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utilitycaster · 1 year

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FYI, I'm away for the weekend and shall have very limited availability once I reach my destination but here is WoTC's first official statement re the OGL. It is short and in fairly simple language, and I recommend under the strongest terms you read it for yourself and draw your own conclusions from it rather than relying on others.

Takeaways I have are:

They will be clarifying that this is specifically about the creation of TTRPGs. Livestreams, cosplay, etc. were always unaffected but given the response from the community I think this is a useful statement to make. They have also stated that this is not intended to touch on VTTs. I will admit, I feel like the conversation surrounding VTTs has been by far the most poisoned by unfounded speculation, and I also have not liked VTTs when I've used them, so I'll wait for the final OGL 1.1 to have any conclusions, but at the very least this is what they are saying now.

It appears the royalty structure is not being pursued, which was one of the biggest legitimate concerns.

The OGL 1.0 will not be invalidated for existing content. I would presume that this does imply it will not be permissible for future content the moment that 1.1a is released.

The registration system has not been mentioned, and I am keeping an eye on that. It seems that if royalties aren't going to go forward this would not make any sense to have and would almost certainly cost them money to pursue, but I'm waiting for 1.1a to make that clear.

The language surrounding content that uses the SRD as being something that can be used by WoTC at any time for free will be clarified to indicate that this is a provision to prevent lawsuits over unintentional coincidences rather than as a means for WoTC to use commercially available unofficial content for free. (This is part of what was widely stated by people more familiar with IP law to be boilerplate. Basically: let's say a third party publisher came up with the idea of a fire-based druid class shortly before the Circle of Wildfire came out but after it had legitimately already been in development at WoTC. This would basically say "hey, we did not steal your IP; both of us came up with fire-based druid subclasses independently and neither of us will sue each other and both of us can continue to sell our material.")

Obviously this went through PR for a large company, and, you know, sounds like it. The responsible thing to do is to wait for the final document. With that said I do not think it's unreasonable to consider things with a measure of good faith, which is to say: the leak was a draft, it was not intended to be released as it was, and there was intended to be a (far more controlled) comment period for creators once a public-facing draft version was ready.

For what it's worth: More generally, I do recommend being very thoughtful about what subscriptions you maintain, which is why I use D&D Beyond in a fairly limited fashion and only because a DM of mine requested it - I do not use it for DM planning nor did I use it for previous characters. Part of that is because, as you can see in the film/TV industry and music industry, your favorite show or song can be taken off a streaming service on the whim of said service or at the behest of the artist or for many other reasons, but content you actually own will still exist. I think it's worth criticizing this as an ongoing business practice, and I do suspect WoTC will be pushing it for D&D Beyond.

I also think a lot of opportunistic people preyed on people's fears regarding games or shows they have deep emotional attachments to, and that multiple parties in all of this ongoing mess (one of which, to be clear, is WoTC/Hasbro) can all be wrong at once. Also more generally, I do not think this kind of fearmongering is productive, and I do think it's outright harmful to genuinely pragmatic anticapitalist efforts. Lies or even the not necessarily malicious wide dissemination of misinformation are far more dangerous when they validate what you already believe, because you're far more likely to fall for them.

#ogl 1.1 #clownery will as prior be blocked w/o comment

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leam1983 · 2 years

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Sonic Frontiers - Impressions

I follow a certain someone on here who's known in the Sonic fandom for being, well, rather passionate about Doctor Eggman. Watching their reaction, their bigger takeaway seemed to amount to not caring about the environment, the core gameplay loop or the base concept of Frontiers, so long as Mike Pollock gets to land Big Evil Laughs and so long as Sonic Team adds the right amount of belly-jiggle physics to the big lug. I don't really believe there is such a thing as a wrong interpretation of a given product, but, well - I'm fucking biased. One of my friends since my teens has worked for EA and Ubisoft as a Lead Animator, and I've been lucky enough to get a fairly good look into what turns a basic, bare-bones dev document into a working and suitably-polished experience you'd consider market-ready.

Non-gamers tend to consider that designing a game somehow has to be easy; that all you need is a goal, a direction, a prompt that says Tilt Stick to Move and you're basically good to go. If you're familiar with the work of insider journalists like Tom Bissell or kept up with Danny O'Dwyer's Noclip Studios, then you know that even in their garage-band years, most studios can slave away at a core design doc for months before so much as rendering anything. Concepts are tested, working components are crudely assembled to see if you really can "find the fun" in there, and you slowly watch as a coherent project emerges. I'm reminded of Myst, for instance, and its dozens of abortive extrusion tests and early rendering passes designed just so the Millers would have the vaguest idea of their landmass' ideal topography.

Sonic Frontiers, in comparison, feels like Sonic Team once again missed the hoop, but had the balls to turn to the camera mid-swing, to lob a fairly cringeworthy "swoosh!" joke in front of an audience of millions. Their designers rightfully identified one of Sonic's primary design pillars - going fast - figured out what would best accomodate said need for speed - open spaces - and then shat the bed in trying to discern just what, exactly, these open spaces could be filled with.

Let's just set a primary point, first: not every game needs to have diegetic elements. I know that, you know that, every gamer knows that. Eggman's pie-in-the-sky tech just works, like a Bethesda Softworks engine, and you're not expected or even asked to figure out what it is that Eggman gets out of isolating Sonic, when he's tried for a similar tactic several times before. Still, despite all this, Frontiers is the exact sort of game where everything you do would make so much more sense if things were properly anchored in the narrative - starting with the main levels' ridiculous size and depth.

There is obviously some sort of plot - Eggers trapping Sonic's buds in Cyberspace (don't ask) and the Blue Blur needing McGuffins to free them; but the exposition tends to come at the worst of times, as has always been the problem with 3D Sonic games. Sound mixing has improved since the days of Sonic Boom, but there's still a few cutscenes where subtitles are an absolute necessity. It doesn't really help to establish the mostly sparse plot, and really doesn't flatter the core design.

So what is said design, exactly? Imagine a cross between The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, but lacking in both games' unique points of articulation. BOTW had several "stroke of genius" moments where you're effectively left to reconsider your tools and the level design that surrounds you, and to organically come up with the solution to an overarching problem. Odyssey starts out extremely hand-holdy and then gradually eases off on the brakes, designed as it is in order to underline the fact that almost every single Mario game could very well be someone's first Mario game. Before catering to the hardcore, Mario caters to the kindergarteners, and arms them with the tools needed to eventually take off their own training wheels.

Sonic looks at this and plops standard linear platforming rails in the 3D space, in the exact same shape and form you might've seen since at least Sonic Generations. You're not really left to piece things or treated to any sort of tuned escalation - things are instead extremely consistent - and you're left with doing more and more of them. You'll run in hamster wheels, kick and punch obstacles to reach point totals, grind on rails, jump between said rails, and collect a shit-ton of Rings while you're at it. The backdrops look nice, but the platforming elements pop in without much fanfare and only haphazardly fill in an empty space that's probably more worthy of a Gilson B. Pontes game.

Who's this guy, you might ask? You need only ask James Stephanie Sterling.

To wit, Sonic Frontiers is to the platforming genre what the FarCry series has become to shooters: it's very, very shiny, quite obviously polished to a mirror-sheen, and has the depth of your average unattended kiddie pool in the middle of a heat wave. It's bland, uninspired, and showcases just how, after all these years, it might be time to either retire Sega's halcyon-days mascot, or to simply grandfather him to a team that actually has their finger on the needs of a specifically Sonic-oriented design doc.

Like, um, I don't know - Christian Whitehead and Headcannon, the pairing responsible for 2017's wildly popular retread of well-honed design principles, in the form of Sonic Mania...

#sonic frontiers #not a review

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thinkingisadangerouspastime · 3 years

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hi! i really like your posts and recently i came across some anti kataang arguments and i would like to see your opinion on that (if you want to answer because you must be very tired of answering those lol)

“i remember perfectly aang forcing himself into katara. not only once, but a lot of times. in that talk they were having during the play it was one of the moments aang was intrusive”

“i saw people saying that katara was jealous of aang with that kids in kyoshi island, which she obviously was not. she was annoyed at them”

“kataang had no development. it feels like a ship made out of nowhere”

“aang is completely obsessed with the idea of katara being his. proof is that episode were the guru tells him he has to let go of her and he choses to break the connection. it’s like: look what i did for you, you should stay with me. aang learning to let go would have been a evolution for his character”

“making them stay together in the end just because aang is the protagonist and has to stay with the girl is boring and adds nothing to the plot”

“he spend years after a girl that never felt the same for him”

hi anon! im very flattered you like my posts 🥰💛 and you’re not wrong that sometimes it gets a lil tiring addressing anti kataang arguments, but that’s because 90% of them are the same foolish rhetoric dressed up in a different costume, lol. i finally have some free time, so i’ll take a stab at these for you!

“i remember perfectly aang forcing himself into katara. not only once, but a lot of times. in that talk they were having during the play it was one of the moments aang was intrusive”

not gonna lie, this particular “argument” made me crack up laughing because they “remember perfectly… lots of times” but can only name one instance 😂 like i am on the floor, because trying to get away with that in a formal essay would earn them nothing more than a goose egg. you need evidence to support a claim, which this “claim” has none of. i mean,, when does aang force himself onto katara?? when katara initiates every cheek kiss they share?? when they are mutual participants in several shared hugs?? don’t get me started on DOBS - the Now or Never Kiss that falls under literally requires reciprocation from both parties, lol. but regarding the ever-so-infamous EIP episode they bring up:

This post talks specifically about EIP and the play’s portrayal of Aang and Katara (and how it cannot be used to define their relationship). This post explains the true source of Katara’s conflict in turning down Aang (i.e. the war itself and the risks the war presents for both of them) and why the EIP kiss did not “ruin” Kataang’s relationship. This post explains how the EIP kiss was resolved through narrative parallels. This post explains how the EIP kiss is so often blown out of proportion. This post explains how Aang did not “threaten” Katara in EIP (with some excellent commentary in the notes, too).

the fact of the matter is that yes, aang overstepped a boundary with katara there. no one has ever contested that because to do so would be to disregard canon, and here’s the thing about kataang shippers: we love atla canon. it gave us everything we wanted and more. (imo, that’s what anti kataangers don’t understand.) the EIP episode can be interpreted as a “low point” for many reasons, but the primary “takeaway” is that the play performed was imperialist propaganda that preyed on the gaang’s insecurities and demeaned them (much to the pleasure of the Fire Nation audience), which had negative consequences, one of which was aang kissing katara largely out of desperation. no one has ever excused that! thus, what i think isn’t clicking with anti kataangers is that aang and katara’s miscommunication in EIP is not a representation of their relationship being doomed to fail. aang made a mistake and immediately backed off without question or hesitation. katara has time to make her own decision and chooses to forgive him. doesn’t it strip more of katara’s agency away to conclude that katara could never ever ever forgive her best friend for a single mistake that - comparatively - could have been a whole lot worse?

(im just saying.)

“i saw people saying that katara was jealous of aang with that kids in kyoshi island, which she obviously was not. she was annoyed at them”

honestly, i have a question for whoever came up with this jfksjdasks. okay, yes, she was annoyed. that’s a given based on her exasperated eye rolls and sighs. but why was katara annoyed with them, hmm?

here’s my thing about katara’s feelings in this ep: jealousy and annoyance are not inherently the same, it’s true. a person can be annoyed without being jealous (obviously). as such, there are essentially two possible interpretations that have validity, although one in my opinion has greater weight in canon:

1. yes, it is possible to interpret katara’s annoyance that episode as being solely related to their delays on kyoshi island. one can reasonably argue that katara’s romantic feelings for aang were not as strong so early in the series (it’s only episode 4, after all, although lbr - she was Looking at aang’s tattoos in episode 1 lmao), and therefore the primary reason she was annoyed at the fangirls is because they were one of the causes extending their stay on the island when katara felt they needed to leave. it’s a fair interpretation.

2. a different and stronger interpretation, in my opinion, is that katara’s irritation was a product of both annoyance at their extended stay and jealousy of the fangirls’ obsession with aang. because here’s the thing about jealousy: it doesn’t have to be some extreme, exaggerated emotion/reaction! when katara gets jealous of on ji in book 3, she makes a single comment about aang and on ji dancing together. when aang gets jealous of jet in book 2 (because of sokka’s teasing), he, too, makes a single comment (i.e. that it would be a bad idea for katara to kiss jet). i bring these two moments up because they explicitly demonstrate within atla canon that reactions of jealousy do not have to be dramatique and outrageous, à la zuko throwing ruon-jian across the room in book 3, lmao. jealousy can be simple! kept to oneself! as such, katara’s disgruntled manner in that episode - which, might i add, is largely if not only shown in reaction to aang with the fangirls - can certainly be interpreted as a quieter form of jealousy akin to several other moments within canon.

more than that, however, if the writers did not at all want jealousy to be an interpretation on the table… why on earth would they have bothered to mention jealousy as a possibility? here’s the relevant excerpt from the episode transcript:

Koko: [Stomps her foot in annoyance and puts her hands on her hips, while another girl happily waves at Aang; irritated.] What’s taking you so long, Aangy?

Cut back to Aang and Katara; the former enthusiastically waves back at his awaiting fangirls, while the latter raises an eyebrow at the scene.

Katara: [Slightly mocking.] Aangy…

Aang: [Enthusiastically.] Just a second, Koko!

Katara: [Sarcastic.] “Simple monk,” huh? [Annoyed.] I thought you promised me that this Avatar stuff wouldn’t go to your head.

Aang: It didn’t. You know what I think? You just don’t want to come because you’re jealous.

Katara: [Close-up; angrily.] Jealous? [More high pitched voice.] Of what?

Cut to a broader shot. Aang moves back slightly, when an irritated Katara resumes to ferociously stuff the basket with more fruits.

Aang: Jealous that we’re having so much fun without you.

