#the lapidary things

[sunnetrolls]

🎣 why so blue? is something wrong?

[no-good-wyfe]

I’ve been down a rabbit hole wondering about medieval jewelry (and if I can reproduce it despite having no metalworking skills, to which the answer is mostly no) lately & I figured I would share the fruits of my museum collection searches for other medievalists/hobbyists/reenactors/nerds.

Jewelry of the 13th Century Anglo/Francosphere

TL;DR

Metals: 🟨 gold(tone)

Stones: mostly 🔵 cabochon, rarely 💠 simple cut, some carved 🗿 intaglio or cameo

Stone Colors: warm blues, emerald green, purples, burgundies, reds

Materials: enamel, 💎 gemstones (garnet, Ceylon sapphire, ruby/spinel, emerald) or glass paste imitations, ⚪ semi-precious stones (pearl, lapis, jasper, carnelian, coral, turquoise, porphyry)

Settings: bezel (oval and rectangular); ⚜️ intricate metalwork; more visible and textured metal than modern jewelry; more mixtures of stones and colors than modern tastes

Motifs: ◯ round, ✤ quatrefoil, ✙ cross, ✸ star (even numbers of points), ♣ trefoil, ❦ floral, 🐉 animals, 𝕬 inscription

Formats: brooches, ornamented clothing, rings, pendants, circlets, cuffs (rare)

A detailed look:

Some forms of jewelry that were very popular in the Roman Empire and are again today were just not the thing in the middle European Middle Ages. (Earrings, for example, seem to have barely existed. This is partially at least because ears were covered--by coifs and caps, hair, and (for women) braids or the chin strap and fillet/wimple/gorget.) In fact, a lot of the places we would put jewelry against our skin today were covered.

This left some other options:

Jewelry on Clothing

Medallions

Okay, these aren’t jewelry, strictly speaking, but they’re metalwork ornaments associated with a person.

Enamel Mitre Medallions

OA 3437 and OA 3438 Before 1291, Ile de France Louvre, Paris photos (c) Musée du Louvre / Stéphane Maréchalle 2015

Cloisonné and plique enamel over gold and copper, with decorative motifs of trefoils, quatrefoil, and stars in a palette of dark blue and green with accents that may once have been ruby red.

Appliqué Medallion

# MRR 256 13th c., Limoge Louvre, Paris photo (c) Musée du Louvre 2014

Gilded copper (though most gold is worn off) with quatrefoil champlevé enamel in emerald green, lapis blue, and white or off-white.

Brooches

Perhaps the most prevalent medieval jewelry item in the Anglo & French regions. These were worn at the shoulder for men and breast for women, often anchoring a cloak, or to close the collar. As the ornate fermail and double-ring brooch suggest, these ran the gamut from practical to incredibly decorative and ornate.

Garnet & Silver Gilt Animal Ring Brooch; Green and Blue Glass and Gilt Ring Brooch

Left, # 2003,0703.1 13th century; found in Suffolk, England British Museum, London photo (c) The Trustees of the British Museum

Right, # M.28-1929 13th c., England V&A, London photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Cabochon garnets or carbuncles in the gilded silver brooch (L), perhaps once paired with smaller stones in the eyes of metalwork animals that bite the pin bracket. The right brooch, also silver gilt, sports two glass paste emerald and sapphire "gems" in cabochon. It was probably a lover's token; it reads (in Lombardic-lettered French) IOSV ICI ATI VCI or "jo su[i] ici a t[o]i v[o]ici" which I might translate as "I am here with/belonging to you, look!"

Ruby & Sapphire Ring Brooch; Sapphire, Garnet, and Pearl Fermail

Left, # 6808-1860 1275-1300, England V&A, London photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Right, # OA6287 1250-1300, France Louvre, Paris photo (c) Musée du Louvre

Blogs often claim that stones were only polished en cabochon until the 16th century, and that medieval jewelers couldn't cut gemstones. But this 13th-century gold ring brooch (left) pairs table-cut purple rubies with collet-set cabochon sapphires, and may evidence early medieval gem-cutting or reuse of Roman cut stones. The silver gilt fermail, right, includes pearl beads, garnets and sapphires both cut and cabbed, and one glass paste cabochon. Both are intricately textured, with punchwork (L) and floral metalwork, probably cast and then attached (R).

