As I see it, they made a mistake by advertising it as adaptation and especially a faithful adaptation. They should have just said up front they're doing something spin-offy, "our story in the Witcherverse blah blah", and everyone would be happy, even the fandom. So, basically a honest calling fanfic a fanfic.
I confess that I find the Russian/Slavic fantasy I've read to take itself a little TOO seriouslyHah, that's more like the high fantasy trait than "Slavic" fantasy - from the old fans POV. :D That's funny, actually, because when we look at it in context, the books origin was just this - it aimed at taking the fantasy (as Poles of 80/90s knew it) off its high horse. At that time and place it was fresh - Tolkien and ethereal Elves all around, suddenly there comes in a fantasy where beer and guts are spilled equally, and people talk (local!) Villagese instead of Elven. Of course, inspiration and popularity did their thing, so this approach was original maybe for a few months. Meanwhile, the western fantasy and creative writing in
( ... )
Re: part 2 :)hamsterwomanApril 28 2020, 00:04:33 UTC
(none of which being Brokilon for some reason)
One of them IS Broklion, but the thing that happens there is completely unlike the canon story, so I'm honestly not sure why they bothered including it at all.
BadManneredBeeftman & ManicPixieDreamBard
LOL! That has been a very enjoyable and fruitful dynamic :D
people mostly complain he got dumbed down.
Mmm... It's definitely a character change, but I don't know that it necessarily means dumbing down. I mean, you don't get to see Geralt's philosophizing, but I don't miss it, and being taciturn in itself does not make someone dumb. What makes him seem dumb is invoking the Law of Surprise as a joke, but we've already talked about that part of it.
But I'll add that you can find shared echoes sometimes in the mostly unlikely places. Oh yes, most definitely! That's what I also meant by "not sharp cut", and one of the best points he made, for me, was when he says about finding unexpected understanding with supposedly very alien groups (I agree that Germans "feel" closer in cultural sense than Englishmen, for one) and at the same time the all thing being a spectrum across the continent(s) rather than culture A, culture B, culture C, etc. And yes, I certainly agree that unexpected familiarity can be at times found very far geographically, too. It's true between other cultures as well, of course (The British as the "Japanese of Europe", for one; obviously it's never 1:1 thing, but it's a thing; an equivalent of sharks/dolphins/ichtyosaurs convergence).
And I do think that tinge of fatalism ("well, everything sucks, but what did you expect?") is a Slavic hallmarkSalted with gritty humour and peppered with defiance, at that, yes. Best jokes grew under the communism for a reason. I
( ... )
it's a specific combination of, like, groundedness and defiance and still living the history long after the actual battles are over. Yes, again! It's like, all opossite feelings about this at once, because all the nationalistic fuel and, ugh, will you stop with all this pride already?! ...but at the same time "we get this reference" we want it or not, and while we may not like some outcoms, we still get why this works and how this works. And finally, we can also just genuinely like "our" things just because those are "our" things done WELL. Hitting the right chord, sounding true, recognizable... Argh, I don't know. I can see why he tried to find it with music as well as with words, and I agree also about: I don't think I can explain it exactly, because put that way, it sounds like it could be almost anything. :) A case of hopeless defiance being epic af, and this one here doesn't feel like "I'm sad and it sucks", it feels like "let's appreciate this feeling". And then, while the "Slavic" is an umbrella, it's still a spectrum, because
( ... )
Re: part 2 :)hamsterwomanApril 22 2020, 05:20:43 UTC
B loves that "Когда мы были на войне" song -- that very YouTube version (or at least the same set of performers) is one of his go-to car songs. The second one you linked I haven't heard before, but I love the melancholy of Ukrainian songs (if there are actual happy ones I don't think I've ever heard them XP -- only sad ones (let's appreciate this feeling) or comically tragic ones XD)
'unapologetically soothing nihilism', seriously
Heh that's an interesting niche! (And the Polish songs you linked all sound lovely!)
So, for majority of Americans the cultures allowing/cherishing/exploring "dark" fellings (in their mainstream at that!), treating them like a companion of life instead of a sickness to cure/pest to ged rid of/danger to avoid, must feel exotic, I guess. And so, poof! enter "Slavic soul".
Yeah, I think so. Plus the culture is different enough that it's more convenient to exoticize than something that might be similarly melancholy but more like the Western world (like, IDK, Denmark?)
High five for B, I've been an on-off fan for those choirs in recent years. And for ballets, too (Igor Moiseyev team, EPIC). Wait, about the second you meant you haven't heard that particular one, or Flit band in general? I vaguely thought you probably knew them, I wrote about them here. :)
comically tragic ones XD Їжачок!!! :D
'unapologetically soothing nihilism', seriously Heh that's an interesting niche! Yeah, I don't think he has much competition. XD
more convenient to exoticize than something that might be similarly melancholy but more like the Western world (like, IDK, Denmark?) Or Irish you mentioned up there, yep. (Denmark tho? More like Finland, I'd say, as those stereotypes go? Denmark is hyggefied as hard as Russia is soulified, in them.)
Re: part 2 :)hamsterwomanApril 28 2020, 00:00:32 UTC
Haven't heard Flit the band in general (but I generally don't go seek out modern music, it's just what I come across, in RL or on LJ when the timing is right for me to listen, which isn't always, depending which device I'm browsing on)
Or Irish you mentioned up there, yep. (Denmark tho? More like Finland, I'd say, as those stereotypes go? Denmark is hyggefied
The reason I didn't say Irish is because for Americans Irish is a particular kind of exotic -- it's certainly that, but with a specific kind of kinship, since a lot of people have or at least claim roots there.
