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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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30 Minute Experiment: The Future of Comics #30ME

Okay, let’s do this. I wasn’t going to do a #30ME today cause I was put in a rather foul mood due to something that happened last night, but I’m trying to move past it, also because it’s been a few days since I did one of these. I had other things going on yesterday and Friday that it made it better for me to not spend time on this experiment. Either way, I’m back doing one on Sunday and today’s topic was offered by my friend, Peter, so here goes nothing...

I will freely admit that I am not as knowledgeable about the comic industry as my former boss at ComicsBeat and some of her staff, who cover the comic industry in such great detail and who know so much about the ins and outs of the industry. Right now, comics books are generally in flux and I’m not quite sure how I feel about that. I’ve been someone who has bought and read comics regularly. I’ve also bought comics that I’ve never found time to read. I also have reached points where I couldn’t afford to buy comics at all. And then there’s that thing about selling off my 40-year collection last year for way below what I thought I’d get for it.

I’ve generally been reading comic books since I was 9 or 10 when I found a bunch of ‘70s Superman comics in a clubhouse near our new house in Framingham, Mass. As a rather impressionable kid, I was a fan almost immediately, and even to this day, if you find a kid who likes to read, you’ll find a kid who loves comic books. It’s just something that you can always count on with younger boys and girls... if you hand them a comic book, they will read it.

I was no different but I became quite obsessed and spent most of the money I earned from various job when I was a teenager and even younger on comics and records, which led to all sorts of issues later in life when I was living in a tiny studio apartment in New York City and was forced to put a lot of my old collections into storage spaces that I eventually couldn’t afford.

But this isn’t about my past with comics and about the future. I’m not sure if you’re aware or even if you’re somebody who still regularly reads and/or collects comics, but shortly after the pandemic struck the States, Diamond Distributors had to shut its doors. The problem was that Diamond was the top distributor of comic books from the publishers to the comic book stores. Even though there were many comics in the works to come out in April, May and June, on April 1, that distribution system just stopped dead and there was no way for the big three, DC Comics, Marvel Comics and Image Comics to get their comics out to the masses. The entire economy of the comic business quickly ground to a halt with no way for stores to pay for comics, no way for Diamond to properly and safely distribute them and very few stores actually open to sell them. At least that was the case in New York where a giant like MIdtown Comics had to close up as it wasn’t considered an essential business.

I felt a little mixed on this because I’ve already tried to quit buying and reading comics a few times over the past few years. In 2018, I thought I had reached a point where I could no longer afford to buy them nor have time to read them even while most of my time was spent looking for jobs rather than doing them. When I couldn’t afford to keep up my mail order subscriptions, I took the opportunity to stop. I then found myself having to get rid of my expensive storage spaces and that gave me another opportunity to quit. That was February 2019 and in the exact same month, I started writing for The Beat, and let’s just say that it’s hard to work for one of the top comic book sites on the planet and NOT be interested in what is happening in comics.

I vowed to keep things in control in terms of my spending and for the most part, I was able to do so, although I still have a lot of unread comics piled up near and around my bed that i just haven’t taken the time to read, especially with so many other distractions during the pandemic.

It’s now been a full month without comics and I still have plenty to read if I want to, but DC Comics have already started to come back slowly and Marvel will soon follow suit. Neither company is releasing nearly as many comics as they did in March when both companies would release 30 to 50 (or even comics) of all types and varieties. There’s just no way for someone with a limited income to keep up with it all so I feel like the pandemic closures gave me another opportunity to get out of my buying and non-reading habits. So I’ve written quite a bit about the topic of “the future of comics” without actually addressing it head-on, and maybe I’m a little biased, but my good friend David Lloyd had the best plan when he came up with the idea for Aces Weekly, which is a digital-only comic book site that offers brand-new comics that have never been seen anywhere else but only in a digital serialized format. No printing costs, no waste of paper... but some of the best comic book storytelling and art working out there that just hasn’t caught on as well as all of the usual superheroics from DC and Marvel who have also made the jump to digital. What I like about Aces Weekly is that it reminds me of the Heavy Metal of my youth, stories that were in different genres than the usual superheroes, whether it’s sci-fi or fantasy or horror or even comedies. Part of why I got into David’s own work originally was because I regularly read his series V for Vendetta with Alan Moore when it was published in Warrior Magazine. In fact, having to get rid of my collection of original Warrior Magazines was one of the many heartbreaks from Midtown getting my entire collection for way below what I thought it was worth. (I probably shouldn’t bring that up again because it really puts me in a mood.)

But David did have something write that’s perfect for the post-pandemic world and that’s that if consumers are still relying on having physical books in print and there’s still a possibility of COVID-19 potentially being spread via packaging and shipping of such books... then yeah, we just have to go digital. I mean, everyone has a computer nowadays and most people have phones or tablets as well. Aces Weekly was designed beautifully to work in the landscape formatting that we’ve become so accustomed to from computers, TVs and tablets. It was never meant to be read on smartphones as that would destroy the beauty of the artwork and the sequential storytelling which is meant to be read as one does a comic strip in the Sunday papers (which still probably get more readers than the average comic book).

It’s kind of a strange time because comic books are more popular than ever due to the huge amount of superhero and comic book movies that have come out over the past 20 years, both good and bad. The success of these movies, particularly those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has made it for publishers to get comic books into avid younger readers who want to know more about the heroes they seen on screen.

And yet, there’s still a big glut of comics being released that aren’t of the greatest quality and are kept around just because someone in editorial thinks that readers want these books.

We’ve already seen a lot of comics going to digital services and a resulting outcry of comic book stores who realize that some people might be fine reading the stories in that format, thereby cutting out the middle men, but I personally still prefer physical comics, mainly because I can just sit back and read something without the use of technology and the screens that I’m looking at for so many hours over the course of the day.

Sure, I can’t really afford physical comic books and don’t really have the space to store them, plus I’m always in danger of them taking over my apartment and my ability to live comfortably, a constant problem, but I also wonder why more publishers haven’t gone the direction of David’s Aces Weekly and just created a solid product that involves great storytelling, writing and art and just rid the need for printing and paper, which is a bit of an ecological nightmare when you realize that comics are rarely recycled and are frequently just piling up in someone’s closet or backroom as a “collection.”

We’ve reached a point in technology where digital comics should very much be the standard and unfortunately that means that comic book shops need to change with the times and not be as beholden to having huge stocks of comics and toys taking up real estate just for those who show up and want to look around who may have some spare cash to buy something they clearly don’t need. Heck, most comic shops seem to do better business with Funko Pops and statues than actual comics these days so maybe they should be converted into toy or hobby shops... but with a knowledgable staff who can point those who want to read to sites/publishers that offer digital comics.

