#queer rep in ancient sources

[icedflames]

My two cents on everything (pls ignore I’m just venting on the never ending bs on my dash)

The original comment was in poor taste but wasn’t the worst thing to say. Illy/rians were ambiguously POC until ACO/WAR. Now they’re not and it’s a disservice to say they’re not.

The author took the name of an ancient group, Illy/rians, and decided to make them POC in her story. So they are. End of. It’s not ambiguous just because somebody sees that region and believes only white people exist there.

Regardless... If you “believe” they were historically white, Illy/rians were actually Indo-European native tribesman conquered by Romans, an empire. So they were an oppressed group. No sources exist to tell us if they were POC or not. American racial politics didn’t exist then. The dividing factor was that they were native, other, and the Romans conquered them. 

Imo it is bullshit the author retconned a bit and made certain characters POC to have more diverse main characters. Both R/hys and Lu/cien were pale as hell in ACO/TAR. Now somehow they both have golden brown skin?

The Mediterranean isn’t limited to Italy, France, and Greece. It’s a diverse region full of different ethnicities and assuming they’re all white and comparing them to food is just icky all around. 

White passing POC and light skinned POC are still POC. Yes, we have more privilege but we are still POC (I saw some posts floating around after the fact suggesting only people with darker skin and/or ethnic features are POC, which was offensive tbh). 

Not all el/riels are straight, white, and able bodied. Quite frankly, it’s rude to assume that. We’re a pretty diverse group.

Drudging up old posts and screenshots of other problematic things people have said months ago, despite the fact that those people have apologized and/or deleted it, instead of just apologizing for the insensitivity of the original comment and moving on tells me two things. (1) the intent behind the rampage and (2) their character.

It’s poor internet etiquette to post screenshots of people’s posts without their screen names blurred out.

This series really isn’t the series to discuss racial politics and class struggles. Apart from the lesser fae/high fae/human caste structure that’s in the story. The series really isn’t that deep and the author clearly hasn’t thought it out all that much. Like it’s clear she has poor representation despite throwing a few queer and POC characters in for token diversity.

That said, I enjoy her books. I also enjoy reading books with better rep too.

The fact that this all stems from a ship war trivializes these issues imo

It’s easier to just apologize for any statements people found offensive than trying to play victim and demonize people who were hurt by the comments. And this goes for everyone. 

#personal #and i'm poc before anybody tries to come race check me #this is the last i'll ever be speaking on this #ppl are losing their minds over fairies lololol like jesus christ #and if you want to attack me for my personal feelings over the whole thing go ahead lol i'll just ignore you because it's the internet #this place is supposed to be fun and my dash is a never ending clusterfuck #back to bar prep I go

[dent-de-leon]

Hey Leo! Sorry for the random questions but do you recommend The Dragon Prince? Is it about the dragons or are they like background lore or something? Thanks!

Short answer: hell yeah,, it’s so much fun!! Give it a try if you love fantasy adventure stuff. Long answer: 

DRAGONS ARE MY FAVORITE THING EVER SO I WILL TELL YOU THAT I ABSOLUTELY CAME CAUSE I HEARD “DRAGON” AND “PRINCE” AND “DRAGON PRINCE” AND THAT SEEMED TO SUIT MY VERY SPECIFIC INTERESTS,,, there’s a lot of lore and they seem to be more or less the ruling forces of Xadia, the land of magic and elves. But they’re definitely not just a backdrop piece, they’re major players! Sadly we don’t get to see as much dragon action in the first season, but the entire focus of the main trio is to protect a dragon that’s a royal heir, the eponymous “Dragon Prince.” 

And so,, bit of a spoiler, but you DO get to actually meet the Dragon Prince in the series,, they hatch right before season 2 and become one of the traveling companions of the main trio. They’re the cutest little baby dragon!! Again, I’m sorry for the spoiler, but if I say like…there’s a dragon companion Eventually and you know that episode 1 introduces a dragon egg, like…it’s kinda hard to talk about without giving away, and DP certainly didn’t shy away from advertising Baby Dragon in all the promo stuff for season 2 so I figure you’ll run into it anyway. And we see glimpses of other dragons as the episodes go by, and they all exude this sense of absolute awe and power. So if you came for the dragons,, there will!! Be!! Dragons!! 

