S.Q. Eries's Blog, page 73

Research Ramblings: Sparta and Her Two Kings, Part 1

The setting of my work in progress is ancient Sparta, whose people left an indelible mark on Western history. Even their Greek contemporaries thought the Spartans singular in their ways, and thousands of years later, we're still naming school mascots after them.

For most Americans, the word "Spartan" conjures up images of King Leonidas and his 300 warriors fighting to the bitter death. While this is an iconic moment for Sparta, what makes this ancient city-state unique goes beyond that one battle, which is why learning about it is so fun.

So here's today's Spartan fun-fact:

The Spartans had two kings. Not one king. Two.

Technically, Sparta wasn't a monarchy, which implies a sole ruler. It was a dyarchy. I'd never even heard of this term until I started researching Sparta, but it is an actual word (found it in my Webster's). Details about her dual kingship can be found in Book 6 of Herodotus' Histories as well as the all-knowing Wikipedius. And Sparta's wasn't the only dyarchy in the world, though it's one of the better-known ones. For more about dyarchies in general, again Wikipedius has a page on them.

"But wait!" you might protest. "I saw the movie 300, and there was only one king!" All I can say is that, although 300 was based on actual events, it did slather it on in terms of artistic license. And one of the less flashy changes they made was to omit Leonidas' co-king (whose name by the way was Leotychidas).

So why edit him out? I'll venture to guess it was because including the other king would dilute the story. And I say that because that's the case for my work in progress, which depicts Sparta as a monarchy, not a dyarchy.

It didn't start that way though. As my Keeping It in Canon blog title suggests, I like sticking to the facts so my first draft included both Spartan Royal houses. Unfortunately, historical accuracy didn't translate into a better narrative. Because most readers aren't familiar with dyarchies, I needed several paragraphs to explain the concept, paragraphs that didn't further the plot. In addition, my story deals with on only one of the royal families, and the other royal house didn't really have a role (other than to keep the story historically accurate).

So my beta readers, who even with the explanations kept getting confused with the dual kingship thing, recommended I drop the second king. I was reluctant to do so, but they proved to be right. The manuscript flows a lot better with that detail edited out.

Still, that doesn't change the fact that Sparta's kings came in twos, not ones, and that made for some interesting political dynamics. More about them and their lives next time.

Manga Review: Sakura Hime Vol. 3

Arina Tanemura is a popular shojo mangaka, and one of her works currently being translated into English is Sakura Hime, a magical shojo story that puts a twist on a famous Japanese legend. Volume 3 has recently been released, and you can read on for the review. (Also, for those who are interested, you can click on the links for my Fandom Post reviews of Volume 1 and Volume 2).

The story centers on Sakura, the granddaughter of the Moon princess Kaguya. As her descendent, Sakura wields the power to defeat Youko, monsters from the Moon, but Sakura's Moon heritage also means she's predisposed to becoming a Youko herself…

Back Cover Blurb

Sakura, still grieving Oumi's death, must fight the powerful youko of Uji. But she finds herself no match for the demon's poisonous vapor. It's time for Kohaku and Hayate—with a little help from the full moon—to step in.

The Review

Have you ever read such a bad scene that it jolted you out of the story? That was my experience with the conclusion of the Snake Youko fight. The monster attacks with poisonous vapor, Sakura hurries to protect Aoba, and then… nothing. During the span of time it takes ninjas Hayate and Kohaku to run to the nearest stream, have an attempt at romance, and bust the side of the riverbank, the fight between Sakura and the Youko remains at a complete standstill. No attempt to escape by the humans, no attempt to finish them off by the monster (seriously, he's just staring at the helpless couple when he could be taking a big bite). I suppose this is a shojo manga, and perhaps the main purpose of the scene is to convey Sakura's feelings for Aoba. However, Tanemura has also set Sakura up as a princess warrior, and from a battle standpoint, it makes no sense.

Another puzzling development is the introduction of human-form Hayate. Considering he's been in the story since Chapter 3, his once-a-month change feels like a belated add-on. I don't have any problems with his character; considering the cast is heavy on the females, it's good to have a male buddy for Aoba. I just get the impression that the story details are handled poorly.

At any rate, we end the Snake arc with the demise of a couple human characters, the addition of one human character (sort of), and resolution of where Aoba and Sakura stand with one another. That done, we move on to the mysterious Enju, and as mentioned in Tanemura's closing notes, this is where the story actually begins.