It’s kind of weird writing this on the day after what would have been this year’s Free Comic Book Day and what would have been the start of the summer movie season with Marvel Studios’ Black Widow, their first movie since Spider-Man: Far from Home last July, but it seems we’re also at a very clear turning point where now is the time to change things to rid ourselves of the issues (pun intended) that have plagued us, like consumerism, the ecological nightmare that we’ve turned our globe into by destroying trees, and so many other things that physical comic books as they’ve existed for 80 years or more have only contributed to rather than helping us to get away from those issues.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say on this subject as more books are available from DC and Marvel but I’ve run out of time and Cuomo will be on soon, so back tomorrow!

#30ME #30MInuteExperiment #ComicBooks #TheFutureOfComics

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snbazanina · 7 years

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Azanina (later alternative ending) (The demon Azazel went of somewhere) 2years later Charioce dies because of the lifeforce draining magic the process on his body was slower Azazel comes back to the capital to find Nina because he found a way to restore her voice(something like went off to find sirens (they could be demonic creatures in hiding taught him how to restore a voice) and returns it via a kiss plus help her move forward from Chris's death

Mod Neko here with liquid feelings leaking out of her looking holes. Send help.

This one technically isn’t Azanina but there’s a kiss and Nina feels regret so...it counts? Enjoy!!

Word had travelled quickly that the king of man had died.

It seemed that the crystal used to power dromos didn’t stopafter taking his eyesight and in the end, it took his life.

Surprisingly the first thing that had crossed Azazel’s mindwasn’t that the demons could finally be free once and for all. In fact, thatwas his second thought.

‘What of Nina?’

It was almost absurd that he was more concerned about thehalf dragon girl that didn’t care for him than he was for his race that he hadalmost lost his life countless times trying to save. And yet, it constantly satat the back of his mind, nagging him until he was sure that he would go insane.

“That’s not something that I can answer.”

Azazel had come across Jeanne D’Arc while he was visitingMugaro’s grave and hesitantly asked if she knew what had become of Nina afterCharioce’s passing.

“It’snot like you to care so much about someone other than your lord, Azazel.”

The demon just sighed. “I still owe her my life. And I don’tlike owing favours.”

Jeanne snorted softly, but didn’t say anymore. Azazel mayhave fallen more than once, but his pride still remained intact even aftereverything that had happened. His pride didn’t show outwardly as much anymore,but it was definitely still there. “The last I heard, she was living insolitude on the outskirts of Anatae. I imagine that living within the capitalitself would be difficult, considering she’s still considered a fugitive and Idoubt that being mute would be able to clear anything up-“

“What?”

The ex-saint blinked a few times, surprised that Azazel knewso little of what had become of the girl that he appeared to care for so much.Then again, he couldn’t be blamed given his position in hell. “Ah, that’sright. You left with your lord after the battle against Bahamut. Nina activatedDromos to spare Charioce’s life and lost her voice as consequence.” She couldsee that Azazel was clearly upset. At least it was clear to her. He still looked as stoic as ever,but she had learnt to read the subtle signs that Azazel gave off. He was like abook at times. “Your sages won’t be able to fix something like that, if that’swhat you’re thinking. The damage was done by holy magic. Demons can’t fix itand the gods aren’t in a position to put that much of their already dwindlingpower into a single girl.” Azazel turned on his heel, ready to leave, beforeJeanne spoke up again, “why don’t you ask the Sirens? They would know how torestore a lost voice, would they not?”

The demon didn’t reply, just unfurled his midnight blackwings and shot into the air leaving behind only soft plumes behind as evidenceof his presence. Jeanne sighed, and glanced toward the gravestone of her child.“Even now…he hasn’t changed at all, has he?” Maybe he hadn’t changed, or maybehe had in ways so drastic that she couldn’t help but accept this version ofAzazel as his true self. He was impossible to understand sometimes.

Usually it was dangerous to be within earshot of a siren.Demons, humans and gods alike had fallen to their temptation countless times,but surprisingly not Azazel. In fact, he had been a regular visitor to hell’soceans once. They all knew him by name, and he by most of theirs.

“Restorea lost voice? I wonder how~” Mhira was certainly a creature to behold, even byAzazel’s standards. Her blue hair always seemed to fall perfectly over hershoulders despite being saturated most of the time (it looked even morebeautiful beneath the water, but Azazel wasn’t foolish enough to dive in for abetter look), and amber eyes shone mysteriously beneath the pale moonlight.Between that and he bared chest, many had questioned how the hell Azazel hadn’tfallen to he looks yet. She certainly enjoyed trying to seduce him close enoughto the water’s edge enough times.

“I’mnot here to play your games, Mhira. I know for a fact that you have enoughvoices down there to supply the whole of Mistarcia with a second voice.”

The siren just smiled and rested her chin upon entwinedfingers. “You’re certainly right, Lord Azazel~ But where do you suppose thosevoices came from?”

She did have a point. They all came from the victims theymanaged to drag into the water. Azazel himself had requested the voices of themen that had been tempted into a siren’s grip to mess with a grieving family.It provided some quality entertainment, actually.

“Noteven the gods can create something out of nothing, Lord Azazel. It’s simply nothow things work, I thought you would know that.”

“Ifthere’s nothing you can do then I’ll not waste my time-“

“If youcare so much for this person, why not give her your voice?” Azazel had been midstride when Mhira’s words stopped him dead in his tracks. He didn’t even needto ask how she knew what he needed a now non-existent voice for before sheanswered the unspoken question. “One’s voice tells all, Lord Azazel.”

“Tellme how.”

The days after Bahamut’s defeat had grown quiet andlonesome. Nina didn’t usually mind silence as she was content to talk toherself or any small animals she happened across that wouldn’t flee at thesight of her. Nowadays that was impossible with absence of her voice. She hadno regrets in what she had done for Chris’ sake. He had done wrong, and hadcaused so much despair to a race that probably didn’t deserve it. He had neversaid it publicly, but he had once told her his regrets and burdens on the lastnight they had spent together. There was little he could do for the demons,though, as much of the human populous still despised the demons and now theirmain source of labour was gone, they were already up in arms about himabolishing slavery and having the demons paid in compensation, the last thingAnatae needed was a rebellion because their king now expressed sympathy for thehellspawns. Especially after he had imprisoned so many for doing the same. Ninaat least understood that, and it was all she needed. Yet she couldn’t help feelsorrow, especially after her beloved’s passing. She had no one left in theworld. She couldn’t find the heart to return to her village and she hadbetrayed her friends by keeping her love for Chris—no, Charioce XVII, their enemy, from them. She was sure that theywanted to simply forget her existence altogether. And she couldn’t blame themif they did. It still hurt, though. Especially when she thought of Azazel, andall that he had suffered.

