Lilith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
reflectedeve) wrote2012-12-30 10:35 am
reflectedeve) wrote2012-12-30 10:35 am
nothing's temperamental, if we're gentle
It is finally, finally properly winter out there, you guys, and so goddamn beautiful. I got back from The Hobbit with my mother last night and instantly swapped boots to shovel the driveway (in my kicky little skirt and tights, because why not, it was all just sparkly fluff). In honor of the season, I made a mix!
It's ... honestly super melancholy? Turns out that a lot of my favorite winter songs are also about heartbreak. But I think it captures a certain bittersweet calm, even peace, peppered with little touches of hope and forward momentum ... things I tend to feel about this season. It does have a little Christmas flavoring as well, though I wanted to have a light touch with that.
mind of winter
Tracklist:
1. The Darkest Season (Deb Talan)
2. Introit: Veni Emmanuel/candle lighting (Northfield Mount Hermon School Christmas Vespers 1998)
3. The Atheist Christmas Carol (Vienna Teng)
4. Delicate December (Erin McKeown)
5. White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes)
6. River (Joni Mitchell)
7. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
8. Christmastime Is Here (Instrumental) (Vince Guaraldi)
9. Stille Nacht (Smith College Christmas Vespers 2005)
10. Under Ice (Kate Bush)
11. Sol Invictus (Thea Gilmore)
12. Shake It Out (Florence + The Machine)
13. Black-Dove (Tori Amos)
14. January Hymn (The Decemberists)
15. I Wish I Was The Moon (Neko Case)
16. February (Dar Williams)
17. Winter Winds (Mumford & Sons)
18. Empty Hearts (Josh Ritter)
19. Adventures In Solitude (The New Pornographers)
Download (.zip file) here. Whoops, TOS'd from mediafire. That's never happened before! Um, PM me if you'd like, I have an alternative. :)
I've been having a really nice vacation, doing the rounds visiting some of my local (and fellow visiting) friends, hanging with my family, watching Christmas specials and doodling things.chaiminda crocheted me a(n adorable) pentapus. I cannot capture Jonathon Young (Sanctuary's Tesla)'s face, much to my disgust. I have barely touched Yuletide, although I did really LOVE this Fame story: Being What We Can. Ralph, Doris and Montgomery! <333 Chosen family! The eighties (and attendant trauma)! Coming of age, self-destruction and building new paths! Eventual v-shaped poly! Seriously, it's fantastic, a story I've always wanted for that film.
Speaking of stories, have some relatively quick (and spoilery) reactions to the seasonal viewing I've done this week ...
Before I watched the Doctor Who special,oliviacirce warned me that it was a hot mess, and goodness, I do not disagree. Quite a feat, too, for an episode featuring Madame Vastra, Jenny, and a new companion I was completely charmed by in spite of myself. (I mean, seriously, I am really pretty tired of this whole business of the young, conventionally attractive white girl companion who has sexual tension with the Doctor, okay? I mean, seriously, can we please mix it up? But she is really fun, and I have a particular weak spot for companions who challenge the Doctor, especially when he's in one of his emo spells.) Also Olivia and I had a conversation that ended in her texting me "ROMANA POPPINS FOREVER," so, you know. (I have no real Time Lord expectations for Clara, but still.)
Still, though, the actual plot made no sense and didn't even hang together coherently, and there was a point when poor Matt Smith had to yell "the ultimate fusion of snow and humanity" and I just. Couldn't. I have a high tolerance for DW's brand of campy absurdity, I think, but that was too much, okay. Clara running around being clever was enjoyable, but I mostly winced a whole lot.
Meanwhile ... wow, Merry fucking Christmas to you too, Downton Abbey writers. I ... don't even know what to add to that, really.