Double Ring Brooch with Sapphire and Glass "Emeralds"

# M.26-1993 13th c., England V&A, London photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

This gold double brooch is so small they think it was for a woman or child. Central sapphire cab is flanked by glass paste "emeralds" in bezel settings and metalwork featuring two animal heads.

Jewelry on the Body

Rings

Many are probably familiar with the signet ring, used for pressing into sealing wax, which could be intaglio-carved gemstone or metals. There were also a number of decorative and/or talismanic gemstone rings.

LtR:

#M.7-1929 | #M.180-1975 | #OA 11265 1250-1300, England | 1250-1300, Engl/France | 13th c., Engl/France V&A, London | V&A, London | Louvre, France photos L&C © Victoria and Albert Museum, London | R (c) Musée du Louvre

Sapphire in gold is the name of the game when it comes to rings in the thirteenth century; even the purple stones on the left are purple sapphires. (Sapphires were said to aid chastity, purity, and the effectiveness of prayer.) For larger stones, the bezel often has claws added (L); the central ring is an example of a full claw setting that modern viewers might find surprisingly tall. Naturalistic flourishes are added (C & R); these might be pre-cast then attached to the base (R).

Pendants

We equate pendants with necklaces, but their medieval applications also included wear as badges, from headpieces, and on horse decorations.

Left, bloodstone jasper cameo in silver setting # MRR 218 1100-1300, France? Louvre, Paris photo (c) Musée du Louvre / Jean Blot 1984

Right, champlevé enamel, gilt copper, and paste "emerald" (harness) pendant # 1976.169 13th c., France Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland photo CC0 Open Access

Statue Jewelry

From here, we get into the really ridiculous stuff; the previous categories could be relatively everyday (as much as ornamentation reserved exclusively for the wealthy can be an everyday thing) but the following examples are astonishing displays not necessarily for wear.

"La Couronne" de Vierge et l'Enfant d'ivoire de la Sainte-Chapelle

# OA 57 B 1250-1300, France Louvre, Paris photo (c) Musée de Louvre

This was not even a crown for a person, but rather for a painted ivory statue of the Virgin Mary, holding her infant son. (Though circlets, even set with stones, were sometimes worn as part of women's head dress.) It's incredibly ornate gold, set with pearls, garnets and rubies, sapphires, and turquoise (?) en cabochon.

Anneau de Saint-Denis

# MS 85 BIS 1200-1215, France Louvre, Paris photos (c) Musée du Louvre / Daniel Arnaudet 1990

This astonishing piece, which is ring-sized but now displayed as a cuff on an ivory hand, is made of gold and displays every possible gemstone appearance characteristic of the period. The front piece has a central sapphire and is surrounded by quartz with red backing (mimicking ruby/garnet), amethysts, pearls, and sapphires, some set on yellow backing (mimicking turquoise?). Most are en cabochon on this face, but two are faceted and two intaglio. Were this not enough, the three other 'faces' of the ring are set with gems as well, two cameos (probably sapphire and garnet?) and one amethyst intaglio set in ornate gold filigree.

[cerbreus]

don’t ask me how much this all cost

[ruby-unfortunate]

so at work today a bunch of men in suits cmae and started kicking me and telling me I owe them millions bazillion dollars? They took my ruby???? (Im a lapidary btw)

[boymanmaletheshequel]

Things I do to honor Lord Hephaestus;

- wear gemstones representing him (carnelian, vesuvianite, Fire opal, ECt)

- Be creative and build or construct things

- honor fire and the flame, such as building campfires or bonfires when outdoors with family

- buying or salvaging antique, handmade furniture secondhand, and giving it new appreciation in favor of mass produced modern furniture.