Which was why she had thought that she had beenhallucinating when she caught sight of a winged figure close to the shack thatshe now called her home. She just stared for a while, unsure if her mind wasjust desperate to see Azazel once more or if he was actually there.

Her question was answered when she dared to venture outsideto check.

The saint’s words had been correct, after all.

Nina stood just outside a lone cabin atop a hill overlookingthe royal capital. She didn’t make any signs of moving anytime soon, so Azazeldecided to approach instead. Hs brisk movements must have made her nervousbecause he could see her small frame tense when he drew close enough.

“I’mnot here to kill you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

No answer, just a sorrowful stare. Azazel would have beenirritated if his entire purpose of being here hadn’t involved her lack of avoice.

Why was he here?

The question repeated itself over and over in Nina’s mind asif she would come up with an answer if she asked herself enough.

“I’mnot here to force you into some elaborate plan, either.”

That didn’t answer her question.

Azazel slowly approached her, and she had to push down herinstincts telling her to run and hide in her small cabin. It wasn’t as if shedidn’t want to see Azazel again. She did. It was what she had wanted most sinceChris’ passing, as stupid as that sounded even to her. And though she no longerpossessed any romantic feelings towards the demon, she still considered him agood friend and someone that she could trust no matter what. She just didn’tknow if he felt the same about her anymore.

“Despite…everything,”

Oh boy…

“I wantyou to have your voice back.”

What? Was thateven possible? She supposed that he was ademon, the ruler of hell’s second in command at that, so the extent of his powerwas totally unknown to her…but wasn’t there that rule of equivalent exchange?That something can’t be created out of nothing? Had he stolen someone else’s voice?

She was briefly pulled away from her thoughts when shenoticed how close Azazel had suddenly become. Was he…blushing?

“Forgivethe intrusion.” Azazel softly took her chin between his fingers and quicklypressed his lips to hers, pulling away after a few short moments.

Nina could only stare at him in pure confusion, before shetook notice of the tightening in her throat. It didn’t hurt, and it didn’thinder her breathing, but it did feel mildly uncomfortable for a few seconds.The sensation faded and she felt something returning to her.

“Aza…zel?”Her eyes widened in realisation and she looked up and the demon who justwatched her…not saying anything. “Your…yourvoice.” She spoke quietly, her voice raspy from being absent for so long.Azazel didn’t – couldn’t – answer, and just turned to leave, but was stoppedwhen the dragon girl’s fingers wrapped around the fabric of his shirt, stoppinghim from leaving. “Azazel...I’m sorry. For everything.”

Azazel turns to meet her gaze, and he can only offer areassuring look. It was almost like without his voice he was much moreexpressive. Had she just not noticed it before? Of course she wouldn’t havenoticed any not blaringly obvious emotions that he gave off. She had been moreinterested in her romantic interests than anything else. Remembering it onlymade her feel terrible again.

“Uhm…ifyou can...I want to tell Jeanne that I’m sorry. Can…can you tell her that-“ shecut herself off, remembering why she had her voice back again. “I-I mean…”

The demon gently removed her grip on his clothes and gave asmall nod.

“And ifyou have the time, I want to see you again. Please?” Was she being toodemanding now?

Another nod from Azazel.

She decided against running her mouth more and let him go,watching him as he took flight and disappeared behind the clouds. Tears welledin her eyes, and teeth found her lip to keep them back. She didn’t deserveforgiveness. She didn’t deserve anything, especially from Azazel of all people.She couldn’t understand why he would return her voice to her at the cost of hisown after all the she had done, but she felt as if something other than hervoice had returned to her, and she let the tears spill free.

#shingeki no bahamut #azanina #Azazel #Nina Drango #Jeanne D'Arc #fanwork #starsandthunderstorms

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elibasila · 4 years

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2: everything can be transformed into something else

playing a lil dress up, characterizing through costumes or clothes

Background -

When I was little, around the ages of toddler to 12 I was always into a good ole pretend fashion show with whoever was willing, which was usually my brothers, cousins, childhood friend and some other random kids who’d come over to our house. Any chance there was to play around with clothing in a silly and fun way was immediately taken advantage of, and I loved it. Honestly, I still love it and I wish I could partake in those times again.

But, I feel if I did the same thing now it would be a lot more judgmental, especially if I did it with adults like myself (even young adults). Kids are usually a lot more experimental and less caring about how it actually looks, they’re a lot less judgmental (with most things) compared to adults/elders/teens. Kids don’t care about the overall composition/aesthetics, or if this goes with that, they just want to do whatever they feel like and have some fun. It feels like it would be too serious now, and people (including myself, which I’ll get to later) make the stakes really high when playing dress up nowadays. Everything in fashion/clothing has to perfect and it has to be clean, gorgeous and make sense, which is really annoying cause I feel that shouldn’t be the primary objective (or the only objective) with fashion at all.

I’m talking specifically about playing dress up and fashion because I believe it’s important, both for adults and kids, to play with expression. Which to me was something I was discouraged to do as a kid, and even now as an adult. This aspect of how I was raised was really damaging to how I navigated myself before and now, as expression meant something deeper than it had to be.

Expression was identity to a lot of people I was raised by, and that was subconsciously passed down to me, which has caused me a lot of grief in my life. Just to be clear, expression does not equal identity, they are two separate things (and they don’t even have to relate to one another) and I think people’s obsession with trying to find any correlation between those things hurts both trans and cis people and has consequently created a double standard. What I’ve noticed through my own experience is that trans people’s expression is a lot more scrutinized/enforced than cis people. Cis people have the inherent privilege to be able to express however they want, and still be taken seriously as a man/woman, or even be respected as gender non-conforming (most of the time, and there are exceptions/intersections). However, with trans people therein exists an odd double standard; once you transition/once you're out you should dedicate your effort to look like a man/woman. If you don’t do this you're now either faking your trans identity and/or you’re asking to get misgendered and you shouldn't get mad if people misgender cause you're not dressed like a man/woman.

On the flip side there’s the issue of toxic masculinity and the hard boundaries of the binary both affecting trans and cis people. People within the binary I think are already pressured to adhere to it, and a good example I can think of is when cis-straight men police themselves and other cis-straight men into enforcing extremely strict, and most of the time arbitrary, ideals/standards. And the ‘consequence’ of not adhering to these rules is the person being perceived and labelled as gay/effeminate (which is inherently both homophobic and misogynistic) and treated as less than ‘a man’.

With these relationships (between expression and identity, and how they’re used negatively) in mind while moving within this practice as a trans person who expresses ‘differently’ (or who wants to express differently) than how they identify. I want to also question if there is actually a way to express differently, what that would mean especially in relation to an identity (i.e. do they even have to relate at all, does your identity have any impact on how you express, why). How does queerness come into the equation of identity and expression, and how does that relate to trans people specifically? The correlation between sexual identities, gender identities and expression and how they interact with each other, if at all?

