#some sketches of the collective Amy rose!

[socksboxsketches]

[weeping-petals]

Shadow Rabbit

Word Count - 2,493

The Crystal Gems need to have a talk about their encounter with the hostile Spinel, and send Steven off on a quick ‘errand’ to pick up doughnuts. By the time he returns home, he has even more questions.

“That can’t be right. You didn’t just fall asleep.” Pearl began, promptly when they return to the Crystal Temple.

 The blast of light faded, and each member of the Crystal crew stepped off. Pearl followed close behind Steven, still aboard the ‘you’re wrong and I must be correct’ train. Behind the Pearl, Amethyst made a face.

 “Maybe fell on your head,” the lilac gem posed. “Or got dropped, tossed, hurtled. Maybe a fist collided with—”

 “Would you guys stop it!” Steven burst. He tugged off his hoodie and threw it aside. They weren’t listening, and hastened to judge ever sentence that popped out of his mouth. All throughout the hike back, they boggled him with interrogation of what happened, how he felt. The trio was uncharacteristically clingy, more so than if he had fallen into actual peril. “That’s how it happened. We were sneaking around, well, she was sneaking. I stopped paying attention, and… yeah, it was really boring.”

 Amethyst shrugged. “No, that doesn’t sound like Spine. Try again.”

 Pearl disregarded the coat on the floor (very unusual) and knelt on her knee, to examine Steven once more. “You must’ve suffered a concussion. You shouldn’t have been sleeping, in fact, you should stay awake for the next few hours. To be safe.”

 Steven was at his wits end. “I didn’t FALL! The complete opposite of interesting happ—”

 “I could use some doughnuts,” Garnet blurted. She put a hand on Pearl’s shoulder, stole her away from Steven, and set a hand on Amethyst’s head. The two gems went along with the gesture, grasping a hidden meaning. “Steven, you’re the best at catching doughnuts. Do you mind running a quick errand?”

 This was a universal request to excuse them for a short spell. Steven toed the floor with his sandal and pouted. “Sure. Any special requests?”

 Pearl raised a finger. “Two bakers dozen.”

 Amethyst piped up next. “Filling. And coating. Lots of sprinkles. BACON!”

 “Red and blue,” Garnet wished, clasping her hands together. “You better take the wagon.”

 It hurt a little more than it should have, despite knowing it was gem business. The topic always spooked his dad, but it fascinated the pants off Steven. He should have been a part of it; he was the one kidnapped, but he also wanted to help Spinel. The time he spent in her company (or captivity?) felt like days, though it was only a few hours. The sun was rising on the tranquil shores of Beach City, the denizens emerging from storefronts or meandered their way along the boardwalk to begin opening shop. The Crystal Gems spent a whole day and night out in the forest.

 The wagon was easy to haul off from the beach and to the road. He ventured to the front of the Big Doughnut and hurried inside.

 “I need a bakers dozen! ASOP!” He whooped.

 “Whoa-whoa!” Sadie, opening shop today, struggled with two large boxes of merch. “I barely got the displays set. Can ya kinda give me a sec?”

 Steven immediately chilled. “Oh. Sorry! Forgot what time it was. What time is it, by the way?”

 “Barely got in, if that’s a good ref,” she offered. She set the boxes on the counter and began opening, pulling out pre-packaged pastries. “You’re up early for a Saturday.”

 “So, time doesn’t flow differently in the magical petrify forest. Huh?” Steven tried to sound clever, stroking his chin as he crossed to the counter. “In-teer-esting.”

 Sadie smirked as she rose up from behind the display case. “Magical forest? Time flow? Is this more of that gem stuff?” If Lars was here he would be groaning at her, to not get Steven started. But it was nice to have some positive company while she was setting up, and Steven was always getting into some wild adventures. It kept him out of trouble.

 “It was cool,” Steven enthused, eyes starry. “We – the gems and me – went out to check on this rock forest, where this temple was bein’ built. There were crystal trees, bigger than the city, bigger than the temple and the city combined!” He swung his arms up, exaggerating details. “It was sunset there, while here it was middle of the day! Oh-oh! And there was a gem there! A real gem, like Garnet, Pearl, or Amethyst!”

 “A gem person? Y’mean, other than those gem monsters….”

 Steven broke from his whirlwind showman and gawked. “Why does everyone keep hating on her? She’s not a monster!”

 A loud thump resounded from the counter, likely from Sadie bumping her head. “Hold up, take it easy.” She straightened, rubbing her crown. “I’m going off on all those stories you tell, and the fact the other gems are always fighting these… monsters.” She cast her eyes away, hesitant. “And, aside from you, your friends, and… your mom – I had no idea there were other gems, gem people, around. So….”

 “A bakers dozen! Make that two!” Steven announced. “I have to get back, so I can ask them about her.”

 “I gotcha the first time, kiddo.” Sadie resumed ripping packages and lining up the inventory. “That’s like twenty-six doughnuts, and we’re not officially opened yet. What sort of doughnuts you want? I can go through the boxes and get started.”

 “My dad!”

 Thump!

