Tales of the Floating World

[ex_fatalist246]

[A fifteen-year-old boy appears on the Plane, adjusts his glasses, and utters the eloquent and verbose:]

Hm.

[He is clearly not too disturbed]

[Then, he goes completely still, as if suddenly noticing something. It's a long moment before he regains his composure]

[When he does, he starts walking to the ballroom, naturally attracted to the closest thing to art on the Plane]

Comments

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, Hiwa---No, it'd be Satoshi, wouldn't it? Ne, what kind of world are you from, then?

[ex_fatalist246]

[If Satoshi wasn't Satoshi, he would probably be a bit perturbed by this]

[Fortunately, he's just slightly uncomfortable with the implications of intimacy and otherwise doesn't care]

Late 20th century Japan, really. It's hard to say what might be different.

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

Well, I seem to be from a pretty normal world compared to other people. The only odd thing is Sister and I, really.

[ex_fatalist246]

[Satoshi's silence and the fact that he does not look away from Diva count as social cues for Diva to continue talking. It's part of the silent 'turn-taking' mechanisms which allow conversationalists to pick up cues subconsciously on whether or not it's their turn to speak. For example, gesturing with one's arms is the role of the speaker; the listener's generally at rest. (Satoshi is at rest.) Further, the speaker's eye contact moves, particularly in large groups; the listener will focus on the speaker.]

[That is your linguistics lesson of the moment]

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

{Tilts her head}

Well, because we're not human. We're closer to what humans call a vampire.

[ex_fatalist246]

[Satoshi gives the appropriate, calm reply of]

By which legends?

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

Well...The closest would be Dracula, I guess, since it was sort of based off of me.

[ex_fatalist246]

[oh, so you're allergic to crosses]

[that's weird]

[still calm]

Does that mean I should be afraid of you?

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

{Shakes her head, laughing}

Ne, I can't remember anyone asking me that question! I would hope not. The blood that I drink comes from hospitals now. You know, blood bags? I don't drink from people anymore, really.

[ex_fatalist246]

[Satoshi nods, but he caught that 'anymore' and has marked it down as something to remember]

Very well.

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

But, just to make sure that you know, Dracula was rather loosely based off of me. The only similarity, really, is that I have to drink human blood to live.

[ex_fatalist246]

[Satoshi considers this agreeable, so he accepts it. He does think that if the only thing she has in common with vampires is the need to drink blood, 'haemovore' would probably be a more appropriate, less-charged description. But obviously he has no real motivation to say that]

Is there anything else you think I should know about you?

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

Well, tell me about yourself first. This conversation is a bit one sided, it seems.

[ex_fatalist246]

[Satoshi, unsurprisingly, has little to say]

I'm a student at Azumano Middle School who enjoys art galleries and museums.

[it reads like a personal add in monotone]

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

Is that so? My, what a proper gentleman! I never meet people that enjoy that sort of thing, much less so young {and delicious}.

[ex_fatalist246]

[Does Diva look good in a kimono? 'cause that is apparently Satoshi's requirement]

Is that so?

[runs a hand through his hair; this means Satoshi realizes he's in a situation of social significance and he has no idea what to do]

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

{idek she's never been to Japan}

Indeed! Ne, then what artists do you like? There's a chance that I might have met them. Well, if our worlds are similar, at least.

[ex_fatalist246]

[deciding that five of his favourite would be enough]

Altdorfer, Dürer, Hiroshige, Hokusai, Enkū...

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

Mm, I'm afraid I haven't met them. Or even heard of them, honestly.

[ex_fatalist246]

[Satoshi doesn't seem too surprised by this, and her reply is enough for him to feel he doesn't need to ask if she's heard of 'Hikari;' Hokusai was far more famous and of the same period as Satoshi's ancestor]

[he also doesn't feel the need to explain who they are, which leaves Diva with a boy just looking at her like the lurker he is]

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

You're not going to explain?

[ex_fatalist246]

If you want me to.

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

No. Please do.

[ex_fatalist246]

[easily, though with a hint of a sigh]

Altdorfer and Dürer are both German Renaissance artists. Altdorfer pioneered the use of landscape in art and created an oil painting called The Battle of Alexander at Issus. As one of the first large-scale history compositions in Germany at the time, Altdorfer had little template to follow and his creation was hailed as an original vision.

Dürer was most influential in printmaking and was a leading figure of the German Renaissance. Adam and Eve is often considered one of best painted works, but I prefer The Praying Hands. I will agree that the Triumphal Arch is an exceptionally woodcut; it is one of the largest, at 295 centimeters by 357 centimeters. [of course he knows it exactly. He's Hikari]

Hiroshige and Hokusai were Edo period ukiyo-e artists - 'pictures of the floating world' artists, in paintings and woodblock prints. Hiroshige is known for his work in depiction of landscapes, his use of color, and his choices in vantage points. The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido is probably his most famous - Van Gogh was an admirer of it, and much of Hiroshige's work, copying "The Plum Garden in Kameido" in his "Flowering Plum Tree" - and depicts the stations on his travels through the Eastern Sea Road. His One Hundred Famous Views of Edo prints had a similar effect on the French Impressionists.

Hokusai is likely the most well-known ukiyo-e artist outside of Japan because of his The Great Wave off Kanagawa, part of his Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series. It's one of the most reproduced works in the world. I believe the Metropolitan Museum of Art has one copy. Most people casually acquainted with Japanese art recognize it on sight. [as an afterthought] My favourite is The Dragon of Smoke Escaping from Mt Fuji.

Enku was a monk who travelled in the Edo period; he was a sculptor who sculpted approximately one hundred twenty-thousand wooden statues of the Buddha all across Japan, often given freely to comfort or console others. His works are significant for the emotion and the dedication he put into them.

[there will be a short quiz after class Done, Satoshi is content to return to silence]

[madamemoiselle.livejournal.com]

{She stares for a moment, then, not thinking of anything else that would be appropriate, claps :D YAY}

Ah, you're really smart! That's amazing that you're so knowledgeable! And so young too...