Doctor Elise anime was announced I liked the story but it started dragging out in the end with the war and romance subplots.

Kinda miffed they changed the color scheme to make it more "realistic" and "natural" I really liked how vibrant, warm and pink all the colors looked in the manhwa

Love your work! I wanted to ask what your process is like when it comes to coming up with a design/composition to a piece? Do you have any specific methods you use or it is more improvised:)? Thanks!

I'd say both - method and improvisation. To me all pictures are basically shapes organized in a pleasing way. Even when I draw lines I think more about overall shapes together and how I feel about them. There's a lot to consider about design and composition, some pretty smart books on the subject are Marcus Mateu-Mestre: Framed Ink and Hans Bacher: Vision - color and composition for film. I'm still learning all the time and I make mistakes but I think method to making composition comes down to: readability and narrative intention, moving from simplicity to complex. But it's also fun and important to play around and see what works, that's why my process is not always the same and I can show some examples. Here are the sketches and final I did for my Magic card illustration:

This is my go-to method when I want to rely on tried and true process and I know I won't get lost once I start drawing/painting because I can rely on my steps. I don't always do things this way, but for paid work I want the client to have as clear idea of my intention as possible. The reasoning why 3 worked the best is because it's more dynamic and dimensional than 2, but more readable than 1. It also best showcases how the tower is supposed to be huge, something that was important for the design.

This on the other hand was personal work and I approached it in more relaxed way just to see where it goes. Still I think what made me want to finish it is I liked the variety of shapes and rhythm of the room, like how the screens lead towards the doorway, lot of rectangles but varied in their size and angle. If it was client work I probably would've been called out in the sketch, because the focal point is this empty wall that makes no sense. I came up with the idea of shadow of a window while making it and in the end it worked, but it was an example how I made a big design problem for myself that I was gambling on to figure out.

This one had very specifically just one photo reference, but I did the sketch to put down the essentials of what I was seeing in the photo. In the end I referenced dog's face and pose more from the photo so it looks more natural, which was also funnier than my own initial interpretation

Sometimes the initial comp just doesn't pan out exactly. I did the sketch for this Unicorn fanart and I even drew the interior at some point, but it just Did Not Work for me, I also discarded the idea of medieval dragon in the statue for same reason. So it sat in my folder for a while until I could look at it again and after taking a break, I still liked the statue and the general idea, but decided to make the surroundings easier to look at so that the statue stands out better.

When I did the sketch for this dragon I wanted it to feel big and heavy, like lifting its head from the ground. But I didn't want to do vertical picture which lead me to painting over digitally and extending the picture, then painting the whole thing traditionally anyway.

Bestiaryposting Results: Kengliwa

So, as it seems everyone made note of, this week's creature was exceptionally easy to guess. (To the point that a couple people did actually go ahead and name it, which I can't be that annoyed about because I don't think anyone missed this one.) I actually thought about not including it -- I cut a few that were particularly obvious like this one, but this entry was just so beautifully written that I didn't want to not post it. Maybe I should have done a separate post like with the dogs... live and learn, I suppose.

Anyway, previous entries and results can be found here: https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. And the entry everybody is working from is at the link below:

Art below the cut in rough chronological order, as per usual.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) decided to go a bit Beatrix Potter, and produced some frankly adorable shrew-like critters. (And her own alt-text, thank you.) They're dressed in these nice black coats and bowler hats so they can look like the "black column across the fields" described in the entry. I love everything about this. Also, if you want to see a version of this without the linework, check the link above.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) decided to work off of the assertion that Kengliwas prefer wheat to barley because "barley is food for beasts". Naturally this means the Kengliwa must not itself be a beast, and Silverhart reflects that by medieval definition that excludes pretty much everything but birds and fish. So here we have a very small mouse-bird (the results of this one are all very cute, I have to say). And of course it's a flightless bird, because the entry describes them as walking. I'm really struck by the general composition of this one; the tiny bird clinging to the top of a wheat stalk is so well depicted. The colors are great too.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) followed the same "not a beast" logic as Silverhart, though they also name "serpent" and "worm" as potential non-beast categories. They also picked "bird", because the Kengliwa brings grain back to its nest, and birds have nests, so there you go. I appreciate that they've continued with that connection by having the interior of the Kengliwa burrow lined in a manner reminiscent of birds' nests. (And also that they provided alt-text, thank you.) Speaking of which, check it out, burrowing birds! With a cross-section of their burrow! Delightful. They further speculate that the symbolism attached to this one must be pretty weird given the mixed feelings the author seems to have, so I went and checked...

... there's actually not a lot of symbolism on this one. The highlights are that the divided grain supply represents the division between the Old and New Testaments, and barley represents heresy which is why it is scorned. (Pretty sure lots of people in the Middle Ages ate barley, but I suppose they preferred wheat.) The symbolism is all "things we learn from the good example of this industrious creature", and the entry quotes Proverbs 6:6 -- I'm not copying it here, because even though I'm pretty sure everyone knows what the animal is, the verse in question does name it, and we have a procedure here.

Anyway, as always, I recommend clicking on the link to CheapSweets's post to see their detailed explanation of their design decisions.

@theforceisstronginthegirl (link to post here) has drawn some ants in their agenda book. I have to admit, I'm not fully sure whether this was meant to be an entry, but you know, there's a picture (with alt-text and everything!) and it's tagged "kengliwa", so in it goes. Honestly I think the highlight here is that they described the creatures in the picture as "scribbles with jobs" which I think is a fun way to describe bugs generally. Very dynamically drawn scribbles too; they're quite expressive.

@pomrania (link to post here) has drawn a strange and adorable critter. It's giving... lizard-squirrel. Squizard. Particularly delighted by the fact that multiple people decided that such an industrious fellow should be wearing tiny clothing. I think the bag with one (1) grain of wheat in it is a nice touch. You just want to root for this little guy, you know? Also it's worth checking out Pomrania's linked post and associated progress post for some interesting steps in the design process for this one.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) continues to deliver beautifully stylized art. They note that they considered rodents, but figured medieval authors would not be nearly this positive about rodents stealing grain, so instead they're lizards. Very good lizards, too! I love the patterning on them and the expressions on their faces. The one on the left scorning the barley is particularly delightful. Coolest-capybara also wonders what the original animal is classified under, if not "beast" -- to which I must say, oddly enough, this one is in with the beasts. I think. Right after this entry is the start of the "birds" section, and right before it is are some various mammals. So either this is the end of the beast section or it's, like, a palate-cleanser in between.

@strixcattus (link to post here) has also given their Kengliwa clothing, but for a very specific reason: as others have noted, the Kengliwa scorning barley because it's "food for beasts" implies that the Kengliwa are not beasts. Therefore, in Strixcattus's interpretation, they're people. Which is indeed the only non-"beast" category of animal that nobody else has mentioned, as far as I can figure. They're darling. Love the one on the right that appears to be chewing on a straw like your stereotypical farmer, except of course the straw is a single seed with like a bit of stalk attached. And I know I always say it, but you need to go read the linked post for this one. Maybe it's just because worldbuilding is my jam, but I'd happily read a lengthy TTRPG supplement about how Kengliwa society operates. They're like... medieval Borrowers who farm lichen and domesticate ants. I want to know everything about this.

Anyway, here's the Aberdeen Bestiary version:

That's right, they're scribbles with jobs!

Seriously, it turns out Theforceisstronginthegirl drew basically a dead ringer for the medieval version. Compare the two; the biggest differences are the medium and the fact that the Aberdeen Bestiary includes a nest.

But yes, they're ants. We all know they're ants.

Which should, as CheapSweets alluded to, be classed in with the worms! (Remember, that's a flexible term in the medieval era... especially since this is a Latin text, so it's vermis, like Modern English vermin.) There is a section labelled De vermibus, and these guys aren't in it! It could have really used them, too; I think the Ant entry by itself is the same length as the whole "worm" section.

