#THE TROUBADOUR SAGA
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what does dandelion (jaskier) look like in the books?
(jaskier (buttercup) also translated as dandelion, marigold, larkspur, and lovage...)
this post is a third installment in my "witcher character descriptions in the books" series.
physical appearance
physical build
Bounds of Reason, Pt. III: Beside him, a slim man with a fanciful little plum hat pulled down over his eyes, adorned with a silver buckle and a long, twitching heron’s feather, was reclining, gently plucking the strings of a lute.
Eternal Flame, Pt. I: A slim man in a little plum hat with a white feather jumped aside like a scalded cat, and the flowerpot crashed onto the ground just in front of him, shattering into pieces.
Something More, Pt. VIII: He looked down. A slim man in a cherry jerkin and a little hat with an egret’s feather was jumping up and down and waving his arms on an abandoned cart loaded with cages which had been shoved off the highway.
dandelion is slimly built.
a good start to this post would be to remember that n*tflix is only one in a line of adaptations, and it's not the first where jaskier's appearance has not matched that of the books - from an interview in 2001 where sapkowski answered questions from fans, one fan explained all the reasons for why he did not agree with the hexer's casting for jaskier. in his opinion, zbigniew zamachowski was, quote...
Kaszycki Nestor: Next - troubadour, Jaskier - he is pretty, young, popular with women, he is athletic (jumping on the roof in "Blood of Elves" and entering through the window to find Geralt and Shani). And unfortunately Mr. Zamachowski, in my humble opinion, does not have all these features. I know that the film does not have to be a true reflection of the book, but please, have some limits! The stories are really of the best quality, I wish you further successes and I hope that the film will be released soon, staying true to what you really wrote.
sapkowski, of course, replied that it was not his fault because the adaptations are not his to meddle in:
AS: All comments - especially requests - are directed at the wrong address. After all, like all vain artists I consider my work the only creative material.
Sapkowski answers the questions of the active users of "Sapkowski Zone" (2001)
the fan is, of course, referring to this scene, which, to his credit, is indicative of a degree of dandelion's athleticism, likely gained over the years from escaping out bedroom windows of his various fiancees when their husbands arrived home:
Blood of Elves, Ch. 5: He slipped unseen into the garret, clambered out by the window vent, slid down by way of the gutter onto the roof of the library, and – nearly breaking his leg – jumped across onto the roof of the dissecting theatre. From there he got into the garden adjacent to the wall. Amidst the dense gooseberry bushes he found a hole which he himself had made bigger when a student. Beyond the hole lay the town of Oxenfurt. (...) He merged into the crowd, then quickly sneaked down the backstreets, dodging like a hare chased by hounds. (...) He climbed the ladder to the thatch and leaped onto the roof (...) Gripping the moss-covered roof tiles, he finally arrived at the window of the attic he was aiming for. An oil lamp was burning inside the little room. Perched precariously on the guttering, Dandelion knocked on the lead frames (...)
it's also worth mentioning that dandelion is able to pick up and swing around essi "little eye", who is like a sister to him. she is described as a young woman, not older than eighteen, and very slim.
A Little Sacrifice, Pt. III: "Ech, Puppet." Dandelion seized the girl around the waist, picked her up and spun her around so that her dress billowed around her.
although he does, i won't mention the part where dandelion picks up yennefer because it's spoilers for the very end of the saga and it's insinuated that he had help in doing so... but also for context, yennefer is "short, even in high heels" (the last wish) and "willowy, slender" (a shard of ice) so she, like essi, also likely doesn't weigh too much.
i'll also mention that dandelion sometimes exercises good judgement in quickly dodging or leaping aside when he needs to, but is not prone to bouts of athleticism or agility. he just seems... pretty average.
if you want more specifics, just think of a poet who spends half of his time writing, half of his time in brothels, half of his time in restaurants, and half of his time starving alongside an equally starving witcher. and none of his time at the gym :)
hair and eyes
Eternal Flame, Pt. IV: Tellico straightened up abruptly. His face’s features, still those of the Witcher, blurred and spread out, and his white hair curled and began to darken.
Note: The context for this scene is that Tellico (otherwise known as Dudu), a doppler (also known as mimic - a shapeshifting creature), has taken Geralt's form but is now taking Dandelion's, so the description here is of comparing Geralt's features to Dandelion's. White is the absence of color, so changing it to any color at all would have "darkened" it... though this passage was misleading before Season of Storms (which explicitly calls Dandelion blond) was published in 2013, and led many to believe Dandelion has dark hair.
however, he is also stated to have fair hair on his chin in the story following eternal flame, a little sacrifice:
A Little Sacrifice, Pt. III: The troubadour looked down at the ground and scratched his chin, which was covered in light, soft stubble (jasnym, miękkim zarostem). Drouhard, mouth gaping, moved closer.
i've also seen this translated as "peach fuzz".
and in the mentioned season of storms, he's blond:
Season of Storms, Ch. 4: (...) A dandy in a fanciful hat with an egret feather stuck into it, with shoulder-length blond hair curled with irons.
it's also mentioned in the original saga that his hair is long and curly:
Baptism of Fire, Ch. 2: As for Dandelion the dandy, he had already been mistaken a few times for an elf or half-elf, especially since he had started wearing his hair to his shoulders and occasionally used curling irons.
dandelion has shoulder-length hair blonde hair, which he often curls with irons.
Bounds of Reason, Pt. III: A pair of cheerful cornflower-blue (modre) eyes shone from under the bonnet, now shoved back on his head.
dandelion has blue eyes.
age
Blood of Elves, Ch. 5: "I know you’re almost forty, look almost thirty, think you’re just over twenty and act as though you’re barely ten."
Tower of the Swallow, Ch. 3: "You, Dandelion, are still not forty. Writing was drummed into you in the temple-cliff school with a cane in the butt when you were eight. Even if we assume that you have written rhymes ever since, you’ve served your mistress poetry no longer than thirty years."
dandelion is in his mid-to-late 30s during the saga and "looks" to be in his late 20s or early 30s.
and yes, he was at least in his 20s when he met geralt. here's why:
he is already a famous poet during the time in which he first met geralt in edge of the world:
Edge of the World, Pt. I: “Eh, famous witcher? Haven't you wondered why?”
“I have, famous poet. And I know why.”
he only became famous after studying for four years, then did a fifth year teaching, and had to gain fame over at least "several" more years of travelling:
Blood of Elves, Ch. 5: (...) considering he had studied there [at Oxenfurt] for four years, then had lectured for a year in the Faculty of Trouvereship and Poetry. The post of lecturer had been offered to him when he had passed his final exams with full marks, to the astonishment of professors with whom he had earned the reputation of lazybones, rake and idiot during his studies. Then, when, after several years of roaming around the country with his lute, his fame as a minstrel had spread far and wide, the Academy had taken great pains to have him visit and give guest lectures.
and he only "seriously" began poetry when he was nineteen:
Tower of the Swallow, Ch. 3: "(...) But I don’t have to assume, because you yourself have frequently said that you started seriously rhyming and composing melodies when you were nineteen, inspired by the love of Countess de Stael. That makes one less than twenty years of service, Dandelion."
though it's worth noting that shani, a medical student at oxenfurt, is seventeen years old and in her third year, and it's also referenced in other areas of the series that novices at aretuza also begin their schooling around 14 years of age, if dandelion began his schooling at oxenfurt when he was 14, the comment about him seriously beginning poetry at 19 would make no sense because he would have already graduated by then. so perhaps there are different starting ages for girls and boys?
it can be estimated that dandelion started his education at the academy of oxenfurt when he was 18-20 years of age, due to the specific reference that he seriously became involved with lady poetry when he was 19 years old.
i'll say 18, and adding 4 years to this, he would have been 22 when he graduated, and 23 as a lecturer. now let's say "several" is around 3 to 5 years of travelling. he would have been in his mid-to-late 20s by the time he became famous, and in his late 20s by the time he met geralt. (and if you indeed want to have him enrolled in oxenfurt at 14, he would still be in his mid-20s by the time he meets geralt).
"that doesn't make sense because of the amount of time that passed between the short stories and the saga—" and i'm telling you, it doesn't need to. i may write a longer post about dandelion as a litmus test for geralt's character development throughout the series at some time, but the fact of the matter is that sapkowski likely just forgot about dandelion's age being a plausible thing, because it mattered so little in relation to the actually important parts of his character.
clothing
buckle up, buttercup! i've decided to chronologically structure this section of the post because dandelion features a myriad of outfits throughout the saga and he's described as wearing something different almost every time we see him; however, there are also some steadfast articles of clothing of his, which i'll make note of at the end. but these are all the times in which i can remember his outfit being mentioned.
edge of the world, pt. i
They climbed onto the cart. The witcher stretched out comfortably on the straw. Dandelion, evidently afraid of getting his elegant green jerkin (kubrak) dirty, sat on the plank. Nettly clucked his tongue at the horses and the vehicle clattered along the beam-reinforced dyke.
the last wish, pt. vii
“That's all. And now…” Dandelion pulled himself up, brushed his
jerkin, adjusted his collar and fancy—if dirty—jabot (żabot). “…perhaps, gentlemen, you'd like to tell me the name of the best tavern in town and where it can be found.”
the voice of reason, pt. 5
A peal of laughter and the strumming of a lute resounded in the corridor and there, on the threshold of the library, stood Dandelion in a lilac jerkin with lace cuffs, his hat askew. The troubadour bowed exaggeratedly at the sight of Nenneke, the heron feather pinned to his hat sweeping the floor.
season of storms, ch. 4
Geralt didn’t know who he [the person who had intervened] was. But he knew perfectly well who the noble-looking man’s companion was. A dandy in a fanciful hat with an egret feather stuck into it, with shoulder-length blond hair curled with irons. Wearing a doublet the colour of red wine and a shirt with a lace ruffle. Along with his ever-present lute and with that ever-present insolent smile on his lips.
bounds of reason, pt. viii
Dandelion tried to trip Gar (, but ineffectively; Gar clung to the bard’s rainbow-hued jerkin (tęczowy kubrak) and thumped him between the eyes with his fist. Yarpen Zigrin, leaping from behind, tripped Dandelion, hitting him behind his knees with the haft of a hatchet.
eternal flame, pt. i, pt. iv
‘You don’t keep up with the fashion,’ the bard grimaced, brushing a chicken feather from his gleaming, cornflower-blue kaftan (chabrowego kaftana) with puffed sleeves and a serrated collar. ‘Oh, I’m glad we’ve met (...)’
‘Phew,’ sighed the bard, springing up, ‘I’ve got it. It’s fine, Geralt, we can go now. Admittedly my cloak with the marten collar is still there, but too bad, let it be my grievance. Knowing her she won’t throw the cloak down.
‘Dudu,’ he said to Dandelion’s strangely deformed cordovan boots sticking out of the rolled-up kilim. ‘Copy Biberveldt, and quickly.’
EDIT: note that the polish word kaftan does not refer to the same garment as it does in english, the long robe-like garment, but rather something like an elongated kubrak, (jerkin), reaching below the waist but coming up to above one's knee, long-sleeved or sleeveless. this was specified by @karanfile 💖 thank you!!
a little sacrifice, pt. ii
They had already sold Geralt’s gold signet for food, and an
alexandrite brooch the troubadour had once been given as a souvenir by one of his numerous paramours. Things were tight. But no, the Witcher was not angry with Dandelion.
something more, pt. viii
A slim man in a cherry jerkin and a little hat with an egret’s feather was jumping up and down and waving his arms on an abandoned cart loaded with cages which had been shoved off the highway.
blood of elves ch. 1
He got to his feet, fastened his belt and pulled on his jerkin, all the while looking at the nobleman standing at the threshold.
baptism of fire ch. 2
Dandelion dogged Zoltan's company. He wore a quilted jacket he had acquired from the dwarves, and he had replaced his crumpled feathered hat for a marten fur cap that made him look like a scoundrel. In his wide brass studded belt, he had planted a knife he'd been given as a gift, giving him the look of a true rogue. The knife had a bad habit of pricking him in the groin every time he bent forward. Fortunately, he soon lost the roguish dagger and didn't have another to replace it with.
it's worth mentioning that this outfit is likely what he wears for the next month during his travels with geralt through to tower of the swallow / early october.
baptism of fire ch. 5
dandelion is injured in an escape and has to have his head bandaged.