- decorating my home with handmade items such as pottery, glass art, and porcelain, as opposed to factory produced garbage.

- Buy from artists like woodworkers and lapidary artists

- respect and honor people with physical disabilities.

What do you do to honor lord Hephaestus?

🔥⚒️🔥⚒️🔥⚒️🔥⚒️🔥⚒️🔥⚒️🔥⚒️🔥

[vanillaxoshi]

BBB royalty au

Gopal, Fang, Yaya and ying!

Their not really royalty

But they are whom the catalyst is in interest of (technically friends)

Well fang is someone boi hasn't met yet but first

They dont have their actual powers

They belong to their perspective sections

Gopal is from the earth section, the gems that you see around his clothes are peace jades, in the earth section, hes a gemstone miner and a lapidary.

Boi came across him when he's doing his first job in the mines. Gopal had an interesting character that made Boi laugh, despite Gopal actually being nervous since hes infront of the catalyst, he tried playing it off cool

But boi, he kinda just observed him, more likely follow him, so Gopal fumbled his first job but Boi gave him an opportunity to be with him, this offer immediately made gopal comfortable with boi, giving him a shoulder hug and everything

Yes the guards with boi was on guard when it happened, but boi laughed it off so the guards saw no harm

Yaya's outfit is based off a pink edged sulphur, a butterfly, which means she's in the wind section. She doesnt have gravity, just wind magic. She's a collector, Collectors are people who are sent to pick up and search several items, their given a list of it of course.

First-time collectors are given a simple list of things to find, if they are able to get all of it by the end of the week, they become accepted as a collector. She was out trying to find a specific flower(which she couldnt find) until she ran into boi who had that flower which she was looking for

Of course she was a bit hesitant to ask since this was the catalyst, but boi offered the flower and she thankfully took it. She was able to accomplish her list and was accepted. But nevertheless boi came at their station and was able to meet her again.

Interested, he stayed for a while and saw how dedicated and amazing she was at her job, bonded with her a bunch of times too

Thats when he decided to offer her a place with him. She didnt know what to choose until boi says that she doesnt have to quit her job and that she could leave anytime.

She accepted

Ying, she belongs to light section and was an assistant in the biggest library of the section. Shes very fast using light magic

She knows what to search and to get when someone asks her. Boi came in there to search for something, but of course, due to how big the place is, he had to ask her. But she kept moving so it kinda led to a type of goose chase.

That is until ying finally bumped into boi. Noticing how tired the young catalyst looked, they both rested for a while. Had a lottle talk, boi remembered what he wanted to find and ying got it to him. They shared the book together and had a few laughs. He allowed ying to come to catalyst's palace anytime she wanted. Perhaps if he wants a few book. And she agreed.

For Fang, i cant form a full explanation to how they met yet, but all i could say is he's from the techno section, someone who also is magicless but able to form his own tech to forge physical shadows. He kinda ended up in the light section, had some complications there and when he did met with boi, they had an argument

A little fight even, well, since fang stayed in the light section, everytime boi does meet him, they kinda end up in an argument or fight

Yeah thats the kokotiam! And how they met boi!

[dullgecko]

You bringing up being in a Lapidary club did two things:

One - it reminded me of how my grandfather on my mom's side did it when I was a kid. I still have some of the pieces he made - a clock and 2 pendants.

Two - it made me think of how lapidary would work in Spyre. Lapidary probably works mostly the same here on Earth but you have to be really careful on what stones you use, as some contain magic and could help or harm the lapidarist while working on them or the holder of the finished piece. Several lapidarists even specialize in using these stones to grant boons to the wearer.

I made this last year (topaz). Currently finishing off an ametrine.

Lapidary work in spyre would have to be a /very/ specialised field. Other than the fact that gems used for spells and such often need to be flawless you also have to contend with the magic aspect of some of them. They're also having to crank out MOUNTAINS of these flawless gems which is insane, and they just get destroyed for someone to revivify someone.

[technicalgator]

⛏️ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 🕯️

-

Late to the party, but I finally finished the ref for my TF2 oc, The Prospector! A small, scrungly, bushy dwarf man who usually is on the defense with his motion-activated mines and shotgun!

