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17 January 2014
Masterpieces of Chinese Painting at the V&A
It was a late decision to go and see Masterpieces of Chinese Painting and I got there with just a couple of days to spare, and had to finish work promptly on a Friday afternoon to do so. It was the constant stream of positive comments on Twitter that forced my hand.
The exhibition had all the usual V&A hallmarks of interesting items laid out in carefully each with enough annotation to inform but not too much to bore.
The exhibition was sold out for almost all of its run. And it showed. It was busy all the way round and I had to queue for some of the displays. This was not helped by there being several long scrolls on show that could only sensibly be viewed right-to-left which meant that we all had to flow in the same direction and had to stick close to the display to see all of it.
The paintings were much as I expected (and hoped) with lots of exotic costumes, magical landscapes and dragons. The subjects of the paintings were as much interest as the techniques and materials used to produce them.
Also as usual at the V&A the rules said no photographs and as usual I kept to them but a few people did not. So these pictures have all been borrowed from the V&A site. That limited my choice somewhat but I did find a few that I both liked a lot and which, I feel, give an honest feel for what the exhibition was like.
Here I have fallen for the crisp white storks performing the aerobatics against a bold blue sky while a typical building just about manages to peak above the clouds.
I found these dragons irresistible.It is a detail from a long scroll called Nine Dragons(you can guess why).
Like most of the painting in the exhibition is was seriously old. In this case it dated from1244 and there were paintings there much older than that.
The red stamp is a personal mark of a creator, owner, curator or somebody else with an official interest in the painting. On a picture this size there were thirty or forty of them, all carefully placed so as not to disturb the picture.
My final choice is the most typical. This green/blue style was very popular in several periods.
The composition was also very typical with the picture dominated by the landscape of hills and water and with the action confined to small figures.
The combination of the quantity and quality of the exhibits and the busyness meant that it took me two and a half hours to get around, and that was taking the last small room at some speed. By my own highly scientific measure of an exhibition, anything approaching two hours means that there was plenty to see so this was most definitely a very good exhibition.
More stories like this: art, china, exhibition, v_and_a
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As the minutes tick by until Mother's Day, I'm laying in bed worn out from Ethan's birthday party. It was one for the books, and as I think about my babies, I began to consider what they have taught me. I am always so focused on ABCs, polite manners, teaching them about Jesus, and a million other things that I don't know that I've ever considered what I have learned by being their momma. Here's what I know:
- I know what it means to put someone else first in every way, no matter what. I know what it means for this to feel like no sacrifice at all.
- I know that what you do and how you do things is what matters. There are days I say I look like a hobo, but that doesn't mean anything to my kids. They see me for me, and they care about how I love and invest in them.
- Loving unconditionally. They just love me because I'm their momma. I didn't have to earn that unwavering love. They just love me.
- It's important to let out the big belly laughs and just be silly.
- It's okay to be upset and cry.
- Patience. Every day they help me remember how patient God is with me. In His patience, He is rich in mercy.
- Grace. I have had to learn the importance of stressing and giving grace. Again, just like God's grace covers me, I try to show them that in every situation. The hardest place is in discipline, but I have to remember that I am teaching them the best way. Sometimes God graciously disciplines us to show us the best way too.
- They have taught me that the small things are the big things.
- I learned to tell my friends I love them.
- I learned to be fully okay with needing someone.
- I learned to be okay with asking for help.
- They have taught me to notice the joy in the journey.
- They have taught me the importance of play and fun.
- They have taught me what it means to be brave.
- They have taught me to be more daring.
- They have taught me the importance of saying I LOVE YOU!
- They have taught me how good it is to give hugs.
- It's okay to be wrong.
- Perfection can't be the goal.
There are probably a million more things, and I am most definite in knowing that everyday they also teach me who I want to be. I want to be the mommy who they know values and cherishes them. I want them to never doubt my love for them or what they mean to me. I want them to know that no matter how right or wrong I get things, I gave everything I had everyday.
God has put me in such a pivotal role in their lives, and tonight in a new way, I can see a bigger picture of their role in mine.
Every day I say this to my babies:
"You are a gift and a blessing and a joy. I will love you forever and ever. Always and no matter what!"
God used them to teach me what it means to see people this way. God used them to teach me how He sees people, and God used them to teach me how He sees me.
I look forward to years of lessons I will learn from them. I can't wait to see who I end up being. I hope I make them proud, and more than that, I hope they always know how dear they are to me.
Lauren and Ethan, thanks for being two of mommy's best teachers!

subset: commoncrawl


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By Josh Axelrod
Well, looks like Kuvira has the upper hand for now. She has complete control of the Earth Kingdom, including Zaofu. How did we get to this point? A lot of useless negotiations, a failed assassination plot and a duel between Kuvira and Korra that went pretty badly for our still ailing avatar.
The previous episode ended with Su and her sons sneaking into Kuvira's camp in order to end things once and for all. Predictably, it didn't work and Su is captured. The next morning, she and her army issued a not-so-veiled threat to Zaofu: Either surrender or she'll take the city by force.
The only thing standing between her and domination of the Earth Kingdom was Korra, Opal and Jinora. Opal wanted to attack in order to free her mother and brothers, while Korra still hoped there was a way to end things peacefully. Kuvira wasn't willing to discuss nonviolent solutions anymore, so she and Korra struck a deal. The two would duel, and the winner would dictate the terms of Zaofu's fate.
So as visually awesome as the duel was, I'm not sure I entirely buy how it went. Korra has gone up against some pretty powerful foes on this show. Unaloq was a ridiculously powerful waterbender, and the Red Lotus were all frighteningly strong in their own right. But she always managed to one-up them physically, one way or another.
Kuvira is probably physically closest to Amon, the Book One villain who wanted equality for benders and non-benders. Her fighting style boiled down to her expertly dodging all of Korra's attacks until she found the perfect moment to strike with either metal or earthbending. Korra couldn't even land a hit on her until she entered the avatar state.
And that's my big problem with the fight. This isn't Book One Korra; this is Book Four Korra that has beaten opponents much tougher than Kuvira. How could she not even come close to touching Kuvira with four elements at her disposal, more if you count her own metalbending skills? The fight was way too one-sided considering what we've seen Korra do in the past.
But I digress. Korra finally got a few blows in with the help of the avatar state. Right as she was about to drop a rock on Kuvira, she saw another vision of dark Korra. She dropped out of the avatar state, and Kuvira trapped her in rocks, ending the duel. Clearly something is still wrong with Korra, which might explain why Kuvira whipped her so convincingly. Hopefully she gets over whatever she's still so hung up on quickly.
Opal and Jinora blasted Kuvira with air to stop her from hurting Korra more, which broke the terms of the duel and was more or less an act of war. Kuvira ordered her troops to attack, and Opal and Jinora retaliated by holding them off with a giant tornado. Jinora used her astral projection powers to call in the cavalry in the form of Meelo and Ikki, and the four airbenders got Korra to safety. Kuvira and her forces overran the city, and Su's husband and emo son were taken into custody. Score one for Team Kuvira.
Elsewhere, there was an amusing subplot involving Bolin and Varrick. Bataar Jr. forced Varrick to continue work on the spirit vine experiments with Bolin as his assistant. Varrick, in probably the coolest moment he's ever had, turned the spirit vines into a bomb that would explode either in five minutes or via remote. Even he wasn't sure why he built a bomb with two detonation methods, but that's neither here nor there.
Bolin and Varrick pretended to go down with the train, but Bolin saved them with some expert earthbending ("You did it, Bolin! you did the thing!"). These two are an entertaining pair, and it looks like they'll be stuck together for a little bit longer. Hopefully they'll go back to Republic City to get Tenzin, Reiko and whoever else is around to help get Kuvira out of Zaofu.
The episode ended with Bataar Jr. telling Kuvira that he could continue the spirit vine experiments with Zhu Li as his assistant. This is interesting for two reasons:
- Kuvira wants to make a giant death ray powered by spirit vines. Ru-roh.
- There's still a chance Zhu Li is going to double cross Kuvira and Bataar Jr. We'll see how that goes as Book Four continues to unfold.


text: UR Medicine / Neurology / Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center (MDCRC) / UR Wellstone Research Projects UR Wellstone Research Projects 2013-2018 (Cycle 3) The goals of this current Cycle are to: Investigate the causes of the multisystem manifestations of DM1 and to continue to develop new treatments Prepare for future therapeutic trials by identifying the best clinical endpoints and biomarkers to monitor treatment response. To accomplish these goals, we have gathered support from key stakeholders (patients, family members, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies, Muscular Dystrophy Association, researchers, and NIH) to develop a Myotonic Dystrophy Clinical Research Network (DM CRN). Clinical studies are underway to help us prepare for new treatment trials. Studies take place at the 6 research centers participating in the DM CRN: University of Rochester, Kansas University Medical Center, Ohio State University, National Institutes of Health, Stanford University, University of Florida. 2008-2013 (Cycle 2) Through the projects in this Cycle, we gained new insights into how DM symptoms change over time and we identified promising experimental therapies that reverse myotonia and muscle fiber alterations in mouse models of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). 2003-2008 (Cycle 1) The University of Rochester Wellstone MDCRC was designed to merge scientific and clinical research and learn more about myotonic dystrophy (DM) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Activities in this Cycle focused on how DM occurs and the identification of new treatments in DM.


