#It's a song about Tenar

[balloooncatsonasunnyday]

I WAS LOOKING FOR EARTHSEA PLAYLISTS AND FOUND THIS

#It's a song about Tenar #A POWER METAL SONG ABOUT TENAR #earthsea #tenar

[imethirdperson]

I say Ged is a variation on Odysseus

He's a mythical figure with songs sung about him. He's got a scar from a dumb accident that people can recognize him by. Tenar waits 20 years for him. Most obvious in the tombs of atuan. He arrives as a foreigner, manages to get help from a local young woman of power (Nausicaa/Tenar) who's desperate to impress him, ingratiates himself to her by telling her stories of his travels (like to Alcinous and Arete), all of this from her pov.

A lot of emphasis on the power of his language, mostly in the magic system. Ged is not a liar (as far as we know), but he's mercurial and shadowy, he's different in every situation as needed, he's hard to catch, he's ghostly---I mean that he's been to the underworld and talked to dead people, but also that he tends to disappear from everyone's lives. He embodies power, but a resourceful, down-to-earth highly rational and practical kind of power.

But in the most important point he's different from Odysseus: does he have home to return to? Does he even need one? Like Tenar too, you don't get the feeling that he's capable of nostalgia for any place; instead, it's like he is at home anywhere (that's the nostalgic quality of the earthsea universe itself) and the minute he spends two weeks in the same place, he starts to get the itch to go to sea and travel. But, importantly: like Odysseus, what he *is* desperate to return to is himself. Odysseus's return to Ithaca represents the return to the status quo, which necessitates violence and oppression, and hierarchies to maintain power after a massacre, because that's how that world works; all of Ged's returns are about coming to terms with everyone's equal powerlessness in the face of death, because that's how that world works. Ged returns to Gont having lost all his power and decides this is fine, actually

#earthsea #i feel like the lack of a fixed placed to call home in the earthsea saga is probably very intentional since a big inspiration was lotr #and in a lot of similar hero's journey adventure stories attachment to a home is a key point #meanwhile you get the impression that ged hates his hometown and that he wouldn't go back if he could help it #and tenar is nostalgic not about her home but explicitly about the feeling of safety and personal dignity #that she regains not by returning but by regaining agency #and once she has agency she can just make a home anywhere #and give therru that steady acknowledgement of her human dignity #i don't even know what le guin was trying to accomplish

[wizardysseus]

open tag from @jadesabre301

Three ships: gen/irene (am rereading qt), ged/tenar (still riding earthsea reread high), doctor/clara (always)

Last song: last heard belting "this river is wild" the killers in my car

Currently reading: king of attolia by megan whalen turner, the unspoken name by a.k. larkwood, winterkeep by kristin cashore, still a lot of and about wallace stevens, the lightning thief by rick riordan for library book club purposes

Last film: the persian version (2023) - it was interesting, kind of reminded me of saving face (2004) in its themes and humor, but the most compelling part was definitely shireen's storyline

Currently craving: squash. we were going to make a good butternut squash recipe for dinner tonight but we forgot one (1) ingredient

#tag #captain's reading log

[johaerys-writes]

I ADORE your writing! Do you have any book recs? 💗

THANK YOU!!! I do have some book recs, and I'm going to separate them in two categories: a) all time faves (aka books that rewired my brain), and b) my fave books I read this year.

All Time Faves

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: if you follow me for my patrochilles writing, then you already know I love this book 😅 It literally altered my brain chemistry when I read it and I have never been the same.

RotE: short for The Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb, it's like 16 books long and I recommend each one. Fitz is my pathetic little meow meow and the Fool is one of my favourite characters of all time. Read at your own peril LOL

Earthsea and Lavinia by Ursula K Le Guin: I'm on a quest to read everything Le Guin has written because her writing is just *chef's kiss*. I adore her prose and the way climaxes and conflict are handled, and I love the worldbuilding. Her Earthsea stories are just so wonderful and poignant, I particularly love the Tombs of Atuan and Tehanu. The latter is permanently on my reread roster, I read it once a year towards the end of the year when I start feeling blue because it's just so comforting. And I have to include my favourite quote:

"You are beautiful," Tenar said in a different tone. "Listen to me, Therru. Come here. You have scars, ugly scars, because an ugly, evil thing was done to you. People see the scars. But they see you, too, and you aren't the scars. You aren't ugly. You aren't evil. You are Therru, and beautiful. You are Therru who can work, and walk, and run, and dance, beautifully, in a red dress."

Please read it you won't regret it 😭🙏🙏

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: another long time favourite and one I reread at least once a year. It’s just one of the best books ever written (sorry I don't make the rules). I'm not sure if that is where my love of childhood friends to toxic, copedepent lovers and of unhinged, violent men in fiction came from but it sure contributed to it LMAO. I don’t consider it a romance book but I do adore the way it handles love and romance, among other things. It's just so bleak and cynical but also highly comedic in places and I could talk about it forever. TL;DR please read it haha.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong: I didn’t like this book very much when I first started it but it had become a favourite by the time I finished it. I've reread it several times (I think just this year I've read it twice), it's just so heartbreaking and beautiful.

Fave books I read this year:

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat: technically I finished the trilogy end of last year but I still think about it a lot. It's very well written and imo the perfect balance of angst, plot, intrigue and horniness.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik: I read it earlier this year and I literally can't stop thinking about it lol. It’s SO well written and very immersive and even though the plot itself isn't like... comforting, it felt like a great comfort to read it. Ever since I finished it, every time I start a new book I'm like "gah I wish I could read it for the first time again" haha. I'm going to be rereading it for Christmas I think!

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells: another series I enjoyed a lot this year! I listened to the audiobooks and the VA is just so good, he's Murderbot in my mind lol. I should probably reread the last few books because my attention span was awful while I was listening to them, but overall they're very entertaining but also touch upon important issues in a really interesting way.