-

Ramblings and close-ups below! ⚙️

💡The Prospector is my 10th class TF2 oc, specializing in defensive game modes (Capture the Intel/Point). You’ll usually find him hanging around Engineer the most, as Prospector’s motion-activated mines are perfect to snag cloaked Spies! His melee ranges from his trusty pickaxe to the iconic frying pan, and for his 3rd weapon slot, a short-ranged weapon of some sort!

🕯️The Prospector’s full name is “Benedito ‘Bento’ Ribeiro”, and he originates from Ouro Preto, Brazil; a town with a mining history! He is a 45 latino man at the grand ol’ height of 5”4’ (and is teased endlessly by the other mercs about his height) :,]

⛏️On the battlefield, Prospector is a competitive bastard, thrilled in the high of battle and running on pure adrenaline. His smaller height also serves as an advantage despite the other’s teasing, as you’ll usually see him skittering across the map and is often overlooked >:]

Prospector doesn’t talk as much as most mercs, but will have snarky remarks for Domination lines or light insults. Other than that, you’ll usually hear him mutter insults or swears under his breath in his native language, Portuguese.

🪕Off the battlefield, Prospector is more mellow, quiet most of the times and only talks if he really has something to say. He’ll always try to appear gruff and indifferent, but he’s really an emotional bastard; easily flustered and has a soft spot for certain things (and people), such as his plants!

Prospector has a big soft spot for plants, ranging anywhere from succulents to plants from his home country (like the Walking Iris!). He’ll slowly collect all sorts of flora as a hobby, and if he’s not tending to his plants, he’ll practice music on his harmonica, or indulge in his other hobby; Lapidary!

Being a lapidarist, Prospector collects gemstones of all kinds, either from his own mining adventures or just as a collector, and will turn the gemstones into pieces of art. He has a small collection so far, creations ranging from animals to objects! Usually, a way Prospector shows his way of appreciating (or that he likes you as a mutual/friend) is leaving a hand-shaped gemstone of some kind of design in your living space!

-

Anyways, that’s all I have for now, I’m really looking forward to drawing Prospector more, potentially with other mercs! Feel free to also request seeing Prospector interacting with any specific mercs (or even other TF2 ocs!✨). Thanks for sticking around this far and reading about my TF2 blorbo! 💖

[sunnetrolls]

Does that mean the three of you are like… a thing?

"Is it not evident?"

To be clear, this is not an Abby and his two fish wives situation. This is a Lapidary and her two babygirls situation.

[arc-misadventures]

What are Those?! AU: After finding out that Jaune hoards gems how many of the girls decide to try and use gemstones to try and get into his bed

Diamonds Are A Dragons Prize

Pyrrha: Hey, guys how’s it…

Weiss: I don’t care who the hell your gem grader was father! I had the, Lapidary Master himself graded all of my diamonds, and he identified that almost all of them are fake! They’re not diamonds, they’re Cubic Zirconia! Fake Diamonds! So you will bring all of our precious gems, Mom’s, Winters, yours, and even mine to, Beacon, right here, right now! Before your precious net value plummets even further then it already has!

(Beep.)

Weiss: Prick…

Pyrrha: Uhhh… D-Did I miss something…?

Blake: Oh, we learned, Jaune hoards precious gems; diamonds, rubies, and the like. So people have been giving him precious stones as a… dowery of sorts. But, Jaune apparently is super rich because he owns several mining companies that mine specifically, precious stones. So, Jaune has been inspecting, giving people prices, and proof of their stones value instead.

Pyrrha: And, he did that for, Weiss’s diamonds as well?

Blake: Yeah, for her ‘diamonds.’

Weiss: My fakes! Tens of thousands of Lien were spent collecting diamonds, and other precious gems for my family. I brought approximately 67,000 Lien worth of diamonds with me to, Beacon!

Ruby: 67,000?! You had that much money kept in a simple latch lock box in our bathroom?!

