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Mini Roundup for August. -4 R’hllor Faithful (ASOIAF) - 1 Fire Elemental (DnD) - 8 Rose Knights (ASOIAF) - 1 R’hllor Priestess (ASOIAF) - 4 Necron Bunkers (WH40k) - 1 Nightshroud (Gloomhaven) (150th mini of the year!) Smaller lineup this month, I’m starting to get a little behind on my “one unit a month” plan, but considering my output, I think I might deserve a slight break. Picked up the Casterly Rock Honour Guard and the Golden Company Swordsmen at the beginning of the month. Eager to paint up those gilded lads. Monthly Total Painted: 19 150 Pending: 26 214

#August Roundup #mini painting #A Song of Ice and Fire #gloomhaven #warhammer 40k

Roundup: August 2021

This month: Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea, Don’t Call it a Cult, The Secret Garden, Showbiz Kids, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Lucifer.

Reading Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) - I’ve been meaning to read the Wide Sargasso Sea for a long, long time, but first I thought I’d revisit the source material. I find my opinion hasn’t much changed - I still love the prose, still love Jane as a character, and still find Rochester extremely unappealing. The section with Jane at school is the most engaging for me, and her early time as a governess at Thornfield, but as soon as Rochester shows up I just find him so irritating I have no idea why Jane loves him so much (other than he was the first man to ever show her a scrap of attention). I mean, I know to an extent - I've read the Takes, and part of fiction is accepting what you want for the character as a reader and what they want for themselves can be two different things, and that's not the fault of the text. I can be satisfied by the ending because Jane gets what she wants, I just can’t help but wonder about a Jane who was found by John Eyre before she went to Thornfield, or who took her inheritance and made her own way after Moor House. Byronic heroes just aren't my thing I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys) - The first Mrs Rochester of Jane Eyre strikes an uneasy tone to a modern reader; she does not utter a word in the novel, is depicted as animalistic and almost demonic, her story only told in a self-serving manner by Rochester, and conveniently disposed of so Jane can return to claim him. Rhys reimagines Bertha as Antoinette, a “white Creole” of Jamaica in a postcolonial take on the racial/social prejudices and hierarchy only hinted at in Eyre, where Bertha being Creole primarily an aspect of her Otherness, and in which Rochester describes himself as being desired as a husband because he was "of good race" . In Sea, although Antoinette is white (passing, perhaps), he sees her "not English or European either" and this contributes to his rejection of her (and perhaps his willingness to believe she is mad). The novel is surprisingly short - it skips over the meeting and courtship of Antoinette and Rochester (tellingly unnamed in the novel) entirely, jumping directly from her childhood/coming of age to the couple already married, and over much of Bertha's (renamed by Rochester) sad life in the attic. Still, there's a density to the writing, much is implied beyond the sparse use of words and recurring imagery - subjugation, reflection, and of course, fire - when freed slaves (Rhys changes the timeframe to after the passing of the Emancipation Act of 1833) set fire to Antoinette's family plantation, a pet parrot whose wings have been clipped by her English step-father Mason, cannot flee and falls to a fiery doom, in a grim omen of Bertha's fate. It did, however, leave me wanting more - I understand Rhys' stylistic choices and restraint, but in her effort to give voice to the voiceless, Antoinette/Bertha remains somewhat an enigma. Don’t Call it a Cult: Keith Raniere and the women of NXIVM (Sarah Berman) - I continue to be disturbed but intrigued by the NXIVM case, not only because of my abhorrence of MLMs/pyramid schemes, but my bafflement as to how this thoroughly unremarkable man was able to hold sway over so many women. My mild criticism of the two documentaries on this subject was that they tended to jump around in time so you never really got a good idea of what happened when. This book provides a well researched, detailed summary of events and linear chronology of Raniere’s perverse pathology reaching all the way back to childhood, and so is both an excellent supplement to the already informed, and broad overview to those new to the case. Berman is a Vancouver-based journalist who was present at Raniere’s trial and gives insight into witness testimony, supported by her own interviews and extensive research. There's less of a focus on the sensationalised celebrity members, with greater emphasis on the lesser known victims - including the three Mexican sisters who were all abused by Raniere, one of whom was kept confined to a room for years. It's difficult reading, consolation being the