Anyway. Hopefully next week's will be less obvious... okay, I just checked, it's barely less obvious. But I would put money on nobody guessing the one that posts on the 19th (though that's a pretty short entry, unfortunately).

answering asks vol 2.

'Smiths' can encompass enginesmiths (mercury), armoursmiths (mars), alchemists (saturn) and some others - generally a smith is someone who works with engines or metal in any capacity, whether by constructing them, managing their fuel, making armour, etc. all of them have a completely degendered role in the church. They are supposed to be wholly devoted to their craft & church, to the point of becoming almost unpeople, sexless.

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I like pantera :) he's the main character beast sure (alongside leun) but he's got a lot of interesting history and has been through a lot.

To start out I do some basic sketches while looking at bestiary diagrams of the animal type. Then I draw the base proportions over a photo of the animal's skeleton. Once the joints are all in place and I could imagine it moving relatively freely, I pick a motif and design the armour shapes with that in mind (i.e leun's trefoils, taurus's waves). The motifs come from a bunch of sources - if I see them in medieval art around that animal, the beast's use purpose, the culture that built them and how it might differ in art styles to the 'basic' designs from the heart of the Mezian theocracy. Fun stuff like that.

As an exercise I have taken (human) characters from other settings and made holy beast versions of them, trying to imagine what animal it would be, what weapons, what armour designs, etc. Behold, Bowman:

It's a fun exercise! I recommend :>

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Hi! Thank you for the suggestion! I actually did try to use OneNote for my thesis but I found that it ended up an extra step that got in the way. Instead I organised my reference papers manually (and wrote up all my bibliography by hand as well). I haven't heard of Notion so I might look into it :> as someone with adhd I find that the best way for me is to make it stupid easy, which is why discord works because I already use it for talking with friends and I like the mobile app.

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SO true!! You can make whatever the hell you want forever and that sounds really cool, I'm glad I was able to help in some little way >:) (although, holy beasts are not robots.. i think the best description for them is just. exotic vehicles.)

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lmao it's totally fine!! I love to talk

Sir Heaven had such a profoundly negative experience with Leun that he struggles with the concept of making anybody else do what he now considers to be his burden. He also feels that taking any new people inside Leun would endanger them.

The bishop of Salvius cathedral is the guy Heaven answers to, and his superior officer. The bishop has reported the matter to the pope and they're still working hard presenting new potential novices to Sir Heaven, but the thing is that Sir Heaven rejects them for seemingly valid reasons. He doesn't just say 'no I'm not taking apprentices', he says 'this one's reaction speed isn't good enough' or 'this one is too prideful'. But the longer he tries to keep this up, the more suspicion he heaps on his shoulders. If the time came, no, he would not be able to deny a direct order from the pope.

Ketjan was selected at random, one of a large group of other children who were not raised in the church. This is to ensure that there is no per-existing bias or knowledge of how holy beasts work. And he just happened to be the only one of the group who could master Leun's very demanding dialogue tattoo. The recruiting enginesmiths, who designed Leun's systems, were the ones to train him, but Ketjan was the one to write most of the procedures for operating Leun based on feedback from the dialogue.

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Replies from THIS post:

@ospreyonthemoon @kicks-tiktaalik-back-into-water

Krokodilos had an amazing high-tech ventilation system that used active air pumps to keep it circulating. But exactly like the second reply says, it broke down frequently. And because of how it worked, the interior of croc had to be air-tight so that the pumps could work efficiently. And, of course, if it broke down, and it was air tight on the inside, it instantly became a more dangerous deathtrap than your average passively ventilated beast.

There were valves that could be opened in an emergency but these were only added after the first Incident. The pumps would break down from the fabric seals degrading, lose efficacy, and then the parts furthest from the pumps would suddenly not get enough air anymore because air couldn't be moved such a distance with faulty pumps. The reason his enginesmiths want him to be re-commissioned is because the only barrier was the material used for the seals, and they believe they can innovate some new materials or try something different and have it work. They were even thinking of trying natural rubber, which would have worked perfectly, but they never got approval for it.

Deranged Ramblings of A Technoblade fan

Ok I don't know how to blog for shit and I've not slept in two days so yall are now gonna suffer as I throw out my thoughts to the universe.

Technoblade, the character, is often depicted as wearing a corset and while I've not seen anyone complain about it being "unrealistic" because lets be real here the SBI is made up of a perpetually tired bird man, a bard with a habit of destroying countries, a vaguely anthropormorphised to straight up anime elf prince pig depending on the artist, and a Tommy; a corset is the LEAST of one's worries ya know?

Anywho, corsets on a warrior. Being a semi-qualified art historian and an enthusiast in fashion and medieval armour, it is ACTUALLY plausible!

As the common discourse goes, a PROPERLY FITTED and NON-TIGHTLACED corset is actually very comfortable to wear. They were literally designed to support the chest and help with posture despite the common modern idea of the corset being cruel and blah blah blah literally everyone who's worn a proper corset can vouch that it's actually quite comfy. (Myself included, shut up men can wear corsets too.) And depending on the type of corset, they can be very flexible to allow for movement. The type of corset would be the one to look at when determining realism, in this case we got full corsets that are kinda like vests, underbust corsets, and mid corsets. Your full size corset provides the most support as it distributes the weight of the bust around your waist and shoulders, with some types of underbusts doing similar. Seeing as unless c/Techno has a bust size in need of support, this probably isn't gonna be the one worn most in battle as, while corsets can be moved pretty easily in, they were not made in the intention to be worn into battle.

An underbust would be more flexible and still provide any sort of support, and a mid-torso corset probably wouldn't provide the same amount of support but would still help with supporting one's back, especially when riding a horse or walking for a long time and trust me good back support is a BOON when you're wearing armour. On that front, while a corset that has boning made of baleen, metal, or bone might provide some protection to slashing attacks, and distribution of impact to an extent, against an arrow/axe/well placed sword strike, not great. That's the point of wearing a gambison and armour in general. A gambeson acts as a means of keeping armour from touching the skin and chaffing, as well as providing an extra layer of squish between the body and the weapon. You can actually just wear a gembeson when fighting in a pinch, it won't exactly protect against an axe or flail or mace or arrow, but much like a corset slashing damage will be diminished.

So, as for wearing a corset while also wearing armour, to look fashionable but still provide protection, I would say the best way to do so would be to wear a mid-torso corset with a gambeson style interior, and a crop top style gambeson over the top and half-breast plate over that. Would I wear it into battle? Absolutly not. Would it provide protection during a display of power in a parade? Yes. Is it better than nothing? Also yes. Am I going to draw this at some point? Absofuckinlutely! The more likely form, and one that would be very interesting to see that I have yet to see any artist (so far) make, would be a wasp-waist style of breastplate armour. At that point you basically have a full on metal corset that's way more effective than just wearing the weirdly layered bits of corsetry and armour that was previously mentioned. Anyways, I am sleep deprived and have definitley missed a few points but I hope whoever has read this enjoyed the ramblings ok goodnight.

It also ignores the fact that well..the bandits are burning down villages and killing people. Like the plight of one's suffering is not an excuse for the crimes that they commit and while it's never too late to do the right thing and atone, it's not a pass to commit crimes. And like you mentioned, there's no evidence suggesting that the bandits in Firene or in any of the continents in Engage for that matter are doing the things they're doing because they're poor and starving; Engage doesn't want to well..engage with that cause that's not the focus (and it doesn't need to be).

Ugh, this feels like a continuation of that stupid "woobifying the villain" trend where their argument is "the villains suffered, so therefore their actions are justified and how dare the heroes try to stop them and uphold the status quo."

You are perfectly right anon. Céline could have still tried to arrest them, but let's not act as if her decision didn't had some justifications. She isn't doing it out of pure pleasure either, she simply want to protect her people.