 “Maybe he knows something about her!” Steven did an about-face and raced to the door. But halted. “Wait, Amethyst might be upset if she doesn’t get her doughnuts.” He did a little dance at the door, indecisive about what he should do and fighting the urge to blast out to the carwash. Even worse, what if his dad didn’t know anything?

 “Yes, do that!” he harped.

 Sadie sighed and dropped her forehead to the countertop. Adorable as Steven was, he sure was a mess.

 “So,” she said, after hauling out the third box from storage. “Did you catch the name of this new gem?”

 Steven sat at one of the tables, swinging his feet under the chair. “Spinel.” He was twiddling his thumbs on the tabletop, focused intently. The crash of the box snapped his attention back to Sadie.

 “Spindle?”

 “Spinel,” Steven repeated. Sadie gazed at him, expression perplexed. “Hmm?”

 “Sorry. I’m sure I’ve heard that name before.” She shook her head. “No idea where.”

 “My dad?”

 “Nope.” Sadie collected up the boxes and made progress on filling up the order. “That’s half my stock. Anyway, I think it was… Sour Cream? Certainly not Lars. I think it was around Halloween, we were sharing creepy stories about stuff that frightened us, y’know, when we were kids. That guy Sour Cream told us about this imaginary friend that was a kind of variant of this crooked man, and he called it Spindle—”

 Outside the Big Doughnut, Steven burst from the doors screaming, “SOUR CREAM!”

 Sadie was not close behind, didn’t catch Steven, and stood at the threshold. “Steven! YOUR DOUGHNUTS!”

 For the better part of the day, Steven raced across Beach City checking every nook and cranny he laid eyes on, every shady alleyway seeking the ‘Cool Kids’. He ventured to the abandoned warehouse, but the nights activities ended hours before dawn. In desperation, he tried hammering away at Lars door, but the father of Lars answered and spoke on behalf of his son that “that boy is still sleeping.” Steven raced off, exploring all the likely cool places the Cool Kids would meetup. He had no idea where Sour Cream lived, let alone other go to hangouts. He didn’t want to race out to the cliff.

 At long last, Steven began a desperate patrol of the shoreline. And there, near the pier of Funland he spied the Cool Kids in the midst of a round of hacky sack. And there was Sour Cream, balancing the lumpy satchel on his knee.

 “Sour Cream!”

 “Huh?” He balanced the sack on his elbow, right before Steven nearly bowled him over. “Brah! What gives—” He passed the orb, and Jenny managed to nab it on her ankle. “I guess I’m taking two!”

 “I have questions! Questions! And you have answers I need! Please!”

 Reluctantly, Sour Cream let his arm get tugged by Steven, and went along with the pre-teen. “I was in the middle of something. Do you get bad reception at your house? Texting is a thing.”

 Steven stalled. Above, the noises from screaming ride goers spilled down as the coaster careened through its track. “That’s… true. I’m used to talking face-to-face though. Heh.”

 Once Sour Cream liberated his arm, he jammed his hands in his pockets. “That’s more direct. I see the appeal.” He nodded. “I can’t help but catch those vibes of tension radiating off you. You got something you think I’ll help you with?”

 “I don’t know.” Steven was beginning to second guess. He was in such a hurry to locate Sour Cream, a task deemed all but possible, he didn’t gather up a good question. Or beginning. “Uh… did you ever know a gem?”

 “Amethyst? Yeah. Forever a long—”

 “No-no-no.” Steven took a breath. And stalled. Amethyst? He shook his head. “A gem named Spinel?” The bafflement that met him was disheartening.

 “Sorry lil dude. Aside from Amy, I don’t know any gems.”

 “Well,” Steven cupped his chin and considered. “What about the crooked creature? Spindle?” At first Sour Cream shook his head, but then, recognition lit up in his eyes.

 “Ooh, yeah. That thing.” He turned his gaze up thoughtfully. “This critter used to hang around the city, I’d see it lurking in the shadows sometimes. Kinda spooked me, but I didn’t get the ambiance it was dangerous.” He stooped on the sand, and began sketching out a face, grin, bent body, and tall ears. “It was sort of like a rabbit, made of ramen. Say, who’s been telling you my stories?”

 Steven didn’t answer. He was mesmerized by the crude picture, and could see how Spinel could be mistaken for a rabbit. Minus the fluffy tail. “Spindle?”

 “Yeah! Er, don’t know where the name came from.” Sour Cream weaved his arm in the air, fish like. “It did this deal, sort of slithered up and down walls. I’d see it, but no one else could. Meh. As I got older, I stopped seeing it. One day, I guess.” He shrugged and stood. “I grew up.”

 The story was very strange, but there was no mistaking what was staring at Steven from the sand. “Thanks Sour Cream. That really helped.”

 “Really? I didn’t do much.” He wiped the sand from his hands.

 Steven waved, as he took off. “That was all I needed. Sorry for stealing you from the game!”

 “No prob. Don’t do anything I would!”

 It was a long hike back to the Big Doughnut. Long, because Steven was halfway to the Crystal Temple, before he realized he’d forgotten the goods. He hurried back to the shop and raced inside.

