#he can divide by biography!

[uniquely-tired]

two posts?! In one day?! In one week?! I'm crazy

[vague-humanoid]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/05/10/mlk-malcolm-x-playboy-alex-haley/

Jonathan Eig was deep in the Duke University archives researching his new biography of Martin Luther King Jr. when he made an alarming discovery: King’s harshest and most famous criticism of Malcolm X, in which he accused his fellow civil rights leader of “fiery, demagogic oratory,” appears to have been fabricated.

“I think its historic reverberations are huge,” Eig told The Washington Post. “We’ve been teaching people for decades, for generations, that King had this harsh criticism of Malcolm X, and it’s just not true.”

The quote came from a January 1965 Playboy interview with author Alex Haley, a then-43-year-old Black journalist, and was the longest published interview King ever did. Because of the severity of King’s criticism, it has been repeated countless times, cast as a dividing line between King and Malcolm X. The new revelation “shows that King was much more open-minded about Malcolm than we’ve tended to portray him,” Eig said.

Haley’s legacy has been tarnished by accusations of plagiarism and historical inaccuracy in his most famous book, “Roots,” but this latest finding could open up more of his work to criticism, especially “The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley” — released nine months after Malcolm X’s assassination in 1965.

Malcolm X, a member of the Nation of Islam, had frequently attacked King and his commitment to nonviolence, going so far as to call King a “modern Uncle Tom.” But his criticism often had “strategic purposes,” Eig said.

In acting as “a foil” to King, his message had more value to the media. “King saw value in being a foil to Malcolm sometimes, too. But I think at their core they had a lot in common. They certainly shared a lot of the same goals,” Eig said.

Eig, who previously wrote acclaimed biographies of Muhammad Ali and Lou Gehrig, said he found the fabrication in the course of his standard book research for “King: A Life,” due out May 16. When a subject has given a long interview, he’ll look through the archives of the journalist who conducted it, hoping to find notes or tapes with previously unpublished anecdotes.

He did not find a recording of Haley’s interview with King in the Haley archives at Duke, but he did find what appears to be an unedited transcript of the full interview, likely typed by a secretary straight from a recording, Eig said. Eig provided The Post with a copy of the transcript.

On page 60 of the 84-pagedocument, Haley asks, “Dr. King, would you care to comment upon the articulate former Black Muslim, Malcolm X?”

King responds: “I have met Malcolm X, but circumstances didn’t enable me to talk with him for more than a minute. I totally disagree with many of his political and philosophical views, as I understand them. He is very articulate, as you say. I don’t want to seem to sound as if I feel so self-righteous, or absolutist, that I think I have the only truth, the only way. Maybe he does have some of the answer. But I know that I have so often felt that I wished that he would talk less of violence, because I don’t think that violence can solve our problem. And in his litany of expressing the despair of the Negro, without offering a positive, creative approach, I think that he falls into a rut sometimes.”

That is not how King’s response appeared in the published interview. While the top part is nearly identical with the transcript, it ended in Playboy like this: “And in his litany of articulating the despair of the Negro without offering any positive, creative alternative,I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice. Fiery, demagogic oratory in the black ghettos, urging Negroes to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence, as he has done, can reap nothing but grief.”

Some of the phrases added to King’s answer appear to be taken significantly out of context, while others appear to be fabricated:

@meanmisscharles @russianspacegeckosexparty @ubernegro @that-biracial-geek-girl @redstarovermoundcity

Eig has shared this discovery with a number of King scholars, and the changes “jumped out” to them as “a real fraud,” Eig said. “They’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve been teaching that to my students for years,’ and now they have to rethink it,” Eig said.

[randomrottmntscreenshots]

Would you happen to have any screenshots of Donnie showing off his platinum library card?

he can divide by biographies!!

[mybworlds]

Chapter 1: The Mermaid of The Narrow Sea

Title: The Mermaid of the Narrow Sea Pairing: Oberyn Martell x F!Reader (no use of Y/N) Summary: Essos. You are a slave since you were a little girl. One day you are sold to a mysterious man who could be your only chance to escape and be free.

Masterlist Rating: M Series Warnings: Age gap, slavery, violence, blood, death, alcohol use, slow burn, sexism, smut, dom/sub dynamics, rape attempts Extra warnings: there's a vicious brother (oc), Ellaria is a jealous woman in this story.

Before to start... my idea is to twist Oberyn's biography a little bit and intertwine it with the main character's story and what happens in Westeros in the next chapters, so I'm not sure what will come of it. I hope you like this my (new) story.

This is my second story in the Game of Thrones universe, the other is a SanSan, you can find it in my masterlist, I'm a lil afraid to write about Prince Oberyn 'cause I know he's very loved, who doesn't? ;) If you want let me know what you think about.

follow @mybworlds and turn on notifications to get notified when I post new fics

Thanks for the dividers @idontgetanysleep

Fire warms your sun-ruined skin, your hair is a shapeless tangled heap, you wear a tunic too small for your body, it's a woman's body now, not a child's.

Your eyes are likened to burning embers especially when you get angry or challenge even with your gaze your masters. You are a slave. You've been a slave since you were a child. Your mother had been captured when you weren't even five, and since then you along with other men, women and slavers have done nothing but roam the eastern continent.

You are a beautiful young woman, your proud look and posture stand out though you are only a slave. For these your qualities, you are called the Mermaid of the Narrow Sea.

People who had enslaved your mother move from place to place, from inland to the shores of the Narrow Sea.

That day you are dragged by those bloody people back to the shores, and on that day the wind blows hard shaking the barren lands overlooking the Sea and shaking the hair of everyone there. You and other women are gathered there by the cliff, all are afraid since they all fear what may happen to them, you don't. You watch raptly as the waves crash on the rocks, then you scan the horizon with a wistful look.

"Soon, very soon we'll see what you are made of," hisses one of the men threateningly in your ear who had also tried in the past to take you by force.

"I'm not afraid." you challenge him by turning your gaze toward the man who raises his hand as if to strike you, but then has second thoughts: hitting you would not scratch you, take that look away, or satisfy him.

"Someday, you damn bitch, someone will tame you," he says grudgingly and then walks away.

"When that day comes, I'll be ready," you whisper, but it's more of a reminder to yourself to never give up and never bend no matter what happens.

You promised to yourself this ever since you witnessed the rape and murder of your mother. Your mother was sold to a prince or king in Westeros, out of the goodness of this prince or king, whoever he was, you were bought too. One evening, however, the man showed in your quarters, your mother, probably sensing what was going to happen, immediately made you hide in a closet filled with sacks of grain, bread and other food making you swear not to go out or be heard for any reason in the world.

When the man was there, you witnessed something that no one should ever see: your mother, the woman who gave birth to you, the woman who loved you, the woman you always saw as your rock, slapped and thrown to the ground and then her screams overpowered by the man's obscene sounds and words.

You closed your eyes and plugged your ears tightly, almost unable to hear after so much you pressed your palms over your ears. When you dared to open your eyes again, you saw the man's sword rise and fall on your mother's neck and blood gushing copiously on the floor, on her clothes and on the man's sword. Your mother choked in her own blood as the man wiped his sword back against the woman's now blood-soaked dress.

When you were able to come out of your hiding place, you found your mother with her eyes wide open in an expression of pure terror painted on her face, from then on you swore to yourself that no one, ever, would touch you, neither a slave nor a merchant nor a king nor a prince.

"She is the Mermaid of the Narrow Sea, gentlemen." you are introduced by a plump man who sells women for a good price in exchange for wine, silk and spices "Beautiful as you can see, she will be able to satisfy your every fantasy, she is an obedient girl who knows her place."

You stare grimly and hard at all the men who stare at you as if you were an animal for slaughter. You see some talking excitedly, others licking their lips as if you were a tasty exotic dish to be put on the table.

"More than Mermaid seems to me to be ready to rip our throats out," someone comments, provoking general hilarity.

"I kill those who provoke me only," you reply venomously bringing down general silence, slaves don't speak, someone hits you from behind causing you to fall to your knees. The men laugh, but this doesn't make you lose your resolve or your hard stare.

You quickly get back on your feet.

People whisper, the plump man tries to sell you in every way, but no one buys you. One of the slavers pulls you away, when you are in a separate place he ties your hands and feet with a very heavy chain, "I should rip that damned tongue out of you!" the man threatens you and then kicks you in the side and walks away. In front of him you didn't react to that gesture, but now that you're alone you squeeze your eyes and moan in pain, you want to see what he did to you, but you can't.

You hide your head between your legs, you don't cry, you never cry, there is no point in crying, you just have to hold on. The day will come when you will be free and you can get rid of these heavy chains.

The next day someone wakes you up with the usual indelicacy and brutality, they release you from the chains and pull you by the arm, "Move, the market has ended and you're staying with us this time too." you don't know if there is disappointment in his tone of voice or what, for you for sure it'll be another terrible trip. You don't know where you will go, but they certainly won't treat you well, they never have. They are not going to start today.

