#parf news

[parf-fan]

This blog is still in a coma (as opposed to dead) for an indeterminate amount of time, but I need to make this one post.  If you don't feel like reading it all, just go look through the links at the end.  It's about a piece of theatre that is being streamed just this weekend.

There is precedent for me shouting excitedly on here about non-Faire theatre done by Faire actors, with particular precedent for the non-Faire theatre of Michael Stahler (Horace Tanningrove c.2019).  There is also precedent for me mentioning that I am Autistic, albeit possibly not in so precise a term, at least not outside of tags.  There is not, however, precedent for combining those two things in one post.  But there will be now.

I cannot say as much about this as I'd like, for making words is exceptionally mentally taxing for me right now, and I'm also thoroughly out of practice at writing.  But I'll do my best.

I am Autistic.  Amongst other things, this is what enabled me to so keenly observe and so thoughtfully analyze and so deeply keep track of so many things about PARF, allowing me, in turn, to make so many informed and understanding memes, jokes, headcanons, analysis, and occasional fics about the characters and events of PARF: it was my primary Special Interest for several years, and remains an ongoing dormant one now.  (The shifting of Special Interests is, conversely, also part of what rendered this blog so barren of late, but we won't go into that.) Being Autistic is more than only having Special Interests, of course, but that's the part that relates directly to this blog, and thus directly to you.  Being Autistic is a bigger part of my life and more important to me than can ever be stated, for I would quite literally be a fundamentally different person, with a different personality, if I were allistic (not Autistic).

Michael Stahler is also Autistic, and would be a fundamentally different (probably less interesting, in my opinion) person if he were allistic.  And while he has sometimes coded some of the characters he plays as Autistic, he has never before the last few months had the opportunity to play a role explicitly written as Autistic.  This is in part because so few examples of characters intentionally written as Autistic are remotely accurate or respectful; and even factoring in the poor examples, there are just so few.

From the 17th of May through the 4th of June, Michael starred in the world premier of playwright Juliette Dunn's “The Puzzle” at Hedgerow Theatre (don't worry, the title does not refer to Michael's character; in fact, as one of the articles I'll be linking below states, his role is “the most whole character in the story”). I had the immense privilege and joy of attending it twice.  I cannot do it justice in my current state of writing, and I frankly will not try.  Rather, I will link some of the many pieces of news coverage about the show below, and plead and entreat you to read at least some of them.  What I will say is that it was the most incredible play I've ever witnessed, and might even be the most amazing theatrical experience I've ever had – including all things Renn Faire and Theatre In the Mansion, which is no small feat.  I wanted to shout excitedly about it on this platform back before and during the run, but I didn't have it in me at the time to make the words, not even in writing. As established, I still only kind of have it in me to make words, but I seem to have hit the point at which I'm willing to make words even though it is costing disproportionate spoons and the words are sub-par.

For those of you who missed the show entirely (which is most of you), and those who wish to witness the show again, you have one more chance.  Thanks to the League of Live Stream Theater (which I did not realize was a thing that exists, and am delighted to be informed is), you can stream a performance of “The Puzzle” on June 16th (7:30pm EST), 17th (7:30pm EST), and 18th (2pm EST).  That's this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. In each case, the stream starts at the indicated time, and is available on-demand for twenty hours after the performance ends. Tickets are $44 (that's the regular $35 ticket plus $9 for the platform fee).

If the antics of Horace Tanningrove ever brought a smile to your face or laughter to your lips; if PARF-fan's posts have ever enhanced your life; if you enjoyed the performance of sundry other Autistic actors at PARF, both Bacchanalian and Blackfryar (none of whom I can specify, as I did not ask their permission to namedrop them and their Autism on here), then I ask, I beg, indeed, I charge you to stream this show if it is in your budget.  Hell, have some friends or family over and split the ticket cost.  You will not be disappointed.  You will be treated to an astounding piece of theatre, a story about human connection and communication, and you will walk away from it wiser and a more developed person.

Here is the link to the show on Hedgerow Theatre's website.