Practice -

Create something resembling a human out of my own clothes, almost close to recreating myself but it’s not me I’m recreating. I want to create an entirely different person or character through clothes and my body.

Observations Made/Notes - may include photos and/or videos

I think my initial urge while I was choosing which clothes to put together was trying to figure out a type or arch type (like for example I couldn’t stop thinking of the Spice Girls: Baby Spice, Scary Spice, Posh Spice, etc), and even though it was helpful for me at the time to help me chose, I wish I was able to input my own free thought into this practice

When faced with the beginning I found it extremely hard to pick and chose as I was so indecisive that I needed to have a baseline for what I wanted to do, i think the above mentioned scenario helped me.

I was overloaded with options so much so that it took me close to an hour of deciding of what to wear

not too far off from when I’m dressing myself in reality

yeah I definitely could’ve gone heavier on the experimentation

At first I was hoping to wear my binder underneath all this so I could flatten my chest (as thats one area where I feel strong dysphoria) but I just decided not to, and I don’t really know why

I think I didn’t because I was 1, tired 2, convinced myself that having boobs or even the appearance of boobs doesn’t make me a girl, and that I’m still a guy even when I have breasts 3, i think it was one of those apathetic days that I was having

It did briefly however make me think of my upcoming top surgery again

What was the gender of the person I was creating, did they’re expression relate at all to their ‘personhood’: I decided that all these characters were genderless to me, but still all had extremely distinct expressions/mannerisms

Being a genderless being, being a person, how they would interact with other people and what world they resided in

how were those clothes making me act, did those clothes have an affect on my behavior while wearing them/thinking about them: yeah a little bit

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multsicorn · 7 years

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Top five filk songs!

…. I love how I asked for asks cause I’m like, I miss tumblr, I wanna talk with you guys more! And then I didn’t have time to answer for a whole day >_>. OH, WELL.

You would probably get a different list if you asked again tomorrow, but five OF my most favorite filk songs under the cut. (Oh, and only some have links, because the others don’t seem to exist on the internet. Though I could record myself singing them, if anyone would want to hear and if it wouldn’t be a breach of etiquette…).

1. My Brother, My Enemy by Sassafrass. [and/or: lyrics and explanation here.] It’s hard for me even to pick a favorite Sassafrass song! They’re my favorite filk artist, and one of my favorite musical artists in general. This one doesn’t have quite as many harmonies/parts as some, but, it’s still excellent at doing that Thing where each voice sings different words as well as different notes, and, especially here, I love the way the voices diverging and coming back together repeatedly illustrates the flow of the story. I love the evocation of a foreign (to me) emotional background (and they cry not for justice forgiveness or peace but for vengeance vengeance vengeance vengeance, an insistent crescendo that ends in a crash), and… so why is this number one. It’s the story as well as the artistry of the telling that gets me.

In the span of seven? Minutes, Odin and Loki find something unique and valuable in each other, make this connection, this bond, swearing blood brotherhood, and then are brought by circumstance to break it (these worlds are my duty to guard and protect, I can’t make exceptions before such a threat, your children were my enemies), and the emotionally painful and complex fallout. Could you get any more my personal aesthetic? I kinda think not.

2. Glass Half Full (Of the Sea) by Benjamin Newman. This is one of those songs that’s So Important to me. (And when I saw Ben at Contata last month, I got to incoherently try to tell him so! :D.) This makes sense, I’m sure, to no one but me, but it is to my life what I liked to imagine “Rock Star” was about Kurt in New New York.

The story is… I found this song (for #reasons), some few years before I properly got into filk. (I somehow managed to not realize it was about a selkie until the first time that I heared it in a filk circle!). There’s been a lot said - outside of filk circles, too, I’m sure, though I’m mostly thinking of “Still Catch the Tide” - about the selkie myth as representing how women are confined in the traditional picture of marriage. And at the time that this song was the song I needed - my now-husband and I had just recently moved in together - we’d known each other for three months at that time? but there were practical reasons for this. And I was SO IN LOVE, y'know, but also struggling so much. What is space! What is independence! My husband then (he hasn’t been for years and years now, we have LEARNED~) was very much like Blaine in New New York. Basically. Always wanting to do everything with me, and taking me not wanting to as a personal hurt.

So I used to sing - “a free creature or a wife, either way she’d lose a life, that she never wants to lose.” Because the song wasn’t just a description of my dilemma. (Though even the fact that it shows these as both things you might want, I appreciate!). The chorus - especially the last chorus:

i’m not the girl who sees the glass half empty, i’ve got both my loves, that’s what makes me free, and since i can decide, i’m staying by your side, with a glass half full of the sea

provided an image of resolution for me. And here let me explain one more thing: back in my late teens/early twenties, I actively identified myself as a deliberate optimist. So the ending of the story being a. well, I can pick, so I’ve always got that, and, b., maybe some things suck, but here’s this THE GLASS IS STILL HALF FULL image… it just fit the particular things I was looking for so WELL. It was a rocky adjustment, living together, deciding whether to commit to this particular relationship rather than all the unknown possibilities out there. I’m happy with my choices! (If you read my blog, ever, that should be obvious.) But, yeah, this song #helped.

3. Solar Flare by Sam Baardman. I do not have an essay to write for this one! I just find it really beautiful, both the music and the images created by the words. I think it was the first song I heard in a circle (where it was perfomed by Decadent Dave Clement) where I was like… I NEED TO FIND THAT AGAIN, AND HEAR IT AGAIN… and that was early on (in my filking ~career), so back when I knew less how to do that. And for most of a decade it’s just been for me one of those songs that - you know, when you don’t feel like singing almost anything, you’re sick of all the songs you know, or they’re just not right for the mood you’re in, or whatever? (Maybe you don’t know. Maybe this feeling isn’t in fact ubiquitous. I don’t know! *shrugs.*) It is one of those very rare songs that I never don’t feel like singing. *hums* there’s a comet just outside my window, hanging in the afterglow of a solar flare, and the stars like a diamond spilling off of the moon…

4. As I Am by Heather Dale. One of my favorite love songs Of All Time? I love Heather Dale a lot, too, and I’ve been singing this song just so much recently. It’s supposed to be about Arthur and Guinevere. But there’s a lot of specific notes - ’i’m not looking for perfection, i’m not offering a saint’ - ’i offer you this look inside, i offer you this trust’ - and, most especially of all, ’i need your strength to help me fight the battles that i must, i need you to remind me of the light we bear within’ - that are beautifully worded and sung, yeah. But that also feel to me like beautiful expressions not just of infatuation, but of the sort of partnership that is… my life, really ;). And, it’s pretty.