knowledge that Raniere is rotting in prison and that his crimes finally caught up with him. Watching The Secret Garden (dir. Marc Munden) - Spoilers, if one needs a spoiler warning for a 110 year old novel. One of those stories that is adapted every generation, and generally I have no problem with this, since new adaptations can often bring something new or be a different take on old material (see Little Women 2019). But a part of me can’t help feel why bother with this when the perfect 1993 version exists. There is an Attempt at something new with this film, moving the setting forward to 1947 (Mary’s parents having died during the Partition), and turning the garden from a small walled secret to a mystical, huge wonderland full of ferns and flowers and endless sun. But in doing so, the central metaphor is lost - rather than Mary discovering something abandoned and run wild, gently bringing it back to life with love and care, she merely discovers a magical place that requires no effort on her part. There’s also less of a character arc for Mary, remaining unpleasant far into the proceedings, forcing Colin to visit the garden instead of it being his true wish, and generally succeeding by imposing her will on everyone else. In many ways she’s more like Burnett's other child heroine Sarah Crewe - the film opens I’m with her telling stories to her doll including Ramayana, which is eerily reminiscent of Alfonso Cuaron's (also perfect) 1995 adaptation of A Little Princess. But I suppose a sliver of credit where it's due - Julie Walters' Mrs Medlock is less of an antagonist, with Colin Firth's Lord Craven being Mary's primary obstacle. There's also a subplot with Mary's mother's depression following the death of her sister being the reason for her neglect (and Merlin alum Rupert Young shows up briefly as Mary's father) but like shifting the time period, there just doesn't seem to be a point to it. The climax of the film involves the Manor burning down (writer Jack Thorne stealing from Rebecca too, lol), with Mary and Craven have a very calm conversation as fire and smoke surrounds them. It’s all very bizarre, but also…rather dull? Don't bother with this, just watch the 1993 film again. Showbiz Kids (dir. Alex Winter) - a really interesting documentary on the titular subject - Winter was himself a child actor on Broadway before his film career kicked off in The Lost Boys and Bill and Ted, and has been able to assemble a broad range of interview subjects - Mara Wilson, Evan Rachel Wood, Wil Wheaton, Jada Pinkett Smith among others - former child actors, those still in the business, and some up and comers like Disney star Cameron Boyce (who I was sad to see in the coda has passed away). We also follow two young hopefuls - Marc, attending acting classes and auditioning in pilot season, yet to book a job but his parents are invested in "his" dream, and Demi, already established on Broadway but having to start to make choices between a career and a childhood. There's no voiceover, no expert opinions in this, letting the actors speak for themselves, but there is a telling juxtaposition of Marc returning home, jobless but having fun in the pool with his friends, while Demi has to cancel the summer camp she had been so looking forward to because she has booked a new role. The film is fairly even handed, but ultimately I took away that there just seems to be more harm than not in this industry, and abuses of many kinds. It does make you wonder about the ethics of child acting, at least in the current system where the cautionary tales are plentiful. Masters of the Universe: Revelation (episodes 1-5) - Mild spoilers I guess? I was never really into He-Man as a kid, other than the Secret of the Sword movie, so most of the in jokes and references in this went over my head. I have to admit, it was actually seeing all the outrage that made me want to check this out and see what all the complaining was about. I actually…really enjoyed it?!? I’m sympathetic to the complaints of a bait and switch (creators really need to learn to say

“just wait and see”), but other than that in my view the rest seemed completely unfounded. Adam/He-Man being killed in the first episode and the impact that has on Eternia and those left behind is actually a really interesting premise. This isn’t a TLJ situation; in contrast everyone (except Evil-Lyn) is always going on about how much they miss Adam, and the whole point of the first arc is him coming back. There’s also a nice little detail of Adam in Preternia (heroes heaven) choosing to remain as he is rather than as He-Man where all his predecessors have chosen their “ultimate” forms. I love him and his Magical Girl transformation. As for Teela - female characters can’t win, it seems. If they are perfect, they’re Mary Sues, if they have flaws, they’re unlikeable. Teela is Going Through things and is on a journey, but I often feel (and it seems the case here) that people confuse a character arc with author intent. No! Just because a character says/does something it doesn't mean you're supposed to agree with them! Some of Teela's actions may be petty and her demeanor less than sweet, but people make bad choices as a response to grief, and I actually thought her anger over Adam never telling her his secret and how that manifested was a pretty interesting take. I'll be interested to see the next half of the season, and ignore the ragebait youtube commentary. One more thing - Evil-Lyn (perfectly voiced by Lena Headey) was an absolute delight. Lucifer (season 5 part 2): They’ve basically given up on the procedural side of things by now and are leaning heavily into the mythology, which works for me since the case of the week is always the least interesting part of any show. It also struck me this season that there’s gender parity in the main cast (Lucifer, Amenadiel, Dan and then Chloe, Maze, Ella, Linda) - and actually, that’s more women than men. How often does that happen?!? I can’t say I’m particularly engaged with the Lucifer/Chloe pairing, but am happy to go along with it since that’s where the whole plot revolves. The best scenes for me this season were with God’s Dysfunctional Family, even if the lead up to the finale felt rushed (I understand the need to wrap things up in case of cancellation but still). I would have liked to see more of the sibling dynamics between the angels and less romantic drama, but hey. The character death got me, as well. I didn't see it coming and I didn't realise how much I had enjoyed that character until they were gone and well...it got me. I see the last season is coming soon, I'm not exactly sure where they can go from here, but looking forward to it nonetheless. Writing I was actually quite sick this month with a throat infection, so wasn't in the best frame of mind to get anything finished like I had planned to. I'm going to hold off posting the word count this month and roll it over to September when hopefully I've actually posted things.

#roundup #reading watching writing #august roundup

We’re back y’all!!! It’s time for the August Roundup!!!

First of all, I’m so sorry that this is so late. I’ve been working on my @captainswanmoviemarathon fic and back to school has been kickin’ my butt!

Second of all, Oh my WORD!!! I need a moment.