Geralt took off his jacket and tore off a sleeve. The tip of the arrow had scratched Dandelion’s ear, leaving a cut that reached to his temple.
‘I will give you a few stitches,’ Regis said, still not paying any attention to the witcher or his sword. ‘Be brave, Dandelion.’
Dandelion was brave.
‘I’m finished,’ Regis finished his treatment. ‘Between now and the wedding, as they say, you’ll heal. A wound is perfect for a poet, Dandelion. You will walk as a war hero with a big bandage on his head and the heart of the girls who look at you will melt like wax. Yes, truly a poetic wound. (...)’
baptism of fire ch. 7
Behind Regis and Geralt rode Dandelion on Pegasus with his head bandaged like a war hero. Along the way the poet had composed a heroic song, in which military rhymes and melodies resonated and was reminiscent of their recent adventures.
we don't hear anything about his bandage in tower of the swallow so i assume it healed over the course of the month of september
tower of the swallow ch. 3, 5, 7
in september 1267, dandelion has a leather tube of manuscripts which was the first draft of half a century of poetry.
‘From these notes’ – Dandelion showed them a tube filled with papers – ‘my life’s work will be created. Memoirs under the title Fifty Years of Poetry.’
Dandelion pressed the tube with the manuscripts to his chest. He had not separated from it recently, even for a moment. You could tell that he was struggling with his thoughts. And the thoughts were winning.
‘And just in time!’ Dandelion shouted, coming up together with Angouleme and a small group of pilgrims, lute in one hand and his trusty tube in the other. ‘And not a second too soon. You have a sense of drama, Geralt. You ought to write works for the theatre!’
he loses it in anna henrietta's closet sometime in april 1268 when he cheated on the duchess with baroness nique.
‘Dandelion!’ Geralt had only just noticed what he should have noticed much earlier. ‘Your priceless tube! Your centuries of poetry! The messenger didn’t have them. They were left in Toussaint!’
‘They were.’ The bard nodded indifferently. ‘In Little Weasel’s wardrobe, under a pile of dresses, knickers and corsets. And may they lie there forever.’
lady of the lake ch. 3
The man who greeted them was Dandelion, coiffured and arrayed like a prince.
lady of the lake ch. 4
He found Dandelion in the knights’ hall. The poet was wearing a crimson beret, as big as a loaf of sourdough rye bread, and a matching doublet richly embroidered with golden thread. He was sitting on a curule seat with his lute in his lap and reacting with careless nods to the compliments of the ladies and courtiers surrounding him.
lady of the lake ch. 11
‘You are free to go, Viscount.’
‘And my property?’ yelled Dandelion. ‘Eh? You can keep my chattels, copses, forests and castles, but give me back, sod the lot of you, my lute, my horse Pegasus, a hundred and forty talars and eighty halers, my raccoon (szopami) -lined cloak, my ring—’
A ducal messenger caught up with them almost at the very border of Toussaint, from where one could already see Gorgon Mountain. He was pulling behind him a saddled Pegasus and was carrying Dandelion’s lute, cloak and ring. He ignored the question about the one hundred and forty talars and eighty halers. He listened stony-faced to the bard’s request to give the duchess a kiss.
his hat
up until baptism of fire ch. 2 / mid-august of 1267, dandelion wears a plum hat with an egret or heron's feather, a sight which is iconic:
Geralt knew this little hat (kapelusik) and this feather, which were famed from the Buina to the Yaruga, known in manor houses, fortresses, inns, taverns and brothels. Particularly the brothels.
‘Dandelion!’
it's called a "bonnet" in the official english translations, but this is somewhat misleading as it is called "kapelusik" in polish, translating to "little hat" because it's just the diminutive of hat (kapelusz), likely indicating that it's a hat that is not a wide-brimmed hat.
"bonnet" is not completely out of line with the character, because it likely refers to a tudor bonnet (as opposed to, like, a milkmaid's bonnet), and at this point is just a feature of the translation. as you can read above dandelion also wore a large beret in toussaint, which is essentially what a tudor bonnet is without the brim.
in season of storms, it's clarified as to what shape and material dandelion's hat is made of, as geralt compares the hat of frans torquil, a constable of gors velen, to dandelion's:
The constable took off his hat and brushed needles and seeds from it. His headgear was of identical cut to Dandelion’s, only made of poorer quality felt. And instead of an egret’s feather it was decorated with a pheasant’s tail feather.
we can infer from this that dandelion's hat is made of a high-quality felt, and is like a hunter's cap (i've had this reference saved for a while)
though make note that his hat has an egret or a heron's feather:
his lute
dandelion received his lute as an apology from the elf toruviel who broke his previous one. her lute was a work of elven craftsmanship.
Edge of the World, Pt. VIII: “By the gods, Geralt.” Dandelion stopped playing, hugged the lute and touched it with his cheek. “This wood sings on its own! These strings are alive! What wonderful tonality! (...)” (...) laughed Dandilion, carefully turning the delicately engraved lute pegs.
Time of Contempt, Ch. 5: He removed a lute from the saddle’s pommel. It was a unique, magnificent instrument with a slender neck. This was a present from a she-elf, he recalled, stroking the inlaid wood. It might end up returning to the Elder Folk . . . Unless the dryads leave it by my dead body . . .
his horse
he has a horse during the events of the short stories, but during the massacre of cintra and the flight from the jaruga, this horse is stolen:
Something More, Pt. VIII: ‘What are you doing here, Dandelion? How did you get here?’
‘What am I doing?’ the bard yelled. ‘You want to know? I’m fleeing like everybody else, I was bumping along on that cart all day! Some whoreson stole my horse in the night! Geralt, I beg you, get me out of this hell! (...)’
in blood of elves, he's gotten a new bay gelding, and in time of contempt and baptism of fire it's revealed this horse is named pegasus.
Blood of Elves, Ch. 5: Dandelion smacked his lips at his bay gelding and rode on, making his way through the crowds roaming the streets.
Time of Contempt, Ch. 5: The ravine was sombre and damp, and the wet clay and carpet of rotten leaves lying on it muffled the thudding of his dark bay gelding’s hooves. He’d called the horse ‘Pegasus’. Pegasus walked slowly, head hanging down. He was one of those rare specimens of horse who could never care less.
Baptism of Fire, Ch. 5: She [Milva] first recovered Pegasus. The poet’s gelding was ignoring the kicks to the ribs and the cries of the peasant who was riding him. He would not gallop and walked among a birch grove sluggishly, lazy and slow. The peasant was left far behind the rest of the horse thieves. When he heard and saw Milva approaching from behind, he jumped off the horse (...) Milva (...) jumped into the saddle, ringing the lute strings strapped to the saddle. Familiar with the horse, she was able to force the gelding to a gallop. Or rather a sluggish run, which Pegasus considered a gallop.
tl;dr
his physical appearance: blonde, long-haired, curls hair with irons. blue-eyed. slim. looks to be in his late 20s, though he is mid-30s. ever-present insolent smile.
his usual outfits: jerkins and doublets in a vertiable rainbow of colors, including rainbow! his "basics" or undergarments worn underneath include shirts with lace cuffs and ruffles. he also has some jewelry and fur-lined cloaks.
his outfits change during the travels with geralt in august - september of 1267, and during his stay in toussaint in october 1267 - april 1268. see baptism of fire, lady of the lake sections for more.
his hat: plum hat with egret or heron's feather. see section. he doesn't have it after mid-august of 1267.
his lute: elvish. see section.
his horse: a lazy dark bay gelding named 'pegasus'.
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Dollar Bin #7:
Art Garfunkel's Watermark,
Special Melted Edition!
Good news, people. I traveled to Portland and hit one of their dollar bins last week, emerging victorious with 10 or so new-to-me titles for a grand total of $32, and all of them are candidates for future posts. Everyone's been clambering for my take on Art Garfunkel and Bob "whoops, I just shaved off my eyebrows" Geldof, right? Please?
We'll get to good old Artie Funk in a moment, I promise. I'm sure he has a huge international following who gather in silent support every time his entire limo gets arrested for way too much pot smoke, but all you Garfolks need to just take a chill pill for a minute because there's some bad news to follow my good news, the kind of bad news that will leave you crying in your beer. (Stop reading right now and go get some beer to cry in if it's not already in hand.)
Dear reader, I left those Portland Dollar Bin records in my rental car during my trip, figuring it was all good because, after all, I was in Portland. But when I visited my stack three days later, I found the following Gertrude-chugging-the-poisoned-wine level tragedy had occurred:
Take the rag away from your face friends; now's not the time for your tears. The record above is a $1 copy of a soundtrack by Luna's Dean Wareham for a Noah Baumbach movie I'd never even heard of beforehand called Mistress America starring Barbie's very own Greta Gerwig. Nice title, Noah! What's the sequel called, Senorita Canada?
I like Sideshow by the Seashore as much as the next guy and I still remember the bizarre but edgy decision to lay Street Hassle over the climax of The Squid and the Whale so I figured $1 was a very safe investment for the soundtrack. But reading just now that the Financial Times finds that a "neo-screwball" sequence in the movie "exemplifies the film's themes of love, art, and betrayal" makes me want to melt Baumbach's entire face, so I'm no longer too broken up about the record's destruction.
Having just read that previous paragraph, my famous brother, who's surely interviewed Dean, is no longer crying in his locally sourced organic sour beer; rather he is silently cursing my woeful ignorance while hitting speed dial for Greta at the Barbie Dreamcastle so as to swiftly disassociate himself from The Dollar Bin forever. Sorry bro!
But let's move now to the real tragedy in this saga. Do you know how many vinyl copies of Fairport Convention's Live at the L.A. Troubadour are currently for sale on the internet? (We are not talking about House Full here, people, we are talking about the original release.)
Two copies. Two. Total.
That's right, while there are surely 6.4 million copies of Catch Bull at Four out there to be had, there are just two copies of Live at the L.A. Troubadour available in the whole wide universe. But last weekend I found a third one in Portland, one that no one has played or even looked at in its 50 years of Dollar Bin dwelling. That third copy was good as new and it cost $12. $12! That'll buy you half a Michelada at a Dodgers game; so finding that record and getting it at that price was as lucky as picking Mike Piazza in the 498th round.
And what did I do with this coveted find? You already know.
I melted it.
Bury the rag DEEP in your face, because I basically melted Mike Piazza. What kind of shlub am I? Next time you invite me over for drinks, don't pour me the good stuff because I'll just spill it all over your birth certificates, your Picassos and your tiny children's handwritten thank you letters, complete with heart drawings, for grandma. Rather, serve me a cheap domestic and give me a bib.
This is only my second experience with music melting. How many have you had? 25 years ago I left a CD copy of Mule Variations in my Ford Tempo and returned after a full day of work to find that the whole thing had turned into a flame broiled platter of creeping destruction. What the hell was I building, you ask? Melted Music, I respond. I was bummed back then. But that was nothing in comparison to last weekend's woe.
But I promised you good news, and more good news is coming! Firstly, my famous friend Greg's frig, located outside of Portland, was full of Miller High Life, The Champagne of Beers. So I had some.
Secondly, I soon discovered that the lower down I went in the record stack from the car the less melting had occurred.
And guess what was located far enough down to still be playable without any audible disruption? Live at the Troubadour! Sure, watching it go around on my turntable is like watching my cat try to shake off her fleas but I plan to never sell a single title in my Dollar Bin and I know that when my children inherit my dumpster of a collection they will cherish it forever and probably never even notice that my Troubadour record looks as sloppy as my t-shirt collection. So what the hell do I care?