Katara: [Irritated.] That’s ridiculous.

(sidebar, but can i just say that seeing “ferociously stuff” to describe putting fruits away is arguably the funniest thing i’ve ever read sjkdhsjalks)

to me, this excerpt alone all but proves katara’s irritation is a mixture of annoyance at the girls’ (and aang’s) behavior/their delayed departure and jealousy regarding how the fangirls’ fawn over aang. katara clearly demonstrates frustration at aang’s seeming lack of concern for their time crunch and how he’s letting his status get to his head (and remember, y’all: this is very early book 1 aang, he’s barely begun to truly reconcile what it means to be the avatar and the last airbender, which is understandable and a-okay! can’t have growth if he doesn’t start somewhere!). that checks out. but next thing you know, katara’s reaction proceeds to dramatically heighten when aang teases the idea of jealousy to her. again: why include this moment if jealousy was never on the table whatsoever as an interpretation for her feelings of irritation? why make katara’s response intensify so strongly if she’s not jealous even a little bit?

in sum, while i don’t think katara’s aggravation is solely fueled by jealousy, the episode itself points to jealousy as at least a part of it. simple!

“kataang had no development. it feels like a ship made out of nowhere”

this take screams willful ignorance, like did they even watch the whole show?? it’s not worth addressing over and over, ngl.

This post and this post explain how Katara’s feelings for Aang develop throughout the series. This post explains how Aang consistently supported Katara throughout the series. This post demonstrates how Kataang is literally ingrained in every episode.

“aang is completely obsessed with the idea of katara being his. proof is that episode were [sic] the guru tells him he has to let go of her and he choses [sic] to break the connection. it’s like: look what i did for you, you should stay with me. aang learning to let go would have been a evolution for his character”

“completely obsessed” h e l p i weep for the lack of brain cells 😭 it is so hard to just say “kataang isn’t my cup of tea” and go?? seriously?? i thought we were past making stuff up to support shipping agendas. lord help us. real quick:

This post explains how Aang never acted like he was “entitled” to Katara’s affections. This post explains how Katara and Aang do not “idolize” each other. This post and this post talk about Aang’s chakra being blocked and unblocked, and how it had to do with fear, not attachment. This post talks about Aang and the Avatar State, explicitly discussing “The Crossroads of Destiny” and the notion of attachment/letting Katara go.

okay, let’s take this claim one sentence at a time:

“the guru tells him [aang] he has to let go of her [katara] and he choses [sic] to break the connection.”

first of all. FIRST OF ALL. can you imagine the hellfire that would have rained down if aang hadn’t chosen to go rescue katara? here is a piece of the episode transcript:

… Right before he is able to completely open the final chakra and master the Avatar State, however, he hears a shriek from Katara and sees a vision of her in chains. At this, he jumps out of the energy sphere and runs away from the Avatar Spirit. The energy bridge that leads him there slowly vanishes behind him until it catches up and falls from underneath him, causing his image to plummet toward Earth. This cuts his connection to the Avatar State, which forces him back to reality.

Aang: Katara’s in danger! I have to go! [Prepares to exit.]

Pathik: No, Aang! By choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra! If you leave now, you won’t be able to go into the Avatar State at all!

Aang hesitates but leaves anyway, leaving Pathik concerned and disappointed.

aang chose to leave because katara was in danger. if he had chosen to stay,, dear god. the vitriol that would have been thrown around. “aang doesn’t really love katara! he chose not to save her!” “aang is so selfish and greedy! he chose power over love!” it’s literally a catch-22. damned if he does leave, damned if he doesn’t leave. #fandomlogic

anyways, yes, sure, aang chose to leave, which at the time broke the connection. he was indeed in avatar state limbo for a Hot Minute. whoop de do.

“it’s like: look what i did for you, you should stay with me.”

logical fallacy: ad hominem, hasty generalization, ∴ not worth our time 💛

“aang learning to let go would have been a [sic] evolution for his character”

i have amazing news for those who perpetuate this take. aang did let her go! he would not have been able to enter the avatar state in COD if he hadn’t! point blank, it is utterly untrue to pretend aang did not “let go” of his attachment to katara. now, im not going to get into the concept of “attachment” here and what it truly meant for aang to have “let katara go” in the book 2 finale (if it was good, bad, etc. etc.). there is a lot of material to work with there that would require like,, an entire post to dig into, if not more. the fact of the matter is that aang did let katara go, and the proof is that he successfully entered the avatar state before azula killed him. the above claim thus sits in complete contradiction to canon and is a moot point.

“making them stay together in the end just because aang is the protagonist and has to stay with the girl is boring and adds nothing to the plot”

“making them stay together” again, is it so hard for someone to just say “kataang isn’t my thing, im gonna stick to fanon pairings, but y’all have fun” i mean that really, really does not seem so difficult to me! also, “making” is a hilarious word to use just because,, atla is a work of fiction. in that respect, the writers “made” everything happen. you cannot escape their sphere of control.

anyways. that’s just funny to me lmao

but no, aang and katara did not get together in a romantic fashion just because aang was the lead male protagonist and katara was the lead female protagonist. i refer back to these posts from earlier:

aang and katara got together because their relationship had been developed since episode 1, duh. reducing their relationship to “lead guy + lead girl” completely disregards the legwork done and the foundation laid for their romantic partnership. like, all someone has to do is rewatch the show 😂 and i hate to break it to whoever created that take, but to say kataang “adds nothing to the plot” again ignores how their relationship is one of the two most important in the show (the other being aang and zuko’s relationship as narrative foils). it is not a cheap coincidence that kataang embodies multiple complementary themes/motifs of atla: push and pull, yin and yang, air and water, oma and shu, etc. etc. their relationship adds emotional depth! how is that not relevant to the plot! atla is a show where just about every relationship is important in some regard (this post touches upon how aang alone transforms all of his friends - think of the bigger picture, then, and how every other dynamic weaves in a crucial thread to create the beautiful tapestry we call atla!).

my point is that kataang is relevant to the plot the way every relationship in atla is, whether or not someone ships/enjoys them. you cannot have a good show without having intimate relationships (emotionally, i mean). can you imagine if someone said zuko and iroh’s relationship wasn’t relevant to the plot?? there is a reason it is such a powerful moment when iroh and zuko reunite in the finale. similarly, there is a reason yue’s sacrifice and sokka’s consequential (and lasting) grief is so poignant. there is a reason it is so heartbreaking when katara and sokka have to leave behind their father at the beginning of tsr. to tie back to kataang, there is a reason it is so hard to watch katara dismiss aang in that same episode. there is a reason so many people are moved when katara pulls aang out of the avatar state when appa is stolen. there is a reason emotional reactions are incited during atla and it is because these relationships are so important!! i don’t care if someone thinks kataang is “boring” - that’s their opinion, they have a right to it. but to insist their relationship wasn’t relevant to the plot? to the story? when in fact it was a key component from episode 1?

are you kidding me?

“he spend years after a girl that never felt the same for him”

“years” lol doesn’t atla take place over the course of a year at most? pretty sure this person didn’t even watch the show 😂 for a third time, i refer to these posts:

i hope i addressed these (nonsensical) arguments to your satisfaction, anon! a lot of them are the same tried-and-failed anti kataang arguments, smh. not to incite new discourse lmao, but it’d be nice if there was at least some variety 😂 thank you again for your kind words, my friend! 💛

#kataang #aang #katara #aanglove #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla analysis #kataangtag #amy answers #anon #amy analyzes

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neurodihuegent · 3 years

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[PART ONE] Huey's character development: season 1 to season 3.

with ducktales 2017 coming to a close in less than two weeks, i thought that now was best of all times to create a post of how i think huey has developed as a character throughout all three seasons. please remember, this post is just based on how I see his character development, and you're free to have your own ideas and/or not agree with all of my points!

1.) learning to adjust to new environments/accepting failures: When we were first introduced to huey's character, one of the biggest take aways was that he's a very "by the book" kind of a person, and has a hard time adjusting to foreign environments or situations that he will need to go with the flow and what he already knows, rather than doing everything by the book.

This was mainly introduced in "The Terror of the Terrafirmians!" in season one, where we could literally see Huey scrambling to make sense of the situation, and at some points, spouting out B.S. to make sense of the situation in his head. While he did end up coming to terms that the Terrafirmians are in fact, very real, he still only decided to believe it once it was documented in his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook.

Progressively throughout the show, we see Huey being put in situations where he has to be able to think quick on his feet rather than anxiously try to sort out all that he knows from the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook. Because of his personality, Huey not only had a hard time adjusting to foreign environments, but it's also been shown that he has a hard time accepting set backs as well. From what we've seen, it's easy to infer that when Huey has his mind set on something, he will do nothing short of achieving that goal: And when said goal is not achieved, or is starting to look like it won't be achieved, he takes it very personally.

This is especially seen in "The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks!" and "The Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchuck!": Where in "The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks", even though Huey was definitely more qualified for the position by a significant amount, when Dewey got the position, his first instinct was to get angry instead of congratulate his brother: Granted, Dewey wasn't completely deserving of the position over Huey, and at this point, Huey was just a kid still learning how to manage his emotions, but his instictive reaction tells a lot about his character at the time. Thankfully, we see this progress with "The Challenfe of the Senior Junior Woodchuck!", where Huey is once again put in a situation where the odds were against him, considering that this time around, Violet was more qualified and prepared for the position than he was. At first, Huey does take this badly, getting super anxious that he'll have to do a challenging, dangerous course that no 11-12 year old probably should be doing, on his lonesome without even the help of the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, which has been shown to be a source of comfort for Huey. At one point, he is only surviving through the course by creating a talking Junior Woodchuck Guidebook in his head, but even that goes south as he gets so overwhelmed and anxious to the point where he sets it on fire in his head. Eventually, noticing how far he's fallen behind Violet, and realizing how deserving she is of the title over him despite his love for everything Junior Woodchucks, he is able to come to terms with the fact that he lost, and instead of getting upset or beating himself up for it, he gracefully allows her to be announced as the winner, and shows her his full support. This is meaningful, because if this was season 1 Huey, we honestly can not say that his reaction to his loss would've been the same: He probably would've gotten a lot more upset about it than he actually did in season 3.

"Quack Pack!", despite somewhat being more of a comedic episode, also sheds light on how Huey's learned to adjust with a change in environment: He was the first character (other than Donald, who was fully aware) to pick up on the fact that they are in an alternate universe, set inside of a 1990s sitcom, and becomes increasingly anxious about it as a result, especially since everyone was pretty much oblivious of it at first. However despite this, when the family confronts Donald about the wish, while Donald does make a compelling point of how this scenario gives them a sense of normalcy and security, Huey also brings up the fact that despite the hardships they may face, adventuring is an integral part of their new found family. Even though Huey has always been pretty enthusiastic about adventuring, especially in comparison to Louie and pre-season 3 Donald, there has been times where adventuring has caused him anxiety due to being confronted with new settings or situations that he doesn't immediately know how to handle, so considering this, I think that line alone has shown the great improvement Huey has made with adjusting.

2.) embracing "The Duke": in the first two seasons, while we always had somewhat of an idea that huey was the triplet that inherited the infamous McDuck anger, "The Duke" wasn't something that was necessarily explored much in the first two seasons, leading people to believe that it was just for comedic plot. However, in season 3, we finally got an image of what "The Duke" actually is and represents, alongside with how Huey truly feels about this side of him.

Based on my perception of "The Split Sword of Swanstantine", Huey sees The Duke as an entire separate entity from himself rather than just how far his anger can really go, decides to completely reject this side and keep it locked away in his brain. Of course, we've had our early season moments where The Duke "slipped out", but for the most part, leading up to The Split Sword of Swanstantine, we never really got a full glimpse of what exactly the Duke is: and given his personality, it makes sense as to why Huey was rejecting this side of him instead. Not only does The Duke represent one of Huey's most vulnerable states, but knowing how far his anger can go, goes completely against the side of his personality that he does allow to shine: Being orderly, being well put together, and being the brain of his sibling trio, which being blinded by anger would all deter. Despite the strength that embracing his anger gives him, Huey obviously still sees it as a weakness, because it's the side of him he doesn't want people to see, especially those closest to him, because before the events of The Split Sword, Huey didn't exactly have the greatest control of his anger, so while nobody would want to think of it, no one knows how far he could really go if he's pissed enough.

However, thanks to the encouragement of Lena, Huey was finally able to embrace that side of him, and fully gain control over his anger which is something we don't typically see with the infamous McDuck Anger, given that the only way he could defeat Steelbeak who had an obvious advantage, was to tap into his true strength. The biggest takeaway Huey got from this situation, is that his anger shouldn't be treated as if it's a separate entity, or as if it's something to be embarassed of, but to truly embrace that side of himself, and learn how to control it, all things that he was able to accomplish by the end of "The Split Sword of Swanstantine".

3.) building new relationships:

Since season one, it's been hinted that Huey does struggle a bit on the friendship aspect of things. He does have very close relationships with his brothers and Webby, but even these can be hindered by clashing personalities and differing interests. Even though it's fairly obvious that HDLW all love and support each other like family, Huey has never really exactly been shown to have a bond with someone where he shares completely similar interests: Now, this isn't really important in friendship, often times opposites attract even down to the friendship aspect, but it is nice to have someone where you can just sit and chat about similar interests, and do stuff together that you'll both enjoy.

The first time we've gotten a hint at Huey struggling with making friends was in "The Day of the Only Child!", where, if the Beagle Brothers didn't show up, Huey would've been out of luck with finding two other participants for the three-man cookout, considering that everyone else was already paired up and Louie and Dewey were already off doing their own things for the day. Also hinted in that same episode, is the fact that Huey make struggle with loneliness as well (Huey "Be horribly alone." Dewey: "For once!"), given that he's spent most if not all of his life constantly with his brothers and Donald, so even if him and his brothers did have fall outs every here and there, he could always rely on them to be there given that outside of them, he didn't rely have any other friends.