Though Sakura's brother was mentioned at the very start of the story, we have almost no information about him other than Sakura loved him dearly. As such, it is little surprise when the focus of the story returns to him. There is an initial element of *eww!* as the details arise in a girl conversation about romantic love (Tanemura-sensei does mention that sibling marriages were okay back then). However, once we learn the true fate of Sakura's brother, Enju not only becomes more compelling a character but the lines of good and evil become blurred. With members of the court actively manipulating Sakura for their own purposes, conflicts are no longer solely about humans versus Youko. While this makes the story more interesting, the court's hot/cold attitude toward Sakura is still confusing, and whether or Tanemura-sensei can get all these elements to jibe remains to be seen.

In Summary

We finally get resolution on Sakura's and Aoba's true feelings for one another. Having settled that, we move onto something infinitely more interesting: the mysterious Enju. Tanemura-sensei does a good job of blurring the line between friend and foe, but the exact relationship between humans, Moon people, and Youko and Sakura's place in all of that remains to be clarified.

If you're looking for beautiful shojo Heian-era artwork, Sakura Hime has plenty of it, but weak plotlines make you cringe, steer clear.

First published at the Fandom Post.

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Research Ramblings: Horse boogers and human Kleenex

My current work in progress involves chariot racing, and given its substantial equine components, I've recruited the aid of horse owners Julie and The Boyz' Mom to keep it real. (For more about them, read this post.) They love sharing about their horses, and I love learning from them, and hopefully you'll get some entertainment out of our exchanges.

So a couple of months ago, I posed this question:

Do horses sneeze?

Maybe some of you are laughing now, but it is a valid question. Just because we can do something doesn't mean an animal can do it, and vice versa. For instance, we sweat, but pigs don't (ergo the whole mud thing). And while gender is an established-at-birth characteristic for us and many other organisms, it's not for sea slugs, which are all born male. (As to how the female sea slugs come about, I'll let you discover that for yourself.)

Anyway, back to the question. It arose when I was writing a scene that included a candle and a horse, and I wondered if the horse could accidentally blow out the light. I vaguely remembered that horses don't burp, and if that was impossible, could they generate enough puff to blow out a candle, physiologically speaking?

So I went to my horsy experts. My e-mail went something like this: Is it possible for a horse to snort hard enough to blow a flame out? On that note, do horses sneeze?

The Boyz' Mom responded promptly:

 Most definitely… They also snort, snuff , snuffle and hack.  All of which can be done with quite a lot of force when you consider a human sneeze is at approximately 100*150 miles per hour…The sneeze bath is something everyone needs to experience…hee hee.

Sneeze bath?! That was not what I expected. But it got my imagination going all sorts of places so I wrote back:

I get the feeling that both of you have experienced the wonders of the horse sneeze snot bath… So when they're done, do big boogers hang out their nostrils and do they wipe them off on themselves? Or do they maybe treat you like a human Kleenex and wipe off on you?

Here's Julie's response:

lol – They always have crap hanging off their faces or dripping out of their eyes.  And no, they could not care less that they have crap all over their faces.  Anything works to wipe the gunk off – towel, shirt, sleeve, hand. They are pretty gross and there is a reason they are not invited into most people's homes.   I am not even going to get started on Blondie and how she sucks in part of her tail when she is pooping.  Then she gets all offended when you try to pull it out.

Blondie, by the way, is Julie's American Saddlebred mare and, despite her aforementioned tail sucking habit, fancies herself a princess.

And the Boyz' Mom wrote:

Well…for me they usually snort it all out in a spray of nasty all over me….I am however the human kleenex they wipe on me , eye rub they rub on my shoulder, butt scratching post squish me against whatever to get a good scratch and forehead rub on my back… It's awesome to be loved!

If that's horse love, I'll keep a respectful distance!

Well, that was quite enlightening! Portrayals of horses, at least in the media I've been exposed to, tend to wax majestic, giving the impression they're above boogers and butt scratches. Can you imagine the Black Stallion wiping his snot off on Alec Ramsey? Even in the abscess scenes in Disney's Secretariat, the big racehorse still came across as regal.

At any rate, I got my answer along with some laughs, a new level of respect for my ladies, and the inspiration for a little humor for my manuscript. My main character probably hates me for it, but as you can see, a horse-sized helping of gross is all part of being an equestrian.

