#classic lit adaptation bracket

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 2; classic literature adaptation bracket

MUCH ADO:

based on: much ado about nothing, william shakespeare

medium: filmed production

propaganda: none because it was automatically in. however, david tennant and catherine tate were great in it. there is a golf cart also

ROMEO + JULIET:

based on: romeo and juliet, william shakespeare

medium: movie

propaganda:

'this adaptation absolutely deserves the top spot bc of mercutio. like have y'all seen him?!?! he killed it! nobody will ever do it like him again. nothing compares. 10000/10. plus the shootout at the fucking gas station is hilarious'

(propaganda is widely accepted btw!!!)

[classiclitbracket]

The Classic Lit Bracket

Current Bracket:

Read the latest update here!

About:

A poll to determine which piece of classic literature is the most classic, moderated by @sorrel-scribbles [she/her, minor].

Propaganda is welcome!!! (this can be done by using the ask box or making your own post and @ing me)

If you have questions or want to be silly feel free to submit them to the ask box!

Friendly competition is fine, but I will block you if you can’t be civil with one another!

Voting Guidelines:

The goal here is to determine which is the most classic piece of literature. You can vote based on your personal favorite, what you think had the most cultural impact, what is the most popular or timely today etc. 

If you are voting based on personal preference, you should do it based on the content of the original book. However, if you are voting for other reasons, you are welcome to take screen adaptations and/or retellings into account as they are a part of the overall legacy of the book.

I DO NOT want to see any moral complaints. Many of these authors/works were racist, sexist, etc. and I fully condemn that, but we can separate the art from the artist and still understand the importance of/enjoy the work despite its flaws.You’re free to not like/not vote for a book due to offensive material, but I don’t want to see tags/comments/asks saying “you shouldn’t have included x because it’s racist” or “nobody vote for y it’s misogynistic.” This isn’t “which classic lit book is the most morally correct”.

Masterposts:

Round One

Round Two

Round Three/Sweet Sixteen

Round Four/Elite Eight

Round Five/Final Four/Semifinals

Round Six/Finals

Welcome Post Here

[mainsminder]

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[ralphmorgan-blog1]

Netflix’s romantic comedy slate is more than just a summer fling

Set It Up

It’s Summer Lovin’ Week here at Mashable, which means things are getting steamy. In honor of the release of Crazy Rich Asians, we’re celebrating onscreen love and romance, looking at everything from our favorite fictional couples to how Hollywood’s love stories are evolving. Think of it as our love letter to, well, love.

There was a weekend, back in June, when my Twitter feed suddenly lit up with praise for some buzzy new movie. Which wouldn't be that odd the thick of the summer movie season – except that the film in question wasn't just another nine-figure blockbuster sequel du jour.

Instead, it was Set It Up, a low-key charmer starring two attractive young people that most viewers will only kind of recognize (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell). 

SEE ALSO: We made a bracket to help you choose the best fictional boyfriend

It wasn't a remake, reboot, or adaptation of anything, but it had its own familiar charm: It was a classic romantic comedy. And it turned out to be just one of what Netflix is calling their "Summer of Love" – a loose collection of love stories, released one by one over the course of the season. 

"In this day and age, everybody needs a little love in their life, with all the disturbing news that’s often out there."

"They hadn't been made very much recently in the theatrical sense, in the theatrical model," Matt Broadlie, Director of Original Films at Netflix, said over the phone of Netflix's plans for the romcom.

But "because we’re Netflix, we were able to see that people around the world had been watching a lot of romcoms in our catalog," he continued. "And putting two and two together, people enjoy watching them, there aren’t a lot of them out there, so let’s jump in and get into this genre that seems to be really enjoyable for a lot of people."

May's The Kissing Booth was part of that rollout. So were Ibiza, Alex Strangelove, and Ali's Wedding. This weekend's extremely charming To All the Boys I've Loved Before is next up, and September brings Sierra Burgess Is a Loser. 

Some have gotten better reviews or stronger buzz than others; because Netflix doesn't release viewership numbers, we don't know for sure how many people have watched each film. 

Anecdotally, though, the hype I've seen around them suggests that Netflix is on to something. And not they're not the only ones. The major studio offerings this year have included Love, Simon, and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, both big hits, with Crazy Rich Asians still to come this week.

"I think in this day and age, everybody needs a little love in their life, with all the disturbing news that’s often out there," said Broadlie. 

