Okay, This Is Very Close

For a while we've been trying to get AI programs to make a good picture of a Morg, and I think at last we are very, very close. This is the head a model that John produced using Grok and one of my old drawings, and it finally seemed to get the idea of the muzzle. Okay, the skin should be more tan and the hair raven-black, and the black tooth an interesting choice (maybe the program didn't realize it was supposed to be a tooth), but I almost cried for joy when I saw this. It's part of a larger iconic picture of Mog-Gammoth, the Lord and Patron of the whole Morg race. That explains the halo of fire around his head.

 

Into the Archive: Library Bookstore Gleanings

Robert Louis Stevenson: His Best Pacific Writings Paperback – January 1, 2003

by Roger Robinson (Author), Robert Louis Stevenson (Author)

Robert Louis Stevenson, author of "Treasure Island" and "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", traveled and lived in the Pacific from 1888 until his death in Samoa in 1894. He wrote fiction, history, travel journals, poetry and prayers about these Pacific experiences. All were popular when first published, but some of these writings are now little known. This attractive edition of the best of these writings coincides perfectly with the upsurge of interest in the Pacific and writings sympathetic to indigenous cultures. - Amazon.

The Dark Is Rising Sequence (5V.in 1V Paperback) – January 1, 1984

by Susan Cooper (Author)

This spellbinding volume brings together the five novels from Susan Cooper's classic fantasy sequence: "Over Sea", "Under Stone"; "The Dark is Rising"; "Greenwitch"; "The Grey King"; and "Silver on the Tree". Here Barney, Jane and Simon discover an ancient map in Cornwall; the mysterious Merriman reveals his secret purpose; and Will Stanton realizes that he is not just an ordinary boy but has a far greater role in fulfilling his destiny. Creating a magical world where the everyday mingles with the supernatural, "The Dark is Rising Sequence" weaves a story of secret codes, strange prophecies, the legend of King Arthur and a centuries-old conflict between the power of good and the forces of evil. - Amazon

It would be hard to calculate just how much this series was influential on me from when I was 11 years-old to the end of middle school. I discovered it only a little after I read The Hobbit, and it seemed to fit right in with stuff like Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but more contemporary (at the time) and more ... well, cosmic. This nostalgia might help explain why I bought this well-bound Puffin edition, even though I already have a creaky hard cover edition. That, and it was only 50 cents.

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Houses of Healing (Part Three)

Aragorn enters the Houses of Healing and the others follow. Inside they see Citadel guards, one tall and one short, and the short one is actually Pippin, who greats Aragorn with wonder and delight, calling him Strider, much to the consternation of Prince Imrahil. Is this how we greet our kings?

Aragorn laughs and tells Pippin they have no time to catch up just yet. But if ever his house is established, it will be called Strider. ‘But in the high tongue it will not sound so ill, and Telcontar I will be, and all the heirs of my body.’

As they walk along Gandalf tells him of the deeds of Eowyn and Merry. He knows because they spoke a lot in their dreaming before they sank down into silence. ‘Also it is given to me to see many things far off.’

Aragorn examines Faramir, Eowyn, and Merry and looks grave and weary. Eomer, seeing how tired he is, asks if he will not eat something and rest a while, but Aragorn says there is no time, and least of all for Faramir. He calls for Ioreth and asks if they have much store of herbs, and the old lady answers in a long complaint about how hard it is to get proper supplies, what with the war and all, but they do their best. Aragorn asks her very shortly if they have any athelas. She doesn’t know of anything by that name, but she could ask the herb-master.

He says it is sometimes called kingsfoil by the country folk, and Ioreth says, well no, we have none of that, she knows. She never heard it was good for anything. She once asked her sisters in Lossarnach why it’s called kingsfoil; if she were a king she’d have better plants in her garden. But it does smell wholesome when ‘bruised.’

Aragorn tells her then run as quick as her tongue and find some kingsfoil somewhere in the City, if any is to be had, as she loves the Lord Faramir.

‘And if not,’ said Gandalf, ‘I will ride to Lossarnach with Ioreth behind me, and she shall take me to the woods, but not to her sisters. And Shadowfax shall show her the meaning of haste.’

Bits and Bobs

Pippin says that somehow he knew it was Strider in the black fleet though everyone was shouting ‘corsairs!’ How he could have even suspected such a thing is never explained. He has not seen Aragorn since Gandalf took the hobbit to Gondor. A feeling, a lifting of heart?

Athelas is Sindarin (athae + lass); ‘leaves of the Kings.’ There is now a healthcare technology company that goes by the name.