Here is the streaming link.

Here is the link to view or download the program.  Even if you read nothing else from it, you really need to read the playwright's note (page three, four if you include the cover) before seeing the play, for context and definitions (particularly if you know little about Autism, but it's still important even if you're already informed).

The photos in one of the “artist spotlight” posts from Hedgerow's facebook page include pictures of the display that the audience had to walk past in the theatre to get to the house (put together by the dramaturg).  As with the playwright's note, it is very important to read this display for further context and explanations, particularly if you know little about Autism (and you'll likely learn something new even if you're already informed; I certainly did).  I am having difficulty making the “embed post” thing work, so I have instead attached the pictures I took of that same display (the text is more readable in these ones, anyway).  While I received permission to photograph the display, I did not ask about posting the pictures, and will remove them if Hedgerow asks.  The first five images are closeups of (most of) the relevant text (hence being more readable).  The remaining four are wider shots, intended to showcase the display more than the text.

And here are the many pieces of news coverage which do a far batter job than I currently can of describing the show and why you should see it.

Broadway World's initial article, a well-rounded introduction to the play.

Broadway World's followup article about the extended run and the streaming option. Much directly from the first article.

NBC10 Phillidelphia's video reporting on the show.  It's 2:37 long.  Good supplement to the well-rounded Broadway World article.

NPR and PBS WHYY: Mostly a behind-the-scenes angle, about the acting and the writing of it.  Definitely worth a read.

Li'l interview with Michael on KYW news radio.

Delco Culture Vultures: A review that provides a more detailed look at the content of the story and somewhat at the setup of the show.  Contains traces of info about the plot, and is thus to be avoided if you are as neurotic about anything that could be considered a spoiler as I am (so probably literally everybody will be fine to read it).

Broad Street Review: Discusses the title, takes us on a bit of a journey with the writer to go see the show, brings in additional perspective. Contains very detailed description of the flavour of the play, relates more events within the play than any other article.  Very good article, definitely worth a read if you're at all concerned about the content of the play, or otherwise unsure whether or not you want to see it.

Delco Times article.  Looks to be mostly rehashing of parts of the Broadway World article, but not wholly identical.  Has an audio option.

Philadelphia Inquirer's “The thing of the week” blurb.  The blurb is about halfway down the page.

The interview with the playwright referenced in the “Thing of the week” blurb; only available to paid subscribers (I thus have been unable to vet it or describe the contents), but it's not impossible that some followers here fall into that category.

Two short videos about a couple different aspect of the show, one from each of Michael's co-stars:

Daniel Passer

David Shiner

A wonderful post-show interview from WPPM with all three cast members.  There's enough detail about the events within the play that I would recommend listening to this after seeing the show.  Either way, you should definitely listen to it.  The link actually opens part-way through the interview, but you will need a free Soundcloud account to pull it back to the start of the interview (37:33).  If you don't, you will miss nothing about the show itself, but you will miss hearing Michael calmly and eloquently go off about the necessity of streaming theatre for accessibility.

-----------------------------------------------------

The Puzzle display (text closeups):

The Puzzle display (wide shots):

[elesianne]

Some resources for Silmarillion fic writers, artists, and general enthusiasts, 2023 version

I made a new version of this post since the old one now has some dead links .

The Silmarillion, full text by chapters - the thing itself.

Laws and Customs of the Eldar, full text from The History of Middle-earth: Morgoth's Ring. This essay written by J.R.R. Tolkien, with commentary by Christopher Tolkien, includes information on the elven life cycle and marriage, roles of men and women, Noldor naming customs, the fëa and hröa, death and rebirth, and the complex matter of Finwë & Míriel & Indis. Whether you want to write ‘LaCE’-compliant fic or not, it’s interesting reading.

The Silmarillion Writers' Guild Biographies are great, comprehensive summaries of what Tolkien wrote about a particular character, complete with quotations and references, with some commentary. They’re written by many different contributors so they differ from one another but all are useful when you want to learn about a character. (Older version, characters listed alphabetically)

Henneth Annun character bios contain less commentary but there are lots of them, including for minor characters, from the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The Hobbit and LotR. Bios include facts and quotes about the characters.

