off-in-the-moors - Tumblr blog

[off-in-the-moors]

@thereisonlyoneoption

So here’s the thing: My memory is shit and considering the shit show that happened this and previews years, I’m not even sure what to recap.

I’m not even sure if this is year 4 or 5.

[insert your “kitten crying as his memories fade away” jokes here]

You know that one DiCaprio meme with him pointing? Yea, that’s us seeing the same bullshit in different fandoms and book discourse. But still, it’s fun to talk about it with you.

We caught up on (some) stuff, still some left, and I know it’ll be more than just fun to experience them with you.

FE3H... Enough said ;)

I hope I’ll be a good maester to you. Still very much in training, but hey, I doing good ^^ (I hope) (I mean you taught me everything sooo)

Also, I’m waiting to finally see Papa ██████ story written down. I’m still at awe with your creativity and use of really obscure topics. I hope to one day see it on a bookshop shelf. Same with your other stories.

Well, Bachelor, let’s hope you won’t be send off to some steppe town or get the plague, so this friendship can continue for the next years to come.

It has been a year since I met my friend and from the day one, they have shared all there favorite media with me and tell me all about them.

Like I haven’t played Pathologic 2 or Dishonored but I listened and watched them play and… I like them and would never heared about them if it wasn’t for them. Witcher 3? All the game and DLC. Loved it. (Heart of Stone sucked a bit tho)

And they are always like “Am I boring you?“ or “Are interested in what I’m saying?“ Yes, I am and I want to hear more, not only because I’m interested but it makes you happy. Damn, I love you man.

[off-in-the-moors]

Question:

How many people after posting on #anti maggie stiefvater, got a condescending anon ask defending Margaret and saying she “grown“, “learn“ and “improved“?

Bonus points if: “she employs sensitive readers“, your age comes up, something something purity culture, nuanced

[off-in-the-moors]

Guess what is slowly hitting 3 years? This friendship. Like, Jesus, it feels like we know each other for much longer.

It been some interesting year in terms of personal life and “creative life (?)“, and I’m happy we had each other through it. (And thank you for reading all of my writing, it really helps knowing I write not only for myself/my eyes.)

(P.S. I’m sorry for using your dream against you. Love you :) )

You don’t annoy me, even if somethings repeat and repeat. I don’t care, I’m here if you need me. Even if it’s the middle of the night. (”I don’t care” in “It’s not a problem, don’t worry, I don’t think any different about you for it”)

Watching movies together is a treat. The last two ones? *confused, wheezing chef’s kiss* Still, we need to rewatch a few of the good ones. Also Arcane... you know.

Also books! What a shit show it has lastly been. How much laughing and ranting we had. Priceless. Also, I’ll read Tekst, I promise.

Oh, and:

Me, year ago: I was thinking about playing Genshin Impact, what do you think? Is it good?

Friend: Noo, you’ll just waste time.

Also Friend, few months ago: Hey, so I was playing Genshin Impact and, you know-

Me: You want me to start playing, so you can have a friend to visit their world whenever you want and help you out?

Friend: Yeah :)

(Btw man, I’m not bitter. I love this annoying game but this is still funny.)

I don’t think things will change anytime soon. You’re my best friend.

Only you, love you.

It has been a year since I met my friend and from the day one, they have shared all there favorite media with me and tell me all about them.

Like I haven’t played Pathologic 2 or Dishonored but I listened and watched them play and… I like them and would never heared about them if it wasn’t for them. Witcher 3? All the game and DLC. Loved it. (Heart of Stone sucked a bit tho)

And they are always like “Am I boring you?“ or “Are interested in what I’m saying?“ Yes, I am and I want to hear more, not only because I’m interested but it makes you happy. Damn, I love you man.

[off-in-the-moors]

---

And now I know who send me this ask and, Jesus Christ what a petty person. And they’re still sending anon asks to people they disagree with to “proof them wrong”. (And keep vague posting about them.)

Chryste.

For a apparent adult, they really act like a hot trzynastka.