5. Causes And Effects by Seanan McGuire. [link is to lyrics] A song that answers many questions for me - not with answers that I didn’t know, mind you. But it provides a crystallized form of something that otherwise isn’t. And I’ve used it, in-circle, as an answer to songs that I’m sure were meant well but Rubbed Me Wrong! … the song feels like it’s About Me, though I’m sure it’s about Seanan, but it fits many of us geek girls, and what I most take from it is this: ’she tries to tell herself that beauty isn’t worth its weight in gold, she sometimes thinks she’d sell her soul just to come out of the cold.’ (Cause YES isn’t an explanation, but also, yes.) I don’t know. It’s one thing to know that societal standards of beauty and of it being paramount for women to be ~beautiful~ are both bullshit, to know that if you’re lonely it’s not necessarily because of you. It’s another thing to be able to believe that all that’s true. And I’ve gotten there now, yeah, but it’s been a long fucking journey. So this is a song about the road I’ve walked.

AND because, I couldn’t resist, various honorable mentions.

6. Eternal Flame, words by Bob Kanefsky, music by Julia Ecklar. [or, to slightly misquote Batya’s Words of Bob, Julia wrote the music, Bob wrote the filk ;)]. This song is particularly special to me out of all the other filk Songs I Have Loved because it was both the first song that I sang in a filk circle - a decade ago, now, in October! - and the first song I sang at a filk non-circle (concert!!), just recently. Also it’s probably good to have a little humor in my list somewhere, because there’s really quite a lot of it in filk. And also also, I do sincerely love this song not just as humor, but e.g. ’when he filled the leaves with green, fractal flowers and recursive roots, the most lovely hack i’ve seen‘… really does get at something real about the beauty that’s in Nature’s patterns, and of process-based even though not intentional design.

7. Mary Ellen Carter by Stan Rogers. Is the song I’ve sung most frequently in filk circles that isn’t a filk song. Well. We sing it a lot. It’s ~found filk??~ Or it’s just a song. But a story song about resurrecting a ship that’s served you well, even if the ship’s on sea rather than in space, well, it fits in. And it’s something that I sing against sadness, when I’m sad. ’though your heart it be broken or life about to end, no matter what you’ve lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, like the mary ellen carter rise again.’ (… also, it reminds me of Jack Zimmermann, nowadays.)

8. Goin’ Back To Hogwarts by Starkid. I could meta more, on that spoken bridge of Days of Summer, or on To Have A Home, but… as a kind of complement to 'frequently sung in filk circles, not really filk,’ as above, I’m ending with another 'not really filk.’ (Though I’ve sung starkid songs in filk circles several times, and it’s always gone over just fine.) Cause, like,.. it’s a fan song about a fictional property. (And fun and funny and a great crowd-pleaser slash singalong.) And certainly has a place in fandom, somewhere!, - but not specifically filk fandom. Even if this performance in 2009 looks SO MUCH LIKE so many circles I’ve been in at other cons since slightly before that time. I don’t think any other celebrity clip has ever made me feel so much #oneofus.

#hotel carpet fandom #*sings*#januarium

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mcsanders278 · 5 years

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Travel Series : Disneyworld (days 1 & 2)

I’m a bit behind on my travel blogs. Incidentally, I went to Disneyland in October with my youngest son but I figured it would be best to write about my Disneyworld trip a few weeks ago with my eldest.

For some reason I never really gave much thought to visiting Disneyworld until recently and when I had enough American Airlines points to essentially get 2 round trip flights anywhere within the US it was thrown out more as a “what if” to my sons. As my youngest voiced no desire to fly to Florida / visit Disneyworld it made the choice somewhat easy as my eldest son’s winter break started much sooner (one luxury of a college schedule).

We took a non-stop flight from Phoenix to MCO on a Saturday (nowadays I try to avoid layovers like the plague unless they are necessary). Between the 4 hour flight and 2 hour time difference I wisely did not pay to visit the parks the day we flew into Orlando. For those flying from Phoenix / the West Coast I highly recommend the same thing as not only is it about 30 minutes from the airports to the area with the parks / hotels, you also then have to drive to whichever park you plan on visiting. I also suggest using a share-driving service versus car rental as the parking fees alone seemed to average about $25 at the parks and hotels. I think in all we spent about $200 for the ride-shares, which undoubtedly is less than we would have spent on a 4 day car rental and parking.

One thing to keep in mind about Disneyworld is that unless you are staying at a Disney hotel specific to the park there is no option to walk to any of the parks. As it was my first trip to Florida one of the first things I noticed was the nice green surrounds with intermittent ponds / lakes. This is one way that Orlando is far superior to Anaheim...let’s face it, aside from Disneyland Anaheim is the pits. That being said, I have heard that Florida summers are brutal (compared to California summers) so you will definitely want to choose a time with decent weather. We luckily were there during colder weather (more on this later).

Other options which Disneyland does not have (but should adopt) are the Magicbands and setting up Fastpasses 30 days in advance (60 days if you stay at a Disney hotel). The Magicbands link anything you need for the parks - since we did not use a dining plan we only used it as our ticket and for the Fastpasses. Having the Fastpasses 30 days beforehand it a great tool as it will allow you to properly structure your days. One thing I learned; however, is that you can only choose the passes at one park each day (ie, you can’t have one pass at the Animal Kingdom in the morning and one later that day for Epcot) but you are allowed to get 3 passes each day. I highly recommend selecting the passes as soon as the option opens / at the 30 day mark as even in doing this there were rides which were already out of passes (likely grabbed by the Disney hotel people) or had very late entry times / were almost out. The hot ticket rides seemed to be both rides in the Avatar Pandora land at Animal Kingdom and the Test Track and Frozen rides at Epcot.

I didn’t choose to look at a map of Orlando prior to the trip but when I finally did I noticed that downtown is north of the airport while the theme park areas are southwest. This is a plus for travelers as there was pretty light traffic heading to and from Disneyworld.

Taking advantage of having a Saturday evening without park tickets we decided to go to the Disney Springs area. For those of you familiar with Downtown Disney at Disneyland this is essentially a souped of version of that. It was much larger than I was expecting and should fulfill any and all consumerism needs. One thing to note is that getting into the Disney Springs area was probably the most traffic we dealt with on the entire trip (being Saturday evening was likely the main factor).

Sunday was our first day at a park and we chose to visit the Animal Kingdom. Another item to note is that none of the parks are within walking distance of each other; however, there are transportation options between each one. The Animal Kingdom only has the option of buses to the other parks but the other parks are either connected by bus, monorail, and even boat. Aesthetically, the Animal Kingdom is quite stunning. It is essentially a wildlife zoo intermixed with rides. At the center of the park is the Tree of Life - it really is a sight to behold with pictures not doing it justice.