Heraldic devices of Silmarillion (and LotR) characters, including heraldic rules among Elves etc. Some are copied from Tolkien’s original drawings while others have been drawn based on descriptions in the books.

Timelines for the events of the Silmarillion on Tolkien Gateway which cannot possibly be accurate for all of Tolkien’s conflicting versions, but they are still a very useful resource

Arms and Armours of the Eldar is a comprehensive list of quotations from Tolkien’s works concerning all things physically offensive and defensive.

Parf Edhellen Dictionary of Tolkien’s languages gathers definitions from multiple other sites. Easy to use.

RealElvish.net Name lists are an excellent resource for finding a name for your OC.

Please note that I cannot guarantee the security or accuracy of any of these websites.

[pretty-idol-hell]

Speaking of chanko and other forgotten characters, I feel like eiko, nao, and nanami (since aira's hair in prichan in the cgi is the same) should be in a surprise team like what happened in season 3. (Like for some weird reason I thought when non sugar silhouettes first leaked I thought it was nao and eiko was going to be a part of her team since an idol can change appearances from different jewel types). I also remember we first had a MARS lookalike team in a prototype before dressing parfe.

Okay listen.

Justice for Nao.

(But maybe not in the way you think.)

Because yeah, she had a CG model too! And she even performed Make It with Laala in the Kirarin Star Live movie! Only to, of course, fade into obscurity after season 3...

In this case though, I wonder why they even bothered.

Because I think it's pretty clear from her character design that they never intended for Nao to become a main character from the start. So I don't see the point. Actually, I honestly don't even know why characters like her need to exist at all! (She reminds me of Naru Osaka from Sailor Moon.) Like, do they want to teach kids it's OK to drift away from your old friends when you get a new hobby or join a new club? Yeah, that does happen, but still... Whenever I think about Nao, I just feel sad. She kinda gave up on her idol dreams just because Laala debuted first and became popular?

Because thing is, if they wanted, she could have been someone! Imagine how much more interesting it would have been if she didn't forgive Laala in season one, and she did fade away for a while only to return in a later season on a surprise team in order to briefly attempt to get revenge on Laala (only for them to make up and become friendly rivals).

Like, imagine if they rewrote the series to replace Nao with Aroma. Or better yet, Chili! Imagine if Nao joined Non to try and surpass Laala only for Laala to be like WOW THAT'S GREAT I'm so happy for U! :D Hahah. What if instead of Non, it was Nao who made Triangle!?!

Or, like you suggested, she could still join with Eiko and Nanami too haha. Because yeah, since Eiko has a model too, and Nanami wouldn't be too hard to make, they could totally put something together still. Surely they will be the ones to awaken Yui.

So much wasted potential...

[squirrelwrangler]

Do you have any tips for naming Elf OCs?

I've had a lot of practice over the years with a large cast of OCs, but am neither expert or best at this. But here's my guidelines and methods:

First, look at the canon names and notice a few trends. Sindarin (and Sindarized) names are short. One to three syllables. Quenya is longer but rarely goes over five and stays usually around four. But two-three is the sweet spot. And use one-two elements or concepts. Don't fall into the trap of making a long name with a detailed meaning and notice that a surprising number of Tolkien's names don't have a deeply meaningful and poetic name. 'Fin' means hair but it's hazy if that's what the Fin in Finwë means and that's a solid chunk of important canon character names right there. Names can follow a family theme and while we're told Elves don't repeat names like the Edain did, we're also told that Argon became a popular name after his death and there is the case of Fëanor giving his son the exact same name. He also named his sons One through Seven, but that was a dickish political statement and not a convenient Elven cultural naming scheme.

Next, there are Tolkien elf name sites and lists out there, or least back in the early 2000s they were easy to find and I copied them onto a much-used document (particularly for gaming purposes), with the caveat that they are flawed.