It is not the responsibility of art to be morally instructive. It is 100% YOUR responsibility to research something if you know you are a sensitive person, take responsibility for your self. Art does not need to be some clinical sanitized morality play, get over your weird Puritanical obsession that all art must conform to your specific world view. Either engage in challenging works or stick to children’s cartoons where you can feel ‘safe’.

-

Dear Anon,

I’m truly confused by this. I have no idea what are you referencing and what “inspired“ you to send me this “ask“. But I will do my best to give you something.

(It only took me this long to answer, bc I don’t log in very often.)

Czytaj dalej

[off-in-the-moors]

It the light of recent events, I decided to rewrite/reword my old post about Maggie Stiefvater's use of Owain Glyndŵr.

Name

There are a few good posts about why using Glendower instead of Glyndŵr is a problem: X X In short, using the anglicized name is not only furthering the easure of welsh language but also damaging welsh culture. The "Glendower" was created and first used by Shakespeare in "Henry IV, Part 1", were Glyndŵr was portrayed as "wild and exotic; a man who claims to be able to "call spirits from the vasty deep," ruled by magic and tradition" and a magician. (Not to mention the play was written as Tudor propaganda.) Also, Owain Glyndŵr wasn't a king, but a prince.

Parentage

In The Dream Thieves (ch. 24), after pulling out a shield from the lake, we get this piece of information from Gansey: "And it did seem like the sort of thing that would be brought along to bury with a king. He traced the ravens. Three ravens marked in a triangle — the coat of arms of Urien, Glendower’s mythological father." The problem is it's not true, in any shape of form. Urien (or Urien Rheged) was a late 6th-century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom of the Hen Ogledd (today's northern England and southern Scotland), who in Arthurian legend became "King Urien of Gorre". He did have a son named Owain, namely Owain mab Urien, who isn't connected with Glyndŵr in anyway but name. Owain mab Urien was the bases for the knight Ywain (Yvain/Ewain/Uwain) in Arthurian legend, best known from "Yvain, the Knight of the Lion" and "Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain". Owain Glyndŵr 's real father was Gruffydd Fychan II. Owain mad Urien and Owain Glyndŵr didn't even live in the same time period, with mab Urien died c. 595, while Glyndŵr lived c. 1359 - c. 1415. Why Stiefvater merged them together is beyond my understanding.

Coat of arms and Ravens

As mention previously, the "three ravens marked in a triangle" is the coat of arms of Urien, and is not conected to Glydwr. Glydwr's coat of arms was two lions, he also had flag with a gold drangon (Y Ddraig Aur) and a banner with four lions. Owain mab Urien/Ywian was connected to ravens in two more ways (that I could find): in "The Dream of Rhonabwy" the titular Rhonabwy has a dream were King Arthur has a game of gwyddbwyll with Owain, when "a messengers arrives declaring that Arthur's squires are attacking Owain's ravens"; and in "The Life of Saint Mungo" were is said he's a bastard son of Owain and princess Teneu, daughter of King Leudonus (Lot) who's attributed arms was a raven. The only connection between Owain Glyndŵr and ravens I did find was, in some legends Glyndŵr was in possession of a "raven stone" which allowed him to became invisible. He could also communicated with birds. I found no references of Glyndŵr being called "Raven King". (The only welsh figure referred to as it I could find was Brân the Blessed, but I'm not 100% sure about it. I also did find a polish legend about Raven King, which is kinda cool.)

Reality vs Legend

At it's with any other historical figure with cultural importance, legends grow around Glyndŵr. Like with King Arthur, who was a real people, are know this magical and mysterious figures of stories. Maggie throughout the whole Raven Cycle blurred the lines between what's are the real information and what was just a legend about Glyndŵr, which is understandable, it's a fantasy novel after all but what she did was fabricate information and passed them as true. Another thing is removing Glyndŵr from Wales. Owain is a example of the motif "king asleep in the mountain/sleeping hero", a historical or legendary figure sleeping until with people need him. Owian is also a national hero of Wales. Removing him from his homeland and making him nothing more than a glorified genie for a group of American kids to find is disrespectful. Someone could argue, it was stated in the book, Glyndŵr 's followers moved him to America to protect his body from the enemies and he could as well return to Wales. But this was never a point in the story, him being a Wales prince wasn't important. What was, the characters want of the wish he could grant and Gansey's obsession of finding him.