But what else is at the forefront–even more so than the dragons? One of my other favorite things in all of fantasy ever. ELVES,, and lots of them!! All elves–and indeed, all the magical creatures native to Xadia–are born with an innate connection to something called an arcanum, which is a kind of really cool elemental magic!! The writers of Dragon Prince are some of the people that splintered off from the Avatar series after Last Airbender (so they were uninvolved with Korra, but part of the original series). And you can definitely see that in the influence of a lot of the lore and world building. 

Each race of elves having their own affinity for a particular arcanum is definitely going to be reminescent of the whole bender thing. These arcanum are also known as “Primal Sources,” because they’re kind of this mystical, primordial energy that controls the natural forces of the universe. So you have: 

Moon Arcanum (Moonshadow Elves: value loyalty and their oaths above all else, honorable, mystical, withdrawn, spiritual, duplicitous, illusionists, assassins, conditioned to never show fear)

Sun (Sunfire Elves: masters of the forge, unparalleled craftsmanship in their weapon and armor smithing, destructive, nurturing, charismatic, passionate, can invoke either a “rage” based state to rampage with increased strength and speed, or harness their “light” in order to heal) 

Sky (Skywing Elves: Keen minded, clever, value their freedom and autonomy above all else, gifted with flight)

Earth (Earthblood Elves: Patient, steadfast, stubborn, introspective, inquisitive, very in-tune with the balance of the natural world, value harmony and discovery) 

Ocean (don’t know what these elves are called still,, rip,,, but: Peaceful, empathetic, deeply connected to others, forge intimate bonds, adaptable, versatile)

Star (Startouch Elves: very rare, elusive, have a vast concept of time and space as seen through the lens of infinite cosmos, gifted in divination, posses ancient magic and potential secrets of the universe) 

The main conflict of the show is actually between the humans and the elves. They used to all live together, but then humans betrayed the others through the creation of dark magic, a sort of “cheat” since humans aren’t born naturally connected to any of the Primal Sources. Since they’re cut off from the arcanum, they saw their only viable means of practicing magic as sacrificing other magical beings to draw from their life force. This can be anything from crushing bugs to ritual use of phoenix feathers, and even killing dragons. So that’s how you get the alleged “sixth arcanum,” Dark Magic. And honestly, lots of Magical Creatures weren’t a Big Fan of that. Humans eventually went to war with the elves and dragons, and!! Yes!! They lost. And got driven out of Xadia. 

Dragon Prince takes place sometime later, and is essentially about heightening tensions between humans and elves, and likely, the very inevitable impending war. There are numerous human kingdoms, each with their own politics, as well as everything we’ve yet to discover about the interrelationships between differing arcanum elves. The series features two human princes trying to navigate their role in society and expectations for the future alongside the emerging threat of war and disconcerting realization that Xadia isn’t quite as sinister as they thought. There’s also their new friend Rayla, a Moonshadow Elf and trained assassin–who has decided to grudgingly open up her heart, and maybe give humanity a chance (I love her). You also have the obligatory Dark Magic sorcerer with his own agenda and secrets. Not to mention his jock son and dark magic daughter, who are honestly both so quirky, endearing, complex, and can just steal the show. 

I also have to mention General Amaya!! She’s the general of one of the human kingdom armies, and she’s also mute. All her soldiers communicate with her in sign language (and it’s actually correctly animated ASL!!). Everything about the way this character was brought to life was so amazing and, not knowing anything about her beforehand, I was so pleasantly surprised by her strength, charm, chivalry–she’s amazing. And it’s clear that considerable research and effort went into representation here. 

Other reasons to watch include one of my personal favorites,, Hot Elves,, you’ve got both Runaan and Aaravos here and they’re all I can focus on whenever they’re onscreen. They both own my heart and soul and they’re 100% perfect I’m very thankful I can always look forward to them,, 

Unfortunately, I can talk about how much I like Dragon Prince all I want, but I also have to definitely mention there’s a relationship between two queer characters in a flashback of season 2, and they’re both killed off soon after their introduction. That left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve seen people “compare” it to Voltron, try to claim it did things “better,” but that’s honestly all ridiculous. Not to mention, VLD’s LGBT rep was always meant to be Shiro, and he was still around, whereas TDP introduced two minor LGBT characters and then proceeded to kill off their only LGBT characters an episode later. This isn’t me trying to complain or start a fight or anything, but it’s a matter that raises valid concerns and was understandably upsetting for people, so I feel like it’s fair to warn anyone going into it.

