#spreading my she/her archivist agenda

[floorbeastie]

i feel like the location of her eyes depends on where you're looking at her from

[the-one-and-only-duckduckgo]

I (finally) finished Season one during my 7 hour long train ride, and since nobody asked, here's a new summary.

The Magnus Archives but I've finished season one (and that didn't help with the confusion)

There's Jon. He's an Archivist, and he got that anxiety rizz™

He also sounds like his life would crumbie in pieces if he doesn't have a seventh cup of coffee before the sun rises.

I can relate.

One of the causes of his anxiety seems to be his least favourite colleague, Martin.

Martin is described as unqualified, suspected to be a ghost and sent into various deadly situations.

He also sleeps in Jalapeño's bed.

I FUCKING LOVE GERARD KEAY

Everyone works in a modern remake of the Library of Alexandria, which would be very cool if there weren't a lot of murderous creatures.

(there are a lot of murderous creatures)

And worms. Would we still love them if they were human? Probably not.

Everything is ruled by a guy named Elias Bouchard. Everyone told me that he's nice.

In what world is a guy named fucking Bouchard nice?

Jane Prentiss is spreading the worm agenda.

SHE DESERVED MORE THAN THAT HELP IS THERE A CHARITY WHERE I CAN GIVE HER A VIRTUAL HUG???

Michael the eldritch horror is very lovely.

OH AND I DIDN'T TELL YOU BUT JALAPEÑO USES THE TAPE RECORDER CAUSE THE STATEMENTS DON'T WORK ON COMPUTER. THERE'S A REASON BEHIND ALL THAT.

That also means that there are statements that can be recorded on the computer and that we therefore don't see. I want to know what they're about.

#JusticeForSasha2k24

I am still lost in the English names.

Gerard Keay still burns books.

But that's ok, cause they're evil books from BLOODY JÜRGEN LEITNER I HATE JÜRGEN LEITNER DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THIS USELESS PIECE OF SHITTY OLD PARCHMENT WHEN HE WAS BORN HIS MOTHER CRIED AND SHOULD HAVE STRANGLED HIM I WISH HE GOES TO HELL ALTHOUGH NO HE WOULD RUIN THE GAY PARTY HAPPENING THERE I WISH HE DISAPPEARED IN THE COFFIN WE SEE AT THE BEGINNING AND WENT ON A CRUISE IN PETER LUKAS' BOAT GOD I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THIS LITERARY DISHONOUR. Fuck you, Leitner.

Hmm, yeah. Sorry. Where was I?

Season one's over, still no trace of the queer rep I was teased with.

Although, that may be a good thing, given the fact that as soon as a gay appears, they get killed/ replaced/ vanished by by some antique object.

Does that mean antique objects are homophobes?

Although these antiques come from Salesa's shop. Perhaps Salesa's the real straight supremacist here.

Selling dangerous items seems like a rentable activity tho. I should do the same.

Starting from now. Does anyone want a totally-not-illegal coffin? Antique dolls? You get your money back if they kill you.

So...uh...yeah. Good show. Amazing sound effects. Watch it. Wahoo.

[ten-thousand-stories]

Voltron WIP

Here’s the beginning of a Voltron fanfic that I was working on, where the team would eventually go on an epic quest given to them by this character, Cress, who they eventually find out is human. Spoiler, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever finish it sooooooo

Here we go

           Allura stands at the main console of the Castle of Lions, dignified despite her solitude.

            Her hands are delicately placed atop the two pillars that command nearly everything on the ship. The tips of her fingers dance across the iridescent globes, controlling the screens before her. Spread out massively at the ship’s bow, the screens display too much data for Allura to comprehend, but she works her way through each word, number, and statistic diligently. It’s been hours since her last break, and her eyes are beginning to burn, failing to focus on the text. She forces herself to read each character and often finds herself rereading the same sentence over, and over, and over again. Sighing, she lifts her hands from the controls and rubs her face.