Also that's going to be a little long but

When it comes to explaining why a crime is born you need to fufill a lot of conditions : when do people enter this crime ? at childhood or adulthood ? Is it linked to economic problem ? if so which one ? and why ?

I already talked about it but even if you, a player used to FE never diving onto why there is banditry in some part of the world, I simply don't think the idea that it is a result of economic hardship or a flawed system makes sense with what is presented of Firene

It's is canonically introduced as a pacifist country, the wealthiest of the 4 kingdom and holding philantrophic value as well as having a pastoral style of life. The Kingdom if Abundance is it called.

I received quite ago an anon ask that made the clever remark that if all the character originating from Firene had name derivated from fashion brands, was to show the wealth of Firene and when you look at the design for the Firenese they are all wearing outfits that look incredibly lavish and very designed, even in contrast of the other Royals. What's more in the jpn version, all of the member of the Firenese cast safe Alfred, Jean and sort of Boucheron speaks a very polite and fancy japanese, Etie even sounds a bit snobbish. And all of them are rich : Alfred and Céline, obviously as Royals, Etie being the daughter of a marquis, same for Chloé, Boucheron is the son of a count and while Louis holds from more common origins and that his father had to work harder to provide for the family, his polite speech and is outfit for Somniel and his personality in general seems to infer he was still from quite a wealthy family and it adds up with how he hails from a town that is famous for the grapes it produces. Mauvier too hails from a wealthy family and Jean, a commoner, is the son of a doctor and wants to be one. And he can freaking read and afford fridging glasses ! While it's likely thanks to his dad, his dad HAD to go through studies to be a doctor and even in medieval setting those were very pricey. So that's telling a lot of how the common people of Firene beneficiate from quite the wealthy style of life and if you compare the commoner outfit to the noble one avalaible in the Somniel, they aren't that different and those commoner outfits stands out a lot compared to the Brodian and Solmic one. From that we can deduce that the peasants in Firene are quite wealthy.

And it makes sense since Firene is mainly operating in interior from an economic point of view. It relies a lot on agriculture and since Firene is a land of abundance and fertility, they have a lot of land to cultivate. With most of the trade between farmer and merchants being operated in the inside, it creates more wealth for them since the concurance is so little and mainly between Firenese rather then with an exterior country for a less pricey product. This explain why there is so many farmer, peasants and merchants in Firene and you can expect the people to be quite wealthy, even among commoners.

This description doesn't fit one of a country who suffers from banditry because of poverty. Because poverty can be one of the main reason for the practice of banditry, but usually those are country that rely on agriculture and have a crisis in such domain like China or Russia at some points. Firene is described as an ever propesperous land, where even in autumn they can benefit from the recolts. The only season where it could be harder would be winter but seeing how the climate in Firene operates since they can cultivate oranges and grapes, fruits mainly developped into Mediteran region irl, and how Alfred and Céline describes it, I doubt they ever had to face a disastrous winter.

If you wanted to make that arguments for Brodia or Elusia, I could believe it since it has been established that those two had financial problem because of the war. Saphir is 35 and saw her villager ravaged as a child and all the character who had suffered from poverty are younger then her : Yunaka, a Brodia, was abandonned by her parents (in the manga, she was literaly sold), Griss (and in XenElyos Gregory) was sold to Sombron's cult when Marni was abandonned by her mother there too and they are both from Elusia. And the reason was because for the three of them, their parents were too poor to deal with them, having several other children to take care off in Marni's mother case, but in Yunaka and Griss, they were only children. From Alcryst's introduction in chapter 7, we also learn that there is thief there too.

For Firene it is much harder due to how the land is described in canon. It simply doesn't add up.

As for the bandits, seeing how the mainly operates around the Firene and Brodian border, it is likely because it is the less defended part of all Firene since there is no one to guard the border. But they clearly don't originate from there. Teronda is said to have taken over the village since he killed all the villagers and Mitan invaded the ruins because there was nobody there to make it her lair. However, it's no indicator they come from Firene. Their name don't evocate any fashion brand I know off, when even Jean's parent are named after it (Sean/Sean John and Anje from Maison Anje). Their name seems to be after a hotel brand and a confection brand ? But they don't have name that have any French signification, and their palette doesn't look very Firene either, with Mitan being closer but having colors much less bright. As for the highwaymen, in the JPN version their nationality isn't mentioned, it is likely that the localization added that were from Firene because they are said to attack shipment comming from Jean's village.

But again, even if they were from Firene, that begs the question of where exactly ? Because for them to move out this far, this clearly mean they had the means since someone really poor can't afford to leave their place. Or in that case they hail from a region where agriculture is less present and performant, so near the Firene border since there is more mountains and therefore is an environement less welcoming for agriculture, but it is invalidated by the presence of a village that they robbed off. The villager had some valuables, meaning they were still wealthy, and in the ruins that the bandits invaded there is a territory where agriculture can be grown there so... yeah, I don't buy it any seconds.

And the fact that they were able to set out a squad to kill an entire village.. people that are really poor don't have the means. They are also too numerous to fit that profile seeing how again, actual bandits operating because of their stomach being empty have less means, targets smaller targets and operates in a much less number.

And even if they had began a carrier because they were poor, by the time we fight them, it's obvious they amassed quite enough of the money to try to live another life rather then keeping this buissness they are involved in. But they didn't. They clearly can't have been kids that had been poor if they are from Firene and if they started out recently, their description invalidates this seeing how they have been operating for a while and are described as "willing to do any evil deed for the sake of treasure" or as "systematically stealing people". And seeing how Mitan steals mainly valuable, she isn't poor or starving, her target are too precise for that. (note it's their JPN descr, and in the case of Mitan, it implies she isn't targeting only merchants)

And again, seeing how the Royals are willing to spend any money possible to help their people since they hold philanthropic values, I don't see why they wouldn't try to help out their less favored citizens. After all, Alfred is willing to dig well himself for them. Céline to protect them had the gouvernement heighens the funds for the merchants and peasants trading the tea leaves that they spend time growing and even state in the jpn version she doubled the number of escorts. They did everything to rebuilt Florra port and to help the survivors heal and rebuilt the home that were ravaged by the Elusian army. They even went personally to help a little commoner, to collect the good that were stolen from their people and blames themselves for not having being arrived sooner to save that village of chapter 6. They would absolutely provide for their people if they were in need.

Another evidence of this is the plague and how they helped their citizens in thos time and speaking of which, I think the Plague is literaly the only ground someone could have to argue that Firene had economic hardship as a side effect of the plague, but you can't blame the Royals for it when even the King of Firene was struck by it and that at that time, they though Alfred caught it too. And seeing how Louis's father had to double up the work after losing his wife, it might be an indicator of it.

But again, as you pointed out too, the game never tried to infer that Firene had economic hardship, it does the exact opposite. But since the army is less present and that the country is so wealthy, it would obviously end up having some people choosing to be bandits to exploit others but with such an economic system, it's banditry that is hurting the economy ! It's perturbating trade, raving village and thus agricultural field and cultures, etc. They aren't poor or anything, they ARE what is causing economic hardship to Firene if any there is !!!

But as your rightfully point out, whatever is the reason that motivated them, it doesn't change the fact they choose to prioritize their own needs at the cost of the suffering of other and turned it into a literal buissness and commiting crime against humanity by sacking village, robbing of innocent people of their rightful belonging and commiting massing killing is not jusitifyable and makes me really doubt the claim they are simply trying to put the two together. Whether Céline was being harsh or not, they deemed others, villagers maybe even poorer and working hard to gain their life, to be lesser then then them and went on to rob them and kill them. And reminder that this is a SOFTCORE version of what actual bandits might commit as a crime, look for Berserk to get an idea closer to reality. But again, Céline herself still admitted to not completely liked that idea, but I really don't see how she is in the wrong here for punishing people who terrorized her citizens, killed them and steals them.

It got a bit long here, sorry I just brainstormed a lot and realized how it simply doesn't add up.