As a whole, I do love TDP though. Really, the fun here is in the characters and charm of the series. It’s also really not a show that takes itself too seriously, which is kinda nice. A lot of people have said it was too childish for them, which I can understand, but the whole thing feels very storybook and endearing to me. There’s also certainly layers of nuance there, with political games, duplicitous motivations, usurping kings, self-sacrifice, betrayal, the grieving process, how far you’d go for someone you love–I think there’s definitely some substance to it. I’d recommend that most people at least give it a chance to see if it’s their thing. And if you do, I hope you enjoy it 

#tdp #the dragon prince

[newyorktheater]

Alanis Morissette

Harry Connick Jr.

Playwright Stephen Adly Gurigis

Samuel D. Hunter

Donja R. Love

Luke Kirby

Below is a selection of New York theater opening in December, organized chronologically by opening date, including the one Broadway musical, “Jagged Little Pill,” with songs by Alanis Morissette and the one Broadway holiday concert, Cole Porter sung by Harry Connick Jr.  Off-Broadway,  there are new plays by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Lucas Hnath, Samuel D. Hunter,  one Donja R. Love, and the team that created “Once” comes back with another Irish musical based on a movie.  La MaMa is building an entire festival around the revisiting of its 1974 production of an Ancient Greek tragedy, Folksbiene is bringing back an 1878 Yiddish musical fairy tale,  and Park Avenue Armory is pulling out the stops for a 1937 German-language drama adapted by Christopher Shinn.

December is of course the month for holiday shows, and lots of  puppets! — including by such masters as Basil Twist, and Bread & Puppet’s Peter Schumann.

Each title below is linked to a relevant website. (A reminder that the opening date is often not the same as the first performance for the public; most shows have a preview period, before an official opening.)

Color key: Broadway: Red. Off Broadway: Purple, blue or black.Off Off Broadway: Green.Theater festival: Orange.Puppetry: Brown. Immersive: Magenta.Christmas Show: Gold

Check out the whole 2019-2020 Broadway season and the Fall 2019 Off Broadway offerings.

You might also be interested in my pages to buy  hottest tickets and cheapest tickets.

December 1

A Christmas Carol The Musical (Players Theater) 

The 11th annual holiday staging of Dickens’ tale, one of a half dozen such projections this year, including one already opened on Broadway. (Look for a separate post on all the holiday shows.)

Flying Lessons (The Pit) 

On a dark night, as a storm brews on the horizon, three women take refuge in an abandoned house. Their presence awakens a strange and shadowy world of memory and desire where fantasies are possible…if only for a night

La Cucarachita Martina (Teatro Sea)

in rock-n-roll musical based on a popular Cuban and Puerto Rican children’s tale of a little roach who learns many lessons on her journey to find true love.

December 2

Winter Puppet Parlor (HERE)

HERE’s annual celebration of puppets, in time for the wonders of winter, featuring musical guest Yoko Reikano Kimura. With performances by Basil Twist, Admiral Grey, Glenn Marla (with Hana Malia and Jezebel Express), Julie Atlas Muz, and Peekaboo Pointe

Cosmos Within Us (New York Live Arts) 

The piece explores the intricate connection between memory and the senses, drawing us inside the mind of Aiken, a 60-year-old man who suffers from Alzheimer’s, a

December 3

Barber Shop Chronicles (BAM)

Nigerian-British playwright Inua Ellams presents black barbershops in six cities, with stories set to an Afrobeat score.

December 4

Harry Townsend’s Last Stand (NY City Center)

Len Cariou and Tony Craig Bierko star in this comedy about a father and son

MsTrial (New World Stages) 

A renowned trial lawyer and his young associate celebrate a legal victory in a drunken party that causes everyone “o question what they know about desire, consent, winning, and losing.