All of you slaves - mostly women - are chained by the wrists, lined up in a row to each other, your slavers are on horseback, only a couple of them on foot and they are there to poke and prod you to walk, not all of you holding their gait. Someone dies under the scorching sun, someone from lack of food and water. Your lips are parched, your eyes burn from the sun and sweat dripping from your forehead, but you don't give up.

Not today.

Not today.

Not today.

You keep telling yourself, this is not the day you die.

Slavers stop to unhook the dead bodies and as you others who were further behind are about to stop too, one of the damn ones trips you and part surprise and part lack of food, you fall forward.

"Oh, you've fallen, Mermaid!" he uses that nickname with the tone of someone who wants to taunt you, you look at him angrily "I was hoping you'd be the next to die!" he adds with a venomous grin.

"Instead I'm still here," you say grudgingly, he's about to kick you, but you can't take it anymore, you block the man's foot in midair who falls backward. The anger, the pain, the resentment built up over all those years until now explodes with a force and violence you didn't even think you had: you pounce on the man by sitting on him and start punching him repeatedly in the face, you lose count of how many blows you inflict on him, his face becomes a mask of blood and he screams, screams attract the attention of the other men who grab you by the armpits and pull you away, in pulling you away you kick him in the middle of the legs and making the asshole scream once again.

"Fuck you!" you scream in exasperation.

"Now I'm going to kill that fucking bitch," the man says holding his face and making to get to his feet and reach you, one of his own stands between you and you hear him say "At the next slave market in Meereen we'll get rid of her, you'll see." this doesn't quite convince him because his eyes land on your face still distraught with rage and he tries to reach you again, the second man insists "There someone will heal your wounds and we're going to drink good wine, I know there's a good brothel too, you'll relax and forget about her." maybe this convinces him because he looks at you with less hatred and then he looks at his companion, you see him smile and his interest in you fades.

You can breathe.

"Be careful," a dark-skinned man next to you says, you look at him suspiciously "that guy, Aziz, is a dangerous man," he continues, referring to the man you hit.

"I can take care of myself," you retort looking at him grimly.

He chuckles "I saw, but try to avoid any more shows, you are too young to die." he looks at your face, "I hope that when you are sold because you will be, your master will treat you better than you have lived so far." you lower your head for a moment and find yourself barely bending your lips upward, you have never really smiled, doing is so strange.

The city of Meereen presents itself splendid and imposing to your eyes. It's the largest city you have ever been in up to that point, you walk looking upward and your eyes wide open in wonder although you know why you are there. What strikes you most are massive triangular-shaped structures, they are gigantic, who knows what they are for! You are in a noisy city, deafening almost, everywhere there are people buying and selling, there are goods of all kinds and types, before long it will be your turn again and the poor unfortunate souls like you.

They make you wear a knee-length cream-colored dress, one of the slavers dares to move your hair and you in response bite his hand earning you a slap in the face, it hurts, especially if he has hit you with a hand full of rings, "I sure hope you leave, you insolent fool."

When they have fixed you and made you presentable for sale, you get out of there. You are in chains again and this time you go to a wide open space that is swarming with all kinds of people, from prospective buyers to the merely curious. You keep your head down. Buying and selling is something that has always made you sick and that you have always refused to listen to; you go up on some kind of stage as if you were there to make a spectacle of yourself, you feel a disgust at those pigs selling you and the equally obscene buyers watching you as juicy meat to be put on the table.

"She is the Mermaid of the Narrow Sea," once again you are introduced this way by a huge man who pulls you by the arm beside him to show you to the audience of shoppers. You stare at the many faces, your head spinning, wishing to be left alone, to escape, but...

"I offer 1,000 copper stars," you hear one man shout, "2,000," shouts a second, you move your eyes from corner to corner, then there is an offer that interrupts all possible bids "10,000 gold dragons," everybody's head turns hearing such a sum. You remain breathless, no one had ever bid that much for someone like you, you try to spot the buyer, but he's wearing a hood therefore it's impossible to tell who he is.

"Sold." decrees the man beside you, you are immediately grabbed by the arm by someone else who hisses grudgingly in your ear "Finally, you damn whore, your time has come, now you will know that we were only docile lambs!"

It's Aziz, you look him in the eyes and with an expression full of disgust you tell him "Finally I've ruined that ugly face of yours, you monster!" he's about to hit you, but he's interrupted once again from another man "Stop it, it's none of our business now, go and collect from the buyer and hand it over to him now, it's none of our business anymore." says the second man barely looking at your face.

You and Aziz exchange one last glance, before he finally - and forever - walks away from you, you will never see him again. You hint a smile.

You are free from his obscene look, his stinking breath, his slimy hands. Free.

Free to go to another cage. The smile disappears again.

You are not free at all, you never will be.

The buyer enters the tent, he still has his hood over his head, and only then does he take it off, he's a man maybe in his fifties, or maybe something more, and then you realize that you can no longer escape the violence that has always marked your life and hollowed out your skin, you can never escape, never.

You are always a prisoner.

"I was just sent to buy you, I'm handing you over to your master's brother," is all the elderly man says to you, you can only nod, you are still a cargo.

The man pulls away the curtain and invites you to follow him, invites? Oh, it would be the first time someone has treated you like a person instead of an animal. You obey, you cannot object. Your hands are still tied and then there are too many people, you want to run away, but not now. Not today.

Just a little further on, there is a palanquin on which the man makes you get on and then he gets on as well. You don't speak, he barely looks at you, you are on alert, you don't know what the man's real intentions are, he might attack you, tempt violence, you don't let him out of your sight. You are ready to snap.

The palanquin stops, the man gets out before you and then helps you down. You are... in front of a brothel, you can't believe it, your master has bought you to make you a whore, your lips tremble and you lower your gaze for a moment, "Come." the man says in a sigh, holding you by the arm, you don't have the strength to resist and at the moment not even the strength to run away, even if you wanted to.

You climb the steps of the building and enter, the room stinks and it's dark. You can hear in the distance the unmistakable sounds and moans of sex, laughter, someone sneaks up totally naked in front of the two of you, you widen your eyes frightened, maybe you should start getting used to it, you will stay there now. Your master probably runs the place, maybe he himself will want to first-- you try to restrain yourself from vomiting at the idea, at the horror of that scene.

You wander between the various rooms until you come to a last room to which the elderly man knocks once, twice, three times with his fist as if it were a signal, someone from inside opens and leaves the door open. The elderly man opens the door completely and lets you in as well, "I have brought what your brother wants, my Prince."

"Hand her over to him don't give her to me," says a bored voice from behind, it's a man, looking out the window, he's rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"My Prince, Prince Mors said to give it to you--"

"To spite me!" he exclaims "He knows how I feel about it, and what does he do? He orders you to bring me a slave he wants! Set her free," he sentences again without looking at you, you widen your eyes, not knowing what to expect.

"My Prince, I'm sorry, but your brother..."

The other man sighs, "I know, but if it were up to me, I would free everyone."

"I understand, my Prince, but without slaves there would be no one left to perform certain tasks and chores," the elder continues.

The two of them keep talking as if you are not there with them, you start to think that maybe if you start walking slowly backwards, maybe... at that moment the younger man turns toward you and you don't really know why, but you almost feel like you've been paralyzed by his piercing gaze: your eyes plant themselves in his, you find yourself swallowing without even knowing why, you can't lower your gaze even though in front of that man's you'd like to, his gaze almost seems to want to burn you inside, it's such a strange feeling, so disturbing, you see his lips stretch upward and then you realize that's the end.

You can't move anymore.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

What moves do you think are KCs key strategic moves?

Great grey rock strategy. That's the first one. It the best strategy for dealing with narcissists. His experience with Diana taught him that if you react they win, so he's not reacting.

Glad you asked. This same me writing a post about it. These are the strategies he has used so far:

Over the top glitz and glamour strategy. He's using the same pr strategy he used to improve Camilla's public image: lots of charity work and lots of official events with as much royal glitz and glam as possible. That's why we are getting so many diplomatic events and so many gowns and jewels. That's also why we are getting the biggest, glitziest coronation he can get away with. During the War of the Wales he did a disastrous interview where he tried to open up and be relatable and it backfired miserably. He's not doing that again. He's going to create psychological distance by draping the royals in as much glitz and glamour and tradition as possible. The Harkles can't compare with that.

Divide and conquer strategy. This is what the Lady Hussey meeting was about. During Camilla's pr drive she had a lot of little tea parties with reporters and stakeholders. Many of those reporters (*cough* Rebecca English *cough*) are still fans. It's a tried-and-true strategy (Diana in particular used it well) and it works. The ethnic charities and academics are all going to be heavily courted and they will eventually succumb. The ones that don't give in will be starved of money and attention.