 “Where’d you go?” Sadie asked, upon coming from the back storage.

 “No time to explain! I hope I’m not too late!” He grabbed the doughnuts, nearly forgot to pay, and went back to the cash register.

 “Too late for what?” she was getting panicked. Steven was sweaty and red, from running around too much in the sun. “Are you okay?”

 “Thanks for the doughnuts! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Steven blew out of the store, nearly plowing into Lars.

 “Crud, what is it now?” Lars barked, scuttling aside. “Don’t they feed you?”

 “I was just leaving!” Steven threw the boxes onto the wagon and took off, leaving a cloud of dust.

 Lars scratched his head. “Weird. Usually he tries to hug me… or something else weird. Sadie!” He entered the shop. “Did you give him caffeine again?”

 “Again!?”

 Racing a second time back to temple winded Steven. He managed to not lose a single doughnut or box on the uneven, and soft surface of the sand. Local seagulls took an interest in his cargo, and a few brash winged beasts pursued prepared to tear apart the precious goods if the boy stopped for the barest of moments. It raised the stakes for Steven’s skirmish back to the home, but he managed.

 “Shoo! Rawr!” He swung his arms at the seagulls, as he unloaded the boxes. They were still following him, gracefully gliding on wind current, while Steven ascended the steps. “AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

 Steven plowed through the screen door. Boxes went flying, a few doughnuts scattered, and seagulls poured in through the gaping portal. “Hey guys!” More seagulls swooped in, settling on the confectionary treats slain in the madness.

 The Crystal Gems gawked with varied stages of horror. Except Garnet. This was not the scenario she anticipated, but it was no less what she would’ve expected.

 “My DOUGNUTS!” Amethyst roared. She shifted form mid leap, and a large liger pounced on the crushed boxes, hissing and swiping at the laughing gulls. One bit her on the nose. “OW!”

 Steven rolled away before he got stepped on. He still had a lone box in his hands. “Salvaged one!” He scampered up and held it out to Pearl.

 “Aw, uh, thank you… Steven.” She took the box and handed it to Garnet, whom just held it. “It took you longer than we expected.”

 “RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!” Liger Amethyst shook her mane. Seagulls had overrun her, while she competed with them for eating the doughnuts. The birds were stealing the crumbs from beneath her jagged teeth. “THAT’S MINE YOU SEA RATS!”

 Pearl grimaced and clasped a hand over her mouth. Garnet sighed.

 “I think that’s enough of that.” Garnet handed the box back to Steven. “Cover your ears.” Pearl did that for him, but Steven was concerned, and dropped the doughnut container to set his hands over Pearl’s.

 Garnet formed the gauntlets and walked over to the doorway, where Ligerthyst combated the bold avians. She raised her hands over her head.

 “OUT OF OUR HOUSE OF SUFFER MY WRATH!” She screamed. That was it. She was loud, and commanding, and terrifying when needed.

 The seagulls screeched and flapped, vacating the premises in a white cloud. In their wake, feathers covered everything, including a scratched and scuffed up Liger. “ooOow.” Amethyst pawed at the boxes, tears formed in her eyes.

 Steven shifted his head to view Pearl. Her hands went tense, and were uncomfortable on his head. He couldn’t hear, but Pearl looked super upset and paler than usual. He pulled away from her grip.

 Amethyst sniffled. “Nothings left. It’s all gone. Everything. Gone.”

 “Look! We still have one box here! TADA!” Pearl snatched the box off the floor. She barely got the lid off, before Ligerthyst lay siege to the contents. She sighed, relieved.

 Steven almost expected vultures to descend, it looked like one of those nature documentaries in the veldt. Anything would be more pleasant than those seagulls. “Um, so… did Spinel live in Beach City, too?”

 The room went silent, and all three gems looked at Steven. Ligerthyst had crumbs all over her muzzle.

[megabadbunny]

so after sketching out the doodle for this post upon the request of the lovely @chiaroscuroverse, I decided it was high time I finally got started on something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. Thusly, I present to y’all the first installment of my sketch series New Who Companions in (Mostly) Historically-Accurate Period Costumes! :D

(clicky on the smaller images above to embiggen; clicky the read-more for costume history facts and assorted nerditude for each design!)

So long story short, I’m a big ol’ fashion history nerd, studied a good chunk of fashion history in the Western world during ye olde college days, and sometimes I like to think about what our New Who companions might have worn if they wanted to go mostly-historically-accurate in their old-world adventures. Below are some descriptions of what those costumes could have looked like, and a little bit of the historical context surrounding the ensembles. Thanks for joining me on this sartorial nerd-journey! <3

Fig. 1: Donna Noble, The Fires of Pompeii (Roman Empire, 79 AD)

So Donna’s original costume, while very pretty, is not accurate in any way; I can only imagine the designer was held back by some untold constraints (i.e. this costume is either constructed based on stylistic requests from Catherine Tate or it’s the product of executive meddling). Here, Donna wears a stola, i.e. a dress-like garment fastened with fibulae clasps and held in place with a girdle high above the waist. This garment would technically be worn by a married woman, to sort of show off her wealth and worth, but I figure Donna don’t give no shits about that, just give her the pretty dress already. She’s also wearing a palla, a shawl Roman women wore when going about their business outside. You would typically see the palla wrapped around the woman’s body to both accentuate her curves where desired, to hide her features when wanted (women might draw the hood close to the face to hide from unwanted male gazes), and to keep the material from dragging along the ground. The volume of fabric in the shawl signified a woman’s status; the more fabric, the wealthier the lady. Donna’s garments are fashioned from the finest material available, being linens imported from Egypt and silks imported from China.

