bit of help.

Enter a meddling pixie and an old university friend he might or might not have had a lot of feelings for.

**This is the fluffiest fic I have read most recently. It is endearing with a very unique setting!!

Runaway Land by daggerinrose (WIP)

Louis is sure he’s stumbled upon a secret, underground nightclub, though that is far from the truth. He’s also pretty sure he’s stumbled upon Apollo, which… isn’t very far from the truth, actually.

Modern Greek mythology AU

**Again, a very unique fic. It is quite intense, and thrilling. Go give it a read!!

All is fair in love and war by weddingbells @babygotstyles

The Nanny AU in which Louis is the sassy gay Nanny-by-accident taking care of the kids of movie director Harry Styles. Also there’s Liam as the butler, Niall as Louis’ best friend, Zayn as the model/actor and Nick as Harry’s partner from work that maybe wants a bit more from Harry than cooperation.

**This is hilarious, Also, Nick is a dick. So, you know, a warning…

That’s How I Know by allwaswell16 @allwaswell16

Louis Tomlinson has just landed his dream job, coaching soccer at Augustus University. When he moves into a new house near campus, he meets his very fit new neighbor, English professor Harry Styles. Although their first meeting leads to an instant mutual dislike, the more Harry gets to know Louis, the more he likes what he sees.

Or the one where Harry’s African grey parrot spills his dirty secrets to his very hot neighbor.

**This one was so good, guys. You will fall in love with Darcy, the parrot. And it got me looking into parrots and stuff. They are awesome!! But read this fic first!!! I am also quite curious about the writer. I really liked their writing style and would love to read more of their works!!

The Fairy Ring by thedeathchamber @louehvolution

Harry has dreamed of a world outside the tiny village of Holmes Chapel for as long as he can remember… a world full of magic and adventure and true love.It was nothing but a childhood dream, however, until an old family friend comes bearing word of a plot against Harry’s life and a very dangerous truth: Harry is the rightful heir to the crown and must embark on a perilous quest to reclaim his throne from the ruthless would-be King Simon.But in the end Harry will find himself fighting for more than a crown, and on the verge of losing something much more precious than his sovereign power.Because magic might be real, but life is not a fairy tale, and Harry is a prince up against a very big dragon.

Or: a medieval fantasy AU in which Harry is a prince in disguise and Louis is the king of the faeries.

**A fantasy au!! Very interesting read!!

The Sweetest Incantation by smittenwithlouis @smittenwithlouis

Harry has been alive for decades, and yet he’s never been as confused and dumbfounded. He’s a witch, for God’s sake. Can’t get much weirder than all the magical things he’s experienced throughout his lifetime. Never in a million years, however, would he have expected to be mere inches away from a hybrid.

Or: Harry is a witch who’s still working on developing his powers and Louis is a werecat who falls into his life and turns it upside down.

**I LOVED THIS FIC!!! I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS FIC!! i WOULD GIVE MY LIFE FOR THIS FIC!! I mean, KittenHybrid!Louis, Witch!Harry, Matchmaker!Steve!!! What else do you need?!?! Go read this, right now!!

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kerception · 7 years ago

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From Padmavati to Padmaavat

Disclaimer: I grew up watching Bhansali’s Khamoshi, Black and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and obviously I love him for his opulence, his grandeur and the visual treat that he offers his audience. There is an excess that should be nauseating, yet it is decadent, that’s what I love about Bhansali.

Over the years my politics has taken me further away from his interpretations, however my senses still thrive being fed his imagery. I don’t want to get into a whole lot of what has already been said about his new film (or the politics of meaningless protest by the Karni Sena). As a critique of the film, I’d like to offer something that sticks to the merits of the film. I want to focus on Padmaavat (the erstwhile queen Padmavati) as a piece of cinema.

Bhansali does justice to the two major plot lines of the film, as he sets up the Khilji rule, led by the majestic Raza Murad (playing Jalaluddin Khilji) and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji). Alauddin is flamboyant, perhaps spoilt and unabashedly ambitious. He stands firm in Jalaluddin’s aura.

On the other side is the Rajput kingdom of Rawal Ratan Singh (actor Shahid Kapoor), who discovers Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) while hunting in the forest. The early romance is sweet, tender and a bit reminiscent of a 1950s period piece. And Bhansali does it purposely, for he will juxtapose the sweet tender romance of Rawal Ratan and Padmavati to the jealous cravings of Alauddin Khilji.This is all for dramatic effect, as he will reveal over the next 150 minutes.