Okay, at this point the Art Garpeople who joined this blog just to hear my thoughts on Watermark, Godfunkle's 1977 third outing as a solo artist who neither wrote songs nor played an instrument, are demanding my immediate destruction. I guess I'd better talk about the record.
So let's drop the needle already!
Uh-oh. Either Watermark is a big deal, unlistenable concept record (like Pink Floyd's The Wall) about bobbing about on the deep seas of regret, troubled water all about and nary a bridge to be seen, wherein Artie shakes his famous high tenor and the whole band way down to deepest bass every fourth syllable OR my copy of Watermark was higher in the stack of Portland heated mutilation and is now warped to the point where Gargie's version of a What a Wonderful World unintentionally sounds like What a Woooooooonderfil World.
(Yes, I mean what I said just now about The Wall. Bob Geldoff shaving his brows in the film is the best thing to say about the whole thing; Roger Waters, post Animals, makes Stephen Stills sound like a reputable songwriter.)
But relax, all you Artie G fanatics. I will ease your mi-i-ind. I'm not going to judge Watermark based on my very wavy copy. So cool your jets, adjust your giant perms and trust me. I promise to buy a second, unwarped $1 copy of Watermark and write all about it, asap.
Before we go, I must sorrowfully report one final tragic occurrence from this whole sordid episode. While hunting the Dollar Bin in Portland I had my eye out for Stephen Stills records. The fact is that at some point I need to place my entire, rapidly blossoming reputation as a Dollar Bin influencer on the line by actually listening to entire Stephen Stills records. If they are good, I'm finished. So, sadly, I've got to go out and buy some.
But the Portland store I visited, ridiculously, had marked its more than a dozen copies of Stills 2 at $2 each. Memo to the store: no one wants Stills records at $2 a pop. Ever.
The tragedy here is that I did not find any of our favorite villain's records cheap enough to buy, so I did not proceed to place them on the top of the stack in my rental car, thereby melting them out of existence. Thus the world is still saddled with copies of Stills 2.
Next time I melt music I promise to do so more thoughtfully.
(P.S. If you are still reading this, please know that my school year just started and so my pace of posting here will surely slow. My goal is to write once a week and I really do appreciate you letting me ramble. Hunting in The Dollar Bin requires your patience!)
#art garfunkel#fairport convention#stephen stills still sucks#noah baumbach#greta gerwig#pink floyd#bob geldof
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Bard Explanation
Humming as she traces her fingers over an ancient monument in a long-forgotten ruin, a half-elf in rugged leathers finds knowledge springing into her, conjured forth by the magic of her song knowledge of the people who constructed the monument and the mythic saga it depicts. A stern human warrior bangs his sword rhythmically against his scale mail setting the tempo for his war chant and exhorting his companions to bravery and heroism. The magic of his song fortifies and emboldens them. Laughing as she tunes her cittern a gnome weaves her subtle magic over the assembled nobles ensuring that her companions words will be well received.
In the worlds of DND words and music are not just vibrations of air but vocalizations with power all their own. The bard is a master of song power all their own. The bard is a master of song speech and the magic they contain. Bards say that the multiverse was spoken into existence that the words of the gods gave it shape and that echoes of these primordial Words of Creation still resound throughout the cosmos. The music of bards is an attempt to snatch and harness those echoes subtly woven into their spells and powers. The greatest strength of bards is their sheer versatility. Many bards prefer to stick to the sidelines in combat using their magic to inspire their allies and hinder their foes from a distance. But bards are capable of defending themselves in melee if necessary using their magic to bolster their swords and armor. Their spells lean toward charms and illusions rather than blatantly destructive spells. They have a wide ranging knowledge of many subjects and a natural aptitude that lets them do almost anything well. Bards become masters of the talents they set their minds to perfecting from musical performance to esoteric knowledge.
True bards are not common in the world. Not every minstrel singing in a tavern or jester cavorting in a royal court is a bard. Discovering the magic hidden in music requires hard study and some measure of natural talent that most troubadours and jongleurs lack. It can be hard to spot the difference between these performers and true bards though. A bard's life is spent wandering across the land gathering lore telling stories and living on the gratitude of audiences much like any other entertainer. But a depth of knowledge a level of musical skill and a touch of magic set bards apart from their fellows. Only rarely do bards settle in one place for long and their natural desire to travel (to find new tales to tell new skills to learn and new discoveries beyond the horizon) makes an adventuring career a natural calling. Every adventure is an opportunity to learn practice a variety of skills enter, long-forgotten tombs, discover lost works of magic, decipher old tomes, travel to strange places, or encounter exotic creatures. Bards love to accompany heroes to witness their deeds firsthand. A bard can tell an awe-inspiring story from personal experience earns renown among other bards. Indeed after telling so many stories about heroes accomplishing mighty deeds many bards take these themes to heart and assume heroic roles themselves.
Bard Colleges: The way of a bard is gregarious. Bards seek each other out to swap songs and stories boast of their accomplishments and share their knowledge. Bards form loose associations which they call colleges to facilitate their gatherings and preserve their traditions.
College of Lore: Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. Whether singing folk ballads in taverns or elaborate compositions in royal courts these bards use their gifts to hold audiences spellbound. When the applause dies down the audience members might find themselves questioning everything they held to be true from their faith in the priesthood of the local temple to their loyalty to the king. The loyalty of these bards lies in the pursuit of beauty and truth, not in fealty to a monarch or following the tenets of a deity. A noble who keeps such a bard as a herald or advisor knows that the bard would rather be honest than political. The college's members gather in libraries and sometimes in actual colleges complete with classrooms and dormitories to share their lore with one another. They also meet at festivals or affairs of state, where they can expose corruptions, unravel lies, and poke fun at self-important figures of authority.
College of Valor: Bards of the College of Valor are daring skalds whose tales keep alive the memory of the great heroes of the past and thereby inspire a new generation of heroes. These bards gather in mead halls or around great bonfires to sing the deeds of the mighty both past and present. They travel the land to witness great events firsthand and to ensure that the memory of those events doesn't pass from the world. With their songs they inspire others to reach the same heights of accomplishment as the heroes of old.
Bards thrive on stories whether those stories are true or not. Your character's background and motivations are not as important as the stories he or she tells about them. Perhaps you had a secure and mundane childhood. There's no good story to be told about that so you might paint yourself as an orphan raised by a hag in a dismal swamp. Or your childhood might be worthy of a story. Some bards acquire their magical music through extraordinary means including the inspiration of some fey or other supernatural creatures. Did you serve an apprenticeship studying under a master following the more experienced bard until you were ready to strike on your own? Or did you attend a college where you studied bardic lore and practiced your musical might? Perhaps you were a young runaway or orphan befriended by a wandering bard who became your mentor. Or you might have been a spoiled noble child tutored by master. Perhaps you stumbled into the clutches of a hag, making a bargain for a musical gift in addition to your life and freedom, but at what cost?
Starting wealth: 5d4 x 10 gold pieces + any gold included in your background.
Requirement: Charisma of 13
Source: Player's Handbook.
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1. Not just surfing on the waves of my enchantment, but turning through a carousel of delightful responsibilities. Marking off the checkbox of becoming the thief of your heart is now a charming addition to my repertoire, as I groove to claim the title of the nation's premier heart abductor! This whimsical mantle I wear with the grace of a thousand minuets, and as the saying goes, "the way to a person's heart is through their stomach," I've cooked up a delightful recipe for capturing love. It’s me as a love-struck troubadour, not only sweetly serenading but tangoing into the box of happiness!
2. Cool-tone-chic, are you privy to this? It's the talk of the town this season, and its allure shows no sign of a curtain call. Not that I'm objecting, mind you. In fact, I'm overjoyed that it's taking center stage, becoming the pièce de résistance of this whimsical season. On the other hand, I'm experiencing a full-body symphony of muscle twinges, the kind that makes you contemplate the benefits of having a personal masseuse on speed dial. Why, you ask? Well, brace yourselves, for the epic saga known as the school exam period begins its unrolling drama tomorrow!
3. Transitioning into the embrace of a new day, I refuse to squander the preciousness of the significant serendipity wherein the unparalleled charm of the smiling Jinni is coming to life! Adorned with eye embellishments that gleam with a silvery radiance, and lips delicately rouged! Embrace the magic within, for in every smile, there lies a reservoir of untapped power waiting to illuminate your way. The rouge-kissed lips funnel not just color but whispers of encouragement, forming a symphony of empowerment that comes through the melody of your day!
4. As the morning alarm orchestrates its daily symphony, one can't help but ponder the symphony if the passions fail to receive their due recognition. Hence, in this unrolling academic saga, you aren't merely witnessing the ordinary routines; you are becoming part of a chronicle where the high-school crush mode becomes a captivating subplot, breathing vivacity into the commonplace. And here's a twist in the fairy tale—forget the glass slippers, for in my version, Cinderella strutted through life adorned in Converse, stepping into each day with a unique flair. The corridors of academia transform into a runway, where recognition for my adored genre becomes the glass slipper of this modern-day narrative.
5. A mere press of a button, and the elusive reservoir of confidence, long-lost and tucked away, effortlessly resurfaces. It appears that resisting the allure of mirrors has become an insurmountable challenge in my present days. The contemplation of saturating my camera roll with these newfound reflections has been a lingering notion, a procrastinated desire that has persisted throughout the sands of time. With each click, a whisper echoes, assuring me that one more, just one more, and I'll be all set to confidently go on whatever lies ahead!
6. Having recently retrieved the developed rolls of my most recent film expedition, I find myself compelled to unroll the visual tales encapsulated within. In the labyrinth of our existence, nothing truly slips into oblivion, for memories persist as long as the tether of recollection endures. It promises to be a delightful sojourn into the past, where the hues of cherished moments intermingle with the present and they summon you to join in this celebration of memories. What do you say to a virtual rendezvous infused with the intoxicating nostalgia and the enchantment of shared recollections?
7. When life hands you the tart essence of metaphorical lemons, why settle for a mere sip of lemon squash when there's an invitation to join me in unraveling the profound beauty nestled within the folds of autumn? Instead of charting the challenges in isolation, foresee a collaborative venture where I step into the role of a spirited advocate, intent on unrevealing the inherent splendor that this season has to offer. The unassuming girl next door doesn't merely get a fleeting touch of sunlight but undergoes a touch of symphony, springing forth as a lovelier version of herself. It's not just about witnessing; it's about being immersed in the soft, radiant glow of a flash-kissed revelation!
8. I may retain a few remnants from yesterday's event, but I'm committed to preventing them from accumulating in my personal collection. Did I effectively convey the elegance of the autumn ambiance with the full authority of my appearance? Today marked my 18th birthday, and I received heartfelt congratulations from the most significant individuals in my life! It was a day filled with gratitude, surrounded by cherished companions and well-wishes from numerous people. Yeongseo's birthday has come to a close, and I extend my gratitude to everyone who contributed to making it an unforgettable day. Wishing you all a good night!
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Sound as a bell
• AND THE ANGELICA
• to the door
• to the unpitying
• to a Lapland
• But the bow
• Therefore the law
• and the air
• and the spears
• and a roof
• to the flame
• and a day
• to the statues
• to the Inquisitor
• but a symbol
• and the gossips
• and the rest
• and the Troubadours
• to the mainland
• but a horse
• before the start
• and a sign
• to the raven
• to the Saga
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How often does your oc listen to music?
Thank you to @nuclearstorms for his excellent prompt generator
Holding his bow close to his side, Neely peered through the pawnbroker’s window. He looked back around again, his face flushing a little if he was doing something shameful. When he was satisified no one else in the busy town was paying attention to him, he resumed his gaze through the shop window.
A small dark-wood zither was propped up against other objects in the shop window, such as leather boots, a holy book, a tome of history and lots of cheap pewter and glass jewellery was scattered amongst it all.