Fig. 3: Bill Potts, The Eaters of Light (Scotland, c. 100 AD)

So, finding solid details on how women dressed in this time and place was fun,* but I did my best to sort of piece things together into a design that would make sense given the convergent influences and the materials (cloth/fibers, dyes, equipment) available in the area at the time. Basically, you’ve got a tunic cinched at the waist, and a woven cloak on top sporting a Pictish-type design, and simple jewelry fashioned from alloys that were commonplace at the time. Bill’s brooch and belt would definitely be met with approval from the other ladies; only peasant-women left the house without a belt.

* It was not fun. It was frustrating.

Fig. 2: Rose Tyler, The Stone Rose spinoff novel (Rome, 120 AD)

Rose’s garments and hair are intentionally sculptural in design, inspired by a series of Roman statues built around the time the story is set (I figured it was appropriate given the book’s plot!). Here she is wearing half of her Fortuna costume, on her way to save the Doctor (obv). Typically, a not-yet-married woman would only need to wear one layer (as unmarried women were, shall we say, low on the priority list in terms of Roman fashion), but here, on her way to being immortalized as the great Fortuna, an exception has been made for Rose; Marcia’s servants have draped, wrapped, and pinned some very fine material over Rose’s close-fitting tunica. Rose is also shown with a mantle, for covering her hair in public. Both Donna and Rose would have had their hair curled using a calamistrum, or an early curling iron, which varied in shape and style, but in this case likely would have actually been made of iron, and warmed over hot coals.

Fig. 4: Clara Oswald, Robot of Sherwood (England, 1190 AD)

Okay, so why did they make this look like a Halloween costume? It’s just, this episode clearly had a budget, the designer clearly did their homework, so who made what decision and where and when that led us to this? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice Halloween costume! Like, one you would have to rent instead of buy, because she is le pricey. But I’m curious to know why the designer ventured so close to the actual periodwear without actually committing to it. Like the sleeves—the flare at the elbow suggests the overdress, or bliaut, is of French design, except those sleeves ain’t near big enough, neither in terms of volume or length. Sometimes these sleeves were so long, women would have to knot them to keep them from dragging the ground. If you don’t wanna deal with big sleeves for your action heroine, that’s fine, just go with a more English design, which forewent the exaggerated trumpet-shape in favor of something more subtle. The current shape just looks weird—like, it’s halfway there, but got tired and gave up. Then you’ve got the front-lacing on the bodice; this is a nope, and only enhances the Halloween/fancy dress look. Dresses would fasten on the side or in the back; if you were upper-class, you might be looking at a modesty panel to hide the lacing in the case of the latter. The hair is another instance of halfway-there; the top half is pretty good, with its center-part and the wraparound braid, but the loose bottom portion and the salon-curls are a big no-no. Curls weren’t really in vogue in the area at the time; ladies’ hair was worn long and braided, both to keep it out of the way and to show off elaborate styles. And last but certainly not least, why the heck is Clara’s circlet shaped the way it is? It’s like they took a necklace, situated it with a bunch of slack in the chain, and stuck it to her forehead using spirit gum. Would noble ladies have worn circlets/coronets at the time? Sure! Would they have been shaped (or stuck-on???) like that? Nope! The original ensemble is full of potential but it feels like someone somewhere along the decision-making process looked at the original, better design, said, “Eh, can you modernize (read: sex) that up for me?” and then this was born. Again, it’s not horrible, just, it could have been so much more.

/rant

Fig. 5: Amy Pond, Vampires of Venice (Italy, 1580 AD)

So I realize there’s a class difference between what Amy wore in the show and what’s depicted here, but I figured the upper-class depiction made more sense, given the fashions of the other young ladies accepted into Calvieri’s school. (That being said, Amy’s original outfit still isn’t quite there; this shows an example or two of what a working-class woman would wear at the time.) On the right, Amy is wearing a velvet gown over a petticoat; even though the color and bodice-shape denote a heavy Spanish influence, the dress would have been referred to as a French gown due to its fitted shape. Were Amy to go whole-hog and give herself some true mid-sixteenth-century hair, the front would be short, and regularly wound into tight, compact little curls, while the back was kept long, for elaborate braids and updos. That’s right--the sixteenth century was technically full of mullets. Mullets everywhere.