She Who Became The Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan: I really enjoyed this book, the plot, characters and worldbuilding was very interesting and I absolutely love the way that gender queerness and "otherness" was explored. I am eagerly awaiting the next book 👀

Villains series by V.E. Schwab: a highly entertaining read, I was pleasantly surpised by how much I enjoyed this. I love me a close friends to sworn enemies story, especially when they are obsessed with each other in as homosexual a way as these two LMAO. The supporting characters were also very well written which isn't easy to find in stories with such a busy cast. Once again, eagerly awaiting the next book!

#johaerys answers #book recs #i've been in a reading rut lately but really want to change that lol

[taravangianlistenstothebeachboys]

Some notes from watching Ghibli's Tales from Earthsea:

I guess they were hoping having Lebannen be a killer runaway would make him more engaging a character than he was in Le Guin's books. Certainly its a more exciting introduction than "was sent to Roke and Ged decided he should tag along." But this is hampered by how Lebannen and all these characters have maybe two character traits between them.

No matter how bad the movie is, if its a Ghibli film its gonna be beautiful. The background artists for this should be given a medal. Hork town especially is incredible:

Although these are clearly Ghibli asthetics more than Earthsea aesthetics. We got all your Ghibli staples: the weird mammals that are almost real animals, the random fighterpilot elements in the costume design, that one weird type of hood, etc.

I do like the action scene of Lebannen dealing with the slavers. Only well-paced part of the film I've seen.

The shadow "visiting" Lebannen while he rests was done very well. The color dimming, the shadow on the water, the rushing wind towards him, its all great. I'm especially a fan of how when Lebannen looks over his shoulder, he sees nothing but a stream of water coming out of a wall. Fits with what's actually happening on in the dryland very well.

The "Ged rescues Lebannen but only takes the chains off the other slaves" is a weird detail to keep in the adaptation, though I guess it's less an obviously dick move when the slaves aren't trapped on a boat with their former captors.

I feel mixed about this version of Cob? Making him the slaver lord isn't a bad choice, though it does kind of positions slavery in Earthsea as "the bad thing that the one bad guy is doing" instead of, y'know, a cornerstone of Hork Town's economy.

They don't make him an especially originally villain either. He's literally introduced with the old "flash of villains castle, lieutenant comes in nervously to report on escape, almost gets killed until he mentions something important" trope. They did kind of flatten him into the stock fantasy big bad.

But Cob from the books didn't really have a lot going on character-wise either, so its less offensive a flattening than some of the other characters. And I do like his character design alot. That eye makeup is some Hot Topic Shit but it works. The thin lips and tall everything is a type of exaggeration I don't see in Ghibli's character design very often.

Christ, Ged's monologue about the balance and true names is really just plopped on the audience's lap like a dead mouse. The bridge from "why does a wizard like farming" to "everything has a true name that wizard's use for its power" is nonexistent. They really couldn't find another place to explain the basics of the magic system? Couldn't seed it with Ged using true names while freeing the slaves? No? Lord.

The ghibli food twitters aren't gonna touch this movie. No love was put into that cheese.

Oh this depiction of the dry lands fucks. Love how the sky is a completely different artstyle than anything else in this movie, really sells this as a weird and alien place.

Hare and two suspicious women clutching each other and going "they're not from around here" are the only time this movie has felt like it knew what it was doing. They're giving them banter and the actors are being allowed to put emotion into their voices. They're actually breaking out facial expressions for these guys.

God all the dialogue is so bad.

WHEN IS THIS SONG GONNA FUCKING END

What the fuck is Lebannen and Tehanu's relationship. None of their emotional beats have any real connection.

The thing haunting Lebannen (are they giving him the gebbeth plotline?) always makes the best scenes. Lebannen struggling to wade through the muck while the shadow casually strolls atop the water's surface creates such great tension and horror.

Tenar keeps talking about being rescued from the tombs and pausing like there's about to be a flashback. Why are they bringing so much attention to that detail if they're not gonna tie it in to anything. Either have it be an aside to make the world feel richer without it being a thing your constantly gesturing at, or don't bring it up at all.

It really was a choice to take the worst Earthsea book as the main thing they're adapting. All the "life without death is no life" rubbish and not even Le Guin's prose to save it. It's not even a theme the rest of the movie seems concerned with.

Why are they taking something called "Earthsea" and making 90% the outskirts of Hork Town. We saw the ocean like twice. This supposedly expansive fantasy world feels twenty feet across.

Having Tehanu follow the gebbeth to the castle is honestly a really cool adaptational choice. I do like the weird conflict they set up between the gebbeth and Cob over who gets to have Lebannen.

Great shot of Cob getting amputated. Thats some Mononoke-level satisfying gore.

See when Ged didn't do shit for most of The Far Shore it was fine, because it was the third book in the series and the reader already knew why he was a big deal. Here we keep hearing how cool and powerful he is but get shown nothing.

2D has grown odd in his old age.

They have not set up dragons as a thing (or connectd them to Tehanu) nearly enough for this ending to work. Having Tehanu transform instead of calling Kalesin works adaptation-wise though.

Final analysis: I liked Hork Town. I like how the dragons trail sparks from their eyes. I like Cob going all gooey. I like Hare. These were the isolated pockets in an otherwise bland experience. The plot was barely held together and I can't imagine someone who hadn't read the books would be able to enjoy this at all.