Neely, pressed against the window though only had eyes for the zither. One of the storyspinners* who would go up north to spread the word had one of those. He would come back to Forest Home and speak of stories he had learned from the people up there.
Neely rolled away from the window, his back flat against one of the wooden beams of the shop and he sighed. He would run to the hall everytime a storyspinner had came home and could play for the group or a young storyspinner was practicing his craft. Music was so beautiful and listening to those story-songs was one of the few times the leaders allowed hearts to be loud and true.
Neely gave one last side-glance to the zither before pulling himself away. He knew all the stories, and was so proud of his singing voice, but he believed in the leader’s vision. He always had. He was a torture instrument, not a musical one. It was what the gods had decreed. So long ago. When they existed for Neely. But the guilt of betraying that etched out design made Neely feel sick.
His stomach felt like lead as he shuffled towards the tavern. Travelling bards and troubadours never touched Neely in the same way storyspinners would but they still stripped Neely of the cold deathly loneliness life on the road fostered. A stop was never complete without a song.
*Storyspinners were an occupation within Neely’s former cult. They were essentially missionaries sent out to convert people but through the medium of songs and sagas.
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Documentary about space drop
#DOCUMENTARY ABOUT SPACE DROP SERIAL#
is about debtors who are forced or compelled to compete in a series of games that will leave the losers dead. The fictional thriller created in South Korea but released in September in the U.S. Squid Game: Netflix's horror series Squid Game took the world by storm upon its release earlier this year, and it shows at this year's Emmys, racking up a whopping 14 nominations, including Best Drama Series, Best Actor, multiple Best Supporting Actors, and Best Supporting Actress. 18, to be exact – now is a good time to brush up on some of Netflix's award-nominated TV shows. With the 2022 Emmys just around the corner – Sunday, Sept. The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY prev nextĪward-Winning and Award-Nominated Netflix Titles to Add to Your List: Patton Oswalt: We All Scream - NETFLIX COMEDYįortune Seller: A TV Scam - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY Love Is Blind: After the Altar: Season 2 - NETFLIX SERIES Gymnastics Academy: A Second Chance - NETFLIX FAMILY Sins of Our Mother - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYĭogs in Space: Season 2 - NETFLIX FAMILYįate: The Winx Saga: Season 2 - NETFLIX SERIES The Lørenskog Disappearance - NETFLIX SERIES Jo Koy: Live from the Los Angeles Forum - NETFLIX COMEDYĮl Rey, Vicente Fernández - NETFLIX SERIES Sapere Aude: Season 2 - NETFLIX SERIESĪda Twist, Scientist: Season 3 - NETFLIX FAMILY
#DOCUMENTARY ABOUT SPACE DROP SERIAL#
Indian Predator: The Diary of a Serial Killer - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY Untold: The Race of the Century - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARYĬhef's Table: Pizza - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy - NETFLIX COMEDY Rodrigo Marques: King of Uncouth - NETFLIX COMEDY Get Smart With Money - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY Ivy + Bean: Doomed to Dance - NETFLIX FAMILY Ivy + Bean: The Ghost That Had to Go - NETFLIX FAMILY The Festival of Troubadours - NETFLIX FILM Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles: Season 2 - NETFLIX FAMILYĪustin Powers: International Man of Mysteryįabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives: Season 2- NETFLIX SERIES JoJo's Bizarre Adventure STONE OCEAN Episodes 13-24 - NETFLIX ANIME
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An interesting idea in TearRing Saga was that almost all healers had no offense. There was one Jagen Bishop with tomes & a troubadour with terrible STR, but every other healer was staff only. Instead they had other things like having the dance skill, a stat boosting skill, using monster staves or being a manakete whom could transform into a dragon class for a couple terms with unbreakable equipment. Sages had no staves, it was interesting.
Sounds cool.
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Welcome to the second part of the BackupKingdom2 saga finale, appropriately entitled Doomed, since a) we’re going for the suicidal achievement of the ~Legendary Doomsword~ which is ridic and I’ve never managed to complete it, and b) Liz’s reign is for real doomed.
Kingdom-wise, after a blissful period of security the bandits are back with a vengeance, emerging from the forest every morning in single file like the fucking 7 dwarves.
-Heigh-ho, heigh-ho,
a-pillaging we gooo!🎵
UGH LIZ. THIS IS WHAT YOUR BATSHIT TYRANNY HAS GOTTEN US. But worry not, because it’s not just the kingdom that’s going to shit, it’s Liz’s 3rd marriage as well:
I’ve no idea what went down on free will while I was questing around, but Liz now has this permanent negative buff caused by Linotta’s existence. We really didn’t have enough problems around here so this was much needed.
Perhaps Linotta objected to the fact Liz practically lives by the mail box, bombarding Piratefu with messenger pigeons 24/7.
-One of these days she’ll forgive me and agree to come over!!!
Sure she will Liz, I mean if anything pirates are famed for their forgiving nature.
At this point I really can’t deal with Liz’s shitty mood anymore, she’s flopping so hard in her tasks and it’s this vicious cycle of her doing badly>being in an even worse mood because of it>>whining endlessly etc etc, so I’m sorry Linotta but tonight is elimination night in BackupKingdom2′s Next Royal Wife.
-IT’S OVER LINOTTA DUE TO WHATEVER IT WAS YOU OR I DID!!! I STILL LOVE KAYLEY AND I’M SO CLOSE TO GETTING HER BACK ONCE SHE REPLIES TO MY LETTERS. PLUS YOU STILL HAVEN’T GIVEN ME A ROYAL HEIR AND THAT’S THE OFFICIAL REASONING I’M GOING WITH
-How could I give you a royal heir, we didn’t have the same-sex pregnancy mod until today!!!
-I don’t have time for your nonsense excuses, now get the hell off my property!
-The whole kingdom is your property!!
-That’s right, YOU’RE EXILED. AND GIVE ME THIS DRESS BEFORE YOU LEAVE BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE IF I CAN PULL IT OFF
-Of course you can’t pull it off, you don’t have the curves for it!
-Alright I guess that’s true, you can keep it. BUT YOU’RE STILL EXILED AS FUCK
-Oh Heavens above, wherever will I go now? Oh that’s right, to one of the dozen other kingdoms that aren’t being run into the ground by some dumbass lunatic with stupid hair and a cucky non-crown!!!
-YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW OR I’LL THROW YOU IN THE PIT
-YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO KILL ME, THE PEOPLE LOVE ME AND YOU’RE ONE EXECUTION AWAY FROM ANOTHER REVOLT!!!
-THAT’S RIDICULOUS, THE PLEBS WORSHIP ME, THEY WOULD NEVER REVOLT FOR THE 5TH TIME!!!
-Troubadour Bellinda has an entire series of plays mocking you, you idiot! Whatever, I’m out, I hate this orange decor anyway!! There are other colors, you know!!!
-NOT TO ME THERE AREN’T
Man that was rough, how you holding up Liz?
-ROTTEN. HORRIBLE. I NEED TO EXECUTE SOMEONE ASAP. IS THAT TRAMP BELLINDA REALLY MOCKING ME IN HER PLAYS???
Of course not!
-GET OUT OF HERE LINOTTA OR I’LL EXECUTE YOU SINCE THAT’S ALL IM CAPABLE OF DOING
Bellinda better pack it in before we’re mourning more victims around here.
Song of the woooooods,
sad sooooooong of the woods,
calling Piratefuuuu,
mon amour fouuuu🎵
Incredible song Liz, clearly you’ve never been better so I’ll just leave you unattended for a bit and go play some actual quests-
-WHAT THE FUCK. PIRATEFU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-I heard Liz’s enchanting song of the woods and came out!
You’ve been living in the woods this entire time????
-Well where else would I live?
I don’t know, I assume you had a house somewhere!!!
-Nop, just went back to my bandit tent.
Good Lord, we could have at least given you a divorce settlement or something, we’re the WORST.
-KAYLEY MY DARLING YOU’RE HERE!!!! I knew my amazing song would work, it took me one year to compose it!
-You’re looking well Liz, word of your execution spree has reached me, clearly bathing in blood agrees with you!
-Oh my love, I should have never left you for that elf twat, her stupid kingdom has the most useless exports of all time!!! But don’t worry, she was among the first people I executed! Here’s a white rose dipped in her blood!
-Aw Liz, you always know just what to say!
-Can you forgive me, my darling, and be my bandit queen again?
-I’ve waited so long to hear you say that, Liz!
-Well let me say it again on one knee-
-Please marry me again, Kayley, I’ve been going a bit cray cray without you, I love you with every beat of my stone-cold heart!
-God, I’ve dreamt of this so many times..
-NO. HAHAHAHAHA
-WHAT
-Oh, do you not know what ‘no’ means?? FUCK NO I WON’T MARRY YOU AGAIN. YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST DUMP ME, MARRY AGAIN *TWICE* AND THEN I’LL COME RUNNING BACK???
-BUT.. BUT YOU KISSED ME, YOU SAID YOU DREAMT OF THIS!!
-I DID DREAM OF IT! Dreamt of turning you down HAHAHAHA. Oh God, this felt SO good. Thank you, Liz. Be well!
-NO WAIT WAIT
-Listen.. You.. me.. together again.. ruling.. executing.. everyone scared of us.. it will be just the way it used to! And we have the same-sex pregnancy mod now, imagine the kind of kids we’ll produce!
-Damn you, you’re so persuasive.. And I *am* tired of living in a tent.
-Well then..
-HAHA, PSYCH. NO AGAIN, BITCH. SEE YOU NEVER
Piratefu girl istg. Like I can’t even be mad, this was masterful, well played.
Of course Liz is devastated and we all know what that means..
-SENTENCED TO DEATH
-SENTENCED TO DEATH
-SENTENCED TO DEATH
-You are released!
-Thank you, your Majesty!
-And sentenced to death!
Great, all in a day’s work. Now if we can get on with some actual work around here, we have the Legendary Doomsword to make or die trying (and we will). See you in part 2!!
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* * * *
James Grissom
Musician, heal thyself. Over the course of his long career, the Canadian singer-songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) honed a distinctive style that infused joy with melancholy and mixed outward calm with edgy bursts of rage at a universe unwilling to yield its meaning. He had a gift for hypnotic song lines and for sexy lyrics that flirted with the metaphysical. A constant seeker after spiritual solace and artistic inspiration, he was widely celebrated at his death as a wise prophet whose musical language could reach the soul.
But the 39-year-old Leonard Cohen to whom the acclaimed Canadian-Israeli author Matti Friedman introduces us in his latest book, “Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai,” has not yet become that idolized figure. He is, instead, an artist who at midlife feels stuck, stalled and riven by inner demons.
How Cohen finds his way through this personal impasse is an intriguing, parable-like tale of a pacifism-leaning troubadour who rediscovers his purpose in the Sinai desert during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. But it is more than that. As viewed through Friedman’s reportorial lens, Cohen’s journey also becomes part of the much broader historical saga of Israel and the Jewish diaspora. And as Cohen’s many fans can attest, the music that resulted from this uncanny intersection is almost revelatory.
In 1974, still reflecting on the Yom Kippur War, he would compose “Who by Fire.” The phrase comes from the solemn prayer chanted every Yom Kippur, the Unetaneh Tokef, which gravely asks us to consider what fate the next year may hold for each of us, who will die and who will live. Cohen had been close to death, and had seen death, on the battlefield in the Sinai. But he did not die there; he was reborn. One might even say he chose life, afterward, by returning to his partner Suzanne and having a second child with her, and sitting down to compose song after song after song, including “Anthem” and “Hallelujah.”
It’s a choice that continues to give us reason to sing along in thanks.
--From a review by Diane Cole in Washington Post."Who By Fire" is published by Spiegel & Grau.
[Follies of God]
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The Pop Culture Playlist: Clay McNab
The Pop Culture Playlist tells the story of fictional characters through music, revealing motivations and personal choices. This edition focuses on Clay McNab from the Tales Of The Frontier series. An infamous witch hunter and complicated man, McNab has dedicated his life to exterminating the supernatural from The Frontier by any means necessary.