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Thread: WOW #1 March 2016
- March 2nd, 2016, 11:22 AM #1
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WOW #1 March 2016
Hi! KK here! I'm here to introduce you to a new addition to the forum―the Weavers of Words.
What's that, you say? Well, we've long had a contest that deals with the realm of graphics on this forum, so it's time that we had a contest for people who love to write! The Weavers of Words, or WoW for short, shares the relaxed nature of the Signature of the Month: while it is focused on writing quality―it's a writing contest, after all―it's not the only criterion taken into account. Other issues, such as how well your story represents the theme given and how pleasant it is to read, will also be considered.
Unlike the SotM, however, the WoW will not have public voting, at least for the time being. Your entries will be appraised by a set of staff members acting as judges, who will elaborate their reasons for choosing certain entries in public (i.e. in a forum post). We may consider the possibility of having a public voting process à la the SotM in the future.
To put it shortly, even if you're not that much into writing, we're inviting you to join us and help liven it up nonetheless. The WoW is open to all members. This is just for fun! Also, just like the SotM, winning a WoW round will grant you an award. A new award, to be precise, that comes specifically for this contest! Do you see what I'm seeing? Yes. That's a diamond, right there, waiting for its one and only owner at the end of the adventure! It's virtual, so it possesses neither the hardness nor the value it's known for, but it's still something. Like, come on, you know you want it.
All participants will get this award...
...but the winner will get this!
I suppose it's more appropriate to call these "criteria", but referring to them as "rules" may help ensure that people pay attention to them. At least, I hope so. Anyway, the rules for WoW are pretty simple:
- Minimum 500 words. Maximum 1000 words.
- Only short stories are accepted. No poems.
- No racism, religious topics, overly obscene depictions, animal/child abuse or other inflammatory topics.
- You can pick any title you like for your story as long as it conforms with #3.
- Please post your finished entry wrapped within spoilers in this thread.
The theme for this month's Weavers of Words shall be...
Such a creative theme, don't you think? Sometimes, some of us tend to forget what we were doing and start daydreaming all of a sudden. That's being human. If you're someone who dreams a lot and fancies imagining things, this may be the best option on the menu for you. It's not like there's any other option, anyway. Jump on board and stop not at imagining―write down the wildest ideas your mind can muster and express the freedom of your mind for the world to marvel at. All you need to do is make use of your imaginative skills, or powers, or miracles, or magic, or alchemy, or Limit Break, or Mystic Arte, or Flipsphere, or whatever you'd like to call them.
Anyway, to clarify:
The theme for WOW #1 is "An Imaginary Journey".
What pops up in your mind when you fall asleep while thinking... or slacking off in class... or at work. Wait, really?
Let's see how far your imaginative talents can take you. Best of luck to all participants!
The deadline is on 31 MARCH 2016.
You MAY edit your entry submission post as many times as you please before the deadline.
Please submit your entry before the deadline. If you're unsure about certain aspects of your draft entry, feel free to ask around in the discussion thread. You can have only ONE post in the entry submission thread, but you're not restricted from discussing the WoW as much as you want in the discussion thread. The deadline may be extended on our discretion if circumstances necessitate it, but it won't be shortened for no reason, so rest assured and don't rush. Take your time to make a masterpiece!
This thread is only for ENTRIES!
For discussions, questions and comments, please go to this thread instead.
Last edited by Ignis; March 4th, 2016 at 03:06 PM. Reason: Fixed image links
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Re: WOW #1 March 2016
A bit over.... 540 count -____- edit: Did not see the maximum/minimum part... oops. ignore that first part...
It needed an ending worthy of its roots, to be fair.
Throughout the darkness, when all, but the roaring winds remained still
In a compassionless sense of wonder. Lived a warrior, a queen in the making.
Viking blood flowed within every pore and strand of hair on her body.
She had gave herself to Odin, as all Nordic people did.
She was proud of her heritage, her nobility, her destiny….
Her name was "Audhild Johansen"
A fierce practitioner of the pagan arts, or in more simplified speak, "Germanic Paganism"
It was not a throne she sort to rule, but the stage, the bright lights and the nostalgia.
A much needed wake up call to a deeper presence.
A pagan heavy metal band is what she wanted to be a part of.
Black metal world class, like her heroes, Watain before her.
This was an undisputed king, of the realms of murderous heathenism
An incarnate of everything she yearned for.
Also she so badly desired to wear "corpse paint" or befit the moniker of an undead breed.
A musician of the black, a nightmare in shades, THE BLACK METAL AGENDA.
To suit up for her journey into a musical living hell.
She needed more members than just her lonesome.
She was a gifted singer and songwriter.
Endless nights Audhild would dominate the music halls,
Singing to herself, all alone. Trying to make herself, as much as humanly possible.
A mistress of the microphone.
The only saving grace she had up her sleeve, was the fact she had come up with a name for her dream band.
The name was "Naglfar" after the nails of bone and rot transport, that ferried the norse folk across treacherous oceans, to do battle at Ragnorok
She was sure this would cause a buzz of excitement among listeners, her people, her family and friends. The ones she loved and cared for.
Not all were pleased with her sudden craving for the stage.
Ida, her mother. Was against the mere thought of her daughter, travelling with strangers, who she never knew well, and all that other activity girls her age get up to on a daily basis.
She was 16. Not placing her thoughts to boys or her crowning of queen one day.
But a fable, a ridiculous dream she had just thought of, at an instant, without any doubt to be had.
Not to be outdone, she begged her mother to reconsider.
Ida caved to her demands, as soon as she laid down some ground rules for the band.
Audhild would have to let Ida have some of the earnings from the extensive tours and merchandising, as well as to be her manager for her and her fellow musicians.
So young viking princess Audhild Johansen, soon to be one with the throne, her given birthright.
Placed her hopes and aspirations into "Naglfar" her band, her life and her very soul.
Lastly….. She needed a stage name for herself and her comrades in arms.
So she came up with.
Lord Angelslayer – for herself lead vocals
Ritual Butcherer – for drums
Lord of Hell - for bass
Baptism Bleeder – for backing vocals and guitar
Realising her smarts for personas, Audhild and her friends, marched onward.
Onto the battlefield of hard rock and delivered a showstopping performance,to last the ages.
Note: some names are based on real life bands and stage persona.
to give a more real account of my fictional fantasy....
I hope that's okay?
The following are names used by real bands and stage names
Baptism - Finnish black metal band
Lord ov Hell - musician (based on King ov Hell)
Lord Angelslayer - musician
Ritual Butcherer - musician
Watain - Swedish black metal band
Naglfar - Swedish black metal band
This is not in any way, form or visual, used to deceive or mislead
readers into a facade. It is merely a representation of my love
for dark music and nordic ancestry Thanks.....
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Re: WOW #1 March 2016
Here goes my submission for my first contest I barely made it within the limits of 1000 words (991 words ) It may not look like fantasy, but I was actually imagining it to happen in some kind of medieval era
The Gate
The track was straight and unyielding – a reflection of our resolutions; our footsteps were regular and even – a sign of our fraternity; our breaths were deep and loud – a proof of our tenacity. By then, we all had become so confident that we would overturn our destinies through this journey that we did not even consider the probability of all our efforts going to naught.
"Stop! Stop!" We all came to a standstill as a commanding shout pierced our ears.
My heart was instantly filled with uneasiness, yet the feeling of curiosity took hold over my body as I slipped past the tall figures in front of me. It was a decision that would overcome my whole self with regret – no, it was not regret… It was despair.
…How long had it been since we arrived here? An hour – no; two or three maybe – it does not look like it either. That feeling of hopelessness that had shook me to the brim had made me lose track of time. All my energy had been drained that instant, and it was taking my very all even to stay conscious from the blow. Ah, the sun is setting; then it must have been a good 6 hours since our stop. I am sure that it had felt like an eternity for each and every one of us. Our faces looked so haggard and pale – an ironic sight as compared to how determined we were during our journey. I closed my eyes for the best; maybe I ought to evade my sight from our current situation for now.
No, it was no good – the dreaded memories were coming back. I could still remember them all – everyone's expressions, their reactions and worse of all, the hindrance that blocked our way. Its metallic build had given off a cold feel that sent a shiver down my spine. Beneath its massive size and its sturdiness lies the fact that our obstacle was a gate. However, all our physical and mental efforts were of no use to rid it off our way. In the end, we could do nothing but stare at the unfazed gate that blocked our entrance to the supposed land of hope. Will the door ever open or will it not? Our fate lies in fortune's hands – an irresistible choice woven by the gods to ridicule us all.
"It was futile after all…" A raspy voice suddenly echoed from the far back of the crowd. "W-we should have just stayed!"
'We should have just stayed' – It was exactly what I thought at that fleeting moment. We had our basic needs covered back there; we were in neither abundance nor deprival of food, shelter and clothing. But what was it that we lacked? It was freedom – the rights which make us human. The adults were constantly talking of a world beyond the facility that they used to live in; they called it a 'utopia' – what is a 'utopia' exactly? I did not know the answer, thus I seek for it. That should have been my reason for joining in a journey to witness a world unknown to me. A simple man-made gate should not have been able to stop me from my goal.
"Is this your limit?" a familiar voice questioned me in my mind.
