Would you like to read a book in which this happens?
It’s one of my all-time favorite books. It’s called Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. He describes it as an “progressively lipogrammatic epistolary fable.”
It is written in the form of letters between the citizens of the fictional island of Nollop, an independent nation off the coast of South Carolina and home of Nevin Nollop, who invented the phrase “the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.” That phrase is written in tiles over a statue of Nollop in their town square, and when one night a storm causes one of the tiles to fall, the council decides that it’s a sign from Nollop that they are no longer allowed to use that letter, in speech or writing, on pain of progressive punishments including public beating and up to banishment.
Then another tile falls. Then another.
The citizens, who are all very attached to their words and writing, mount a campaign to come up with a phrase that uses all 26 letters but is shorter than Nollop’s, thus proving that he was not divine and negating all the edicts.
Because the novel is told in the form of letters the citizens write, and this is the genius part…the author must also stop using the letters as they fall. So the book gradually stops using letters until at one point I think they’re down to just five.
The resolution literally made me get up and dance around the room.
It’s clever, creative, and a not-really-veiled-at-all parable about monotheistic oligarchy. It’s not a long book, you can read it in an afternoon.
GO READ IT RIGHT NOW.
WOW I want to read that book
Very rarely is there a book that I must read at any cost
This is now one of them
Note: locate book
I actually bought this book because of this post and let me tell you, it was a fucking great decision. Besides having a brilliant concept, it’s also so well written that in the beginning you don’t even notice when another letter is removed. There was one part I had to re-read because I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t a single ‘d’ in the last five pages.
Seriously, this book is fantastic
I had to read this for high school and I loved it. I have no idea where my copy went though :(
I’ve owned 5 copies of Ella Minnow Pea because the people I’ve loaned it out to have refused to part with it, ha. Ended up investing in a copy for the Kindle where it’ll always be safe. But yes, it is a very cleverly written book!
living with your significant other is sitting crossed legged in your underwear and big tshirt, sharing your hoodies, arguying about who’s turning the light off, taking showers together, giggling during sexy time, laughing with your best friend, consoling the love of your life, hearing about their day, finding annoying habits that you didn’t know about and loving them even more, planning great things together, being comfortable, building a home, collecting cats.
Today the Department of Awesome Parenting is catching up on the latest collaborations between French anime artist Thomas Romain (previously featured here) and his sons for their Father And Sons Design Workshop. First Romain’s sons come up with creative character concepts that they draw. Then Romain uses his professional skills to turn each colorful character into a polished piece, making sure to incorporate even the smallest details contributed by his sons.
Follow Thomas Romain on Instagram or YouTube to keep up with their latest work. You can also support their project on Patreon.
[via Bored Panda]
I’ve gushed about this before but I wanna reiterate that if someone did this with my artwork as a child I’d have felt GREAT. I’d have been so proud that an adult finally saw what I was actually going for rather than the limitations of my execution. This is the best example in the world of what an “idea” really means vs. how it’s put to paper.
I love, love, LOVE this.
Ukrainian pastry shop Musse Confectionery
has created these amazing galaxy eclairs featuring aesthetic interstellar icing of various shades of blue, purple, and pink.
I thought these were space dildos.
I guess I should remove my mind from the gutter.
I too, thought they were space dildos. For when you really want to fill the void…
space dildos should definitely be a thing.
You know those glass tentacle dildos? Just make them look like this. Bam! Space Dildos™
Not all heros wear capes.
I want to buy this woman a beer.
This woman is named June Ayres and she has owned and operated Reproductive Health Services, which is currently the only clinic in Montgomery, Alabama, for about 30 years. May I suggest that you donate the price of that beer to The Linda D Foundation, which helps Alabama women afford reproductive services including birth control, emergency contraception, and abortion services? http://alabamareproductiverightsadvocates.com/thelindadfoundation/
You could also donate to the National Abortion Federation here: http://prochoice.org/about-naf/support-naf/
This gifset is from an incredible documentary called Trapped. You can find or organize a screening or stream it for free here: http://www.trappeddocumentary.com/
It’s seriously an amazing movie about some amazing people.
This woman’s casual level of “Fuck You” herosim is exactly what I aspire to be in life.
Howl - Florence + The Machine
Sung by: Me! (beautyandherbeasts)
Her voice, one on an ever growing list of things I love about My Doll.
Anatomical Sculptures Composed From Delicately Arranged Flowers by Camila Carlow
Guatemalan artist Camila Carlow completed a stunning and delicate flower sculpture series titled Eye Heart Spleen, which is composed of 13 images, which symbolize human organs. Carlow’s personal statement reads:
The most fascinating and intricate of biological structures, yet we rarely pay heed to the organs inside our body. Regardless of whether we fill ourselves with toxins or nourishing food, whether we exercise or not—our organs sustain us, working away effortlessly and unnoticed.
In a similar way, plants flourishing in the urban environment are a testament to nature’s indifference to our goings on. They grow out of the sides of buildings, in brick walls and between the cracks in concrete, despite of the traffic and pollution.
Click on the images to find out what organ each sculpture represents.