What I tend to do now is go directly to the dictionary, pick a term, then modify it usually by adding the appropriate gendered name suffix. Parf Edhellen (man I remember when this was the brand new site) became my go-to for comprehensive convenience.

How to pick a term? The majority of my OCs are based on another character or have an inspiration concept. Also, and here's the top secret method - borrow names that other people have made. And ask others for suggests and help.

For instance, the Tol Sirion Ten. The Leithian Script's usage of the other ten that died in Tol-in-Gaurhoth as supporting characters was my main inspiration, but they only ever named one OC, taken from canon itself - Edrahil. For the rest, I pulled the inspiration from a variety of places. "Heledir" is kingfisher, which already has the 'thir/dir/dor' masculine endings. "Ethir" is spy/watcher. I could leave as is, and for a while I did, but then I added Ethirdor to make it look more canon. Arodreth was a pre-created Sindarin name without a canon character and I think originally got it off one of those name sites - but it means Noble Endurance so it was a good generic name for any of the ten. Now in the Leithian Script it only really made characters out of Edrahil. the Captain (my Heledir), and Youngest Ranger (my Ethirdor). So as documented in my tag when I brainstormed these OCs, I went to other fictional character deaths for inspiration. Well, except for Tacholdir. That character was inspired by two things: I needed one of the imprisoned elf stories to be about a plot to escape, so picking the locks of the chains. And I'm seriously annoyed when fantasy, be it published or fanfic, focuses the cast solely on the hyper-wealthy and highest class. Elves in the Silm are guilty of having almost no named commoners except Eärendil's sailors and some scouts. So I wanted a lower-class elf represented. "Worst Jobs in History" pulled through. Now Tancil/Tancal (Q) and Tachol (S) was in my favorite category of Elven Dictionary finds- both Sindar and Quenya with slightly modified spellings. The entry said 'pin as in brooch'. But good enough. Tacholdir/Tancildo. Back to Arodreth. If there's the Youngest Ranger, there has to be a contrasting Oldest OC. The final book from The Wheel of Time was fresh on my mind and I was still upset over Gareth Bryne's death. Arodreth had a similar sound to Gareth. Floating name now has a home. And if I did Gareth, I might was well use Gawyn (and then from there pull in the rest of the Trakand family and make Elf OC versions of Galad, Elayne, etc..) Now all of those names are heavily based on Arthurian myth names. Gawyn is Gawain and lo the Welsh roots make it Sindarin-ish already. Hawk, battle, talon...all terms I was looking at in the dictionary and name lists. But, also important for story purposes, I wanted a name that wasn't a visual copy to the rest. So the Gadwar instead tacking on another ending, and one that reminded me of Ohtar, a canon minor character - Solider that survived Isildir's death. Two syllables like Gawyn and very close without being a direct copy (Aerith to Aereth is an almost direct copy with the added bonus that Aer mean holy and -eth is feminine name ending). Now Galad is already Sindarin, but the inspiration character is Galahad, so I wanted to shift the focus there instead of making an OC sound like Celeborn's family. Galad in the books was famous for being the world's most beautiful man. But at that point I'd already used Ban/Van. So I mused on the general concept- a guy that women would fight to be with, the ultimate catch. The perfect husband. Which - venno. Haven't used that as a male name ending yet. And that's another element to making OC names - have a good variety within reason as a help for readers. Alma as a hazy Quenya word for good fortune or beauty and maybe flower. Almavenno, a four-syllable Quenya name from two parts for the Amanyar Noldor half-brother that when translated over and squished down becomes Galuven. We're back to the matching G names, it sounds roughly like Gallivant. Perfect.