Now, this somewhat turns around in season 2, when we're introduced to Fenton, who Huey not only idolizes as Gizmoduck, but looks at like a genuine best friend and most likely, as an older brother figure. Besides Huey's admiration of Gizmoduck, it's been shown that they bond over their similar interest in science, and in general, Huey is constantly looking out for Fenton and always wanting to protect his best friend from any danger or hurt that he himself can prevent. Despite Fenton undoubtedly being Huey's closest friend, I think that it's also important to shed light on the friendships that he's made that are more in his age group.

Following the events of Astro BOYD!, we are introduced to Boyd and Huey's friendship, two characters that existed in the show prior but never had any interactions. Huey and Boyd bond over their interest in the Junior Woodchucks, something that we once again see Huey get backlash for from his fellow Woodchucks, for being too "by the book" and not just "relaxing and being a kid" (even going as far to label him as a "robot"). Even in Boyd's malfunctioning, Huey is determined to stay by his side until the end, not only because of their shared interests and the bonding they began to do at the very beginning of the episode, but also because Huey understood what it was like to be cast away and treated as less just for being different (or in Huey's words, "wired a little differently"). Even though Fenton is Huey's closest friend by a margin, I would consider Boyd's friendship with him really meaningful, at least given the circumstances of how they became friends in the first place: Two people who were cast aside, for not being what society considered the "perfect/normal kid", and instead of people working with them, they were just cast aside easily. Considering how fast Huey probably had to grow up given the circumstances of living with Donald who, despite being an amazing father figure, dealt with poverty pretty often, it's no wonder why he's very mature for his age and very "by the book", but it's also no wonder why kids who probably didn't have to grow up with those circumstances, would easily be turned off. Louie and Dewey are a lot more understanding considering they grew up in the same setting, but even they dealt with it differently, often leading to their personalities clashing, which is even lampshaded in this episode as another insecurity of Huey's when building relationships ("Are you sure you want me to continue? My brothers are usually *begging* me to stop.).

We're also introduced to another friendship at the very beginning of season three, with Violet. Even though at the beginning, things were a bit rocky considering how anxious Huey was getting from the Senior Woodchuck competition, and his determination to beat Violet, even to the point of leaving him behind when she probably needed him the most, by the end of the episode, we see both Violet and Huey not only reconcile, but start to actually bond. During this high stress situation, Violet was a great source of relief for Huey, using her own experiences of failure to inspire Huey to not give up, and that even if he does lose (which he did) in this specific situation, there'll be more opportunities because he is great when it comes to the Junior Woodchucks. Even when Violet wins, instead of being bitter which would definitely be expected considering that Huey is a child and how much he was anticipating winning, he is able to put his grievances aside and congratulate her because she helped him greatly during a point of weakness. Even if Violet and Huey's friendship didn't end up as closeknit as his and Boyd's, or as prominent as his and Fenton's, I think this was still a meaningful connection for him as Violet was great balance for the anxiety that he was feeling at the time, and despite him leaving her behind, she beared no ill will towards him.

This is only the first part, where I examined what I felt were the key component to his character development over the last three seasons, and the next post will focus on other aspects that weren't as focused on during the series!

#huey masterpost #huey duck #ducktales

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rametarin · 3 years

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What's your takeaway on the whole "men have built this world's problems so they don't get to feel bad about it affecting them" take? Or the new surge of hatred towards men due to Bill Cosby's release (and the idea that men in general get away with sexual assault regardless of class)

Same old shit, anon.

Before they gave that point of view a name and an organized set of beliefs, they'd just sneak that rhetoric and direction into any conversation about any given problem between the sexes. At least in this modern day they'll call it The Patriarchy- rather than just use flowery, neutral, benign seeming language to have plausible deniability about it.

Take the right to vote, for example. Women had the right to vote, as did men. Then it was revised so UNLESS you were someone that had to go to war and die for your country, you didn't get to vote. And women were exempted from going to war for biological reasons, economic reasons, and just simple ergonomic reasons. So, naturally, they couldn't vote.

When the suffragettes fought to give women the right to vote, how did they fight for it? Did they fight to remove the draft for both sexes and fight for women to get the right to vote on the basis of citizenship, not applicability for serving the military? No. Did they argue to also draft women, because women deserved the same rights and responsibilities as men? No, they wanted the rights but didn't want the responsibilities or obligations the men did. Did they do anything but revise it just enough to say, "Women can vote just by being alive :^)"? No.

The minute your group claims it's for civil rights and you have the opportunity to change something to improve it, but only for your demographic, you become responsible for that group's continued abuses. That's why we don't attribute slavery to Britain that continued under the newly formed United States' rule. The moment that country was founded and didn't immediately abolish slavery (and there were practical and economic reasons not to for a bit) they became responsible for that.

And similarly, the suffragettes and feminists are not exempt of responsibility for giving themselves the right to vote on the basis of sex, but not men. They had the opportunity to either change the rules to allow women to be inducted by the draft, abolish the draft as the prerequisite to being able to vote for anybody, etc. They chose to endow themselves with a right purely for their sex and say, "fuck you, I got mine, you aren't my responsibility" to the men. The men that supported them, the men that consented for their little princess party that changed the right to vote from one of given by drafted, compulsory military service, to a national, civil right based on being alive and a citizen- if you're a woman. Not contingent of dying in a war.

Most problems men face today are like that. Because feminism dusted its hands, went, "Not my problem, you're the oppressor. I'm out for mine because freeing me frees the people that matter." And then smugly passed the buck on for men to change things for themselves if they wanted anything at all.

This is why feminism does not and cannot speak up on behalf of men's rights. They only see men as a secondary extension of women, and think whatever rights are endowed to women do not belong to men equally, as equal rights on the basis of being a man threatens their endowed, sexual budgets and entitlements from society.

As for Bill Cosby; it was inevitable. I don't know whether or not Bill Cosby actually dateraped all those women. I'm going to assume he did, because he accepted responsibility. But the outrage over his recent release was inevitably going to spill into "convuhsayshun uwu" about "male privilege," and his release rather than dying in prison, proof this society treats men like gods and women like tenga eggs.

Never one to waste opportunity to try and shape the imaginations and minds of young women to turn them into emotional, radical, bitter teenaged Social Justice Warriors, naturally The Conversation would be how Cosby being released for whatever nebulous reasons "must" be proof.

While simultaneously turning a blind eye to the fact the reason rape is so narrowly defined around if a man forcefully had sex with a woman, and the reason most all domestic violence arrests are men, is because of radical feminist policy making, proving not only are they just as cemented in our institutions, but our institutions also lean towards erring on the side of caution to give women the benefit of the doubt in all cases.

They'll happily point at much publicized examples of people like Cosby getting off free, whether that's true or not, and then use that as background dressing for their rant about how misogynistic and androcentrist this "society" is. While kicking under the rug just who, by the Duluth model, gets to go to prison if the police are called for a domestic violence dispute.

Unless the circumstances are BLATANTLY, BRAZENLY, OBVIOUSLY one sided, like a woman is stabbing a man that's holding a baby with a steak knife, an arrest WILL be made, and the "taller," "larger," person will be taken in, as an arrest HAS to be made for a domestic violence call. We do not arrest women and stick them in prison just because men call the cops; you cannot say the same when it comes to women.

Similarly for rape. You could be a woman, strap on a big ole horse dick and dilate the buttholes of half a county's worth of questionably aged minors, and in the past, not one legal definition of, 'rape' would stick, because rape was defined as using a biological penis, and/or being a biological male. You weren't male? You couldn't be charged for rape. Just sexual assault and battery.

And then radfems would want to have "convuhsayshuns uwu" about how men are bad and the rape statistics about whom is raping whom would prove it. Because, you know, "As a feminist, I an committed to FACTS and LOGIC and actual RESEARCH to support MY points. Not feelings and outrage and baseless assumptions! I'm a secular realistic FEMINIST!"

Then barrage you with bad faith requests to, "see your statistics and studies :^)" Knowing full well academia wasn't readily available to fucking gradeschoolers unless their parents were creepy intellectuals or something, and access to ones that didn't have this ideological confirmation bias was even more rare. If you couldn't produce any almighty holy writ evidence or counterargument based on these "professionals" writings, they'd do the verbal equivalent of today's "KUNG POW PENIS LOL" and then mock you in front of their friends, and shit.

So they had the very criteria that cops and feds used to record the incidences of rape based on bad, skewed values, designed to spare women from being charged with responsibility for rape or abuse. Then they cited these statistics that skewed so badly showing 90%+ of all rapes and domestic violence charges were from men.

So they could just “stawt a convuhsayshun” making broadsweeping, inflammatory statements like, “men commit practically all the violence in the home,” or, “men are rapists because they’re men and men rape very frequently and it’s very common,” and talk about it like that’s just a thing MOST men do, boo on men, men bad.

And if you dared challenge them on it, out come the cooked statistics and bias in the professions that led to them, where they then “humbly” try to get you to put forth counter-evidence. Since they assert unless you have any, then your opinion is worthless and you’re an emotional crybaby. They will not hesitate to insult your character or intelligence and assert their use of “objective facts” makes their argument sound and yours shit.

Youtube atheists doing that shit learned these lessons by diffusion from their millenial childhoods being tormented by these disingenous groomed baby radfems.

So them using the Cosby thing to sow this outrage is nothing new.

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panharmonium · 4 years

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well, we started season 5 the other night.

[disclaimer again for anyone who doesn’t know me: i’m rewatching because I NEVER FINISHED SEASON 5. i have never seen the last four episodes. i don’t know how it ends. please help me enjoy (or, you know, maybe not enjoy, given how things are going in the first two episodes, but...experience, at least) season 5 without spoilers. thank you!]

i’m going to try to keep up with posting some things during season 5, but despite the fact that i don’t actually know how it ends, this season still kind of makes me feel like i’m being marched to my own execution, and sometimes i feel TOO emotionally invested in what’s going on to even want to write about it, but we’ll see how much i get done.

anyway - the most important takeaway i want to put down about the opener is that merlin is a mess.

the writers/directors do a really great job of flipping the script between seasons 4 and 5. in season 4, arthur was the disaster, and merlin was the one who had to take charge of everything. but in season 5, arthur's gotten his life together, and merlin’s the one having a crisis.

the turnaround that arthur makes between S4 and S5 is amazing. it’s like he’s a completely different person. a better person. i love seeing him like this - after spending all of season 4 so fed up with him, suddenly i get into season 5 and finally see the king i was looking for. there’s no more agonizing over what people will think of his decisions or what his father would do - he just looks inside himself and does the right thing. he’s confident. comfortable in his leadership role. and you can see that it’s changed his entire demeanor. despite everything that’s happening, he never seems excessively worried about their situation. he never seems overly stressed (in contrast to merlin, who is losing his mind) - he stays positive and just does what has to be done. he seems happy.

it’s the kind of peace of mind that comes from being certain that you’re doing the right thing. he almost never experiences that in season 4, but in season 5, he’s finally comfortable with who he is and what he’s doing. even the tone of his confrontation with morgana is different than it was in S4 - he’s not second-guessing everything he did that could have made her hate him anymore. he regrets the situation they’re in, but he’s not tearing himself up over it. he’s not afraid of her.

merlin, on the other hand -

merlin is afraid of everything.

merlin in season 5 is a grade A disaster. the - you remember how in this old piece i kept saying ‘merlin’s life does not revolve around arthur pendragon?’

well, it didn’t, then. but it sure as hell does now.

and not in a nice ‘you’re my best friend’ kind of way, either. the fear of what’s coming - the idea that Something Bad is coming for arthur and that only merlin can stop it from happening, the fear that everything he’s worked for will come to nothing - it swallows merlin whole. it changes him. from the very first episode, his fear twists him into something unrecognizable. like - even before mordred comes on the scene, after annis says that it’s likely gwaine and percival are still alive and being held captive - merlin tries to convince arthur not to rescue them. he says “i’m not sure we should go to ismere.”

like - excuse me? merlin’s advocating for NOT rescuing someone? for just leaving his friends to die? for abandoning GWAINE, of all people?

something’s wrong. something’s big-time wrong.

and it’s not like we’ve never seen hints of this...ruthlessness in him before. merlin's worst moments have always tried to poke through when he gets too caught up in what kilgharrah tells him is “supposed” to happen, when he lets his fear of failing at his destiny override his natural compassionate instincts. he almost leaves mordred to be captured in 1.08. he almost allows uther to be assassinated in 1.11. he does poison morgana in 2.11, though i’ll grant that that was in dire circumstances and under extreme duress. for the most part, though, in moments like these, merlin’s better nature wins out, and he ends up defying the “demands of destiny” to do what he thinks is the right thing, the better thing, the kinder thing. even when confronting morgana in the crypts in the S3 opener, he tells her “it doesn’t have to be like this. we can find another way.”

but this season, merlin’s better nature is losing. he’s losing himself. and it’s noticeable, even to other characters. arthur tells him “i’ve not seen you smile these past three days,” and gaius notices he’s not himself:

what happened to the young boy who came into my chambers just a few years ago?

he grew up.

which is, of course, exactly what morgana says to arthur in 5.2.

watching this happen is the most devastating thing. it’s TRAGIC. for a character whose base personality has always been so sunny - how absolutely inconceivable is it to hear arthur advocating mercy in a situation where there was no need for further violence, and then to have merlin be the one shouting “you should have killed him!”

the juxtaposition of ‘he showed us kindness’ with ‘YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM!’ is horrifying. like. good god. even arthur thinks it’s bizarre. he literally turns to look at merlin and goes “what is WRONG with you?”

and then when they’re contemplating getting inside the fortress, merlin says again “i told you. you should have killed him when you had the chance.”

and arthur gives him this look and the tiniest little shake of the head.

what is wrong with you.