In the Peter Jackson movies Sam calls kingsfoil a weed, though (gardener though he is) I wonder if he ever saw it in the cultivated Shire. It was said to grow wild in areas where the Dunedain had lived, and even then was hard to find. I wonder if Sam had ever wandered abroad much, even in the lands surrounding the Shire. But that was the movie, and they needed explication.

Ioreth fits the trope of the gabby old lady who, when asked a question, will rattle on in a discursive manner with whatever enters her head until she comes in a roundabout way to the answer one is looking for. I would say this is a stereotype if my own mother and my niece did not fit the trope to a T. You always have to have the explanatory story before the answer.

This is a pretty short snip, but I have a long day ahead.

2021 Diary: Difficulties and Dreams

2021 Diary

2/16/2021: Up about 6:15 AM. Got through the night and not too cold, but still sore from my fall. Turned on cartoons and got dressed, put on shoes (after cleaning a bit of mud off). Prayers, Bible. Ramen and medicine. I wish my order to HEB had gotten through before the panic [about the snow]; I have food (ramen), but it is pretty bland. How did I get through those years before I could get REAL FOOD? Weather is 13 degrees (feels like 4) and there is still snow on the ground, but the electricity never went out last night, so thank God. Supposed to get up to 30 by 5 PM, but rainy drizzle after that, following into the next day. What of Lent?

Went in about 1 PM and Kam had me make some cinnamon rolls. I got some eggs and bread to fortify my lunch ramen. S&A came home about 3 PM I guess, and Andy asked if I tried the heating element on my AC, so we did that again; still nothing. He went outside to check it and found the panes in the window were loose and open. Got notification from church that Ash Wednesday services are cancelled, but ashes will be distributed on weekend services. Later (in the evening) I filled the window up with towels. Went in at 3:45 PM and started supper (sausage, cabbage). Ate in the house and cleaned up before going back out. Made Kam a Braunschweiger and cream cheese sandwich. Watched my evening shows, then rosary. Asleep about 9:30 PM.

 

2/17/2021: Ash Wednesday. Up at 6 AM, watched cartoons. Prayers. Had breakfast and took medicine. Water still running well. Putting on my socks is a bit of a chore as bending over with ribs still sore on my left side a thing. Read Bible, then read liturgy for Ash Wednesday out of my missalette. It’s now 9 AM. Temperature 32 degrees but feels like 26, they say.

Went in at 1 PM to start stew. Susan, Andy, and Kam all home. What with pork roast, cabbage, onions, carrots, potatoes, and rice, it took until 5 PM for it to be done. Also made corn bread but forgot the jalapenos. Yen called to check on us. Andy and Kam played video games and Susan rebooted her computer. After we ate supper, I came in (forgot my Kindle inside) and prayed my rosary at 6 PM. Nothing to do now but watch TV until bed. It’s 30 now but only supposed to get down to 28.

 

2/18/2021: Lots of dreams:: “You don’t walk down so many muddy roads without getting your feet dirty.” A Gatti’s opening in this cold weather and I’m not in uniform, and then I find out TRUMP is the new boss and I have to bus [clean tables] right in front of him.

Up at 7 AM. Prayers, and dress in completely new clothes. Temperature 28, but no new snow … yet. Bible now.

Ate leftover cabbage and taters for breakfast, took medicine. In the long, boring wait until 9 AM.

Went out [to the big house] at 9 AM, and it started snowing again. I waited until 11 AM, just sitting, then went back in [to the Guest House]. Checked my e-mail, and I saw that last night HEB sent me an email saying they had “successfully” canceled my order! Egaah! Kept snowing most of the day.

Went in at 4 PM and started cooking supper, “successfully” cutting my thumb while chopping onions. Made chili, rotini, and corn on the cob. Susan home a little after 5 PM, and Andy about 5:30 PM. I had some leftover stew and then some of the fruit salad Susan had mixed, and some strawberries. Washed up without any water [a tiny trickle] in the kitchen sink (using water from the bathroom sink). Came in. Called John and talked a while. Rosary. Time for bed soon (9 PM).

 

2/19/2021: Up at 7 AM after many dreams. Prayers, Bible. Made some ramen and took my medicine. 26 degrees right now, but the sun is out, and is supposed to be 37 by noon.

The day went on and on. Ate leftover stew at 1 PM. At 2 PM started frying taters for supper. Everything ready about 5:15 PM. Kam locked me out of the back door because the neighbors over the stream were making noise; I almost cried in frustration because my hands were full, and my cut thumb had made things hard for me all day.