Weiss: Well the fuck does that matter now?! 67,000?! I’ve got less than three grand of real diamonds in that chest! My father bought fakes! Millions of Lien worth of fakes!

Pyrrha: Oh, so that’s why she’s so upset.

Nora: Yeah, it’d be like if I had a mountain of pancakes, and they were all foam…

Blake: That… Sounds like a, Nora analogy.

Pyrrha: She’s been having nightmares about it for the past week…

Ruby: It’d be like having a dream about eating chocolate chip cookies, and it turns they’re all oatmeal raisin…

BP: …

Pyrrha: So where’s, Yang?

Ruby: Hmm? Oh she was taking a engagement ring, Dad gave her mother foe, Jaune to grade it. She wanted to know if it had any worth to it.

Nora: Is she going to sell it?

Ruby: I think she said something about seeing if mom abandoned something else of value besides her, and dad.

Pyrrha: Ohh…

Blake: Uhh…

Weiss: …

Nora: Nice~!

Ruby: Yeah… Yang’s mom is… is something else…

Yang: And, a fucking idiot~!

Ruby: Yang, you’re back!

Pyrrha: Hello, Yang, good news I take it?

Yang: Hell yeah~! Jaune just apprised this wedding ring I have, and he gave me one hell of a price on it~!

Pyrrha: Oh, how much?

Yang: Well, Jaune described it as a: Light yellow diamond, Class Z. 3 carats in weight. Custom Cut. Valued at approximately, 30,000 Lien~!

Pyrrha: Oh my gods…

Ruby: W-W-What…?!

Nora: How many pancakes could I eat with that…?

Weiss: 3-3-30,000…?! M-My diamonds were nearly 70,000. Then, Jaune graded them, a-and it turn out most of them were fake! A-And, I only have 3000 Lien… and, you just go there with some rinky dink ring… and it’s worth ten times that?!

Yang: Yeah, pretty much.

Weiss: …

Weiss: Ah-ha…? Ha. Hahahaha! Ahh-hahahahahaha!

RBYNP: …

Weiss: AHH-haaaaaaa…

Ruby: Got you, Weiss!

Nora: Whoops, she fainted again…

Pyrrha: Again?

Blake: Yeah, she fainted yesterday when she found out, how, and why, Jaune was super rich.

Pyrrha: I best ask him about that…

Blake: Don’t touch his rocks, he’ll gut you if you try.

Pyrrha: W-What…?

Nora: So, Yang; You gonna make a pretty penny, or are you going to keep that?

Yang: Yep~! I’m gonna keep it though. There’s too much sentimental value to get rid of it.

Ruby: Are sure about that…?

Yang: I’m sure; besides if, Jaune picks me as one of his wives, I’m gonna ask him to give it to me as my engagement ring.

Ruby: Oh, that’s ni… Wait! Y-You want become, Jaune’s wife?!

Yang: Well, one of them, I don’t really mind sharing.

Ruby: But, why? Why do you want to marry, Jaune?

Yang: I’ll admit it, I’ve always had a thing for, Jaune. He’s cute, caring, supportive, handsome, and just a really sweet person… I wasn’t going to act on my feels, I was going to let them fade away because, Pyrrha had claim on him, and I’m not the kind of girl to steal another girls man. But, since he’s more, or less open game because of the harem thing… Well, I’ve decided to throw my hat in the ring. Unless… You don’t want me to, Pyrrha…?

Pyrrha: Shoot… I owe, Nora fifty Lien…

Nora: Whoo! Pancake money!

Yang: Wait, did you make a bet on me?

Pyrrha: On whether, or not you liked, Jaune. I bet against, and lost. I just though he wasn’t your type.

Yang: Well, he is! So… Do you mind…?

Pyrrha: Not at all, I wouldn’t mind you joining us at all.

Yang: R-Really?!

Pyrrha: However, it’s his choice to make not mine. So, good luck winning him over.

Yang: Sounds fun~! So, speaking of you, and Jaune~!

Pyrrha: What about it?