#mals says #studio ghibli #tales from earthsea #ursula k. le guin #mals reads earthsea

[jemware]

Tagged by my mutualismos @mangoamango and @misterhaderach

three ships: Griddlehark (Gideon/Harrow, Gideon the Ninth etc.), Sun Jing/Qiu Tong (Their Story), Tenar/Ged (Earthsea). For all three of these my brain is basically just “I;m thinking about thos Beans”

first ever ship: Robin/Terra (Teen Titans 2003). Whoa whoa whoa, what if…these cartoon characters…held hands?! 😳

last song: “Show Me How” by Men I Trust

last movie: “Groundhog Day.” Tis the season.

currently reading: The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Did you know: cells are there and they are doing their thing!

currently watching: The Last of Us, Chainsaw Man, rewatching Arcane

currently consuming: Nature Valley granola bar ahh god it’s everywhere

currently craving: dopamine

Tagging: @stmcg

[mewhaku]

So I’m thinking about Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea) from Goro Miyazaki again. And honestly, it still upsets me that Goro worked on it and not his father. I am not the biggest fan of Ponyo... and I feel like this was the last shot at Le Guin ever allowing someone to adapt any of the Earthsea stories.

This is gonna be a short essay not gonna lie. 

But, at the same time- reading the Director Blog entries from Goro, I can’t help but feel a bit of wistfulness at what he tried to make. He DID read the books, and even identified with them as per his blog entries... but a lot of this film also involved his conflicted relationship with his father, Hayao Miyazaki. But Goro still did want to express the “heart” of the books. (I’m actually a huge fan of this track from the film by the by...)

Hayao Miyazaki of course was also hugely inspired by Le Guin’s novels... which speaks to how a lot of the relationships between characters and their battles develop in his films. As in, the original trilogy of Le Guin novels at least. 

For more musing on specific entries, feel free to hit read more. 

Everything I quote here is from Goro’s entries, by the by.

1st entry: “When considering current fantasies, something like: "A story of gaining magical powers and adventuring in a fantasy world" is the first image that bobs up. But is that really the true nature of fantasy? This is the question in my mind.For instance, even a plain, everyday, question such as: "Why are sunsets so beautiful?" contains the mystery of existence and that is what I think fantasy is.”

I really honestly think that’s a great way to talk about some of the mystery of the Earthsea series. 

He starts to talk about some of his thoughts regarding Hayao, his father, here.  The idea of “a life of doing” vs “a life of being”-- the fact that he never tried to animate because of his father’s status, essentially. 

“"A life of doing" is a life with a goal that one tries to achieve. The impetus may be all kinds of things, ranging from winning riches and/or fame to moving people.By contrast, "a life of being" is, whether for ones own sake, or that of others, not living with some great ambition, but living content with the activity of ones daily life.“

Speaking on Therru’s (song linked to her name)  voice actor. I remember listening to that song on the first trailer for the film and being struck by the beauty of it- I hadn’t read any Earthsea books at this point, and I still think the song and its lyrics speak to something... meaningful. To say the least.

Early on, Le Guin’s son Theo also saw some of the film too:

“I wrote this before, but the reason I'm here directing this animated film, is because of the attraction of original "Earthsea" series. That is why I'm careful to preserve the important things that Ms. Le Guin tried to depict in the Earthsea series. If I treat those carelessly I wind up with nothing.But obviously the mediums of print and film are different, so I can't just turn the books straight into a movie. If I made a film that exactly followed the text of the books, I wouldn't be able to depict the real heart of the Earthsea stories. How do I go about turning the important parts of the original Earthsea works into images? That is the problem that has been in my head all the time from the moment I started making this movie until now.This was the first time I had seen Theo in a long while. It made me resolve afresh to make something that would not bring shame to the name of Earthsea.“

He talks a bit more about his father again upon hearing comments like, “this really looks like a Miyazaki anime”. 

You know I never knew Goro’s mother and Hayao’s wife was an animator. There’s something strikingly sad at how Goro wrote that entry, honestly. Apparently his mother commonly said “don’t be an animator”. Goro wanted to learn about his father through the films his father made. 

In any case- back to the reasoning of the film... I’ve read Shuna’s Journey actually, and quite enjoyed it. “A boy leaves his country on a journey, he meets a great mage, and a girl, through which he is changed. This plot was the basis for the current story.”

But there was no other girl than Therru, of course... I think this is where things get changed. Shuna’s Journey has a similar-esque line of thinking, and also provides a general concept for Princess Mononoke/Nausicaa ideas. 

Again here tumult internally at being compared to his father’s works. 

Fast forward- film is done, and he worries about being asked to explain why he changed the story. 

His father says the ‘film was made honestly’. And so it was good. 

Le Guin sees the film and says:

“She answered briefly. "It is not my book. It is your film. It is a good film."I think that there were really a lot more things she wanted to say, but even so, she said these words to me with a smile.I thought, I want to accept these short words with simple heartfelt gratitude.To Ms LeGuin and to Theo, who has acted as our intermediary this whole time, I really want to say thank you very much.“

Now her response on her own site...

I remembered that when I originally read Goro’s entries I found a lot of the earlier postings interesting- he was musing a lot on what was going on between Ged and Ogion in the first novel. But I am sad knowing that he didn’t choose to focus on that work... I’ll be the first to say that The Farthest Shore is my favorite Earthsea novel. I just wonder why he, having been so inspired and impacted by A Wizard of Earthsea, that the plan changed so radically. 

I know, a heroine- but we didn’t get Tenar in her Tombs of Atuan. We get Therru, aged up, with a burned face and mysterious connection to dragons. Arren is young too, and looks up to Ged like he does in the books, but is also fighting his demons more internally- and looks to Therru for hope, rather than the scene between Ged and Arren in TFS. Is it still a similar scene...? Yes, but it has a much different feel. Cob is not the threat he is in TFS. There is no real dry land. 

But again, it seems Goro was trying to grasp at themes he resonated with. Feelings of fighting against oneself, finding a way to go outside of oneself, and look towards others with acceptance. He worried about what might make others happy a bit too much... sometimes. 