Fig. 6: Rose Tyler, A Groatsworth of Wit spinoff comic (England, 1592)

ok but the design in the comic, just

I don’t even understand why the artist drew it this way. It doesn’t make sense, not from a costume history perspective and not even from a design/fudging-the-details-for-the-sake-of-modern-sensibilities perspective. (Also from a perspective-perspective; dude’s having some major issues figuring out how foreshortening works, but that’s neither here nor there I suppose.) It would actually be way faster to focus on what this gown does right instead of wrong. So, let’s see here: it has a lace collar, which was a thing. It has a structured, paneled bodice; also a thing. Full layered skirt, that’s good. And, that’s officially it. The rest of this design is garbage. Like, why the eff is she wearing a ruffle as some kind of low-slung belt? Is that supposed to be cartridge pleating? What century are those sleeves supposed to be from? (Do those outer sleeves even? Show up in any century to speak of, outside of my nightmares???) If you’re going to do a lace cuff at the end of the fitted sleeve, why not do it right (i.e. like the way they actually looked at the time, which was usually in a cone shape flaring out from the wrist to the elbow)? Why would the artist imagine that Rose would go to the trouble of pouring herself into this 80’s-teal monstrosity without bothering to do anything to her hair except for a ponytail? What the fuck is up with the fucking boob lace??? See, I know the artist can draw actual historically accurate outfits, because Shakespeare in this comic looks fine. His shit’s pretty accurate. But for some reason, when it came to Rose’s dress, it’s like the artist lost their goddamn mind. (Don’t even get me started on the jewelry and accents, not if there’s a loving god in this universe)

Fig. 7: Martha Jones, The Shakespeare Code (England, 1599)

So Martha has herself a lovely heavy brocade gown, trimmed in sable, accented with soft leather gloves, and topped with a cartwheel ruff round the neck. (Don’t worry; I imagine the TARDIS only carries ethically-harvested furs, like they’re grown in a lab somewhere or collected after critters have had a long and prosperous life or the hairs are vacuumed up and reconstituted by some futuristic device, etc. etc.) Elizabethan sumptuary laws dictated that folks had to dress according to social class, so depending on what your social class was, you may not have been legally permitted to wear things like silks, certain colors, certain furs, and more. Fashion was such a surging industry and indicator of wealth that, at the time, you had higher-ups selling huge swaths of land in order to have the money to dress themselves as well as possible--it was seriously that important to be fashionable. Martha’s garments indicate that she has pretty high social standing, given the materials used. Also, she wears a pretty bitchin’ hat.

Fig. 8: Yazmin Khan, The Witchfinders (England, 1612)

Yazmin’s dress sports a fashionably high-necked bodice featuring embroidered linen silk, topped with a standing collar and “wings” at the shoulders. The dark hues shown here were super-popular at the time due to a surge of obsession with melancholia in arts and literature. Yaz also wears a “Cavalier” style hat, accented with an ostrich feather. Her outfit is basically a riding-habit/hunting-habit, constructed with ease of movement in mind.

Fig. 9: Mickey Smith, Rose Tyler, and Reinette Poisson i.e. Madame de Pompadour, The Girl in the Fireplace (France, 1758)

Setting aside my many issues with this episode’s story/plot, the bugaboos I have with Reinette’s original costume design in the show are relatively minor, and I imagine can mostly be explained-away with stuff like “this is what the BBC already had on hand” and “goddamn that’s pretty.” Both pretty salient points! But I do think it’s interesting that the designer(s) went the way they did--Madame de Pompadour was actually famously not in favor of glittering gems (actually, she supposedly donated palace jewels to the French treasury more than once to help out during times of war); she tended to prefer fairly simple pearls as embellishment, instead. She also wasn’t really into big hair; obviously the styles shown here on Ms. Myles aren’t exactly Marie-Antoinette-big, but they’re definitely more voluminous and modernized than the styles the real-life MdP typically sported, which usually consisted of a slight pomp and fairly close-knit curls framing the face. (It’s also interesting that Moffat wrote her with such a heavy innuendo for sex/romance, because rumor had it she didn’t really actually enjoy things in the bedroom all that much, instead preferring to pull political strings, promote the arts, patronize motherfucking Voltaire!!!, help design architecture!!!, and keep the king constantly entertained and distracted so he literally didn’t royally fuck everything up. She was a very busy lady! Also she like. Paid contractors and artists on time? Instead of dicking them over with “credit” bullshit like other wealthy patrons??? Sorry she was just WAY more awesome than the show gave her credit for!) Anyhoo, long story short, Rose and MdP are shown here wearing gowns and hairstyles that are heavily inspired by those worn by the real-life MdP wore in some of her many many portraits.

Thanks for tuning in to my giant costume nerdfest; see you next time for part 2! <3 <3 <3

[marryat92]

Virginia Woolf on Frederick Marryat in “The Captain’s Death Bed”

Finally this book is mine: a collection of Virginia Woolf’s essays, published posthumously, and the Captain in the book’s title is Captain Frederick Marryat. This is a cheap paperback edition, but the cover design echoes the dust jacket of the first edition from 1950. It is stylized, but clearly meant to evoke the clove pinks and moss roses of Marryat’s actual death bed —his favorite flowers, and revealing that Woolf had read Florence Marryat’s biographical sketches of her father.