The Khiljis engage in expansion, intrigue, power at the cost of all else. While the Rajputs do that too, to a certain extent, but Bhansali chooses not to explore that. He will only go as far and give us a taste of the palace intrigue on the Rajput side, when Rawal Ratan’s Rajguru (political mentor) is introduced to Padmavati. The short discourse between them was the best set of dialogues in the close to three-hour long saga. But with the Rajguru’s banishment, all intrigue, political frolic and the story comes to a complete halt. It becomes a predictable dramatic one twist to the other from here on. We know that the Rajguru will go and form an alliance with Khilji, who in turn will train his eyes on Rawal Ratan’s kingdom and Padmavati. This will eventually end in the Rajputs and the Khiljis coming face to face. The end.

Now let’s look at the rest of the film. Visually this is stunning and we wouldn’t expect anything but from Bhansali. Each and every frame is painstakingly crafted. From the palace of the Khiljis, the spaces that the characters inhabit, the fortress/city of Rawal Ratan and Padmavati and everywhere where the camera even glances at, is Mughal-E-Azam all over again. All credit to the cinematographer (Sudeep Chatterjee) and the art directors who help bring Bhansali’s vision to life.

image courtesy: india.com

The characters: For all the criticism that Bhansali has received for presenting Alauddin Khilji’s character as barbaric, lustful and treacherously ferocious, I found Khilji’s character the only one who really gets any attention from Bhansali’s pen. He is crafted with range, substance and yes he is vile. As an antagonist, in typical Bollywood/drama/fiction style, he has to be vile and eccentric. Does this make Bhansali anti-Muslim? Did I respond to Khilji and think all Muslims are like that? I equally enjoyed his exchanges with his court poet Khusru. And while I will call Bhansali out on his depiction of Malik Kafur (played by Jim Sarbh: the brilliant star of the film) for playing into the Bollywood stereotype of LGBTQ characters on screen, I do give him and Ranveer Singh credit for exploring ‘bisexuality’ in a mainstream Bollywood film. Malik Kafur’s character falters towards the end, but he comes to the audience in spurts and he is just wonderful. And for whatever it's worth, the Khilji-Kafur interaction was way more interesting than anything Padmavati and Rawal Ratan’s characters had to offer. It was rather hilarious and in a way Bhansali indulging in self-deprecation, when Khilji mocks Rawal Ratan for being oh so saintly and good.

Padukone as Padmavati should have been the heart of the film, but she isn't. Bhansali played with the idea of turning Padmavati into the astute, politically savvy protagonist that she could have been. But instead he chose to leave her out completely in the first half, so that whole thing came to naught. And by the time she is back, you have been blinded and exhausted by the colors and cravings of Bhansali’s canvas.

I want to be more generous to Kapoor for playing Rawal Ratan with some stoic restraint, but I can only compliment him for his chiseled torso, unfortunately. I kept hoping that his first wife Nagmati (played by Anupriya Goenka) would come out of the shadows, but again Bhansali decided character development didn’t matter in a magnum opus.

The practise of Jauhar: Jauhar was a prevalent practise in the Rajput communities for centuries. I saw the depiction as merely a recreation of a practise that existed in medieval India. I asked people in my entourage and no one seemed inspired to commit Jauhar after watching the film, as was being suggested by commentators, social media folk. From where I sat, Bhansali’s depiction of Jauhur (unlike Sati) was similar to say Ridley Scott’s depiction of Maximus as a Gladiator. Archaic and dehumanizing, of course, but not glorified. It’s part of the poem (Padmavat, 1540) that Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote and the film being inspired from it, saw it make its way as a dramatic, over the top climax.

My critique of the film is that Bhansali lost an opportunity to really tell an intriguing, layered, engaging story about a character who is part of contemporary folklore, something that is naturally expected of him. His journey from Padmavati to Padmaavat meant that we were given a visual treat, which besides Ghoomar (a song I absolutely love) was lacklustre musically and absent a whole narrative. I momentarily pondered over the alleged nexus between the Hindu-right and Bhansali for creating a propaganda piece furthering the Hindu-Rajput identity, but then I remembered that the chest thumping of Rajput pride is just part of how Bollywood films approach religion and the Rajput/Hindu confluence. So, I won’t blame Bhansali for being at the root of the problem, he is merely a symptom.

#padmavati #padmaavat #sanjay leela bhansali #film #visualart #fiction #artisticfreedom

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eternaleve · 7 years ago

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Hello, costume fiends! Sorry for missing a week – just been pottering about and the Henrican Reformation managed to slip through my mind completely. But not to fear, we’re back to the dense mess of 1530s politics.