The park’s lands are structured by the countries Africa and Asia and also has a Dinoland and the Avatar Pandora land. Since we only had 3 days at the parks and had been to Disneyland so many times we chose to only use our time there as wisely as possible by only focusing on attractions which were specific to Disneyworld / not at the California parks. I was expecting rain on our day at Animal Kingdom but wasn’t really expecting the slight drizzles to turn into a relatively heavy on-pour for about 2.5 hours. Although this hindered things it also played in our favor later on in the day.

During the initial light rains we started at Dinoland, which is mainly for younger children and was probably the most unimpressive section of the park / could use an update. The Dinosaur ride is the main ride in this area, which is essentially Disneyworld’s version of Indiana Jones. Needless to say, it is nowhere near as good as Indiana Jones - it is a passable ride but I wouldn’t recommend spending over 20 minutes in line and would also recommend getting Fastpasses for other rides.

It was then that the heavy rains began. We ran between any overhead coverings we could find and made our way to the Nomad Lounge. We luckily made it there right when it opened as other visitors had the same idea in mind of finding refuge from the storm. The atmosphere of the lounge was fantastic. At Disneyland we always make a point of going to the Carthay Circle Lounge for a break amidst the walking / crowd insanity and Nomad is the perfect place for such at Disneyworld. It also has a much better selection of food than the Carthay Circle lounge. We ordered more than we would have under other circumstances, essentially to stake our claim on the table until the rain let-up as people continued to file into the lounge trying to find non-existent seats and even gave us an eye like they wanted us to share our table. In their defense, we did have a pretty large area in the indoor/outdoor area which consistent of two end chairs, a sofa and a coffee table but our anti-social tendencies prevailed. To be fair, I did raise the idea of sharing the table to my son but he only scoffed and continued to watch patrons sit on wet chairs at wet tables. It probably didn’t make us look any better when the people it a similar seating area next to us were kind enough to allow another couple sit with them.

For $1 you have an option to fill out the small banners which are hung from the ceiling and on the walls. There are numerous questions posted throughout the lounge pertaining to travel - you simply choose your favorite question and write your answer. It is a nice option for those who want to become a part of a Disney park in some way. If you go to the lounge I recommend trying the bread board, which is different breads from around the world with different spreads.

The best thing about the heavy rain was that the lines drastically diminished the rest of the day, which in turn allowed us to ride the Flight of Passage in the Avatar land (as noted previously, the Fastpasses were gone even 30 days before our trip). I am by no means an Avatar fan but I have to admit that the detail in the Pandora land was quite impressive. I highly recommend going there during the night / when all of the surroundings are lit-up. We did have Fastpasses for the Na’vi River Journey, which is a boat ride in the vein of Pirates of the Carribean. My son and I both agreed that it was alright - there were a few cool visuals but not worth an extremely long wait (the line can usually run over 2 hours).

I was a bit reluctant to ride Flight of Passage as my initial read-up on it gave the impression like it was similar to the Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios Hollywood (which was probably the most nauseating ride experience of my life). When I asked the attendant about the ride and noted the Harry ride as comparison she quickly pointed out that she usually gets sick on rides and didn’t have the issue with Flight of Passage. It is usually against my better judgment to stand in line for 85 minutes for any ride by my son really wanted to experience the ride and this undoubtedly was the shortest the line was going to get during our trip (as I am writing this the wait time noted on the app is 285 minutes...that’s right, over 4 hours...). There are enough things to look at during the 85 minute wait / in the queue but I cannot in any way justify recommend waiting in line over 2 hours for a ride, let alone 4 hours. That being said, the ride experience was pretty cool. Think Soaring Over the World crossed with an Avatar theme in which you get your individual seat...the idea is that you’re riding one of the banshees from the film.

The two other rides we experienced were Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris. Both of these rides were very impressive. Expedition Everest has the same Yeti theme as the Matterhorn but be forewarned, it is a bit more intense. My son was not too keen initially on riding the Safari but with the rains diminishing the line to a 5 minute wait we choose to check it out. Neither of us were disappointed - it seriously is a straight-up safari in which the animals have free roam of the land and you are actually riding in a jeep which isn’t on rails - there is a path for cast members to follow but he/she can stop and go as they please if there is something interesting going on.

Overall thoughts : Although it is not a park heavy on rides, there is more than enough to see / do between the live animal exhibits, rides, and restaurants. Definitely check out Nomad for lunch or dinner and the 3 rides I recommend for Fast Passes are Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest, and Kilimanjaro Safaris.

#disneyworld #animal kingdom

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websitehostingreviews · 4 years

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Web Hosting Tips For Beginners

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Many web hosts rent their server space and although this is often not necessarily a nasty thing, it’s another area where not all hosting companies are an equivalent . If a corporation owns its own data center, you’re often assured of far quicker response times should there be any hardware problems, there being no middle men to slow down the communication process.

Hardware problems tend to be solved much more quickly by a number who has direct access to its servers.

As far as tons of hosting features go, the numbers figure prominently in advertising, so know what they mean and you’ll understand if they’re important to you. As an example, I even have the potential to line up unlimited email accounts, or a minimum of 999. Do I need that many? Certainly not, except for some businesses this might be a really important feature – particularly if you would like every employee, also as every department, to possess an email account on a given domain.

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#website #webhosting

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jeremystrele · 5 years

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The Meaning Of Motherhood, With Actress Madeleine Madden + Curator Hetti Perkins

Conversations

Hetti Perkins and her daughter Madeleine Madden. Photo – Alisha Gore.

Actress Maddy is on the cusp of her Hollywood breakthrough, staring in the forthcoming film, Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Photo – Alisha Gore.

Hetti Perkins is an Eastern Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman. Photo – Alisha Gore.

Maddy is Hetti’s youngest daughter. She has two older sisters Lillie and Thea as well as a brother Tyson. Photo – Alisha Gore.

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I know you as Mum, a big group of people know you as Aunty. But who do other people know you as?

Hetti Perkins: I’m also kind of known as Mum to people I actually didn’t give birth to, which is lovely. That for me is something very special because it’s not so much a biological relationship but more of an emotional relationship. And aside from my very close extended family, I think I am best known for working in Aboriginal art and in an activist role. I feel that I’ve always tried to represent the voice of artists on a national stage if the opportunity was presented.

I remember when I was nervous about getting up to do a talk one time and my Dad, Charlie Perkins, said to me, ‘It’s not about you. If you get the chance to speak for your people… get up and you do it, and you do a good job!’ In some ways that is quite intimidating, but it’s also liberating because it isn’t about you, it’s about the work you can do for your people. That is the way I was raised.