"But I think also it’s a really satisfying art form and form of film. You kind of know what you’re going to get and you can guess what’s going to happen along the way, but it’s still incredibly satisfying, kind of like comfort food."

Susan Johnson, director of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, floated a similar theory about the resurgence of the romcom in a separate interview. "I think it has to do with the climate in the world. I think we're in a time that's pretty dark right now, and there's a lot of confusion about a lot of issues, and people want to escape," she told me on the phone.

Plus, Johnson points out, there's a whole cohort of audiences now who were too young for romcoms the last time they were big in the '90s, and who are now craving sweet stories of their own. "I think it's time for this generation to have a resurgence of what I loved so much 20 years ago, and 40 years ago, and before I was born."

Naturally, any conversation about the return of the romcom raises the question of why they went away in the first place. While there's no one right answer, Broadlie blames the current craze for "really big movies that everybody enjoys" – e.g., your Marvel flicks, your Star Wars sequels – over films like Set It Up, "which may seem to be a little more specific in their target audience." 

Likewise, there's no single answer for why studios suddenly became obsessed with mega-budget blockbusters in the first place. But it's not a huge leap to imagine that Netflix and other streaming services  – with their irresistible promises of an easy movie night in, without long drives to the theater or expensive babysitting arrangements – may have had a hand in squeezing out mid-budget movies like romcoms. 

"Romantic comedies will stay – they're just going to look a bit different than they might have traditionally even 20 years ago."

It's a bit ironic, then, that Netflix is now proving to be, if not the genre's savior, at least one of its loudest champions. 

However, Broadlie believes romcoms are a perfect fit for Netflix precisely because it isn't a major studio chasing monster hit after monster it. Rather than aim their movies at "everybody in the world," he explains, "we can get a significant portion of that and still be very successful."

(Plus, Netflix and chill is a thing for a reason. "You can sit on your coach with your significant other and cuddle," he noted.)

At the same time, Netflix's romance menu seems designed to offer a little something for just about everyone. In the mood for teen hijinks? Give Alex Strangelove a shot. Hungry for more Asian or Muslim representation? Try To All the Boys I've Loved Before or Ali's Wedding. Prefer rom-dram to rom-com? The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society might be for you.

It's that diversity of focus that Johnson believes will be the key to the genre's future. "Romantic comedies will stay – they're just going to look a bit different than they might have traditionally even 20 years ago," she said. What she finds "exciting," she noted, is that "everyone's feeling free to tell their story, their love story, their version of a romantic comedy."

And although not all summer romances are built to last, Netflix, for its part, seems ready to commit to a lasting relationship with the romantic comedy genre. 

"We're going to make it a life of romance, not just a summer," teased Broadlie. "You should definitely watch this space for more of them after the summer's over. For sure."

WATCH: 8 Hollywood couples who made movie magic together

Original Article : HERE ; This post was curated & posted using : RealSpecific

=> *********************************************** Read Full Article Here: Netflix’s romantic comedy slate is more than just a summer fling ************************************ =>

Netflix’s romantic comedy slate is more than just a summer fling was originally posted by News - Feed

[joannemaly]

Olympus announces PEN E-PL9 equipped with 4K and Bluetooth

Olympus has announced the PEN E-PL9, which improves upon its predecessor in terms of design and features. The camera has a more pronounced grip and larger mode dial, and its faux leather wraps around the body. The E-PL9 finally has a built-in flash, so you no longer need to tote around the small external flash that came with earlier models.

The E-PL9 uses a 16MP Live MOS sensor as well as the same TruePic VIII processor found on the E-M10 Mark III. While the E-M10 III has in-body 5-axis image stabilization, the E-PL9 is limited to three axes. The two cameras share the same 121-point contrast-detect AF system with face and eye detection.

The most significant new features are 4K video capture (at 30p) and Bluetooth. The latter allows for quick pairing and the ability to have tagged photos transferred while the camera is turned off. Olympus has also added a 'Sweep Panorama' feature (nine years after Sony pioneered it,) a new Instant Film art filter and improved automatic scene selection.

The E-PL9 will be kitted with the 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 'EZ' power zoom lens. Available colors include black, brown and white. The camera will be available outside of North America in mid-March for €699/£649 with the kit lens or €549/£579 for the body only. Pricing and availability in North America will be announced in the weeks to come.