Tears of Blood

As the Catholic Church struggles in vain to control Henry VIII’s demands for an annulment, the King appoints himself head of the Church of England; initial protests are stifled when Archbishop of Canterbury William Warham officially submits the Clergy to Henry. When Anne Boleyn insists Henry break all contacts with Catherine, the Queen is banished from court. The Reformation has begun; depressed by his failure to prevent it, Sir Thomas More resigns as Henry’s Chancellor. Charles Brandon’s growing hatred for the Boleyns- and his mistrust of Cromwell- causes him to abandon his alliance with them, losing him the King’s favor again. Anne is created Marquess of Pembroke before she and Henry visit France to present Anne as the future Queen of England and Henry’s future wife. After talks between both Henry and Anne with the French King to secure his support, in their chamber, Anne finally submits sexually to Henry, asking him to help her conceive the son and heir they both want, narrowly avoiding another encounter with the Imperial-hired assassin.

Time gets weird in this episode. It all takes place in 1532, yet we pass through a Christmas and a Twelfth Night festive season and then right through a summer and an autumn, then back round to winter. We pass through twelve months in the course of an episode, and yet it is still 1532.

Come on, show. That’s not good. I don’t know how you can shove around sixteen months into the space of one year. It’s an important year, but that doesn’t mean you can make it ridiculously long!

Henry + Anne 4eva

Things are moving along for Henry and Anne; after all, time is ticking on for the chances of conceiving a child and Henry needs sex really badly. Because there’s very little to their relationship other than sexual tension. No meeting of minds, no shared interests, no desires in their lives other than a need to pork each other.

Also, there’s an assassin on the loose.

And he’s doing symbolic things with playing cards, because how else could we think that he’s a serious threat. Do hitmen actually waste their time on doing dramatic nonsense for the purpose of nothing but empty symbolism?

Anyway, he’s not striking yet because it’s Christmas time! Even though this would be the best time to kill Anne because this is when court is busiest. Around two thousand people will be in attendance at court for this time, with the most connected and prestigious families will be attending to Henry, arriving with all their retinues and servants and guards. If I was going to kill Anne Boleyn, I’d do it when there’s a lot of unknown people at the palace and no one would question my presence.

Well, I guess he does one thing. He leaves a ‘book of prophecy’ in Anne’s chambers about how he’s totally going to kill her. A prophecy drawing of Anne with her head cut off was actually left in her chambers around this time, but it wasn’t some nonsense about playing cards and dramatic clues left by assassins.

Pushing on, Henry and Anne are working to secure support and an alliance with the French, a surefire way to stop the Holy Roman Emperor from launching an attack on England. This will be secured with a meeting between Henry and Francis in the English owned lands in France, and in order to make Anne suitable to greet a man like the King of France in any manner as an equal, she is made Marquis of Pembroke. In her own right, entirely, making her the second woman in history to be a peer and a lord by herself. It’s a highly symbolic gesture, as the Tudors come from Wales themselves.

The title also apparently comes with an income of ‘£100,000’ per annum, but I can’t help but think that’s nonsense. In the sixteenth century, that’s the budget for the entirety of government. And yes, I do mean ALL of the government. Privy councillors, clerks, staff, expenditure – that’s how much it all costs (going by the accounts for Elizabeth I, later on). So where in the blithering heck is Henry going to get that money to give to Anne? That’s some modern ideas for money going on there.

Henry also gifts Anne the incredibly ugly jewels of England and then is all ‘Don’t you have something to say to Daddy for this nice gift?’ because the romantic dynamic between the two is a bit ick for my tastes. Sorry, doesn’t do it for me.

It swings around to December again, and the English court travels to Calais to meet the French court. Anne arrives in some style to surprise Francis as I don’t think she could officially be presented to the King – after all, she’s the other woman currently.

And, lest you forget, she’s also a SLLLLLLLLLLLLLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTT.

The masque did really take place with Henry and Frances met. What did not happen –

Was that an assassin who looked conspicuously like an assassin was around her at this time. I mean, come on!

He finally makes an attempt, after waiting an entire year. But he can’t do it. Why? THE POWER OF BONING.

So confident in their own power and in the surety of their upcoming marriage, Henry and Anne finally have sex. In terms of historical opinion, 99.9% of Tudor historians believe that Henry and Anne finally had sex on their trip to France and that Elizabeth I was conceived there. Her birth date in September would back that up; however, you will find me unusually dissenting here.

To me, it makes little to no sense for Henry and Anne to have sex at this point. They will be married in a few short weeks, in early January. Their whole position has been defined by the fact that they are going to be married, and officially married as a wholesome and righteous couple. It is true that many couples in this period had premarital sex (with one third of marriages taking place with the bride visibly pregnant), but that is impossible for Henry and Anne. There is so much suggestion about them that to court and leave themselves open to such a scandal would fundamentally weaken their position.