"Ugh, this feels like a continuation of that stupid "woobifying the villain" trend where their argument is "the villains suffered, so therefore their actions are justified and how dare the heroes try to stop them and uphold the status quo.""

Yes, I think that trend is VERY much a problem. Do you imagine if I tried to justify idk Rafal by saying "yes he destroyed an entire world and commiting 1 000 of attrocities but he was sud uwu" ? ugh, make me sick and it would go against his character since the whole point of his character is that he did it, acknowledges it and refuse to have someone take the blame for it, and goes into a whole redemption arc. Remove his crime and you lost 99% of what makes his character so savory !

But frankly, I think it's because of this trend that people can look at Zephia or Sombron and think the game is trying to redeem them or make them human or sympathetic for literaly giving an explanation as to what the heck they motivation are.

Besides that's like saying that it's fine to do evil when you are oppressed when as someone who holds that as a dear principle, you are responsible for your actions not matter what and can't blame any one but yourself for the choice you did. Which is also one of Engage's message : that no matter how you are born, you can still be a good person and that you should held responsability for your action and be ready to change to obtain forgivness. So, the whole defending the minro boss bandits in Engage thing is literaly going against the message of the game.

Nah. ASOIAF is just reveling in the brutality of the imagined past. You can look at the Dothraki, or the way that child molestation and violent rape are more socially condoned than they were in high medieval Western Europe, to see that. It's all of a piece. Apologists talk about how this is because of the Romantic overtones- lower lows to get higher highs. That doesn't really scan for me, but regardless, it's not really about accurately depicting retinue-of-retinue armies.

And one way you can tell this is the case is looking at who does engage in looting, foraging, and pillaging. It's sadistic monsters like Amory Loach, Gregor Clegane, and the Bloody Mummers (the latter two conspicuously dehumanized) who engage in this raiding, with some truisms about "war is hell" to assure us the Starks have done the same. Robb Stark the Young Wolf never gives orders to go and rob peasants of their food, we never get any kind of close-up on the results of his jolly heroic raid into Lannister lands, and the Night's Watch aims for a series of good stand-up fights to defeat Mance's army in detail, rather than attacking their stomach in this precarious northern land.

In other words, the depredations of armies in ASOIAF are done by inhuman villains or faceless nobodies. It's very much a post-Vietnam series of books, but one of the ways in which it is that is that it acknowledges the horrors of the Vietnam War while trying to deflect responsibility for or involvement with them. My Lai was the product of William Calley and his platoon, rather than an exceptionally bad instance of what American troops did to Vietnamese civilians many times, driven by a complex assembly of policies including Taylorizing warfare, making bodycount a KPI, fostering alienation from the Vietnamese general population, etc. etc. And which were done by otherwise ordinary people.

I want to contrast this with Glen Cook's Black Company novels, especially the first three. In the first book, there's an episode where the titular group have defeated several enemy military units, one of which is all women, and the narrator/POV character stops to have a metatextual comment that yes, he's aware he's censored out the morally hideous things this mercenary group does, such as raping adult women, and that he can only offer pitiful excuses for doing so, because he feels a need to defend his fellow soldiers. And that one of the other characters has threatened to take the book away and write the "real story".

And then there are other episodes, which make it clear that these characters do have lines that they won't cross, and that women are quite capable of sexually victimizing other women. We even get a recurring minor character attempting to sexually harass a major character in disguise, and after she beats him up, he's then chewed out by his superior. He has not been presented as a slavering creep before this point.

And at the same time, at this point the characters are all in the service of a teenage/early 20s disabled woman, and no indication is made that they see her as a potential target for sexual violence, because she's seen as one of them.

Cook understands sexual violence as driven by structural factors and the desire to express dominance most of all, and as something which is done not just by slavering monsters (which there are quite a few of in these books) but also by ordinary human beings with interiority and charm and the qualities of being a decent person otherwise. These are not, I would say, works of explicit feminist fantasy, but they have a feminist outlook in their worldview that's somehow aged well through the intervening decades, though we understand YesAllMen's problems now. And this feminist outlook is transmitted in part through thinking through, "How could good American boys who played baseball and had teenage sweethearts and listened to Howlin' Wolf on the radio late at night and noodled around with a guitar go over to Vietnam and do all those horrible things?"

Black Company is in its own way more traditional high fantasy fiction- it has evil sorcerers and sorceresses, reincarnated heroines, cosmological signifiers of heroic deeds- than ASOIAF. Where it does things more interestingly is not in "subverting the tropes" or whatever, but in using fantasy as a vehicle to think about these concepts.

What better to do than make an aesthetic collage of Fowl Manor to avoid actual responsibilities? I spent way too long being picky about what to include in this!

I've been thinking recently about how my mental image of Fowl Manor may slightly differ from when I first read them a a kid! I'd always imagined some sort of medieval castle or mansion, as it is described as in the book, but that did not reflect much in the film, naturally. It looked more like a McMansion to me on the outside!

Several photos in this collage are of Loftus Hall in Ireland, the manor that Eoin says inspired him in imagining Fowl Manor! It looks much more like how I pictured it when reading! I've always pictured dark wood, deep muted tones, or some jewel tones being prominent as well!

Some of the interiors in the movie were interesting though, I included one photo actually! In the middle, second from the left, was supposed to be Angeline's room! I've only ever seen photos of it online or in the "making of" book, since they cut Angeline's role. So, you don't get to see it in the final cut, which somehow feels appropriate, what little good there was had to be gotten rid of, right?

However, it gave me ideas about how the interior might be decorated! Obviously there would be plenty of antique and heritage items passed down through centuries, but I also think it's interesting to consider how things may have changed as the many generations of the Fowl clan went about their lives and through that what mementos and trinkets they may have brought in from their journeys!

Angeline to me comes across as that sort of posh style with a blend of modern and traditional aesthetics! The wall paper patterns I included are art nouveau-ish inspired, extravagant florals! I thought they also brought in a bit of the fantastical elements, showing the Fowl's historic connection to the People! I also dropped in a Celtic inspired pattern piece in there! I think it would be cool if in that pedestal spot behind the staircase there could be a fairy statue!

Definitely give any thought you have! Do yall have different mental images than I do?

Welcome to the third installment of "Artists Through The AIs": this time, we're going way back to the classics with a certain young witch dressed up as a certain sorceress.

Due to odd behavior of the data model (the freshly updated Dreamshaper V7), I had to fiddle with the prompt. Namely, if emphasis was put on the "painting" part, the images were sprouting easels and/or heavy gilded frames every-goddamn-where, even with CLIP skip set at 2 instead of the usual 1. So "painting" was left at 1.0 weight, while "by X" was emphasised to 1.2. Other than that, the prompt is "embedding:kieshi3v with long (red hair):1.2, wearing long red medieval dress with corset, medieval castle exterior background, dramatic lighting, detailed, high definition", and the seed is 254762234227837. Negative prompt includes "((easel)), ((frame)), ((interior)), red eyes" in addition to my usual heavily magical list. So here we go.

Leonardo da Vinci - I'm having second thoughts about the background common for several of the renders, but there's enough distinction between them to highlight Leonardo's style. The main focus is skin shading and curly hair, as seen in Leonardo's depictions of Virgin Mary.

Caravaggio - deceptively similar to the previous one, but with a noticeable distinction: the deeper shadows and higher contrast, creating a very Caravaggian chiaroscuro.

Titian - asking for "Titian" and "Tiziano" generated very similar takes in a lamp-lit corridor with way too modern look and pretty much no similarity to the paintings you can view online.

It also appears that AI omits the paint and canvas textures from Renaissance paintings, something it didn't do with the impressionists previously. This is most probably due to less emphasis on the "painting" part, as I'm going to show you in another post. Moving most of the description two-three tokens down apparently also creates a new baseline with a window or portal (either fitted with a door or not) instead of an overcast outside shot.