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Anime Review: Usagi Drop

So an anime I've recently watched is Usagi Drop. Crunchyroll categorizes it as "slice of life," a genre my husband and I enjoy, so we decided to give it a try. We ended up watching half the available episodes the first night and watching the remaining half the next.

Here's the basic premise: Daikichi, a 30-year-old salaryman, goes to his grandfather's funeral and unexpectedly finds himself with custody of Rin, his grandfather's 6-year-old illegitimate daughter (yup, she's his aunt).

Usagi Drop is unusual in many respects. Unlike the vast majority of series which center on adolescence and young adult life, the main characters are a middle-aged man and a little girl. In addition, it really is a slice of life. Anime in that genre tend to have either extremely quirky characters (like Honey and Clover) or end up supremely boring (like Ocean Waves), but with Usagi Drop, you can actually envision a family challenged by their particular quandaries. Daikichi and Rin are utterly relatable, and my husband and I were completely invested in them by the end of the first episode.

So there are no superhuman powers or end-of-the-world plot lines, but Usagi Drop's themes about family and belonging are compelling in their own way. Daikichi must make the abrupt transition from bachelorhood to a single father role, and Rin grapples with fears of abandonment and death in the wake of her father's passing. Maybe it's because Daikichi's so close to my own age and life stage, but his brand of quiet, gentle strength really appeals to me.

I can't think of a whole lot of anime comparable to Usagi Drop. The closest I can come up with is the manga Aishiteruze Baby, but in that series, the primary caregiver of the abandoned child is a high school Casanova, which makes it more fantasy and less slice of life to me. Not to say Usagi doesn't have its own less than believable components, most of which are connected to Rin's mother. For one, I can't fathom the woman and Daikichi's grandfather in an intimate relationship. For another, compared to all the stories I've heard about child abandonment, her reasons for stepping out of Rin's life are lame, frankly.

Fortunately, Rin's mother doesn't dominate the entire series, and the focus generally stays on Rin's place within the extended family and the parallel struggles of Rin's friend Kouki and his divorced mother. And just to be clear, there's nothing perverted about Rin and Daikichi's relationship. NOTHING. The worst that the series offers up in terms of language and violence is kindergarten naughtiness from Kouki. (I can't say the same about the manga though. I haven't looked it up yet, but a friend tells me that it's very different from the anime.)

So if you're looking for a contemporary anime about family and the noble side of the human spirit, give Usagi Drop a try. As far as content goes, I'd probably rate it "All Ages" if it weren't for the discussions about Rin's parentage.

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Manga Review: Maoh: Juvenile Remix Vol. #06 Review

I don't usually review a whole lot of shonen manga, and I review even fewer violent shonen titles. Somehow, though, I wound up reviewing Maoh, which has murder and mayhem in spades.(My reviews of earlier Maoh: Juvenile Remix volumes can be found here.) However, it's more of a supernatural thriller than a gratuitous show of blood splattering and has a fairly interesting hero (if you can stomach all the casualties along the way).

The story takes place in Nekota City, which is not so much a dystopia as it is a community on the decline (think Gotham City from Batman). Ando is a high school student who has the power to make others say out loud what he's thinking (he calls it ventriloquism). Inukai is the mysterious leader of a vigilante group called Grasshopper, which is at odds with the city's redevelopment plan. Inukai is hailed as a hero among the common folk of Nekota, but after a few disturbing run-ins with Grasshopper, Ando senses that Inukai is not all that he seems.

Back Cover Blurb

As Ando continues to try to uncover Inukai's plans, Grasshopper prepares for a major event to take control of the city. Just when Ando gets close to the truth, standing in his way is the most dangerous challenge he's ever faced.

The Review

At the end of the last volume, Ando wasn't looking too good. In fact, he looked like he was ready to keel over. As it turns out, he's nowhere near finished. With as much sleuthing and running around as he does, you'll be exhausted by the time Volume 6 is over.

The story gets off to a slow start with some machinations on the political front and fanatical stirrings at Ando's high school. After a while, I almost got tired of Ando being the lone voice of reason among the strident, brainwashed mob. But then the story moves toward the Grasshopper Action Meeting, and the story really picks up.