United front. This was also part of the Camilla strategy. Will and Harry were roped into photo ops with Cam and stories were planted in the press saying they liked her and approved the marriage. Stories about how the Queen secretly approved but couldn't do so publicly because of her official role as head of the church also appeared. Everyone was signing from the same hymnbook, just like they are now. Not everyone wore burgundy though. That part is new. The addition of the Middletons and Cam's kids is also new.

Symbolic substitution. Charles knows from painful experience that it's about the role, not the person. The equerries, Sophie's UN work, Colonel Kate, etc... are all about keeping the role alive. Sadly, that's likely why Edward may not get the Duke of Edinburgh title. Because it was held by Philip, the role is symbolically superior to Charles and can't be transferred to his younger brother without implicitly undermining KC's position. The same was the case with the Princess of Wales title. It became symbolically opposed to the Prince of Wales title which is why Cam never used it, even after her popularity increased.

These are the ones he will use in the future:

Pomp and Circumstance. The coronation will be epic. Period. Will and Kate's wedding reinvigorated the institution for a decade and the coronation has to have a similar effect.

Biographies. The coronation will result in an avalanche of books and articles about KC. He will use them to create a new narrative. I'm not sure what that narrative will be because it will depend on what Harry says in his own book. My guess is he will piggyback on Harry's tale of trauma to recount his own childhood trauma and how, unlike his son, he overcame it to become a visionary ruler. Yes, he's going to go for "visionary." He's not humble and he kind of deserves the title because of all his environmental and charity work.

Public validation. This will be done in tandem with the biographies and the coronation, and Harry will unwittingly contribute. Harry's biography will claim that KC was a cold parent who was more concerned with his public role than his family. KC will spin that, with the help of foreign dignitaries, charity leaders, and commentators, into a narrative presenting KC as a devoted (and visionary!) statesman and charity leader. This is the same strategy he used after marrying Cam when we were inundated with stories about "how good she was for him."

Future focused. Harry is stuck in the past, but KC will present a dynamic monarchy focused on the future. That's what Kate's pantsuits, Sophie's fashion, Will's Earthshot project, and the young equerries are supposed to signal. This is the only strategy that I am skeptical about. It's hard to project youth and vigor when you are as old as KC is. However, he's a cunning fox and I'm sure he'll find a way. A vigorous reform platform with strategic changes may be enough. I'm very curious to see what he does about the Commonwealth. He needs to do something big to counteract the damage inflicted by Harry's documentary and he only has like three months to plan.

[beardedmrbean]

Native American activists under attack via cancel culture say they hope to stop woke efforts today from obliterating wide swaths of United States heritage and history.  

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Boy Scouts of America both appear to be erasing traces of their Native American heritage, according to activists and to the evidence as well. 

Also, America’s most famous Chiefs fan right now, Taylor Swift, is being hailed by some as the great woke hope who can force the franchise to cave to charges of racism and end its “tomahawk chop” chant.

Not in Our Honor, a Kansas City-based group, said it was “hopeful” that Swift would be an “ally” in their effort to force the team to end the tradition, according to media reports during the football season. 

The legacy of popular Kansas City, Missouri mayor and Arapaho tribal member Harold Roe “Chief” Bartle could be obliterated in the fallout. He is a foundational figure in the history of both the Chiefs and the Boy Scouts — at least until he’s canceled, American Indians fear. 

“It’s a woke firing squad looking to tear everything down by telling us that Native Americans and Americans need to be divided,” social media influencer Maurice the Native Patriot (@lanativepatriot), a Swinomish Indian from Washington state, told Fox News Digital in an interview last week.

“It’s become popular to think that even seeing a Native American image is racist.”

Bartle was mayor of Kansas City in the 1960s, when the AFL’s Dallas Texans moved to town. The team was renamed in honor of his efforts to land the franchise, according to the team website and many other sources. Bartle also spent much of his life in the service of the Boy Scouts. He was a champion of civil rights, according to several biographies, as well as devoted to Native American heritage. But his multicultural legacy is in jeopardy now as both the Chiefs and the Scouts are distancing themselves from their Native American roots. 

“Native American history is American history,” Tony Henson, the executive director of the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA), headquartered in North Dakota, told Fox News Digital.

“This effort to divide us comes from the ‘hate-America’ Marxist crowd that wants to tear down tradition and rebuild the United States in their own image,” Henson said. 

Yet the Boy Scouts are “looking to remove all Native American aspects of the program,” one Pennsylvania troop leader wrote in an e-mail obtained by Fox News Digital.

The troop is also said to be scrambling to create a new insignia to replace “a Native American chief/brave logo” that it’s been using “for over 60 years” to meet what the letter claims is a new directive from the Boy Scouts of America. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the organization, which refuted those claims. “There is no national mandate from the BSA to remove all Native American imagery from the Scouting program,” Scott Armstrong, national spokesperson for the Boy Scouts of America, told Fox News Digital in response.

He said local Boy Scouts troops may have “misinterpreted” guidance about dialogue with local First Nations leaders. 

“The goal is proper respect, not removal,” said Armstrong.

[accio-victuuri]

excerpts from this article made by the styling director (Zhao Yige) of One and Only “The styling analysis of OnO is finally here!”

When I received the script, I also received an extremely detailed biography, which covered the personality traits and growth experiences of all the characters. Street dance is a field that I have never explored before. Seeing the mental journey of these characters, I feel like I have got a key, opening up the imagination of each character in an orderly manner. In the early preparations, my team and I did a lot of desk work, checked many videos of hip-hop competitions, movies, variety shows, etc., and also visited some domestic B-boy dancers for in-depth understanding. I also found Liao Bo, the host of the hip-hop competition, and learned about some hip-hop competition formats, rules and dress requirements for different dance types, etc., and cleared up many conceptual misunderstandings. I am very grateful for his help.

The styling plan for this film is divided into two layers: life and dreams.

The life part is mainly centered on Chen Shuo. This part of the group portraits of the characters should have a realistic temperament close to the market, conform to some settings of the characters in the script but should not be over-shaped, on the one hand, choose low-saturated colors in the clothing color system and with natural texture.

The closest people to Chen Shuo are his mother, uncle, and Brother Xie, followed by the scope of his daily life, such as the neighbors of the vegetable market he visits every day, and other people he comes into contact with in the working area. The most important of these is Chen Shuo’s family. Family of three. For the description of these three people, we did not deliberately exaggerate the embarrassment in the lives of the "little people" - the clothes are old but not dirty. Although there is a certain grayness in the overall clothing tone in this part of the processing, what is conveyed from the state of the characters is not bitter and depressing, but a flat and warm feeling.

The dream part revolves around Ding Lei, the exclamation mark and the stage of the three games. The feeling conveyed by "Dream" is youthful and high-spirited. The director hopes that the audience can see a group of bright and energetic people, so this part will be rich in clothing color selection and matching, and then use some emphases to shape different character personalities.

1. Chen Shuo (played by Wang Yibo)

In the early stages of preparation, I was still a little worried about not being able to turn Wang Yibo into Chen Shuo. Yibo has a superior figure and belongs to the "clothes rack" who can wear everything decently, while Chen Shuo's scenes are all about the current time, space and situations, not overhead living spaces and distant character settings. We made a lot of subtractions on Chen Shuo’s overall look. On the one hand ; The layering method and oversize silhouette dressing (loose clothes will cause movement ), the matching should be as simple as possible.

​At the same time , we also refer to the dressing habits of most B-boys, such as: sweatpants, light fabric overalls, simple T-shirts, etc., which are convenient for dancers to wear single item. Judging from Chen Shuo's living situation, there is no distinction between dance training clothes and daily private clothes in terms of clothing function. The styles of these two parts should be unified. In order to add texture to the traces of life, the distressed artist washes and exposes the clothes repeatedly until they fade. In addition, the effect of Chen Shuo's worn parts of clothing due to his dancing habits as a B-boy and the details of the outer edge of the soles caused by a lot of training have also been enhanced.

In terms of hairstyle, Chen Shuo has neat short hair, the feeling that he could have trimmed it in a barber shop near the Lamai restaurant. In terms of technique, the hair stylists of the crew were required to try not to remove the volume of the hair, nor to trim the layers, but to use more insensitivity to the hair, so as to present the image of a young boy with no sense of modification.

After the makeup trial, the director discussed with us several times, and finally removed several sets of light-colored matching in the plan. The overall feeling of the dark-colored clothing can make Chen Shuo more pure and restrained, and condense love in the heart instead of externalizing it.

Apart from dancing and commercial performances, Chen Shuo is also busy with making a living and running around to deliver meals. He lacks the sophistication of urban young people. Therefore, in the state of Yibo's full makeup, we also processed the skin texture and added some special effects of noise, graininess, and sun exposure to get closer to Chen Shuo's daily life. In terms of character background, Chen Shuo is still a boy with love in his heart and his spirit has not been broken.