last season, it was merlin telling arthur “this isn’t like you.” this season, somebody desperately needs to tell merlin the same thing.

it’s bad. it’s bad, bad, bad. that’s all i can say about it. we’re only at the opener of the season and merlin’s entire life has already been consumed by this fear. everything else falls by the wayside. he does things that go completely against his nature. it’s a far cry from the merlin of yesteryear, who fought the dragon every step of the way when kilgharrah tried to make him abandon morgana or let the druid boy die or even allow uther to be killed. it’s a far cry from the merlin of 2.11, who shouted “where does it say my destiny includes murder?!” it’s a far cry from the merlin of previous seasons, who said things like this:

you're telling me that little boy is going to kill arthur?

it seems that is up to you.

no. you can't know that for certain.

you have it in your power to prevent a great evil.

there must be another way. the future isn't set in stone.

does season 5 merlin not remember what happened the last time he acquired a little bit of foreknowledge and tried to actively stop the future from happening? he ended up causing the exact events he was trying to prevent.

i repeat - HE ENDED UP CAUSING THE EXACT EVENTS HE WAS TRYING TO PREVENT!

and obviously i haven’t finished this season, so i don’t know, but i just don’t think anything good can come of this constant ‘trying to get mordred killed’ thing merlin has going on. so far, mordred hasn’t even done anything to hurt any of them. i actually like mordred, in fact, from what we’ve seen of him. and yeah, okay, probably i’m going to get burned for that later, but the merlin we knew before would always rather get burned for trusting someone and seeing the best in people instead of just advocating for cold-blooded murder.

like - maybe mordred IS secretly evil! maybe he is! but merlin in previous seasons would never have just taken kilgharrah’s word for it. he always used to say ‘we can find another way. there must be another way.’

nowadays, it’s like he’s given up. he is single-mindedly focused on the only purpose he can see for his life anymore, and that purpose is simple, stark, and cold: ‘make sure arthur doesn’t die.’ there is literally no room in his life for anything else.

and you know - some people would see that as like...i don’t know. romantic, or something. beautiful. but i don’t.

arthur and merlin actually love each other in this season, and i think that’s beautiful. arthur’s finally gotten out of ‘be a dick’ mode, and even in just the opener he displays genuine care and concern about merlin, and that’s beautiful. the two of them are on more equal footing than they ever have been in the past - for the first time, it feels to me like they’re actually friends - and that’s beautiful, too.

but the utter collapse of merlin’s entire sense of self and the dissolution of any bit of his life and worth that doesn’t have to do with ‘make sure arthur doesn’t die?’ that’s not beautiful at all. merlin is miserable in season 5. he’s lost so much of what made him who he was. he’s hidden himself away for so long that the lie has stuck; he hardly remembers who he used to be, and he’s stopped hoping for better, because people kept telling him ‘your time will come’ but it NEVER DID, and arthur is king now but NOTHING HAS CHANGED, and i don’t think merlin’s ever felt more alone than he is when we see him in S5.

i don’t think he remembers what it was like to think things could be different. it’s been three years since he had a friend to love him for who he was. lancelot is dead. ealdor feels like a dream. he has gaius, and that’s all - the rest of his life is a lie. and it’s like he’s resigned himself to it now. he doesn’t talk about telling the truth anymore. he doesn’t chafe at not being able to reveal himself. this is the season where he literally hears arthur say ‘maybe my father was wrong, maybe not all sorcery is evil’ and then merlin declines an opportunity to free himself, just to make sure mordred will die.

it visibly kills him to do it. you can see the agony of that decision on his face. the pain that he is in during this season is slowly destroying him. but it’s like he doesn’t think he has other options. he’s given up on his own life, he’s given up on his own liberation, he’s given up on anything that isn’t ‘make sure arthur doesn’t die.’

i hate that this is all he thinks his life can be. i hate that he thinks this is all he was fashioned for. merlin at his core has always been such a happy, hopeful, sunny person. he’s always looked at things and seen the good. he’s always been so curious, and gregarious, and loving. he’s always had a smile for everybody. but so much of that has just been crushed, now, under fear and stress and isolation.

i don’t know. this is only the first two episodes and it puts such a feeling of grief - and dread - into my heart. i worry for the future.

#the once and future slowburn #meta #long post #merlin is my favorite character #this is weird for me because i almost never cleave to the protagonist in things #it's almost always someone slightly to the side #but merlin has been my favorite from day one #and from day one the premise of this show has always been this promise:#that we are heading for the golden age #that it's going to be a lot of trials and tribulations but the reward at the end is 'the time the poets speak of'#and merlin will get to have his good ending #everybody keeps telling merlin that one day he won't have to hide anymore #and for merlin what that means is 'i will get to be loved'#all this time merlin has just been trying to get to a moment where HE WILL BE LOVED #where he will be free #and look #i am four episodes away from the end #either we're going to get to the golden age really fucking quick #or something is about to go horribly fucking wrong #and all i can say is if that damn dragon has been lying to us this whole time #i am going to find him and finish uther's work myself #merlin deserves better than that #(i realize it might be tempting to come to my inbox and say 'oh boy just you wait')#(PLEASE for the love don't do this)#(just let me get there)#(i'll finish within two weeks)#(and i'll experience the requisite relief or embittered rage once i do)#(thank you; i appreciate y'all immensely)#(<3)

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1shorteveningdresses2019 · 4 years

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lunias-takes-on-homestuck · 4 years

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My Classpects Through the Years

I started getting into Homestuck in late 2012, about a year after [S] Cascade dropped, and like most of y’all I got pretty interested in the system of Classes and Aspects.

...Okay, I got obsessed with it. Who wouldn’t? A highly-flexible system of essentially taking an aspect of reality and interpreting it through the lens of a key verb or idea, creating unique and self-determined power sets limited only by your own imagination? That’s wild. And when I say I got into it, I mean I really got into it. I dove deep into Homestuck’s lore, reading up on popular and somewhat fringe theories about what each Aspect related to, how the Classes utilized them, what the potential Active/Passive pairings were, and how certain Aspects seemed to oppose each other. I even went so far as to contribute to a theory regarding the future of Tavros Nitram, which... didn’t exactly pan out as expected... but it was a ton of fun! And of course, while I was certainly interested in what this all meant for our cast of characters, I was also interested in how it could be interpreted and/or applied to real people.

People are, of course, far more complicated than a simple personality test could possibly explain, but I still got a lot of entertainment out of trying to pin down the classpects of characters or people I knew irl. Which naturally included me. Looking back on it, I think it’s very interesting to see the progression in ideas that led up to my more recent musings, so I figured it would be cool to dive into that and share my past and current classpects here!

Credits:

All images are pulled from the Homestuck Classpect Chart Updated posted by JosiahR94 on DeviantArt.

Artists: Zynchilada (compiled, partially drawn) and Owyn (updated at original resolution). Both blogs listed on the artwork have since been deactivated.

2012-2013 - Knight of Breath

This one is the byproduct of some test manipulation on my part - the fan test I was using was based on MBTI and Jungian archetypes, and honestly I’ve never found them to remain accurate for longer than a couple months at a time. I’ve wound my way around four different MBTI results over the years so I’m not inclined to use them as the basis for much, especially since the original test included fan-created classes and aspects that I really didn’t understand or jive with. But even once I narrowed it down to strictly canonical classes and aspects, I still wound up going with the 3rd-most accurate one. At the time I saw the Knight as the Active Exploiter class, the type to jump into action and wield their aspect as a weapon. I really related the idea of a detached loner who was fiercely protective of their friends, and John had shown off very, very recently (for me, anyway) just how powerful wind could be. The powers were sick, the outfit was neat, and it was absolutely wrong in nearly every way. Nearly. But we’ll get to that.

2013-2015 - Seer of Doom

You’re probably a little familiar with this one if you’ve been keeping up with Homestuck theorists lately, as there are two prolific content creators I know of who identify as Seers of Doom. For some time, I did too! The change was largely brought about because I thought my initial Knight of Breath result hadn’t been accurate enough, and also because I wanted to try my hand at classpecting myself without the aid of tests. At the time I was really feeling the Doom aspect and I saw myself as a guide (or maybe a teacher?) so it felt like it fit. There was just one sliiiight problem - I was entirely focused on how the Doom aspect related to the problems I was having in my life, rather than how I viewed the world around me and interacted with it. I still felt like I was sort of onto something with Doom, but it took some major life events to give me the nudge I needed to see things a little more clearly...

2015-2020 - Sylph of Life

For me, 2015 felt like the year I was finally coming out of my funk and figuring my shit out. It’s the year I started taking college courses (well, a college course), getting into meetups, making new friends, and reinventing myself. At some point I decided that the issue with my initial Doom analysis was that I was overly focused on the challenges I had instead of how I actually dealt with them, and my new aggressively-optimistic outlook would simply not mesh with Doom. Not one bit. I also felt that my class didn’t quite fit, and Sylph was sitting right there with their magick-y healing and creation powerset -- the ultimate support, and the type of person who makes their own way through life by simply refusing to accept they could be stopped or put down by anything. By the time the Extended Zodiac Quiz came out in 2017 and confirmed I was Lifebound, I had already proven to be on top of my game in college in a creative field. I joined our LGBT+ club and started somewhat aggressively railing against overly-restrictive labels and social constructs in Contemporary English to the point that I was exceeding the page limit on our essay assignments on a regular basis and still felt I wasn’t saying everything I wanted to say. Sylph of Life just clicked for me in a way the Knight of Breath and Seer of Doom never had, so I figured I’d nailed it.

Then, earlier this year, I found out I was actually a girl.

2020-Present - Knight of Life... or maybe Heart???

Imagine for a minute that you’re at a theater watching some movie through the perspective of the protagonist. You think you’ve got the plot all figured out, you’re guessing every story beat, and then in the last 5 minutes the big twist reveals the protagonist has unwittingly been an unreliable narrator for the last two hours. Literally everything you thought you understood has been flipped on its head, and it’s still good but it’s all very confusing. You leave the theater wondering what you just watched, and as you turn on your car you suddenly realize there were subtle hints foreshadowing the twist for over half the film. With every passing second the pieces start coming together, and you just know that watching it again would leave you going “How the hell did I miss that?!”

That’s about the best way I can explain what I’ve been experiencing for the past four-ish months. All the puzzle pieces I had put together were thrown totally out of whack and I’m finding every day that there are aspects of myself and my personality that I never knew where there. Discovering myself is hard work, but it’s a wonderful feeling, and it’s no wonder that on the heels of this I’m seriously vibing with the aspect relating to Personal Identity. That said, I still find myself parsing labels and identity through the lens of Life - words which are too restrictive to properly convey who I am, and an experience that can’t be explained or constrained by the stereotypical narrative people tend to have about people who are bisexual, polyamorous, transgender, and at once more complicated than those words can really describe. When I take the Extended Zodiac Quiz I find that I’m still Lifebound, but changing even a single question by a single step leaves me Heartbound instead, and I think that dichotomy really mirrors where I feel I’m at as a person.

Class-wise, I feel drawn to both Sylph and Knight to a degree, but in the years since I first chose the Knight of Breath classpect I have come to understand the class as a Passive Server - one who gives for the benefit of others - and that speaks to me. The wonderful Mythological Class Quiz by @homestuckexamination has only confirmed my suspicions about that. I have yet to decide between Knight of Life and Knight of Heart, but they’re both very interesting classpects imo, and either way I’m sure I’ll be spending far too much of my free time developing powers and things for them :P

Takeaway

Whew, that’s a lot of words! But what exactly does it all mean? Well... if you ask me, Classpecting is sort of a process. I’m sure that, years down the line, I’ll probably say I had it all wrong and I’m actually some other combination of class and aspect, and I’ll reminisce about the days when I was so obviously misreading myself. But that’s kind of the fun of it, isn’t it? It’s just another form of personality quiz, albeit one where you get sick powers and a nifty set of pajamas at the end. And for all the good that introspection can do to help you understand yourself a little better, you better believe I’m going to be spending the next hour or two debating whether passing out heals and buffs while tanking everything would be more cool than body-surfing and turning enemies into clones à la Agent Smith in The Matrix: Reloaded.

#Homestuck #Classpecting #Knight of Breath #Seer of Doom #Sylph of Life #Knight of Life #Knight of Heart #Lunias Takes #Lunias Personal

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bngtanah · 4 years

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The Difference Between Boys & Girls | o2

summary: Sam & Erin are university students who share a cheap one bedroom apartment above a shitty takeaway restaurant. Due to the limited space, they’ve grown accustomed to sharing just about everything, including the occasional kiss. Despite the amount of time they spend together, their complete comfort in sharing a bed, etc, the pair continues to hold on to the idea that they are completely “platonic.” None of their friends believe this excuse, but as ridiculous as it sounds the unconventional living situation truly does seem to work for them.

Well, it used to anyway..

pairing: Jung Hoseok (Samuel Park) x Named OC characters: meet the cast.

genre: angst, smut, fluff

chapters: o1| o2| o3| o4| o5| o6| o7| o8| o9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14

warning: boyfriend!hoseok, jealous!hoseok, friends to lovers trope, college au, angst, sexual themes, slow burn, ambw

a/n: i am a fool. I accidentally deleted my blog so this is me re-uploading EVERYTHING.

With her body wrapped in a dress that stopped just a couple inches below her ass, bare shoulders and a sheer cutout in the front Sam was having a hard time keeping his eyes from travelling along the contours of Erin's body.

Originally she planned on wearing just a pair of jeans and a cute top, thus ensuring that she would attract the least amount of attention when they reached their destination. That all changed when Samuel decided he was going to tag along, she didn't mind all eyes being on her as long as he was by her side.

And of course, the surge of confidence she felt after having caught Sam's eyes widen and his mouth drop open slightly when she stepped out of the bedroom may have had something to do with it also. He had managed to settle his features and avert his gaze once Erin joined him for their obligatory pregame shot in the kitchen, making sure to keep his distance like he was drinking with his baby sister and not some woman he'd leer at in a dim nightclub.