I’ve read excerpts from this essay in books about Marryat and thought that Woolf’s tone was condescending. (Joseph Conrad treated Marryat in a similarly patronizing way.) Of course I wanted to read the whole essay although I had some trepidation about it. Did I really need to go out of my way to read some highbrow champion of capital-L Literature trashing Marryat? At the same time I couldn’t avoid it forever, since Virginia Woolf is one of the highest profile authors to have written literary criticism about Frederick Marryat.

“The Captain’s Death Bed” isn’t a long rumination, just under 11 pages in my small book, and it’s much kinder to Marryat than I anticipated. Even if Woolf writes of Marryat’s books, “nobody is going to pretend they are among the masterpieces,” she finds a lot to admire in his prose and in the fascinating circumstances of his life. (“One of the most active, odd and adventurous lives that any English novelist has ever lived is also one of the most obscure.”)

In Virginia Woolf’s lifetime Marryat was already fading from popular consciousness, and such that he was remembered, it was as a children’s author—with all of the baggage that comes with that. In the last years of his life Marryat turned to writing books for children, and even his earlier works for adults were re-published in the late 19th century in bowdlerized editions “rewritten for young people.” It’s possible that this was Woolf’s first encounter with Marryat, as she asks rhetorically, “Do we think of him as a mere storyteller for boys?”

Even as she seems to find Marryat’s works lacking in complexity and depth, Woolf celebrates his artistry (”the Captain, for all his sturdiness, had that verbal sensibility which at the touch of a congenial thought lets fly a rocket”), and she rates him a “sound craftsman.” Joseph Conrad took a similar tack, simultaneously praising Marryat’s genius but writing of his “unartistic nature” and adding that “his method is crude.” (I think Conrad is also approaching Marryat as a children’s author, which adds to the overall condescension.) 

I don’t agree with a number of Woolf’s critiques, but I think it’s fair that she points out that a lot of Marryat’s appeal is independent of his literary merit: “It may well be that we are drawn to [Marryat’s books] for reasons that seem far enough from literature.” Marryat breathes life into his time period, and while I love his humor and wit I also treat him as a primary source for a lot of the details of his world. I’m hardly alone in this respect as scholarly works cite Marryat on subjects ranging from sailors’ tattoos (Ira Dye, ”The Tattoos of Early American Seafarers, 1796-1818″, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society), ship’s boats of the Age of Sail (W.E. May, The Boats of Men-of-War), to the social environment of young officers in the Royal Navy (Amy Miller, Dressed to Kill: British Naval Uniform, Masculinity and Contemporary Fashions, 1748-1857 [first ed.]).

Woolf is spot-on when she picks up on one of the most powerful parts of the experience of reading Marryat: the feeling that you truly encounter the Captain himself in the pages of his books. “Often in a shallow book, when we wake, we wake to nothing at all; but here when we wake, we wake to the presence of a personage—a retired naval officer with an active mind and a caustic tongue.” I am completely in agreement with Marryat’s biographer Oliver Warner when he writes of his subject, “I have never felt so aware of the vivid qualities of a person long dead.”

[kartiavelino]

Earlier than She Was a Humorous Mother, Amy Schumer Was a Hilarious Comic & Actress and Her High Roles Show It

Mark Schafer/STX Financing, LLC We really feel fairly nice about the truth that right this moment is Amy Schumer’s birthday. The blonde magnificence has so much to have a good time this 12 months, since that is her first birthday as a mother to son Gene Fischer, who was born just last month on Could 5 in New York Metropolis. As we wait to see what lovely or totally real mom moment Schumer posts on her birthday, we have been having a look again on the birthday lady’s funniest roles over time. After showing on Final Comedian Standing in 2007, Schumer rose to fame fairly shortly, however a few of her early appearing credit (particularly on TV) may shock you. From the short-lived collection Delocated to 2018’s I Really feel Fairly, Schumer has at all times managed to hook us in with funny and hold us coming again for the candy, however hilarious messages she often dishes out. Now that Schumer is 38 years outdated it is positively time that we flashback to her comedy roots and all the roles that put her on the map. Whether or not you’re keen on her rise up stuff, together with her four-year comedy collection Inside Amy Schumer, or are a giant fan of one of many motion pictures the actress has been in, there’s something for everybody in relation to Schumer’s catalog. Plus, she can also be a killer author—bear in mind, she really wrote Trainwreck, which was additionally her first main movie position—producer and director, so sure, Schumer deserves quite a lot of special recognition on her birthday. Joyful birthday, Amy! We love you, your hilarious character and your skill to at all times hold it actual. Comedy Central Actuality Bites Again In 2008, Amy Schumer was a contestant on the primary season of Actuality Bites Again. On the truth competitors, she performed a bunch of various characters all whereas battling it out in opposition to completely different comedians with weekly challenges. Grownup Swim Delocated In 2012, Schumer joined the solid of Delocated for its third season. She performed Trish within the comedy which was a couple of man who makes a actuality present about his life within the witness safety program. His life is fairly regular, besides he should put on a ski masks on a regular basis as a way to hold his id protected. Macall Polay/Comedy Central Inside Amy Schumer For 4 seasons on Comedy Central, the blonde comic had her personal sketch collection that was hilarious. She did rise up, interviewed folks, and received into character with completely different sketches that often adopted outrageous or present popular culture themes like Sport of Thrones. Article continues beneath Common Footage Trainwreck In 2015, Schumer turned a number one woman with the comedy Trainwreck. Within the movie, she performs Amy Townsend, a lady who does not consider in monogamy, however after assembly a pleasant man should re-examine her wild, loopy and non-committal way of life. 20th Century Fox Snatched After getting fired after which dumped, Emily (Schumer) is set to maintain her journey to Ecuador and have some enjoyable. To take action, she convinces her mother Linda (Goldie Hawn) to journey along with her, however what the 2 do not count on is getting kidnapped and concerned with very unhealthy males in between absorbing some solar and consuming by the pool. STX Financing, LLC I Really feel Fairly I Really feel Fairly is all about confidence and never caring about what you seem like, which is what occurs to Renee (Schumer) after she will get knocked out throughout a biking class and wakes as much as see a thin girl within the mirror, as an alternative of somebody self-conscious about her measurement. Because of her new notion of herself she has extra confidence, which makes her extra fearless and prepared to take dangers in each her private {and professional} life. Article continues beneath https://www.eonline.com/information/1042847/before-she-was-a-funny-mom-amy-schumer-was-a-hilarious-comedian-actress-and-her-top-roles-prove-it?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories The post Earlier than She Was a Humorous Mother, Amy Schumer Was a Hilarious Comic & Actress and Her High Roles Show It appeared first on Kartia Velino. https://kartiavelino.com/before-she-was-a-funny-mom-amy-schumer-was-a-hilarious-comedian-actress-and-her-top-roles-prove-it/

