Strokes of Lightning

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: - "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and - "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much."

[marianyaklis]

Three Years Later...

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the evening of the 28th of December and I was still in the Chicago office. I texted my mom to see if she wanted me to be at my grandparents’ apartment. Mom suggested that I go home (my own apartment at the time) since it was snow hard out and the roads were slick. So I did what I was told. My phone was on silent and I went to sleep, but something woke…

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[dandiliiontea-deactivated202105]

It’s INSANE to me how controversial romance novels are. Romance novels. Like, being openly a fan of them immediately opens you up to people constantly coming at you like “but don’t you think it’s ~limiting- and ~juvenile~ to have a genre of books with happy endings for women?”

Like.

No?

Why is it such a big deal to want to read stories where women have sex and then don’t die at the end? Jesus Christ.

Why is the concept of female characters being happy seen as less creative than female characters suffering? (Trust me, creating a world where women win in the end takes a lot more creativity and artistic vision lmfao)

Anyway, literary bros will pry my romance novels with their happy endings from my cold dead fingers.

[jennyredford]

Or die in the very beginning of the book. But no one calls out James Patterson for writing another formulaic thriller in which a woman is horrifically killed after getting laid and then some man solves her murder. Every. Damn. Time.

But hey, those romance novels where women get happy endings are so limiting, eh?

[dandiliiontea-deactivated202105]

Real talk: realizing how common it is for female characters to be punished for on-the-page sex with death was a big part of my embracing the romance genre. Once I noticed it I couldn’t unnotice it. It’s everywhere. A woman having sex in literature or non-romance genre fiction is the literary equivalent of a red shirt on Star Trek.

[roo-bastmoon]

It’s not just the sex thing, though that’s a key element. It’s that, in romance novels, the heroine gets to be cared for the way she normally would care for everyone else. It’s wish fulfillment in that her romantic partner will do emotional labor, spend a great deal of time thinking about her, or sacrifice his desires or fortune or reputation to be with her, or spend days nursing her back to health, or risking his life to save hers. In romance novels, you’ll find men taking care of children, talking about their feelings, putting effort into their appearance—even if they are adorably bad at it. Watch how many romance novel protagonists fall in love with a man who happens to be rich or handsome, but she didn’t give in until his behavior changed and he starts mentoring her, or providing for her, or being gentle toward her, nourishing her, listening to her, appreciating her… I suspect romance novels are looked down upon not for being juvenile formulaic “beach reads” but because they paint a fantasy world that leaves men feeling uncomfortable or even emasculated. But whether you’re a Midwest housewife or a big city CEO, women who read romance novels just want to read about men loving women the way women are expected love everyone else—with a nurturing and protective form of unswerving loyalty. Great sex they don’t have to die for is also a huge bonus, but the *romance* part of the novel is genuinely more about the woman being appreciated (for her beauty or spunk or intelligence at first, and then for all of her by the end).

[codenamecesare]

“women who read romance novels just want to read about men loving women the way women are expected to love everyone else—with a nurturing and protective form of unswerving loyalty.”

[obsessionisaperfume]

THANK YOU.

[lyricwritesprose]

According to the website smartbitchestrashybooks, which analyzes romance novels to a great degree, one common element of the average romance novel is what they call the grovel.  That is, there’s a turning point near the climax of the book where the leading man says, in effect, “I hurt you.  I had my reasons, but they don’t make it right.  I am devastated that I hurt you, and I will do whatever it takes to make it okay again.  Leaving you is completely on the table even though I find the prospect horrific.”

And that’s a very important fantasy.  To have your feelings, your pain, be made so absolutely central to the narrative, to someone else’s world.  You could call it a power fantasy, but I don’t think that’s exactly right.  It’s a significance fantasy.  A romance story is a story in which the woman is the most significant damn thing in the book.

And when you think of it like that, you realize why some people are really, really threatened by it.

[marianyaklis]

Pre-Colby Thought

For the 2013/2014 Season Colby Awards I was honored with the Candlelight Award for my work that season. 

The Colby Awards at Wheaton Drama (aka WDI) is the primary social event that honors people who work behind the scenes.

Whilst writing a blog to commemorate coming back to theatre after a hiatus I realized the following: - At WDI: from Nov 2013 thru Oct 2014  (an eleven month span), I worked on (whether as SM/ASM/Video Editor) eight productions.

During that same span I also - Flew to LA to SM a one-night only production - Edited a ten-minute play that was produced at another theater

So that’s eight productions in eleven months... no wonder why I burned out when I did.

For the 2016/2017 season (the season I came back into the fold more than I intended: - At WDI: from Nov 2016 thru June 2017 (an eight month span), I worked on (SM/APM) four productions (though if I included the production from May/June of 2016 it would be five productions in thirteen months) and directed a one-night presentation - At BitB: I SM’d a production in Sept/Oct 2016 and acted in another in May 2017...

So that’s seven productions in ten months... or eight productions in thirteen months

I kind of like the pace of the second scenario, don’t you?

[marianyaklis]

An elephant sock puppet!

[marianyaklis]

The Alexander Jamilton session featured a beatboxer... a pianist, a banjo player, and someone on the piano/recorder... #hamilton #jococruise2017

[marianyaklis]

Burr 2.0 incoming...

[marianyaklis]

I am very happy... now to convert this to digital files in the meantime. Any suggestions?

[marianyaklis]

Decisions

Standing on the cliffside Waves crashing beneath me Ahead lies the past With the future behind me

Standing transfixed upon the edge At the memories from long ago Wondering how life evolved From the glowing ebb and flow

Only one question lingers To jump or to turn The frozen cold awaits in one Whilst in the other the burn

Why not walk along the edge Where one does not choose Between two unappealing worlds What else is left to lose

"Much," the wind howls around Distracting thoughts from within Turning from the ocean To the world never been

[marianyaklis]

What I am currently up to at the moment... #oldschool #nes #stillworks #drmario

[marianyaklis]

What is my phone trying to tell me?

[marianyaklis]

Which one of my HP friends want to borrow this first?

[marianyaklis]

Returning From Vacay

A major negative thing about returning from vacation is the massive pile of stuff to catch up. And I don’t mind the day job stuff... just everything.

Then again, I have not been this involved in other organizations either, so there’s that.

[marianyaklis]

Ravenclaw's turn to keep my toesies warm... with some help. #newzealand

[marianyaklis]

Huon Valley on the Air Walk

[marianyaklis]

Welcome to Hobart, Tasmania... the last stop of the Australia leg of this cruise.

[marianyaklis]

Gryffindor is keeping my footsies warm today.

[marianyaklis]

Let's do it again!!! Oh wait... I can't. >.<