Press Release

The new Olympus PEN E-PL9: The camera to put you in touch with your creative side

Hamburg, 07. February 2018 – While increasing numbers of people discover the joys of photography through their phones, the progression to a camera may be more than a little daunting. Boasting an envy inducing look and distinguished build quality, the new Olympus PEN E-PL9 delivers the jump in quality and creative control usually seen in much larger offerings. It also makes the transition a lot less painful through touch screen access to its new Advanced Photo mode.

Petite dimensions hide a versatile range of photographic expressions boosted further by compatibility with Olympus’ much lauded line up of more than 20 M.Zuiko lenses, such as the superb M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 for portraits that combine a flattering perspective with beautiful natural bokeh.

Film fans can now take advantage of in-body stabilized blur-free 4K movies while the new built-in flash ensures E-PL9 users are always ready for adding a splash of extra light. Anyone who can’t wait to share their new masterpieces online can take advantage of the new combined Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity to smartphones.

Due for delivery in mid-March, the Olympus PEN E-PL9 will be available in white, black or brown as body only or in a kit with lens (see below for choices and pricing).

It’s all about expression

The increase in creative options a camera brings too often comes with a scary menu system to match. Seeking to break down those barriers, the Olympus PEN E-PL9 lets you start your journey of photographic experimentation gradually via touch screen selection of creative programmes before moving on to more traditional settings. Select AUTO mode to let the camera identify many photographic situations from faces to groups and even movement and choose the best setting for you in the blink of an eye. Feel the need to adjust – fear not, a touch screen control with sliders allows you to adjust brightness, colour and contrast amongst other common settings. Tilt the screen down for a superior quality selfie and you can even touch select e-Portrait to smooth skin tones in camera. All of that comes in a very small and lightweight camera body that gives away both a traditional and modern feel.

Art not just for art’s sake

Olympus pioneered Art Filters way back and touching the screen brings them to life in a new way, making comparing the effects live on screen easier than ever. Besides Bleach Bypass, Instant Film is also new to the list of now 16 Art Filters – a nostalgic nod to the exaggerated colours of the early instant cameras. Use in daylight and the effects are subtle. Use at night on people with flash and a potentially dull shot is transformed: darker areas becomes green and skin is given a warm glow, an image is created that has a modern touch with a nostalgic feel.

Building on this, Olympus has made access to scene modes available through the touch screen too. Simply double tap the image that most closely matches what you see in your mind’s eye and the camera chooses the appropriate settings. The innovative access to simpler creative control is the new Advanced Photo (AP) mode. Olympus pioneered techniques like Live Composite used to be buried deep in the camera menus, often lying undiscovered. Want to take a photo of your friend creating a light painting in front of a lit up building at night? Used to be almost impossible, now tap the icon in AP mode, put the E-PL9 on a solid surface and off you go. Explore the delights of multiple exposure, HDR, sweep panorama, even focus bracketing – a technique that is a boon for close ups.

A learning process

A new set of easy access video “How To” guides hosted on the free OI.Share app, that handles the wireless transfer of images from camera to phone, provide useful tips for operating the E-PL9. Speaking of image transfer: the E-PL9 combines Bluetooth LE with Wi-Fi to ensure that the camera is always connected with your smartphone even when “asleep”. Want to see and import some images you just shot but the camera is back in your bag? No problem. Open the app and wake up the camera without needing to get it out and switch it on.

Quality through technology

What else does the E-PL9 have up its sleeve to help your photographs stand out from the crowd? Another Olympus pioneered innovation is in-body Image Stabilization (IS). Reducing blurry shots in low light, this system is married to the fast TruePic VIII image processor from the acclaimed Olympus camera flagship OM-D E-M1 Mark II which allows the camera to choose higher shutter speeds* further improving the chances of sharp results in challenging conditions.

Learning to love lenses

A system camera lives and dies by the lenses available to suit an ever expanding range of subjects. Many current Olympus PEN users head straight for the M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 portrait lens. Why? If you come from taking portraits on phones or compact camera, the lenses are often a wider angle to be more flexible. Sadly for the human face, wide angles tend to distort features. A classic portrait lens like the 45mm F1.8, slightly flattens the perspective which is more flattering. The wider aperture also delivers a natural looking blurred background (bokeh). While phones increasingly mimic this effect, the right lens sets an image apart. One area where a system camera really excels is getting in close: macro photography. Try our “all-day” go-to macro lens M.Zuiko Digital ED 30mm F3.5 Macro with the E-PL9. For capturing details in jewellery, food, material or flowers it opens a whole new world.