His reaction only made Erin stifled a giggle after she allowed the alcohol to ease down her throat. He could play it cool all he wanted, Erin knew she had ruffled his feathers and that alone was almost enough to make their whole night worth it before it even began.

"Aren't you, like...cold? In that dress?" Samuel asked, uttering his first full sentence since they'd left the apartment.

Erin only shook her head and made a small noise to demonstrate her disagreeing.

Samuel scoffed and moved closer as they walked in stride, he knew better than to believe her when she was obviously freezing. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side, the pad of his thumb drumming lightly against her hip. "Like hell you're not."

The touch burned through the flimsy layer of cloth and Erin was sure her cheeks would be flushed if she had any less melanin in her skin.

She couldn't allow her mind to read too much into his actions, however. As far as she knew Samuel had always been a very hands-on kind of guy. If he liked you, you knew because he'd find any excuse in the book to touch you. But there was also the side of his personality that just radiated affection when he was comfortable, the occasional hand grab, hug, caress usually mean nothing more to him than simply being friendly.

Sammy just liked human contact and sometimes it honestly drove Erin nuts.

"I think we're almost there" Erin commented as she glanced down at her cell phone, rereading the address Kim sent her a few hours earlier. "It should be on the left after this intersection."

"This doesn't really look like a good location for a bar" Sam noted as he glanced around their surroundings.

The streets were considerably empty for a Friday night and the few people they did see shuffling around looked like they were auditioning for part in Rent. Definitely not the young hip crowd either of them had been expecting.

Five minutes, and one wrong turn later they figured out exactly why the area seemed so dead.

The 'fun night out' Erin had been invited to turned out to be a gallery showing for a few unknown local artists. The air of excitement deflated the second Erin and Sam entered the building.

Kim was there at the entrance, craning her head back and forth and when she spotted Erin she beamed, and waved wildly. The second she did a quick scan of Erin's attire and noticed the handsome young man attached to her hip, her smile dulled considerably.

"Unnie! You remember my roommate, Samuel?"

Kim extended a hand, a smile way too broad to be genuine plastered on her lips. "Of course! It's a pleasure to see you again."

She was clearly lying since her nostrils were a bit too flared to be sincere. That didn't stop Sammy from grinning widely and taking her hand, bowing slightly to press his lips lightly to the back of her palm. "The pleasure is all mine."

Erin rolled her eyes gently and quirked her eyebrow in his direction, he winked at her and stood up straight again.

"Right. Well Erin I thought the friend you mentioned bringing along was a girl? Since this is a supposed to be a girl's night out."

And you said we would be going out for a drink, I guess we're both liars huh? Erin thought to herself.

"I know, but she couldn't make it and Sammy decided to volunteer to take her place. He might as well be a girl; you'll hardly notice the difference I promise."

Kim looked skeptical. Like she wanted to push the issue further but decided against it. "Alright he can stay but he has to participate like the rest of us."

"Participate, in what?" Sam asked.

"The post night discussion of course!" Kim answered, with more excitement than necessary as she reached down into her purse and dug out a notebook and pen for each of them. "We're all going to take notes on our favourite pieces and discuss them after the viewing, fun right?"

Erin braved a smile since she was used to Kim's concept of fun. Sam, on the other hand, refused to believe that she was serious as he erupted into a fit of laughter. Erin dug her elbow into his side and gave Kim a look of reassurance, "He has a weird sense of humour, we’re going to love this."

Kim nodded slowly and readjusted the strap of her purse "Okay, if you need anything just find me I'll be around" She began backing away "Oh and the drinks are free if you want one" The petite girl added before turning and disappearing into the shallow crowd.

"Homework, E. Seriously?" Sam began complaining not two seconds after Kim was no longer within earshot.

"What happened to Mr. Positive? The drinks are free that's something, right?"

"It's the only reason I'm still standing here"

"Oh come on, you wouldn't abandon your noona. Especially after you asked to tag along" Erin chuckled as she clipped the pen onto the side of her notebook.

"That's because I thought we would be drinking, not analyzing crappy art"

"Listen, I don't wanna do this anymore than you do. I'm way overdressed and I don't even like art. But at least we're here together and we've already been spotted so it's too early to bail anyway. If you want to continue grumbling I won't stop you but grumble on the way to the bar to get us some drinks."

Sam parted his lips to argue, but the resolve in Erin's eye made him second guess that. They could literally argue all night over this and he wasn't about to upset her when she looked that nice. "You're right," He sighed "You want your usual?"

"Yes please," Erin beamed and leaned upward to peck his cheek before he sauntered away in the direction of the bar with a dopey smile.

Suddenly very aware of the fact that she was standing in the middle of the floor alone, Erin quickly moved towards the nearest display of art. She pulled the pen from her notepad and pretended to be interested in the large canvas splattered with various lines and squiggles. Erin was never very appreciative of art even when she could understand the concept.

"Oh my god, this looks like a goddamn finger painting" She muttered underneath her breath.

A bellow of male laughter tickled Erin's ears from behind and almost made her jump out of her skin. She turned and came face to face with an unfamiliar person. His rounded cheeks made him seem young, much too young to be mixed in with this crowd but once Erin allowed her eyes to drift further down from his face she determined that he was probably in her age bracket. His hair was parted through the middle and pushed away from his face, colored a shade that Erin could only describe as neon tangerine and he wore a smile on his face that made the room seem ten shades brighter. He was tall but only by comparison to Erin, he was still a few inches shorter than Sammy so that brought him right to her eye level.

"Sorry, I didn't realise I was talking out loud," Erin said softly, accompanying her words with a slight bow.

"Don't be, you're not lying" He answered, still trying to stop himself from laughing "I'm Brian by the way."

"Erin"

Brian bit into his lip once his laughter subsided and subtly felt Erin up with his eyes. She pretended not to notice and returned her attention to the painting.

"So I guess art isn't really your thing either?"

"I love it actually, but the use of color and composition here is just lazy and uninspired." Brian commented and took a step closer, he was close enough for Erin to catch the scent of his cologne and a tiny shudder ran down the base of her spine. It was small but significant considering the only man that made her feel that way lately was Sammy. "Look at this area right here" He gestured to the far left side of the canvas "To the untrained eye it would probably look like a deliberate splatter of red paint to represent anguish, but I know that this artist just stepped on a tube and left the mark there."

"Mhm.... wait can you repeat that first thing again," Erin said, quickly putting her pen against the notebook and writing down the gist of what his.

"Are you a journalist?" Brian asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"University student, this is just for my.... study group. How do you know so much about this?"

"Because it's my painting and it only took me about five minutes to finish" Brian grinned and turned to face Erin. He was inches away and the coy smile that spread across his lips when their eyes connected made her chortle. Brian wet his bottom lip with his tongue which inadvertently drew Erin's attention there before the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them broke up the staring contest.

"Uh. The line was long, here's your drink. Who is this?" Sammy asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Erin smiled and took the tumbler of liquid from Samuel "This is Brian, we're making fun of his terrible art. Brian, this is my roommate; Sammy"

Both men nodded toward each other, exchanging a polite handshake before turning their attention back to Erin. Samuel was the first to speak.

"Listen do you really want to stay here all night? The drinks are watered down and I know how much you hate this art crap"

Erin shrugged gently but made a sour face the second she took a sip of her drink, it tasted like cranberry juice mixed with tap water, not vodka.

"Oh gross, let's get out of here before Kim finds me again," She said resting her cup on the nearest flat surface. She was all prepared to sprint out the nearest exit when a hand gently grabbed her upper arm and stopped her in her tracks.

"If you're going to leave can I see your phone before you go?" Brian asked, flirtatious smile still present.

"Why do you need to see my phone?"

"So I can put my number into it"

"Wow, you are subtle!" Erin laughed, taking a second to think of a response. "Ah, what the hell" She sighed and pulled her phone out of her purse, unlocked it and handed it over.

"Oh, what's this? It looks like you're accidentally calling me, that's weird. I guess I'll just have to save your number in my phone as well" Brian mused as his fingers moved over the keypad.

The entire interaction made Sam's lips fall into a flat, disapproving line while Erin giggled like it was the most amusing thing she'd ever seen.

"I hope to see you around sometime, Erin" Brian waved while she and Samuel headed toward the entrance.

"You too"

Instead of going home like Erin thought they would be, she and Samuel ended up at a bar a few blocks down from the warehouse where the gallery viewing was. Kim and all the members of her study group called multiple times but Erin stopped feeling bad about not picking after the first few shots.

Somehow one hour turned into to two and both Sam and Erin were tipsy to say the least they burst out onto the sidewalk, laughing at jokes neither of them were saying out loud.

"Do you know what we should do right now?" Sammy said excitedly, his hands holding onto Erin's shoulders.

"What?"

"Go watch the stars! Like we used to in school... I'm pretty sure there's a park somewhere around here" He muttered to himself but propelled forward anyway, dragging Erin along with him. She allowed him to pull her along as he tried to gain his bearings, she wasn't really ready to go home yet either.

After some trial and error, they managed to find the "park", which was actually just a patch of grass and a small hill but who was complaining?

Sammy motioned for Erin to sit next and she scrunched her nose upward "I don't want my dress to get dirty I'll stand, it's okay."

"Here," He sighed, pulling the jacket he was wearing off his shoulders and laying it down over the grass. "Better princess?"

"Much" Erin grinned as she moved to sit, exhaling a deep breath once she was settled and Sammy's arm found its way behind her. "I can't remember the last time we did this," She said after a beat, glancing up at the illuminated night sky.

"I do. It was the night of my graduation, you rode the bus all the way from Seoul to Daegu just to be there for my ceremony and stayed up with me to watch the stars even though you had a class the next morning." Sammy recalled with fondness in his voice.

"I remember that you begged me for like two hours to sneak out to the beach with you. Then when we actually got there you couldn't stop freaking out about being caught."

"My mother is a very perceptive woman; I still think she noticed me leaving in her sleep!" Sammy retorted and both of them exploded with laughter.

"You made a promise that night too, do you remember that?"

Sam nodded with a smile but didn't saying anything.

"You're just going to make me repeat it by myself?"

"You look so cute when you say it noona"

Erin rolled her eyes, but cleared her throat anyway "I- state your name-"

"Sang-min 'Samuel' Park!"

"-So solemnly swear to live my life to fullest degree of potential and happiness possible from this moment on, recognising that I am no longer a child, but that doesn't I have to turn into a cynical old man. All agreed say aye." Erin was hardly able to finish talking before she gave into the laughter.

"Aye!" Sammy repeated in a squeaky voice and joined Erin in a chorus of giggles and guffaws.

A moment of comfortable silence passed over them once the laughter died down and Erin sighed again, snuggling closer to Sam and leaning backwards on her elbows. "You think you kept your promise? Are you happy, Sam?"

He frowned for a second and shrugged "I'm alright, I've still got you with me so that's good enough for me." He said softly, reaching forward to brush a stray hair out of Erin's eyes and tuck it behind her ear. The tips of his fingers slowly trailed along her jawline as if he was touching her for the first time. When he cupped her jaw in one hand and pulled her face closer his Erin found herself letting him do so.

They had kissed before, games of spin the bottle at high school parties and a few times after having a couple drinks at home. But those could be explained away by a momentary lapse in judgement and raging underdeveloped hormones. This was a deliberate action and Samuel made sure to move at a slow pace to give Erin enough to time to back out if she wanted to.

She didn't want to.

"You looked so good tonight, noona" Sam whispered against the shell of Erin's ear, the bridge of his nose nuzzled against the hollow of Erins cheek and the warmth of his breath fanned over her skin causing heat to spread all over her body. Her breathing grew shallow and her eyes fluttered shut in anticipation, just as his lips barely brushed against her own a loud blaring noise shattered their fairy tale and made them both jump backwards.

"Oh shit, I think that's my phone. Sorry" Erin fumbled around with the clutch in her hands before pulling out her cell phone and preparing to curse out whoever had the misfortune of calling her at that exact moment.

"Hello?" Erin barked into the receiver.

"I- I'm sorry is this not a good time? Were you sleeping?" Brian’s gentle voice momentarily disarmed Erin's annoyance and she shook her head.

"Oh Brian is that you? No... I'm actually not even home yet, Sammy and I stopped for a drink before going home"

"O-oh okay," Brian replied softly, taking a second to think before speaking again "Well maybe you can text me when you home just so I know you're safe."

"I can do that" Erin answered, trying her best to smile even though she noticed the sudden change in Sam's posture, going from relaxed to rigid the second Erin answered the phone. He stood up after she hung up and held out a hand to help her to her feet. After she was standing he leaned down to pick up his jacket and dusted it off before placing it around Erin's shoulders.

"I should get you home."

#jung hoseok #hoseok smut #hoseok scenarios #hobi x oc #bts scenarios #j hope fanfic #j hope smut #dbbg #bngtanah

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cacpartmobile · 4 years

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sparc! interviews Teaching Artist, Maddu Huacuja

"I know what's in my heart and what's on my mind and I start creating images and have a conversation with the canvas."

This interview took place on the Zoom platform on June 10, 2020 Ekua: I want to introduce Maddu Huacuja, who is a friend, an esteemed artist, a very passionate involved community member who works with sparc! as a lead artist for our Paint Nights - along with many other things that she does with sparc! She attends and participates in Paint Jazz, she's done community based murals for Paint Salsa, so she's a part of our family.

We thought we would start our series by interviewing her with maybe some questions that I had and maybe some questions that you also had.

So welcome Maddu.

Maddu: Thank you it’s a pleasure to see your face.

Ekua: My first question for you Maddu, was how do you begin a painting?

Maddu: *chuckles* First I take a nap, after my canvas is ready I go to sleep in the studio.