To speak on Le Guin’s response:

“Much of it was exciting. The excitement was maintained by violence, to a degree that I find deeply untrue to the spirit of the books.

Much of it was, I thought, incoherent. This may be because I kept trying to find and follow the story of my books while watching an entirely different story, confusingly enacted by people with the same names as in my story, but with entirely different temperaments, histories, and destinies.”

Which I would agree with, by the by. Violence does not need to be the main drive, and honestly Hayao’s films don’t usually use violence in that way either.

“The moral sense of the books becomes confused in the film. For example: Arren's murder of his father in the film is unmotivated, arbitrary: the explanation of it as committed by a dark shadow or alter-ego comes late, and is not convincing. Why is the boy split in two? We have no clue. The idea is taken from A Wizard of Earthsea, but in that book we know how Ged came to have a shadow following him, and we know why, and in the end, we know who that shadow is. The darkness within us can't be done away with by swinging a magic sword.“

Again, almost a mash of things Goro struggled to express coming across as muddled. He tried to express clear themes, but came out as half-truths.

With her closing statements:

“Though I think the dragons of my Earthsea are more beautiful, I admire the noble way Goro's dragons fold their wings. The animals of his imagination are seen with much tenderness — I liked the horse-llama's expressive ears. I very much liked the scenes of plowing, drawing water, stabling the animals, and so on, which give the film an earthy and practical calmness — a wise change of pace from constant conflict and "action". In them, at least, I recognised my Earthsea.“ 

I would also agree with that. I watch the film again for those pieces of animation. 

There is a response from the other side- a fan’s side here on Le Guin’s website, or at least a correspondent from a Japanese fan-base of the Earthsea series as a whole. 

It is an interesting divide. Considering I saw the film first, I have some tender feelings for it, but occasionally I get very upset at knowing there won’t be a ‘better’ adaptation. 

I try to remind myself of Goro’s introspections, the feelings surrounding this film, the color-- the landscapes, animals, and music. It puts me more at ease. For whatever reason. It isn’t good to respond with hostility to a different opinion, at least.

#earthsea #gedo senki #tales from earthsea #studio ghibli #goro miyazaki #hayao miyazaki #feelings

[incognitajones]

Rules: list ten of your favourite characters in ten different fandoms and then tag ten people.

I was tagged by @justkeeponthegrass!

Wow, this was tough because I had no idea how to define “favourite.” Some of these are forever loves, some are current obsessions... in alphabetical order because I can’t really rank them... also, many of them are from canons that don’t really have a fandom... and interestingly, though I love a lot of male characters too, if you force me to choose my favourites apparently they’re almost all women.

Arya and Sansa Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones) Tied because I can’t really choose one and I love them the most when they’re together. While I like them in the books, a big part of my affection for these two comes from the actors and how well they manage to portray a deep-rooted, complicated but still loving sisterhood.

Chrisjen Avasarala (The Expanse) Edges out Bobbi Draper & Naomi Nagata from the same canon only because she’s older and older women in SF are still incredibly rare. Also, I would kill for her ravishing TV wardrobe. 

Jamethiel (Chronicles of the Kencyrath) A Chosen One who doesn’t want to be and who brings disaster with her wherever she goes. It’s not a character type you see written as a woman very often. 

Jessica Jones I am always here for cranky, foul-mouthed, reluctant heroes, as long as they’re women (see also: Jyn Erso). Unfortunately, that’s another rare female character type.

Laura Carroll/Princess Laura (The Secret Country) Laura is basically me as a kid (bookish, physically and socially awkward, has very strong Opinions she’s too shy to voice often) so it was pretty much a given that I would love her.

Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights) Actual role model, and I don’t mean that facetiously. Of course she’s not flawless but she’s an admirable parent, spouse, teacher, and mentor.

Tenar of Earthsea Reading The Tombs of Atuan was one of the first times I encountered a girl I recognized in the fantasy genre. Though I know the later books in the series aren’t universally popular, I’m so glad that Le Guin brought her back as a mature woman.

Vanye/Nhi Vanye i Chya (Morgaine Chronicles) Loyal, stubborn, desperately tries to be honorable even when all the choices are bad, a brave man who thinks of himself as a coward... hmmm, maybe I do have a type...

Wonder Woman/Diana of Themiscyra My first and formative superhero, in the shape of Lynda Carter. She’s everything a goddess ought to be. (I was simultaneously so thrilled and terrified about the movie that I almost couldn’t bear to watch in case it was awful.)

Tagging: (if you have the time and want to play along, of course) @anghraine @englishable @tehanufromearthsea @youareiron-andyouarestrong @runakvaed @skitzofreak @mnemehoshiko @brynnmclean @estherlyon @vaultfox

#i did the thing #tag you're it #memes #arya stark #sansa stark #chrisjen avasarala #tami taylor #jessica jones #wonder woman

[bellaroles]

On 3rd rewatch after so many years, Studio ghibli's tales from earthsea was not as bad as I remembered , since I've found a lot to admire. The beautiful art, the ost (esp. therru's song) . I also love the way they portray Arren, Ged, Tenar and Therru respectively. Arren was like a mixed of book Arren and Alder, his suicidal tendency make me ache for him (also remind me of a certain blond suicidal mc from that 6 books of aggravating dramas). Ged is just what I imagined he'd be like from the Farthest shore. Calm and soft spoken and a person of few words who's indeed a very powerful archmage. Tenar is Tenar from Tehanu. I like her wry humour and her self confident. Therru is very different from the book but I like her character just as well. It's like a mash up of book 3 and 4 and a bit of 6. Just forget the main antagonist and the questionable back story, an illogical variation to the original plot, and there it is, a bautiful anime adaptation of the Earthsea series with some shortcomings.