On top of the currently more than 20 Olympus M.Zuiko lenses it is possible to use hundreds of legacy lenses via various adapters.

Kit choices, pricing & availability

> Olympus PEN E-PL9 body only at EUR 549 RRP*** incl. VAT from mid-March 2018

> Olympus PEN E-PL9 with M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ Pancake lens at EUR 699 RRP*** from mid-March 2018

Olympus PEN E-PL9 specifications

PriceMSRP£579/€549 (body only), £679/€699 (with 14-42mm EZ lens)Body typeBody typeRangefinder-style mirrorlessBody materialCompositeSensorMax resolution4608 x 3456Image ratio w:h1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9Effective pixels16 megapixelsSensor photo detectors17 megapixelsSensor sizeFour Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm)Sensor typeCMOSProcessorTruePic VIIIColor spacesRGBColor filter arrayPrimary color filterImageISOAuto, 200-6400 (expandable to 100-25600)Boosted ISO (minimum)100Boosted ISO (maximum)25600White balance presets6Custom white balanceYes (4 slots)Image stabilizationSensor-shiftImage stabilization notes3-axisCIPA image stabilization rating3.5 stop(s)Uncompressed formatRAWJPEG quality levelsSuper fine, fine, normalFile format

JPEG (Exif v2.3)

Raw (Olympus 12-bit ORF)

Optics & FocusAutofocus

Contrast Detect (sensor)

Multi-area

Center

Selective single-point

Tracking

Single

Continuous

Touch

Face Detection

Live View

Autofocus assist lampYesManual focusYesNumber of focus points121Lens mountMicro Four ThirdsFocal length multiplier2×Screen / viewfinderArticulated LCDTiltingScreen size3″Screen dots1,040,000Touch screenYesScreen typeTFT LCDLive viewYesViewfinder typeNonePhotography featuresMinimum shutter speed60 secMaximum shutter speed1/4000 secMaximum shutter speed (electronic)1/16000 secExposure modes

Auto

Program

Aperture priority

Shutter priority

Manual

Scene modes

Portrait

e-Portrait

Landscape with Portrait

Night Scene with portrait

Children

Hand-held Starlight

Night Scene

Fireworks

Light trails

Sports

Panning

Landscape

Sunset

Beach and Snow

Backlight HDR

Panorama

Candle

Silent mode

Macro

Nature Macro

Documents

Multi Focus

Built-in flashYesFlash range7.60 m (at ISO 200)External flashYesFlash modesAuto, manual, redeye reduction, slow sync w/redeye reduction, slow sync , slow sync 2nd-curtain, fill-in, offFlash X sync speed1/250 secDrive modes

Single

Sequential

Self-timer

Bracketing

Continuous drive8.6 fpsSelf-timerYes (2 or 12 secs, custom)Metering modes

Multi

Center-weighted

Highlight-weighted

Spot

Exposure compensation±5 (at 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV, 1 EV steps)AE Bracketing±5 (3, 5 frames at 2/3 EV, 1 EV steps)WB BracketingNoVideography featuresFormatMPEG-4, H.264Modes

3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM

3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM

3840 x 2160 @ 24p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM

1920 x 1080 @ 30p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM

1920 x 1080 @ 25p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM

1920 x 1080 @ 24p / 52 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM

1280 x 720 @ 120p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM

MicrophoneStereoSpeakerMonoStorageStorage typesSD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported)ConnectivityUSBUSB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)HDMIYes (micro HDMI)Microphone portNoHeadphone portNoWirelessBuilt-InWireless notes802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 LERemote controlYes (via smartphone)PhysicalEnvironmentally sealedNoBatteryBuilt-inBattery descriptionBLS-50 lithium-ion battery & chargerBattery Life (CIPA)350Weight (inc. batteries)380 g (0.84 lb / 13.40 oz)Dimensions117 x 68 x 39 mm (4.61 x 2.68 x 1.54″)Other featuresOrientation sensorYesTimelapse recordingYes (Video up to 4K)GPSNone

[Read More ...] Olympus announces PEN E-PL9 equipped with 4K and Bluetooth was originally posted by proton T2a

[jfpark]

Partly without sight, we descend, into a space for monsters and cyborgs

The other night, getting ready for sleep, lights off—a friend of J's, C, leans down to remove a sock and slams their left eye into the corner of the wood-frame lofting the bed in J's room. C and J are so tired, neither of them—especially J—process how serious this might be. C's ball made direct and forceful contact with the wood.