Because the water was still low in the [big] house Andy brought the baking dish over here to be washed and then took it back. Rosary. When I went to lay down my left foot gave me the pip all night with a shooting pain down by the inside of my heel. I squirmed and adjusted and spasmed and twitched and tried to get comfortable. Finally I bound it up with the Ace bandage, and that gave me a little relief. An uneasy sleep, awaking every hour or so from dreams to pain.

 

2/20/2021: Got up about 6:30 AM, the pains finally a little mollified. Morning cartoons. Took a shower at last. Dressed my thumb. Took medicine. Straightened up house. Prayers and Bible, starting Exodus today. Making ramen at 9:30 AM.

About 11:30 AM went in and got leftover cucumber salad and a deer sausage; Andy also gave me an expired salad (just a couple of days; still good). Later he brought me about half of Susan’s big bacon burger and a few onion rings. Delish! Later when I took my recyclables through the house and got a jug of water Susan reminded me to go easy on the water, as it might be a while before we can stock up again.

Watched Babylon Bee Reads LOTR; “Fog on the Barrow Downs” and frustrated by my inability to comment because of Kameron’s hold on my ID. One of these days we have to straighten that out. The temp has been in the 50’s most of the day and the snow disappearing.

Ate more ramen for supper. Watched a part of “Lilies of the Field” [1963]. Wrote a couple of pages of AF  [Bob’s Book 2]. Laid down to sleep sometime between 9 and 10 PM.

 

2/21/2021: Awake a little after 12 midnight with my left foot a-twangling. Got up and said my prayers, read my Bible, and did some small prep for the morning. A little after 1 AM now, and I think I’ll try to settle down again.

Up a little before 6 AM, and for all my prep I left no earlier than 7 AM. Met Susan and Andy setting out for HEB. Got to church; rosary. Got our Ash Wednesday ashes at the end of the service and on the top of the head, rather than a cross on the forehead, as per the bishop’s directive. Afterward I trudged over to FD; not a lot of business, but they had what I wanted. Got home just as S&A were unloading groceries; were they just home or had they been to Walmart as well? Anyway, it was very warm, and after I peeled all my layers off, had breakfast. Opened the windows to get the warm in. Took a lie-down for a bit after having ravioli, moon-pies, Pop-Tarts. Andy brought in bananas, grapes, the end of an enormous taco (which I also ate), mushrooms, chili, and spinach. Ate the chili about 2 PM.

Up afternoon after dozing and listening to music. Listening to Corey Anderson reading and discussing LOTR bit by bit. Basking in the warmth. John answered by bit of writing thusly:

“It is nice to see that Hodge's [a cranky boss in Goldfire] temperament has remained unchanged for the last 40 years! Good stuff! Makes me think that a young man's decision to take up magic in a fantasy world is like deciding to be an artist in ours! Not a lot of encouragement and probably with good reason.  Sadly.”

Spent the evening between more Corey Andersen Tolkien analysis and Sunday animations (meh). Andy brought me the leftover cornbread. Finally feeling warm wore a sweater, put the heater on. Bed at about 10 PM.

 

2/22/2021: Had a dream where I was very busy working on the house [at Loop Drive]. Mom made spaghetti (unasked) with Pop’s help. They cooked it without stirring and when it came time to drain it, they just dumped it into a sink full of dirty dishes. I came in and in dismay tried to salvage the clumpy mess; it was the only food we had. While I tried to separate the noodles and wash them and calculate how long they still needed to be cooked, I noticed they had only made 2 boxes when we would clearly need at least 3; there was one still in the cabinet. Mom was not accepting any blame, just proudly and defensively saying she had tried her best, and Pop was also not feeling any responsibility, since he was only assisting. He was more amused than anything at our difficulties. That spaghetti seemed like a perfect metaphor for my life. Also, am I harboring resentment toward Mom?

Well, on with the goddam circus. Up a little after 6 AM. Prayers, Bible. Dress (having to resort to my gray pants), cartoons, and straightening up house. Time to sort the clothes for washing.

Started the wash early at 7:30 AM. Waited with Kam at 8 AM; weather nice and mild. At 9 AM boiled eggs and made egg salad. Through the day finished three loads of wash. After 1 PM Kameron came home, and he helped me make broccoli salad! This was particularly good for me, since I was still feeling heavy and slow. Listened to Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast with guest Alan Menken. At 4 PM went in and made fish and couscous. For my own supper used couscous, 2 eggs, and a cup noodle combination. Went in at 8 PM and washed up. Then rosary and bed. Finished reading that Lafcadio Hearn biography [Wandering Ghost].

Notes

Arr, them was cold, hard days, me bucko. The freezing had loosened the panes in the air conditioner window, which did not help the cold.