It is also possible for a baby conceived in early January to be born healthily and successfully in September. Remember that children are born at full term now because of the advances in health and medicine; in fact, children tend to be born later now because of our understanding of prenatal health. Healthier babies tend to stay in longer. In times when women suffer from a lot of menstrual anaemia (as in, their bodies are not in a position to menstruate every month) and the diet and condition are not entirely conducive to the health of unborn children, nine months is not necessarily the point at which a baby will come to term. ‘Confinement’, the time when a woman goes away to await a birth, is a period of around three months. Not only does that speak to an certain level of uncertainty about conception and working out due dates, but of an expectation that a child may arrive early.

That is purely my opinion and idea, however, based on a little of my studies into women’s health of that era. It’s something that is overlooked by many historians and ultimately doesn’t really mean anything – we will never know when Henry and Anne first had sex, and it doesn’t matter, considering what will happen.

The Reformation Continues

1532 marks a key turning point in the Henrican Reformation. For 1532 comes the submission of the clergy, which the episode clearly deals with. In classic style with this show.

The battle is really a very old battle in English politics – that of who the church and the clergy owe their allegiance to. Technically, the church and the clergy works as a separate power within the country. The church answers to the power and authority of the Pope, rather than the King. They have their own legal system that works independently of the monarch and the crown courts, and their own system of finances. And that’s a big deal! The position of a monarch relies on obedience of their subjects. That obedience is expected and unquestioned, a demand and privilege of a monarch. And here is a body that does not stand automatically obedient to the King. They are obedient to a foreign power and they are standing in the way of a King governing the country in the manner to which he sees fit. He has a duty to his subjects on a spiritual and secular level, and the way which Henry thinks he can serve his people is not able to be done.

And so we see the rise of another law-making power in England. For the power of the church to be taken down, there must be another body to counter it. And here is where parliament comes in. For the first time, parliament is used as a deciding body in British politics. Parliament has existed since Henry III, but the use of parliament to enforce and create law has reached a point where it is almost modern. Henry requires the consent and power of the people – i.e. parliament – to enforce his laws. This is why divine right never takes hold in England, and what will ultimately lead to the English Civil War. In practical terms, Henry VIII is one of the most powerful monarchs in English history. But his power is allowed through the permission of parliament. And for every monarch after him, parliament has power over a monarch and the ability to influence and change policy. In many ways, medieval governance is over. The King, although he doesn’t know it yet, is no longer singularly in charge of the realm. He could be governed over by the men and lords of parliament.

This comes with the Supplication of the Ordinances. Henry has made an entirely new system. The Church will no longer have their own legal system and they cannot make canon law without consultation to the King. They recognise that Henry is the sole protector and supreme head of the English Church, that abuses of power took place, and they will no longer have independent legislative power.

Here, Cromwell talks of the need to create the ‘commonwealth’. Now, this term is loaded with other meanings – the countries that were formally controlled by the British Empire, or the government of Oliver Cromwell after the English Civil War. Here it talks of the political theory of the communal good and well-being of the peoples of England. This is not an individualistic society; here, actions are undertaking with the understanding that they provide a benefit for society as a whole. The rights of the individual do not exist in Tudor society. Instead, what is good for whole of the people is at priority. There is a social contract from the King to govern well and rule for his people, provide them with good government and the means to live well, and they, in turn, consent to his rule and obey him.

This is also tied in with ideas of absolute sovereignty and the body politic. If a country’s peoples are literally a body, with the monarch as the head, then actions must be taken to keep the body healthy and functioning. Actions which cause sickness and problems must be dealt with and prevented; we must all work together, as a whole, to provide good for all subjects.

It may seem strange, this means of thinking, when contrasted with how selfish Henry’s desire to push for change. But it is routed in the ideas of common weal and the consent of the governed. There’s a load of complexity here, and I’d suggest looking up Thomas Hobbes’s ‘Leviathan’ for further explanation of these ideas.

Who does the clergy serve – the people of England or the Bishop of Rome? When faced with the presence of their very close and entirely angry King, they chose to surrender and submit to the demands of their King.

Not that the clergy is necessarily happy about it, as this monk proves. He screams at Henry in a scene that makes no sense to me. For a start, why is he giving a sermon at court? That is the role of Henry’s chaplain, Thomas Cranmer. A monk is one who has chosen a private, contemplative religious life, so he shouldn’t be giving a sermon anyway. Why didn’t they check him before they let him start screaming that Anne Boleyn is a Jezebel? Where is the rood screen in this chapel? All very important questions.

Keeping Up With The Court

Not only is this episode full of boning and fierce legislative action, but everyone at court is furiously scheming away.