Here’s a list of tracks that describe the life of Clay McNab.
Broken Cowboy by the Dead South
The colours deceive me
As I see grey
Oh, you’re cutting me down with those
Cold words you’re saying
Then you called me brother
But this can’t be so ‘cause you
Slander my name anywhere the wind will blow
Well I am a broken cowboy
And I don’t feel right no more
‘Cause I’m a broken cowboy
Yes, I’m a broken cowboy
As a Quester, McNab has earned a reputation for hunting monsters and witches. It also cost him a great deal and left him feeling bitter about his fate.
Broken Cowboy is a good song for highlighting McNab’s lot in life. In addition, it connects to the muscle wasting disease that he suffers from. The older McNab gets, the harder it is to grip his weapons and it’s left him a shell of his former self.
Hell Is Coming With Me by Poor Man’s Poison
Through the years, McNab has developed a particular hatred for witches, earning him the nickname of The Hammer Of The Witches. Fully devoted to his task, McNab has captured, persecuted and ended the lives of many witches and that attitude has carried on into old age.
Hell Is Coming With Me sums up the righteous fury of The Hammer Of The Witches. He doesn’t forgive or forget and he’ll rain hell down on anyone who’s foolish enough to get in his way.
The Bullet by The Devil Makes 3
McNab is the kind of man who’s spent most of his life moving from one fight to the next without stopping. He’s a gunslinger and a warrior who’s most comfortable in the thick of battle and he understands that to live by the gun is to die by the gun.
The Bullet is a fitting song, capturing McNab’s recklessness.
Living On The Sand by Colter Wall
Keep that gun locked away
Locked away, boy
Well you know you’re an angry young man
Going in town with six rounds
You’re sure to be hell-bound
That house you’ve got is built on the sand
This song has a mournful quality that echoes back to McNab’s youth. As a young man he had a wife called Lenora who he loved and then lost, which motivated him to join the Questers and lead a life of vengeance.
All these years later, McNab can reflect on the body count he’s left behind and wonders if it was all worth it. He wonders if everything he’s built has been made out of sand.
Too Old To Die Young by Brother Dege
‘Too old to die young’ is a phrase McNab is familiar with. He’s one of the last few gunslingers and Questers of his era and recognises that his time is coming to an end. The world around him is advancing and he’s resistant to change.
The song encapsulates his recognition that he’s on borrowed time.
Gunslinger’s Glory by The Dead South
Going around every day as I shoot away
Taking them on down to their knees to pray
Make my way up to the top
Rise into the word
Being a gunslinger is a glory
And goddamn
Goddamn it’s good
Gunslinger’s Glory is a song for McNab’s youth. In the early days of his Quester career and before he was The Hammer Of The Witches, McNab was a boy with a chip on his shoulders and had something to prove.
He idolised his mentors in the Questers and vowed that he would be the best damn gunslinger of them all.
My Fair Lady by Kaleo
Can you always tell a sinner
From a saint if he’s the same?
And if your thick skin growing thinner
Have you found someone to blame?
She said, “You need not worry, child”
“Now is not the time”
Then she kissed me on the forehead
And turned my water into wine
My Fair Lady represents the transience of McNab’s character. He’s a rover and a rogue who’s always on the move, filling the void in his life with alcohol and women.
Underneath it all, he’s longing to find his purpose again. The self-loathing he feels at being consumed by his hatred of the supernatural weighs him down.
The Curse Of The Fold by Shawn James
The story of Clay McNab could be a cautionary tale to some. He lost himself to revenge and became resentful of how his life turned out. He recognises that he turned into a monster in order to fight monsters and he accepts the worst and the best parts of himself.
The Curse Of The Fold reflects his complex nature.
Troubadour by George Strait
Sometimes I feel like Jesse James
Still trying to make a name
Knowing nothing’s gonna change what I am
I was a young troubadour
When I rode in on a song
And I’ll be an old troubadour
When I’m gone
The final song to sum up the saga of The Hammer Of The Witches, Troubadour tells the story of a man who’s stayed true to the person he’s always been. And there will never be another like him.
Troubadour is the kind of song that’s indicative of an era and McNab’s identity as one of the last gunslingers of his generation.
You can follow the adventures of Clay McNab in AT THE DEAD OF DUSK, which involves him transporting a young woman across dangerous terrain to complete a job that’ll set him up for life.
Along the way, McNab faces down countless horrors, teenage angst and the darkest parts of himself. Buy the novella today!
Originally posted on The Comic Vault.
#tales of the frontier#clay mcnab#weird western#wild west#horror#horror books#the frontier#witches#cowboys#magic#at the dead of dusk
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THE SAGA OF SOUP BOY: A WHEEL OF FORTUNE.
one of many parentless urchins in the serene republic, a cherubic young boy with fluffy hair and dove’s eyes. he had dexterous little fingers that made short work of a certain artist’s coinpurse. said vampire knew talent for the finer details when he saw it and dragged him back to Marius’ Home for Boys.
was one of the younger boys in the palazzo, running odd jobs for the older boys and master as needed. spent a lot of his time simply Learning with his fellow small boys. unlike them, however, he had a weakness easily exploited by his seniors: a chronic love of soup. he had a name once. then the boys who sought to use him as an easy distraction against the master or tutors changed it. said master might be the only one left in the house who actually remembers who he was before without having to sit and think about it.
find him hanging out in the bg of group scenes nursing a bowl of hot soup and gophering materials between the different apprentices. if not active he would fall to sleep mode and just crash in whatever corner of the palazzo was most peaceful. loved music almost as much as a warm broth, and was especially attached to the dark troubadour that made odd visits to the household. he was determined that she was the nearest thing to a mother he had.
once infamously told the master he wanted to go to a brothel after amadeo’s return. why does amadeo get to go where there is broth and he does not? one of the older boys got his ass beat for setting the poor kid up for that one. don’t corrupt lorenzo. who?
he entered a certain night with high hopes. he was a year away from becoming a proper apprentice, to be trusted with the small details of the master’s work that were beneath him. the dark lady was back in town according to the whispers of his brothers, and he hoped she might sing the songs he loved best. one of the older boys had offered him a delightful snack if he would run a small errand outside of the palazzo. in the time it took him to tend to that business, he returned to a home aflame. he would never see any of the brothers he loved again.
the masked lady found him, however, lingering about the husk of what had been his home. she gathered him into her slender arms, bunched her dark cape around him, and left him in the care of a family that rivaled his master in splendor. she saw to his keeping, though through letters and payments to his patron rather than physical presence, until he came of age. by then, he was simply lorenzo.
having proven himself well-educated and a perfect asset to his host, the young man worked his way up to some position of power within the city and, at some point, won the hand of one of the doge’s younger relatives. taking her name upon marriage, the pair would have a fruitful, peaceful union, producing many children. one of these would produce a lineage that would come to marry into the marquisate of cea during the 18th century -- a family of spanish origin known as di montoya.
his descendants keep many of his artistic endeavors in their personal gallery, boasting of his skill with portraiture. it only takes a glimpse at the eyes of his self-portrait for one of his beloved brothers to recognize him, after all. he could never measure up to his first patron, but the boy did grow to have some skill, populating several of his larger works with familiar faces that now belonged to his memories alone.
claude wishes aloud their friend would stop writing diabolical fictions about their ancestor.
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2021 Grammy Awards: The List.
New age
Best New Age Album
More Guitar Stories – Jim "Kimo" West
Songs from the Bardo – Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal & Jesse Paris Smith
Periphery – Priya Darshini
Form//Less – Superposition
Meditations – Cory Wong & Jon Batiste
Jazz
Best Improvised Jazz Solo
"All Blues" – Chick Corea, soloist
"Guinnevere" – Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, soloist
"Pachamama" – Regina Carter, soloist
"Tomorrow is the Question" – Julian Lage, soloist
"Celia" – Gerald Clayton, soloist
"Moe Honk" – Joshua Redman, soloist
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Secrets are the Best Stories – Kurt Elling featuring Danilo Pérez
ONA – Thana Alexa
Modern Ancestors – Carmen Lundy
Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper – Somi With Frankfurt Radio Big Band
What's the Hurry – Kenny Washington
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Trilogy 2 – Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade
on the tender spot of every calloused moment – Ambrose Akinmusire
Waiting Game – Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science
Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard – Gerald Clayton
RoundAgain – Redman Mehldau McBride Blade
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Data Lords – Maria Schneider Orchestra
Dialogues on Race – Gregg August
Monk'estra Plays John Beasley – John Beasley
The Intangible Between – Orrin Evans and The Captain Black Big Band
Songs You Like a Lot – John Hollenbeck with Theo Bleckmann, Kate McGarry, Gary Versace and The Frankfurt Radio Big Band
Best Latin Jazz Album
Four Questions – Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Tradiciones – Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra
City of Dreams – Chico Pinheiro
Viento y Tiempo - Live at Blue Note Tokyo – Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola
Trane's Delight – Poncho Sanchez
Gospel/contemporary Christian music
Best Gospel Performance/Song
"Movin' On"
Darryl L. Howell, Jonathan Caleb McReynolds, Kortney Jamaal Pollard & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriters (Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music)
"Wonderful is Your Name"
Melvin Crispell III, songwriter (Melvin Crispell III)
"Release (Live)"
David Frazier, songwriter (Ricky Dillard featuring Tiff Joy)
"Come Together"
Lashawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Lecrae Moore & Jazz Nixon, songwriters (Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins Presents: The Good News)
"Won't Let Go"
Travis Greene, songwriter (Travis Greene)
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
"There Was Jesus"
Casey Beathard, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters (Zach Williams & Dolly Parton)
"The Blessing (Live)"
Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes & Steven Furtick, songwriters (Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes & Elevation Worship)
"Sunday Morning"
Denisia Andrews, Jones Terrence Antonio, Saint Bodhi, Brittany Coney, Kirk Franklin, Lasanna Harris, Shama Joseph, Stuart Lowery, Lecrae Moore & Nathanael Saint-Fleur, songwriters (Lecrae featuring Kirk Franklin)
"Holy Water"
Andrew Bergthold, Ed Cash, Franni Cash, Martin Cash & Scott Cash, songwriters (We the Kingdom)
"Famous For (I Believe)"
Chuck Butler, Krissy Nordhoff, Jordan Sapp, Alexis Slifer & Tauren Wells, songwriters (Tauren Wells featuring Jenn Johnson)
Best Gospel Album
Gospel According to PJ – PJ Morton
2econd Wind: ReadY – Anthony Brown & group therAPy
My Tribute – Myron Butler
Choirmaster – Ricky Dillard
Kierra – Kierra Sheard
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Jesus Is King – Kanye West
Run to The Father – Cody Carnes
All of My Best Friends – Hillsong Young & Free
Holy Water – We the Kingdom
Citizen of Heaven – Tauren Wells