[latestnews2018-blog]

The 7 Best Netflix Original Shows Of 2018 So Far

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/the-7-best-netflix-original-shows-of-2018-so-far/

The 7 Best Netflix Original Shows Of 2018 So Far

Netflix releases so many shows. Keeping up with each one has become impossible; you’d stream your life away if you tried. But a few Netflix Original shows in 2018 have risen above the others and are well worth your time.

The collection below includes scripted shows, a reality show, a documentary series and a talk show with fantastic sketches. Netflix has really diversified the types of content it offers in 2018, and these standout shows reflect that.

A few weeks ago, Streamline rounded up the most underrated Netflix Originals of the year so far. That list included great shows that somehow have remained niche in terms of audience, had cancellation scares or didn’t earn Emmy consideration. Those shows ― “One Day at a Time,” “Collateral,” “Aggretsuko,” “Dear White People” and “Ugly Delicious” ― are not featured in this article but may ultimately make the Best of 2018 list later this year.

Read about the highlights of 2018 thus far below.

And if you want to stay informed about what’s joining Netflix on a weekly basis, be sure to subscribe to the Streamline newsletter. 

Netflix

“The End of the F***ing World” stood out on Netflix earlier this year.

Ji Sub Jeong/HP

Streamline makes recommendations for streaming shows and movies. Every Saturday, Streamline highlights the best shows to watch online, with a focus on Netflix.

  “Queer Eye”

Netflix

“Queer Eye” on Netflix.

Premise: Five gay men transform lives across Georgia. Although the routine has some variance, this team typically gives the full-life makeover to a straight, male schlub. The “Queer Eye” guys specialize in five separate fields: home design, beauty, fashion, culture and food.

Value: A tear-jerker through and through.

Netflix released not one but two seasons of “Queer Eye” in the first half of 2018 (although each season only had a few episodes). The new cast definitely established the reboot as a worthy successor to the show that originally debuted in 2003.

The show does a good job balancing the formulaic nature of the makeovers with moments of authentic emotion unique to each episode. The transformations basically just make the targets look like rich people, but the journey to get there repeatedly delights.

Trailer:

  “The End of the F***ing World”

Netflix

“The End of the F***ing World” on Netflix.

Premise: Two teens decide to run away from home together and quickly get into misadventures. Instead of falling into quirky love story tropes, the couple has to deal with traumatizing problems of great magnitude. All the while, they each have emotional baggage to sort through and try to mature beyond.

Value: This show came out of nowhere both narratively and marketing-wise.

“It was astounding how popular it was for us,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said to New York Magazine for a profile on the company released earlier this year. Internal forecasting for the show predicted the show’s audience would be far more niche. “On one level, it was a massive failure that we didn’t see that coming.”

The trailer alone has garnered over 10 million views, much more than most Netflix shows. The absurdity and dark humor of this story must feel refreshing amid an ocean of shows playing things safe these days. The show takes real risks that could have riled up protesters or at least caused people to turn this off, but strong performances ultimately won over viewers. 

Trailer:

  “Wild Wild Country”

Netflix

“Wild Wild Country” on Netflix.

Premise: A documentary series about the rise of the Rajneesh movement in Oregon. The first couple of episodes focus on the radically contemporary teachings of the leader as he preaches peace and harmony. Then the story takes a turn and focuses on political intrigue within the group.