Albrecht Durer - whether you spell him with an umlaut or not, the outcome is a generic take with a portal in the background. The umlaut just removes the door and gives Sabrina a handbag.

Lucas Cranach the Younger - what we have here is a miscommunication. If you ask for the art of Lucas Cranach, sure as shit you'll get your character in a black beret popularized by the elder one's paintings of German VIPs. However, the diametrically different interior characteristic of Renaissance painting and less pronounced effect of the embedded likeness of Kiernan Shipka makes me think that, once again, we're dealing with a "So you have heard of me" behavior.

Hans Holbein the Younger - once again, something's way off here. We have a similar Renaissance interior background with some traces of brushwork, less pronounced embedding and some odd lace bonnet, but nothing that would link the work to either of the two Holbeins. I think that we're dealing with the side effect of the prompt being knocked two further tokens down, but I'm not sure. It goes too far, particularly if you consider that differences between other images are much less pronounced.

Rembrandt - as in the case of Caravaggio, the distinct part of this one is the chiaroscuro. There's also more pronounced detailing of the collar and shoulders of the dress, possibly inspired by the outfits in "The Anatomy Lesson of dr Tulp", "Syndics of the Drapers' Guild" and "The Night Watch".

Vermeer - there's no doubt. This is Vermeer. Two different seeds and I got two very similar mashups of "The Girl Reading A Letter", "The Girl With Pearl Earring" and "The Milkmaid". This goes so far against the prompt that we're dealing with a similar case to Simon Stalenhag from the first test.

Peter Paul Rubens - this one itches my brain something fierce. While scrolling through the renders, this one and four neighboring ones share the exact same position of white shift and a dark underbust corset, meaning they're merely slight variations on a baseline, but I swear that I've seen a similar painting of a long-haired man in a black doublet with frilly white collar and sleeves. Was that a Rubens? I have no idea (it wasn't Hals' "The Laughing Cavalier", though).

Diego Velazquez - this one is trying to do something. Once again, we have a portal in the background, but the character's position is slightly off the baseline and the palette is slightly muted.

Murillo - way too generic. The background is curiously off, as it's not a portal but a vaulted ceiling supported by pillars, but the pose is shared by four other renders, including the Rubens one, meaning it's sticking to the baseline fairly closely.

Francisco Goya - this is an odd one. It has nothing to do with Goya's works, but still, the pose is off the baseline, the background features brushwork and an abrupt switch from a near wall to a wider expanse with bizarre levitating architecture. I have no idea what's going on with it.

Eugene Delacroix - it's generic. Sure, the background features an open street with some people as opposed to the typical portal and lamp or chandelier, but the pose and outfit are kinda samey. What, no attempt to go anywhere near "Liberty Leading The People"?!

Jacques-Louis David - another generic one. I mean, what the fuck. If you look at David's corpus of works on Wikipedia, this could have been done entirely differently, yet we have an underbust corset, a portal and a light source in the background.

Thomas Gainsborough - finally something. Discernible brushwork, unusual contrast and lighting, and - as a bonus - the Strawberry Hill Gothic castle in the background make this one distinctive and consistent without plowing straight into obnoxious homage slash blatant plagiarism territory.

Resource List

List of freely-available online sources only, some of which are translated into English. Will be updated sporadically.

Last update: Nov 26, 2022.

GENERAL (English)

A Chinese Bestiary by Richard E. Strassberg

A nice if incomplete translation of the Classics of Mountains and Seas (Shanhaijing) that focuses on the creatures. It goes into considerable detail and background, unlike Anne Birell’s direct translation. It does not, however, translate the numerous sections listing mountains with no creatures.

The Nine Songs translation by Arthur Waley (Available on the Internet Archive)

A translation of the Nine Songs from the Songs of Chu.

Six Chinese Classics translation by A. Charles Muller

Consists of Analects of Confucius, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Mencius, Daode jing and Zhuangzi (Chapters One and Two)

Book of Poetry translation by James Legge

300 Tang Poems (Available online) (Alternate link)

“Sui-Tang Chang'an” by Xiong Cunrui

An unbelievable resource for anyone seeking information on the Chang’an city during the Sui and Tang dynasties. It has maps and fully listed names of all the wards and Imperial City interior buildings, and even a compiled list of known inhabitants of the city as well as which wards they were reportedly living in.

Brill Chinese Reference Library: Title of Officials translation by Michael Loewe

Translation of titles from the Hanshu, I believe.

The T'ang Code, Volume I: General Principles translated by Wallace Johnson

The T’ang Code, volume 2, Specific Articles translated by Wallace Johnson

Tang dynasty law code. Can probably also double as “tag yourself” meme if you want.

“Epidemic and population patterns in the Chinese Empire (243 B.C.E. to 1911 C.E.)” by A. Morabia

The Ideology of the Guqin

USEFUL SITES

cbaigui.com

A wonderful site compiling bestiary entries from many ancient Chinese texts, including but not limited to Diagrams of Bai Ze, Old Book of Tang, Book of Rites, etc. You can search them sorted by book or by dynasties, which is a feature I never knew I needed until I saw it.

ctext.org

We know it, we love it, the MVP that compiles so many of ancient texts, and some of them have translations (by James Legge) too.

In Conversation with China Youtube Channel

Collection of online talks/lectures on various topics, including Classic Chinese grammar, Dunhuang Cave Manuscripts, etc. Personal biases, but some of my favorites are the ones by Sarah Allan, Donald Harper, and the series that explores the definition, perception, and treatment towards those with disabilities in early China.

Wikisource  古文 Category

I really just stumbled upon this looking for 白泽精怪图 but it has a number of misc texts in Traditional Chinese.

chinaknowledge.de

Another classic. It’s an incredible site for anyone looking to jump into a specific topic; you can pick up from there.

100jia.net

It’s kind of a headache to navigate it at the start but the link provided should send you to a page with a long list of ancient Chinese classic texts as well as several existing online translations of them. It’s in German, yes, don’t mind it.

Resources on Chinese Legal Tradition

TANG DYNASTY SPECIFIC

"The Reconstruction of Yongning Ward" by Heng Chye Kiang and Chen Shuanglin

Details a theoretical and digital reconstruction of a particular ward of Chang’an during Tang dynasty, including population estimate.

The administrative divisions of the Tang dynasty

唐朝官员品级 Tang dynasty official positions ordered by rank

中国俸禄制度史 The history of China's salary system

CREATURES, FOLK RELIGION, ETC

"The Textual Form of Knowledge: Occult Miscellanies in Ancient and Medieval Chinese Manuscripts, 4th Century BCE to 10th Century CE" by Donald Harper

I’m not even gonna try to describe it right now you can figure it out by reading the title

Ho Peng Yoke books on Archive.org

Includes "Chinese Mathematical Astrology: Reaching out for the stars" and "Explorations in Daoism Medicine and Alchemy in Literature".

龙是如何进化的：龙纹史考 by 陈涤

A post that chronicles the development and changes to the form of the dragon across dynasties.

龙头鹿身的就是麒麟？都弄错了！麒麟的秘密大公开！ by 天可汗文化

A post that chronicles the development and changes to the form of the qilin across dynasties.

“Bai Ze special” by 哀吾生之須臾

白泽特辑【一】「白泽」的传说

白泽特辑【二】「白泽」的形貌 

白泽特辑【三】「白泽图」的相关概况

Bai Ze, Ephemera and Popular Culture by Donald Harper (paper available on the Methods on Sinology site, but site is under construction)

白泽志怪 by 白泽君

One man’s attempt to piece together Diagrams of Bai Ze and explore Bai Ze as a myth. This particular post attempts to put together the surviving entries of the lost text.