Best Roots Gospel Album
Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album) – Fisk Jubilee Singers
Beautiful Day – Mark Bishop
20/20 – The Crabb Family
What Christmas Really Means – The Erwins
Something Beautiful – Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Latin
Best Latin Pop Album or Urban Album
YHLQMDLG – Bad Bunny
Por Primera Vez – Camilo
Mesa Para Dos – Kany García
Pausa – Ricky Martin
3:33 – Debi Nova
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
La Conquista del Espacio – Fito Páez
Aura – Bajofondo
MONSTRUO – Cami
Sobrevolando – Cultura Profética
Miss Colombia – Lido Pimienta
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
Un Canto por México, Vol. 1 – Natalia Lafourcade
Hecho en México – Alejandro Fernández
La Serenata – Lupita Infante
Bailando Sones y Huampangos con Mariachi Sol De Mexico De Jose Hernandez – Mariachi Sol De Mexico De Jose Hernandez
Ayayay! – Christian Nodal
Best Tropical Latin Album
40 – Grupo Niche
Mi Tumbao – José Alberto "El Ruiseñor"
Infinito – Edwin Bonilla
Sigo Cantando al Amor (Deluxe) – Jorge Celedon & Sergio Luis
Memorias de Navidad – Víctor Manuelle
American roots
Best American Roots Performance
"I Remember Everything" – John Prine
"Colors" – Black Pumas
"Deep in Love" – Bonny Light Horseman
"Short and Sweet" – Brittany Howard
"I'll Be Gone" – Norah Jones & Mavis Staples
Best American Roots Song
"I Remember Everything"
Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
"Cabin"
Laura Rogers & Lydia Rogers, songwriters (The Secret Sisters)
"Ceiling to the Floor"
Sierra Hull & Kai Welch, songwriters (Sierra Hull)
"Hometown"
Sarah Jarosz, songwriter (Sarah Jarosz)
"Man Without a Soul"
Tom Overby & Lucinda Williams, songwriters (Lucinda Williams)
Best Americana Album
World on the Ground – Sarah Jarosz
Old Flowers – Courtney Marie Andrews
Terms of Surrender – Hiss Golden Messenger
El Dorado – Marcus King
Good Souls Better Angels – Lucinda Williams
Best Bluegrass Album
Home – Billy Strings
Man on Fire – Danny Barnes
To Live in Two Worlds, Vol. 1 – Thomm Jutz
North Carolina Songbook – Steep Canyon Rangers
The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol. 1 – Various Artists
Best Traditional Blues Album
Rawer than Raw – Bobby Rush
All My Dues are Paid – Frank Bey
You Make Me Feel – Don Bryant
That's What I Heard – Robert Cray Band
Cypress Grove – Jimmy "Duck" Holmes
Best Contemporary Blues Album
Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? – Fantastic Negrito
Live at the Paramount – Ruthie Foster Big Band
The Juice – G. Love
Blackbirds – Bettye LaVette
Up and Rolling – North Mississippi Allstars
Best Folk Album
All the Good Times – Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Bonny Light Horseman – Bonny Light Horseman
Thanks for the Dance – Leonard Cohen
Song for Our Daughter – Laura Marling
Saturn Return – The Secret Sisters
Best Regional Roots Music Album
Atmosphere – New Orleans Nightcrawlers
My Relatives 'nikso' Kowaiks – Black Lodge Singers
Cameron Dupuy and The Cajun Troubadours – Cameron Dupuy And The Cajun Troubadours
Lovely Sunrise – Nā Wai ʽEhā
A Tribute to Al Berard – Sweet Cecilia
Reggae
Best Reggae Album
Got to Be Tough – Toots and the Maytals
Upside Down 2020 – Buju Banton
Higher Place – Skip Marley
It All Comes Black to Love – Maxi Priest
One World – The Wailers
Global music
Best Global Music Album
Twice as Tall – Burna Boy
Fu Chronicles – Antibalas
Agora – Bebel Gilberto
Love Letters – Anoushka Shankar
Amadjar – Tinariwen
Children's
Best Children's Album
All the Ladies – Joanie Leeds
Be a Pain: An Album for Young (and Old) Leaders – Alastair Moock And Friends
I'm an Optimist – Dog On Fleas
Songs for Singin' – The Okee Dokee Brothers
Wild Life – Justin Roberts
Spoken word
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)
Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth – Rachel Maddow
Acid for the Children – A Memoir – Flea
Alex Trebek – The Answer Is... – Ken Jennings
Catch and Kill – Ronan Farrow
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White) – Meryl Streep and Full Cast
Comedy
Best Comedy Album
Black Mitzvah – Tiffany Haddish
I Love Everything – Patton Oswalt
The Pale Tourist – Jim Gaffigan
Paper Tiger – Bill Burr
23 Hours to Kill – Jerry Seinfeld
Musical theater
Best Musical Theater Album
Jagged Little Pill – Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding, Lauren Patten & Elizabeth Stanley, principal soloists; Neal Avron, Pete Ganbarg, Tom Kitt, Michael Parker, Craig Rosen & Vivek J. Tiwary, producers (Glen Ballard & Alanis Morissette, lyricists) (Original Broadway Cast)
Amélie – Audrey Brisson, Chris Jared, Caolan McCarthy & Jez Unwin, principal soloists; Michael Fentiman, Sean Patrick Flahaven, Barnaby Race & Nathan Tysen, producers; Nathan Tysen, lyricist; Daniel Messe, composer & lyricist (Original London Cast)
American Utopia on Broadway – David Byrne, principal soloist; David Byrne, producer (David Byrne, composer & lyricist) (Original Cast)
Little Shop of Horrors – Tammy Blanchard, Jonathan Groff & Tom Alan Robbins, principal soloists; Will Van Dyke, Michael Mayer, Alan Menken & Frank Wolf, producers (Alan Menken, composer; Howard Ashman, lyricist) (The New Off-Broadway Cast)
The Prince of Egypt – Christine Allado, Luke Brady, Alexia Khadime & Liam Tamne, principal soloists; Dominick Amendum & Stephen Schwartz, producers; Stephen Schwartz, composer & lyricist (Original Cast)
Soft Power – Francis Jue, Austin Ku, Alyse Alan Louis & Conrad Ricamora, principal soloists; Matt Stine, producer; David Henry Hwang, lyricist; Jeanine Tesori, composer & lyricist (Original Cast)
Music for visual media
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Jojo Rabbit – Various artists
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Various artists
Bill & Ted Face the Music – Various artists
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – Various artists
Frozen II – Various artists
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir, composer
Ad Astra – Max Richter, composer
Becoming – Kamasi Washington, composer
1917 – Thomas Newman, composer
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams, composer
Best Song Written for Visual Media
"No Time to Die" (from No Time to Die)
Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas O'Connell (Billie Eilish)
"Beautiful Ghosts" (from Cats)
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Taylor Swift (Taylor Swift)
"Carried Me with You" (from Onward)
Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth (Brandi Carlile)
"Into the Unknown" (from Frozen II)
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Idina Menzel featuring AURORA)
"Stand Up" (from Harriet)
Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo (Cynthia Erivo)
Composing/Arranging
Best Instrumental Composition
"Sputnik"
Maria Schneider, composer (Maria Schneider)
"Baby Jack"
Arturo O'Farrill, composer (Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra)
"Be Water II"
Christian Sands, composer (Christian Sands)
"Plumfield"
Alexandre Desplat, composer (Alexandre Desplat)
"Strata"
Remy Le Boeuf, composer (Remy Le Boeuf's Assembly Of Shadows featuring Anna Webber & Eric Miller)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
"Donna Lee"
John Beasley, arranger (John Beasley)
"Bathroom Dance"
Hildur Guðnadóttir, arranger (Hildur Guðnadóttir)
"Honeymooners"
Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Remy Le Boeuf's Assembly Of Shadows)
"Lift Every Voice and Sing"
Alvin Chea & Jarrett Johnson, arrangers (Jarrett Johnson Featuring Alvin Chea)
"Uranus: The Magician"
Jeremy Levy, arranger (Jeremy Levy Jazz Orchestra)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
"He Won't Hold You"
Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier featuring Rapsody)
"Asas Fechadas"
John Beasley & Maria Mendes, arrangers (Maria Mendes Featuring John Beasley & Orkest Metropole)
"Desert Song"
Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Säje)
"From This Place"
Alan Broadbent & Pat Metheny, arrangers (Pat Metheny featuring Meshell Ndegeocello)
"Slow Burn"
Talia Billig, Nic Hard & Becca Stevens, arrangers (Becca Stevens featuring Jacob Collier, Mark Lettieri, Justin Stanton, Jordan Perlson, Nic Hard, Keita Ogawa, Marcelo Woloski & Nate Werth)
Package
Best Recording Package
Vols. 11 & 12
Doug Cunningham & Jason Noto, art directors (Desert Sessions)
Everyday Life
Pilar Zeta, art director (Coldplay)
Funeral
Kyle Goen, art director (Lil Wayne)
Healer
Julian Gross & Hannah Hooper, art directors (Grouplove)
On Circles
Jordan Butcher, art director (Caspian)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Ode to Joy
Lawrence Azerrad & Jeff Tweedy, art directors (Wilco)
Flaming Pie (Collector's Edition)
Linn Wie Andersen, Simon Earith, Paul McCartney & James Musgrave, art directors (Paul McCartney)
Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991
Lisa Glines & Doran Tyson, art directors (Grateful Dead)
Mode
Jeff Schulz, art director (Depeche Mode)
The Story of Ghostly International
Michael Cina & Molly Smith, art directors (Various Artists)
Notes
Best Album Notes
Dead Man's Pop
Bob Mehr, album notes writer (The Replacements)
At The Minstrel Show: Minstrel Routines From The Studio, 1894-1926
Tim Brooks, album notes writer (Various Artists)
The Bakersfield Sound: Country Music Capital Of The West, 1940-1974
Scott B. Bomar, album notes writer (Various Artists)
The Missing Link: How Gus Haenschen Got Us From Joplin To Jazz And Shaped The Music Business
Colin Hancock, album notes writer (Various Artists)
Out Of A Clear Blue Sky
David Sager, album notes writer (Nat Brusiloff)
Historical
Best Historical Album
It's Such a Good Feeling: The Best of Mister Rogers
Lee Lodyga & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Mister Rogers)
Celebrated, 1895–1896
Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (Unique Quartette)
Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936–1943)
Zev Feldman, Will Friedwald & George Klabin, compilation producers; Matthew Lutthans, mastering engineer (Nat King Cole)
1999 Super Deluxe Edition
Michael Howe, compilation producer; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer (Prince)
Souvenir
Carolyn Agger, compilation producer; Miles Showell, mastering engineer (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark)
Throw Down Your Heart: The Complete Africa Sessions
Béla Fleck, compilation producer; Richard Dodd, mastering engineer (Béla Fleck)
Production, non-classical
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Hyperspace
Drew Brown, Andrew Coleman, Shawn Everett, Serban Ghenea, David Greenbaum, Jaycen Joshua, Beck Hansen & Mike Larson, engineers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer (Beck)
Black Hole Rainbow
Shawn Everett & Ivan Wayman, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Devon Gilfillian)
Expectations
Gary Paczosa & Mike Robinson, engineers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Katie Pruitt)
Jaime
Shawn Everett, engineer; Shawn Everett, mastering engineer (Brittany Howard)
25 Trips
Shani Gandhi & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Adam Grover, mastering engineer (Sierra Hull)
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Andrew Watt
"Break My Heart" (Dua Lipa)
"Me and My Guitar" (A Boogie wit da Hoodie)
"Midnight Sky" (Miley Cyrus)
"Old Me" (5 Seconds of Summer)
"Ordinary Man" (Ozzy Osbourne featuring Elton John)
"Take What You Want" (Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott)
"Under The Graveyard" (Ozzy Osbourne)
Jack Antonoff
"August" (Taylor Swift)
Gaslighter (The Chicks)
"Holy Terrain" (FKA Twigs featuring Future)
"Mirrorball" (Taylor Swift)
"This Is Me Trying" (Taylor Swift)
"Together" (Sia)
Dan Auerbach
Cypress Grove (Jimmy "Duck" Holmes)
El Dorado (Marcus King)
Is Thomas Callaway (CeeLo Green)
Singing for My Supper (Early James)
Solid Gold Sounds (Kendell Marvel)
Years (John Anderson)
Dave Cobb
"Backbone" (Kaleo)
The Balladeer (Lori McKenna)
Boneshaker (Airbourne)
Down Home Christmas (Oak Ridge Boys)
The Highwomen (The Highwomen)
"I Remember Everything" (John Prine)
Reunions (Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit)
"The Spark" (William Prince)
"You're Still the One" (Teddy Swims)
Flying Lotus
It Is What It Is (Thundercat)
Best Remixed Recording
"Roses (Imanbek Remix)"
Imanbek Zeikenov, remixer (SAINt JHN)
"Do You Ever (RAC Mix)"
RAC, remixer (Phil Good)
"Imaginary Friends (Morgan Page Remix)"
Morgan Page, remixer (Deadmau5)
"Praying for You (Louie Vega Main Remix)"
Louie Vega, remixer (Jasper Street Co.)