Blake: What was it like?

Pyrrha: Oh, that? Well, do you really want me to tell you what happened, or do you want to find that our yourself~?

Yang: Mmmmm… Nooo… I rather be surprised really…

Blake: But, since he put you out of commission for a while; I’d like to know what to expect.

Ruby: Well I don’t! Bye!

(Slam!)

Yang: Good. She’s not ready for such things…

Pyrrha: Well, you know about his tongue, and how long it’s is~!

BY: Yes…

Pyrrha: Well, lets just say he can get it really deep inside of you: Really deep~!

Blake: How deep…?

Pyrrha: Oh, you’ll feel how deep he can get it~!

Blake: And, what is it like, is it more human, or is more faunas…?

Yang: Faunas?

Blake: Depending on the faunas, they sometimes have more… animal bits.

Yang: S-Seriously?! I thought that was some sort of racist talking point?!

Blake: Yeah… There’s a bit of truth to every stereotype. We don’t like to talk about it, because its… It’s just uncomfortable to talk about for all of us.

Yang: I-Is, Jaune like that…?!

Nora: Nope! It’s a perfectly normal human penis!

BYP: …

Yang: H-How do you know that…?

Pyrrha: Nora, likes to peek on us in the shower…

Yang: Oh, okay… So, uhh… what is it like?

Pyrrha: I’ll just say this… He’ll ruin you for all other men, forever, and you’ll love it~!