[nonono-zzz]

Vanica, new OC... mom said I could get a pet, brought home this!🤨🫠❤️ pic.twitter.com/bMV2W2jQmM

— Parf 🍨🍧 (@ParfaitDesu) September 28, 2022

[prince-rosalium]

So, what is the Parf cast's favorite desserts?

this is gonna be long.

the age old question. i have never answered it here, but it is the question i get the most about my characters.

val- tiramisu. whenever i go to my favorite boba place, or to the bakery, they always have tiramisu, and my husband and i joke that val possesses my body at that moment. i, an entire adult, put on my best sopping wet dog face and let val's pitiful voice pass from my brain through my lips as i resist fingering up the bakery glass so the workers do not have to come clean up my pathetic fingerprints. "ough. tiramisu."

dash- lemon poundcake. it's the simple things. he's good at making it and good at eating it. he's good at many things. my daughter is very talented.

lupine- this guy is where we expect to get some like, super niche tea dessert from the wuyi mountains but we must remember. his new york italian boy swag makes him especially impartial to rainbow cookies, which i will include a picture of because i have heard people putside of ny don't know what these are???

layers of almond-flavored dense little cakes in the colors of the italian flag sandwiched together with raspberry jam and covered in chocolate ganache before being cut into little squares. eat them. find an italian bakery near you and eat them. but make sure the ganache is soft and the cookies are moist. the dry ones will be underwhelming and you will want to cry.

saturday- she likes marshmallows and very light cakes. like angel food cakes.

luci- white rabbit candy and any white rabbit desserts like the little white rabbit ice cream tubs?? yeah. but hes, in general, a pre-packaged junk food guy. guy can appreciate a good chocolate bar from the drugstore. some nice reeses cups.

tiff- cake pops. the pinker the better. she is miss starbucks unicorn cake pop.

oberon- he talks about rock candy in act 1 but he's also a big fan of dark chocolate. like, highest cacao count (bonus if it has cacao nibs) bitter, waxy dark chocolate.

donna- she likes a good italian rum cake

it was my grandmother's favorite and i am guilty of making my italian characters so italian. this whole sponge cake thing is soaked in rum syrup and topped with a little cherry. we would get these for my grandma from the italian bakery before she died and sometimes itd just be a plain sponge cake with whipped cream and a cherry and it would be SOPPING WET with rum.

toulouse- cream puffs. choux cream. give them to her give her one of those.... big ol tubs of frozen cream puffs. (do you guys get those or is that also just an italian thing...? the big plastic tubs of cream puffs?)

it's got a handle and everything. you can take this shit out like a picnic basket.

kenny- i had to ask his voice actor this one because i was actually stumped. kenny and his voice have a spiritual connection. sometimes he knows kenny better than i do. this is what he said

i think this is pretty accurate. i do think that he loves ice cream trucks, but he prefers chocolate to vanilla. still with cherry dip. eclairs are already kind of a household staple because of toulouse's love of frozen prepackaged cream filled desserts.

betty- fucking dirt cups

you drag her to a toddler's birthday party she'll clean you the fuck out of these

[rhosinthorn]

Elladan and Elrohir’s family tree is so convoluted but so fun.

I mean, half the family is (in general terms) Noldor/Quenya and the other half is Doriath/Sindarin. I’m sure getting everyone together the first few times was a riot.

In other news, I’m frantically checking family trees, the dictionaries on Parf Edhellen, and my own work as I try to wrap up the epilogue-esque one shot to Quintwizard.

[chandajaan]

hello chanda~ actually looking for a new perfume irl (i love fruity stuff)

aaahhh would be nervous to rec if your actually looking to purchase cus there's a ton of factor but, feel free to ask if you want any tips in finding something specific or what to look for, but ill give a broad recommendation that I hope points you in the right direction! I personally love pear, lyche, mango and orange (not necessarily together) so these are my choices.

Jimmu Choo EAU DE PARFUM

Fresh sugar LYCHEE EAU DE PARF

Tom Ford Lost Cherry Eau de Parfum

Replica Under the Lemon Trees Eau de Toilette

[m3nyas]

agaunst my better judgement becauae some sick twisted parf of my psyche hates myself have been rereading homstuck due to extreme boredom. its been so long since i last read mspa is gone and theres no way to properly interact w any of the old flash so wtf is even the point?? what the hell man. i hate new internet

[parf-fan]

Fuck it, I'm using this platform. This is both important and severely urgent. It's technically not even totally unrelated to the Faire: loads of Faire actors have adhd, being that adhd-thinking gives one a natural advantage in improv.