"Young & Alive (Bazzi vs. Haywyre Remix)"
Haywyre, remixer (Bazzi)
Production, immersive audio
Best Immersive Audio Album
The judging for this category was postponed.
Production, classical
Best Engineered Album, Classical
"Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13, 'Babi Yar'"
David Frost & Charlie Post, engineers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
"Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshua"
Bernd Gottinger, engineer (JoAnn Falletta, James K. Bass, Adam Luebke, UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus)
"Gershwin: Porgy and Bess"
David Frost & John Kerswell, engineers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (David Robertson, Eric Owens, Angel Blue, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus)
"Hynes: Fields"
Kyle Pyke, engineer; Jesse Lewis & Kyle Pyke, mastering engineers (Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion)
"Ives: Complete Symphonies"
Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Producer of the Year, Classical
David Frost
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 9 (Jonathan Biss)
Gershwin: Porgy And Bess (David Robertson, Eric Owens, Angel Blue, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus)
Gluck: Orphée & Eurydice (Harry Bicket, Dmitry Korchak, Andriana Chuchman, Lauren Snouffer, Lyric Opera Of Chicago Orchestra & Chorus)
Holst: The Planets; The Perfect Fool (Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony)
Muhly: Marnie (Robert Spano, Isabel Leonard, Christopher Maltman, Denyce Graves, Iestyn Davies, Janis Kelly, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus)
Schubert: Piano Sonatas, D. 845, D. 894, D. 958, D. 960 (Shai Wosner)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13, 'Babi Yar' (Riccardo Muti, Alexey Tikhomirov, Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)
Blanton Alspaugh
Aspects Of America - Pulitzer Edition (Carlos Kalmar & Oregon Symphony)
Blessed Art Thou Among Women (Peter Jermihov, Katya Lukianov & PaTRAM Institute Singers)
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9; Copland: Billy The Kid (Gianandrea Noseda & National Symphony Orchestra)
Glass: The Fall Of The House Of Usher (Joseph Li, Nicholas Nestorak, Madison Leonard, Jonas Hacker, Ben Edquist, Matthew Adam Fleisher & Wolf Trap Opera)
Kahane: Emergency Shelter Intake Form (Alicia Hall Moran, Gabriel Kahane, Carlos Kalmar & Oregon Symphony)
Kastalsky: Requiem (Leonard Slatkin, Steven Fox, Benedict Sheehan, Charles Bruffy, Cathedral Choral Society, The Clarion Choir, The Saint Tikhon Choir, Kansas City Chorale & Orchestra Of St. Luke's)
Massenet: Thaïs (Andrew Davis, Joshua Hopkins, Andrew Staples, Erin Wall, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir & Toronto Symphony Orchestra)
Smyth: The Prison (Sarah Brailey, Dashon Burton, James Blachly & Experiential Orchestra)
Woolf, L.P.: Fire And Flood (Julian Wachner, Matt Haimovitz & Choir Of Trinity Wall Street)
Jesse Lewis
Gunn: The Ascendant (Roomful Of Teeth)
Harrison, M.: Just Constellations (Roomful Of Teeth)
Her Own Wings (Willamette Valley Chamber Music Festival)
Hynes: Fields (Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion)
Lang, D.: Love Fail (Beth Willer & Lorelei Ensemble)
Mazzoli: Proving Up (Christopher Rountree, Opera Omaha & International Contemporary Ensemble)
Sharlat: Spare The Rod! (NOW Ensemble)
Soul House (Hub New Music)
Wherein Lies The Good (The Westerlies)
Dmitry Lipay
Adams, J.: Must The Devil Have All The Good Tunes? (Yuja Wang, Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Cipullo: The Parting (Alastair Willis, Laura Strickling, Catherine Cook, Michael Mayes & Music Of Remembrance)
Ives: Complete Symphonies (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
LA Phil 100 - The Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Birthday Gala (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Langgaard: Prelude To Antichrist; Strauss: An Alpine Symphony (Thomas Dausgaard & Seattle Symphony Orchestra)
Nielsen: Symphony No. 1 & Symphony No. 2, 'The Four Temperaments' (Thomas Dausgaard & Seattle Symphony)
Elaine Martone
Bound For The Promised Land (Robert M. Franklin, Steven Darsey, Jessye Norman & Taylor Branch)
Dawn (Shachar Israel)
Gandolfi, Prior & Oliverio: Orchestral Works (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
Singing In The Dead Of Night (Eighth Blackbird)
Whitacre: The Sacred Veil (Eric Whitacre, Grant Gershon & Los Angeles Master Chorale)
Classical
Best Orchestral Performance
"Ives: Complete Symphonies"
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
"Aspects of America - Pulitzer Edition"
Carlos Kalmar, conductor (Oregon Symphony)
"Concurrence"
Daníel Bjarnason, conductor (Iceland Symphony Orchestra)
"Copland: Symphony No. 3"
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
"Lutosławski: Symphonies No. 2 & 3"
Hannu Lintu, conductor (Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra)
Best Opera Recording
"Gershwin: Porgy and Bess"
David Robertson, conductor; Angel Blue & Eric Owens; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
"Dello Joio: The Trial at Rouen"
Gil Rose, conductor; Heather Buck & Stephen Powell; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Odyssey Opera Chorus)
"Floyd, C: Prince of Players"
William Boggs, conductor; Keith Phares & Kate Royal; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Florentine Opera Chorus)
"Handel: Agrippina"
Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor; Joyce DiDonato; Daniel Zalay, producer (Il Pomo D'Oro)
"Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg"
Donald Runnicles, conductor; David Butt Philip & Elena Tsallagova; Peter Ghirardini & Erwin Stürzer, producers (Orchestra Of The Deutsche Oper Berlin; Chorus Of The Deutsche Oper Berlin)
Best Choral Performance
"Danielpour: The Passion of Yessuah"
JoAnn Falletta, conductor; James K. Bass & Adam Luebke, chorus masters (James K. Bass, J'Nai Bridges, Timothy Fallon, Kenneth Overton, Hila Plitmann & Matthew Worth; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus & UCLA Chamber Singers)
"Carthage"
Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
"Kastalski: Requiem"
Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Charles Bruffy, Steven Fox & Benedict Sheehan, chorus masters (Joseph Charles Beutel & Anna Dennis; Orchestra Of St. Luke's; Cathedral Choral Society, The Clarion Choir, Kansas City Chorale & The Saint Tikhon Choir)
"Moravec: Sanctuary Road"
Kent Tritle, conductor (Joshua Blue, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Dashon Burton, Malcolm J. Merriweather & Laquita Mitchell; Oratorio Society Of New York Orchestra; Oratorio Society Of New York Chorus)
"Once Upon a Time"
Matthew Guard, conductor (Sarah Walker; Skylark Vocal Ensemble)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
"Contemporary Voices" – Pacifica Quartet
"Healing Modes" – Brooklyn Rider
"Hearne, T,: Place" – Ted Hearne, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods & Place Orchestra
"Hynes: Fields" – Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion
"The Schumann Quartets" – Dover Quartet
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
"Theofanidis: Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra"
Richard O'Neill; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)
"Adés: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra"
Kirill Gerstein; Thomas Adès, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
"Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas"
Igor Levit
"Bohemian Tales"
Augustin Hadelich; Jakub Hrůša, conductor (Charles Owen; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks)
"Destination Rachmaninov - Arrival"
Daniil Trifonov; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
"Smyth: The Prison"
Sarah Brailey & Dashon Burton; James Blachly, conductor (Experiential Chorus; Experiential Orchestra)
"American Composers at Play - William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto"
Stephen Powell (Attacca Quartet, William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto, Charles Neidich & Jason Vieaux)
"Clairières - Songs by Lili & Nadia Boulanger"
Nicholas Phan; Myra Huang, accompanist
"Farinelli"
Cecilia Bartoli; Giovanni Antonini, conductor (Il Giardino Armonico)
"A Lad's Love"
Brian Giebler; Steven McGhee, accompanist (Katie Hyun, Michael Katz, Jessica Meyer, Reginald Mobley & Ben Russell)
Best Classical Compendium
"Thomas, M.T.: From the Diary of Anne Frank & Meditations on Rilke"
Isabel Leonard; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Jack Vad, producer
"Adès Conducts Adès"
Mark Stone & Christianne Stotijn; Thomas Adès, conductor; Nick Squire, producer
"Saariaho: Graal Théâtre; Circle Map, Neiges, Vers Toi Qui Es Si Loin"
Clément Mao-Takacs, conductor; Hans Kipfer, producer
"Serebrier: Symphonic Bach Variations; Laments and Hallelujahs; Flute Concerto"
José Serebrier, conductor; Jens Braun, producer
"Woolf, L.P.: Fire and Blood"
Matt Haimovitz; Julian Wachner, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
"Rouse: Symphony No. 5"
Christopher Rouse, composer (Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)
"Adès: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra"
Thomas Adès, composer (Kirill Gerstein, Thomas Adès & Boston Symphony Orchestra)
"Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshua"
Richard Danielpour, composer (JoAnn Falletta, James K. Bass, Adam Luebke, UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus)
"Floyd, C.: Prince of Players"
Carlisle Floyd, composer (William Boggs, Kate Royal, Keith Phares, Florentine Opera Chorus & Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)
"Hearne, T.: Place"
Ted Hearne, composer (Ted Hearne, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods & Place Orchestra)
Music video/film
Best Music Video
"Brown Skin Girl" – Beyoncé, Saint Jhn & Wizkid Featuring Blue Ivy Carter
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Jenn Nkiru, video directors; Lauren Baker, Astrid Edwards, Nathan Scherrer & Erinn Williams, video producers
"Life Is Good" – Future Featuring Drake
Julien Christian Lutz, video director; Harv Glazer, video producer
"Lockdown" – Anderson .Paak
Dave Meyers, video director; Nathan Scherrer, video producer
"Adore You" – Harry Styles
Dave Meyers, video director; Nathan Scherrer, video producer
"Goliath" – Woodkid
Yoann Lemoine, video director; Horace de Gunzbourg, video producer
Best Music Film
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice – Linda Ronstadt
Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, video directors; Michele Farinola & James Keach, video producers
Beastie Boys Story – Beastie Boys
Spike Jonze, video director; Amanda Adelson, Jason Baum & Spike Jonze, video producers
Black Is King – Beyoncé
Emmanuel Adjei, Blitz Bazawule, Beyoncé Knowles Carter & Kwasi Fordjour, video directors; Lauren Baker, Akin Omotoso, Nathan Scherrer, Jeremy Sullivan & Erinn Williams, video producers
We Are Freestyle Love Supreme – Freestyle Love Supreme
Andrew Fried, video director; Andrew Fried, Jill Furman, Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sarina Roma, Jenny Steingart & Jon Steingart, video producers
That Little Ol' Band From Texas – ZZ Top
Sam Dunn, video director; Scot McFadyen, video producer
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Who Holds Destiny’s Pen?
Or, choices and destiny: the main theme of The Witcher books.
What is destiny? Is it the Ouroborus? Are you just a tool in it? Do your choices matter?
Existentialism vs. determinism, that age-old debate. The Witcher doesn’t give a clear “yes everything is determined” or “no, nothing is” but does explore the question with nuance and ultimately, for me at least, a fulfilling answer to that question.
Destiny is hope.
It’s amusing that The Witcher is in many ways seen as playing tropes straight (as opposed to, say, Martin, whose ASOIAF deconstructs elements of the fantasy genre). But I actually didn’t think this was true; or, rather, it’s a stark oversimplification. Ciri (one of the best female main characters I’ve ever read about) is very much a deconstruction of the Virgin Mary archetype within a misogynistic world. The Witcher never revels in its misogyny, using them to titillate while also critiquing them: it straight up critiques them with nuance and empathy.