The next day J texts folks at work that J is sick-by-association and won’t be coming in.

At the ophthalmologist, C and J find out how serious and irregular the damage is. Before C consents to the treatment, the doctor is already administering something called a bandage contact lens, then handing over a scrip for antibiotic eyedrops to prevent infection while the contact is in, protecting the healing process of the abraded and irregular eyeball.

Later C and J are at a cafe across the street from the ophthalmologist’s office waiting, as instructed, to see how C's eye feels after at least 30 minutes of wearing the contact. There, over coffee and salad, J speculates to C that the ophthalmologist might have been particularly hesitant to seek C's consent because they may have been uncomfortable with how C narrated the damage occurring. J speculates that the ophthalmologist may have wanted to get as quickly as possible out of the examination room.

C's narration, as this narration perhaps does too, left open the implication that, sharing a bed, C and J were fucking—insofar as it is both a common euphemism that to sleep together is to fuck and a common assumption that those whom sleep together also fuck. Assuming the doctor fears queers, then it could be that the narration, combined with C's and J's intimate demeanor, manner of dress, and J's presence in the examination room, incited a fear in the ophthalmologist that impelled them to offer treatment without seeking proper consent—so as to escape ASAP. C responded to this speculation by first acknowledging that, given the pain, they had not paid as much attention to the ophthalmologist’s demeanor as to their words and actions, though had indeed noted this more or less unconsensual treatment. C further responded that, while J’s speculation could have something to it, it could also simply be that the ophthalmologist’s bed-side manner left plenty to be desired.

The next day C and J are in a city adjacent to, but across a bay from, the one that C was sleeping with J in. The city’s and the sun’s lights are causing C much pain, and C keeps cycling through a variety of methods of reducing this. C wears sunglasses; C takes off sunglasses and cups their left eye but not too closely; C puts back on sunglasses and cups their left eye even less closely; C takes off sunglasses and puts on an eyepatch; C takes off the eyepatch and wraps it around the left lens of the sunglasses and puts the glasses back on; C closes both eyes and asks J to guide them on the city streets.

In the afternoon, C and J are riding a streetcar to the ocean-facing beach side of the city to attend a friend of C’s, and acquaintance of J’s, open studio. On the way, to pass the time, while C closes and covers both eyes—since by now the right eye receiving light produces after a short delay pain in the left—J reads to C from a book. J had put this and another book, to be discussed shortly, in J’s backpack in anticipation of an upcoming literary gathering, a Story Hour, that a comrade of J’s facilitates. The book, a feminist epic, was called The Descent of Alette and was written by Alice Notley. The first piece in the epic reads:

“One day, I awoke” “& found myself on” “a subway, endlessly”

“I didn’t know” “how I’d arrived there or” “who I was” “exactly”

“But I knew the train” “knew riding it” “knew the look of”

“those about me” “I gradually became aware—“ “though it seemed

as that happened” “that I’d always” “known it too--” “that there was”

“a tyrant” “a man in charge of” “the fact” “that we were”

“below the ground” “endlessly riding” “our trains, never surfacing”

“A man who” “would make you pay” “so much” “to leave the subway”

“that you don’t” “ever ask” “how much it is” “It is, in effect,”

“all of you, & more” “Most of which you already” “pay to

live below” “But he would literally” “take your soul” “Which is

what you are” “below the ground” “Your soul” “your soul rides”

“this subway” “I saw” “on the subway a” “world of souls”

After that first, J continued reading twenty-four more pieces. Later, at an exceedingly dimly lit pub, after C and J had spent no more than 45 minutes at their friend and acquaintances open studio—which they had left because there was an uncomfortably large number of former friends and acquaintances—C said to J that listening to J read from Notley’s feminist epic while having had eyes closed and body at the whim of the streetcar’s motion had given C an experience of the book’s words that C would prefer to no other experience with those words. C had, with Alette, descended, or C more or less said.