I once saw a first few draft of the anime with the fountain as Roke scene, and I regret it so much that this could not make it to the final version. Also, there's just too little bonding moment btw Ged and Arren. And there's this one scene when Tenar reminisced about the time Ged saved her from the tomb of Atuan, and the music was primed for it then...his walking silhouette appeared. And I thought, for a moment, that they're going to show flash back to that time just like in Porco Rosso with Gina reminiscing on the balcony of her garden. But no....! It's just Ged walking to buy back Arren's sword in Hort town. Such wasted opportunities!

#self rambling #about tales from earthsea #since netflix bring me opportunity to rewatch some ghibli again #no wonder ursula k. leguin was not satisfied about this adaptation as well #next i'm gonna rewatch ocean wave which i love very much

[onlyaclichecandescribeme]

Reading List for the Rest of 2017

I need to make a list of things I want to read before the end of the year. In order to reach my goal of 75 books this year, I will have to read 18 more books. I recognize that my selections could be more diverse, but right now these are the things I am interested in reading: 

Sometimes We Tell the Truth - Kim Zarins: It’s the Canterbury Tales but as a young adult novel. 

All the Light We Cannot See: This book is super important to my friend Kirsten, so I want to read it for her. 

Sula: Need me some Toni Morrison 

Song of Solomon: Need me some more Toni Morrison 

Tehanu: I LOVE TENAR. 

Tales From Earthsea: I love short stories and the Earthsea universe. 

The Other Wind: Gotta finish Earthsea

Sense and Sensibility: I need to read more Jane Austen. There’s also something I’m looking to learn from this book. 

Lolita: I want to know what people are talking about, but I have a feeling this book will be disgusting. 

Middlesex: I’ve always wanted to read this one. 

The Shadow of the Wind: My friend Haley lent me this book, so I’m going to read it and give it back to her. 

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever: I want to finish this collection. Tiptree is a weirdo; I love her. 

The Argonauts - Maggie Nelson: I just started this and it is so freaking intellectual and makes me really think about gender, sexuality, performance of identity related things. 

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell: I liked Eleanor and Park, so I want to read this. 

Orlando - Virginia Woolf: I’ve read Mrs. Dalloway and To The Lighthouse, so I feel like I want to read one more Virginia Woolf novel. 

The Complete Poems of Wallace Stevens: There’s something about Wallace Stevens that I’ve always enjoyed. I also want to read more George Oppen

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories - Angela Carter: I’ve read two of her stories and would like to read more

Medea - Euripides: I’ve always wanted to read more Euripides since I read The Bacchae a few years ago. 

#personal #reading list #i'm working on tehanu and the argonauts right now

[relevy]

I was tagged by @literatureandtrees

1. What is your favorite book of all time

Ugh. I default to The Hobbit haha

2. What are you currently reading?

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin

3. Have you ever thought about writing a book?

Haven’t just thought about it, I DID IT. 

4. What’s your favorite series?

The Books of Pellinor by Alisson Croggon

5. What is a book you want to read?

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (it’s next on my TBR!)

6. What’s in your TBR list?

Other than Uprooted I’m pretty much caught up, save for the historical books that I never seem to have the motivation for :S

7. Who are your favourite fictional characters?

Shadow from American Gods, Saliman from The Books of Pellinor, and Jaime Lannister from A song of Ice and Fire.

8. What is your favourite ship?

Tenar and Ged from The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Leguin

9. Open the first page of the book closest to you and write down the first paragraph.

“I’ll make my report as if I told a story, for I was taught as a child on my homeworld that Truth is a matter of the imagination. The soundest fact may fail or prevail in the style of its telling: like that singular organic jewel of our seas, which grows brighter as one woman wears it and, worn by another, dulls and goes to dust. Facts are no more solid, coherent, round, and real than pearls are. But both are sensitive.”

10. What’s the first fandom you were in?

Lord of the Rings for sure, which is evidenced by my Tolkien tattoo.

I tag @intoxicatingstories and @lilymaidofgallifrey

#booklr #get to know me

[delicadenza]

Tagged by the lovely @museicaliteacup (thank you Megan! <3), and supposed to tag nine people (YIKES)… I have tagged less than that but the rules say nine if you want to abide by them.

Relationship status: Spoken for, and very embarrassingly so.

Favourite colour: Teal, though I love anything on the blue-green spectrum. Certain shades of green (grungy army green and forest green and pale green that looks like tea), and the very very soft pinks of the blush/old rose variety. Also special mention to white (and the million shades of off-white in existence......), which is my favorite color to wear.

Lipstick or chapstick: Lipstick. Lipstick is life. I have entirely too many lipsticks haha and putting it on always feels like putting on war paint to me. Which kind of makes it worse that I’m bad about chapstick and lip balm in general; I tend to forget to use it and as a consequence my lips are as parched as the desert.

Last song I listened to: The Campsite Dream remix of Jennifer Paige’s “Crush” which is incredibly boopy but in such an oddly relaxing way; it makes me feel like I’m at the beach (where I would very much like to be in this punishing tropical summer).

Last movie I watched: This legit threw me for a loop because for a good while I literally cOULD NOT REMEMBER....... I think the last movie I saw for the first time might have been (on May’s expert recommendation that I should never have doubted ever even for a second) Ice Princess. As in the really campy Disney Channel movie from 2005 that’s sURPRISINGLY GENUINELY HEARTWARMING AND INSPIRING and has a lot of positive female relationships, so I got unexpectedly invested in it. Although I did also rewatch Pacific Rim recently, for science. I’ve only out and out claimed it as my favorite movie in the last couple of months or so because my family keeps calling me out for loving it a not-normal amount. (MEGAN HI I ALSO NEVER WATCH MOVIES OMG.....)