{{ I wrote half of this last night in a sleep deprived fervor and my body refuses to stop waking me up early in the morning even on vacation--

Fun art student discussion that is not at all unhinged and utterly pointless below cut for all to enjoy-- }}

{{ OK SO FIRST This is probably the best look at the unique culture of the kingdom's architecture in the entire movie besides some neat interior shots, but exterior wise? This courtyard with like a reflection pool in the center designed to specifically reflect Magnifico only ( more clever mirror imagery~ ) is sincerely really interesting a design choice! The arches and even the floor pattern are definitely.......... vaguely Moroccan, as they claim was their inspiration for some things, but just a bit dull and pale for their style, but the thing is Spain also has arabic-ish courtyards with these exact kinds of arches..... it's a long story why lol. Sometimes I think maybe Magnifico is European Spaniard, and he named the Kingdom, but it's Amaya that is Moroccan, since he met her on his travels? And so that's why their building style is this mix of both of their history maybe. But historically, these two styles do mix often. This place would have an extremely mixed culture regardless, just because it's 100% immigrants.

But yeah, overall I would describe Rosas as a deeply pale city that is unusually subtle in its ornamentation, which... I think the artists definitely did this intentionally to convey a since of lifelessness about the place? It's not obvious to a viewer that was their intent though. I would have really loved if they leaned into that-- make it unsettlingly pale and sterile, like a creepy medieval heaven. I like to think it has that sort of vibe to people visiting. Beautiful and clean and grandiose and yet... missing life. Artistically restrained. I mean-- imagine a city that somehow successfully made everything white, blue and gold. No variation, no outliers. It looks curated. Charming in animation maybe but that would immediately feel weird to see in real life right? Which fits the lack of dreamers and artists in this wishless kingdom.

And another thing you'll notice, though I don't really have a great shot of it to show, is that buildings, especially in the main town area, have a sort of...... grown out of the ground look about them? I am not accusing them of using ai art to generate it istg-- but to use that as an example, it does have this surreal sort of look like it's being stacked up and up and up almost randomly to all the buildings. There's many structures where there's a giant arch of stone, like the very street has cut off to become a balcony, and then a building and then on that building is this strange attached structure with pillars and an arch and then on that is a dome and then beside that is a hallway-- you can kinda see it even in the mural's painting on the side. This really tall structure that just looks like an amalgamate of many structures built around each other. Its not on a mountain, this island does not have spikes of land that jut straight up like that, that's the building's structure itself. To me that implies Magnifico is often building his kingdom upwards, due to finite land on this island, likely literally just magically additioning and additioning and additioning as more people arrive. And you can even kind of see that happening in the opening showing Rosas being built. And that is also a potentially cool idea. Because it gives the vibe like Rosas has exactly one(1) architect, and it's the king himself. I'm kinda picturing his building expansion magic looking a lot like when Howl adds the additional rooms in Howl's Moving Castle.

Also, can we talk about the mural?

Look at the groveling people at his feet. Not ominous at all, king, thank you lmao }}

I am totally against bantering

this episode is... odd. I don't hate it. I watched it off the back of the third Doctor's "time warrior" which has sort of a similar plot, and which I also was kind of ambivalent about on the whole, and just... dunno medieval settings -- love'em in stories on the whole, for some reason find them odd in time travel. but also... is it a good story?

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 6/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or given agency to her emotional interiority): 3/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 2/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 3/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 8/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 7/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 3/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 6/10

FULL RATING: 50/100 (if I can count….)

this is a lower rating than "deep breath" and I'm not sure that's right, considering how much nonsense was in that episode, but hey, never said this was totally precise and scientific

OBJECTIFICATION: Clara has a couple of "things" in this. and one of them plays into the way I think this episode is constructed quite half-heartedly and it's that she's obsessed with Robin Hood (I can buy this, even if we haven't seen it before) and when they go to meet RH she dresses as random noblewoman (I wrote in a point further down, because I never fill these out in order, that I realised she could have come out as a Merry Man, because it would have made it so much easier for her to have movement + her interest is RH and the Merry Men not "this time period"), point is, it's a nice dress, but then at one point RH makes a grand escape through a window into a moat... pulling her in with him and then carrying her to safety into the woods, where she wakes up the next day

and she wakes up with her hair perfectly waved, the little jewel thing fastened to her forehead still exactly where it was, makeup intact, dress un-muddied and still exactly as pretty as before

Clara in this episode about her enjoyment of Robin Hood Famous Action Hero, is just a pretty damsel who must never be unprettied... it's just lazy, come on. can the dress not be more than just a reason for JLC to look pretty at least? (and she does look very pretty for sure)

it's in interaction with the rest of the episode, which does a less-good version of Robin Hood than many other Robin Hoods, and in which Clara isn't really the point, despite this ostensibly being about her wish to come here and see her hero

we also have the Scene of her "flirting" with the Sheriff of Nottingham to get information, and it's not too bad. Clara is completely alone, the Sheriff has been established as a very very bad guy, the camera seems to make an effort to not box her in too uncomfortably, considering the danger she's in, it's framed more around him being like "oh she'd make a great queen for me," than "oh hey, she hot and vulnerable," so it could absolutely be worse. I think there's other routes they could have gone down, but definitely I've seen more uncomfortable sexual harassment/danger on this show towards women (sigh)

PLOT-POINT: Clara's been brought here for her love of Robin Hood! and after that she Does not matter whatsoever, there's no interaction with how her emotions about this adventure affect her, because it's not well-enough written for there to be any material to draw from. in many ways it's less a failing on the writing of Clara (although that too) and more a symptom of the failing of this whole episode's construction

COMPLEXITY: in some ways quite Doctor Who in its silliness, so I don't hate that. but I think it didn't go far enough. so much of this plot is around the Doctor not believing Robin Hood is real. so much. soooo so so much! it doesn't take until the last big fight sequence to change his mind. either just run with RH being real early on and give space to something more interesting (such as Idk... Maid Marian), or give us a scifi twist, don't untwist the scifi twist when you're building to a scifi twist in a scifi show in which there are a bunch of scifi things happening, I'm here for scifi, not the worse version of a Robin Hood I already know

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: nothing much here to report, which I think is... a bit oof the more I think about it. not one of these?

COMPANIONS MATTER: as mentioned there's a whole scene in this in which Clara flirts with the Sheriff of Nottingham under quite dangerous circumstances in order to get information out of him, that I don't think matters much in the grand scheme of things. and then off-screen she fills Robin Hood and his Merry Men in on who she and the Doctor are, so that they feel compelled to help

she does have a great little scene with the Doctor + Robin Hood where she takes them to task for competing with each other and mocks them both by using their dramatic titles (prince of thieves and last of the timelords), but on the whole she might as well not be there (it's taken this long in my rating system to remember the term "sexy lamp" and yeah, test failed)

this even odder, because Maid Marian also isn't really in this story until the final scene, except she sort of was, because she was the ward of this random peasant that's taken prisoner and nobody recognises her and she's part of a sort of dull peasant's revolt, and then suddenly oh it's her I guess???-- my point is that Clara ought to have had the Doctor's story in this, in doing the peasant's revolt and working with Marian and figuring out who she is, because it's her favourite story and she's just not really in it (also Marian is... undercover? hiding? unclear, but this is going to be a world-building point, it's just that Marian should have been an interesting character and that Clara should have been hanging with her rather than just standing next to Robin Hood and giving platitudes that he'll find her one day, and not much else...)

(and Marian shouldn't have been presented at the very end from behind the Tardis like K9 was that one time)

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: I guess there's nothing really one way or another. I actually also did laugh at a few of his entries -- lines that would have been stupid coming from Eleven have a sort of unexpected enjoyment to them with Twelve, because of the juxtaposition of grumpy old Scottish guy reveals he's going to fight Robin Hood with!---- a Spoon!

also he hated the near-constant merriment and was he Wrong?? but also is that a bit too meta, because the episode is making fun of it to the point that it all seems highly unrealistic, but then the rug-pull that these people... are? just like that???