T-that's wrong, I told the voice. I am sure that our wills could pave a way out of this forsaken area; our journey would undoubtedly never cease to a stop over such a small obstacle. After all, there lies power in numbers, and surely if all of our hopes and wills wish for it, miracles could be born and the gate would open. Giving up to fate now is but a suicidal move, so is reminiscing of a past that should have been forgotten. My body unconsciously stood up in correspondence to my thoughts, and I finally found myself standing in front of the gate facing the pained faces of those who have fallen into despair—
"Silly boy," the voice chided me out of nowhere. "Don't you realise you are different from them?"
I instinctively turned my back in an attempt to search for the source of the voice. Assuring myself that the voice was a mere work of my tired mind, I could not help but ponder over its words; "I am different" – am I? Everyone else here was much older than me, but apart from this, am I not the same as them, pursuing the same destination and going through the same feelings? Ah, why am I even doubting my own identity? Surely, the atmosphere of despondency must have affected me.
"Everyone!" I rose my voice as I gave an effort to lift up the general spirit.
However, to my dismay, no one looked up. Needless to say, I called out again in a louder voice more number of times – but all of them fell on deaf ears.
That was when I heard it – the voice's laughter.
I took a look at myself and the rest. I am "different" from them. Where does this difference lie? A touch of my own skin was enough to reveal to me the truth – I am not human.
"Of course," the voice echoed happily. "You are the gate."
Yes, I am the gate – or more accurately the entity which hands over justice to those who escape from the facility. My feelings and memories are not mine, but an accumulation of the ones absorbed from everyone else. I should be glad that I have fulfilled the objective assigned to me, but why do I feel so empty? I must have crushed others' hopes repeatedly in the past; there is no need for me to feel remorse for there is no one to forgive me, the manifestation of an ancient magic spell.
"Your job is over; leave the fools here." The voice interrupted my thoughts. "Return, porta inferi."
"Yes, I understand – master."
Edit: Changed some punctuation.
Last edited by JaxxBlaxx; March 8th, 2016 at 05:08 AM.
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Re: WOW #1 March 2016
Maybe I should give it a go...
999/1000. Whew, I'm really living on the edge...
A Mad Background
One night, I dreamed of the land that gave me a new lease on life, but this time it was not just a dream. I was summoned to that land, spirited away, so to say, for the last time.
The one who summoned me was only known as Gaius Sextus Lucius, an old man with a face, permanently cladded in full armor from top to bottom, and holds the rank of Duke. I found myself right next to him, wearing the same armor as he does, and overlooking from Space the land that saved my soul…
…a land embroiled in conflict that only managed to achieve peace by forcibly containing the warring factions. I found myself there several years ago, mentally broken and could only think of death. The people who summoned me, the Pingtorians, enrolled me into their 'military academy', which wasn't so much of an academy but a place for those with lost souls to find solace. I had all sorts of training and studies there. It gave me a new lease on life once I 'graduated' and returned to my realm. I spent something like five years there, yet when I returned only one night had passed, as I learned later that the time was a mess on that land. I made myself useful, but my parents passed away several years afterwards and I had no relatives to turn to, so I decided to cast away my identity, destroying all of my documentations, and wandered the world. I am officially disappeared and presumed dead. If I am still alive, I would be entitled to no rights.
Duke Lucius spoke up "Did you know why I summoned you here?"
"Something is going to happen. You don't normally summon people in such a way" I answered.
"You're right, you will be witnessing an end time. This realm had served its purpose, and I have to end it by my own hands" He said in a rather stern voice.
"…so I am going to be a witness of a destruction of the world." I said.
Duke Lucius turned to me and looked deeply into my eyes.
"No, you will be the ONLY witness, outside of me and Longinus. Everyone was given the order to evacuate, and they are on their way". This "Longinus" figure is Lucius's counterpart, no one know exactly what he is, but one thing was certain, he is exceedingly powerful, and the reason the Pingtorians managed to hold together.
"Do you have anything else? I don't think you summoned me here for a small talk" I asked.
"Tell me one thing: What are you going to do with all that power you got during your time with us?"
"I only took all that power so that no-one will have to live…no, exist for all eternity…it is my burden to bear."
"You still haven't answered my question."
"I'm sure you, of all people, know the extent that my power goes. There is little to do but to disappear, as I no longer have any obligation to fulfill but to keep on living…and existing afterwards"
"Our mess will spill into your realm…OUR mess. Yes, my senses are so heightened I can see that far…not quite omniscience, but that far."
"Then I will take it upon myself to right them all. After all, I will fully become a Pingtorian after my life ends, which cannot happen prematurely. Even now, your mess is my mess. Besides, that'd get me something to do"
"Well, I have nothing more now. Be well, my friend, and I'll attend your wedding when that time comes!"
"Lookin' forward to it!" The last part of his sentence sounded extremely prophetic to me.
"Okay…LONGINUS, LET'S FINISH THIS!" After Duke Lucius's yell, another figure that was exactly like him, apart from having no facial features outside of facial hairs, rushed to him and fused into one. And everything became light…or as those old men…my masters, like to put it, "porridge".
As I watched the universe that house this little planet crumble around me, my armor kept me safe…can't say I enjoyed the view, but this have become history…
As the light faded, I think I had a vision…
I saw a girl, about ten years or so of age, wearing full armor, her sliver hair gave a metallic sheen, holding a polearm –Lucius's specialty, patrolling her estate…Lucius's estate, on foot. This will be the last time I saw her within the foreseeable future...
She will be all alone, but I'm sure she will be alright, as the Pingtorian within me says so…
I woke up afterwards, transported back to where I was. I was in the middle of nowhere, taking a moment's rest, which coincided with the Duke summoning me. He would have summoned me otherwise, but it just happened that I was sleeping, so the summon took the form of a dream. Only a short time, like a single minute, passed. It took quite a while in there, but again, time was messed up in that realm.
My sleep had been amplified – merely dozing off will let me continue on for ten days without sleeping. Actively converting things in the ambient into energy only keep me going for longer. This is but one of the vast arrays of power I carry, but I actually forget what I can do; only being able to use them as I can remember. A flaw, I suppose…
I got all of these in last major battle I've fought in before graduating; I took in all the power from the fallen and distributed barely enough for the surviving comrades to fight on, and held the rest within me, as getting too much will entail a VERY lasting existence, like I said before.
...well, the actual effect is unknown, but at least everyone else will end. I won't, and thus I wander on, nameless, for the time.
Revision: 1
Last edited by pingtoryan; March 31st, 2016 at 08:14 AM. Reason: Revision (1)
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Re: WOW #1 March 2016
Had to cut a bit to fit the limit.. might have put too much details..~ But it represents the journey quite well..~
The setting is actually based off a larger story of mine so... Hopefully its clear...~
I clutched the small letter to my chest, its content running through my mind. With a sigh, I glanced over to the pocket watch laying on the pillow for what was likely the thousandth time tonight. The seconds tick away ever so slowly, marking the time until her arrival. I fiddled with the gears sitting on my desk, but just couldn't concentrate. Once again, I looked over the letter. The delicate lines appeared to draw in the moonlight, leaving trails which danced across the page. The soft glow was as beautiful as it had been when I first discovered it, all those years ago. I watched mesmerized as the hours passed and it finally started to fade. Half the stars had disappeared from the sky and there was a distinctive purple tint which announced the dawn. After retrieving my bag, I silently slipped out the door. I hurried through the empty streets, heading for the gate. The guard wearily waved me through, indifferent as he had always been.
I was once again amongst the forest greenery, free to meandering through the undergrowth as I wished. The songbirds flitted through the trees above, one in particular catching my eye. Faint trails of blue lingered in the darkness, scattering from its wings. I quickened my pace to follow the bird as it methodically glided from one bush to the next. Eventually, it led me to a small grove where a girl rested. She had flowing white hair with a tint of blue, tied back by a ribbon of a darker shade. Her eyes flutter open as I approach and she stretches sleepily before greeting me with "Good morning."
We visited the guild for fresh supplies and the following days consisted of small talk as we passed through the forest. She had been working on another request and simply came by on her way home. While we walked, I fiddled with the pocket watch I had given her when we first met. It had accumulated quite a few bits and pieces over the years, but it was a masterpiece that was never intended to be finished. Every part contained a memory, some which were very dear to me.
In the evening of the second day, we arrived at the mansion her clan called home. As we neared the door, I noticed subtle shifts within her demeanor with her aura progressively clouded by darkness. It cleared somewhat when she noticed me watching and she tried to reassure me with a small smile. She pushed open the door with a heavy sigh, revealing a hall which seemed to stretch on endlessly. It was quite a different experience to finally see the mansion I had only heard tales of prior. I followed her as she passed door after door, occasionally entering one and continuing down another seemingly endless hall. Silence was our main companion, with the tatami muffling our footsteps. The few we passed in the halls glanced toward me with suspicion in their eyes, but hurried away when she glared at them. She whispered a quiet apology after we passed into a dark room.
She snapped her fingers and a pale blue sphere appeared. It cast a fluctuating light in the vicinity, revealing rows of shelves nearby. We went down a row further from the door, marked with a small spark resonating to her aura. She continued forward with confidence, but I would probably have gotten lost within minute. The library was almost labyrinthine and I was almost certain that the shelves shifted around. She only gave me a wry smile when I asked and silently continued along. Her destination was a seemingly arbitrary shelf in the middle of the room. She blew the dust off a few spots and swapped books around. The shelf slid away to reveal a small chamber... or perhaps I should say, the illusion of a chamber. She pushed her hand through the air before her and it rippled in response. I tried to see beyond the distortion, but the warmth of her hand met my own and pulled me along.