And then there was today, when I finally got to see The Hobbit! Peter Jackson's Middle Earth has never exactly been my own vision, but that said, it's an interpretation I enjoy. And this new film fits very nicely into that! If I were looking for the book in my head on that screen, well ... I'd be looking for a fatter, older-looking Bilbo with slightly sillier in mannerisms (who is all the more impressive in the end for all that). And (this reflects on LoTR as well, though I first got my conception from reading The Hobbit as a child) I always pictured Rivendell as more of a cozy, dark, wood-paneled lodge-like place with roaring fires and lots of comfy alcoves and books galore. I certainly imagined Lothlorien, and most of the elves in the trilogy, as being all kinds of beautiful and remote, but ... Elrond's a half-elf, and I always saw him being a little more approachable, a little less overtly warlike, than Jackson goes for. This never really bugged me in the LoTR films, but in this one I missed the dwarves being welcomed into Rivendell with cheery, teasing songs, and the whole tone that went with it. More the Last Homely House than Imaldris, I guess.
In general, the movie grimmed things up a good bit. Which makes sense, in order to fit it in better with Jackson's previous vision, and in light of all the additional material he's pulling from. (I've actually never read anything but The Hobbit and the trilogy; I've never even gotten far in the Appendices. I want to rectify that now, check out The Unfinished Tales and finally read The Silmarillion.) I was mostly fine with it, and I did enjoy the hell out of Thorin The Much Nobler (and Prettier) Than I Remember and the arc of his acquaintance with Bilbo. (I generally am not that interested in Tolkien shipping for whatever reason, but the hug made me squeak, no lie.) Several situations that read as a bit more absurd (if no less scary, really) in the book were given a polish, such as the bit where Gandalf almost burns them all up while the goblins laugh (instead of, you know, having an actual battle where Bilbo of all people rescues Thorin from orcs). I missed some of the humor, although they handled the "that's what Bilbo Baggins hates" song sequence beautifully, and the riddle game was a great balance of funny and creepy (they really nail Gollum every time). I enjoyed everything about the dwarves, really (even if they were a bit more consistently badass than I remember; I'm pretty sure the trolls just beat them in the book, rather than hostaging Bilbo). They look fantastic, too. Also ... RADAGAST. And his rabbits. And the somewhat unnecessary but unbearably adorable sequence with the afflicted hedgehog. And I loved Bilbo a lot, even if he was rather different from the Bilbo in my head!
I'm a little confused about the whole timeline with the Necromancer just appearing in Mirkwood, where I remember him having been for a long time; they were never terribly clear about Thrain's fate in the film, but I guess Gandalf can't have found him in the dungeons of Dol Guldur years beforehand, huh?
I will say, though ... I spent some time, after, thinking a little bit about the overuse of special effects. One of the sequences in the movie that bugged me the most, oddly enough, was the bit with the stone giants; I feel as though things like that would be so much more effective if they weren't obsessed with showing us every little detail. Sometimes less is more, and suggesting something makes it feel much more immense and terrifying than rendering every crack and crevice in its stone skin. Also, sequences like the one where half the dwarves get swung around and smashed down on a huge chunk of mountain really bother me; they're meant to be impressive, but they're so unlikely and absurd that they pull me right out of the story, where something a little more restrained would actually be scarier. IDK. I love cool visuals as much as the next nerdy artist, okay, but I've spent a lot of time recently thinking about effective visual storytelling and I think the film industry could stand to rethink that particular stylistic trend a little. (There are times, too, when I feel like the score is overused, even though I love it. Do you guys remember growing up with fantasy movies where there would be these unpolished scenes of like, tramping around on a grey moor or something, no extra music or fancy effects included? Or like, a snow scene where you actually got that sense of things being muffled?)
... oh god, I may be turning into my father. Although IDK, I still loved every second of the Star Trek: Into Darkness trailer on the big screen, and I did some extra squealing about getting to see more nifty alien planets, so maybe it's not quite that dire.
Say, would anyone be able to hook me up with an audio version of The Silmarillion, by any chance? It's always good to have nice, lengthy material to listen to while drawing ...