Maggie's being related to Glyndŵr doesn't give her a pass on butchering Welsh culture. (From what I know, she's a American with German and Scottish roots.) Although she did her research (in a notebook she lost before writing TRC, from what I remember) and visited Wales, she's doesn't have a inside that a welsh person or a person who lives in Wales has.

Thank you for your time, and please, don’t be an assshole who sends anonymous complaints and vagueposting on their blog.

[off-in-the-moors]

@the-prince-of-tides

Alek.

You missed the point.

It was never about what you can or can’t write. It was never about “how dare you use x and your not x“.

It was never about “how dare Stiefvater use a welsh king if she isn’t welsh“, it was about what she did to him in her writing. It was about how she twisted things to her vision.

It was all about respect and not changing other people’s cultural heritage to fit your vision/liking. (Be parts of history, folklore, creatures, you name it).

Use elements of a culture in American setting? Ok, but show respect. No matter who you are.

You can’t “do whatever the fuck you want“ with things that belong to other people; to groups of people.

I spoke of this, because I saw too many times my own culture not being respected. Be by authors who use slavic culture to seem “fresh and exotic” or my own country, because “we’re catholic and there’s nothing about slavic deities, and slavic creatures are demons”.

But ok, I can’t change your mind. And you surely don’t want to even have a conversation with me, because “I sound young“, “I don’t like Gansey” and you blocked me.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Niech cię Bóg błogosławi, ponieważ potrzebujesz tego.

[off-in-the-moors]

A small reminder for future writers and people thinking this is ok:

When using anything, be place/mythology/historical figure, from a different culture you’re not part of, remember, respect the culture.

When using, let’s say, a creature from slavic culture, make your story fit it and not change the creature to fit your story.

What M*ggie St*efvater did with Owain Glyndŵr, took a historical figure with national importance for the welsh, and not only gave fake informations about him but also made him nothing more than a glorified genie, was not ok and should not be brushed aside.

You don’t need to be part of that culture, to recognize that you should not do this.

It’s not about “art of storytelling“, it’s about respect for other cultures like for your own.

[off-in-the-moors]

I guess, now is like 2 years and somehow we are still friends. Not much change, but now I’m more open and speaking more about... well, everything.

I introduced them to Pokemon (gen 5 still the best) and they got me addicted to Stardew Valley (for better or for worst). We found a common love for German musicals and will watch them together, even in the middle of the night.

We got into the habit of calling everyday and my sleep-schedule will never recover. But fuck it. It’s always fun.

Also, Far Cry 5. This game. You know, what I’m talking about. But hey, running to the store, before it closes, and singing “Set those Sinners Free“ through laughter. Still, one of my best memories.

There is still uncertainty, but we're more comfortable with each other and I’m still more than happy to listen to them.

I love you, bitch, I will never stop loving you, bitch (affectionate).

It has been a year since I met my friend and from the day one, they have shared all there favorite media with me and tell me all about them.

Like I haven’t played Pathologic 2 or Dishonored but I listened and watched them play and… I like them and would never heared about them if it wasn’t for them. Witcher 3? All the game and DLC. Loved it. (Heart of Stone sucked a bit tho)

And they are always like “Am I boring you?“ or “Are interested in what I’m saying?“ Yes, I am and I want to hear more, not only because I’m interested but it makes you happy. Damn, I love you man.

[off-in-the-moors]

Gansey is a shitty person

That is all.

[off-in-the-moors]

I mean, this is worst then the French military wearing sky blue uniforms with red pants during WW1.