The Art And Soul documentary series on ABC TV , the show I co-curated for the Venice Biennale in 1997 and Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, which was also exhibited at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2000… I’d like for people to see that those projects are part of a bigger strategy for the promotion of our peoples’ interest, collectively.

Madeleine Madden: I love that advice that Pop gave you and that you have passed on to us.

It kind of takes the fear out of it, it empowers you. And, you know, it’s what makes it all worth it – not some personal ambition or dream, it’s like the dream of the community.

In the public eye, Pop is seen as a fighter and really passionate and outspoken. But some people might know him best for his for his soccer career as well as his civil rights activism [achieving justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including leading the Freedom Rides through NSW and becoming the first Aboriginal person to lead a federal department].

What was it like being in the spotlight when you were young, and how did that influence you?

Hetti: Myself and my younger brother and sister were very fortunate in some ways. We had a very strong mother, Eileen, who is still with us and will probably outlive us all! She supported Dad 100%, enabling him to do what he had to do and what he wanted to do.

When we were in Alice Springs and I was in primary school, the kids knew who my dad was and what he did, and they weren’t very complimentary about it – they would call him a shit-stirrer and things like that. That’s pretty confronting when you’re in the third grade. When we went to Canberra to live for a long time, the racism took a different form: it wasn’t sort of as personal and about Dad, but it was more schoolyard taunts about being a blackfella.

It’s interesting because if, say, I wore glasses I’d have been called ‘four-eyes’ or if I was a bit chubby it’d have been ‘fatty’ or whatever. But racism is different, it’s such an insidious thing. They try to make you feel that you are genetically a lower form of life.

Being black is something intrinsic to you and certainly, it was to me. Even though my mother is not Aboriginal, we grew up and still do feel 100% blackfella. I loved being a part of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, and being with Dad, going to all the demonstrations, having people over and hearing them talk. What I remember most about it, is that some of the toughest activists were so gentle and kind to me, and extremely funny.

Growing up, there was a sense of unity, of collective action, and if there was in-fighting, people sorted their stuff out behind the scenes. I guess that has sort of changed, now, there are a lot more platforms for people to have their opinions, informed or otherwise, and share them widely. Back in the day, if you pardon my cliche, people earned the right to have an opinion and make a statement, because they had done the hard yards. They got off their arses, they were going to the demonstrations and meetings, doing things rather than sitting at home in front of a keyboard, spraying out about whatever was going on.

Maddy: Nowadays you feel like you are standing on the shoulders of giants, because back then people literally put their lives on the line, and risked their personal safety so that others could have opportunities.

A lot of people have wanted to know about the man Pop was, but I also think of Nanny Perks standing with him. It would have been very difficult for her marrying an Aboriginal man in the 1960s, as a white woman in this country.

Hetti: I remember talking to Mum about that. I said, you know, ‘A black, poor, young fella with uncertain prospects.. and you married him anyway’. She was, still is, deeply in love with Dad, and I think theirs is a great love story! They are two very well oiled parts of a synchronised unit.

Often Dad was under pressure, I see that now he could be volatile and angry, but he was always loving. We felt that we were the things that mattered most in his life. He simultaneously had a fire in his belly, a burning sense of injustice, and he just couldn’t swallow it. I think almost dying at quite a young age, with his kidneys and the transplant and especially the experiences he had as a child, he felt that he was given this chance and he wasn’t going to waste it, he was going to devote every energy to it. But as I said, he had Mum. And it wasn’t like ‘There’s Dad and he goes to work and we don’t really know what he does, just that he’s never here’. We actually knew that he was sacrificing time to do the work that he needed to do for our mob. We were ok with that because we also felt that we were part of that fight.

When you were young we all lived together with your Pop and Nanny, and you were exposed to a life where the politics and the personal were the same thing. At 13, you were the first teenager in Australia to deliver an address to the nation, which really sort of set you on a trajectory. From playing a cat in the preschool play or Dora the Explorer’s bestie in the forthcoming Paramount blockbuster, for me observing, your acting and activism has always seemed like a natural path.

Photo – Alisha Gore.

–

Do you feel like acting and activism was a natural path for you?

Maddy: I think so, I mean it would be weird if I wasn’t political in the house that I grew up in. We were always encouraged to have an opinion and stand up for what we believed in, we always had a seat at the table and were involved in the dialogue the adults were having. I think it was a blessing to have experienced that and the voice that this instilled in us, from such a young age.

I have heard actors of colour that have said, ‘I’m not really a political person’. And I’m generally shocked about that because I am like, ‘How can you not be?’ I get that some people are all don’t-talk-about-religion-and-politics-at-the-table, but we can’t just keep our heads buried in the sand. If you have a platform you need to use it. Obviously many people face difficulties in their lives, and we should normalise talking about that. And that also means talking about politics. It shouldn’t just be left up to the 1% to make decisions for us. I am going to keep speaking up for as long as I can.

Hetti: You’ve had a very strong sense of injustice from a very young age and that need to correct any injustice you may see around you.

It’s interesting in my work too, with artists, a few have said, ‘I’m not an Aboriginal artist, I’m an artist’. And I’ve always found that quite confusing. Over the years I have unpacked the idea, and I think to say something like that infers that there is something lesser in being an Aboriginal artist. But to be connected to your own identity and express it doesn’t reduce your opportunities. For example, It doesn’t mean you can’t play the role of a non-Aboriginal person.

Maddy: I think there is still this fear, from the past when people got typecast or stereotyped, of being called a ‘black artist’. People are worried they are getting boxed in… but, well, break the box. I can understand how you just want to be treated like an equal like anyone else, but unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. I think you need to just be a front runner and do the damn thing you want to!

Hetti: As you were growing up, I was working at the Art Gallery Of NSW (my children literally had free rein on the gallery, thanks to some very friendly childcare policies during my 13 years!).

Do you think being brought up in a home where work and life merged together has influenced the choices you’ve made?

Maddy: I think the way you intertwined the two has definitely trickled down into our lives. Yet you have always prioritised family first over work and I know that my siblings and I definitely do the same. The Gallery really was a second home. It was such an incredible place for children to exist in – among people that were just so passionate about art, life, love and natural beauty!

I tap into all of that with my acting a lot – all that we were immersed in.

Hetti: Artists would come into our home and stay with us – people like Mike Rakowitz, Christian Thompson, and Tony Albert. There have been a lot of amazing creatives in your lives and it’s always been remarkable to me how you have all just gone with the flow. You know, ‘Move over, make some space on the lounge’… Or ‘Now they want a turn at Guitar Hero!’

Maddy: Yeah! And I think artists take a real leap of faith, really go out on a limb and risk it all. A lot of those people overcame really hard challenges and made art out of them. We have always just been surrounded by brave, wonderful, kind people and that is the best childhood that anyone could ask for. I think that’s why you are such a great mother because you mother people of all walks of life… and now we have ‘siblings’ from everywhere!