The lead up to the meeting all but screams "epic battle coming!" Even the way, Ando sends Junya out of town very much has a "Farewell, Brother, I go to die" feel to it. So does the action that follows actually live up to the anticipation? I think it does.

The creators convey a definite sense of urgency with the countdown to Inukai's plan, and the situation worsens when the Duce bartender shows up to thwart Ando's efforts. At certain points, Ando and the bartender get ridiculously chatty for two guys involved in a life or death battle, but Ando's frantic race to figure out the secret behind the bartender's power will definitely keep you riveted.

To be sure, the last moments of their fight seem to defy the laws of physics and the action is a little hard to follow (it took me three reads to figure out what exactly happened with the bridge). The ending is also rather over the top with its image of the planet Earth. Overall, though, it's a thrilling finish for this volume and our hero Ando.

In Summary

Volume 6 is all about wits. Inukai has a secret plot to bring the city to its knees, and Ando must uncover it before it's too late. But in the middle of his investigation, he's attacked by Inukai's dangerous henchman, the Duce bartender. The ensuing battle has plenty of crashing and flying projectiles, but it ultimately boils down to whether Ando can crack the secret behind the bartender's power before he gets killed. For those who like smart heroes pitted against enormous odds, Volume 6 of Maoh will be a treat.

This title is rated Older Teen for lotsa blood and violence and an intense plot.

First published at the Fandom Post.

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Research Ramblings: Asking for Help

Asking for help might sound really simple, but I'm actually horrible at this. I'm not sure if it's a pride or shyness issue, but I just get really uncomfortable putting out any kind of request. It's as if I've been conditioned to believe that just my asking for assistance will automatically draw a person's wrath, which is by and large untrue. What I must constantly remind myself is that the worst that can happen (usually) is that I get a no. But if I get a positive response, what ensues can be amazing.

Six years ago, when I was researching my first manuscript, I read Elizabeth Wayland Barber's Women's Work. It's an excellent, excellent resource about the historical, cultural, and social aspects of weaving. I got a lot out of it, but once I was done reading, I had some lingering questions. Then I noticed in the author's bio that Ms. Barber taught at Occidental College. A little research, and there her e-mail was on the faculty roster.

Then I hesitated. It felt presumptuous to contact an authority I'd never met and expect her to respond. But finally I sucked it up, wrote an e-mail telling her I enjoyed the book, and tacked my questions on at the end. She replied the next day, graciously thanking me for reading her work and answering my questions. Pretty cool!

More recently, when I chose to write about Cynisca of Sparta for my next manuscript, I realized horses were going to play a major part and decided that I should probably find someone who actually owned a horse to help me out. After all, even though horsemanship has changed throughout the centuries, certain things, like equine personalities or the number of hoof stomps it takes to break your toe, don't change. But whom to ask? I live in an urban area, and downtown LA isn't exactly crawling with horses.

Then I remembered the avatar. At the time, I was reviewing manga at a certain website, and Julie, one of my fellow reviewers, had a picture of a horse and rider in dressage as her avatar. So I checked out her website. Sure enough, she owned that horse. Two in fact. So I PM'ed her to very timidly ask if she might consider being my horse resource. She not only agreed, she connected me with another equine friend of hers who owns and drives two Friesian geldings.

Both these ladies have been an invaluable help ever since. It helps that their horses' personalities are so different. Julie's mare Blondie is full of sass and attitude while three-year-old baby Elle just wants to do her best. The Friesian pair, Titan and Kerrick (affectionately known as the Boyz), are two big hams who love it when kids give them attention. As for their owners, Julie's relatively new to the equine world (she didn't get her first horse until after college) while the Boyz' Mom has been around horses her entire life. But both of them love their horses and love talking about them. So far they've checked parts of my manuscript for accuracy, sent helpful links, shared pictures of their horses in action, and answered 100 or more questions from me. And all that from one initial request for help.

By the way, you'll be hearing more about Julie and the Boyz' Mom in later posts. They've graciously given me permission to write about our conversations, and I hope you'll enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed learning from these wonderful horsefolk.

Donating hair

No, those aren't rats' tails in the picture. That's my hair!

After a little over a year, I finally grew enough length to make a donation to Locks of Love, a non-profit that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. To be honest, I didn't think I'd ever do this because they require hair to be at least 10 inches for a donation, and I generally keep my hair short. Like number-one-clippers-all-around short. Like my-husband's-hair-is-longer-than-mine short.