We fell into musty tunnels lined with stacks of books and scrolls. The walls of the tunnels looked as if it had been formed by flowing lava which left a smooth coat of obsidian where it dried. The black glass only made the tunnels more difficult to traverse. There was a thin path to walk past the books, although it was difficult to get by without knocking some over. She was forever a few steps ahead, waiting for me to slip through the latest obstacle. Her light rested on my shoulder and occasionally drifted toward a path when I was unsure of which to take. At the end, we arrived at a chamber hidden within another layer of illusion.
Ariya let out a sigh of relief as we entered. She had just set aside her bag when a small purple flame zipped toward Ariya, complaining about her boredom. It appeared that this was the guardian spirit I heard so much about. She had taken on the form of a fairy, about the size of a hand. Her silvery hair had a slight purple tint, and these two colors were repeated within her dress. She continued chatting a storm without waiting for replies until Ariya put a finger over her mouth. The fairy paused for a moment before starting her barrage anew with questions about me. It took quite a while to satisfy her curiosity and send her away.
Ariya gave me a tour of the chamber, which she was basically using as her room. A small alcove to the side had turned into her bedroom with her equipment piled on a table nearby. She led me to a section which recorded her ancestor's study of time, thinking it would be of interest to me. While I was busy reading, she slipped an blue opal amulet onto my neck. "To the first visitor of my secret library. Happy birthday Chiaki."
Would like to give the award to twinny if this wins..~
~Do you have a wish?~
To the many friends that have come and gone...
We shall miss you..~ Do drop by if you find yourself nearby..~
Made by an odd neko~
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Re: WOW #1 March 2016Once upon a time, there was a black cat named Ancer. He walked on two legs and carried a basket filled with oranges. Currently, he is in a journey.
As Ancer walked on the gravel road, the summer breeze blew softly. Because of his low albedo black fur, the heat coming from the bright sun was doubled. For a moment, Ancer fell down face first on the ground. "Aah~~This is the end for me" that was what Ancer thought as he hugged the gravel and felt relieved from the gravel which mysteriously felt good for Ancer. Maybe because he is a cat.
"I won't give up yet...I have something to do"
Ancer murmured to himself as he struggled to stand up. His motivation went up as he thought of the goal of his journey. His goal was none other than to defeat King Checkmate, the ruler of the Anime-Sharing Kingdom and the Kingdom of Loli and Imouto! With his goal in his mind, Ancer took a deep breath and felt the nature around him. The smell of summer was everywhere and the sound of cicadas were a bit relieving because it made Ancer thought that he was not alone in his journey (He is alone in his journey though). He put up his smile and cleaned his face as he resumed his walk to the Anime-Sharing Castle.
A couple of days later, the Anime-Sharing Castle was in his vision. Ancer was close to his destination. He paused for a moment to look at the elegant castle. Even from afar, he could feel King Checkmate's immense power.
For Ancer to defeat King Checkmate, he needed to defeat the four pillars (Big Guys or Girls, I don't know) of Anime-Sharing Kingdom. The fourth pillar is named Girlcelly. Girlcelly was known from ruling the Torrents Fortress of the Anime-Sharing Kingdom. The third pillar's name is Corocoro. Corocoro's known for having the strength of thousands of foot soldiers and for having quite a cute name. The second pillar's name is Ignis, the ruler of the the fire fortress. The first pillar's name is King Arthuria, the ruler of Avalon.
Fire burned in Ancer's eyes as he made a dash to get through the giant gates of the Anime-Sharing Kingdom. However, he was stopped by a knight called FlowerTradeWinds, FTW for short.
FTW, asked Ancer for a passport so that he could go through the gates. Since Ancer was a good cat and well organized, he carried his passport along with him.
"Now go in"
FTW returned Ancer's passport and gave him permission to enter the Anime-Sharing Kingdom. After the gates opened, Ancer made a run for it towards the Anime-Sharing Castle. As Ancer got closer to the front entrance of the castle, Girclcelly sensed something kinda bad about to happened and found Ancer about to run inside the castle. Without hesitation, Girlcelly used his (her?) torrent to blast away Ancer away from the front entrance of the Anime-Sharing Castle. That was Ancer's defeat.
"IT HURTS!!!!" Ancer sprung up from his black leather executive chair. It was all a dream. In front of him was his computer which was showcasing Nekoto's ecchi scene.
"I fell asleep again…."
535 words and 2992 characters, made by President and only member of procrastination club Ancer_nyaa
I apologize to FlowerTradeWinds for calling FTW, I though it was funny at first. (FTW for me means Fabulous To Wonderful). Sorry, FlowerTradeWinds. Peace out
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Re: WOW #1 March 2016
The task of sorting the entries in order of preference proved to be anything but trivial. All five entries had their own style and approach, each differing from the others, necessitating a careful read to grasp all the nuances. (While touching on a related issue, I'd like to apologise that it took me two weeks into April to post this, but this contest really took me more time to assess and write about than I had expected.) I also find it interesting―though not necessarily in a positive nor negative way―that some entries had to be shortened to avoid getting past the word limit. I used to make up bedtime stories on the spot to tell my sister when we were younger, so I personally know the feel of having to shorten a plot that as you build starts feeling like it's going to be longer and more expansive than you had originally envisioned.
Tastes will always differ and a consensus in what constitutes 'good' writing may only be as widely accepted as the influence of the group of people agreeing on said consensus. Accordingly, mine isn't an assessment devoid of sways and biases. Still, a winner must be chosen; a list of preferred entries I shall write.
・・・Entry of @samyeung46;
Why I chose this as the winning entry
Samyeung's entry has what I consider the best relevancy with the theme. It depicts not just one or two scenes, but a succession of locations and situations presented one after another, the interlocking of which gives a solid impression of a "journey". There's the feel that the main character started somewhere and went to a variety of places until she reached her destination. The narration relies primarily on well-written descriptions that, while more wordy than other entries, do their job well in depicting a circumstance of transitions from one point to another. Context is conveyed in a good balance between implications and expressions.
Implied contexts present in the story play a role in giving a picture of the world the story is set in. For example, the last two sentences of the first paragraph imply that Chiaki lived in a walled city, or at least departed to her journey from one, which gives the image of a medieval-esque society. Displays of magical prowess in the latter part of the journey add fantasy elements to the mix. All contexts considered, the story seems to be set in a world akin to the common setting in most RPGs.
Expressed contexts, on the other hand, signify the changing of locations and increasing magnitude of unfamiliarity to the main character the further the journey progressed. Specifically, the beginning of the story had Chiaki located in her room or house―a safe, comfortable, familiar place, like a base camp―before she then left its comfort. While at first she was navigating through an area still familiar ("I was once again amongst the forest greenery"), soon she was leaving it to her companion to lead as they traversed through places Chiaki had never seen before ("It was quite a different experience to finally see the mansion I had only heard tales of prior") and even got to the point where the former was at the mercy of the latter as far as navigation was concerned ("She continued forward with confidence, but I would probably have gotten lost within minute").
Finally, the use of first-person perspective serves to immerse readers better in the "journey" feel and experience throughout the story.
What I consider its strengths
The most obvious gleam of this entry is its resplendent use of descriptions in converting imagery into words. While I'm sure the word limit diminished the extent to which Samyeung could've written more elaborate descriptions―otherwise we may, for example, know more about Ariya's visual traits than just her hairstyle and ornament―the elaborations that constitute the storyline are generally careful and deliberate (with a few caveats; more on this below). A prominent example is the part about Chiaki and Ariya visiting their guild prior to embarking on their journey, a side event that may appear inconsequential but acts as a counter to the first paragraph―wherein Chiaki left her place with seemingly minimal preparations―by providing Chiaki and Ariya a chance to get supplies for their days-long journey.
Another virtue of this entry is its coherent flow, with each change of event clearly denoted. Paragraphs align orderly to show the transition from Chiaki's home city, then the forest wherein she met Ariya, the guild, Ariya's clan's mansion, the arcane library (not something that significantly affects my judgement, but just as a side note, I love those things), the sealed realm, and finally Ariya's secret chamber. As I touched on a bit three paragraphs prior, I find the transition from one location to another fascinating with its decreasing degree of unfamiliarity and increasing degree of mystique.
Last but not least, while not faultless ("The seconds tick away ever so slowly..."; "...I glanced over to the pocket watch laying on the pillow..."; and probably more), it's very nice that the myriad of visual descriptions in this story are penned with mostly prim and proper grammar.
What I consider its weaknesses
I understand that "[t]he setting is actually based off [Samyeung's] larger story", but some parts of the story kind of give me the impression that the entry itself, and not just the setting, is entirely part of Samyeung's larger story. Just to be clear, I'm not saying or even implying that Samyeung did a lazy man's work here, but I'd venture to say that some precautions could've been taken to avoid making it look like the entry is an excerpt.
Chiefly, the phrase "another request" instead of simply "a request" in "[Ariya] had been working on another request" implies that this wasn't the first time Ariya had to do a favour for someone; however, nothing is implied nor expressed in the story that can give readers a peek into Ariya's background. Not that it's necessary for the story, of course, especially considering the word limit, but I think a few word changes here and there could've closed the hole, such as "[Ariya] had been working on a(nother) task assigned to her by the guild", keeping in mind that there already exists a premise that both Ariya and Chiaki are associated with a guild (presumably of adventurers, mercenaries, or artisans). Otherwise, the original sentence leaves open common questions such as what request, whose request and, of course, why does it matter.