Chen Shuo’s costume style doesn’t change much throughout the film (except for the special costumes for the two battles). As the plot progresses, his growth mainly takes place inside the soul and the energy generated needs to be maintained within the logic of the story. Consistency of character status .

[tamersa]

The shitiest translation of a book (known to me) aka why Polish translation of Good Omens sucks hard

Let me take you on an adventure! Sadly it won’t be  one during a nice and sunny day with happiness and laughter but rather a dreadful and containing mad giggles. What is that adventure you may ask? Why it’s an official Polish translation of Good Omens! Look at the photos below:

See all the plastic markers? Those are the mistakes I found in the book. But let me tell you. Those are not all of them! Just the major ones or ones that offends me the most.

You may ask: why did I use up most of my free time for over 2 months to do this?

Many years ago when I read the book for the first time I felt slightly disappointed. The book wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. It was weird, because I really liked T. Pratchett books from Disc World series. Maybe because there was other author? Or maybe the whole concept how the world was built? At that time I couldn’t even know that I would quite like the book in the future, and it wasn’t my younger mind fault that it was so confused. But the translation. Years later after watching the series I was wondering, why the book felt a bit off to me. And then my friend opened the book at a random, it was page no. 382, and found a mistake there. I thought it would be fun to compare both the original and the official translation. Oh what ‘fun’ it was.

THE HISTORY

First few facts to settle it in the time line.

The book was first published in 1990. T. Pratchett was 42 then, and N. Gaiman - 30. They co-wrote modern book settled in more or less the same time as it was published. It is important information to take here, because it might explain some of the terrible translation errors.

Polish version was first distributed in 1992. It had 2 translators Jacek Gałązka and Juliusz Witold Garztecki. It’s hard to tell more about the first one, but the other was 70 when he translated the book. Yes 70! And in his biography you can read, he was mostly rewarded for his books about army thins. My point is, while I don’t know much about this person I don’t think he was the right one for translating a book such as Good Omens. Maybe I’m biased, but just because there are some army men and some war themes in the book  doesn’t mean it has the right vibes.

But let’s dive into the errors and just wrong stuff I found by getting Polish book, English version paperback and pdf version for faster search of phrases.

There are 2 major types of errors:

“Editors” (errors that are not based off wrong translation per se, just lazy editing and some weird choices of the redaction).

Prologue and 2 part switched – the book should start with Eden scene not the character names introduction. Yeah in many old fashioned books it was other way around but this is author decision! You shouldn’t switch it because it looks better for you that way!

-        Chapters with numbers that not correspond with the parts in the book – yep in PL version chapters have numbers. What for? I don’t know, because there isn’t any table of content. And some chapter begin randomly not like bigger parts of the book.

-        Lack of days of the week – It is important for the flow of the book yet we can’t read it like in the original at the begging of some pages 130-        Lack of the dividing signs between paragraphs – sometimes there aren’t any. Because why to bother.

Lack of starting dialogue in a new line – there were few cases where someone didn’t drop a new line for dialogue and I was so confused who said what.

Lack of dialogue lines – in few places whole dialogue lines are missed

Interpunction mistakes, fast speaking with the comas not the dots – so pacing, that changes the flow of the book

Splitting text in general was terrible.

The capital letters, cursive and normal dialogue – in this book it is important what kind of font property we use – normal dialogue is different than Death speaking or Aziraphale talking in different bodies. But in this translation it is messed up. The angel speaks with capital letters like Death. That so not cool for me… and take those small pleasures reading the book.

You can also see PL version of the book has distinct change of tone in the middle. Why? Because you can tell almost exactly when the other translator started to work. And well, I think they didn’t communicate (don’t know the reason) because same stuff ,same words, even same names aren’t corresponding! You will see it later in the text.

story errors:

The first translator: looks like bitter man, who wants to correct the writers, adding 234532 not needed words, have sexist wording, and sometimes archaic speech. Makes one good joke and his translation of Agnes speech is nice. Maybe because he is closer to her times than to the times the book was written.

The major mistakes: too many words even for Polish version; Polish words are generally longer than English ones and sometimes you need to add words to have the same context. But this man goes so far with it is ridiculous. He takes 2 lines of good, easy translatable text that in PL would make max 3 lines and makes it to 5 lines. Why to add unneeded stuff?

Weird figures of speech that are not funny - those are really strong point in the Disc world book and in the original Good omens too. But the translation butchered those, drowning the wit and throwing random, sometimes even archaic, lines.

Crowley name – context mistake – Crowley name was Crawly first, the demon changed it later. Not in PL ver. Form the first line he was always Crowley.

Changing the text so context is changed too: like making an island form the a mountain, or changing a word that we don’t know if it’s a flame because the description is so vague. Or sometimes it is just translated wrong in general, changing the meaning.

Archaic words – like I’ve said it was modern book in the 90’. It wasn’t written in the 60’. Also new version of the book could be upgraded. Like in the 90 word ‘weekend’ wasn’t popular in Poland but now it is. So why do we have Saturday-Sunday and not just weekend…

The vulgarisms: bit too hardcore for a book that was co-made by terry Pratchett. Real Polish language has best vulgarisms and I love them but this book is not the place for most of them. Also because when they are there we could feel the impact. But you know what? Azz didn’t say his ‘Fuck’ line in PL version when being called back to heaven if page before it in translation he swears quite badly ( which also changes context…) Yep no “Fuck”… why the translator didn’t write “noż kurw…” or something? I don’t know…

Added words like “black Bentley”. In the original that phrase was used once or twice not like 10 times. The reader remember this car is black I can assure you…

Added whole sentences: sometimes the translator adds whole sentence without a reason. It is not his book… really…

Billion in Polish is not billion or million it is MILIARD – yep, those people are not great with numbers.

Lack of sentences: too many lines before? Let’s cut some of them out… I don’t know why but such a thing happens here too. Example is the Crowley pen scene.

Context mistake with the Bentley bullet holes – one of most confusing paragraph in PL version. I didn’t know what the hell (or heaven) is going on. So I read the original and everything made sense. Crowley put new window glass with holes. It was that easy. In PL version it sounds somewhat different.

Mr. and ‘Pan’ – mister in Polish is ‘Pan’, but somehow the book uses the Mr. shortening and sometimes Pan. Why not Pan all the time? Why to use Mister word in Polish version?

Spanish Inquisition – this scene is so butchered I just can’t… in Pl version it sounds like someone told him it was fun not that the hell congratulated Crowley for the inquisition

Lack of consequent translation: Asmodeusz I Wormwood – names: this is same name in English version. Also sister Mary’s surname once is translated and later is used as it was in the original (in my opinion it should be translated so the reader would understand it better)

Kraken!! – do you know that first translator didn’t knew that Kraken is a name of underwater past and thought it is some kind of light vulgarism? I couldn’t make that up myself…

Ineffable – this word is translated on many occasion in a different way, sometimes changing the meaning like Az said it is ineffable and in PL version is “Azz couldn’t find a way to explain this” really. Only later in the book the word is translated better. And as it is a running joke in the book it should be translated consistently in my opinion.

No food joke with deviled eggs and angel cake. And it was completely spoiled. The translator either didn’t know what deviled eggs are or thought it is overcooked food and made Aziraphale not like it.  Even after one drink I thought out how to make food pun and not spoil the part…

Fell’s name – I like the small pun that Az took last letters of his name to make a fake family name, however in Polish version translator didn’t see the joke and put there some weird ass cringe pseudonym.

And of course homophobia…– and not one that Az look like a stereotypical homosexual man no… also the “southern pansy’ is translated each time differently and at least once so much more vulgar and offensive.

Killing the joke about healing the bike – I love this joke. It is silly and light but in PL version Crowley says it like it was some offense.

Snowballs in hell – Polish has equivalent idiom “hell freezes over” but translator somehow didn’t  use it and instead wrote “there are no chances for it in hell”… the meaning is lost

Being mean – translator makes some characters mean without reason

What is a bully? The translator apparently didn’t know and messed up by saying it’s same as a loser

Recycling paper is same as recycling toilet paper for the translator – disgusting

Famine – the 6 letter word. In PL translate as “głód”. So a 4 letter word. Yet the character wrote his name in 6 letter in PL version…

Pepper reads erotic magazine for teens in PL version, not some stuff like Bravo… really? Pepper is 11.. she reads about boybands and shit…. Really…

Racism - the joke about men’s underwear (when Newt answered the phone) was changed to literally “painting Chinese people white”….

Shadwell - and his hate of southern people was changed to him hating English people… why? Also his “southern pansy” saying, is translated as “ English fag” but also “funny guy”… yeah

Pollution - powietrze morowe and skażenie – one translator gave Pollution a super weird name, the other one gave a proper one. That means book holds 2 names and people will be confused reading the second ‘chapter’ and later parts of the book.

