#interesting reading

[nobrashfestivity]

George Maciunas, Details from art history charts, 1955-60

Scanned from the Maciunas' Learning Machines book.

[a-tomsk]

After thinking more about the implications behind Narinder imprisoning Shamura despite killing Leshy, Heket, and Kallamar, I began to think that maybe the decision is thematically genius:

Narinder is the sole god in this AU and represents Death. The things that Leshy, Heket, and Kallamar represented -Chaos, Famine, and Pestilence- are unique by themselves, but what they all have in common is that they naturally lead to Death itself - People get killed indiscriminately in great unrest, they can starve to death, and die from disease. Imagine if despite having killed his siblings sans Shamura and took their followers as his own, Narinder opted not to fully indoctrinate them into his religion but instead co-opted their beliefs in chaos, famine, and pestilence to further the worship of death; he'd allow them to keep their original beliefs in exchange for said beliefs becoming subordinate to death, since they naturally point to it. It would be an alternative way for Narinder to exercise and express his supremacy other than enforcing an assimilated and homogenized faith. (And a way to diversify his array of followers and their communities -especially regular enemies and minibosses- within a whole population/land that worships only Death)

In the case of Shamura however, they are a more mixed case. Shamura represents War, and while that too results in Death just like Chaos, Famine, and Pestilence, it's not consistent. Killing is inherent in war, but on the other hand, war or conflict is also waged to protect lives from others that would try to end them - sending one to death in order to help another avoid it. Not to mention that besides death, war can naturally also give way to chaos, famine, and pestilence all at once. Even with 'love' in mind, maybe Narinder locked Shamura away because he also didn't know how to manage them - Shamura would effectively be just as powerful as him in regards to encompassing the other 3 siblings (how both war and death encompass chaos, famine, and pestilence) and less "controllable" than said 3 siblings since war can be waged for and against death simultaneously, which runs counterproductive to Narinder's ethos. I'd wager that in the beginning, Narinder had tried to defeat/kill Shamura before but was unable to due to the latter's power, so imprisonment was his next best option (kinda like in canon). Perhaps in addition, Narinder's indecision could've also extended to Shamura's followers when he took them - if he couldn't find a way to make war fully subordinate to death, he may have purged the belief in war from the land completely by either indoctrinating/reeducating/assimilating them or just executing them outright. Due to the nature of war, Narinder may have thought Shamura and their followers to be too much of a wild card to just leave them be -too many variables, known or unknown- and thus posed a big enough risk to his rule to the point he puts the most attention and effort into suppressing them, even if Shamura is his only remaining sibling still alive.

It would put into perspective why the Goat was executed and became Shamura's vessel. With how much carnage the Goat likes to cause since becoming a vessel along with whatever trouble they caused even before that, they are just as unpredictable as their master Shamura, especially when the powers they possess come directly from said master. That alone would be enough for Narinder to label them a fugitive.

I'm not exactly answering, just posting because I like the way your write it all. Thank you

[no-side-us]

A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahiri

A favorite short story of mine. I just wanted a record of it on my blog so I'm making a post but I do recommend it. Emotional stuff

[flowersintheattic254]

Pregnant and Recently Pregnant People

Information on COVID-19 for pregnant and recently pregnant people.

[thenortheasterner]

Add this to your reading list.

[thosestreetsareyours]

"Quando perdi una persona, il dolore è per te stesso, che non la vedrai più, non sentirai più la sua voce, che senza di lei, credi, non resisterai. Il dolore è egoista: era questo a farmi rabbia."

Rossella Postorino, Le assaggiatrici

[tinkdw]

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