In those days of isolation, I was cast into a weird cycle of dreams, worrying about food, and, of course, health. Falls, cuts, pains, anything to complicate things in the freezing weather. The impotence of having little food, plenty of money, and no way to spend it!

My gray pants were a pair of suit pants that required suspenders; always a pain and seldom worn. But couldn’t run the washing machine during the freeze.

Corey Anderon is still working on his analysis of The Lord of the Rings five years later; he’s been burrowing down deep for over nine years and has got as far as Gandalf confronting the Balrog. That’s 362 episodes! But the Babylon Bee funked out early on their LOTR analysis.

Kameron’s ID and mine are still inextricably intertwined. I only let him use it for convenience’ sake a decade ago. I still can’t comment under my own flag, and sometimes our bookmarks get scrambled. I’m too weary and technically stupid to change it at this late date; all my efforts have proved futile.

And now I’m hungry for stew.

Moq Mark 3

Still not perfect, but getting closer. For comparison, I include a Grok enhancement that John made of an old drawing I drew of a Morg, King Thron.

And as a bonus here is a portrait of Breklir, not a regular but appearing in one episode.

WPWS: Cast and Crew

KOPPA is a young wizard, the last pupil of Dunwolf, and the last full-fledged wizard on Ortha. Now that the war is over and Barek can neither co-opt nor kill those with magical potential, Koppa wishes to travel the land and find recruits for proposed magical training.

VARNIK is a prince, sixteen, the younger son of King Taryn. As something of a spare, he has been allowed to go on this mission to represent the king’s authority. Although he projects a haughty and regal demeanor, inside he is insecure; he is in a position he hasn’t earned.

ROTH is the High General of the Forlan Army (Emeritus); he is on the downswing of middle age (for a Morg, say one hundred and seventy).  He is the Quest’s muscle. His experience and skill make up for any aging he might be facing, and he is ready to go on one last adventure while he still can.

MOQ is Roth’s son, only ten years old but stronger than any human twice his age. He has one dream, to learn magic, a talent thought impossible for a Morg. He has stowed away on the quest in the hopes that somehow Koppa can teach him. He now serves as helmsman and cabin boy.

KETTA is eleven years old, and Koppa’s very first magical recruit. Besides having a talent for magical healing, she is well-versed in the ordinary skills of health care. An orphan, she now travels with the quest rather than journeying back to the City. Well-balanced, commonsensical, and compassionate.

JEFFID is a Munkoon, an unusual, mischievous little creature, like a cross between a monkey and raccoon. He is thievish and greedy but clever beyond most beasts.  Once rescued and protected by Varnik, he considers the prince his master and follows wherever he goes.

ZIN is one of the last Wolf-Shades left, evil sorcerers, lieutenants of Barek. Though he does not feel up to challenging Koppa yet, he is shadowing the quest, doing what he can to hinder them and biding his time to strike, recruiting his own forces. His Wolf is a deadly magical minion, tied to him by spells. Zin wants to set himself up as the new Dark Power. 

Since I started using Grok, I began using it to produce working sketches of characters for the series, The Wizard, the Prince, the Warrior, and his Son. Though they aren't all perfectly accurate to my vision, I find them to be a useful tool and an amusement as I try to hone in on concepts. Grok seems to have a peculiar difficulty with Morgs; try as I might to explain them, we keep getting fat gorillas in armor. Moq is the least satisfactory image here, but the closest I could get just yet.

They may look like a batch of fantasy cliches, but that's how I like'em. Their peculiarity is in their characters and the stories. Cliche? Nay, archtype!

Friday Fiction: Expatriates of England

EXPATRIATES OF ENGLAND

 

We are expatriates of England,

Though we were never there.

We long for English hills and dales;

We pine for English air.

 

We speak of stands of magic woods

And talk of ancient kings,

Of tea, and toast, and old lamp posts,

Of stars, and faery things.

 

Though realists say we long

For a land that never was,

As far away as Middle-earth,

As fabled now as Oz,

 

Mere words cannot kill our hope.

We still stand staunch and strong,

And dream our dreams of England,

And sing of it in songs.

 

-   The Broadsheet, 1985

 

“It was only a shadow or copy of the real Narnia which has always been here and always will be here: just as our own world, England and all, is only a shadow or copy of something in Aslan’s real world.” – The Last Battle, C. S. Lewis

At the time I wrote this poem, I was more concerned with the industrialization and modernization of the 'green and pleasant land.' Now I'm also concerned with its deculturization, the loss of its tweedy and stodgy charm. Harrumph. I must admit the mention of Oz (characteristically American) was rather jarring, but I needed the rhyme.

'Here, the intersection of the timeless moment/ Is England and nowhere. Never and always.' -Little Gidding, T. S. Eliot