           She takes a seat where she is, knees curled to her chest. Her long hair escapes its usually tight bun, tied at the back of her head, and she fingers at it absentmindedly.

           The absolute silence of the main deck rings in her ears. With the screens powered down, the void of space out before her, she can’t help but feel inexplicably alone. She knows that the Paladins are amidst the castle somewhere, doing whatever it is that they do, and that Coran has his own agenda, but the hall has never felt so empty. Heaving a deep breath, she lays down, and closes her eyes, placing a sleeved arm over her face.

           She remains like this for several minutes, focusing solely on breathing, feeling her chest rise and fall. Finally gathering the strength to rise once more, she glances once at the console and turns to exit, hoping to find company.

           As the sliding door to the bridge opens, a screen pops up behind Allura, a small noise indicating an incoming transmission. Hesitantly, she turns and makes her way to answer it, though all she wants to do is leave. She’s had enough of the screens for the day and wants to wind down away from it all.

           The transmission isn’t like one she’s had before, there is no name or title appearing on the screen, and it seems to be an audio only call. Wary, she places her hands on the pillars once more and answers, assuming a courtly presence as she speaks.

           “Transmission acquired. State your name and purpose.”

           There is a pause from the other side of the line before a voice sighs and follows with their response.

           “Attempt number 379 is a success in reaching another living being,” It says, mostly as an aside. The sound of buttons being pressed comes through in the transmission, and Allura can’t help but feel confused. The voice addresses her directly, next.

           “My name is Cress, and I’m attempting to find someone who could help me get into contact with Voltron, or the Coalition.” Cress says, voice bored. “Is there any chance you can help me?”

           Allura hesitates before she answers, just a moment. “What do you want with Voltron, why do you need to contact them?”

           “It’s my business what I need contact with them for. I just need to know if you can help me or not.”

           “I might be able to help you if you let me know why you need to contact Voltron. I’m probably the best option you’re going to get, if this is your 379th attempt.”

           Cress’ voice seems more interested as Allura alludes to her ability to help.

           “I’ve been forced to work for the Galra as an archivist for over 8 decapheobes, kept on a satellite that’s now so outdated half of the equipment has stopped working. In exchange for my rescue and sanctuary, I can give Voltron information extremely valuable information. That is, if I can ever get ahold of them.”  

           Allura, intensely intrigued by the stranger’s offer, deliberates within her own head. She decides it’s best to consult the team before making any deals with a faceless entity.

           “Keep your line open, I’ll have Voltron reach you within a varga.”

           “Thank you, stranger. I owe you one.” The stranger exhales in relief, and Allura can tell that they’re hopeful, to say the least.

           Allura ends the call and turns to face the door, sighing, before she presses a few buttons on her console and her voice echoes through the castle’s many halls.

           “Paladins, Coran, please meet me on the bridge. Something’s come up that we need to discuss.”

           Keith arrives first, followed by Lance, then Hunk and Pidge, and finally Coran and Shiro.  Each enters with a question on their lips, but none voice their query until the last man enters. The second Shiro steps through the door Keith speaks.

           “What’s this about, Allura, is something wrong?”

           “Nothing is wrong, per se, however, earlier I received a rather strange transmission.”

           “Was it a threat from the Galra?” Shiro cut in. “Or something along those lines?”

           “No, it was… somewhat the opposite of that.” Allura Moves toward her console and lights it up, commanding it to play back the conversation she had had with Cress merely doboshes before.

           “I believe that this is a strong chance for us to gain an upper ground in this war. An archivist would have access to every transmission and piece of data from every ship in its range. One on a wandering satellite would have three times as much information than we could ever get from hacking and leeching unsecured messages. This could truly be something that

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Required Reading

Photographer Murray Fredericks’s series of photographs on Lake Eyre in South Australia are eerie and quite gorgeous. (via Colossal)

Sarah Bond writes about our tendency to see ancient history as “white.” She says:

My main thesis is that despite our knowledge of the prevalence of polychromy on ancient statuary, there is a predominantly neon white display of skin tone in respect to classical statues and sarcophagi. This assemblage of neon whiteness thus creates a false sense of homogeneity across the Mediterranean world. Moreover the idea that white marble is beauty is not an inherent truth of the universe; it was in part developed by influential art historians during the early modern period in Europe. This visual argument continues to be asserted and to shape what we in the West consider to be pulchritudinous.