Top 3 fictional characters: Disclaimer! This is by no means an authoritative list because I attach myself to characters at a pretty wild rate and my fave-rankings tend to be less a measure of actual faveness than of how present a character is in my consciousness at a particular time, so any given day I’m likely to give you a different answer, but anyway: Tenar (The Earthsea Cycle), Death (Sandman), Phichit Chulanont (Yuri!!! on Ice).

Top 3 ships that tbh I stan just as hard platonically so you can literally take all of these as friends or romo or QP and I will have a disproportionate amount of feelings about them any way: Phichit Chulanont/&Katsuki Yuuri (Yuri!!! on Ice), Kuroo Tetsurou/&Kozume Kenma (Haikyuu!!), Kirijo Mitsuru/&Sanada Akihiko/&Aragaki Shinjiro (Persona 3 --> watch me try to break these three up into disparate pairs and fail miserably and resign myself to crying eternally about how much I love them).

Tagging (if you want to!): @mayerwien, @entremelement, @sheep-kiwi-collector, @itskaaaaaaaat, @scissorsandglitter, and anyone else who’d like to do it!

#personal #meme #museicaliteacup

[lohtulauluja]

@ruusupuu tagged me. I guess you are supposed to tag 20 people, but I’ll tag only a few.  Name: Vehka Nickname: Vehka (is actually originally a nickname, nowadays also my real name) Gender: female Star sign: Capricorn Height: 168cm Sexual orientation: biromantic greyish asexual (well, that is a mouthful)

Hogwarts house: Hufflepuff Favourite colour: yellow, grey Favourite colour to paint the walls: light pastel yellow Favourite colour of lipstic: bright red

Favourite animal: badger Time right now: 11:11 Cat or dog person: I love both. Favourite fictoinal character: Breq from Ancillary Justice, Tenar from Earth Sea, Sibylla from The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt, Dream from Sandman, Neville Longbottom. Number of blankets I sleep with: Two Favourite singer/band: Scandinavian Music Group Dream trip: I’d love to see a mangrove forest. And Machu Pichu. Dream job: Literature Researcher.

When was this blog crealted: about 6 years ago.  When did your blog reach its peek: well, I don’t really think about those things. What made you decide to make a tumblr: I wanted to store and find inspirational stuff somewhere Why did you pick your url: I just happened to think about it and it has stuck with me ever since. Last movie you watched: The Silence Last song you listened to: Hmm. I don’t really remember. Last book you read: Um. Terminal Identity: the Virtual Subject in Postmodern Science Fiction by Scott Bukatman. (I’m writing my Bachelor’s Thesis about Breq in Ancillary Justice, so that’s why.) Last thing you ate: a Thai Cube

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be: Sleeping instead of working on my Master’s Thesis. -.- What time would you travel to: 1920′s Fictional character you would hang out with for a day: Neville Longbottom. I’ll tag @yovartiosto, @mswhich, @aredhels, @martinandtheirbooks, @dustyfluorescent, @rouvae, @lauchuo, @toyhto (I don’t remember so many of your new names, sorry!)

#personal #questions

[blogarifgum-blog]