Also, speaking of audio (and recs), check outpennyplainknits's recording of "Spin the Wheel of the Year (Close Your Eyes and Point)", the most recent piece of jjtaylor's Detective Agency bandom AU-verse. The story and the reading are both wonderful.
It's ... honestly super melancholy? Turns out that a lot of my favorite winter songs are also about heartbreak. But I think it captures a certain bittersweet calm, even peace, peppered with little touches of hope and forward momentum ... things I tend to feel about this season. It does have a little Christmas flavoring as well, though I wanted to have a light touch with that.
mind of winter
Tracklist:
1. The Darkest Season (Deb Talan)
2. Introit: Veni Emmanuel/candle lighting (Northfield Mount Hermon School Christmas Vespers 1998)
3. The Atheist Christmas Carol (Vienna Teng)
4. Delicate December (Erin McKeown)
5. White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes)
6. River (Joni Mitchell)
7. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland)
8. Christmastime Is Here (Instrumental) (Vince Guaraldi)
9. Stille Nacht (Smith College Christmas Vespers 2005)
10. Under Ice (Kate Bush)
11. Sol Invictus (Thea Gilmore)
12. Shake It Out (Florence + The Machine)
13. Black-Dove (Tori Amos)
14. January Hymn (The Decemberists)
15. I Wish I Was The Moon (Neko Case)
16. February (Dar Williams)
17. Winter Winds (Mumford & Sons)
18. Empty Hearts (Josh Ritter)
19. Adventures In Solitude (The New Pornographers)
I've been having a really nice vacation, doing the rounds visiting some of my local (and fellow visiting) friends, hanging with my family, watching Christmas specials and doodling things.
chaiminda crocheted me a(n adorable) pentapus. I cannot capture Jonathon Young (Sanctuary's Tesla)'s face, much to my disgust. I have barely touched Yuletide, although I did really LOVE this Fame story: Being What We Can. Ralph, Doris and Montgomery! <333 Chosen family! The eighties (and attendant trauma)! Coming of age, self-destruction and building new paths! Eventual v-shaped poly! Seriously, it's fantastic, a story I've always wanted for that film.Speaking of stories, have some relatively quick (and spoilery) reactions to the seasonal viewing I've done this week ...
Before I watched the Doctor Who special,
oliviacirce warned me that it was a hot mess, and goodness, I do not disagree. Quite a feat, too, for an episode featuring Madame Vastra, Jenny, and a new companion I was completely charmed by in spite of myself. (I mean, seriously, I am really pretty tired of this whole business of the young, conventionally attractive white girl companion who has sexual tension with the Doctor, okay? I mean, seriously, can we please mix it up? But she is really fun, and I have a particular weak spot for companions who challenge the Doctor, especially when he's in one of his emo spells.) Also Olivia and I had a conversation that ended in her texting me "ROMANA POPPINS FOREVER," so, you know. (I have no real Time Lord expectations for Clara, but still.)Still, though, the actual plot made no sense and didn't even hang together coherently, and there was a point when poor Matt Smith had to yell "the ultimate fusion of snow and humanity" and I just. Couldn't. I have a high tolerance for DW's brand of campy absurdity, I think, but that was too much, okay. Clara running around being clever was enjoyable, but I mostly winced a whole lot.
Meanwhile ... wow, Merry fucking Christmas to you too, Downton Abbey writers. I ... don't even know what to add to that, really.
And then there was today, when I finally got to see The Hobbit! Peter Jackson's Middle Earth has never exactly been my own vision, but that said, it's an interpretation I enjoy. And this new film fits very nicely into that! If I were looking for the book in my head on that screen, well ... I'd be looking for a fatter, older-looking Bilbo with slightly sillier in mannerisms (who is all the more impressive in the end for all that). And (this reflects on LoTR as well, though I first got my conception from reading The Hobbit as a child) I always pictured Rivendell as more of a cozy, dark, wood-paneled lodge-like place with roaring fires and lots of comfy alcoves and books galore. I certainly imagined Lothlorien, and most of the elves in the trilogy, as being all kinds of beautiful and remote, but ... Elrond's a half-elf, and I always saw him being a little more approachable, a little less overtly warlike, than Jackson goes for. This never really bugged me in the LoTR films, but in this one I missed the dwarves being welcomed into Rivendell with cheery, teasing songs, and the whole tone that went with it. More the Last Homely House than Imaldris, I guess.