Tldr, which I'm putting at the top: you have a chance to help people with adhd whose lives have been upended as a result of lack of access to their medication.

For those who don't know, there has been a shortage of Adderall and Adderall equivalents for at least a year-and-a-half now. This is basically because stimulant medication is a controlled substance, so the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) imposes a limit on the amount that can be legally manufactured in the u.s. within the span of a year. The percentage of people with adhd has not increased; however, between the pandemic upending everybody's routines and coping mechanisms, increased visibility and understanding of adhd, and gradual erosion of stereotypes and stigma of the same, more of us are FINALLY actually getting diagnosed. More diagnoses means more treatment plans, which, in turn, means more prescription of Adderall and Adderall equivalents, and other stimulant medications, to the point that prescription amounts surpass the yearly cap.

This has, to put it bluntly, been absolute hell for the millions of people of all ages who literally need this medication to function. Our careers, grades, relationships, and more have been gutted, and so many of us have been reduced to a shadow of ourselves, exhausted and scrambling, never making headway. Individuals have suffered, families have suffered, and society has suffered.

The good news: the DEA is finally taking public comments on the matter of this low limitation. The bad news: comments must be submitted by 11:59pm EST on Monday December 4th – literally today.

For the sake of all Faire actors whose natural A-to-C thinking patterns have granted you laughter and joy, as well as tons of your fellow PARF enjoyers, PLEASE go tell the DEA to raise the cap.

Here's the link to the proposed aggregate production quota document.

Here's the link to the search results for "Docket No. DEA–1228P" on regulations-dot-gov.

Here's a link directly to the comment form.

For more information on how stimulant medication helps people with adhd, I recommend this ten-minute video from the esteemed How To ADHD youtube channel.

For more information on adhd in general, here is a playlist of definitions and explanations of common adhd terms.

A playlist of more expanded videos about what adhd is.

A playlist of fundamentals of how to exist with adhd.

And a final note: there are more steps to submitting a comment than just the comment itself, so be sure to leave a little extra time.

[prince-rosalium]

hiii can we know the parf gang's favorite drinks?

WONDERFUL!!! THIS IS WHAT I LIKE TO SEE!!!

val- favorite blood type is b+. oberon and tiff both have it.

dash- he used to get a starbucks iced caramel macchiato when he would commute to work every morning so he has sentimental attachment to it.

lu- if you ask him this he will break out a brick of tea leaves probably worth several hundred dollars and he will chop off a nugget with a fancy tea knife and make it in a yixing clay pot, also worth several hundred dollars. the answer changes every time he gets a new tea cake.

saturday- thai tea. just a beautiful icy thai tea.

luci- kid can't have caffeine for shit anymore, if someone invents a drink that allows him to have his sweet, gross monster energy flavor again but decaf that will be the drink

kenny- chocolate milk. a concoction that amazes him. a wondrous combination, chocolate and milk.

toulouse- she can never answer this. she lives in new york city and she is surrounded by boba shops that are constantly getting new toppings and following new trends. anything she orders is Fucking Weird though, like toppings upon toppings upon toppings, wildly clashing flavors. the boba shop is just like. her ordering a minimum wage worker to make the most monstrous concoction for her entertainment. but she tips well and they have fun!

tiff- honeydew boba tea with lychee jelly. this is admittedly my husband's favorite, but it seemed in character for her

oberon- oh he is a fucking slurpee guy. slushies and slurpies. chews on cold, horrible ice cubes. he likes the way it makes his teeth feel.

betty- shirley temple. why do u think her hair looks like that. she drank too much!!!

donna- i think she's into fancy wines but her guilty pleasure is just a strawberry daquiri

[parf-fan]

Things I learned from the final day of PARF's new Dickens Fair (which they don't call a Dickens Fair for some reason): it is, in fact, possible to perform a shitpost live on stage.