Lagu-lagu cinta Bon Jovi Mendengarkan lagu-lagu cinta Bon Jovi seakan membawa pikiran kepada kenangan-kenangan yang telah lewat. Bon Jovi sebuah Grup Rock asal New Jersey amerika yang dibentuk tahun 1983 oleh John francis bongiovi yang tenar dengan nama Jon Bon Jovi Sebagai Vokalis, Gitar : Richie Sambora, Keyboard : David Bryan, Bass : alec john such, Drum : tico torres. Saya coba hadirkan di sini adalah lagu-lagu cinta yang ada di album pertama dengan title Bon Jovi (1984) sampai album kompilasi Cross Road : Greatest Hits (1994). Pada album pertama di tahun 1984 dengan title Bon Jovi akan kita temukan lagu Hits : Runaway..yang intro awal dari Keyboard David Bryan sangat menyentak di awal lagu . On the street where you live girls talk about their social lives They're made of lipstick, plastic and paint A touch of sable in their eyes All your life all you asked When is your Daddy gonna talk to you But we're living in another world Tryin' to get your message through Pada album tahun 1985, jaman saya SMA, Bon Jovi mengeluarkan album 7800 Fahrenheit dengan lagunya yang Hit adalah Only Lonely , dengan sebagian liriknya: Only lonely -- I can't stop hurting you Only lonely -- but I can't stop loving you Only lonely -- how much pain does it take Pada tahun berikutnya (1986) Bon Jovi mengeluarkan album slippery when wet..yang mendapat sambutan luar biasa di seluruh penjuru dunia, terutama dari kaum perempuan, saat lagu baladanya Never say Goodbye, hamper tiap hari diputar di radio-radio dan menjadi hit di mana-mana, dengan sebuah lirik yang sangat menyentuh juga vocal Jon Bon Jovi yang khas ditingkahi dengan sayatan Gitar Richie sambora yang so sweet : Remember at the prom that night You and me we had a fight But the band they played our favorite song And I held you in my arms so strong We danced so close We danced so slow And I swore I'd never let you go Together - forever Never say goodbye, never say goodbye You and me and my old friends Hoping it would never end Never say goodbye, never say goodbye Holdin' on - we got to try Holdin' on to never say goodbye ................................................. Pada album New Jersey (1988) Bon jovi kembali membuat hysteria fansnya saat mencipta lagu Balada I’ll be there For you…: I'll be there for you, these five words I swear to you When you breathe, I wanna be the air for you I'll be there for you I'd live and I'd die for you I'd steal the sun from the sky for you Words can't say what love can do I'll be there for you …………. setelah vakum selama 4 tahun, karena menggarap proyek solo karirnya, maka pada tahun 1992 Bon Jovi membuat gebrakan dengan meluncurkan album Keep The Faith..dan banyak yang terhenyak saat sang Vokalis Jon Bon Jovi merubah tampilan rambutnya menjadi pendek, saya pun pertama beli kasetnya juga mengira ada pergantian personil, ternyata terkecoh, karena sang vokalis tetaplah Jon Bon jovi. Dengan 2 lagu cintanya yang menjadi Hit yaitu Bed Of Roses dan In These arms: Intro gitar pada lagu Bed Of roses sangat indah di awal lagu, sebelum suara vocal jon bon jovi : Sitting here wasted and wounded at this old piano Trying hard to capture the moment this morning I don't know 'Cause a bottle of vodka is still lodged in my head And some blond gave me nightmares I think she's still in my bed As I dream about movies they won't make of me when I'm dead Dan pada lagu In these arms…lirik yang sangat romantis : You know I need you Like a poet needs the pain I would give anything My blood my love my life If you were in these arms tonight I'd hold you I'd need you I'd get down on my knees for you And make everything alright Pada tahun 1994 Bon Jovi mengeluarkan Kompilasi album terbaik “Cross Road ; The greatest Hits” yang berisi lagu-lagu lama mulai tahun 1983-1992 ditambah dua lagu baru always dan someday I’ll be Saturday night. Dan langsung lagu always menjadi lagu favorit di mana-mana, seiring sudah maraknya televise swasta di Indonesia maka Video klipnya juga langsung bisa dinikmati. Sebuah Video yang memang dibuat secara artistic bukan hanya sebuah tempelan tapi bisa sangat menyatu dengan gagasan atau tema dari lagu Always tersebut. Dibuka dengan intro gebukan Drum Tico torres dan keyboard David Bryan, sebelum Jon bon jovi masuk dengan suara khasnya: This romeo is bleeding, but you can't see his blood It's nothing but some feelings That this old dog kicked up It's been raining since you left me Now I'm drowning in the flood You see I've always been a fighter But without you I give up sebuah kerapuhan seorang laki-laki yang ditinggal pergi kekasihnya, karena ketahuan berselingkuh. Dan pada akhir Video klip, ketika sang Romeo membakar lukisan sekaligus galeri sang pelukis karena dia tahu mantan kekasihnya habis dilukis telanjang dan making love dengan sang pelukis, suara Jon Bon jovi seakan meratap dengan parau…..: Now I can't sing a love song Like the way it's meant to be Well,I guess I'm not that good anymore But baby, that's just me Yeah I, will love you, baby Always and i'll be there Forever and a day, always I'll be there, till the stars don't shine Till the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme I know when i die you'll be on my mind and I'll love you, always ……………. Ditingkahi suara raungan Gitar Richie Sambora menyayat…saling bersahutan dengan suara Jon Bon Jovi, seakan membuat sebuah Narasi… “Laki-laki sering terombang-ambing antara Kejantanan dan kerapuhan” Arif Gumantia “Only brave heart playing Rock”

[sarisandip]

Artist and Suicide?

The death of chester has an impact for me. I used to think that being an artist is the best profession you ever had. You get paid for doing something you loved the most, but then it turned out to be wrong. (Karena ada pergeseran arti kata artis, yang harusnya sebagai orang yang melakukan seni, menjadi seorang publik figur. Maka aku tekankan bahwa artist yang aku maksudkan adalah orang-orang pekerja seni.) Menjadi seorang artist, ternyata gak semudah yang dibayangkan. Entah itu seni musik, seni peran, seni tari, atau seni yang lainnya. Kenapa? Karena mereka melakukan sesuatu yang dicintai, maka mereka memberikan separuh jiwanya pada setiap hasil karyanya. Kalau pekerja suit and tie menggunakan otak kiri-nya dalam menyelesaikan tugasnya, sedangkan artist menggunakan otak kanan, perasaan, dan emosinya. Yang mereka mainkan bukan angka2, tapi perasaan. Bagaimana seorang artist harus memanipulasi pikiran dan perasaannya untuk sebuah karyanya. Sebagai contoh dalam seni peran. Heath Ledger, pemeran Joker pada film Batman, the dark night. And I could say that he's the best joker all the time, tapi harga yang harus dibayar untuk sebuah titel "the best joker" harus dibayar mahal, seharga hidupnya. He's founded dead commiting suicide, the reason? Karena dia terlalu mendalami perannya as a psychotic villain. Dia memanipulasi otaknya, perasaannya, dan emosinya agar bisa menjadi orang lain yang sama sekali bukan dirinya. 