Charles Brandon, or as I like to call him, MC Turncoat. For as you see, his role is now to just be opposed and betray people. He’s now against Anne and the Boleyns because… it’s bad? He doesn’t really give a reason other than ‘they have to give Henry Cavil something to do’. He’s found out that Anne and Wyatt used to be lovers, and he’s warning Henry about it. Who, obvs, doesn’t want to hear it.

Cranmer, ever rising in Henry’s favour, is sent to the German states to appeal to the Emperor. Only he meets up with some Lutherans and gets married. Whoops.

Brandon is banished from court and is insulted by the presence of Cromwell. He’s a disgusting self-made man! Like Brandon is! But Cromwell’s the wrong kind of self-made man!

Meanwhile, Thomas More resigns as chancellor. He cannot support Henry’s actions, although he will never speak out against the king and aims to stay neutral. His opinion will be his own, and not to be spoken publicly.

Thomas Wyatt is sexing up one of Katherine of Aragon’s maids because… sex? I don’t really care about Thomas Wyatt.

In private, Thomas More asks his daughter to allow him to die. It’s his only comfort in life to die as a martyr, even though he is the wage earner of the family, and as a traitor and martyr all my worldly possessions would be forfeit to the crown and my entire family would be cast onto the streets, penniless, with nothing to their names. Death is a great joy to me, not you or any part of my dumb family.

This is why I’m no particular fan of Thomas More. He left his family destitute to prove a point to himself.

Mary Boleyn is back! She’s back to talk about sex, sex, sex, and oh yes, sex. And for Mark Smeaton to talk about wanting to have sex with men, openly, because I’m sure that in this society he would totally do that.

And now Charles openly declares himself to be against the Boleyns. Because reasons, I suppose.

I’m A Model, And I Do My Little Turn on the Catwalk

I like Anne’s little snow outfit as it’s very cute. Henry’s outfit is too slim fit, still. It’s a feminised, Elizabethan style of outfit. Henry’s clothes screamed about how masculine he was – this is too Tudor androgynous, and not right for him.

This dress is gorgeous and so out of left field. It is exactly right for the period and for Anne’s status. It has no ridiculous medieval style frills, and the sleeves are perfect. I love the rich brown, and this is easily the best outfit that Anne has worn over the two series. I don’t think we’re going to get another dress this accurate, for shame.

Henry VIII: Pirate King.

What the hell is that dress.

Hideous frumpy faux medieval dress, and weird headdress. There’s a coif at the back for her hair to go in. What’s the point of having it and then having her hair tumbling down? It’s horrible.

Nice lampshade there, Lady Brandon.

And that’s it for this week! Come back next time for more Tudor politics and horrible headdresses.

Unpicking The Tudors; S2 E2 Hello, costume fiends! Sorry for missing a week - just been pottering about and the Henrican Reformation managed to slip through my mind completely.

#anne boleyn #charles brandon #costumes #early modern period #fashion #henry viii #mary boleyn #period costumes #period fashion #the english reformation #the reformation #the tudors #thomas boleyn #thomas more #thomas wyatt #tudor dynasty #tudor england #tudor fashion #tudor history

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queenofairandsnarkness · 8 years ago

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ASOIAF as Once Upon A Time?

1.) The twins are found far from Westholme. (Which is how Marwyn wanted it, how it was supposed to go when it was Elia-and-the-babes leaving, before the Queen nearly bled out, and a prospect somehow much more terrifying for the King when the babes are sent on their own.)

Arden and Alexander, they are called, Arden with her enormous Liz Taylor eyes and too-serious nature, and laughing Alexander with his shock of white-blonde hair that darkens to brown when he grows up.

They bounce from foster home to foster home, with any separations miraculously falling through the cracks.

At least until the twins are twenty, and a pregnant Arden vanishes for five horrifying months, her boyfriend in the wind and Alex...

Alex finds her, but the doctors said the baby didn’t make it, and Arden doesn’t remember anything. Every year, on their birthday, Arden lights a candle.

Then, eleven years later, a boy shows up, with Arden’s inky curls and too-clever grey eyes, and tells them he is Arden’s son, that he was adopted by a couple from a town called Westholme that Alex can’t find on any map.

2.)

They don’t plan on staying- Alex had told his boss everything, and Q had raised his eyebrows and said dryly that while he didn’t expect Alex to do 13′s job for them, it would be nice to make sure that Cthulhu wouldn’t try to eat them all or whatever it was that eldritch abominations did.

But Arden had talked to Cersei Tarrant and her husband Richard, who looked so fucking familiar somehow. She’d talked to them for all of thirty seconds before her thin shoulders locked and her chin went up, and Alex knew that Arden was on the warpath.