Second translator was bit better. He didn’t add so much from himself and didn’t make as much mean comments and mistranslated. His errors are mostly literal translation of the words. That means whole sentences and even paragraphs sounds at least weird but in the long run, some doesn’t have much sense at all  and sounds AI generated. But it was written in then 90. Well I don’t have the 90 copy but the translators are the same on both covers so I think it is a very sloppy translation, or one was a complete amateur.

Also the translator doesn’t understand the difference between chips and crisps. I don’t know why he thinks kids eats fries and not thin potato snacks all the time.

I really can’t write how the translation of the second part of the book is stiff and  not flow enough. Look at this:

read the yellow part… it sounds so off..

Sometimes the translator is too lazy to find a word in Polish so he uses an English one and then puts description bellow…. Why do that when there are Polish words for it?

Also why are most numbers written with letters and not numbers? Maybe it is normal to do so but for me reading the name of a number is more confusing than just seeing the number ( like writing five hundred and not just 500)

Also they had to explain what sushi is :D now really in 2019 the this book was re-release most people know what sushi is. Besides, even that description is wrong…

There are also places when you could use Polish names for stuff or people. Like the painters to describe Tadfield. Most Polish people don’t know ones in the original book. But when you use famous Polish painters the parallel/joke would be better.

The translator doesn’t know or remember proper Polish idioms like kopnąć w kalendarz (kick the calendar - in English it would be “kick the bucket”) means to die, using weird ‘punch the calendar’ why?

Again sometimes when there are citations from the song one translator keeps the original, while the other one translates it. It’s confusing but in the end the reader should know what the words means.

Translator doesn’t know that sometimes you can’t turn back(?) on the  road and for sure doesn’t know how to translate it.

Second translator sometimes also used the language calque and not proper words.

The first translator wrote too much. This one cuts sentences sometimes.

And why is there explanation what Beelzebub name means?

Ending – where is forever? – ending of the book has a warm and slightly philosophical ending. With word ‘forever’ as the last word. I don’t know why Polish ‘na zawsze’ wasn’t written there? it really takes away from the ending…

There are hundreds of small and big mistakes really… ( movie clip if I can)

To sum it up: someone had bright idea to give a modern book to 2 older men to translate, when they weren’t really good with translation, or vibes etc. The book has been butchered ant that’s super sad. It could make potential reader to not like it even if they read the original it would be fine.

I wish the publisher would hire someone re-translate it in or give it to another publisher.

I’m not someone with a degree in English language but when someone like me can ‘catch’ all the mistakes and errors, I wonder what professional would say. Good for me I can read in English enough to enjoy  the original, for all the others: better watch the series.

[i-am-the-oyster]

Ok I’m asking this question in the most polite way I can. I’m very very new to the fandom and just the Beatles in general and I just have to know the pure truth on John and Cynthia. Any time John is ever posted on anywhere, like TikTok, insta, ect, people are always flooding the comments saying John beat his wife and kid. Why is that such a popular belief when that didn’t happen? I know he slapped her once or something but people are alway saying it and I just want to know why if it’s not true. Again I’m asking this in the most respectful manner I can. Thank you !

Hello nonny!

I can tell this is an important and emotive question for you, and I hope I can respond in a way that is helpful to you without avoiding the truth.

I don't like the way that John's violence is often discussed---people do like to make complicated things out to be simple---but we can't avoid the fact that John was a violent man. He said it himself [1], Cynthia said it [2], May said it [3], Yoko sat next to him while he said it and she didn't deny it [4].

In her 2005 book, Cynthia claimed he only ever hit her once [5], but four decades earlier she told Hunter Davies a different story [6]. The way I interpret this inconsistency is some combination of personal revisionism (as we all do when we look back on our lives) and choosing a particular version of John to publicly remember after his death.

So what are we to do with this knowledge? This may be controversial of me, but I don't believe in dividing the world into Abusers [irredeemable] and Non-abusers [decent].

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

-- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956

John was violent, yes, but he also recognised that about himself and worked on changing. None of the Beatles were (or are) pure, and as fans we each need to decide for ourselves how much we engage with that reality, and how it affects our relationships with them and their work.

It's also worth noting that John was a notorious revisionist himself, and that whatever he said later, he really did love Cyn.

[1] "I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically — any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn’t express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women." --- John discussing the song Getting Better in an interview with Playboy 1980

[2] "Molly, the cleaning woman, once caught John hitting me, really clouting me. She said I was a silly girl, to get mixed up with someone like that." --- Cynthia to Hunter Davies in the official biography (chapter 7)

[3] "He was drunk and looked very confused. Slowly he reached out, put his hands to my throat, and began to strangle me. As his hands closed tighter I screamed out and I tried to pull away, but he was incredibly strong." --- May Pang in her book Loving John (chapter 14)

[4] https://amoralto.tumblr.com/post/46083471661/september-5th-1971-st-regis-hotel-new-york-in#notes

[5] "The next day at college he followed me to the girls' loos (toilets) in the basement. When I came out he was waiting with a dark look on his face. Before I could speak he raised his arm and hit me across the face, knocking my head into the pipes that ran down the wall behind me,". She goes on to claim that John promised never to hit her again and he kept that promise.

[6] See note 2 above. These don't sound to me like they could be the same incident.

[howdoyoudothedew]

Rated: G

Pairing: Mavpunzel (Mavis Dracula/Rapunzel)

Word Count: ~2k

A/N: Librarian Rapunzel and maybe human Mavis?

“Uh, do you have any books on Vlad the Impaler?” Rapunzel looks up just in time to see the prettiest girl she’s probably ever seen brush her hair behind her ear. It’s short enough that parts of it fall back in front of her face immediately; black wisps framing blue eyes.

Rapunzel blinks. “Vlad the Impaler?”

“Yeah,” the girl says. “I’m doing a report on him.”

Rapunzel feels her eyebrows rise in surprise. That’s not a typical report request. It’s not a typical request in general, really.

“You think that’s weird.” The girl seems to deflate, shoulders drooping like a balloon losing air.

“A little,” Rapunzel laughs, then backtracks as she realizes how that probably sounded. “I just mean he’s not usually people’s first choice. Or their second. It’s pretty cool, actually.”

The girl looks at her, head tilted and eyebrows drawn a bit. After a second, she smiles. “Thanks. My professor actually tried to get me to choose someone else, but Vlad’s pretty important to my family, you know?”

“I get it,” Rapunzel says, thinking of Varian. “My little brother is like that with Leonardo Davinci. I think he’d try to date him if he had a time machine.”

“Well, not quite to that level,” the girl laughs, her eyes shining. Rapunzel smiles.

“I can take you to his books, if you want?” Rapunzel says.

“Leonardo Davinci’s?” The girl asks, eyebrows quirking, mouth still wavering in amusement.

“Vlad the Impaler,” Rapunzel says.

“That’d be nice, thanks,” the girl says and Rapunzel slips from behind the counter to lead her to the biographies.

“So why’s he important?” Rapunzel asks as she scans the stickers on the books for ‘Vlad’. When the girl hums a questioning tone, she clarifies. “You said Vlad was important to your family.”

“Ah, yeah,” the girl chuckles. Rapunzel glances out the corner of her eye to see the girl rub her arm, her cheeks pinkened. “We’re sort of related to him. It’s actually, like, a whole gimmick of our family,–”

“Ah-ha!” Rapunzel grabs the book, brandishing it, then flushes. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

The girl shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. Is that the book?”

“What were you saying?” Rapunzel asks as she hands it over.

“Oh, uh, nothing.” The girl shakes her head again, taking the book and tucking it to her chest. Rapunzel has to stop herself from pouting. Curse her overly excited nature. She checks her out back at the counter, the name Mavis Drăculești catching her eye, and then Mavis is out the automatic doors and back into the setting sun.

“Do you have any vampire books that aren’t Twilight or like Twilight?” Mavis asks, leaning her elbows on the divider that rims the edge of the front desk. Rapunzel swivels her chair slightly to be able to see her better, humming an amused note.

“Classical vampires.” Rapunzel nods to herself. “But not Dracula, I’m guessing?”

Mavis shakes her head. “Nah, had it read to me as a bedtime story all the time growing up.”

Rapunzel bites back a laugh and turns to the computer. It’s cute somehow to imagine a small girl, all tucked in, falling asleep while a parent reads her a gothic horror novel. Rapunzel wonders if Mavis ever slept with a stuffed animal, before she mentally shakes the thought from her head. It’s probably not appropriate to wonder that about a patron. It doesn’t stop her from wondering if she ever slept with a nightlight, though. Somehow, Rapunzel gets the feeling she didn’t. Looking at Mavis, Rapunzel thinks she’s always been a friend of the night.

There is a list of books, Twilight included, that she scrolls through, before she stops on one. “Have you considered Draculaura’s book?”

