You are very welcome! Building a community seems to be a goal with social media. I think its important to try to screen out the bad apples, as leaving them in our 'follow' lists lends them the appearance of legitimacy. We protect ourselves, and everybody else!
I apologize to any sincere humans I may have blocked in the past couple of days. I've been trying to be more aggressive about spotting bots, scammers, and salespeople. It is an interesting game, though!
questioning of authoritarian power structures, masculinity as a motive, and cruelty as a means, while compassion and Reconciliation are upheld.
Overall, Imajica is exhilarating, thought-provoking, possibly uncomfortable, but ultimately uplifting.
9.5/10, needs more Pie.
shifter). Very short shrift indeed is paid to the concept of a patriarchal masculine God, while female-centric polytheism is celebrated. Heaven turns out to be a lie, and the nature of the afterlife is a mystery understood by none of the self-proclaimed gods we encounter. There is extensive+
90's, this is the sort of story that would drive any right-thinking Christian Republican completely insane. There are graphic depictions of sexuality, with some kinky elements, including some what you might call xenosexuality (Pie is a mystif, humanoid but not human, and is an omni-gendered shape+
spent more time in Pie's head. They are briefly a viewpoint character very early in the novel, but Pie soon becomes more of an objectified character and plot driver as the story proceeds. I'm always left wanting more Pie when I finish a read-through.
Now, politics. For a book written in the early+
relationship with Furie before marrying a schlubby middle-aged wealthy man named Charles Estabrook, whom she eventually left. Pie'o'Pah is an ethnically uncertain assassin whom Estabrook hires to murder Judith. Things get chaotic from there.
If I have one criticism of Imajica, it's that I wish we+
many characters, our principles are John Furie Zacharias, Judith and Pie'o'Pah. Furie is a handsome, sex-addicted art forger with a foggy past. Judith is... I'm honestly not sure what her actual profession was, maybe a professional kept woman? Anyway, a beautiful woman who had been in a+
were pieces in a larger game, and while not necessarily cruelly used or coldly sacrificed, were used nonetheless for the purposes of others. And that's kind of okay, because even the losers learn, just deserts are meted out to some of the wicked, while others are somewhat forgiven.
While there are+
people, stuck with a destiny they don't understand to begin with, muddling along trying to figure out who they are, what they want, what they can achieve, and how to achieve that goal. The majority of the characters fail, or in some cases, succeed by failing. Some of the characters find that they+
having a system, with Maestros, pneumas, feits, and uredos. Thankfully, that system is wild, and not meticulously worked out like something from a Brandon Sanderson novel.
I should not get stuck on the setting, as the story and characters are of great importance as well. The story is about flawed+
own ideas, he's not offering us regurgitated fairy tails or medievalism. This is all stuff coming out of his own head, and the world of mystifs and nullianacs and gek-a-geks is not recognizably elves, dwarves, or dragons. It is unique.
The Imajica is a magical world, and the magic has a sense of+
extraordinary. That under the right circumstances, we might penetrate that skin and find the truth, maybe even be whisked away to a world next door that is weird beyond our imagination.
The fantasy of the setting is recognizably Clive Barker, including the In Ovo, but even if he is reworking his+
work crosses over into fantasy. This is something he shares with Stephen King. I'd call Talisman and the Dark Tower series pretty well rooted in fantasy, albeit with elements of horror.
So, what do I like about it? It conveys a sense that the mundane world we live in still contains aspects of the+
The front cover of Clive Barker's Imajica
So, I recall threatening to do book reviews, among other things. Here's a book I reread at the end of 2024: Clive Barker's Imajica. In my mind, this is one of the best epic fantasy novels. While most people, if they know Clive Barker at all, probably think of him as a horror author, much of his+
4 looks pretty close to done already... go with that one, then use the high from finishing it to finish another!
Happy Holiday Season!
But I would find that unbearably pretentious.
Thank you all for your kind attention! I apologize for a lack of content. I'm not really a meme-maker or post re-tweeter, so I'm afraid you'll likely have to settle for cat pics, book reviews, and painted miniatures, when I get around to it!
In terms of building community, I'm having great success getting followers in the political realm, as well as the arts. Although I have been working on following people in the sciences as well, they aren't so willing to follow back. Maybe I should have referenced my own Ph.D. in my account name...
Observations:
I am pleased at how easy it is to dodge spam/scam accounts, whether it be young women sharing their OnlyFans accounts, people claiming to be in Gaza or Ukraine and requiring cash infusions for survival, or the many, many people promoting books.
Over two weeks! Hard to believe.
So, I did have a Twitter account at one point, a very, very long time ago. I think I made one post, and had two followers, both of whom I knew in RL. I abandoned that account soon after creating it, so let's just say that I am not literate in social media.
I will look for it! Thank you for the recommendation!
Yes, I think its important to have some kind of communication channel.
To an extent, yes. I'm a club advisor, and the club president set up a discord server a while back, to which I am a party. It's a good opportunity to get some insight into the mental world of my students.
A tree fort out in the woods
Took a little walk today, and followed a trail through a small patch of woods in my neighborhood. This is an enigmatic little tree fort/play area that is just behind one of the local schools. I wonder how long it will be maintained?
we can't seem to meet on the same page.
I blame smart phones! But that's too simplistic an answer. Innumeracy, illiteracy, short attention spans, fear of being singled out by standing out, there are a host of reasons. I know that they have a rich interior life, with their own thoughts and feelings and interests, but...
Hah, good one!
Yes, I do enjoy teaching, by and large, although I really feel like the job has become more difficult lately. There is a such a large cultural gap between my students and myself these days. When I was a student, I never felt unable to communicate with my professors.
My family lived in PA for 40-odd years. My mother, who passed away last year, was a very big Fetterman fan. While I miss my mother, I'm kind of glad that she didn't have to see Fetterman... I dunno, demonstrate who he really was all along? I needed to get that off my chest.
Well, if you are willing to trust a bunch of electrons, I'm a biochemist by training, although I rarely get to teach in my area of specialty. Typically I teach general and organic chemistry. I have taught non-majors chemistry, environmental science, remedial algebra, and astronomy(!) as well.