Alex tried to run checks on everyone he could. Cersei Tarrant was the town mayor, though she wasn’t listed on any political party database, she had no website.

Lance Lannister, who ran the paper, had no website.

So when the kid finally broke down and told them the story... Well, he claimed that they were all from a deeply screwy fantasy kingdom, that Cersei had placed some horrifying curse on everyone to force them into horrible fates, that the twins were sent by the King and Queen to escape it. Which was kind of crazy.

But there were little things, like the lack of any sort of presence in the wider world. Alex wasn’t sure, torn between Cersei’s poison-green scowls and what he told himself was rational.

He was convinced when he met Ella Martin, the town librarian, with IV marks in her arms, a dreary personal life, and Arden’s face.

Arden was convinced by some records she found, that Jaime- and oh, Arden had laughed, a broken, bitter sound that scared Alex- that Arden’s son had told her about, with school photographs, showing the same children, every year.

And Jaime working his way through the classes, the only one growing up.

3.)

Arden knew her brother worried about her sanity, sometimes. It was a fair point- she had vanished for months, and she still didn’t remember what happened, except maybe in flashes of her nightmares.

But Jamie was hers, and Sirius’, and she failed Lily, she lost Harry, but here was her son, and that bitch wasn’t going to hurt him any more.

Because she was hurting Jaime, trying to convince him of that he was crazy. Sirius would have cursed her six ways to Sunday. Lily would have left a greasy mark on the floor.

Arden had always been a quieter soul. Operation Viper- trying to break the curse, figuring out who was who- tickled her fancy.

Alex had a book he hid- an illustrated history, the drawings like medieval illuminations and therefore pretty much useless for identification.

The twins were going to need a better place to stay- Alex could do some of his work from Westholme, but he was going to start commuting, soon. Arden would be on her own, trying to figure out what to do. She was trying to get a nursing job in town, but she’d bet her hands Cersei was blocking her. A hospital outside of town was interested, though, and the mayor’s reach didn’t extend past the town limits.

Booming, eccentric, and scatterbrained Cedric Leyton offered her a guest home on the edge of town. Well, both of them, but mostly Arden.

She settles in, she lays her traps, and she watches.

4.)

Jaime is a wizard in the style of his father, Arden realizes with complete and utter horror.

If she had never believed in the curse, if she hadn’t seen those photographs, this is what would have convinced her something is very, very wrong in Westholme. (Which none of her colleagues know about, interestingly, and their minds seem to slip off it when she mentions it.)

Alex’s response is to track down Remus Lupin. He seemed confused, but listened when Alex when he said to sneak into town.

It’s enough to make a woman want to commit fratricide. Remus had gotten along with her, before everything. Now that Sirius was... now with Sirius, he was deeply snappish and unhappy. Also, skeptical, which...

He was a wizard. He turned into a wolf every full moon, for God’s sake.

How did he not believe in this?

But he helps her figure out what she can do, and gets Jamie a second-hand wand that isn’t perfect- or even very good- but is enough until she can break Cersei’s power.

Then Jaime takes a sleeping poison meant for her, and when he wakes...

When he wakes, the curse is broken. Mostly.

5.)

There was a shuffling black dog that works its way through town, a day before Alex is expected back in town. Even after figuring out that Richard Tarrant is King Rhaegar Targaryen, and Ella Martin is his wife and Queen, and they are their parents, and they were wanted, Alex preferred his work. (Arden couldn’t blame him, and only the reality of Jaime made her take a position in Westholme hospital.)

Cersei was banished to... well, it was meant to be jail, Baelor Hightower said with a smile. Magic was still tricky.

Remus has finally decided that Arden was innocent, and while he didn’t think that Sirius was innocent, he knew better than to bring it up with Arden. (Or Jaime, who was semi-accidentally under the impression that his father died.)

Jaime lived with her, having been quietly taken to Ollivander’s for his wand, getting lessons from Remus until...

Sirius escaped, and Remus agreed to watch over Harry.

Arden watched him leave for the last time, takes a cup of mint tea, and sees the dog. Lya Stark is walking behind him, the teenager’s concern clear.

“Ms. Targaryen,” the girl said, ignoring that, strictly speaking, she is Arden Russell, or Princess, if they were going with Westerosi greetings. “He’s been avoiding me, but he looks awful. Could you...?”

Arden looked at the dog, who is watching her with familiar grey eyes.

“Come here,” she said. “I have food and a bed for you.”

The dog came to her, slow and slightly hesitant.

“Shouldn’t he go to the vet?” Lya said, after a long moment.