That part is a precursor to what I see as a discrepancy within the first three paragraphs. I can overlook the letter Chiaki had with her as it doesn't seem to be from Ariya announcing her visit ("...I first discovered it, all those years ago"), but Chiaki was supposedly waiting for Ariya's visit ("The seconds tick away ever so slowly, marking the time until her arrival"), non? It makes sense that Chiaki decided to proactively seek out Ariya after the night had passed without Ariya appearing, and it also fits that the reason Ariya hadn't come is because she was tired in the midst of taking care of a (re)quest and had fallen asleep in the forest, but why did Chiaki's narration then say that Ariya "simply came by on her way home"?
Alternatively, while I could interpret this as Ariya originally wanting to "simply c[o]me by" to Chiaki's place while en route home after finishing a (re)quest, at which point Ariya's exhaustion took its toll and she had to rest in the forest, it still conflicts with the first paragraph depicting Chiaki uneasily waiting for Arika's visit. Unless, of course, the letter Chiaki held at the start of the story was from Ariya informing her imminent visit. However, Chiaki's gestures strongly implied it was anything but a simple letter informing the imminent visit of a friend. Plus, if Ariya had sent a letter to Chiaki to inform Chiaki of her visit, then it wasn't a matter of "simply c[o]m[ing] by". Then there's Chiaki's monologue saying that she "first discovered it, all those years ago"... unless "it" here actually refers to the moon. In any case, I think I'm excessively ruminating on this part, and I'm sure it doesn't bode well that the winning entry has many more lines critical of it than praising it.
However, Ignis is as Ignis does, and Ignis must touch on just one more issue: the way Ariya's name was introduced. This probably has something to do with the fact that the entry is part of a larger story, and I can understand the switch from using female pronouns to "Ariya" to distinguish her from the guardian spirit and avoid confusing readers with two "she"s, but it feels like the timing was premature to start referring to the guardian spirit with female pronouns. Normally, you would refer to "a small purple flame" in "a small purple flame zipped toward Ariya, complaining about her boredom" with an "it", especially when there's already a "she" in the same sentence referring to Ariya ("She had just set aside her bag..."). The act of referring to the spirit with female pronouns could've instead started after the mention of her fairy appearance, as the phrases "purple flame" and "guardian spirit" don't immediately convey a feminine image. Consequently, Ariya's name could've been revealed as early as when Chiaki found her in the forest or even not revealed at all.
On the whole, the storytelling gives me an overall impression of generally careful writing. Everything I consider a miss, as outlined above, seems to stem from the fact that the entry is part of a larger story. I acknowledge that I may appear to be too fixated on Samyeung's own statement on this, but I think it actually provides a better explanation for the misses, as otherwise they'd merely represent less careful deliberations on the writer's part.
・・・Entry of @JaxxBlaxx;
Why I chose this as the runner-up
I see Jaxx's story as a depiction of a different kind of "journey". Interpretations may differ, but to me, the "journey" as conveyed in the story isn't the one with all the people leaving the place bereft of freedom they lived in. The "journey" here is the protagonist's progression, or transformation if you would, into an entity that, whilst a static object, was capable of feeling the pain and suffering of others. The protagonist―Porta Inferi, shall we call him―was supposed to be an entity whose very raison d'être was to act as an obstacle, an entity magical in nature yet supposedly capable of only receiving and enforcing orders. Unwittingly, he succumbed to emotional turbulences of grief, regret, fear, disappointment, and all sorts of agony emanating from everyone around him such that he was perverted into having sympathy and probably even empathy for the very people "he" was supposed to thwart.
Like Samyeung's entry (as well as Pingtoryan's), Jaxx's story is presented in a first-person perspective, which probably is a given for this kind of plot twist. It also has a fair balance between implied and written expressions. Judging by how Porta Inferi went through his "journey" experience as if he were looking at―or, more exactly, hoping for―a brave new world ("The adults were constantly talking of a world beyond the facility that they used to live in; they called it a 'utopia' [...] thus I seek for it"), it can probably be concluded that this was the first time Porta Inferi was able to resonate with the anguish of the people whose hopes he crushed.
I would thus venture to assume that a young man, naïve and unexposed to the world at large, joined the group of people trying to get past the gate, himself becoming the catalyst that made the very gate that is his hurdle capable of empathic resonance. His was likely a new, different kind of existence in the group of people Porta Inferi had grown accustomed to obstructing. While the minds of the people before him were likely fixated on breaking free from the confines of the gate, our―well, my―hypothetical lad had with him naïveté and lack of knowledge of what he even wanted to see beyond the gate, a perk that would have Porta Inferi see through the lad's eyes as if Porta Inferi were part of the community to begin with.
Regardless of whether the existence or non-existence of such a character―whose presence or lack thereof was never even acknowledged―was within authorial intent, I can't deny that I explored out of my own fascination the idea of a character so vague his very being was engraved into letters not even once throughout the entire story.
What I consider its strengths
While not a totally unexpected plot twist, it nonetheless was the first thing that reeled me in. Initially, I considered two possible interpretations of the true nature of the "gate". The first is that he had actually been one of the people kept within the confines of "the facility", made into "the entity which hand[ed] over justice to those who escape[d] from [it]" through certain circumstances. This fits nicely with the "you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain" narrative. The second interpretation is what I outlined above, that Porta Inferi had always been a "gate"―whether literally or metaphorically―who then changed through a young man's naïveté; hereafter better understood as purity of the mind.
Where the richness of Samyeung's visual descriptions conjures up the scenes the characters go through as the story progresses, Jaxx's story, by the virtue of leaving some parts open to individual interpretations, allows for a more imaginative take at the behest of the reader without necessarily having loopholes. The story also has just the right amount of dialogues; enough to signify Porta Inferi's interactions with the (perceived) world around him, while still leaving most of the rest to monologues and asides.
What I consider its weaknesses
Good thing Jaxx had revised the entry before the round came to a close, or the previously-excessive use of dashes would've been the first nit I would've picked. With that out of the way, there's no glaring hole to criticise. There's some vagueness in the transition between the third and fourth paragraphs, though: it appears that, upon reaching the "gate", the group's attempt to escape was met with violence, which resulted in them fainting or coming close to it ("...it was taking my very all even to stay conscious from the blow"). However, there may be an unexplained titbit: overwhelmed by curiosity, the boy―if we go along with my interpretation that such an unsung character existed―"slipped past the tall figures in front of" him, something that then "overc[a]me [his] whole self" with despair.
Based on the structure and placement of the clauses, I think it fair to conclude that the boy's despair stemmed from his decision to let curiosity get the better of him and keep advancing, probably in spite of the others stopping. The boy probably felt regret and/or despair out of such thoughts as "why did I do this?" and "I should've known better", but if his despair was borne out of the (presumed) violence he was subject to as a response to him advancing despite being told to stop, it doesn't seem like this despair held much significance for the rest of the story (contrary to the way it's written). It also seems to contradict the lad's purported personality; young as he was, he resolutely embarked on a journey to find out what he didn't have despite having his needs covered "back there". This is strengthened by the fact that he remained stout and relatively spirited compared to the others even after he had collapsed for quite long due to the "blow". I think it unlikely that he would've stopped before even reaching the gate had he just known that he'd be smacked unconscious.
Speaking of our dear protagonist, though, I must also zoom in on the way his "master" called his name. I understand that "porta inferi" more or less means "gate of hell", but the lack of capitalisation initially made me read the way Porta Inferi's master called him as if "porta inferi" were an expression of some sort (compare, for example, with "Return, tout de suite; I need you to halt another wave of exodus in a different place.") instead of a name. Of course, I suppose this could also be interpreted to mean that our Porta Inferi wasn't unique, but one of many, and that his master was addressing him with his title ("Be mindful, mage. You are tolerated here, but we catch you practise magick and off to the river you go." vs. "Be mindful, Crowley. You are tolerated here, but we catch you practise magick and off to the river you go.") rather than name, hence the lack of capitalisation.
All things considered, these are pretty minor nits to pick out of the story as a whole.
・・・Entry of @Rain Summerfields;
What I consider its strengths
The story is unique in pretty much all regards. In terms of writing style, it's penned in a rather different way not everyone can imitate. While I think this kind of style has its drawbacks in this kind of environment (more on this below), it fits pretty well with the overall feel of the story, which to me kind of reads like a tribute to someone or someones personified as the "wealthy warrioress" known as Audhild Johansen. Rain's own professed love for Nordic stuff and dark metal seems to support my assumption.
This may be largely a weeaboo forum, but nobody said that entries had to correspondingly have an anime-, manga- or game-esque theme. And Rain delivered just that: a theme focused on dark metal and Nordic cultural aspects; a tributary story focused on a personage rather than chains of events; a stage set in the cold reaches of Scandinavia rather than a world resembling (pseudo-)medieval western Europe. To top it all off, there's a fairly rich amount of sophisticated word choices―I particularly like such phrases as "murderous heathenism"―with which the story is delivered.
What I consider its weaknesses
The way the story is written resembles more a storyteller verbally recounting a story she had previously composed rather than a short story or a book in a written form. The most striking trait is, of course, the use of line breaks rather than normal spaces to separate sentences. I understand that this is part of the writer's style, and a writer deserves the choice of not following conventional ortography―after all, e e cummings was well known for his unconventional capitalisation―but coupled with the way Rain split some sentences as well as the overall structuring and composition, the story as a whole stands between prose and a form of poetry.