An Indian immigrant to the US sat for a portrait by Alice Neel in 1966, and no one had identified her until now. A lovely story:

The answer to the mystery finally arrived in an email from a research archivist at the David Zwirner gallery: “The sitter in the portrait is known to be the daughter of the Indian social-realist novelist Bhabani Bhattacharya (1906-1988), who had been invited to New York at the time by his American editor Millen Brand of Crown Publishers. At the time of this sitting, Bhattacharya’s daughter was enrolled as a student at Columbia University.”

  Bhattacharya was a pioneering Indian writer who wrote in English. He was a contemporary of RK Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. His books were translated into several European and Indian languages. The New York Times’ literary critic Charles Poore, in a 1952 review of Music for Mohini, wrote about Bhattacharya’s protagonist Mohini: “We’ll all be lucky if we meet a more appealing heroine this year.”

  It took five hours to locate his family. Their names are not in any academic paper, news clipping or obituaries about Bhattacharya, who spent the last two decades of his life in the US. His two daughters and a son are mentioned in a small 1988 funeral notice in the St Louis Post-Dispatch, a local Missouri newspaper: “Surviving are his wife, Salila Bhattacharya; a son, Dr Arjun Bhattacharya of Ladue; two daughters, Ujjaini Khanderia of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Indrani Mukerji of Calcutta, India; and six grandchildren.”

Eunsong Kim and Gelare Khoshgozaran of Contemptorary interviewed Mari Matsuda, who is a founding critical race theorist, activist, and artist. Her father grew up in LA’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, and she shares her experiences and explains why critical race theory emerged:

Critical race theory emerged from a tiny corner of legal theory called the critique of the critique of rights. We were trying to hold on to a contradiction: telling people they “have rights” when any random state of exception snatches rights away in an instant is just participation in mental slavery. AND rights claims have moral power. They have narrative power. They have visioning power. Oppressed people have used rights claims and longed for rights and been willing to die for rights. Their struggle tells me there is something to this form of thinking that is has real value. I’ve written a bunch of words about this, but the theory is not my creation – it comes out of struggle. Last month you heard people yelling in the streets all over the U.S. “Health Care IS, A, RIGHT, health care ISARIGHT.” It had a rhythm, a beat, and a radical vision of rights coming out of human need. So yes, know your rights and make your rights. Art is a right.

Student journalists in LA’s Boyle Heights neighborhood are making waves:

Boyle Heights Beat, also known in Spanish as Pulso de Boyle Heights, has carved out an important place in an area with one of the highest population densities in the city of Los Angeles.

East L.A., where Boyle Heights is situated, is approximately 97 percent Latino.

  A few years ago, two prominent journalists decided to do something about the lack of coverage when it came to issues in this neighborhood.

“Boyle Heights was not adequately covered by mainstream papers like the Los Angeles Times,” said Michelle Levander, the founding director of the USC Center for Health Journalism. She co-founded and published Boyle Heights Beat along with Pedro Rojas, former executive editor of Los Angeles’ Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión. “So we thought, who knows a community better than its youth?” said Levander.

  Levander and Rojas are deeply involved in the Beat, overseeing everything from reporters’ pitches to front-page decisions. The Beat was founded in 2010, and their first edition came out in June 2011.