Doesn't matter what time it is, day or night. I just lie down. I guess it’s a meditation but I feel like I’m dreaming the painting first and then I just make a mark anywhere on the canvas, just to break the whiteness of it. I generally have a vague idea of what I am going to paint. I never have a finished sketch or anything like that, it’s a general idea. I know what's in my heart and what's on my mind and I start creating images and have a conversation with the canvas.

Ekua: I think that's very admirable, given the beauty of your work. Another thing that I think is very admirable is how large you are able to work sometimes. Can you tell me, why do you work large, what's important about working large to you?

Maddu: Even though I seem like a very calm person and I am, I need to be moving. So the large canvas - I can move from one end to the other. Sometimes I have to get on a ladder or a step stool, and then I really feel like an artist, but I like the movement. I feel that if I’m moving the image moves. I also always have music playing, often loud and active music. I have a lot of different music. I put it on a roll and the mood of the song or piece moves me in a certain way, so that becomes part of my imagery. I feel like the movement is really important. I don’t want to paint a painting that isn’t moving.

Ekua: So you're not sitting down, you're not standing in one spot, you're moving around that canvas. Do you work in oil or acrylic, what kind of mediums do you use?

Maddu: I often mix acrylic with drawing. I rarely work with oil. I think again because of the movement, acrylic is faster, but I do like oils. Everytime I think about it I'm like, “Oh I want to paint with oils”. But when I get to the studio it’s like I’m in acrylic. I like having a bucket of water near me, maybe that’s all it is.

Ekua: Well It certainly does dry faster, which allows you to move through a very large painting a little bit faster. Do you feel that your subject matter is in a particular area that you don’t really stray from? Is your storytelling about a particular kind of story or do you move around? How would you describe that aspect of your artwork?

Maddu: It’s not a decision, it's sort of how it works out. My focus is mostly… well, I do a lot of abstract but also I don’t know if I’m mostly figurative. When I do figurative work I am focused on people that “don’t matter”, either symbolically or specific people. For instance years ago there was a massacre in Mexico and all these men were murdered and the women were left as widows and the children were all orphaned. They were very poor to begin with. So they went to the local city hall to make a statement to try to get help, etcetera. There was a tiny photograph in the magazine of these women with their babies and every single one of them was barefoot, and I decided to paint their portraits. As I was painting I was like, “Why am I doing this, here in the United States no one even heard of this place, let alone cared about it?” I just thought, “Well If I don’t do it nobody is going to do it” and it seemed important to me. So I struggled through all those toes and little baby feet. It was in the show that you saw at the Roxbury Community College gallery many years later. So sometimes an event that touches me is my theme. I think I am very connected to my Mexican roots, so it's not just in the events that happen but in my image making. It really is part of my DNA; the colors, the kind of images I create. I think it is influenced a great deal from my childhood in a city that was thriving: vibrant with public art, murals everywhere, beautiful fresco murals, with the famous three muralists Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros , José Clemente Orozco. And also by Frida Kahlo's work. My mother was a painter, so even though she wasn’t painting I knew she had been a painter and her oils were in the closet. So, you know, it just became part of who I am. I think that still comes through. Sometimes my focus is specifically on women.

Ekua: So we mentioned RCC as the sight of one of your exhibitions. I know recently you’ve been spending some time over at Bunker Hill Community College and you had an opportunity to do some teaching. I am wondering how you feel teaching influences your artwork or has an impact on your artwork. Working with young artists, not just young artists but artists that you are mentoring within a classroom setting or within a community arts setting like sparc! the ArtMobile. How does that seep into your consciousness or into your work?

Maddu: I love teaching. I enjoy teaching spanish or art. I like all ages, so sparc! in particular is perfect for what I love because you have 2 year olds and 82 year olds and everything in between. I think teaching is fun, and as far as what I paint it’s freeing, it just loosens my hands, my mind. At Bunker Hill most of the teaching I did was around the exhibition that was up. It was called Open the Way and it was up from October through the end of February. So it was a long stretch and a lot of classes came in, and I learned a lot about my painting from my teaching these students.It was fascinating because, particularly in Bunker Hill, there's a really international student body. Every time there was a class there were at least 10 countries represented and several continents. It was very interesting because I said in one class that in a previous class people were not speaking up, and a student from the African continent, I don’t remember which country, it might have been Ghana, said “That’s because they are being polite. You don’t just speak in front of your elders.” I was like, “Oh.” I was humbled by that. Also, about my paintings, they saw things and told me things about how the work affected them and what they saw in it. That was wonderful for me to hear, really an eye opener for me.

Ekua: That’s so interesting that you can learn about your art from a viewer.

Maddu: Yes, totally.

Ekua: Revelations about the richness of your own artwork.

Maddu: Yes, I wish that I could have recorded everything that was said. Of course nothing was recorded and I always regret that I didn’t take half an hour afterwards to write down the things that I heard. That’s something that I definitely want to make part of my practice.

Ekua: When you're teaching at an event like Paint Night, and you have this audience from 2 to 92 and everything in between, do you come in with one sort of thing that you want everyone to leave with? You know some people obviously have more skill with painting. Children are interested in mixing all the paints together and sticking their hand in it. Everybody’s entering from a different standpoint, but what do you as an artist hope to impart as a takeaway for each person?

Maddu: You know, the didactic part of me wants them to learn one thing at least. Even if it’s just what blue and red make, or something. I really want them to learn how to use a brush. There's always something that is very gratifying for me that they learn. But mostly, I usually come after my day job to a Paint Night because they are always on a Monday night, and very often I am like, “God, how am I going to make it through this class?” I’m so tired and my mind is mush and I get there and I just get this energy from sparc!. From all the helpers that are amazing, and without it I wouldn't do it, and from the students because they come with their own positive energy. So I hope they leave the class like I leave the class, which is feeling really happy. You know it’s uplifting to me to do the class. I figure if they are happy they are going to like art because it is a happy experience, and so I like them to feel good about what they did, and about themselves. I like to bring each kid up and show his work or her work and introduce themselves, and say something about the painting, which I think is a good thing regardless of what you’re teaching or what they are learning. Just to be able to get up in front of a group of people that they mostly don’t know and introduce themselves and speak up. It leads me to my other piece of my art and being an artist is, in this time - where I feel we are on the brink of many things - I think it’s really important for people to speak up. If they learn to speak up, to say “Hello! I’m over here and I have this much to say!” and to be able to say it. I think if they learned that we have accomplished something

Ekua: I totally agree with that. You know, initially I thought people would be very shy about getting up and talking about their work, but the overall atmosphere of a Paint Night seems like an environment where people feel comfortable, safe and feel welcomed. Little kids or people who have never spoken before a crowd get up and talk about their painting. They receive so much warmth and appreciation. I think it's such a key part of the Paint Night experience and I believe that you are the artist who started doing that, and now it has become a part of our best practices. So thank you.

Maddu: I’m very happy to hear that. I remember one kid in particular - putting her on a chair because she was so tiny. ”You stand over here and show everybody.” It’s like 45-60 people in the room, and it's a wave of “Aww that’s beautiful, that's wonderful!” Clapping. “Congratulations!” And the kid just seems to overcome their shyness. So yeah, I love it.

Ekua: Well I am sure you know we miss being able to do our Paint Nights this semester and we are looking at an uncertain fall. We don’t know if we will be able to be together in that room with 50-60 people. We will have to create something new. If you were speaking to some of the folks at home, sheltering at home during this pandemic, how would you encourage them to bring more creativity into their life - even though they aren't at a Paint Night, or they might not even have paints or supplies. Is there anything you can share with them about your life as a creative maker that they can apply to their lives now?

Maddu: I think the only way anything gets done is if you make room for it, and that goes for everything. So we tend to give prime importance to our job. You have to be there by 9 o’clock no matter what happens there you are. But when it comes to our own personal stuff we tend to give it less importance, like going to your exercise class or going to your studio seems to be less important - but it really isn't. I think the only way, particularly when we are sitting around and no one’s telling us that we have to be anywhere, we have to initiate on our own. “Today at noon I’m going to drop everything and go to my studio.” Or “I’m going to pull out my little art stuff.” Whatever you have at home, put on some music or tapes whatever it is that inspires you and motivates you and just do something. It doesn’t matter how much you get done for an hour - or maybe that’s stretching it.

Ekua: I guess that can even be dancing or singing. I mean it’s not necessarily all visual art but just the idea that each of us has a creative spirit that is longing for expression.

Maddu: Right. Or sit down and write for an hour regardless of if it's your masterpiece or not - or your future novel. I signed up online for an app called Ulysses that is a writing app. I love it because it is very intuitive and you just write. You don’t have to save or anything, whatever you write is saved automatically. You don’t have to format. So it makes it easy. You have to find ways to know yourself enough to make it happen for you, make it easy.

Ekua: Well here is my last question. I was in another zoom meeting the other day and someone said we need to reframe all of our work as social justice work. I thought that was really interesting to think about everything I do in the context of social justice. So as not just an artist but an arts activist, how would you apply that to your life in this sort of immediate time? Being an activist and reframing as a social justice activist?

Maddu: Well the fact that this is a pandemic and we are all locked down - but here we are. We can still influence and speak up through all the media. We all need to be political. There is no option. It's not like, “Oh I’m not into politics.” Everybody has to be into politics. Making art, the decision to create is, in my mind, a political statement. The one thing I would say is, vote at every level, not just for the presidential elections but all your local elections. Find out who your local representatives are, call them up. You can do that, it's not hard. Write letters if that is what you are prone to do. Again it's a matter of everybody has to act and find what it is that you deeply care about and act on that even if it is about saving polar bears. You know if it's about politics or if it's about...

Ekua: Global warming, climate change.

Maddu: Everything is so dire, you know.

Ekua: Mhm feels that way.

Maddu: If you just hold it in you're going to die, so just do something, do anything. And do it with somebody else. Join a group and see what is going on. Meet on zoom and see what people are talking about. Together we rise. I think it’s always been a crucial moment, but this one is really obvious. People are dying everyday, thousands of new people are sick. This is really life and death, and if we allow the current president another 4 years I dont know whats going to happen.

Ekua: Heaven help us.

Maddu: I mean really seriously it’s not even like “Oh I like this candidate or that candidate”. Forget that. I think everything you do to influence the social fabric and what's going is literally saving the world. Saving the world for our children, for our grandchildren, for ourselves. And if we let this moment pass it’s going to be that much harder.

Ekua: And all of the tools at our disposal include painting, poetry and dance - things that touch the heart and soul.

Maddu: Absolutely.

Ekua: So everybody can do something.

Maddu: Everybody! Children can do something. They can write letters.They can study. They can read books and find out their history, find out what's happened before. I also don’t mean everybody has to go around in a panic and freaking out. I think we need beauty, we need to feed our heart and our soul and our mind with poetry and beautiful paintings, or intense paintings. But it’s not just about the intensity, but about the beauty and the love.

Ekua: Love is at the center of everything good, I would say.

Maddu: I think Rumi said “Love is the bridge between you and everything else”.

Ekua: Like that! Well, I want to thank you for taking this time out to be with us. I’m sure you and I could talk for another hour at least but I want to keep it within a framable amount of time that people can squeeze in or listen to while they are painting or whatever. We don’t know what will happen in the fall but whatever we're doing Maddu, we know that you're going to be a part of it, in terms of sparc! the ArtMobile and the Center for Art and Community Partnerships. We thank you so much for being a part of our family, contributing to the beauty in the world, and we will be back in touch with you very, very soon.

Maddu: Thank you for everything you do, especially for this community. And I am a total fan. I think you're a hero.

Ekua: Thank you so much.

#contemporarywomenartists #sparctheartmobile #madduhuacuja

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metallicarules5 · 5 years

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My Big Takeaways: Thoughts and Opinions on TDP Situation

It has been almost 72 hours since the most recent accusation and allegations were brought forth by Danika, Lulu, and Diandra. Aaron Ehasz has finally decided to respond to the allegations brought forward. For many of us, opinions have changed, and despite me and others advocating against it, many have vehemently already picked what sides we lay on, either staunchly in support of the women, or staunchly in support of Ehasz. I have read the perspectives given by many people here and on Reddit (since these have been where most of the discussions have been taking place), have read and reread the accusations, as well as the statement by Ehasz. These are what my thoughts are based on what we do know:

1. Aaron Ehasz is a shitty boss. Whether you 100% believe the accusations, mostly believe, or even somewhat believe, I think there’s enough evidence there to say that Ehasz, who is a talented writer, is an incompetent manager. He is not a leader. He is either incapable, or simply doesn’t want to, communicate with his staff, treats surrogates and those beneath him less than professionally, either outright lies or makes promises he ends up not being able to keep, and is someone who’s stuck in his way of doing things.

2. That being said…I’m not seeing evidence of sexism, abuse, harassment, misogyny, or bigotry. Sure what’s accused of is bad. It makes him look like an asshole, a douchebag, an egotist, an authoritarian, and various other names. However, sexist is not one of them. Even Danika mentioned in her tweet thread that his behavior extended to both men and women alike, and none of the accusers said that the reason for his behavior was solely because they were women. While certainly unprofessional, the behavior he displayed isn’t criminal.