This is apparent right from the first sentences. Such sentences as "Throughout the darkness, when all, but the roaring winds remained still" and the two other immediately following it, for example, are fragments lacking the wherewithal to stand by themselves. They lack independent clauses, except maybe for the third sentence ("Lived a warrior, a queen in the making"), and themselves resemble separate causes that should instead be united. Several of the sentences split as Rain separated them would make proper sentences if they were merged together. While sentence fragments could be passable if they contextually corresponded to the sentence(s) preceding them, such as how the sentence "A much needed wake up call to a deeper presence" relates directly to the one before it, it requires that the sentence(s) the fragments correspond to be proper sentences with at least one independent clause.
Finally, the way Rain listed Audhild's band members, or "comrades in arms" as they were referred to in the story, is probably the part that feels most unlike a prose while not much resembling poetry either. It's written in a way similar to expository narrative in non-fictional writing―also, while this is getting outside nitpicking on writing style and into the territory of grammar and punctuation, the list comes after a full stop, not a colon, despite being written in such a way―which breaks the already-brittle structure of narration. All in all, I realise that it may sound like I'm just making a fuss over substitutions of commas with full stops and spaces with line breaks. I also fully acknowledge that the overall style and fragmentation might do okay if it were poetry of a free verse kind.
・・・Entry of @pingtoryan;
What I consider its strengths
It's quite bizarre, and I don't mean it in a negative way. One of the (many) feats I consider a real challenge to accomplish is writing something that is somehow bizarre but still manages to hold together (or, taking it to the next level, writing something largely comprising nonsense but still manages to tell a story, like Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky). The entire timeline within the story feels very fast and all the events occur in a quick succession. Everything is a prelude to the conclusive part of the story―the destruction of the Pingtorians' realm at the hands of Lucius―interspersed with dialogues between the protagonist and the Duke. In this story, there are two separate perspectives to the "journey" element; the protagonist's time in the academy of the Pingtorians briefly alluded to as part of the background story and their life after Lucius had destroyed the realm of the Pingtorians.
Just like Rain's entry, wherein Audhild's "journey" really began past the events told in it, the protagonist in Pingtoryan's story seemed like he was due for something bigger than everything that had occurred, as Lucius' foresight had foretold that "[their] mess [would] spill into [the protagonist's] realm". (Amusingly, what the protagonist remarked as "extremely prophetic" is Lucius' promise of attending the protagonist's future wedding, not the part where Lucius prophesied the certainty with which the Pingtorians' "mess" would spill over into the protagonist's realm, which meant the protagonist would then have to use everything at their disposal they'd learnt during their time with the Pingtorians to "right them all". Coupled with the protagonist's vision of a little girl armed and armoured in Lucius' likeness, I wonder if the Duke was foretelling himself in the "wedding"... only in a different form.)
What I consider its weaknesses
A good balance between dialogues and monologues narratives is good; however, consecutive dialogues in an exchange between characters should be written with extra care to avoid confusing readers. There's a shortage of accompaniments to direct dialogues, such as "I said" or "said Lucius", that could have better helped readers understand who said what. In this case, it's not really confusing as there are only two characters actively involved in dialogues throughout the story and a low amount of dialogues―though I'd argue that, comparatively speaking, they still account for a fair percentage of the story―but in a scene with three or more characters, it could get confusing if the characters spoke without particularity (or peculiarity, if you would) that would make it easier to identify whom each line belongs to.
This is exacerbated in the sentence that follows the last dialogue the protagonist had in the story ("The last part of his sentence sounded extremely prophetic to me"), the placement of which seems to suggest that it was remarking the dialogue immediately preceding it. This is something that could be alleviated by any number of ways, such as by putting the monologue in a new paragraph or, if Pingtoryan didn't feel right having a paragraph containing only a single-line monologue and nothing else, by rewriting the sentence to somehow connect to the preceding dialogue (which is said by the protagonist), such as "I felt a weird surge of confidence as I said that, as if I knew for sure that it would happen, in part because the last part of his sentence sounded extremely prophetic to me" or something similar. Finally, some dialogues lack any closing punctuation, such as a full stop or a comma.
On to a more holistic observation: in relation to the theme, the story lacks explicit, written representation of a "journey". While I acknowledge the possible interpretations of two different journeys as I explored four paragraphs prior, the actual events in the story are set in a timeline between those two journeys. The summoning of the protagonist back to the realm of the Pingtorians; its destruction at the hands of Lucius; the subsequent witnessing of it by the protagonist. All of those happened after the protagonist had finished their first "journey" into the realm (at which time they were enrolled into the Pingtorians' "academy") but before the protagonist's "journey" back in their own world―presumed dead and without legal identification―wherein they might have to use their otherworldly powers to "right" all the "mess" from the realm of the Pingtorians. (For comparison: in Rain's story, while Audhild's journey looked like it was set to begin past the story itself, her efforts to establish her band could reasonably be considered a "journey" in the broader sense.)
・・・Entry of @ancer_nyaa;
Why this didn't earn a higher position
In a vacuum, Ancer's story would've been a decent read. Don't get me wrong: it is. It's a simple story involving several of the forum's better-known members, and who doesn't like having herself alluded to in an entertaining fiction? There are other entries to compare against, however, and while probably unfortunate to Ancer, the varying degrees of excellence in which they appeared proved superior, at least to my eyes. This shouldn't be interpreted to mean that Ancer's entry is the "worst" out of the five, as that would presuppose that "bad" entries exist. This only means that we had five satisfactory entries and that in my eyes―the partial, biased eyes of a human being―the virtues of Ancer's entry are extolled not as much as the other four. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.
What I consider its strengths
It's a light-hearted story that's easy to digest. Amidst the strong theme of agony and despair in Jaxx's story as well as destruction in Pingtoryan's story, Ancer wrote something that, while not featuring peaceful prairies wherein unicorns prance about, is comparatively lighter and more relaxed. The use of forum members as characters no doubt helped contribute to this imagery. A story you could relate to―'self-insert', if you would―tends to be easier to read even if you don't visualise each and every event related to your personified character in detail.
As I said earlier in the discussion thread, I find the references pretty funny, especially Corocoro, who was apparently "known for [...] having quite a cute name". It's probably also the first time I see Checkmate being semi-humorously referred to without mentions of his transcendent extent of pervertedness. The part where Ancer had to show his passport to proceed is also personally amusing to me. I've had to explain quite a few times how basic web mechanisms like cookies and credentials work, and I'm not sure if my every explanation managed to make the other party understand. I think I could make an analogy out of Ancer showing his passport to explain all those things.
What I consider its weaknesses
There are instances resembling breaking the fourth wall, even if they come from the omniscient narrator and not the characters, but they feel more like careless deliberations and not something written for the very purpose of making a meta-reference. All three instances of parenthesis use are something that shouldn't be present in prose; they have their place in expository writing and other genres of non-fiction as well as general chats where you're speaking as yourself and not as a narrator telling the story of fictional characters, but they can disintegrate the―for want of a better word―cohesion one would expect to see in prose.
The only relatively innocuous use of parentheses is perhaps the first one ("He is alone in his journey though"). The second one ("Big Guys or Girls, I don't know") personifies the omniscient narrator and brings it into being by the use of a first-person pronoun, "I", making the narrator have some sort of representation and maybe even a personality―as expressed in its doubt over whether the "four pillars" consist of just girls, just guys, or both―rather than just a passive storyteller who only tells the story from a third-person perspective. The third instance ("her?"―for the record, Girlcelly is a he) is arguably the most striking, as it gives the appearance of a story that hadn't been proofread carefully enough prior to submission. The use of "they" to refer to a person whose gender is unknown is valid. Alternatively, you could rewrite the sentence to avoid having to refer to Girlcelly with a third-person pronoun (there are a few examples on that Wikipedia page).
For the plot itself, while a fun light read, using a dream (or the waking of a character from one) to end a story is a highly overused trope that in some instances may even feel like a deus ex machina because a dream can explain away all the absurdity a character encountered within and pull them out of any kind of danger in the last minute. This particular instance doesn't rise to that level; however, it still gives a rather 'easy' way of ending the story. A myriad of endings could've been made use of instead, such as Ancer choosing to retreat but vowing that he'd never stop trying until he successfully defeated the "four pillars".
I'm glad to see that some entrants had to shorten their entry and considered 1000 words a low limit. I wrote apparently over 5000 words for this post.
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Marketing to Mums is the world's first podcast designed to help marketing professionals and business owners improve their communications and sales to Mums.
Recently our very own founder of Share the Dignity was featured on the podcast, speaking about Cause Marketing.
In the episode, Rochelle talks about how she harnessed the power of mothers to launch her charity, Share the Dignity, and distribute more than 1.5 million pads and tampons for homeless women in Australia. She shares with us three key ways Share the Dignity has been successful in creating a movement of mothers and why mums have respond to cause marketing efforts.
Listen to the episode here – https://marketingtomums.com.au/podcast/ep12_rochelle_courtenay_why_mums_respond_to_cause_marketing/
You can subscribe to Katrina's podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify from her website.