If you hate Little Free Libraries, then maybe you should read a paper by two librarians that describes them as “neoliberal politics at street level.” CityLab writes:

The case against Little Free Library is not necessarily a case against little free libraries. “I wouldn’t go down hard and say that Little Free Libraries harm public libraries,” Schmidt says—although she and Hale expressed lasting anxiety over the library budget attacks waged by former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his austerity agenda. Both librarians are eager to acknowledge places where Little Free Libraries are put to good use by public-library systems. They mention Winnipeg, where librarians give book-exchange stewards in marginalized neighborhoods first dibs (and free access) to the system’s friends-of-the-library book sales. “I don’t think we can definitively say that they [don’t] reduce inequality,” Schmidt says. “I just don’t think they can say they reduce inequality, either.”

Christopher Hawthorne, the architecture critic for the LA Times, took a new online architecture course offered by Harvard, and this is what he found:

And what one solitary piece of writing were we asked to read for those first two weeks? An essay by Hays, of course: “Architecture’s Appearance and the Practices of Imagination,” from a journal known for publishing wooden prose and called — you can’t make this stuff up — Log.

Hays’ piece, though mercifully short, was predictably hostile to the idea that any neophyte might effectively grasp what he was trying to say. And this is a course, remember, designed largely if not directly for neophytes; it marks the school’s widely promoted first attempt to engage a broad digital public.

Sady Doyle takes down Ivanka Trump’s new book for Elle magazine:

This is typical of Ivanka’s feminism, which has always been less about providing specific, workable solutions than it is about presenting marketable, aspirational images of Ivanka herself. She’s meant to be the Exceptional Woman, the one woman with all the skills necessary to survive and thrive within patriarchy; we’re meant to believe that emulating her will serve us better than engaging with the underlying structures that disadvantage women in the first place. Even in her pre-presidential efforts, like her pitch for a never-produced #WomenWhoWork podcast, which was obtained by The New York Times, it’s clear that Ivanka’s specific feminism focused on image and inspiration over policy.

The Vod are a “disappearing” ethnic group in Russia, and here is some of their story:

According to the most recent census data, there are 64 Vods left in Russia, with a handful more living in Estonia. The problem with these numbers is that they only show how many people self-identified as Vods, when asked about their nationality. It’s unknown how many Vods (including pure-blooded Vods) listed themselves as “Russians,” or missed the census altogether.

  Luzhitsy’s population peaked in the early 1940s, when its numbers grew to about 550 people. Today, the village has just 35-40 permanent residents, with some additional visitors staying during the summer.

How Thomas Cook helped create the global tourism industry:

Cook’s venture was rooted not in a tourist’s desire to kick back a pint and visit a few historic sights, but in his fervor to keep would-be globetrotters from drinking in the first place. Convinced from an early age of the evils of alcohol, he spent much of the 1820s and ‘30s walking the English countryside, spreading his religious message to all who’d listen and distributing pamphlets extolling the dangers of beer to those who wouldn’t. It was a desperately inefficient means of advancing his cause.

  And so when the world’s first railway network began to open right on his doorstep, Cook was quick to recognize its value. By arranging free or discounted train trips, he could ferry large cohorts of temperance supporters to rallies across the country. With the development of telegram wires, 2,000 miles of which were laid in Britain by the early 1850s, he was soon even able to direct his temperance tourists’ itineraries from afar.

  It didn’t take Cook much longer to grasp that these cash-churning expeditions might earn him more than heavenly favor. Putting his missionary work on hold, he started organizing and then guiding sightseers on trips around Britain. In 1855, he ventured over the English Channel to France, then to Switzerland a few years later. No sooner had the American Civil War ended than he shepherded a tour across the Atlantic to New York.

What the future of the internet could look like without net neutrality:

@deray No #netneutrality visualizedhttp://pic.twitter.com/REmV9ApYXR

— David Carroll (@profcarroll) April 30, 2017

From all over the internet (incl. Giphy) and too good not to share:

Required Reading is published every Sunday morning ET, and is comprised of a short list of art-related links to long-form articles, videos, blog posts, or photo essays worth a second look.

The post Required Reading appeared first on Hyperallergic.

from Hyperallergic http://ift.tt/2p9VOTP via IFTTT