Picture me here either celebrating all the fic and art we’ve gotten or sobbing uncontrollably for the same reason or eyes closed, hand on my heart trying to collect myself. Because Tumblr’s gif game is shit...

We had an absolutely INCREDIBLE month, an incredible EVENT, and I can’t believe it’s OVER!!!! We had THIRTEEN fabulous fics drop last month plus updates from previous months fics and even previous years!!! This will round them all up!! Please be sure to give all our authors and artists all the love and flails they deserve for their hard work!!! Okay, y’all!!! Let’s GOOOOOOO!!!! Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

#cssns20 #august roundup #third wave roundup

The Best of August 2024

My full monthly roundup can be found over here.

#Liz Heather #this is liz heather #summer #summer post #August roundup #August 2024 monthly

August Roundup

Here’s what happened at all the Patreon Levels in August: (I’m still at DragonCon, so I’m setting this up early to post later…shhh. But if you saw the Sideshow, let me know how it went!)

Adventure Level

— #SmileMail Monday

— #FriendlyFriday (Leanna Renee Hieber, Zoraida Cordova, Gwenda Bond, Eric Asher, Delilah S. Dawson)

— LIVE video chat hangouts (Mondays on the FB Author Page!)

— PUBLIC SIDESHOW VIDEOS

Essay Level

— “The Girl in the Front Row” (Or, How to Live Your Best Life as a Hermione Granger)

Sideshow Support / Exclusive Level

— SIDESHOW VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: “Justice League Jedis”

— SIDESHOW VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Jo Whittemore “Mad Libs”

— SIDESHOW VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Gray Rinehart “Ship With No Name” (PATS 2016)

— Black Hat Ball Costume Test

Sneak Peek Level

— Early Aug NPR Reviews

— My love letter to The Westing Game (also for NPR)

Treasure Box Level

— The FUZZY-WUZZY TIGGYWILLOW Treasure Box, courtesy of The Monster Cafe!

Sideshow VIP Level

— DRAGON CON TENTH ANNIVERSARY ALL-STAR BENEFITS!

THANK YOU for liking, sharing, and commenting on posts, and THANK YOU PATRONS, ever and always for supporting me and my work! I couldn’t do it without you!

xox

~Princess Alethea

Coming in September: NEW ENGLAND, BABY!

The post August Roundup appeared first on AletheaKontis.com.

from August Roundup

#August Roundup

August 2018 Roundup

My cousin’s wedding - We used to have an annual family reunion called Chill, and my cousin Leila is the first in the Chill group to get married. My family flew out to Pittsburgh to celebrate and attend her wedding. A few other Chill families came out, and it was good catching up again after having not seen any of them in about seven years!

Rubik’s Cubes - Thanks to my sister and the internet, I can now almost solve a Rubik’s Cube (I still mess up that last step with the yellow layer nearly every time I get close to finishing).

Everything Under the Sun - I did it! My 100 day challenge for the summer is now complete! I’ll do another blog post that has a more in-depth recap about the whole experience. All paintings done for this project can be viewed on my Instagram.

Buvez - I ventured out to this new cafe, which turned out to be a spacious and lovely place to write, read, and hang out. It’s minimalistic and has plants and a indoor bench swing.

Lisa Congdon - I dipped into a few of her books this month about the business side of art, and was surprised to find that I knew a bunch of it already. I also have been looking through her hand lettered quotes for inspiration for the bookshop chalkboard.

Nina Lacour’s Instagram - Last month, Nina Lacour started sharing writing advice and insight. We Are Okay is one of my favorite books, so reading advice from a writer I admire so much is truly inspiring.

Alice in Paris - A series of super short episodes set in France that revolve around pastry quests. The dream.

“Customer Service Wolf” - A coworker shared this hilarious comic, which is highly relatable, though I have yet to eat a customer.

Creative Pep Talk Interview with Frannerd - Fran Meneses is an illustrator that I look up to, and have been soaking up her tips and advice for years. She recently moved to New York City, and talked about all of that plus just finding her footing more generally as an illustrator.

Is It Teen Enough for You Now podcast - My book nerd self has been non stop listening to this group of librarians dissect some of top quality YA lit. (Loved the episode about The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, and I’m saving the Scythe episode before I go to my own YA book club to discuss it.)

Social Media mini ban - At the end of last month, I couldn’t seem to focus on anything. I was wasting gross chunks of time on Instagram and spending time selecting YouTube videos to play as background noise about things I didn’t even care about. For the past three weeks, I’ve stayed off YouTube and only go on Instagram once a day. My head feels much clearer.

Tumblr - So I totally cheated on cutting down on my time spent on Instagram by going back to tumblr. I feel the need to constantly be looking at new stuff, interesting colors, cute illustrations, etc. But I also found some nerdy grad school tumblrs that made me nostalgic for school days, yellowed pages full of underlines, romanticized images of academia, and cramming my brain full of new information every day.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movie - I’ve loved this book series for forever, and the movie was adorable. You can read my whole long response to it here.

Sad soggy bookshop - One of the bookshops that I work at flooded, which is not great, but we quickly got back on our feet and things are settling down.