Mavis barks a laugh. The sound is throaty, like it came from the chest, and Rapunzel smiles. “You mean the girl from Monster High?”

“Yeah.” Rapunzel looks up at her, smile full of humour. “It’s currently on shelf if you want to read it.”

“Maybe.” Mavis snorts.

By the time they’re done Mavis is walking out with four vampire books– Draculaura’s diary on top– and possibly a piece of Rapunzel’s heart.

When Rapunzel walks out of the backroom, a paper in her hands and the conversation she’d just had with the page on duty lingering on her tongue, she spots Mavis softly lingering next to the desk like she’s looking for something or someone. Rapunzel stops without meaning to. Mavis’ attention is elsewhere and Rapunzel takes the opportunity to soak the other girl in. She’s wearing a black Metallica t-shirt today, with a black and white striped long sleeve shirt under it. Her thumbs poke out from the thumb holes, and the fingers of her left hand are curled into the sleeve. Her combat boots have blood red laces, something Rapunzel noticed when she first took her to Vlad’s biography. The blue of her eyes shines like turquoise in the midst of all the black.

“I like your shirt,” Rapunzel says, stepping next to her.

“Thanks.” Mavis turns to her without a flinch, smiling. It’s an odd feeling, almost. Rapunzel walks so quietly, she’s grown used to people being surprised at her presence. It’s not a bad odd feeling. “My friend Johnny let me borrow it.”

“He has good taste,” Rapunzel says and Mavis laughs.

“Sometimes,” she says. “You’ve never had a movie night with him.”

“That’s true,” Rapunzel says. “So what can I do you for?”

“Children’s fantasy. Vampires not needed,” Mavis says.

“But appreciated?” Rapunzel asks and Mavis smiles.

“Always.”

“Great!” Rapunzel says, reaching for the books she’s been keeping in the bottom drawer of the front desk. “Because I spotted these and thought maybe you might like them.”

The books are from the The Little Vampire series by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg and Mavis’ eyes light up when she sees them. She takes them from Rapunzel, staring at the art on their covers, and Rapunzel feels her chest warm. Somehow she’d managed to do really good.

“I love this series. My dad read it to me all the time as a kid,” Mavis says.

“I thought that was Dracula?” Rapunzel asks.

“That too,” Mavis says, glancing up at her. “But these, too. He read them every October, it was a tradition until I just… got too old, I guess.” Mavis shrugs.

“I’m glad to get them back to you,” Rapunzel says. Mavis looks at her again with a smile that stops her heart then resets it a few seconds later, like restarting a laptop.

“Thank you.”

“What’s your dad like?” Rapunzel asks as she scans through the catalogue for Mavis.

Mavis shrugs. “Pretty cool, I guess, though he’s a bit of a worrier. He owns a hotel, actually.”

“Just one?” Rapunzel asks.

“Yeah, any more and I think he might blow a gasket,” Mavis laughs and Rapunzel laughs with her.

“So what’s it called?” Rapunzel asks, curious.

Mavis looks around them conspiratorially before she leans in. “Hotel Transylvania,” she says like it’s a secret. Rapunzel’s pretty sure it’s not.

“Hotel Transylvania?” Rapunzel repeats, looking at her, and Mavis shrugs again. There’s a sly smile curving her lips.

“Like I said, my family’s really into the being-related-to-Vlad the Impaler thing. Especially my grandfather. He actually named my dad Dracula,” Mavis says, straightening up again.

“My grandfather was really into it, even named my dad Dracula.”

“Wait, doesn’t that mean-”

“My dad is Dracula Drăculești?” Mavis laughs. “Yeah.”

Rapunzel laughs a little, smiling wide, “That’s pretty cool.”

“Don’t let my dad hear you say that,” Mavis says. Her eyes twinkle like stars and Rapunzel finds herself staring at them, trying to see if she can find the constellations she’s memorized in the night air within their depths before she shakes herself from it and returns to the computer screen.

“I have to admit something to you. I’m not much of a reader,” Mavis says and Rapunzel stares at her in surprise.

“But you’re here nearly every week?” She doesn’t add that Mavis also gets books every time she comes in. She figures it’s implied.

“Yeah.” Mavis shifts, looking down at the grey carpet. Rapunzel tilts her head.

“So… why do you come in?” Rapunzel asks. It’s not to use the internet, or do college courses, because Mavis always walks immediately to the front desk, interacts with her, gets a pile of books checked out, and leaves.

“To see you,” Mavis says, cheeks darkening. Rapunzel thinks she feels her own cheeks heat.

“Oh.”

“Sorry if you don’t want that.” Mavis pushes her hair out of her face like Rapunzel has seen her do a number of times.

“No, I do,” Rapunzel is quick to assure Mavis, hands coming up to touch her, before she forces her arms to her sides. Mavis looks up at her through her lashes, eyes glittering with surprise.

“Really?” Mavis asks.

“Yeah,” Rapunzel says. “I love helping you.”

“Oh,” Mavis says, sounding small. It confuses Rapunzel for a moment, before she realizes what she said and what it probably sounds like.

“I mean! I- You-” Rapunzel clears her throat. “I- I like helping you. Specifically, not just cause it’s my job.”

Mavis perks up, eyebrows raising, and Rapunzel feels her heart lift with it. “Oh.”

“Oh.” Rapunzel nods. She has no idea why she repeated Mavis, but it feels right. It’s a confirmation, an understanding. “I close tonight, but if you want to stay…”

“Yes.” Mavis smiles. “I’ll take you out for food, if you want.”

“That’d be great,” Rapunzel says.

Rapunzel spots Mavis outside the library and waves a goodbye to the other librarian, the LAs, and the page she worked with that night before she runs over to meet her, pulling off her sneakers as she goes. The page smiles knowingly at her and Rapunzel nearly flushes.

"Ready to go?" Mavis pushes off the stone wall and Rapunzel nods before glancing around. There are no cars in the parking lot other than the ones she recognizes as her coworker's.

"Did you drive here?" Rapunzel asks, curious now.

"No." Mavis shakes her head. Rapunzel laughs, making Mavis frown.

"I didn't drive here, either. I walk through the woods," Rapunzel says, pointing at the trees behind them, and Mavis laughs as well.

"Come on," Mavis says. "I know a pretty good 24-hr burger place in walking distance." She holds out her hand and Rapunzel takes it gladly, smiling as much as Mavis does if the pull of her cheeks means anything.

Mavis walks her to a place she already knows and holds the door open for her like a gentleman, a move that would've made Rapunzel smile if she ever stopped smiling practically from the moment Mavis asked her out. Instead Rapunzel just thanks her as she steps inside. Mavis shoves her hands into her pockets as soon as they're both in the building, looking up at the menu.

"Do you usually get the same thing or do you try new things whenever you come?" Rapunzel asks. Mavis shrugs.

"It really depends. The first time I came to one of these places I actually tried to order everything on the menu. Johnny stopped me before I could," Mavis says, snorting. Rapunzel laughs, too, imagining an eager Mavis at the counter, nearly overwhelming the server before Johnny steps in.

"Will I ever meet him?"

"Johnny?" Mavis questions. "Yeah, of course."

"Awesome. He sounds pretty fun," Rapunzel says.

"He is," Mavis says.

The two of them sit at a booth in the corner, close together despite the diner being completely empty beside the workers. They split their fries between them and share a strawberry shake. Rapunzel makes Mavis laugh so hard at one point the milkshake nearly comes out her nose. As it was, the only casuality were a few bits of chewed fry they had to wipe off the table. It's a great first date in Rapunzel's opinion, and if the shine of Mavis' eyes means anything she agrees. Rapunzel chews a bite of her burger and wonders how to ask Mavis on another as well as how to ask for her number.

[geopolicraticus]

Did the "Magicians" reinvent philosophy?

I have finished listening to Time of the Magicians: Wittgenstein, Benjamin, Cassirer, Heidegger, and the Decade That Reinvented Philosophy by Wolfram Eilenberger. I found this book to be frequently annoying, but I nevertheless learned quite a bit from it. Of the four central figures of the book, only Wittgenstein is really familiar to me, so I had much to learn about Cassirer, Heidegger, and Benjamin.

A substantive reason I found the book annoying: certainly all four of the central figures of this book have been influential, but did they “reinvent” philosophy? Perhaps Wittgenstein did; many would argue that Heidegger did as well. A cluster biography of Wittgenstein and others who contributed to the foundations of analytical philosophy would communicate a reinvention of philosophy, or a cluster biography of Heidegger and others who contributed to phenomenology and existentialism would also do, but the figures chosen for this book were moving in such different directions that it would be more accurate to say that they fragmented philosophy than to say that they reinvented it. Benjamin, moreover, was an unimaginative communist who contributed almost nothing to philosophy (he has been influential, but not in any way that has reinvented philosophy), and, while Cassirer was certainly influential, he didn’t put philosophy on a new path.