Arden has to bite back all of the jokes she could make- Lyanna Stark didn’t know the story, and it would be rude to mock a child for trying to do something good. “He’ll be fine with me, I promise.”

When Lyanna finally was convinced to leave, and they were alone, the woman and the dog walked into the cottage.

The dog transformed into a man, ragged and worn but with signs that Alex had gotten to him first.

“Oh, Sirius, do I have a story for you...” she said, shaking her head.

#i write stuff #Anonymous

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quoratopstories · 8 years ago

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What is the most pernicious and persistent myth about The Lord of the Rings that is believed by people who have seen Peter Jackson's movies but haven't read the books?

I don't know about "the most pernicious and persistent myth" but there are four which I found particularly annoying. Gandalf's weakness (though don't get me wrong Ian McKellan was perfect for the part), the changing of characters in order to create imperfection, the "need" for strong female characters, and the eagles being the fifth army.

Gandalf's weakness (and others' strength)

Gandalf's weakness in the movies is completely unnecessary and blown out of proportion. Not only is he portrayed as weaker than Saruman (when Tolkien stated many times that Gandalf THE GREY was stronger than Saruman) but Tolkien sometimes estimated him to be on the same power level as Sauron himself. There was likely no great fight between Gandalf and Saruman, and even if there had been Saruman would have been able to ambush Gandalf and Gandalf likely would not have fought back. When Gandalf fought the Balrog, it was to prevent it from taking the ring of power which was only a few hundred feet from it. When Saruman captured Gandalf, Gandalf likely could not justify breaking his order not to meet force with force, especially when he allowed himself to be captured by the necromancer centuries prior. Andrea Livo's answer to Who is stronger, Gandalf or Saruman? Andrea Livo's answer to How does Sauron's power compare to that of Gandalf? Andrea Livo's answer to If Gandalf ultimately gave in to temptation, what would he be capable of. What would he do if he took the one ring for himself?

But even if we ignore those two statements, Gandalf is portrayed as being weaker than the Witch King (a mere human) as well as weaker than Galadriel. Galadriel did indeed overthrow the evil of Dol Guldur but this was when Sauron was not present and it's defense was in the care of Kamul, second in command of the Nazgul. Of course she could overcome a human sorcerer, even one centuries old. Banishing Sauron, as she did in the movies, is an entirely different matter. Tolkien himself noted that neither Galadriel nor Elrond could overcome Sauron in a one on one fight even with the power of the ring. He even went so far as to state that ONLY Gandalf could hope to overcome Sauron if he had claimed the ring as his own. It should be noted here that a lot of Galadriel's wisdom and magic came from her time learning under Melian the Maia. Gandalf is described as being the wisest of the Maiar, which would also make him wiser than Melian, Galadriel's teacher.

Gandalf is also portrayed as being answerable to Galadriel. Galadriel was one of the leaders of the Noldor who rebelled against the Valar. Gandalf time and again throughout the books displays his loyalty to the Valar (even when it places his friends in jeopardy). He would not be answerable to an elf who rebelled against his bosses.

Don't even get me started on the "love" between Gandalf and Galadriel. The elves never even considered adultery. Their relationships were the perfect Catholic marriage. While I don't mind creative license, I do mind altering the fundamental intentions of the author.

Gandalf is an angel of Eru Iluvatar, the wisest of the Maiar, one of the strongest Maiar (he was (approximately) to Sauron what Manwe was to Morgoth), and has been around since before creation. And yet he is portrayed as weak and even ignorant in comparison to the other "wise" characters in the movies.

Characters that were made "more realistic".

One of my favorite things about the Lord of the Rings and several of Tolkien's other works was the fact that it clearly outlined black from white. While some people call this being unrealistic, I find that it is merely added to the overall feeling of fantasy. That being said there are many characters which dance close to the line between good and evil: Boromir, Gollum, and Feanor to name a few. Tolkien's tale was one of good people doing the right thing, of fighting "for the right without question or pause. To being willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause" (The Impossible Dream). It was never intended to be realistic any more than Beowulf or King Arthur. I loved how noble Aragorn was in the books, and how he knew he needed to wait until the right time to be king (none of that "I don't wanna" that we see in the movies). I loved the fact that Faramir was mentally stronger than any other man and rejected the temptation of the ring without a second thought. I loved how Gandalf could inspire everyone to find it within themselves to stand up to evil. How Denethor was actually a good ruler who had been standing in the face of defeat and extinction for far too long. And I loved how Frodo and Sam withstood a test that even a man could not pass instead of them being almost childlike and making it to Mordor purely by chance and not by strength of will. All of these changes in the movies detracted from the overall feel of Lord of the Rings.