Value: The rare documentary that features a subject so compelling and has such incredibly high stakes that you think the filmmakers must have made everything up.

The Rajneesh story ― a fringe community attempts to establish an American home ― is full of fascinating details. The group only wore shades of red and white. Certain members had ambitions to conquer the world and were willing to do anything to accomplish that. The leader encouraged the followers to have sex and they did … a lot.

By the end, you become unsure whether you should condemn the group or join it. Although this community never took off as planned, the series inherently recontextualizes the other religions that dominate American life and therefore forces a re-examination of life itself.

Trailer:

  “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

Eric Liebowitz/Netflix

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” on Netflix.

Premise: Now adjusted to the basics of life outside the bunker, Kimmy Schmidt must learn how to thrive in a traditional work setting. Titus Andromedon tries to become a star, while Jacqueline Voorhes manages him. Schmidt’s original captor garners sympathy through a true-crime documentary that advocates for setting him free.

Value: This fourth season finally settles onto firm and fertile ground.

Earlier seasons of this show focused on Kimmy’s naiveté about the world around her. She rose from a life trapped in a bunker into a life defined by constant mishaps and mistakes. The show gleaned humor from this, but this bumbling role often became tiresome. Crazy jokes in a crazy world fell flat.

But in these new episodes, Kimmy (both the show and character) graduated to competence and sanity. As the world in the show starts making more sense, the jokes shine through as moments of absurdity. If you gave up on the first few seasons, consider returning for these new episodes.

Trailer: 

Erica Parise/Netflix

“Glow” on Netflix.

Premise: The “Glow” team tries to achieve television success. Sexism and harassment become major hurdles. The low pay and tough work weigh on the wrestlers, and everyone must decide whether this adventure remains worthwhile.

Value: A period piece that can heavily lean into camp and cheap thrills, while also offering nuanced portrayals of struggle.

Professional wrestling already has a ridiculous premise, what with the fake fights, the costumes and the melodrama. “Glow” uses that backdrop and then makes the “behind the scenes” the, well, scenes.

“Glow” highlights the pain that goes into the fun. This balance makes the show both an enjoyable watch and a show that can gut-punch you at any moment.

Trailer:

Suzanne Hanover/Netflix

“Love” on Netflix.

Premise: Mickey Dobbs and Gus Cruikshank enter a new phase of their relationship. Both have matured considerably, and they become ready to make longer-term commitments. They must decide if they found “the one” in each other.

Value: The third and final season finally calibrated the characters to be both realistic and entertaining.

Seasons one and two of “Love” had potential but hardly rose above mediocrity. The characters acted nonsensically and jokes often didn’t land. The show had winning qualities ― such as the chemistry between Mickey and Gus, the detailed careers each character pursued and the wonderful roommate character, Bertie ― but that didn’t add up to enough. Season 3 finally became more than the sum of its parts.

In this season, the show veered into the ensemble comedy realm and gleaned better, funnier jokes from the wacky characters surrounding Gus and Mickey. But the show also took a half-step back to focus on the underlying desires and fears of each character, taking time to establish clear motivations. As plot points culminate, you finally cheer for the characters rather than feel indifferent.

Trailer:

  “The Break with Michelle Wolf”

Cara Howe/Netflix

“The Break with Michelle Wolf” on Netflix.

Premise: A talk show with standup and sketches. Michelle Wolf and her cast satirize the news, modern issues and other talk shows. Netflix releases a new episode every Sunday.

Value: A Netflix talk show finally feels relevant and a part of the zeitgeist.

Wolf started the promotion cycle for this show by performing at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. As you may remember, conservatives attacked her, claiming Wolf viciously criticized the physical appearance of White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders when she simply didn’t do that. In any case, the media coverage surrounding the controversy helped Wolf get the word out about her new talk show.

The show quickly earned this attention. The sketches, in particular, have shined, rivaling the best of “Saturday Night Live,” “Inside Amy Schumer” and other shows that focus on cultural commentary. Wolf clearly has a unique and incisive take on the world, which makes the show worth watching every week. 

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window,document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); fbq(‘init’, ‘1621685564716533’); // Edition specific fbq(‘init’, ‘1043018625788392’); // Partner Studio fbq(‘track’, “PageView”); fbq(‘track’, ‘ViewContent’, “content_name”:”The 7 Best Netflix Original Shows Of 2018 So Far”,”content_category”:”us.hpmgent” ); fbq(‘trackCustom’, ‘EntryPage’, “section_name”:”Entertainment”,”tags”:[“@streamline”,”@streamlinenl”,”@health_gad”,”@health_depression”,”@health_models”,”@health_erectile”,”@health_ibs”,”television”,”netflix”,”michelle-wolf”,”queer-eye”,”unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-tv-series”],”team”:”us_life_culture”,”ncid”:null,”environment”:”desktop”,”render_type”:”web” ); waitForGlobal(function() return HP.modules.Tracky; , function() /* TODO do we still want this? $(‘body’).on(‘click’, function(event) HP.modules.Tracky.reportClick(event, function(data) fbq(‘trackCustom’, “Click”, data); ); ); */ );