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: they reference Carnival of Monsters (Jon Pertwee), which makes me wish this was doing Carnival of Monsters, rather than what it's actually doing. also as the "guy who just watched Time Warrior" it's doing Time Warrior (also Jon Pertwee) but worse. and I already don't think Time Warrior is the Third Doctor's best

“SEXINESS”: this episode could have been a lot worse, considering there's meant to be so much jovial male banter in it, it's not doing a bunch of sexy bullshit

I'm unsure what to do with the whole... Sheriff of Nottingham wants to make Clara his queen thing, it's sort of there, it could have been way more uncomfortable, but it's also just... irrelevant. and is most of what Clara's role is doing in this story

I just realised that Clara's dream is Robin Hood and his Merry Men, and I think she should have dressed as one of them, rather than random noblewoman who never gets dirty or can properly do action in this story, anyway...

it all could be a lot worse

INTERNAL WORLD: this is the worse. we know the story of Robin Hood, Early of Loxley, loses his lands for speaking out against Prince John (not in this story), in love with Maid Marian (completely sidelined in this story), does an archery contest (okay that is there... different but there) and.... well that's about as far as the story gets in this one, and then after that it becomes scifi stuff, which does end with a duel between Robin and the Sheriff

my point is, that the actual Robin Hood stuff is simply worse than in the other Robin Hood's I've read and seen, and the non-Robin Hood stuff feels very awkwardly shoe-horned in, so in the end none of it is very well drawn

it's all just set pieces without depth, and it's so out of place that that's even part of the plot -- the Doctor finds it all so stupid and unrealistic that he doesn't believe it's real, except, in the end, inexplicably it is -- at least if it was a science fiction thing it would explain the sparksnotes version of the story we're getting

I keep going back to Maid Marian who's pretending to be a peasant, and the Sheriff I guess doesn't notice her and nobody else knows who she is, and she's not going through the feminist version of her story that I think this episode is trying to do, and the connection between "random peasant woman in a dungeon" and "woman revealed from behind the Tardis as Maid Marian" is so tenuous I needed to double-check it was the same actress

there's this bit at the end where Robin tells the Doctor that they're both just stories, which is one of those M*ffat-era fourth wall winks that I have grown really tired of, and in this case also seems to brush over any lackluster interaction with the actual story of Robin Hood. I don't think that's the intention, but it makes me go "ok what story were we just told here," and it's not one that makes a lot of sense or is particularly interesting

the idea of the Doctor interacting with legend and mythology is actually quite interesting, it's just that this episode sort of dropped the ball on that roughly halfway through, by saying "nono this totally unbelievable set of events straight out of a children's version of Robin Hood is real," when there could have been more freedom to go into other directions, rather than just rehashing a story told better elsewhere, if this hadn't been entirely "real"

there's just better Robin Hood than this, is my point

POLITICS: uhhh not a lot actually, which is a shame. Rob from the rich, give to the poor is not 100% absent in this (it gets mentioned), and there's some pretty intense nastiness from the Sheriff early on in the episode where he stabs a man to death, but as an extension of the world building, the ideas conveyed in this don't hang together very well, because the world doesn't hang together very well

FULL RATING: 50/100 (if I can count….)

overall this episode isn't awful, it's just kind of boring (well, it may be awful if you're a big Robin Hood fan). Idk if there's a curse on medieval settings, or if I'm prejudiced against them, but overall this episode had weak world-building and narrative construction that spread into most other facets of it and made them less engaging too

still not convinced it's worse than "deep breath" though, past me

on the upside I quite like the Doctor's personality -- he's not a nice man these days, and Clara could be getting tired of that? and the Doctor perhaps knows this? we'll see how that goes down/if it has any proper narrative consequences

EDIT: it's called "robot of sherwood" why would you call it that and then just have it be ordinary Robin Hood, that's not a twist!??? it's just a bait and switch, and one that's worse than if he was a robot! this is science fiction, it's okay for him to be a robot!

I am home now so here is my real review of the Requiem Cafe thing

I only decided to finally go because I had to go up to LA for a couple days to dog-sit anyway, and it didn't really make sense not to at least check it out on the way back. This place is in a center with a bunch of regular restaurants, but across the street there's an ornate church. Yep, from the church you could literally see a bunch of kids dressed in black with horns on their heads outside the cafe. Probably one of the funniest images from the whole experience

In order to wait in line to order, you have to wait in line to enter. This might have been less of a problem earlier in the month or on a weekday, but I have no way of knowing. Any body odor in the establishment I blame more-so on the fact that people dressed in black clothes and body paint were standing in the sun for almost an hour just to enter. Am I being too generous? You decide!

Anyway it's clearly just a vaguely nerd-themed cafe. All the stuff outside makes it look like it's Final Fantasy themed, but I don't know how I describe the interior... There's like a forest-themed "section" (Corner of the room) with tree-like tables and like a jagged-looking medieval table with a scary throne I'm sure lots of people take pictures in. I don’t know why, but it reminded me of a fantasy-themed escape room I went to once.

There's a vending machine that has a bunch of items like blind-bagged socks & "Tamagotchis" I have no idea if they're official Bandai-branded Tamagotchis the cards they were on looked almost handmade... Weird thing to dwell on I know, but this is a weird little cafe.

The reviews online mentioned that you could read or do homework in there like a regular cafe... But even without the huge crowds of Homestucks coming and going and demanding tables I still wouldn't recommend it. It's too dark in there unless you have a well-lit screen or something

Hows the Homestuck stuff? Well there's some cut-outs of the characters in the cafe itself, but most of the Homestuck theming is just the animations put up on screens. I can understand how they were able do an Undertale and Homestuck themed thing so close together if that's all it takes... That's not a dig or anything, I just think that's clever business

It was a bit cool to see Homestuck flashes playing on the biggest screen they've got, but I doubt I would have been that impressed if I had been driving 45 minutes out of the way to see it. But since I was driving in that direction anyway, I will give them credit for the small things

Like I said I got the "Grimsnark" milk tea because it was Rosemary themed and the other drinks looked a bit too sugary. My second pick probably would’ve been one of the regular juice options and that seems underwhelming if that’s all you’re having. The tea was fine, it's really hard to comment on the taste when I've just never had milk tea before. Could've ordered something else I suppose, but I definitely didn't want to wait in line again...

Even with the themed tables, there’s not a lot of places to sit. I probably could have just swooped in an claimed a six-person table like a jerk, but eventually a smaller table opened up and I sat there for like five minutes before I got bored, lol

The gift shop is on the way out and it's got a lot of stuff. It's mostly anime merchandise mind you, but stuff nonetheless. They've got Homestuck totes, shirts, mugs, and stickers of course, but there’s also plenty of Undertale/Deltarune stuff left over too. There might have been more Homestuck stuff earlier in the month, but I have no idea. I didn't buy anything because it also seemed a bit expensive ($60 for a hoodie? No thanks)

The gift shop is also where they've got the vast majority of the character cutouts. There's also a "height chart" in a tiny little room it seemed like people were taking pictures in. I didn’t even go in there

There might have been more to do, but I rushed out of there because I parked on a side street by the church and was convinced they were going to give me a ticket if I took too long. Probably didn't need to do that, since I didn’t get a ticket after all

I feel guilty judging the experience because I had one drink and bolted, but I'd still give give the whole experience a C+ overall. Not amazing, but far from awful. I feel bad for anyone who drove for hours out of their way though...

The top 7 beautiful tourism destinations in Germany

Welcome to Germany's enthralling and diverse travel attractions, a country where history, culture, and natural beauty blend harmoniously. Germany is a treasure trove of wonderful sites that appeal to every traveller’s taste, from historic castles and quaint towns to dynamic cities and stunning landscapes. Begin your trip in Berlin, a historic city with a rich tapestry of art, history, and modernity. Visit renowned Berlin sites like the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall, which offer evidence of the city's perseverance and progress. Explore the Bavarian region's storybook beauty, where Neuschwanstein Castle stands boldly against the Alps. Wander through the picturesque lanes of towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, whose medieval buildings and cobblestone paths have been preserved.