A less substantive reason I found the book annoying: the author portrays all four of his protagonists as being rebels against academic philosophy, but in fact all four received a conventional university education, all except Benjamin were professors of philosophy, and Cassirer and Heidegger became rectors of their respective universities. These are not the biographies of men who rebelled against academic institutions, but rather of men whose lives were immersed in and defined by academic institutions. The cognitive dissonance here is palpable.

In Chapter VII. Arcades: 1926-1928, the author, in discussing the comical misunderstandings between Wittgenstein and his Vienna Circle colleagues (and here he is spot on), characterizes the attitude of the Vienna Circle logical positivists (and the tradition they inaugurated) as aspiring to be “engineers of the soul,” which he rightly contrasts to Wittgenstein, but which he also intends as a criticism:

“For decades, in ‘Wittgenstein research,’ every inch of interpretation has been fought over as if it were a matter of transposing the architectural plan of a brilliant master without the slightest deviation, rather than continuing to think in terms of the clearest possible vision of our relationship with the world. Precisely as if philosophers were engineers of the soul rather than creative seekers in an open space without a final foundation or a protective cover.”

I will admit I rather like the idea of philosophers being “engineers of the soul.” In early Islamic civilization philosophers were commonly thought of as doctors of the soul. As we have constructed our industrialized civilization, dominated as it is by technology, we stand in need of a new simile for the philosophical task; “engineers of the soul” sounds singularly appropriate to me, and I would be happy to shoulder the label.  

The book culminates in a debate between Cassirer and Heidegger at a conference in Davos in 1929. I hadn’t previously heard of this debate, and, looking it up, I found that there is another book about this, Continental Divide: Heidegger, Cassirer, Davos by Peter E. Gordon, who, like Eilenberger, situates the debate as a turning point (or, if you prefer, a rupture) in twentieth century philosophical thought. Knowing about this debate, I can better understand why the author chose to include Cassirer among his featured protagonists, since it sets up the debate at the end of the book. Still, that’s not enough of a basis on which to argue that the four protagonists reinvented philosophy; they did not.  

[warishahmed]

A Tribute to Cho Gi Seok

Having used Cho Gi Seok in numerous presentations and assignments, I believe it is a crime not to have written a blog post about him. So here's my appreciation to my favorite photographer and muse:

Admiration at First Sight

Nostalgia #2, Cho Gi Seok, 2020

While browsing Pinterest, I came across a photo of a girl in a school uniform. She was adorned with a series of small fish or shark figurines that seemed to flow over her head, across her face, and towards her shoulder. It was one of those photographs that gave me a "aha" moment as I stared at it for hours, amazed by the idea of combining a human figure with unconventional prop, unlike the typical table or still life objects seen in other photographs and paintings. I found myself wondering whether these fish were computer-generated, hand-drawn or crafted. Another intriguing aspect was how the girl was framed, with her face seemingly divided or "sliced" into two by the diagonal flow of the fish, revealing only one of her eyes and her mouth. Despite its simplicity, with a plain white background, the photo exuded a sense of movement and life. This was my initial encounter with Cho Gi Seok's work, and it sparked a deep sense of inspiration and admiration within me.

Cho Gi Seok: Biography

Cho Gi Seok, Photographer

"I think flowers are the easiest thing to find that anyone around us can think of as beautiful, It’s like taking a portrait for me. By transforming and recombining them, I try to express my own thoughts through them.” 

Born in 1992, the South Korean photographer aspired to be an art director from a young age. Before pursuing photography, he had experience with graphic and set design, which he incorporates into his work and techniques. His photographs depict abstract themes, combining human figures with unusual props. He grew up in an internet generation, so he draws inspiration from technology and its advancements, which sets his work apart from the rest. 

Gi Seok's Visual Archive: My Favorite Collections

The following are my interpretations of some of my favorite collections and photographs. These are not entirely accurate to the photographers' intentions, but rather my own.

Not Alone, Cho Gi Seok, 2021

This collection of images portrays the sensation of feeling trapped or targeted by judgment or bullying during high school. The subject, positioned centrally, is accentuated by accusatory fingers or phones aimed at the subject. The close-ups and portrait-style shots echo the traditional yearbook photos, and the attire reminiscent of school uniforms adds to the overall theme. The flower prop serves as a symbol of innocence or vulnerability.

The title of the collection therefore imply a dark meaning, indicating that the subject is "not alone" but rather accompanied by dominating forces, accusations, and intimidation. It depicts the isolation experienced when one deviates from societal norms or stands out as different from others.

Alone, Cho Gi Seok, 2022

In contrast to the previous photographs titled "Not Alone", these photographs depict the relationship within a society. Cho utilizes technology as props to symbolize our connection to our phones or digital devices. Despite being closely positioned within the composition, each subject gazes in different directions, mirroring the way individuals search for cellular signals or internet. In instances where Cho omits props, he maintains consistency with his concept and theme through lighting techniques. For instance, in the second photograph, where the heads of the individuals are framed diagonally, a vibrant blue light illuminates them, resembling the glow of phone screens or theater displays that illuminates our faces.

These photographs not only convey their message visually but also capture the sensation of being without a smartphone in a sea of people who possess one.

Both of these collections, in my view, are not only semiotically rich but also visually engaging as photographs. Before I conclude my interpretation, I want to express my appreciation for my favorite collection:

Different, Cho Gi Seok, 2023

These series of photographs hold a special place for me; I find myself revisiting them time and again on Cho's Instagram. The way Cho utilizes props, framing, composition, and colors never fails to captivate me and serves as a source of inspiration. Cho skillfully conveys the notion of being different, drawing parallels with Franz Kafka's depiction of dehumanization and alienation through the symbolism of the bug in "The Metamorphosis." This connection underscores the theme of feeling looked down upon and met with disgust. The muted grays and greens evoke feelings associated with anxiety or dysmorphia, further enhanced by the use of paper-cut eyes that portray the sense of being judged and scrutinized. I've added it to my to-do list to capture a series of photos resembling Cho's "Different" collection, using his ideas and techniques.

Final Thoughts:

Cho Gi Seok truly stands out in a sea of photographers by skillfully capturing complex emotions and exploring unconventional, abstract themes. His work contributes to building a valuable visual library for both amateurs and beginners. While his style may not resonate with everyone, there's much to learn and appreciate from his captivating images.

[randomrottmntscreenshots]

"I can divide by biography!!!" always and forever 💜 Donnie being an overexcited dork in a way he doesn't often allow himself to be - to the point his eyes go out of focus 😂 it kills me every time

YEAH Mystic Library is a goldmine

[shinsengumi-archives]

The Shinsengumi and Religion

The information from the Ishida village census opened my eyes to the fact that in addition to belonging to different schools of swordsmanship, all members of the Shinsengumi belonged to different Buddhist sects, of which there are more than 13 in Japan.

It worked this way: almost from the moment they were born, people were assigned to some temple, and at the very least, they visited it.

But the Japanese are a collective people. For them, belonging to the same clan, the same fencing school, or even having the same character in their names is of great importance :)

And the assortment Buddhist sects also divided people into friends and foes! Especially since the peculiarities of religious movements can leave an imprint on their worldview.

Therefore, I assumed that:

a) Hijikata and Yamanami belonged to different Buddhist sects, and also on this basis they have different views;

b) Yamanami and Okita belonged to the same Buddhist sects;

c) Yamanami's sect is the same as that of the Nishi Honganji monastery. Therefore, he especially cared about the monks and opposed the pressure from the Shinsengumi who wanted to move the headquarters there.

In general, I mostly got it right

In biographies of Shinsengumi members, it's impossible to find information about which Buddhist sect they belonged to, but it could be determined very simply by their places of burial. Again I could only assume this, but in the case of Kondo and Hijikata, it was confirmed to be exactly correct.

Hijikata - Temples: Takahata Fudo (Hino) and Sekiden-ji (Hino), Sect: Shingon

Kondo - Temples: Tenneiji (Aizu) and Ryugenji (Tama), Sect: Soto

Okita - Temples: Senshoji (Tokyo), Sect: Jodo

Yamanami - Temples: Koenji (Mibu, Kyoto), Sect: Jodo

Saito - Temples: Amida-ji (Aizu), Sect: Jodo

Gen-san - Temples: Hosen-ji (Hino), Sect: Rinzai

Todo and Itou - Temples: Koenji (Mibu, Kyoto), reburied in Kaikouji (Kyoto), Sects: Jodo and Shingon

A rather motley crew, but it has a characteristic feature: those who are samurai by birth belonged to the Jodo sect. Although judging by what's written on the Internet, this was not very typical for samurai in general.

As for Hijikata, Takahata Fudo was his family temple, and Sekiden-ji houses his tomb. Both temples belong to the Shingon sect.

