(Discovering Manfield the despondent, all alone on a hillside. And me with my new balloon pants, argh.)
He sat on the top of a desert hill, in the middle of the desert landscape, nothing surrounding him but ghosts and crows and ancient battle machinery, broken and decaying.
The truth has caused me so much pain, to the point that I need to take anti-depressants every day! I am almost out of anti-depressants, but I don't have the strength to go to Mira...
Please help me bring this Medicine Prescription to Mira near Hawk's Cliff, he will provide the drugs.
YES. SURE. IN THIS FANTASY SETTING WE WILL GO AND GET YOU DRUGS. WE'LL GET RIGHT ON THAT.
There are times I have trouble figuring out what part of the "fantasy world" of Runes of Magic actually contains fantasy. There's a quest in the elven lands that references airplanes.
Two deaths of note, for fans of music and art--first, Frank Frazetta has passed away at the age of 82.
Fans of Conan the Barbarian, especially, connect Frazetta to Conan, due to his numerous pictoral representations of him for stand-alone paintings and book covers. Single-handedly, or nearly, Frazetta established fantasy art as a genre, and without his ground-breaking work, it would never have gone as mainstream as it has.
The Art History Archive contains a chronological list of his major works, if you want to see his style develop. Me, I remember him best for the cover he did for the first Vampirella comic, back when it was still being published by Warren. Jose Gonzalez, the longest-running artist on the comic during the Warren years of publication, was himself heavily influenced by Frazetta's portrayal of the character.
The other loss--and one that cuts deeper for me, still--is that of Lena Horne. Yesterday on Twitter, I caught a couple of mentions wondering who Lena Horne was--I immediate sent out Stormy Weather, one of her most popular songs, so people could listen. I contrasted that 1943 performance with a 2007 appearance. Older, thinner, her voice shaking, still she has an elegance and a presence that is phenomenal, and when she sings the blues, we feel it, all the way through.
Towards the middle of Merv Griffin's career as a talk show host, the world began to change. Blacks were standing up and fighting for their rights; the concept of separate bathrooms, restaurants, and support systems for blacks was becoming anathema. (While there likely remain scattered "Colored" water fountains to this day in remote Southern areas, this was largely seen as the lunacy it was throughout the sixties, and the signs were removed by public assent.)
Griffin booked Horne on his show, due both to her sublime skills as a singer, but also due to her political and social activism. The interview went well until he asked her what she thought of the social unrest currently, being a black woman.
"Oh, I'm not black," she said, smiling gently.
Griffin looked up at her, eyes widening. He stammered a bit, talking about current terms, and how older terms were passing. He flailed on broadcast television, and she never dropped her beatific smile. Finally, he slumped, asking her what term she preferred, because he'd been told that 'colored' was right out, and he wouldn't speak the other term over the airwaves.
Her smile grew by the merest bit, transforming from beatific to amused. She said serenely, "I'm not black. I'm cafe au lait."
Silence, deep and thick, hung over the entire studio, then everyone--from the audience to the camera men--laughed, and they were laughing with Horne, not at her. With seven words, she held that entire audience in the palm of her hand, and invited them to join in the utter lunacy of separation, while allowing her pride of place, and social standing. It was amazing.
92 years is an accomplishment in itself. She opened so many doors for female entertainers and for black women in specific. Even seven years being blacklisted by the government--for having Communist friends--did not sway her beliefs, her ideals, or her grace. She will, without a doubt, be deeply missed.
Emerald users are trying to figure out the recent security breach mentioned on the website; they tell us that it's been taken care of, the project has been shut down, and the only account compromised was that of Fractured Crystal, who stored the password for the forums in encrypted (now apparently UNencrypted) php format.
Ooookay, then. Whatever it was, apparently it's gone now. Yay? Maybe?
Finally, God is very proud of his facial hair:
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Ok
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: so
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: facial hair
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: A Lemmy is a totally awesome choice
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: (y/n)?
emilly.orr: Never bad. Depending on the face.
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: So, on my lovely facade?
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Totally awesome
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Just an fyi
emilly.orr: I'll keep that in mind.
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Seriously, if you are ever like
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Man, totally want to think of a handsome gentleman with excellent choices in facial hair
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: This guy
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Right here
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Pretty sure Im more proud of this facial hair than I would be of hypothetical children
emilly.orr snerks
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Woman, this is no snerking matter
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: I am now in the realm of godlike men
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: manly men
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: who are manly
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: and drink gin, whisky and vodka all in one evening
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: before finals
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: (probably a poor choice)
emilly.orr: Probably
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Yup
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Still, I will be the most stylish motherfucker that's hungover at 8 am tomorrow
emilly.orr: You are so going to die young
Pabst Honorable Mention Beer: Hell yeah baby
It's not important that God lives to see graduation; I suppose it's all about the journey? Or something.
And alcohol. Lots and lots and LOTS of alcohol.
2 comments:
Be nice to him. He's a Leader of Tomorrow.
Of course, that's also a reason to be very, very afraid.
Stiv is deeply confusing in many ways, but yes, the fact that he's now in pre-law--after an original choice of psychiatry--worries me to no end.
And you got that "I'm in my early twenties" vibe too? :)
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