But I admit I picked Denmark kind of at random from among the Scandinavian counties, so Finland works just fine :)
(but I generally don't go seek out modern music, it's just what I come across, in RL or on LJ when the timing is right for me to listen, which isn't always, depending which device I'm browsing on) That about sums up my own experience/approach as well. :D
for Americans Irish is a particular kind of exotic -- it's certainly that, but with a specific kind of kinship, since a lot of people have or at least claim roots there. Which, as I noticed, rubs the Irish wrong way twice instead of just once, because on the top of being painted as some "cottagecore" fetish sprinkled with grossly romanticized IRA - so the cool exotic part - what Americans think of as "familiar Irish" turns out actually very exotic to the Irish (I keep seeing corned beef being brought up as a popular example). :) At least this much I gathered so far from forums of the cultural exchange type (which I love, btw, though don't contribute much, if ever).
I confess that I find the Russian/Slavic fantasy I've read to take itself a little TOO seriouslyHah, that's more like the high fantasy trait than "Slavic" fantasy - from the old fans POV. :D That's funny, actually, because when we look at it in context, the books origin was just this - it aimed at taking the fantasy (as Poles of 80/90s knew it) off its high horse. At that time and place it was fresh - Tolkien and ethereal Elves all around, suddenly there comes in a fantasy where beer and guts are spilled equally, and people talk (local!) Villagese instead of Elven. Of course, inspiration and popularity did their thing, so this approach was original maybe for a few months. Meanwhile, the western fantasy and creative writing in ( ... )
Reply
One of them IS Broklion, but the thing that happens there is completely unlike the canon story, so I'm honestly not sure why they bothered including it at all.
BadManneredBeeftman & ManicPixieDreamBard
LOL! That has been a very enjoyable and fruitful dynamic :D
people mostly complain he got dumbed down.
Mmm... It's definitely a character change, but I don't know that it necessarily means dumbing down. I mean, you don't get to see Geralt's philosophizing, but I don't miss it, and being taciturn in itself does not make someone dumb. What makes him seem dumb is invoking the Law of Surprise as a joke, but we've already talked about that part of it.
Reply
Oh yes, most definitely! That's what I also meant by "not sharp cut", and one of the best points he made, for me, was when he says about finding unexpected understanding with supposedly very alien groups (I agree that Germans "feel" closer in cultural sense than Englishmen, for one) and at the same time the all thing being a spectrum across the continent(s) rather than culture A, culture B, culture C, etc. And yes, I certainly agree that unexpected familiarity can be at times found very far geographically, too. It's true between other cultures as well, of course (The British as the "Japanese of Europe", for one; obviously it's never 1:1 thing, but it's a thing; an equivalent of sharks/dolphins/ichtyosaurs convergence).
And I do think that tinge of fatalism ("well, everything sucks, but what did you expect?") is a Slavic hallmarkSalted with gritty humour and peppered with defiance, at that, yes. Best jokes grew under the communism for a reason. I ( ... )
Reply
Yes, again! It's like, all opossite feelings about this at once, because all the nationalistic fuel and, ugh, will you stop with all this pride already?! ...but at the same time "we get this reference" we want it or not, and while we may not like some outcoms, we still get why this works and how this works. And finally, we can also just genuinely like "our" things just because those are "our" things done WELL. Hitting the right chord, sounding true, recognizable... Argh, I don't know. I can see why he tried to find it with music as well as with words, and I agree also about: I don't think I can explain it exactly, because put that way, it sounds like it could be almost anything. :) A case of hopeless defiance being epic af, and this one here doesn't feel like "I'm sad and it sucks", it feels like "let's appreciate this feeling". And then, while the "Slavic" is an umbrella, it's still a spectrum, because ( ... )
Reply
'unapologetically soothing nihilism', seriously
Heh that's an interesting niche! (And the Polish songs you linked all sound lovely!)
So, for majority of Americans the cultures allowing/cherishing/exploring "dark" fellings (in their mainstream at that!), treating them like a companion of life instead of a sickness to cure/pest to ged rid of/danger to avoid, must feel exotic, I guess. And so, poof! enter "Slavic soul".
Yeah, I think so. Plus the culture is different enough that it's more convenient to exoticize than something that might be similarly melancholy but more like the Western world (like, IDK, Denmark?)
Reply
comically tragic ones XD
Їжачок!!! :D
'unapologetically soothing nihilism', seriously
Heh that's an interesting niche!
Yeah, I don't think he has much competition. XD
more convenient to exoticize than something that might be similarly melancholy but more like the Western world (like, IDK, Denmark?)
Or Irish you mentioned up there, yep. (Denmark tho? More like Finland, I'd say, as those stereotypes go? Denmark is hyggefied as hard as Russia is soulified, in them.)
Reply
Or Irish you mentioned up there, yep. (Denmark tho? More like Finland, I'd say, as those stereotypes go? Denmark is hyggefied
The reason I didn't say Irish is because for Americans Irish is a particular kind of exotic -- it's certainly that, but with a specific kind of kinship, since a lot of people have or at least claim roots there.
But I admit I picked Denmark kind of at random from among the Scandinavian counties, so Finland works just fine :)
Reply
That about sums up my own experience/approach as well. :D
for Americans Irish is a particular kind of exotic -- it's certainly that, but with a specific kind of kinship, since a lot of people have or at least claim roots there.
Which, as I noticed, rubs the Irish wrong way twice instead of just once, because on the top of being painted as some "cottagecore" fetish sprinkled with grossly romanticized IRA - so the cool exotic part - what Americans think of as "familiar Irish" turns out actually very exotic to the Irish (I keep seeing corned beef being brought up as a popular example). :) At least this much I gathered so far from forums of the cultural exchange type (which I love, btw, though don't contribute much, if ever).
Reply
Yeah I've noticed this also (also, "cottagecore" LOL! XD)
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