In general, the movie grimmed things up a good bit. Which makes sense, in order to fit it in better with Jackson's previous vision, and in light of all the additional material he's pulling from. (I've actually never read anything but The Hobbit and the trilogy; I've never even gotten far in the Appendices. I want to rectify that now, check out The Unfinished Tales and finally read The Silmarillion.) I was mostly fine with it, and I did enjoy the hell out of Thorin The Much Nobler (and Prettier) Than I Remember and the arc of his acquaintance with Bilbo. (I generally am not that interested in Tolkien shipping for whatever reason, but the hug made me squeak, no lie.) Several situations that read as a bit more absurd (if no less scary, really) in the book were given a polish, such as the bit where Gandalf almost burns them all up while the goblins laugh (instead of, you know, having an actual battle where Bilbo of all people rescues Thorin from orcs). I missed some of the humor, although they handled the "that's what Bilbo Baggins hates" song sequence beautifully, and the riddle game was a great balance of funny and creepy (they really nail Gollum every time). I enjoyed everything about the dwarves, really (even if they were a bit more consistently badass than I remember; I'm pretty sure the trolls just beat them in the book, rather than hostaging Bilbo). They look fantastic, too. Also ... RADAGAST. And his rabbits. And the somewhat unnecessary but unbearably adorable sequence with the afflicted hedgehog. And I loved Bilbo a lot, even if he was rather different from the Bilbo in my head!
I'm a little confused about the whole timeline with the Necromancer just appearing in Mirkwood, where I remember him having been for a long time; they were never terribly clear about Thrain's fate in the film, but I guess Gandalf can't have found him in the dungeons of Dol Guldur years beforehand, huh?
I will say, though ... I spent some time, after, thinking a little bit about the overuse of special effects. One of the sequences in the movie that bugged me the most, oddly enough, was the bit with the stone giants; I feel as though things like that would be so much more effective if they weren't obsessed with showing us every little detail. Sometimes less is more, and suggesting something makes it feel much more immense and terrifying than rendering every crack and crevice in its stone skin. Also, sequences like the one where half the dwarves get swung around and smashed down on a huge chunk of mountain really bother me; they're meant to be impressive, but they're so unlikely and absurd that they pull me right out of the story, where something a little more restrained would actually be scarier. IDK. I love cool visuals as much as the next nerdy artist, okay, but I've spent a lot of time recently thinking about effective visual storytelling and I think the film industry could stand to rethink that particular stylistic trend a little. (There are times, too, when I feel like the score is overused, even though I love it. Do you guys remember growing up with fantasy movies where there would be these unpolished scenes of like, tramping around on a grey moor or something, no extra music or fancy effects included? Or like, a snow scene where you actually got that sense of things being muffled?)
... oh god, I may be turning into my father. Although IDK, I still loved every second of the Star Trek: Into Darkness trailer on the big screen, and I did some extra squealing about getting to see more nifty alien planets, so maybe it's not quite that dire.
Say, would anyone be able to hook me up with an audio version of The Silmarillion, by any chance? It's always good to have nice, lengthy material to listen to while drawing ...
Also, speaking of audio (and recs), check out
pennyplainknits's recording of "Spin the Wheel of the Year (Close Your Eyes and Point)", the most recent piece of jjtaylor's Detective Agency bandom AU-verse. The story and the reading are both wonderful.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B00jK6TJ8aA
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I'd been trying to pinpoint what bugged me about Rivendell in the movie, and you've nailed it.
And yeah, I think Jackson and Tolkien have such wildly different senses of humor that a lot of Tolkien's humor gets lost or exchanged for things Jackson thinks are funny (and I generally don't).