You see, my hair and I have a rather antagonistic relationship. I don't know about your hair, but mine is stubborn and thick and slippery. Meaning it's impossible to style without gobs of product, and hair ties, bands, etc. always end up sliding off. After spending my youth struggling to tame it, I got fed up. Right after high school graduation, I went to the salon and got my shoulder length hair hacked into a short bob. My mom was mortified. I loved it.

So I kept it short ever after. Until last year when some circumstances arose and I agreed not to cut my hair for nearly a year. Once that term ended, I had 8 inches of hair, and I thought, Well, if I stick it out a little longer, maybe I can give this annoying length to someone who actually wants it.

I have to say, the last couple of months were the toughest. Not only was I constantly getting hair in my eyes and mouth, summer had hit, and I felt like I was living with a small animal on my head. In fact, having to sweep up after and maintaining that much hair was kind of like caring for a pet. (Well, I thought so…)

[image error]But finally, my hair reached the requisite length, and after some searching on yelp.com, I located Sol Salon in Culver City, which cuts your hair for free if you donate to Locks of Love. I showed my stylist Jan a picture of me before I grew my hair out and told her to cut as much for the donation as she could. She did exactly that (ergo the multiple ponytails), and I think she did a fabulous job (thanks, Jan!)

So now my hair is back to its usual low-maintenance length, a package of hair is heading toward Florida, and life is much better. Though now I'm wondering, should I grow it out again for another donation? We'll see…

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Research Ramblings: Ancient Elis, Part 2

When I took the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment, it listed among my top five strengths something called Input. For a long time, I thought it was a mistake; people with Input tend to be collectors, but when it comes to stuff, I'm a tosser. Once I started writing novels, however, I discovered I'm actually an avid hoarder – of facts. I'm always collecting random pieces of information that I hang onto "just in case," and my "Research Ramblings" highlight some of these bits I've discovered along the way.

As mentioned in Ancient Elis, Part 1, my characters were moving to a new town, and I was able to find details about said town in an ancient source. Specifically Book 2 of Pausanias' Description of Greece. However, even with this information the work of world building continued for two main reasons:

1. Pausanias wrote his work in the second century A.D., a few hundred years after the era of my story. As ancient as ancient history is, there are different levels of ancient. So customs current to Pausanias might not have existed in the early fourth century B.C. The same goes for buildings and other landmarks.

2. The Description of Greece is entirely in text. In other words, no maps, and generally no mundane details like structure dimensions. Here's an excerpt:

One of the noteworthy things in Elis is an old gymnasium. In this gymnasium the athletes are wont to go through the training through which they must pass before going to Olympia. High plane-trees grow between the tracks inside a wall…The track for the competing runners, called by the natives the Sacred Track, is separate from that on which the runners and pentathletes practise…There is another enclosed gymnasium, but smaller, adjoining the larger one and called Square because of its shape. Here the athletes practise wrestling, and here, when they have no more wrestling to do, they are matched in contests with the softer gloves.

This is nice in that I have knowledge of at least two gymnasiums and the activities that took place in them. The bad news is that, even knowing that these gyms were in close proximity, I don't know what part of town they were located or how big they were. There is truth to the phrase, "a picture is worth a thousand words," and things would be a lot easier if the Description of Greece came with sketches of the gyms and town layout.

Fortunately, archaeology is on my side. I mentioned in Part 1 about some photos of the Elean dig. Greece is popular with archaeologists, and while Elis' following isn't as large as Athens' or Olympia's, it does have a dig and museum. And thanks to the Internet, I  found this archeological website with details on the ancient city, including:

The theatre, a striking monument with a characteristic earthen cavea and a well-preserved stage building, occupied the north end of the agora. It enjoyed views of the river, which, in antiquity, ran very close by, along the city's north limits. A bridge crossed the river near that point and a strong embankment protected the city against floods. The Bouleuterion and the city's two gymnasiums were most probably located near the theatre, on a terrace by the riverbank.

Well, isn't that lovely? Problem solved! At least where these gyms are concerned. And now I've got a better picture of my new setting.

But there will be gaps which neither ancient texts nor archaeology can fill, and once I've exhausted my sources, those are the places I give my imagination permission to take off (within reason, of course). And that, I suppose, is one of the benefits of writing historical fiction.

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