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Having a post-divorce bucket list can be a helpful exercise. When most people think of divorce they immediately picture the negatives. They think of losing a spouse, the financial headache, the legal ordeals and the stresses of change. Like any other major readjustment in life, however, there are both positive and negative aspects of divorce.
As you move into the next chapter of your life, it's time to reclaim everything you might have sacrificed or compromised for the sake of your relationship. This can be a refreshing way to empower yourself after your divorce. Where do you want to go next? Who do you want to be? The possibilities are endless.
Creating a list of everything you want to do once the divorce is finished is a useful way to stay positive and focus on the future. Here are just a few suggestions to get you started.
3 Ideas for Your Post-Divorce Bucket List
- Stop putting off travel – For years you've been a package deal. You've had to work around the demands or your spouse's schedule. Now you are free to take that time off and explore. It's time to prioritize that trip you've been putting off. You don't have to break your budget. Even if all you're doing is camping somewhere near your home city, it can feel good to get out. Feel free to uproot, go on adventures and visit friends. Who knows? If your situation permits, it may even be time to move to your dream city.
- Reach out to Friends – Remember how your friends complained your never got out anymore? Now is your chance to change that. You'd be amazed how many people will be there to support you if you have the courage to reach out. Start seeing that friend your partner didn't like, or simply taking advantage of a shorter list of obligations. Now is the time to reconnect with old friends and meet new people.
- Get out and Date – For most people it's going to be while before they are ready for the next big relationship, but that doesn't mean you can't go out and have fun. Feel free to ask out the attractive person you've been eyeing. It may take time to get back in the swing of things, but before long you might realize how much you've missed being single.
Changes in life can feel intimidating, but if you keep an eye out for the future and continue to make plans the journey after divorce will feel more like an adventure.
The Julian Firm, P.C. is a Lewisville family law firm.


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Masonic Service Association of North America
Hurricane Isabel caused extensive damage in the Mid-Atlantic area. The states hardest hit were North Carolina and Virginia. As of the date of this appeal many people are still without power. Several towns were left, literally, under water. There will be a long recovery time from the destruction caused by this hurricane. MSA is putting out an appeal on behalf of the Grand Lodges of North Carolina and Virginia for help in their recovery.
Assistance to these two Grand Lodges will be divided 50% North Carolina and 50% Virginia, for undesignated gifts. Designated gifts will be sent in their entirety to the Grand Lodge named.
Please forward to the MSA such funds as you feel appropriate to help our devastated Brethren and their families in these stricken jurisdictions. Please make checks payable to the MSA Disaster Relief Fund and send to the address below.
Thank you very much for your help!
In September 1925, four members of the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute located at Blacksburg, Virginia, were discussing agriculture students. They decided such students should have an organization for self-expression and pride in their farm background. Out of this discussion grew the Future Farmers of America. The FFA has degrees and rituals similar to Masonic rituals. The logo of the FFA contains the rising sun, an eagle, an owl, a plow and an ear of corn. Their colors are blue and yellow. Today the FFA has more than 400,000 members nationwide.
The four founders were all Masons.
(Source: Norman Lincoln, Sept/Oct 2003, The Philaletic Freemason)
President, Chief Justice, made Mason at sight
Brother William Howard Taft was made a Master Mason at sight by Grand Master Charles S. Hoskinson on February 18, 1909. At the time, Taft was President-elect of the United States.
The ceremony was performed in the presence of a great gathering of Brethren assembled in the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Cincinnati. Numerous high ranking Masons from around the country and the world were present, including 18 visiting Grand Masters.
The actual ceremony was simple and brief, lasting only one hour. Grand Master Hoskinson opened an occasional communication of the Grand Lodge for the purpose of conferring upon Mr. Taft the degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason.
Following the ceremony, Grand Master Hoskinson presented Brother Taft with a new morocco leather Bible, which he inscribed: "To Grand Master Hoskinson, with gratitude and fraternal good wishes of William H. Taft, made a Master Mason February 18, 1909." This Bible with several other Taft artifacts is now displayed at the Grand Lodge Museum in Worthington.
At 7:30 p.m. that evening, Brother Taft, seated with the visiting Grand Officers on the stage, watched the officers and craftsmen of Kilwinning Lodge #356 confer the sublime degree of Master Mason on Brother Frank H. Heitman. At this time, the members of Kilwinning Lodge presented Brother Taft with a lambskin apron.
Brother Taft was considered a Mason at large, paying his dues to the Grand Lodge until April 14, 1909, when he affiliated with Kilwinning Lodge. Both his father and brother had been members of Kilwinning Lodge, and he maintained his membership there until his death on March 8, 1930.
(Source: Beacon, Winter 2003)
Genus of thorny, flowering trees or shrubs. Some similar plants are sometimes so called, i.e. locust. More than four hundred varieties are known, but in Freemasonry only one is referred to, a type of low growing shrub. From the practice of the Twelve Tribes and from the Old Testament (shittim wood is Old Testament for acacia), Freemasonry has adopted this word as a symbol of immortality. In the familiar song sung in many Master Mason degrees the word is shortened to "cassia" but has the same significance. To the Freemason the word represents a belief rather than a plant.
(Source: MSA Digest Masonic Vocabulary)


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Failure to Adapt: A Conversation Between Syrus Marcus Ware and Elizabeth Sweeney
In the summer of 2014, Syrus Marcus Ware and Elizabeth Sweeney teamed up to guest curate Re:purpose–an interactive group exhibition that focuses on artists who repurpose and reclaim objects and ideas within their practice, and in so doing, present new ways of seeing and understanding the world. Artists include jes sachse, Jan Derbyshire, Cait Davis, Stephen Fakiyesi, Maria Hupfield and collaborative work by Jason Tschantré and the late Lisa Bufano.
Here is how they describe the theme of the exhibition:
Repurposing is the act of altering something so it takes on a new function. For many, repurposing is not just a preference, but also a necessary act of survival. While evolutionists may argue that the ability to adapt is central to the survival of a species, repurposing creates space to redefine reality.
There are subtle yet important differences between the terms adapt and repurpose. The word adapt has many meanings, and within certain discourse, it is often associated with adjustments intended to make a more inclusive world. For example, we may modify a workstation to become wheelchair accessible; hiring practices are adjusted to respond to employment inequity and to encourage greater diversity in the work place. Adapting does not require major systemic change and rarely does it result in redistribution of privilege or empowerment. To adapt is to assume that the status quo should be accepted as is. Society however, presents an onslaught of misdistributions of power and inequality – and for the artists included in this exhibition, the notion of simply conforming to this reality presents a gross failure of imagination. Instead, they repurpose.
–S. M. Ware and E. Sweeney, 2014
What follows is an excerpt from the curators' conversations about the exhibition, the act of re-purposing and an ongoing failure of imagination within the Canadian arts ecology.
Syrus Marcus Ware: Our exhibition description starts by making the distinction between re-purposing and adapting. Why is this distinction important?
Elizabeth Sweeney: As we continue conversations around inclusion, diversity, and expanding notions of representation in the arts, there tends to be a focus on providing access and adapting. This language implies that there is a way of doing things – a correct way, a traditional mainstream way – and that there is a status quo, which will, out of kindness, bestow the olive branch of access (budgets, spaces, and time permitting of course). This often comes in the form of an adaptation in the least obtrusive ways possible, in ways that are comfortable. For example a gallery may apply for a special grant to hire a guest curator of colour, or make an effort to include aboriginal programming once every two years. Perhaps they adapt public programs to include a special tactile tour or an audio description headset that is kept hidden behind the desk. The goal of these adaptations is not major transformation or empowerment, nor is it to challenge the reality that our institutions of art history have failed us.
SWM: The theme of this issue of NMP is failure. What do we mean when we talk about failure in this context?
ES: Several years ago Marc Mayer (Director of the National Gallery of Canada) was slammed by curators across the country for his egregious conclusion that the reason there was very little diversity in the NGC's collection was because they don't see colour (and I assume ability, Aboriginal status, gender, etc.) when curating and collecting –they just see excellence. We have heard this rationale from other curators and art gallery directors over the years, and this is nothing new. If you look back at the 62 or so artists that have been selected since 1952 to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale, there have been only 9 women, 2 Aboriginal artists, and (as far as I can tell) zero artists of colour or disabled artists. The destructive implication of these selections of course being that these artists just aren't making art worthy of our national recognition or attention. And a quick glance through the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization member list informs us that arts professionals from these same communities certainly are not the ones making the vast majority of these decisions.
In David Balzer's well-articulated review of the AGO's "Art as Therapy"exhibition, he reiterates the antiquated notion that museums are neutral mirrors of a society reflected by artists. He states "Museums are not agents for direct social change but reflections on what culture has been and is, through the sensibilities of the present moment."[1] I would argue that the overt absence of diverse 'sensibilities' within our art institutions proves the opposite. Art galleries are not a mirror of society and they are not neutral. They instead send a very clear (and profoundly inaccurate) message that artists who are disabled, aboriginal or POC consistently fail to make great art, or art worthy enough to represent Canada, and they have no place in the leadership of Canadian art galleries.
I think you would also agree that these messages clearly demonstrate a different kind of failure –the persistent failure of Canadian art institutions to make meaningful change. Failure to see curators who specialize in diasporic art practices and the diverse cultures of Canadians as essential, not optional (i.e., contractual). Failure to take ownership (and action) for euro-centric collections that were built from long histories of colonization, racism, sexism and ableism. Failure to radically reconsider how audiences engage and access art. And the failure of our academic institutions to redefine the art histories, practices and artists we celebrate, study and revere.