With Kondo, it’s interesting: the question of why the very first tombstone to him was erected at Tennei-ji temple in Aizu-Wakamatsu disappears at once. Why on a mountain, which Hijikata was not very comfortable climbing with a wounded leg. Not because this temple is on the way to the hot springs, and not even because the tomb of the Matsudaira family is nearby. It's just that Hijikata-san asked: "Where is the temple of the Soto sect?"

Ryugenji in Tama, the temple of the Kondo Isami family, where his body was buried after the execution, is also of the Soto sect, and this is hardly a coincidence.

Okita and Yamanami belonged to the same religious sect, but Nishi Honganji turned out to be the main temple of a slightly different sect - Jodo Shinshu. But this is also Jodo, only more "true" :)

So for Yamanami, the Nishi Honganji was indeed considered a place of worship, while for Kondo with Hijikata, it was a suitable place for accommodations.

But the Mibu-dera temple generally belongs to the Risshu sect. Serizawa and Hirayama are buried there.

Itou and everyone who was killed in the Aburanokoji Incident are also buried in the same place: Kaikouji. And not even on the actual property of the temple, but behind some kind of fence... They were transferred there from Koenji. I don't know why, I haven't read it yet.

With Nagakura, it's also not entirely clear: one of his graves in Sapporo, Hokkaido, does not seem to be at the temple at all, and the second is near the Jutoku-ji temple in Tokyo. This temple is of the Shingon sect, but there is also a monument to Kondo and all the Shinsengumi, which Nagakura himself erected.

And on top of that, more quality pics of the Shinsengumi sites: portfotolio.net/group/487492@N25

I learned about all sorts of different Buddhist sects only yesterday (before that I had only heard about Zen Buddhism), so I don’t completely understand all this yet, but I understood the main differences.

Shingon is a school of "true words", one of the oldest. Its founder was the monk Kukai, who lived in the Heian period. He is credited with a wide range of achievements in various fields: medicine, poetry, calligraphy, the invention of the syllabic kana alphabet, the compilation of the first dictionary in Japan, etc. The main feature of the Shingon sect is its close connection with Shintoism. In it, Japanese kami are regarded as avatars of various buddhas and bodhisattvas, including Amaterasu, an avatar of the buddha Vairochana. This is esoteric Buddhism - the doctrine of the unity of man, nature and the great all-powerful and all-knowing Buddha Dainichi. The task of man is to reveal in himself the true nature of Dainiti - the Great Sun, and then he can escape from the vicious circle of rebirths and suffering and achieve paradisiacal bliss in nirvana. The details are described here.

Soto is the largest Zen sect in Japan today. Its founder was the monk Dogen, who became acquainted with the teachings of this sect during a trip to China in 1227. Dogen promoted, in his opinion, the only true method of achieving enlightenment - "zazen" (sitting Zen). The zazen practitioner sits with his legs tucked under him and facing the wall so as not to think about anything at all. It's this practice, according to the teachings of the Soto sect, that contributes to a sudden insight that leads to the knowledge of "Buddha's nature." Motto: "Reliance on one's own strength."

Jodo is also called the Pure Land sect. It differs from other Buddhist sects in that liberation from the circle of rebirths in it is achieved not by one's own strength, but through the saving power of another - Buddha Amitabha, which is why it is called the "sect of the forces of another", in contrast to the schools of "own forces". The main form of religious practice of this school is the constant repetition of the mantra "Namu Amida-butsu", which was called "remembrance of the Buddha" (nembutsu) and was considered, with complete faith, the main way of obtaining birth in the Pure Land, the paradise of Buddha Amida.

You can read more about these and other schools here, here or on Wikipedia.

I also found an interesting site, with a large article about the "Religious Views of the Samurai" in seven parts, about seppuku, etc.

[brookiidookiii]

sorry i am going to go crazy and talk about some things from jos biography that stood out to me

Faves? (Music, colour, movie, food)

Nothing wrong with a little workout music (so oddly unspecific because workout music can kind of mean anything tbh. she secretly listens to basic pop music)

Grey is good.

Charlie’s Devils (I just know her first crush was the charlies angels girls. farrah fawcett was her first love)

Who needs food? Food is for wimps! (what does she mean by this)

Describe your craziest dream. It was really weird, but I once dreamed I let a guy win because I found him ‘attractive’. (i think more people should start incorporating this into ship fanfics. please) Best memory from childhood? The first time I was picked first when we were divided into teams. (okay sorry im gonna go a little psycho on this one but im speaking from my own experience. like back in elementary school, before PE classes were divided by gender, i remember every time we were chosen to pick teams, everyone would always pick the boys first. once there were no more boys, then people would start picking girls. even the most unathletic boy was chosen before the strongest girl was picked. so jo as a young girl, being chosen first for teams, mustve meant a lot to her. yeah sorry this one gave me flashbacks to the olden days) Most embarrassing moment at school? I went for a jog between periods and someone locked me out of class. (i never imagined her to be very well liked among her peers. and there has to have been more to this story than just "someone locked me out of class." ive been locked out of class because it takes a moment for someone to get to the door and i wouldnt consider that embarrassing. so like, were her classmates just not allowing her in or something?? there has to be more to what happened.) My dream date would be with ___________, doing what? Willy Slanks, he invented this great new workout system, BowTies. (from what I can tell bowties are this thing u wear for preventing slouched shoulders???? or u can also wear it while working out so ur form stays on point. i was right and her tall girl back problems are real)

[gilsart]

Are there any books you can recommend about Friedrich? German or English would be nice.

By the way, your art is so damn cute and adorable!! I am always happy to see you on my dashboard, even if you're "just" answering questions as you seem really nice.

hi!! first of all thank you ,,, means a lot to me, i always re-read my answers to make sure i don't sound rude or anything 😭 anxiety girlies where you at

about the books, there are lots!! i recommend you also ask @kattestrophe - she knows more than i do, especially about the german books; i am neither german nor english so some of those i own aren't available in languages other than my own.

the ones from my collection that are available in english/german are:

frederick the great by william f. reddaway - this is a biography, available in english, i haven't read it all because i only needed the crown prince bit, and that one had historical inaccuracies, so be mindful. but it has images!!

king in prussia by rafael sabatini - this is fiction and also available in english! it's a book from 1944 i believe, divided in two parts, specifically before katte's death and after katte's death up until ... i think the end of the seven years war? i don't know, i haven't read it all and i will stop at katte's death. fritz is very gay in this one as far as i've read, but in a queer disney villain way, which can be fun if you decide to ignore the homophobia. also one of the protagonists is katte's entirely fictional jacobite cousin, the most annoying man on earth.

zeithain by michael roes - this also is fiction, and only available in german. i have only read five pages of it (my german is very poor) and it follows katte, not friedrich. katte is also very sad. but as far as i was told, both of them are gay, so there's that. so far hans is like "it's raining and i'm alone and last week i went to a funeral. i have prayed to the god i lost during my childhood", certainly something very different from how he behaves in king in prussia ...

katte: die geschichte einer freundschaft by gertrud von brockdorff - this is also german only, i'm not sure about the actual book being available (i was sent a pdf) although it could be available in germany?? it is pretty old tho (1934) so i wouldn't know much about that. this one is also more about katte and friedrich, again fiction, it's eight chapters, still haven't read it because this bad boy is written in fraktur and i have trouble reading that but i have had conversations about it, and boy is it queer. there is a single chapter in which katte has a small identity crisis and has a romance with wilhelmine, but after that he's back to longing for frédéric and his "wide, bright and impenetrable" eyes that bewitch everyone. fellas is it gay to think your male friend's eyes are what you need a woman to have so you can actually love her?

the sorrows of frederick by romulus linney - available in english, this is a play from 1966, still haven't read it (the package is somewhere in europe right now), i think it follows all of fritz's life? it has fredersdorf, at least. but fredersdorf here knows katte, so eh. some anachronistic thingies here and there, what's new.

der alte fritz in 50 bildern - i can't figure out the name of the authors (damn it, fraktur) but worry not: this only has somewhat cool illustrations about fritz's life and a little bit of german text. at least some of them are. others are peculiar: voltaire is shorter than fritz in these. he wishes. i'm adding a photo though, so you can see!

i also own a pretty interesting book, not about fritz but about the seven years war in general, titled "prussian army soldiers and the seven years' war: the psychology of honour" by katrin and sascha moebius (there is an umlaut on the o there; i'm writing this on my pc and don't know where to find it).

i also have "later selected poems" by sheenagh pugh, which contains "five voices", a cycle of five poems showing five different perspectives on katte, if you're interested in that. there isn't a fritz perspective, though.

he also has a short chapter in "bad gays" by huw lemmey and ben miller, but i found it to be somewhat offensive at some point, although that could be a translation issue: there is a pretty offensive slur and some things i found to be inaccurate. overall i wouldn't buy it. i only bought it because the italian edition has very cool illustrations, at a time where i did not know about this translation thing.

the rest of my books are all available in italian only (or about voltaire).

hope this was helpful!