A couple day’s later C has left and J’s mother, S, is visiting. J and S have not yet met up, as they would soon, at S’s hotel. A series of events unfold which J reported on a popular social media platform. The reports are transcribed below:

after a few days of "good" air quality in Oakland (remember, if you forgot, could forget, the wildfires), it's back to "moderate."

i unintentionally celebrate this fact by leaving the burner on too long while I clean—by burning off some oil from—the cast iron.

reading @Thisbhanu's Incubation to find a selection for the anniversary sesh of the writing group I facilitate, which falls on mum's bday,

i forget to watch the pan. the apartment fills with smoke, sets off the alarm, & wakes my sleeping roommate. i hurry to respond to these by:

taking pan off burner, turning burner off, opening windows, waving a tshirt at smoke alarm, taking alarm out off ceiling & moving it away.

the apartment remains filled with smoke but now I am distracted. I've thought, oh what a thread I could tweet. Woken roommate comes in.

Asks what happened; I stutter response. Roommate opens our apartment door & puts on the ceiling fan, blows out scented candle I'd lit.

"we don't need more things burning in here," she said. & later he tells me, "keep the windows open, I still can't breath in my room."

I want to offer a smoke mask, 1 of several a friend who'd been visiting town left when they left; I want not to disturb more. I say nothing.

I leave mask on table next to a card she made for mum's bday. Drawing traced from a photo he woke me to ask for last night, & a v kind note.

[here, a fair number of events worth narration are left out, as, by time of revision prior to posting, J has run out of time to write. this bracket then to note things such as Marshall, tech troubleshooting, volunteers meeting, birthday, burger king photos] 

The next day J & S spend much time in S’s hotel room. Shortly after J’s arrival, while S naps, J writes the following email to a writing group that J facilitates weekly.

To those writers of world stuff whom it may concern,

I can only somewhat believe this group’s met for a year now. Worlds' times’ been fastslow—distorted by so much loss & so much solidarity amid ongoing un/natural disasters. In the group we’ve had plenty of changes in who attends, several hiatuses, and a change in format (for those newer, we’ve moved from a more show & tell format, as described here, to a more classic workshop format, with readings to get us started writiting). 

In honor of our anniversary and of Sheila Park’s, my mother’s, birthday (she attended our first meeting and will attend again tonight), we’ll be reading from the first set of sections in Incubation: A Space for Monsters by Bhanu Kapil. The reading is also inspired by the theme of this week’s Story Hour, an excellent event facilitated by a comrade-writer Eleanor Liu, the theme of which is MONSTERS/DESCENT TO THE UNDERWORLD. (By the way, if you’re free and intersted Thursday night, check out the webpage for Story Hour, and consider following the directions to rsvp). 

Kapil, like my mother, grew up in Britain, moving to USAmerica in adulthood, eventually had and raised here her only child. Incubation, though I did not know it when I was reading it as an undergrad (first year?), was the first book of contemporary unconventional—or “experimental,” if you prefer, as I don’t—prose I read. It was released in 2006 on Renee Gladman’s now retired press Leon Works (a press that’s published several books that mean a lot to me, including Fred Moten’s Hughson’s Tavern). In the book's link, you can read a bit of back-matter. 

From the first pair of sections, linked here, we’ll focus on “Hallucinating Childhood (3),” which is 7pgs in length. The pages preceding are also 7; feel free to read those in advance if you’ve time. Sorry for the markings; back then I still underlined, and in pen. I should mention, if you like the readings, the book is currently out of print and the only available copies are hundreds of dollars. If you enjoy and would want to read more from the book, though I believe I read recently it will be brought back in print by another press (I haven’t been able to re-find that info), let me know and perhaps we can find you a copy ;-) (or once I’m thru re-reading, I can loan).  

Prompt-wise, we’ll begin with these two two-part alternatives. Alternate 1, part 1—given the definition of a monster Kapil quotes on page 7 (“The monster is that being who refuses to adapt to her circumstances”), write something that either makes space (hostile) for or is filled by monsters. Alternate 1, part 2—what you write could respond to the following question quoted from pg 10: “As a child, in the space before writing, did you suffer when you went to other people’s houses?”

Alternate 2, part 1—given the definition of a cyborg Kapil quotes on page 12 (“Cyborgs are built for assimilation into households and factories”), write something that either makes space (hostile) for or is filled by cyborgs. Alternate 2, part 2—what you write could respond to the following question quoted from page 12, “Am I boring you? Do you want some coffee?”