BY: NICE!!!

~~~

Ruby: Hey, Jaune!

Jaune: Hi, Ruby.

Ruby: How goes the gem collecting?

Jaune: I’ve found some interesting gems, like this one.

Ruby: Whoa… That’s beautiful… What is this…?

Jaune: That is a, Moss Agate Opal. One of my sister’s likes to wear these, so I got it for her.

Ruby: Aww, how sweet of you.

Jaune: I may like my stones, but I love my family even more…

Ruby: You don’t sound so certain on that.

Jaune: Depends on the stones…

Ruby: Okay…

: Excuse me, would you take a look at this?

Jaune: Oh, of course! Allow me to… Well hello there~!

Ruby: What is it?

Jaune: Oh, aren’t you a beautiful little thing~!

Ruby: Is that a sapphire?

Jaune: Hmm?! No! No not even close.

Ruby: Then what is it?

Jaune: While it may appear like one, but this isn’t anywhere close to a sapphire.

Ruby: Then what is it?

Jaune: Tanzanite, one of the rarest gems you can find. It doesn’t have the same value as a diamond, but they can only be found in one place, hence the rarity. And, considering where that is, they tend to hoard them.

Ruby: Where’s that?

Jaune: Menagerie. Isn’t that right, Miss…?

: Sienna, Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang.

Jaune: Hmmm. Well, this is certainly one fine introduction letter. So, what can I do for you, Miss Khan?

Sienna: Oh so many things, my King. Oh so many things~!

[cerbreus]

i got some pretty jasper slabs, i got some free fossils (agatized gastropod shells), and i’m getting some cool new piercings today! good day! :-)

[blackkatmagic]

I realy like this lapidary of broken things. "The woman studies her for a long moment, then reaches up and unwraps the heavy cloth wound around her head, unstraps the rebreather beneath it." I realy like how (and that) you imply that the Tusken people are part of the slave rebellion, especially because it's Shmi!

!!! Ahhh I'm so happy you caught that!! Bless.

But yeah I think that fandom as a whole really overlooks the fact that, in canon and in our introduction to her, Shmi is trying to build a scanner that will help her the chips out of slaves' heads. It's so stupid that canon never actually does anything with it but like. That's what fanfic is for.

[ladymisteria]

AMAZON PRIME'S ZORRO PROS & CONS.

After days of watching and re-watching the episodes of the new Zorro adaptation, I decided to share what - obviously only in my opinion - are its main pros & cons.

(For fairness, since I will mention spoiler elements, I thought I'd insert my reflections below the cut).

PROS:

MORE POV. It is impossible to start mentioning the pros of this series without mentioning the very obvious - and extremely right - decision to "broaden" the points of view. Perhaps for the first time, in fact, the story is not narrated almost completely by Diego alone, but also by the various other characters who are part of it (be they the Chinese, the natives, etc.).

REALITY. As already said by @aragarna, this new Zorro gets rid of the "we are all friends/we sit at the same table" contours to show - finally! - the tense and highly classist climate of a sadly very particular historical period. We see the hatred and distrust towards the natives, with the enormous difference - compared to other products that focus on this particular "feud" between colonizers and colonized - of knowing "both bells" (I don't know if there is a similar expression, in English, I apologize) and therefore being able to realize how different things are, depending on who tells the stories. This makes the series refreshingly "real" (yes, even if it includes elements like the Spirits of Native American culture).

NOT CLEARLY GOOD/BAD CHARACTERS. Monasterio is no longer the Commander, absolutely "black", devoid of scruples and good sides. Indeed, as the season continues, he increasingly demonstrates that he is an individual who well understands the absolute injustice of what he does - while nevertheless not shying away from doing it because he is faithful to his position. He is in conflict between what his principles and his role impose on him, effectively making him a magnificent "grey" character. Diego and Nah-Lin themselves are wonderful examples of "well-rounded" characters, because even in their most wrong actions, they maintain a sincerely credible and even - at certain points - justifiable motivation.

TECHNICAL VISUAL ASPECT. The scenes are masterfully shot, the soundtrack is not intrusive but rather an excellent way to underline the various thoughts/feelings of the characters, etc..

ZORRO'S LEGACY. The idea of a "generational change" of Zorro, in a choice that potentially makes it possible to see more sides of the same character - trivially because more people interpret him. A fact demonstrated in this same first season, where we had three Zorros, all three with their "characteristic side".

THE DECISION OF DEPRIVE DIEGO OF HIS MOST RECOGNIZABLE TRAIT. Depriving him - and so soon! - of his father (and consequently of the only person who knows him perfectly), the series allows Diego to always act as himself (within the limits desired by the situation of the moment), without having to resort to that supposed inability to defend himself/laziness/cowardice which is renowned as one of the particular signs of his character.

DIEGO IS NOT INVINCIBLE. It might seem stupid, but in many adaptations, Diego is seen as practically infallible. His plans always come to fruition, he never gets hurt, he makes almost no mistakes... This "new" Diego doesn't; here Diego is young (according to my calculations he is just 21/22 years old), he becomes Zorro not because of his choice but because - literally! - the spirits give him (via Night Crow) the costume and send him home with a lapidary: "You are the new Zorro, whether you want it or not", he still acts like a daredevil boy (complete with Bernardo-Mother Hen)... And this translates into some - very justifiable - errors and just as many choices that are not exactly well thought out.

CONS:

TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE. To be clear: the various plot threads are all (well, almost: Samael and Guadalupe and their "inheritance hunt" have not managed to involve me at all, for the moment) interesting and well structured; but they are objectively many, for a single season. We have the Bear Clan, the Russian-American Company that wishes to "take over Los Angeles", Guadalupe's aforementioned inheritance hunt, Nah Lin's desire for revenge, the search for the truth about his father's murder on Diego's part... And of these very few - if not almost none - had an effective conclusion. The feeling I got was that the producers wanted to "play their cards" all at once, in the hope that this would secure them a renewal for a second season. Something along the lines of: "Hey, we need the renewal! Look at all the unresolved things we left!".

LOLITA. I'm sorry to say this, but I just can't understand what the producers had in mind when they created her character. Or rather, to be more precise, when they created her relationship with Diego. She is initially shown to us as angry at Diego for going to Spain (I think?), in an attitude that could even be understood - if only that same attitude didn't remain as if petrified throughout the rest of the season. Why, exactly, does Lolita remain so resentful towards Diego all the time? Because, despite knowing that he loves her (he himself tells her this, when she helps him with his wound, and even in the very first episode), she constantly pretends not to know what feelings bind him to her, and indeed continually acts in such a way as to hurt him on purpose? Mha! It remains meaningless to me.

Here it is. I have indicated, I repeat, what for me are the main pros and cons of the season (you will probably have found others, or even none).

[innumerable-stars]

Pearl Promo Post

(written by @naryaflame)

Summary:  Like Sir Orfeo and Sir Gawain, this is a late Middle English poem (written in a North-West Midlands dialect of Middle English).  A grieving father experiences a dream-vision of a beautiful maiden.  She tries to explain the glories of heaven to him, but he cannot comprehend them, and on trying to join her, he wakes up.  He is left consoled and reflecting on his faith.

Tolkien encountered the poem as a student, and both taught and translated it as a scholar.  Its elegiac tone will feel familiar to fans of Tolkien’s work, and while the text itself is dense, it’s well worth reading, re-reading and unpacking.

Why should I check out this canon:  If you’re interested in the texts Tolkien read and absorbed, and how they shaped the tone and content of his mythology, this is definitely one for your list. It’s is a smaller, more reflective Tolkien text: there's no cast of thousands, no epic adventures, but still plenty to explore. Who sent the Dream Vision? Who is the Pearl Poet – are they also the Gawain poet, or are they someone else? Is the poem an elegy, an allegory, both? Something completely different? Where is the Pearl-maiden, what is her name, and what are the circumstances where the boundaries between life and death might thin to allow for communication?

I think this text lends itself beautifully to unusual fanwork formats, so if that’s your thing, definitely get hold of a copy!  You could potentially go for some in-universe meta here (people much brighter than me have pointed out that part of the poem reads like a lapidary). For art, you could try out something like a medieval illumination, or an illustration in the style of a stained glass window - or calligraphy of a passage you particularly like.  If you’re into the idea of Middle-earth crossovers, there’s plenty of pearl imagery in the legendarium to provide you with links, from Alqualondë to the Sleeper in the Tower of Pearl (some online scholars have even found connections between the narrator and Gollum!)

Where can I get this?Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, together with Pearl and Sir Orfeo was first published in 1975, so there are several editions available – try your preferred bookshop, online retailer, or public library.  The 1975 edition is available as a PDF on the Internet Archive.  There is also a free copy of Tolkien's translation on Allpoetry.com.

What fanworks already exist?  None that I could find!  You could be first!

[emmanuellececchi]

TAG GAME: 15 QUESTIONS FOR 15 FRIENDS

Thank you for the tag @ass-deep-in-demons 😘

Are you named after anyone? yes. me...

when was the last time you cried? A few weeks ago, too tired.

do you have kids? two... or four if my cats can counts.

what sports do you play/have played? lounging and reading... I played Ultimate frisbee but can see it clashes.

do you use sarcasm? yes. all the time.

what is the first thing you notice about people? how they make me feel. Litteraly.

what's your eye colour? brown... some say black. so... dark brown.

scary movies or happy endings? HAPPY ENDING!

any talents? Making people laugh, baking (cinnamon rolls for example)

where were you born? in France.

what are your hobbies? Writing, lapidary, reading, lounging.

do you have any pets? two cats (do my kids count?)

how tall are you? taller than my kids, smaller than my hubby.

favourite subject in school? Geology/earth science

dream job? writer, I'm working on it.

Tagging @quillofspirit, @konartiste , @from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras, @sotwk, @frodothefair.... I want to tag more of you but I don't remember if you have been already tagged 😅😉😄 so whoever wants to play and share!

[butterfrogmantis]

Warm up doodle whilst I decide which one of my lore building projects to draw later today

Archie may not have kids of his own but he has a niece and a .. well goddaughter might not be the right word but more like he's a .. testamentary guardian? If Miner and Timber suddenly both died in a freak log cutting/cave in accident Archie would have taken legal responsibility kind of thing. A non-relative uncle. But he gets to be "uncle Archie" to the select 2 whole Smurfs, only one of which has blood relation but he treats em both as nieces :)

Archie (c) The Smurfs

Onyx and Lapidary are mine