I really like the show and all but what is really irritating to me in shadow and bone worldbuilding are grisha fashion choices. I mean:

1) Colours: Because of their really catchy colours of keftas: purple, blue and red Grisha are easy target practice for enemies. I can bet they are easy to spot in the distance and in the terrain. I mean imagine you are walking in the forest in winter and you are walking on the hill with view on the plains or some shit and then you see bunch of red, blue and purple dots in the distance. I can easily imagine a old Fjerda soldier taking a younge recruit on the hill or something to let the young one practice shooting from the rifle like really... Why they cant have less catchy colours or have the same uniforms like normal soldiers with only small colors to distinguish them from the rest of the group. I mean I now understand how grisha are captured in the first place. They are shining so hard like Alina in the Fold -_-

2) Lenght: This will be short but the keftas are really to long... If you managed to be near to Grisha you can just catch the end of ketfa and pull them down. They will fall to the ground like drunk me in New Year celebration. Easy. And this will hurt.

In conclusion I know the colours and all is just for aesthetic tm but if your main power of the army are magic people please dont make them colourful like fireworks on the 4 of July.

[off-in-the-moors]

On rare and forgotten parings, this and Devinsky are my fav dynamics, both romantic and just as friends.

(I’m not a shipper but the potential)

Commissioned by @realisaonum for their fic these will just be places to me now or the astuary king: fragments of a reversal in seven parts

[off-in-the-moors]

y’all really recommend books like: title, there are gay characters, enemies to lovers, young adult, written by poc

not once do i ever see a summary

[off-in-the-moors]

Update:

Got a nice tarot deck. Now, I need to learn how to read them.

After sometime, I think my grandfather had those books, because a) he was curious about them, or b) they were his writing research. Neither makes sense to me and reflects my feeling about this.

I will be screaming, if the first two out of three cards I pull are Moon and Tower.

Just found two books about tarot reading in my late catholic grandfather’s room, only because a book stack randomly fell over.

So, how is your 2021 going?

[off-in-the-moors]

It is not the responsibility of art to be morally instructive. It is 100% YOUR responsibility to research something if you know you are a sensitive person, take responsibility for your self. Art does not need to be some clinical sanitized morality play, get over your weird Puritanical obsession that all art must conform to your specific world view. Either engage in challenging works or stick to children’s cartoons where you can feel ‘safe’.

-

Dear Anon,

I’m truly confused by this. I have no idea what are you referencing and what “inspired“ you to send me this “ask“. But I will do my best to give you something.

(It only took me this long to answer, bc I don’t log in very often.)

Let’s start with your assumption of me.

I’m not a sensitive person, in any meaning. I actually love reading and engaging in media that’s morally questionable or straight up morbid and disturbing. Some of my favorite thing are: paintings by Goya and Beksiński, folklore/mythology (in it’s most unchanged form), “Perfume“ both film and book, Hannibal tv series, true crime, to name a few. Your assumption that I’m just “a girl obsessed and only enjoying modern cartoons“ is insulting.

I actually do agree with you that art, in any form, isn’t responsible to be morally instructive, but every work of art is made to send some form of message, be an obvious one or hidden between pages. In my opinion, authors and writers should be aware of what message they want to send with their works and what messages they are sending with what and how they’re presenting.

On your “It is 100% YOUR responsibility to research something if you know you are a sensitive person, take responsibility for your self“ this is also true. But on the other hand, given media should provide you with some kind of warning and not a third party entity. For example, if I pick-up a YA book from a bookstore, bc of its synopsis or someone (be a person I know or a creator) recommended it to me, I don't expect "spicy" scenes or blatant a*use of a character by its love interest or just "torture p*rn" scenes in it but here they are. With no warning. Is it my fault? Partly yes. Is it the media's fault for not giving me any warnings? Also yes.

Even with researching "warnings" isn't that simple. When it comes to books, the only way is reading reviews or recommendations. With reviews, they're either positive and say nothing book related or are negative and full of spoilers. Recommendations nowadays most of the time don't even give you what the story is about, just "it has x, y and z in it", let alone "warnings". From my own experience, they either don't tell you about "unappropriated" stuff (be r*pe, d*ug a*use, a*use, etc.) or they down play them and in worst cases, excuse it or say "it gets better/it's addressed in the next book/later in the series".

But if you feel the need to micromanage everything you engage in, go for it. But most people don't and a warning would be nice.