Looking forward to incubating with you tonight,

Julian

Having sent this email J then returns to the popular social media platform and finds a nearly year old post by Bhanu Kapil, verifying J’s suspicion that Incubation was to be reissued, not by Leon Works, but by the press that published Kapil’s first book, The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers, namely Kelsey St. Press, named for a street that C and J had wandered several days before, seeking both to get where they were going and to avoid light. J reposted this post with the following comment:

had been looking for this for days. initial searches were blocked by a stubborn sense the title was "incarnation" not "incubation." 🤔 to self

To this Kapil replied,

let me know if you would like a preemptive PDF before it comes out properly

This reply, J excitedly informed the writing group that night, new which the group responded too equally if not even more excitedly. The excitement, no doubt, was boosted by the wonderful key lime pie one writer, P, had baked and brought, and the beers and cider another writer, D, had brought.

The prompts proved difficult, and though all were in apparently good spirits, despite a variety of difficult recent personal experiences—among those being that P had not gotten a job they wanted and D had gotten a promotion at a job they didn’t want to still work at—many were unusually hesitant to share. Particularly hesitant was S, whom had reacted with panic to the prompt of writing a space for monsters, preferring, instead, to write one for cyborgs. J, to the prompts, wrote the following scrap of prose:

A steel-cut monstorg smells what’s cooking at the station house, so starts to mosey. “Those oats smell great,” thinks the monstorg.

Trailing behind are three cartoon kittens, each one with a different shaped aluminum hat: one shaped like a satellite, one like an eiffel tower, one like a waffle iron.

Arriving at the station house, the kittens take off the aluminum hats and roll them into one large ball, kicking it around from one to the other.

“Get us something to the break the fast, will ya Tommy Gun?” says the kitten that had been wearing the waffle iron, to the monstorg.

Tommy Gun turns around and winks, then walks into the station house.

There it’s all cybers and the oats aren’t what anybody thought, closer to boats really and the whole foyer is floating to high heaven. There’s a kite string dangling down a stairwell, and all the cybers are so distracted that none notice Tommy Gun go pull the kite string. The kite tumbles down and spills a bunch of rice into Tommy Gun’s open mouth. As the rice continues to spill, Tommy Gun finds an oatmeal sandwich in the backpack next to one of the cybers. It’s no easy balancing act, catching all those grains while pulling a kite string around this foyer full of boats and distracted bodies of roughly 5 networked types, trying to snag sandwiches, but this isn’t Tommy Gun’s first station raid, not even the first this week.

Outside, the kittens are already radiation-drunk and folding the aluminum back into the hats the ball used to be.

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 2; classic lit adaptation bracket

GATSBY GAME:

based on: the great gatsby, f scott fitzgerald

medium: video game

propaganda: you play as nick and you throw your hat at enemies and collect margaritas for points. there is a level that takes place on a train. it slays tbh.

DUODECIMAL:

based on: twelfth night, william shakespeare

medium: short story

propaganda: 'It’s so fucking good! It has symbolism! It delves deep into the Malvolio Plot—which is often brushed aside due to its messiness, but Goosebooks dives fully into that messiness and emerges from the other side with a heartbreaking, hopeful, and humorous story about mental illness, neurodivergence, and gender. It has OCD neurodivergent queer Malvolio what more do you WANT from me guys. Go read Duodecimal I am sending you psychic waves to go read Duodecimal.'

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 3; classic literature adaptation bracket

DUODECIMAL:

based on: twelfth night, william shakespeare

medium: short story

propaganda: 'It’s so fucking good! It has symbolism! It delves deep into the Malvolio Plot—which is often brushed aside due to its messiness, but Goosebooks dives fully into that messiness and emerges from the other side with a heartbreaking, hopeful, and humorous story about mental illness, neurodivergence, and gender. It has OCD neurodivergent queer Malvolio what more do you WANT from me guys. Go read Duodecimal I am sending you psychic waves to go read Duodecimal.'

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 2005:

based on: pride and prejudice, jane austen

medium: movie

propaganda: 'oh You Know. the hand clench!!!!'

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 1; classic literature adaptation bracket

ARM JOE:

based on: les miserables, victor hugo medium: video game propaganda: firstly, 'enjorlas'. second, robojean exists. he's robot jean valjean. because every good honest-to-source adaptation needs a robot doppelganger of the protagonist just in case they die early or something.

