write

If I was doing a Radically Historically Informed redesign of Imogen Temult, I'd make her Sogdian. She loves horses, filmy silk fabrics, tight bodices, diadems, and boots? Assigned seventh century Central Asian steppe nomad. Get over here, 'Mo. We're putting you in in a high waisted Tang gauze skirt and a kaftan thrown open like a trenchcoat. You're gonna have to have shoulder ornamentation.

Witch Hat Atelier's writing does have some detractors which is interesting to me because it reads as a very purposefully old fashioned story. Not conservative, quite the opposite. Its vibe is very.... 1920s utopian. The social movement that gave you the first children's rights movements and the Montessori schools. It's Janusz Korczak right down to the fairytale bones. 80% of the characters are reasonable and fair and doing their best to create a better world and another 5% were reasonable and fair until injustice shattered them. Everything is slow and measured. The children are thoughtful and democratic and allowed input in all things, especially their own fates. And I suppose that may seem unrealistic, but I don't think it's supposed to be entirely realistic. It's supposed to be just. One of those old fashioned utopias that's actually willing to get down in the dirt and wrestle with its own contradictions, willing you present you with thorny questions and conundrums, but never loses that sheen of "wouldn't it be nice?"

Have to say, Iguin has absolutely enchanted me. Something about the perching and tassels and absolute dedication to breaking a couple eggs to make an omelet. I mean, just so many eggs. A really unconscionable number of eggs, c'mon Iguin, they're going to ban you from the farmers market. Eggshells all over the kitchen and they haven't even turned on the stove yet.

took the evening to get caught up on unend. very quickly went from “yay! Saskia is still haunting the narrative!” to “oh dear, the narrative is still haunting the narrative”