Sebagai orang awam sih ngeliat aktor/aktris kayanya gampang2 aja. Cuma pura2 jadi orang lain di depan kamera, dibayar dan tenar. Terus kelar. Padahal gak segampang itu, mengolah emosi gak pernah gampang. Harus sedih saat senang, dan harus senang saat sedih itu gak mudah. Belum lagi faktor2 pendukung yang membuat jadi aktor/aktris penuh tekanan seperti: akan ada orang yang sangat mencintaimu dan orang yang sangat membencimu. The worst case? They could stalk you or even kill you.  Contoh lain adalah recent case, Chester Bennington, pentolan band rock Linkin Park yang meninggal juga karena suicide. He has a tough live, and has been depressed, and had an addiction to drug and alcohol. Well, lagu-lagu linkin park ini dikenal sebagai lagu yang mewakili apa yang orang lain rasakan, especially when you have been through a hard times. Chez can make a tragedy sounds so beautiful through his lyrics and voice. He’s getting used with darkness, shows the world and make us think that darkness is not as bad as we think. He pour his heart in every song that he wrote, especially in his last album. This song called "heavy" is like a crying for help, too bad nobody notice and bash it instead. It must be so hard for him, but haters gonna hate. Contoh terakhir deh dari seni lukis, vincent van gogh.. Tau lah yah doi siapa, doi adalah seorang pelukis yang melukis starry night, he’s suffered from depression and another illness. Dan yang paling parah bahkan dia sampai memotong kupingnya sendiri. See? Pekerja seni lebih rentan dalam masalah mental health. Terlalu banyak tekanan, bahkan beberapa penyanyi membuat alter-ego dirinya. Alter-ego (bahasa Latin yang berarti "aku yang lain") merupakan diri kedua yang dipercaya berbeda daripada orang kebanyakan atau kepribadian yang sebenarnya. Seperti Eminem dengan Slim Shady, atau Lady Gaga dengan Jo Calderone.  Pekerja seni menggunakan perasaan dan jiwanya. Dan dua hal itu bukan sesuatu yang mudah untuk diatur. so, it always breaks my heart everytime I heard the news about an artist that commit suicide. Gak heran, kenapa seorang artis dibayar mahal untuk karyanya, karena apa yang mereka lakukan tidak mudah. Lihat orang2 sekarang komentar untuk para pekerja seni seenak jidat, gak disaring, they can't say something nice but brutally hurt them in every harsh words could do. They think they have a right to tell the artist so, in fact they really have no rights. They forgot that artists are human too. Bahkan kesehatan mental seorang artist lebih rentan dan lebih harus dijaga dibanding orang-orang non-pekerja seni. Aku baca dari sebuah artikel, musisi memiliki tingkat kematian karena bunuh diri tiga kali lebih tinggi dari masyarakat biasa.  Selain itu, sifat perfeksionis juga jadi faktor penyebab tingginya angka bunuh diri di kalangan musisi. Karena sifat ini, otak menggiring seseorang untuk jadi lebih kreatif tapi juga tidak mudah berpuas diri. Semakin tinggi standar seseorang untuk memuaskan diri karena bersifat perfeksionis maka tingkat stress atau depresi pun juga meninggi.

Mulai sekarang, coba saring komentarnya, if you don't have anything nice to say, just say nothing at all. Support artist-artis yang entah kamu sadar atau enggak selalu bisa menghiburmu melalui karya-karyanya. If music can help people, why can’t it save musicians? Pernah ngerasa ngomong gini gak? “this song save my life”, semoga dengan kita support artist-artist ini, hidup mereka pun bisa terselamatkan. Banyak kehidupan yang berubah karena para pekerja seni. And depression is really no joke. we never know what an impact could bring to someone’s life because of our words. So as I always said, promote what you love, instead of bashing what you hate. Mimpiku gak sebesar ingin merubah dunia kok, tapi aku ingin mengubah dunia-nya seseorang yang berpikir bahwa mereka gak punya jalan keluar selain membunuh dirinya sendiri. be kind, we never know what they have been through.

[onlyaclichecandescribeme]

Things That Happen 10/1/17

1. I finished The Argonauts, and it was incredible. It’s worth reading again. Maggie Nelson is such an incredible essayist. There is so much to talk about with this book, but it’s one of those things where I will know what to say when I encounter something that reminds me of the passages from the book. I love the frank descriptions of sex. It reminds me of the graphic, realistic description I read in an Elena Ferrante book (Days of Abandonment). I love the way she discusses questions of identity and gender and motherhood using other people’s writings. Research others to research the self. Also I identify with her level of neuroticism. 

Currently working on finishing Tehanu!! I think it’s scary how much I identify with Tenar. She’s having problems with words right now. A little because of a wizard casting a curse on her, but she’s shaken because she couldn’t protect Therru now. I just... I just love her and understand her so much. She is afraid but willing to fight for what/who she loves. She has her uncertainties and things she does not know, but the things she knows to be true, she will fight for. 

2. Made some progress on All My Little Words this morning! Something sort of just came to me. I’m also doing a new thing where I’ve composed a version that I can sing with rather than have the right hand play the melody of the song. I’ve never done that before. It’s all so new. 

3. Talked to my boyfriend for a short while. It’s always lovely hearing his voice. I just... so much. There’s always so much to say but I end up just losing all of my words because... 

1. I have to say it rather than write it this time. It’s changed. It’s turned into something more. If thought I was in trouble before. I hadn’t known this would happen. I suppose I figured it could, but holy shit it’s as powerful as I remember. It feels the same as it did all that time ago. And to think that exactly... years ago to the day I... How different is was, how much the same it still is. In two days. How did this happen? I think it was the way I handled things with myself. I understand now. I can’t just say the words anymore without you knowing what I mean and how I came to this understanding. The Argo. The same name but with different parts. Substitution. The other ways I substitute for the words... You don’t know what this means yet. I’m afraid that it won’t make sense. There’s an entire narrative to be told in reverse. 

2. My dream this morning was pretty fucked up. But it did get me to question my sexuality.... again. Still I am very proud of myself for working through the other questions it made me confront. And I’m happy that I can say I will do the right thing. I trust myself again. 

3. I feel weird. I feel like something is wrong. Some shit is about to hit the fan or something is bad is about to happen. I don’t feel okay. 

4. I have three words stuck in my head: substitution, erasure, and foreshadowing. I think about these words too much. 

5. All of the horrible things I thought about before do not matter. Something has changed. I forgive myself. I know what the right thing to do is. I will always want to do the right thing for the most people involved. 

6. I am not erasing anything. It’s all there. It’s going to stay there. I think I just felt guilty about yesterday because I was trying so hard to make sure it was true that I would express then erase because I wasn’t sure. 

7. Foreshadowing. Nope, I’m not touching this one. 

8. I might just be anxious because I need you to know. You don’t understand. It feels like the first time I said it happening all over again. 

#things that happen #personal