Keep (St. Ann’s Warehouse) 

Daniel Kitson returns to St. Ann’s Warehouse with his latest solo piece ,about how much past the present can reasonably contain.

Amahl and the Night Visitors 

This opera is being performed at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen on Ninth Avenue

December 5

Lauren Patten (center) as Jo, with the company of “Jagged Little Pill,” performing “You Oughta Know.”

Jagged Little Pill (Broadhurst) 

An original story by Diablo Cody (Juno) that incorporates the songs from Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album of the same name. A suburban family and the community in which they live have more problems than are apparent on the surface, including addiction and rape culture.

Anything Can Happen in the Theater (York)

Gerard Alessandrini (creator of Forbidden Broadway) showcases the songs of Maury Yeston.

The Honey Lets Go Home Opera (Theatre for the New City)

A raucous fantasy on the perils and promises of 2-dimensionality in contemporary life, presented by the legendary Bread & Puppet theater company.

December 6

The Trojan Women (La MaMa)

A recreation of Andrei Serban and Elizabeth Swados’s take on the Euripides tragedy, featuring a cast which includes members of the original 1974 cast, along with artists from Guatemala, Cambodia and Kosovo. Part of the Trojan Women Project Festival

December 8

The Sorceress (folksbienne at Jewish Heritage)

Written in 1878, The Sorceress (Di Kishefmakherin) is one of the earliest works by Avrom Goldfaden, the acknowledged father of modern Yiddish theatre. It was brought to America in 1882 by a 14-year old Boris Thomashefsky, who would go on to become one of Yiddish theatre’s biggest stars.

December 9

Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven (Atlantic)

Stephen Adly Guirgis (“Between Riverside and Crazy“) explores the harrowing, humorous, and heartbreaking inner workings of a women’s halfway house in New York City, helmed by John Ortiz (LAByrinth Artistic Director) in his off-Broadway directing debut.

Greater Clements (Lincoln Center) 

Samuel D. Hunter’s new play takes place in the fictional town of Greater Clements, Idaho, a mining community where properties are being purchased by wealthy out-of-state people, forcing out lifelong residents. Judith Ivey portray Maggie, ready to shut down her family-run Mine Tour and Museum, when an old friend pays a visit. Although I’ve never been to Idaho, I’ve liked every Hunter play I’ve ever seen, from Whale to Lewiston/Clarkston.

December 10

Judgment Day (Park Ave Armory)

Christopher Shinn adapts Ödön von Horváth’s 1937 play that is part moral fable, part sociopolitical comedy, and part noirish thriller. A cast of 16 is led by Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Slings and Arrows) who portrays a stationmaster momentarily distracted, resulting in a tragic train crash.

One in Two (The New Group at Signature)

Donja R. Love, inspired by his 10th anniversary of being HIV positive, offers an unflinching portrait of being Black and queer today

December 12

The Thin Place (Playwrights Horizons)

In this new play by Lucas Hnath (A Doll’s House Part 2), a friendship develops between two women—one who’s recently experienced a strange loss, and another who communicates with the dead.

Harry Connick Jr. A Celebration of Cole Porter (Nederlander)

December 15

  London Assurance (Irish Rep)

A parade of eccentric characters and merry mishaps ensue in Dion Boucicault’s 1841 comedy of manners.

December 16

Sing Street (NYTW)

The “Once” team has turned another movie into a musical. With a book by Enda Walsh, “Sing Street” takes us to Dublin in 1985 where 16-year-old Conor and his schoolmates, turn to music to escape troubles at home and impress a mysterious girl. Rebecca Taichman (Indecent) directs.

December 19

Gaz (La MaMa)

Workers prepare their powerful commodity, a futuristic gas that has become the only source of energy for the entire industrial world.

December 27

Up Close (New Ohio)

Guided by Jane Jacobs’ rules for a healthy community in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 30 artists offer family-friendly immersive theater experiences. I loved this last year 

December 2019 New York Theater Openings Below is a selection of New York theater opening in December, organized chronologically by opening date, including the one Broadway musical, "Jagged Little Pill," with songs by Alanis Morissette and the one Broadway holiday concert, Cole Porter sung by Harry Connick Jr.