(This of course doesn't apply to thing and character's actions deemed "problematic". If said stuff is well handled and addressed, it's perfectly ok to portray it. But again, if it addressed and/or showed as wrong, and not ignored, excused, or played as a joke.)

I don't know from where you took the "your weird Puritanical obsession", bc 1) I never petitioned for that in my posts, and 2) I'm actually against censuring and sanitation of media.

Now, on to what "inspired" you to write this.

Again, I have no f-clue. So here are my best guesses:

If it's about Pathologic: I only have problem with people forcing their politics, modern sentiments and opinions/interpretations on to something they don't fully understand, because they're from a different cultural climate. An American can't fully (or in some cases, refuses to) understand something made by Europeans (in this case Russians) for Europeans in mind. I don't want to mix myself into the fandom discourse/drama, because I don't care what people think or how they interpret stuff, even if it's taken from something minor or from nowhere with no support (or even is debunked) in canon. I don't care if people like or hate this one character. Just don't police people for liking things, you don't like. Nor do public shaming or send people on those you don't agree with. You don't like a pixel man on platform shoes? Fine. Just don't bully and attack people who do.

If it's about my post about B*rdugo's adult book: I will admit, the wording and presentation wasn't the best. I was writing it from a place of strong emotions, but I'm still standing by my opinion that some things should not be presented with graphic details in a book without any type of warning. Here we could have a discussion about trigger warnings in books, hers response to the idea of putting them on her book and what is consider "too far", but this isn't about that. I actually have a lot of problems with B*rdugo and her fan-base, besides that. Her use of Russia, it's history, religion iconography and culture only for aesthetic and not doing proper research (she called her series "Greg's trilogy") or showing any respect for it (with characters, how are not main and secondary characters, a Slavic stereotype); her portray of dyslexia and how the fandom likes to use it as a joke in relation to this character; or people shielding her from any form of criticism with "She's is xyz, so she can write this". But I don't care about her and her works.

I stopped reading YA books, because I can't stand them any longer and their "handling" of topics, with people holding up every-single-one as "the best book ever written", not because of the quality or story but because the author is xyz, and spitting at every book written before 2000s. I'll get flag for it but YA novels are the Pulp fiction of our times (of course not all, but most of the popular ones are). I stopped trusting people recommending them to me, because 90% of the time, I'm just disappointed by them.

If it's about K and TRC: I already said so much about this. Margaret isn't aware of her audience, she writes for herself (which she admitted on a podcast) and refuses to change it to please anyone. She created and killed K for two reasons: to further Ronan's character arc (to be used for teaching him to dream better and a (not working) foil of him (or Adam... or Gansey)) and as her weird catharsis of killing everything she hates (who she apparently was; "fratty boys and chortling men") personified as one boy (and yes, boy, because this fandom likes to forget he’s only seventeen, the same age as the Gangsey. If you excuses their actions, like Ronan and Adam’s racist jokes or Gansey’s toxic behaviors towards Adam with “they’re just teenagers”, why K is excluded from being a stupid teen?). With Jordan, it's now obvious that she has a bias of suffering/dealing with your trauma (and addiction) "in the right way", of which in her eyes, K wasn't. She could not create K or she could not make him a harmful stereotype of a Slav, but she did. In a book targeted at 13-18 year olds, we have a drug-addicted boy committing a public s*icide and being demonized and forgotten by everyone.

But I'm done with this fandom, I never had a place in it. TRC fandom is 80% P*nch with a 1% being about K, but even this little corner is "too much" for the stans. I left for a reason, the only thing I regret is not apologizing for my out-burst. If someone who knows what I’m referencing is reading this, I’m truly sorry.

So, yea. I hope, I addressed your issue, Anon.

[off-in-the-moors]

My friend was joking about Pathologic the Musical and my stupid brain went:

Sir, would you like to buy this bull?

It's a very nice bull,

You could say a Wonder Bull.

[off-in-the-moors]

Just found two books about tarot reading in my late catholic grandfather’s room, only because a book stack randomly fell over.

So, how is your 2021 going?

[off-in-the-moors]

miss you loads