The Virgin Mary, of course, is the woman who gave birth to Jesus in the Christian faith, who saved the world. (She too was probably only 14 or 15 when her story began, much like Ciri.) Ciri’s whole deal, in addition to being a powerful medium in her own right, is that she’s prophesized to give birth to the “Avenger” who will save their world from total calamity. Thus a five-book saga of everyone trying to control Ciri’s womb is spawned. It could be creepy if it wasn’t handled so well (it is framed really well as just as creepy and dehumanizing as it sounds, yet not in a titillating way).
One of the main motifs, if not the main motif, of The Witcher’s choice vs. destiny question is what say women have over their bodies. It could be read politically; this isn’t exactly a political reading thereof but an examination of The Witcher’s exploration of to what extent a person can control their destiny.
Renfri is not allowed to have any say in what happens to her from birth, because Stregobor believes she is a monster and wants to find her to dissect or vivisect her. Even when Geralt is forced to kill her, he refuses to allow Stregobor to touch Renfri’s body, because her body is hers. The books bang this drum even louder than the show does, because within the books, Renfri’s history of sexual abuse is strongly highlighted.
Renfri’s story asks the initial question: what is the lesser evil? And it’s a question The Witcher keeps asking us. If Ciri being used to have a child who will save the world from a calamity that will definitely come can definitely save this world, then why not sacrifice one girl’s wellbeing for the good of the world?
Geralt argues that evil is evil, large or small in scale. He uses this argument against the emperor determined to marry and impregnate Ciri:
“The ends justify the means,” the Emperor said flatly. “I do it for the future of the world. For its salvation.”
“If you have to save the world like this,” the witcher lifted his head, “this world would be better off disappearing. Believe me... it would be better to perish.”
The story then focuses specifically on childbearing and pregnancy for its three most important female characters: Yennefer, Milva, and Ciri.
The show doubles down on this, as it depicts Yennefer telling Geralt that the root of her desire to overcome her infertility is because the choice was taken from her, and she wants her choices back. It’s a powerful statement that has its spirit carried over into the books; however, Yennefer’s infertility in the books is definitely not her choice whereas in the show it does show her making a choice; it’s essentially a side effect of her magic. Yennefer can control how she appears, can control chaos, but she cannot control her own womb, and Sapkowski writes Yennefer’s anguish over this as raw and real.
However, Yennefer does later receive a choice: to train and thereby end up adopting Ciri, or not. And she chooses to, and it’s a lifegiving decision for all. She is able to write her destiny in Ciri.
Women’s rights to control their own bodies is most blatantly brought up with Milva. She finds herself pregnant on the road and has to decide whether to keep it or have an abortion, and the emphasis is clearly on the fact that it is her choice regardless of what she decides.
‘In Nilfgaard,’ Cahir said, blushing and lowering his head, ‘such matters are determined solely by the woman. Nobody has the right to influence her decision. Regis said that Milva is determined to take the… medicine. Therefore I think of this fact as accomplished. And the consequences of this fact. But I am a foreigner and not familiar with… I should not have spoken at all. Forgive me.’
‘For what?’ the troubadour said with surprise. ‘Do you think of us as savages, Nilfgaardian? As primitive tribes, adhering to shamanic taboo? It is obvious that only a woman could make such a decision, it is their inherent right!…’
Geralt then faces a choice to help Milva make her own decision for herself, not for what she thinks she should do or because everyone else wants one thing or the other. And he steps up as a dad figure to her, becoming vulnerable with her when he discusses things he has lost in life. It’s through his empathy that Milva feels free to come to her decision: she decides to keep the baby after all..
...only to lose the baby in a later battle. So, did her choice matter or did destiny rip her choice away? Is destiny itself the monster?
It matter because it was the fact that Milva made that decision. She mourns for the loss of her baby (which gets to The Witcher’s themes about how, if you love someone, you will inevitably end up hurt, but if you don’t, you will be less and less human). This is further compounded by how Milva’s decision mirrors Geralt’s and Yennefer’s, because after the loss of her child she acts as a mother-like figure for several in the company (for example, when she forces Geralt and Cahir to stop fighting). She is able to save and protect them, to die defending life as opposed to the life she’d lived taking it.
As for Ciri, she deconstructs the Virgin Mary archetype and the lamp character trope (a trope in which you could replace the character--usually female--by a lamp and nothing would change). Everyone’s trying to find her. Everyone wants to use her. But she’s not a lamp. Emhyr, elves, mages, Vilgefortz--they all want to arrange for Ciri’s son to be someone who will represent their interests.
Even when characters aren’t trying to get Ciri pregnant, you have Bonhart (a villain who’s basically what would happen if you combined Delores Umbridge and Ramsay Bolton in a Petri dish) who treats her like an animal and forces her to be a gladiator. Not to mention Mistle straight-up assaults Ciri (I know the author didn’t intend for it to read that way, but honestly, I’m confused as to where the ambiguity even would come from; it seemed very blatant to me). Everyone’s trying to use her, refusing to give her her own choices, and refusing to care about how she feels, which brings us back to what Geralt says to Emhyr which I cited earlier:
If this is what it takes to save the world, if the world is required to be evil and torment a girl and subject her to all kinds of abuses, is the world itself--evil in what it will do to spare itself--worth saving?
Hence, is the concept of destiny a curse? How can it be, when destiny says Ciri is bound to Geralt and this turns out to be positive? Yet also says Ciri will have a child who will avenge the world against some calamity, but the ramifications of this almost destroy Ciri’s life.
Destiny seems, therefore, to be what people make of it. It can turn you into a monster or a legend or perhaps both, but your choices are what make destiny, destiny. You hold your own pen.
Which isn’t to say that the story relies on “good victim, bad victim” in how people who make bad choices suffer, because it does not. The point is that we understand what makes someone make the choices they make, regardless of if they’re feared emperors like Emhyr or murderers like Renfri or lost children like Mistle. Empathy, really. It’s hard to outright condemn any character (less so their actions) for making the choices they make. Empathy is what enables our characters to transcend their broken world, to hope and choose better. Except Bonhart. We can all hate him.
You hold destiny’s pen, but empathy and compassion give you the ink, and when you don’t get it, the pen is good for nothing but use as a weapon.
Destiny is hope, as Philippa concludes in the end, and empathy is what brings legends about--relating to the struggles of those who came before (yes, The Witcher gets very meta in Lady of the Lake). And hence, while the ending leaves a lot of questions out in the open, I think the open-endedness really affirms the story’s core themes. The point is that Ciri has choices about whether or not she wants to conceive a son and whom with, if anyone. She’s free in a new world, able to return to her old one if she wishes, or not to. She gets to decide what’s on her next page.
To an extent, the reason I felt the more tragic endings kind of worked in The Witcher is because even when the characters’ arcs end in tragedy, they tend to get what they want. Ciri got her parents in each other’s arms, Cahir got to see Ciri again as the adult he dreamed (literally) of, Angoulême got to matter, Regis’s legacy is one of salvation rather than death, Milva found belonging, Yennefer got to become a mother, and Geralt found out how very, very human he was. Hell, Emhyr even made a choice to honor his word. The story doesn’t glorify tragedy or death (the opposite: this attitude is directly called out multiple times in Cahir and Geralt’s arcs), but neither does it imply that death is the loss of hope.
In the end, regardless of how their arcs ended, each of our beloved characters’ hopes were fulfilled.
I have several more metas I want to write, most notably on Ciri and Cahir’s foiling, as well as Ciri’s and Renfri’s, and the Rats vs. Geralt’s company.
#the witcher#the witcher meta#yennefer of vengerberg#geralt of rivia#ciri#cirilla fiona elen riannon#renfri#milva#maria barring
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Speaking of being oblivious, I’ve been thinking about the saga of Blondel The Troubadour in connection with Maedhros and Fingon before, but there’s something I only noticed yesterday while the husband was watching a documentary on castle-building and the documentary mentioned a castle that features in the Blondel saga as well.
The saga of Blondel, for those not familiar with it, basically goes that Blondel de Nesle was a super good friend of Richard the Lionheart, and while Richard was imprisoned and nobody knew his whereabouts, Blondel went around all castles in question and sang songs that only he and Richard knew, until he finally came to the Trifels where, duly, Richard sang ~their songs~ back at him. And then he rescued him. Or contributed to his rescue, anyway.
Historically, the story is probably entirely fabricated, but it’s still a cracking good yarn and I have naturally wondered whether a) Tolkien was familiar with it and b) did it inspire the Thangorodrim rescue scene? Or is it just coincidence? But only yesterday, while hearing (rather than reading) the story, did I realise that the fucking castle is named Trifels (like, “three-mountain”), and Thangorodrim famously has three peaks. On the one hand, a potential linguistic in-joke probably doesn’t suffice as evidence, but on the other hand, Maedhros has no other hand
#and there's no mountain too hiiiiigh#no riiiiiiver too wiiiiide#sing out this song and i'll be theeeere by your siiiide#ok i'll shut up now#gratuitious tolkien reference#gratuitious folklore reference#meta#(very bad meta)#dammit jirt#medieval goings-on
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the funniest part about geralt and dandelion’s friendship is that they’ve allegedly been friends for SO LONG, that it exceeds the canonical and logical limits of dandelion’s age. this friendship is so powerful, sapkowski didnt pay attention to his timeline
if dandelion began to take an interest in seriously studying poetry at 19, as is canon, and then enrolled in and subsequentially graduated from oxenfurt, in say, in 4 years like with a contemporary college education, he’d be about 23 or 24 when he graduated.
if it’s 1268 in tos/lotl, and ciri is 16, then in sword of destiny when she was 8 was 8 years ago in 1260.
geralt invoked the law of surprise in in a question of price, as pavetta was pregnant, making that occur around 1251 (adding 3/4 year for gestation purposes).
the edge of the world is the earliest chronological story we have because geralt and dandelion have been friends For Ever, so let’s say it takes place around 1245 to 1250, if we’re being generous.
again, in tos/lotl, the year is 1268 and dandelion is 38. so he was born in 1230.
logically, he couldn’t have met geralt before at least being in his mid to late 20s, because he had not only graduated, but been independent as a poet and troubadour in his profession for a good while now, already having a reputation. so let’s be generous, and give him only 2 to 3 years after graduation to become famous and renowned, just because he’s dandelion, so he’s about 26 to 27 when he meets geralt.
in order for this to have occured, geralt and dandelion would meet in 1256 or 1257.
sword of destiny occurs around 1260... sword of destiny. mind ALL of the short stories that come before this: geralt met dandelion (right before the edge of the world), had a bunch of escapades fighting monsters (the witcher, a grain of truth, the lesser evil), met yennefer (the last wish), spent a year (a year!) in yengerberg with her, had some couple drama which leads us to the bounds of reason and later on, a shard of ice, and later on geralt has more adventures with dandelion in eternal flame and a little sacrifice.
if geralt meets dandelion in 1256, or let’s say, 1255, if we’re being even more generous and saying dandelion gets famous within one year! if he meets him in 1255, then he has exactly 5 years to do ALL OF THE ABOVE before he meets ciri in the sword of destiny.
5. years. 5 years, when the above events probably take place in the span of maybe double that time or more, considering how much time he spent with both yennefer in vengerberg and travelling with dandelion, and having couple drama with yennefer, and just travelling between destinations, because the series takes place all over the dang continent and he’s only got a horse and during the short stories, unlike in the saga, he didn’t travel with much haste.
so yeah. geralt and dandelion’s friendship was so powerful, it broke the fucking timeline. good job guys. good job
#its nice though because it just shows theyre immortal as characters and a timeline doesnt really exist#dandelion is just eternally 38 like geralt is just eternally 45#the only person that ages in this series is ciri basically#because its relevant to the plot#thoughts#dandelion#geralt#gerlion#this is funny considering i suck at math
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