SMW: Yes, totally, as workers in cultural institutions, we feel the weight of this failure in our everyday lives. As artists as well: this sense of our participation being an inclusion or adaptation from the 'core' or centrality of white supremacist and ableist 'normality'.
What would our institutions look like, feel like, operate like if we got rid of these ways of thinking? If we imagined co-creating a space that was by, for and about all of our lives, our creativity, our communities? Would these spaces even exist as 'institutions'? Would we even hold objects 'in public trust' at all in this other reality?
Artists have a way of helping us get over our 'failure of imagination'. Perhaps bringing artists into the functioning of these places can help us better understand what we need to do next to move forward? In our exhibit, Re:Purpose, the artists have all proposed projects that challenge our limited imaginations and suggest new ways of working with existing objects and tools.
ES: Absolutely. Let's take the work of Lisa Bufano for example. Lisa was known for her dramatic and captivating performance work using repurposed wooden table legs as prosthetic-stilts. Instead of performing in prosthetics that resembled and looked like "real" legs, and trying to dance and move like non-disabled dancers, Lisa instead transformed her body into a completely new form, with completely unique gestures and movements. Lisa's work defiantly redefined our relationship with inanimate objects (i.e., prosthetics) and how a human form looks, moves and dances. Online you can see a video called "Mentally Fine", which documents Lisa's performance with wooden stilts in a store window at the Alaska Centre in Boise, Idaho during an artist residency. Two older women come up to the window and we catch their conversations.
"Is that a person?" one says to another.
"it's a she."
"a she?"
After the videographer documenting the work explains a bit about Lisa, her practice, and her qualifications as an artist, one of the women reply:
"But is she handicapped?"
To which the videographer tries to respond respectfully and accurately about the limitation of Lisa's limbs.
"Mentally fine though?" they respond.
"ah… yes", he responds.
"Did she come up with this all by herself?" they ask
This video tells us so much about the defiant role of repurposing. Lisa's work challenged these viewers' assumptions about what a "mentally fine" human being looks like, and perhaps even redefined for them what a disabled person "can come up with" all by themselves. Instead of failing to fit her atypical body into traditional dance practices, Lisa Bufano instead redefined entire notions of body and movement.
SMW: When we spoke to Stephen Fakiyesi about his work in the show he talked about repurposing being an apt strategy for critical engagement with the world around him. He uses repurposing as a call to action, getting others to re-examine objects and moments that can often become ubiquitous through mass consumption. His work "Stacks"uses playing cards to explore colonialism, imperialism and the prominence of European royalty. The viewer is invited to consider oversized plastic cards that alternatively feature images of Black kings and queens, which participants can playfully stack like a house of cards to create various structures.
Stephen said this about his work:
I think there will always be a need for individuals, groups and most certainly artists to imagine the world not as it is but as it can be. I do not lament the present order of things. Rather, one of the privileges of being an artist on the peripherals, as it were, is that you have the distance to more readily perceive the status quo and possibly challenge it. I have a pretty active imagination and faith in something greater than myself to think that, even now, all things are possible. Failure means an opportunity to engage my environment anew, with a fresh and broader perspective and a renewed vigour and hopefully learn from the past, and to embody the change that I am actively seeking to have made in the world. If we haven't given up hope, situations do change and people, in particular, are not beyond redemption. To borrow from an Old Testament proverb; "even a living dog is better off than a dead lion". So, life is good.
Stephen's work not only challenges our framing of empire, but also our understanding of what is expected within a gallery setting. His work employs an interactivity and art-based play that challenges our idea of museum etiquette. It repurposes the exhibition space, making it a living room, a meeting space, a community setting.
ES: Yes, it's precisely this kind of playful challenging of expectations (and of etiquette) that is at the core of this exhibit. In particular, I am struck by Fakiyesi's call to artists to "imagine the world not as it is but as it can be."This is a great contrast to the practice of seeking out art that reflects (and reinforces) the world as it is, and a call to action to those in positions of power to do so.
[1] David Balzer, Only Connect: What's wrong with "Art as Therapy", Exhibition review of the Art Gallery of Ontario's "Art as Therapy", May 3 2014 –April 26, 2015, Canadian Art, Posted May 27, 2014 and accessed here: http://www.canadianart.ca/reviews/2014/05/27/art-as-therapy/
Guest curated by Syrus Marcus Ware and Elizabeth Sweeney
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 72 Queen St., Oshawa
August 9 – September 7, 2014
Closing reception: RMG Fridays, 5 Sept, 7 pm, ASL interpretation provided.
Elizabeth Sweeney is a visual artist, art gallery educator, researcher and curator. She has worked at The National Gallery of Canada, The Canada Council for the Arts and currently works as the Manager of Public Programs and ARTreach at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. Elizabeth also teaches part-time at Durham College in the School of Media, Art and Design and frequently guest lectures on the topic of art criticism, curatorial practice and contemporary disability arts. Recent projects include "The Unrelenting," a site-specific installation in the group exhibition 'That's So Gay: On the Edge' (2014) at the Gladstone Hotel, and the creation of the Black Triangle Arts Collective. She holds degrees in Fine Arts (Concordia University), Education (University Of Ottawa) and Critical Disability Studies (York University). Originally from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, she lives with her partner Anita in Toronto.
Syrus Marcus Ware is a visual artist, community activist, researcher, curator and educator. He is the Program Coordinator of Youth Programs at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Syrus' recent curatorial projects include The Church Street Mural Project (2013), 12 large-scale, community-inspired public murals in the LGBTQ village in Toronto; the forthcoming 'That's So Gay: On the Edge' (2014) at the Gladstone Hotel. He is part of the PDA (Performance Disability Art) Collective and recently helped launch "Crip Your World"at Mayworks 2014. Syrus is part of Blackness Yes! and produces Blockorama each year at Toronto Pride. For the past 16 years, Syrus has hosted the weekly radio segment, "Resistance on the Sound Dial"weekly on CIUT 89.5FM. Syrus holds degrees in Art History, Visual Studies and a Masters of Arts in Sociology and Equity Studies, University of Toronto.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


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The Guns started out as a teenage thrash duo. These kids were a phenomenon to behold. I think Scott Eakin was 14 and Dave Araca was 15, or maybe the other way around. But when they played it was just pure power. Their song "I'm Not Right" is a hardcore hit that should have been. Every bit as intense yet catchy as "Institionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies or Black Flag's "Rise Above." It's the soundtrack to the trailer of the movie. The band expanded and started playing a more metal sound which won them a lot of fans. Dave Araca passed away and that looked like the end for The Guns. But Scott reformed the group for the December show and put on a smokin' performance.
The Guns
This barely teenage hardcore duo (the band members were 13 years old), formed in 1981 while playing as the rhythm section in The Dark. Scott Eakin, bassist in The Dark, moved to vocals/guitar while Dave Araca remained on drums. After adding ex-Starvation Army drummer Sean Salay on bass, the Guns became a more coherent metallic hardcore group. They then added guitarist Scott Silverman, and proceeded as a four-piece until breaking up in '86. At varying points, all members except Salay went on to play in False Hope. The only recorded output by the band posthumously appeared as (unauthorized) "hidden tracks" on an LP by the Integrity-offshoot Bowel ('94). Sounds confusing? It is.
was an 80's Hardcore Punk band from Cleveland, Ohio. They started in 1982 as a way for two kids to work off their excess sugar buzz. Scott Eakin (age 12) and David Araca (age 13), of the band The Dark, formed their own side project, The Guns. They played at parties and a few shows. In '83 they recorded a demo and contributed 2 songs to "The New Hope", a compilation of NE Ohio punk/hardcore bands, released by Scott's older brother and singer for The Dark, Tom Eakin (aka Tommy Dark). The two songs led off the album and had an incredible reaction. In late 1983, Sean Saleyquit the drum chair in Starvation Army and joined The Guns as bass player. They played a ton of shows at The Pop Shop, The Lakefront, and other holes during late '83 and most of '84. The Guns recorded an album produced by Scott Lasch in '84 which, other than a song contributed to the "They Pelted Us With Rocks And Garbage" compilation released by Negative Print fanzine, was shelved. In late '84, Sean moved away from Cleveland and eventually to Washington DC to play drums for the band Government Issue. The Guns carried on with Scott Silverman on lead guitar and Bob Ries on bass through 1987. Scott Eakin went on to be in many other bands. David Araca had much success in the band False Hope. As of 2000, Scott and his brother Tom are in the Cleveland band Stepsister.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
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Assam Govt Collects Record Rs 831 Cr as GST in November
GUWAHATI: Assam government has set a record in its GST collections for the month of November, by collecting a whopping Rs 831 crore in a month.
Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to his twitter handle and wrote, "I feel immensely proud in sharing with you that we have made a record of sorts in our #GST collections in November 2019 ~ A whopping Re 831 crore (SGST Re 375 cr, IGST Re 456 cr) was collected as GST revenues, highest since July 2017. Thank you all."
It is to be mentioned that, the GST collection dropped 5.29 per cent to Rs 95,380 crore in the month of October 2019, on year-on-year basis.
The drop was seen despite October being a festive season. Though the government announced a slew of measures to boost the economy, however, the lower GST collection in October shows a weaker consumer demand due to an overall economic slowdown.
File Pic: Himanta Biswa Sarma