3. In any workplace, not all of your ideas are going to stick. One of the most common accusations made in the accounts was that Ehasz supposedly didn’t listen to or acknowledge their creative input all the time. On the surface, this seems horrible and bad, but the fact of the matter is that this happens all the time in the workplace, regardless of where you work. I’ve come forward with ideas or suggestions to my managers as to ways I think we can run the business better. Sometimes, my ideas were accepted, but other times, they weren’t and were flat out rejected. It sucks when you have what you think is a great idea and it gets shot down by a higher up, but that’s the reality. Other times, the managers would enforce a new policy or a change in the workplace, despite the fact that I preferred the old way of doing things. Did it make me angry, sure, but to call that harassment, abuse, or anything along those lines, definitely not. I figured out how to work within the new system, even if I didn’t like the change, and made it work. They’re the manager, and they have to make the ultimate decision that they believe is the best direction to go in. If I’m unhappy, I am free to leave. Look at it this way, we’ve all written essays or papers for school, and for some of them, you were asked to hand in multiple drafts of it. You get a draft of yours back with comments and suggestive edits from the teacher. Did you listen to every single one of those suggestions? My guess is probably not. Sure, some or a lot could be true and you work to incorporate it, but others you believe would actually hurt the quality of your writing rather than enhance it. Maybe the suggested edit works against your point, or weakens your argument, or messes with the overall flow. At the end of the day, it’s your paper, and you make the final decision.

4. As the boss and creative head, Aaron will always have the final say. This sort of plays off the previous point, but it deserves it’s own spot. Whether he was at Riot or Wonderstorm, he was the head of these teams, and thus, he makes the ultimate decision on which direction to go. Diandra admits that their mutual superior did give Aaron complete freedom: “He was told that he had cart blanche to change things.” So when he decided to make editing a group activity with people sharing notes, she may not have liked or agreed with the situation, but that’s all there is, someone who didn’t agree with it. Aaron’s responses to her are rather dismissive, but that’s all they are. It again shows he doesn’t communicate with his staff, is egotistical, and is a “My way or the highway” type person, but it’s not abuse.

5. Neither Danika or Lulu were writers. This is not meant to be derogatory to the two of them, nor is it meant to diminish the work they did while at Wonderstorm. But here’s the thing, their jobs were not to be involved with the creative process, to my understanding. Danika was responsible for social media, and Lulu was a writing assistant, not a writer herself. Sure, the aspiration was most likely to become a writer one day for the show, but that still doesn’t give her creative input on the show’s direction, nor did that fall in line with the responsibilities of the position.

6. Memories are malleable, they do change over time. Scientific studies have actually proven that, over time, memories become disjointed and change as a result of not only the passage of time, but the more we try to remember those events. “A memory is not simply an image produced by time traveling back to the original event – it can be an image that is somewhat distorted because of the prior times you remembered it…Your memory of an event can grow less precise even to the point of being totally false with each retrieval.” These were the words of one Donna Bridge, the lead author of a research paper on this subject matter. Now obviously, when you read this, your first response is going to be denial that this is possible, how can I forget an event that clearly had a huge impact on me. Well there’s a lot of factors that play into this and our changing perception, causing us to remember the situation differently each time. “Memories aren’t static…If you remember something in the context of a new environment and time, or if you are even in a different mood, your memories might integrate the new information.” These findings have been further explored and proven by other studies, such as one done by Liz Phelps, a professor of Psychology and New York University.

…Phelps explains that our memories can change because each time we revisit them they become vulnerable. When we first lay down a memory, it takes the brain a little while to solidly store the information—a process called consolidation. And every time we subsequently recall that memory, it has to go through a new storage process—another slight delay for another consolidation. During that window, new information can interfere with the old information and alter the memory. Phelps says it is like playing the school game of telephone, where one student tells a short story to a second student, then that person retells it to a third, who tells it to a fourth, and so on. By the end of the chain the story is usually quite different from how it began.

So again, this makes it hard to determine who is telling either the full truth or even just the partial truth, because both sides are probably remembering the situation wrongly or have led themselves to believe that their side of the story is the truth. Maybe it is Ehasz gaslighting, maybe this is also at play, both can be true at the same time, these are not mutually exclusive.

7. Aaron’s statement is bad, like, really bad. Frankly, he could have admitted to everything he was accused of and offer the most sincere apology ever, and people would still not accept it. However, what this statement ultimately is, is Aaron stroking his own dick and that of Wonderstorm’s. I’m not surprised he denied the accusations, and regardless of what side you’re on, this shouldn’t be a surprise to you either. If you’re on the side that he’s innocent, he shouldn’t apologize for something he didn’t do. If you’re on the side he’s guilty, then that just further proves many of the women’s points about him gaslighting and not understanding when he did things wrong. That doesn’t change the fact that this is just a diversion and a bare bones, vague statement meant to try and shield him, downplay the situation, and make it go away. I do think there’s enough corroborating evidence to say that he can be less than professional in the workplace (read Point #1), to which he could apologize for. However, while he says he is imperfect, he’s still acting like he did nothing wrong and everything is completely fine. For those defending Ehasz, this statement seems more than enough, but for those undecided or siding with the others, this only sows more discord and animosity, meaning his attempts to try and defuse the situation have failed. For a guy who’s so gifted at writing, he sure couldn’t write a better defense.

I’m sure there’s more I can say, but these are the biggest points and my biggest takeaways.

Here’s the truth of the matter, we can only judge based on the evidence at hand. We were not in those rooms, we were not on those phone calls, we were not in those emails, etc. As a result, our knowledge is limited. Maybe some of those claims are blown out of proportion, which I have seen some women say about it. Maybe things are worse than they actually are and there’s more stuff that Danika and Lulu haven’t come forward with yet as they alluded to. We just don’t know, and that’s why it’s important to always keep an open mind, question and scrutinize, and listen to each other, not be at each other’s throats. There will be those that vastly disagree with some or all of the content of this post. Okay, then we can have a discussion about where we agree and disagree. I’m not in the business of trying to “defend abusers” or “believe all women,” I’m just a fan who wants to be able to enjoy something without it falling into controversy, for once.

#tdp #dragon prince #the dragon prince #aaron ehasz #wonderstorm

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ashleyspinelliburnbook · 4 years

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S1E10: Teacher’s Lounge/Randall’s Reform

A bit of mystery, a bit of disappointment, a bit of...accidentally reading Randall’s secret diary oh my GOD no one tell Miss Finster!!!!

Teacher’s Lounge

It’s a big day at Third Street School, so as usual, Gus is out of the loop. Gretchen is pacing, nervous about something, Spinelli has ribbons in her pigtails, TJ combed his hair, Mikey tucked in his shirt, and Vince...why, Vince is wearing a tie!

Obviously, this can only mean one thing: it’s the day the teachers turn in their annual budget requests!

Gus is still out of the loop. To be fair, I would be too, had I not had a vague memory of what this episode was about based on its title. It turns out each class selects one student to take the annual budget request to...THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE. WHAAAAAAT

Gus never knew anyone who got to see the teacher’s lounge at his old school, and the gang laments that Vince had the chance in second grade, but when he knocked on the door to hand over the folder, the door opened and closed so fast that he didn’t get a look. Just like that, the folder was gone.

So class starts, and the gang is charming the hell out of Miss Grotke, all hoping to avenge Vince’s grave error. And it looks like it’s going to work, until Miss Lemon, the receptionist, shows up...asking for the annual budget request. “What a fine idea!” Miss Grotke exclaims. “We won’t interrupt our studies to run a silly errand!”

The mystique surrounding the teacher’s lounge feels pretty universal, doesn’t it? I wasn’t the kind of kid who investigated these things (especially at the expense of playing with my friends in other classes during recess), but I still wanted to know what the teacher’s lounge looked like.

I think it was third grade when I finally got that chance — I was walking and talking with my teacher (yep, that’s me) and he needed to go in there for a moment. He held the door open for me, as if inviting me in after him, and...I mean, it was just a room. Tables, coffee machine, couch. I didn’t have any preconceived notions about what it should look like, and still, that mystique was preserved — it was a space just for teachers. We didn’t really have any spaces that were just for us students on campus.

Not that these kids have that problem — they’re running a whole society independent of staff intervention — but they’re still pretty bummed about once again missing this chance. “We all debased ourselves today, and for what?” Gretchen sighs. She really wanted to see the bunsen burners and petri dishes, see.

You can almost hear the record scratch after she says that. It’s then that we learn that every kid has a different view of what the teacher’s lounge looks like: Gretchen sees them as scientists, “pushing the boundaries of knowledge on every frontier”; Spinelli says it’s stupid to think they’re spending their free time doing work stuff and that they must be working out; Mikey, meanwhile, sticks to his brand and says he thinks they’re meditating, burning incense, and walking across hot coals while dressed as Tibetan monks.

There’s an obvious solution to settle this, and TJ’s on it right away: why not just go see inside themselves? (Surely they might have thought of this in a previous year, but, eh, the cameras weren’t rolling yet.) They hire Crier Kid to distract Finster, who is guarding what is apparently the only entrance into the school — fire codes, anyone? — and they make their way outside the teacher’s lounge.

Spinelli unlocks the door with a bobby pin, and after distracting constant teacher’s lounge resident Mr. Yamashiro by telling him his car is on fire, the gang walks in and sees...a dilapidated old room with a coffee machine and broken furniture. All things considered, it’s a dump.

The kids are disappointed and leave as Mr. Yamashiro returns and goes to get a coffee...by which I mean he pushes a button on the machine, revealing a secret room to the real teacher’s lounge. A butler offers him a drink, he puts on a smoking jacket, and we see this spa-slash-man cave where teachers can watch TV, get massages, or relax in a hot tub.

“That’s no kindergartener, that’s my wife!” Principal Prickly says, and the teachers all laugh.

Takeaway: Never, ever get your hopes up about anything ever. You’ll just be disappointed, and that disappointment will only be compounded with the knowledge that the person snatching your hopes away is probably concealing something better. (Okay, maybe some hope is good sometimes, but “prepare to be disappointed” is sometimes okay, too.)

Randall’s Reform

THE SECRET DIARY OF RANDALL WEEMS - DO NOT READ

I WILL TELL MISS FINSTER IF YOU DO AND YOU’LL BE SORRY

Dear Diary,

I wish I was popular.

I know, I know. Being popular isn’t everything. But I see kids like TJ Detweiler with all the friends he could ever want, even though he’s dirty and ugly, and I get so mad! Why do kids like him get everything and kids like me get nothing?

I have to go make sardine and pickle sandwiches for me and Miss Finster’s lunch tomorrow. More later.

Dear Diary,

I got the good ball again today! Miss Finster hand-selected me! TJ and his friends got stuck with the flat ball, which they deserve. They’re just a bunch of losers. I mean, look at the ball they got!

But here’s the thing. They got the worst ball in the bin, and they still managed to have fun at recess. TJ even told a joke that I heard Principal Prickly say in the teacher’s lounge the other day about his wife being mistaken for a kindergartener! But I just didn’t have the will to snitch on him.

I got the best ball in the bin, and I didn’t have fun at all. I just hit myself in the face with the ball, if I’m being honest here.

Spinelli said she and her friends would rather play with a flat ball than a slimeball. It hurt more than I’d ever tell them.

Dear Diary,

I learned what “whiplash” is today, because it’s what happened to me. The day started with me framing TJ pretty good — I wrote a note that said “I did it! –TJ” and left it by the trash can, like he had just littered or something. Miss Finster was on him right away! It was great!

When TJ was serving his punishment at the wall, I told him I was going to make his life a living nightmare. But then I told him something I didn’t expect I would tell him. I said I wished I was him. I said I didn’t get why everyone liked him and not me.

He told me it’s because I’m always snitching, as if that’s not my job! But we made a deal: I won’t snitch on him if he lets me hang out with him and his friends.

I’m worried, but I’m excited.

Dear Diary,

Today didn’t go well at first. I tried to eat my sardine and pickle sandwich at the table with the gang, and no one but TJ even acknowledged my existence except to say mean things. Then, at recess, they all shut me out of their games. TJ told me it’s because my history is gonna be hard to shake.

So I decided to show them something to prove I’m for real! I took them to Miss Finster’s secret ball room, where there are 83 brand-new balls! We went to the window above the playground and gave them all away! It felt good to be liked for that.

Miss Finster caught us, of course, and we were all lined up as she asked everyone if they did it. She got to me and I said...I didn’t know who did it! It felt kind of bad to lie to Miss Finster, but the gang all accepted me after that. That felt good.

Dear Diary,

My life is over.

Miss Finster has a new snitch now, this kid named Douglas. He called me “ex-weasel” and told me Miss Finster had shared all of our secrets with him.

I’m too distraught to write any more today.

Dear Diary,

Well, that was fun while it lasted. TJ gave me some good advice: that we only get a few really good friends in life, and that being popular is no reason to give up a friend like Miss Finster.

It turns out she really cares about me, because she got rid of Douglas as soon as I told her TJ and all them were responsible for the balls! They had to go to the wall! It was really great.

Takeaway: Snitches get stitches (I just assume Randall got stitches after beaning himself in the head with the good ball).

#recess

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dumdeeedum · 5 years

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A More Expansive Review of “The Magicians” 4.13 and the Situation Surrounding the Episode’s Events.

So I read both the interview with “The Magicians” show-runners Sera Gamble and John McNamara and the interview with Jason Ralph trying to make sense of what happened here outside of the actual story in the show which I think we can all agree at this point was total hack nonsense but I’ll dive into that further into this post.

It really sounds like Sera Gamble and John McNamara were trying to be edgy or who knows what the fuck with the story and decided to kill Quentin off. I originally thought it was Jason Ralph’s idea, not even sure where I got that from because none of it has been made clear so obviously I’m still not sure which it was. But the interviews make it sound like this was a narrative decision and not Jason Ralph simply wanting to move on. And if that was the case then that only makes this worse because that means that they weren’t even trying to write around a man who wanted out of a contract they were explicitly trying to write him out. So why do any of this? It only makes this entire question mark of a situation all the more confusing and fucked up!

And based on what I heard, again, I can’t find anything to definitively corroborate this so please feel free to correct me if you have evidence for this or to the contrary but Sera Gamble’s done this before when she was the show-runner on “Supernatural” and apparently fired Misha Collins who is fan favorite and either had to hire him back when she realized she fucked up or someone went over her head and hired him back. But this whole Quentin thing coupled with this information about “Supernatural” (and mind you, I stopped watching that show a reeeeally long time ago so I can’t speak to how it did pre-and-post Misha Collins) really makes me concerned about why these networks would continue to invest in her when she opts to make or go with really dumb business decisions.