If you want ambiguous characters and a sense of "realism" in your fantasy don't try to change something to your liking. Go read Game of Thrones. Or the Silmarillion. Skip to the section about the kinslaying.

Female characters.

I love it when a movie can pass the Bechdel test, even if it is a flawed test. But Lord of the Rings is one of a few exceptions that I make. Andrea Livo's answer to The Lord of the Rings (creative franchise): Why are there so few female characters in JRR Tolkien's works?

"Tolkien wasn't just a man created by his time period (he was actually rather forward thinking for his time), he was also writing about a story set in a Medieval society. Would it be historically accurate if he did add a ton of women fighters? No. He wasn't just writing as a man in the 20th century, he was writing as a man who was trying to copy the writing styles of the Old English/Anglo Saxon period (a time in which we only have 2, very short, poems written by women).

Éowyn was the exception, she was the model of a Viking/Scandinavian woman. These women were allowed to take on masculine roles if they wanted to (which at the time included many jobs that we now see both sexes doing). You'll note that while Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit are written with a male (Anglo Saxon) voice the Silmarillion reads more like a historical text. It is here we see the true importance of women in Middle Earth and their influence both on history and on the men around them.

While one may or may not agree with Professor Tolkien's choice, he had reasons behind every word that he wrote. On the outside it might have appeared misogynistic but it wasn't being written for a modern audience. The Lord of the Rings was not nearly as popular when it came out because of its fantasy elements. Now we complain that it was biased. But it was being written largely for himself, and for other scholars of Anglo-Saxon literature who would have appreciated it for what it was attempting (and I feel succeeded) to do."

The fact that the film makers gave Arwen more of a role than she had in the books was not terribly surprising. But I could not agree with what they did with Galadriel. Her magic was in general far more subtle in the books, and when she was truly aroused she was all the more terrible and beautiful. The film makers decided that was not enough, that they needed to throw her power in the face of audience especially in the Hobbit.

Tauriel was not only male in the books (as the Captain of the Guard) but she would have been completely unnecessary if they had remained true to the story. Thranduil was very active in the world, being the one to send Legolas to Rivendell to find out what was going on. In addition, he helped as much as he was able against the threat of Sauron, even when it was something as little as watching Gollum. Tauriel's main purpose (other than "love interest") was to serve as a voice against Thranduil's "inaction". Not only that but they completely changed what little we knew of the Captain of the Guard. The Captain of the Guard was an incompetent drunk who not only let the dwarves escape but was also likely the one who let Gollum escape 60 years later.

It also upsets me that the movies created Tauriel to serve as a love interest and not as a truly independent female character.

The Fifth Army

This is a minor issue in regards to the many sins that both trilogies committed against the books. Even many people who have read the books disagree with this one, but the fifth army was not the eagles. They did not even show up until the end, and would be considered an air force in any case. The fifth army was the wargs. Wargs, like the eagles, were an independent and intelligent race. While they could not speak like the eagles could, they had their own motives and evil goals which frequently lined up with goblins and orcs. They could be equated somewhat to Shadowfax's ancestor Felarof: they had human like intelligence but still agreed to being beast of burden to an extent. To quote the Hobbit "So began a battle that none had expected; and it was called the Battle of Five Armies, and it was very terrible. Upon one side were the Goblins and the wild Wolves, and upon the other were Elves and Men and Dwarves." In my mind the movies committed a huge sin by not only changing who the five armies were (either Men, Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, and Eagles or Men, Elves, Dwarves, Bolg's Army, and Azog's Army depending on how you look at it) but by leaving the wargs out of the battle entirely. Especially when the title of the third movie was “The Battle of the Five Armies”.

A few of the (many) other sins and myths in the movies are: the eagle's inability to talk (which spawned the huge myth that the eagles could fly the ring to Mordor), Beorn's appearance (he was a large MAN), Elven vegetarianism (they ate meat and hunted multiple times throughout LotR, the Hobbit, and the Silmarillion), that the Nazgul rode "dragons" (instead of the fell beasts in the books), that Shadowfax was white instead of grey (they still picked a gorgeous horse), Azog's existence in the Hobbit (he died almost 150 years prior), and many many more. Pick a scene from the movies. I'm sure that most of us die hard Tolkien fans could find SOMETHING wrong with it.

Read other answers by

Andrea Livo on Quora:

Where was Radagast the Brown during The Lord of the Rings?

Why is Elrond considered to be a Peredhil (Half-Elf) when he's actually not?

In The Fellowship of the Ring, why did Gandalf only pull out the bigtime magic against the Balrog? Could he have used that kind of firepower earlier to the Fellowship's benefit?

Read more answers on Quora. via Quora http://ift.tt/2jXqvEx

#IFTTT #Quora

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