RAGAD:

based on: hamlet, william shakespeare medium: stageplay propaganda: it's ragad cmon. the barrels. the footlicking. the likes.

[gayest-classiclit]

SEMIFINALS; classic literature adaptation bracket

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 2005:

based on: pride and prejudice, jane austen

medium: movie

propaganda: 'oh You Know. the hand clench!!!!'

GHOST QUARTET:

based on: notably edgar allan poe's fall of the house of usher, but perhaps 1001 nights also

medium: musical

propaganda: it's ghost quartet. there are many many influences. they sing about ghosts! there are four of them!

[gayest-classiclit]

SEMIFINALS; classic literature adaptation bracket

MUCH ADO:

based on: much ado about nothing, william shakespeare

medium: filmed production

propaganda: none because it was automatically in. however, david tennant and catherine tate were great in it. there is a golf cart also

GREAT COMET:

based on: war and peace, leo tolstoy

medium: musical

propaganda: 'Give it a listen (or at least Prologue); it's the greatest thing ever'

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 2; classic literature adaptation bracket

PUBLIC WORKS' TWELFTH NIGHT:

based on: twelfth night, william shakespeare

medium: musical

propaganda: listen to the soundtrack it bangs. what kind of man ru gonna be specifically. malvolio slays, violacesario slays, antonio gets a sad gay song, it's great here

RAGAD:

based on: hamlet, william shakespeare

medium: stageplay

propaganda: it's ragad cmon. the barrels. the footlicking. the likes.

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 2; classic literature adaptation bracket

GREAT COMET:

based on: war and peace, leo tolstoy

medium: musical

propaganda: 'Give it a listen (or at least Prologue); it's the greatest thing ever'

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO:

based on: henry iv parts 1 and 2, henry v; william shakespeare

medium: movie

propaganda: 'My Own Private Idaho is completely bizarre, blurry, controversial, bold, God it's just such a good movie in every way. The main character Mike Waters is based on Poins (i think?), his best friend Scott based on Hal, and Bob based on Falstaff. Mike and Scott are street children and sex workers, but Scott is the son of some really rich important guy idk. Anyway it's not exactly a direct adaptation but it is definitely based on the henrys and a lot of the dialogue is from them iirc? And honestly bob is definitely one of my favourite falstaff portrayals if not my absolute favourite and yeah it's just SO GOOD oh my god. Everyone should watch it rn.'

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 2; classic literature adaptation bracket

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU:

based on: the taming of the shrew, william shakespeare

medium: movie

propaganda: 'julia stiles and heath ledger absolute epitome of enemies to lovers!!'

CARMILLA:

based on: carmilla, j sheridan le fanu

medium: web series

propaganda: 'invented lesbianism. who needs a budget or effects when you have GAY CHEMISTRY'

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 1; classic literature adaptation bracket

DARK HALLUCINATIONS:

based on: fahrenheit 451, ray bradbury medium: album propaganda: none. it is by a metal band and released in the 90s. banger album cover though look at that

DUODECIMAL:

based on: twelfth night, william shakespeare medium: short story propaganda: 'It’s so fucking good! It has symbolism! It delves deep into the Malvolio Plot—which is often brushed aside due to its messiness, but Goosebooks dives fully into that messiness and emerges from the other side with a heartbreaking, hopeful, and humorous story about mental illness, neurodivergence, and gender. It has OCD neurodivergent queer Malvolio what more do you WANT from me guys. Go read Duodecimal I am sending you psychic waves to go read Duodecimal.'

[gayest-classiclit]

ROUND 1; classic literature adaptation bracket

THE LAST TRUE POETS OF THE SEA:

based on: twelfth night, william shakespeare medium: book propaganda: 'Modern day Twelfth Night done by a woman who clearly understood the assignment. Leans hard into the “Olivia and Viola are foils” and the “Olivia and Viola are in love” which honestly is almost enough for me to give it a 10/10 out of the get go. An honest portrayal of mental illness and how it can both fuck you up and make you an asshole, but also how you can move forward in an unflinching yet very sympathetic and loving way. Has a genuinely touching sibling relationship. Also a very vivid setting.'

GHOST QUARTET:

based on: notably edgar allan poe's fall of the house of usher, but perhaps 1001 nights also medium: musical propaganda: it's ghost quartet. there are many many influences. they sing about ghosts! there are four of them!