Nature lovers will find peace in the lush trees of the Black Forest and the tranquil serenity of Lake Constance. The Rhine Valley, with its vineyard-covered slopes and historic strongholds, invites visitors on a scenic riverfront tour. This is only scratching the surface of Germany's attraction as a country that promises an immersive experience in its magnificent tourism areas. Whether you are looking for cultural riches, architectural marvels, or natural wonders, Germany has a plethora of interesting sites to offer for an amazing travel experience.

Here are some of the beautiful tourism destinations in Germany.

1. The city of Berlin: Berlin is both the capital and the largest city in Germany. It is well-known for being a prominent political and cultural center. When visiting Berlin, you will encounter a fantastic mix of contemporary and historic buildings. There is so much to do in Berlin, let alone throughout Germany. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is a neoclassical structure from the 18th century. It is the city's earliest neoclassical edifice, erected in 1791 for King Frederick William II. It stands 26 meters tall, with six columns on each side making majestic passageways, four of which were utilized for general traffic, while the center was designated for royal vehicles. It is regarded as Berlin's most distinctive building. It was originally a component of the Berlin Wall and symbolized Berlin's division into East and West. Museum Island in Berlin is located between the Spree and the Kupfergraben and houses several of the city's oldest and most famous museums.

2. The city of Munich: Munich is a one-of-a-kind city in southern Germany. It is the regional capital of Bavaria and draws thousands of tourists each year. Munich is well-known for its stunning architecture, rich culture, and the yearly Oktoberfest beer festival. The Kunstareal in Munich, for example, contains so many art museums that one would be lost in awe! The magnificent treasures were amassed by the Wittelsbach kings, who controlled Bavaria until the twentieth century.

3. Schloss Neuschwanstein: Ludwig II, the famous Bavarian king, left his mark on the craggy hill above Hohenschwangau in Füssen, in southwest Bavaria, Germany. Many consider it to be the most beautiful castle on earth. The stunning façade and interior of Neuschwanstein Castle are thought to have influenced both Walt Disney and J.K. Rowling. This palace was built by King Ludwig II, who was known for daydreaming and withdrawing from public life.

 4.Dresden: Dresden was known as "the Florence on the Elbe" before World War II, and it was also regarded as one of the most attractive cities owing to its architecture and cultural treasures. Dresden is a city rich in musical and operatic culture, having hosted Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner, as well as the world premieres of Richard Strauss operas. Despite being decimated by World War II, this city appears to have not been touched in ages. And it's all because of the meticulous rebuilding! Home to the Dresden State Theatre and the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, this city enjoys tourists from all over the world!

 5.Weimar, Germany: Weimar is a city in central Germany notable for being the origin of Weimar Classicism, a humanistic cultural movement. Weimar is well-known for the large number of geniuses who have visited or resided there. Goethe statues, Schiller effigies, and a location where Bach would have rehearsed and written. Everything is magnificent. The beauty, history, and lengthy list of outstanding minds who once resided here Tourists like visiting the city where Friedrich Nietzsche lived and wrote, as well as where Goethe resided and was inspired to produce his work.

6.Oberwesel: A town worth seeing! The lovely town on the Middle Rhine in Rhineland-Palatinate's Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis is a must-see. This town is a fantastic location because of its gorgeous architecture, fascinating castles, and scenery. Oberwesel is also well-known for its wine, which is occasionally offered directly from the winery. It has a Celtic and Roman history, and people have lived here for a long period of time. Oberwesel's attractions overall include the castle, scenery, churches, and wine! A definite must-have!

7.Heidelberg: Heidelberg, located on the Neckar River in southern Germany, is best known for its ancient 14th-century Heidelberg University, picturesque cityscapes, and wooded hills. The Marktplatz, or Market Square, is located in the heart of Heidelberg Old Town and is well worth a visit. The Market Square, which is lined with restaurants and small businesses, is bustling with activity, especially on market days on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Karl Theodor Bridge, or the Old Bridge, which crosses the Neckar River in the northern portion of the Old Town, should also be included.

Finally, Germany's stunning tourism sites provide an enthralling voyage across a land where every turn exposes a new dimension of cultural richness and natural grandeur. Germany urges tourists to immerse themselves in its numerous and compelling attractions, from the lively streets of Berlin to the fairytale landscapes of Bavaria and the calm serenity of the Black Forest. Obtaining a German tourist visa from India is a critical step in accessing the charms of this European gem for anyone planning a trip from India. Whether beginning the experience in Delhi or elsewhere in India, obtaining a Germany tourist Visa from India provides smooth admission into the nation, allowing visitors to see the stunning countryside, historic monuments, and dynamic cities that distinguish Germany.

Prepare to be enchanted by Rothenburg ob der Tauber's historic charm, Neuschwanstein Castle's romantic attractiveness, and the gorgeous Rhine Valley surroundings. Germany's tourism hotspots are more than just sites; they are immersive experiences that stay with people who visit. As you begin your voyage of exploration, consider the simplicity and accessibility of a Germany tourist visa from Delhi. The splendours of Germany awaits, providing a tapestry of encounters that combine history, culture, and nature into an amazing travel vacation.

Sept 22, 2022: Viterbo

Laundry and Sightseeing

No great dinner story last night as my stomach was uncooperative. I decided to forgo a meal and draw on the generous reserves I keep around my waist for a prolonged famine or the zombie apocalypse. Kim went out and grabbed a panini and we crashed at the hotel and watched some Netflix (which also crashed - bad wifi).

Up early this morning, no better, but at least no worse on the cold front. Off to breakfast at 7 and then laundry, not because we needed to, but because there was one a block away. Like old men and bathrooms, you never pass one up when it is available because you never know when the next one will be.

After our third cappuccino of the morning, time to have a look around. We wandered up into the medieval quarter know as the Quartiere San Pellegrino named after the Irish hermit of the Apennines who is the patron Saint of pilgrims. He is simply know as Saint Pilgrim because no one knows his actual name (always a hazard if you are a holy hermit).

In one large square is the impressive but somewhat plain Cathedrale of San Lorenzo. He is traditionally said to have given away the weath of the church to the poor and been Martyred by roasting on a gridiron over hot coals. After a long period of obvious pain and suffering he is reported to have declared “It is well done. Turn me over.” This may account for his ironic choice as Patron Saint of cooks and firefighters (and some sources say comedians). Historians agree he was more likely beheaded, but I like this version. The church was undergoing repair/restoration, so it’s already plain interior was shrouded in plastic and had many of its treasures in storage.

Next to the church (and attached to it) is the 13th century Papal Palace. It was built in 1257, when Alexander VI moved the Papal Curia here to escape the squalor and lawlessness that was medieval Rome. It intermittently housed 8 different Popes and at least three of these were elected by conclaves that took place in the Palace. These conclaves became famous for violence, political intimidation and the kidnapping of several cardinals. In 1281, immediately after his election, Martin IV abandoned Viterbo and returned the Curia to Rome. The most striking part of the palace is the beautiful loggia that overlooks the city and has been used in films by a Fellini and Orsen Welles.

After a nondescript lunch, we decided to go to the Etruscan museum. To those who do not know us well, this might seem an odd choice. However, thanks largely to Nancy Cuelenaere, we relieve the monotony on walking days by listening to university survey courses, mostly history (I know that sounds like boredom layered upon boredom). The first course we listened to this trip was 24 lectures on the history of the Etruscans, so the museum was an obvious choice. It was actually quite good, with lots of English descriptions and, because it was limited to just the Etruscans and their conquest by the Romans, the boredom was at least not so confusing.

Anyway, glass of wine, back to the hotel to write this blog and then off to our dinner reservation at La Chimera recommended by Bob from Vancouver. Bob is an old friend (not a long time friend, just one who is really old😊) who walked here in the spring.

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