I also want to say, to be fair, that I don’t have any experience with John McNamara’s work outside of maybe “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” that I’m old enough to have watched when it was originally airing but not old enough to actually remember. Shaddap. So maybe someone can shed some light on him as a show-runner in his own right because I simply don’t have that information and I don’t want to blame one half of this creative team fully for the fuckups of the pair. Though White women and White men have a bad track record when they get together, but I digress.

I simply don’t understand it if this was a creative decision they made, I really don’t. I also want to be careful to make it clear that this is speculation based on the information I have and it isn’t intended to make anyone feel like there’s any hope that they’ll hire Jason back or anything, because I really don’t think they will if the did fire him at all.

Something else the interview with Sera Gamble and John McNamara made very clear to me is that these are a couple of very prideful people who have already made up their minds that they know better and they’re edgy as fuck and won’t back down from their shitty creative decisions. And I think that’s really what I wanted to go into here. I’m all about seek to understand before seeking to be understood and I can’t make sense of this as a good decision at all, it seems completely self-defeating, especially when they had more story to draw from if they were stuck.

But again, I could be wrong, and maybe Jason Ralph dipped and they had to mitigate that and just did incredibly poorly at it. They don’t get to dodge responsibility for that, I’m just trying to wrap my head around it because the alternative is that these are incredibly insensitive, egotistical people and that’s an ugly thing to come away believing about people but there’s no excuse for what they did one way or the other so what is one meant to believe?

And what’s even more confusing about all of this is how everyone else’s characters were handled considering they’re meant to carry the show forward. They seemed to really try to branch out and give everyone time this season but with varying degrees of minuscule success. At the end of season 4 we come away with female characters who have had major character regressions even from what we’d previously experienced of them.

Julia is once again at the mercy of men and her entire ability to use magic ends up dependent on men, all of this even though she was a fucking God at one point, Kady literally uttered that dumbass shit about only wanting to be a man’s girlfriend as though she has nothing more to offer in the world despite how capable we know her to be, Fen is still off being half a child because we still don’t have much development for her at all other than she’s childish and coerced gay man Eliot into sex a couple of times, Marina just disappeared, coincidentally once she reveals that she has a same-sex lover, Margo is off fucking the comic relief and sure, she finally got to have her moments with Eliot but even during the episode she had the unmitigated gall to get angry at Penny when she thought he hadn’t saved Eliot while she was busy smiling and kissing up on her mediocre, some dude’s self-insert fantasy boyfriend, and Alice’s entire story was always dependent on Quentin’s because they never took the time to develop her as her own person even though they really should have because she’s presumably going to have to be her own person starting season 5 unless they find another dick for her to hop on and give her character development to some other dude.

The men fared little better. I can see they’re really trying to push this Josh shit on people and I’m glad I won’t be around for it, and Penny’s always had his share of development and hopefully for his sake they expand on that? Though, really, let the man find another show to be on, he’s too good for this.

Quentin and Alice as a couple was obviously rushed even though they had plenty of time to go another way and develop a trusting friendship or develop the romance in a more realistic way. An option could have been, y’know, not wasting time making people believe Eliot and Quentin had a shot at being a thing for the sake of their absurd “misdirection.” The way they’d been as a couple before paired with how they were rushed through in the last 3 episodes left no emotional impact for me at all when it came to them.

And lastly, everything to do with Eliot and Quentin was completely erased but for Eliot throwing peaches in the fire at the end... OK, I guess? They don’t see each other at all before one of them is dead at the end which Sera Gamble and John McNamara try to play off as “realistic” in all of their predictable arrogance. I mean, talk your fucking oxymoron, ey? A show about magic has to have a “realistic” look at death where sometimes people just don’t see each other before they die. Get these two dummies the fuck out of here with that shit.

But if I’m being very honest the entire latter part of season 4 and especially episodes 11-13 felt very odd to me. It felt rushed and forced and none of the emotion they were trying to convey really seemed to land and perhaps that’s down to the actors not knowing they were filming something with this level of finality but it just didn’t hit the mark at all for me. I was confused and bored the majority of the episode because it didn’t feel like it realized it was the last of the season. The big bads of the season ended up taking nothing to kill, which is really a problem this show has always had. Eliot coming back after being gone the entire season was treated as a throwaway scene with Margo overacting considering she couldn’t be bothered to show up before, while Quentin didn’t react at all, super weird. Then we get another awkward as fuck singing scene that didn’t suit the situation at all and just turned what should have been an emotional send off into something silly, especially when we can hear that they finally got half this fucking cast people to sing for them. Just very odd decisions all around that left very little emotional impact for me because most of the time I sincerely believe the writers of this show sit around trying to mimic scenes from other shows or movies that had an impact within the context of those stories but don’t work here. We didn’t need a pensive, sad sendoff to have a fucking musical number! You aren’t Paul Thomas Anderson and this isn’t “Magnolia”!

And at the end, their suicidally depressed, mentally ill character whom they had just kind of revealed to be bisexual had... committed suicide and not only was the takeaway meant to be that this was good for him because he might have helped his friends but even the actor and the show-runners are treating this like some sort of triumph in mental health representation. I’m legitimately scared at what the aftermath of this could be because this could very well push people past the point of just suicide ideation and into believing they’ll have some heroic death if they kill themselves. But in real life people who commit suicide don’t get to come back “It’s a Wonderful Life”- style and see the impact that their suicide or “sacrifice” has on the people in their lives as this show depicted. Why was none of this considered when this show was marketed to people who experience these things? It’s incredibly irresponsible! A fucking suicide prevention banner at the end of the episode doesn’t change that!

There’s just so much more and worse happening here than poor lgbtqa representation. I’m very glad people are seeing that because this show doesn’t deserve another season, not the way they handled this one, at all. This season felt so lazy and so emotionally manipulative to marginalized communities that it really feels like these two asshole show-runners thought they’d skate using the audiences they manipulated into giving a shit about this show. But I really hope this is a lesson to them and to all show-runners and creators that this shit won’t fly anymore. It simply can’t fly anymore, it’s actively harmful and people like this can’t continue to be rewarded for bad behavior that damages marginalized communities! I hope people see that and respond accordingly, I can’t stress this enough! The actors are still young and they have opportunities, let them go!

I also can’t stress enough that they not only did wrong by their entire audience but by their queer actor! It’s unbelievable that they did this to him to the point where I make it a point to not give a fuck or seek out anything to do with actors on twitter or any other social media because I really just don’t give a shit like that but I had to go and let him know he didn’t deserve this just in case he didn’t see this for what it was. I don’t know if he’ll see it, and the end of the day I guess it doesn’t really matter since I don’t know the dude, but wow, did they fuck him over.

There’s nothing more to say, I’ll continue reblogging other people’s thoughts on this and respond because I enjoy having these discussions with people but barring anything I might have forgotten to mention or if I think of something else, which isn’t likely, I’m done with these long diatribes about this show’s failings. I might write something up later reiterating again the importance of media literacy and critically analyzing media from an interdisciplinary, socioeconomic lens but that won’t be for a minute.

Again, I’m so sorry to everyone this show misrepresented, I can’t stress enough how manipulated you were and how wrong this was. But it’s 2019 so let’s take some of the responsibility for the media that gets elevated and do better moving forward for all of our sakes. We all deserve good representation and perhaps it’s time for people like this to stop being allowed platforms. Networks don’t have incentive to give different types of people and stories a chance while people like Sera Gamble and John McNamara are allowed to continue doing what they do with impunity. Period.

#the magicians #queliot #qualice #sera gamble #john mcnamara #representation #social #media #lgbtqa representation #female representation #mental illness #suicide #lgbtqa

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annarosewriting · 5 years

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Eat Your Vegetables and the Rich

I recently read an article that quoted a woman who’s a CEO of some company based in LA. I don’t remember the name of this individual nor the company but I do remember what she said when asked how she got to where she was:

“If you’re strategic about when you sleep, when you shower and how often you go to the bathroom, anyone can do it.”

Motherfucker, what.

I’m sorry, is this person REALLY telling us, the working class of America who are just trying to get by and pay our bills, that to become rich and successful in this incredibly broken system, that we have to LIMIT HOW OFTEN WE GO TO THE BATHROOM? AND PERFORM OTHER ESSENTIAL TASKS THAT KEEP US ALIVE AND WELL?

WE HAVE TO SUFFER, BE SLEEP DEPRIVED AND SMELLY TO MAYBE MOVE UP A LITTLE BIT IN A COMPANY WE DON’T EVEN LIKE THAT MUCH?

I fucking hate this culture.

This overly ambitious, hustle every day, rise and grind (fucking kill me for just typing that phrase) culture that we have created.

Society’s the one to blame for all this lunacy though. This glorification of overworking arose from the ashes of late-stage capitalism.

We’re not getting paid enough but the cost of living keeps rising because companies love money more than they love people. Pinterest, Influencers, the ultra-rich, they’ve all sold us this idea (tied up in pithy statements you can buy on coffee mugs) that we too can be as wealthy as they are if we just work.

All the time.

And never stop.

We have to hustle harder, we have to be on top of our game 24/7, we can’t ever have a down moment. We always have to think of ways we can monetize the things we do for enjoyment or relaxation. Because what is the POINT of doing ANYTHING if we can’t make money off of it to survive in this inherently broken system that will destroy us all in about 20 years if we don’t get our heads out of our asses???

I fall prey to this ideology all the time. Whenever I lay down to just watch TV I have massive guilt.

I’m actively doing things that are meant to help me relax and yet, I still get an urge to maximize this time so I can prove to whatever imaginary audience is watching me at all times that I’m always productive. Even if it’s just reblogging another photoset of Ben Hardy flexing.

Which, in my defense, is hustling to get him to hang out with me on Thursday when I am free. Ben, if you’re reading this, I’m free on Thursday to hang out.

Working in the retail/food service/customer service world made me realize early on that companies do not give a shit about their employees. Even the Cool Hip Companies that have gyms and bring food to the office, they do not give a shit about their employees. Sorry tech bro that works 40 plus hour weeks but thinks that because the office lets you dress however you want that’s enough to make up for the fact they don’t pay you a livable wage!! Even THAT company doesn’t care about you as a person!!

Companies only care about how little they can pay us to work ourselves to death so the three people who are making all of the money at the top can make even more.

This idea that we should always be working is so damaging and toxic.

As Ari says, “imma need space, imma-imma need space.”

How am I expected to do my best work when I don’t ever get a break?

I had a whole day at work where I did nothing (nobody snitch on me I swear to god) but it was in that time when I was able to relax and be still that I realized where I want my career to go next.

It’s those idle moments that push me to try that barre/boxing/yoga class/personal training sessions. It’s during that time that I add to the long list of books that I want to read. It’s during those moments of relaxation that I’m able to truly appreciate how good all of Queen’s albums are.

It’s moments when I’m not doing work that I do my best work.

And work is only one part of my life. What makes me interesting is me, my personality, the activities I do outside of my job.

Because really, who wants to hear about social media marketing. Our lives are one big social media marketing campaign so who gives a shit.

My job isn’t the most interesting thing about me.

Nor should it be! We’ve been indoctrinated with this idea that our work is what defines us. That our productivity is what gives us purpose in this life and I’m over it.

Quite frankly, what gives my life purpose is having dinner with my family every night, seeing my friends, planning trips, reading, dancing, running, yoga, going to museums, watching Mamma Mia (1 AND 2 obviously), volunteering, writing, trying to keep a succulent alive, pouring love into my small corner of the world and guess what? None of these things have to do with my job.

The things that make life worth living, that shine a light into the drudgery of every day work life are the things that happen outside of work.

I’m not lazy, don’t get it twisted. I work hard but holy fuck we all just need to C H I L L.

Go pet a dog, take a day to not set your alarm, go eat some ice cream, watch all of Chris Fleming’s videos, talk to your parents about what they were interested in growing up, I know this all sounds like hippy dippy bullshit but GOD, I refuse to let work and “hustling” be the defining features of my time here on this earth.

I think about death a lot, my own mainly, though I do think about Donald and all the men and women who signed the heartbeat bill’s deaths and boy does that make me happy. But when I think about my funeral, I really don’t want people to just talk about my job or my work. I want people to remember how I made them feel. I want people to talk about my spirit, how kind I was, my sense of humor, I want to make sure that I’ve left the people I love with good memories. Because in the end, it doesn’t matter how much you work. What matters is how much love and kindness you poured into the world. That’s what’s important and that’s what will always be important.

So what’s the main takeaway from all this? Well, one, I think about dying a lot which probably isn’t GREAT and two, work isn’t everything. It’s only a small part of who we are.

Just remember: value your time, the work you’re doing is never that important that it can’t be put off till tomorrow, don’t let your job take precedence over your life, seize the means of production, let love be the main motivating factor in your life, call your mom and remember to eat your vegetables and also the rich.

#anna writes #anna rose writing #jobs #hustle #rise and grind #rise and resist

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christinesumpmg · 6 years

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Beyond Youtube: Video Hosting, Marketing, and Monetization Platforms, Compared

Posted by AnnSmarty

A few weeks ago I did a step-by-step article on building up your YouTube presence. When writing the article, I immediately had a follow-up idea on expanding my tips beyond YouTube. Since then, some of the comments have confirmed the need for this follow-up.

The increasing interest in video marketing and diversifying your efforts is not surprising: According to HubSpot’s research 45% of web users watch an hour or more of video per day. That’s a lot if time our customers spend watching videos! And it's projected that by 2020, 82% of all consumer web traffic will be video.

Obviously, if you are seriously entering the video marketing arena, limiting yourself to YouTube alone is not a smart idea, just like limiting yourself to any one marketing channel is probably never a good way to go.

With that in mind, what other options do we have?