Hetti: Yes we are very fortunate. You had a wonderful childhood, and I’m glad you did because I think that it is such a formative time and it is often too short. These days, I don’t think kids get enough time to go outside and climb a tree, walk the dog, or just sit down and do nothing. There is a lot of focus on homework and goals and tasks. But having the time to hang around and be in each other’s company in an unstructured way is something that’s really important.

Photo – Alisha Gore.

–

What’s the best piece of parenting advice you’ve been given?

Hetti: Even when I was a child myself, I was one of those kids that loved looking after the littlies! I feel like I did get some good advice – everything from always keep the baby’s feet warm to don’t use nappy wipes… practical things – but I guess, in some ways, I always felt innately maternal.

When I was growing up I felt very strongly about what kind of life I wanted for my children. I really wanted my kids to grow up in Sydney (where I moved to for university), to experience the multiculturalism, the plurality – the best of Australian society… The excitement and creativity of a city like that with all its beautiful natural attributes, a very strong Aboriginal community, and a fabulous LGBTQI community.

But I’ve also very strongly felt that parents actually need to earn the love and respect of their children. It’s not something you should take for granted. I don’t believe in any sort of physical punishment or anything like that; I think it’s much better to try to get kids on the same page and to achieve a balance. You know, happiness is really the most important thing.

Maddy: Yeah exactly, I think you lead by example and that’s the best way: showing by doing and putting in the hard work… like the extremely hard work of raising four kids by yourself! Kids make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, but I think the important thing is to hold yourself accountable. Do you take responsibility for that behaviour? Do you grow from it and learn from it, and go ‘Ok I’m not doing that again’? I think that’s a really nice aspect of how you have raised us to behave.

Hetti: I think some kids, when they really muck up or go off-the-rails, are hurting themselves but also punishing people as a way of hitting back. It’s an interesting one.

Your father, Lee, passed away when you were six, which seems at odds with saying you had a great childhood. But you’ve always had loving family around you.

What do you think you’ve learned from your childhood?

Maddy: I think it was definitely a very tough year for us because Pop passed away and then Dad soon after. But I think from those moments, that were obviously very hard, we now know how to deal with grief well. When you have Earth-shattering, soul-destroying, ‘How do I get back from this?‘ moments, you remember you’ve always got each other. I am so blessed to have that reassurance that our family can all band together and keep going.

It’s also a reminder of how you stepped up, which was huge: you were the mum, the dad, the best friend and everything. I think it’s a massive testament to you as a person, and to our Grandparents on both sides.

I remember how Nanny Lil (Dad’s mum) said, ‘You just have to keep going, lots of upsetting things have happened in our lives and in our collective past’, (referring to growing up as a black woman, and the really tough things she faced). She added, ‘Grow from it, get strong from it. Life goes on and so should we’. Now I feel that anything life kind of throws at us, we will be able to get through it.

Hetti : I think it’s important to have that security because it gives you confidence. I also think of your grandmother Lily and how she relates to her grandchildren. She has taught me a lot. She’s one of those people that really laughs with you, and that’s a beautiful thing too. You say I stepped up, but I did so because I was supported to step up, and we all knew we had to keep going.

In many ways, the world is quite different from the one that I grew up in. To me, you are someone who is very social-media savvy, articulate, and seem to enjoy the opportunities that being online gives you, especially to engage with others.

What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of the social media world?

Maddy: I love that quote by RuPaul, who has been a massive idol and inspiration for us. She says ‘Unless them bitches payin’ your bills, pay them bitches no mind.’ and I think that is the best approach to have with the haters. The negativity is always going to be there and sometimes social media makes people think it’s ok to behave in certain ways when it’s not. Online bullying is awful, a kind of a silent killer.

But I love the opportunities social media gives me, and by that I mean the art, the cute videos and funny memes – that’s what I get out of it! I took a break from social media (Instagram and Facebook) for three months and it was really good for my mental health. I felt less anxious, I was on my phone less, I was only caring about people who I actually care about. Then I got back on it and I just did a big cull on what I was seeing. Social media can be fantastic for raising awareness for good causes, getting people power going, and building momentum for movements. I’m really grateful for that too.

Hetti : Yes, when it’s used for good, not evil, it’s brilliant. There is a risk, but you know what, in every generation, there is always something that people are rolling their eyes about or freaking about. It used to be about watching too much TV!

Maddy: We have all grown up to be very connected to the outdoors and involved in the community. I volunteer with Seed Mob, an indigenous climate action group, and we’re all genuinely concerned because we can see the impacts now. A lot of women around the world are going on birth strikes because they don’t want to raise children in a world that’s essentially dying, as world ‘leaders’ stand idle.

Hetti : I can understand that. I think it is responsible parenting to think about what our children will inherit, whether in their local community, or the wider world. Do I want to bring a child up in an apocalyptic world? This threat to our beautiful creatures, plants, rivers.. the list goes on. And it’s because of one thing and that’s us: humans. The decisions that are being made from the Adani Coal Mine to the fracking in the Northern Territory to Oil prospecting in the Great Australian Bight make me feel extremely anxious and also furious. It’s all about the short-term and votes – no taking responsibility, making quick decisions to get the quick bucks and support, pulling the wool over the eyes of the community, and branding anyone who is a dissenting voice as Lefty-latte sippers!

Maddy: or calling them green-collared criminals! Even saying that to kids, who go on the school strikes, when their parents have said, ‘No you go out there, we support you to fight for your future’. And that’s a privilege you have given to us; always supporting us to go out there stand up for what is right, for our future, and people who can’t stand up for themselves.

What does Mother’s Day mean to you?

Hetti: There is a very conventional sense of what ‘Mother’s Day’ is. Obviously, we celebrate it – because we’ll take any kind of excuse to give presents and get together. Doesn’t matter what the cause is, we’re there!

Maddy: [laughs] Yeah, I love Mother’s Day, it should be Mother’s Day all day, every day, 365! It’s a moment where we can all just really celebrate the people in our lives, whether they are our biological mothers or people who have inspired us or anyone who has given us love or guided us. It’s a wonderful day to say thank you and make those people feel lovely and special… and have cake! We all love having a celebration at our house.

It’s nice how you always raised us to be affectionate and loving in that way, because it feels like that door is never closed, you know. I think It’s really important to show children that you love them, have an active interest in what they are doing, and that they have done a good job. This comes back to that leading by example; I think that is the best thing a parent can do!

Hetti: Beautiful… Well, that seems like a good spot to conclude this wonderful discussion – maybe one day we’ll look back on this one as another of our highlights!

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