#2:30 am mask analysis

[trans-queen-administrator]

Ok so I saw this post and I don't want to derail it (check it out tho cool analysis). Masks in Worm are so so interesting to me, because they're something the top echelon of villains completely forgo. Slaughterhouse Nine, Birdcage Capes, Nilbog, Echidna, Moord Nag, all of them are unmasked, their identities are complete public knowledge. Masks are a privilege afforded to the Villains who play nice and don't try to blow up the moon, or kill millions, or spawn two thousand goblins, their identities are allowed to stay hidden as an incentive to Not Blow Up The Moon Please. And when the mask comes off, it means there's so much less reason for the villain to hold back because their little Not Blowing Up The Moon prize is gone so what's the fucking point of not doing anything to that smug rock? So when Taylor does get unmasked, there's two major things that signified. She has no reason to hold back anymore, which is why she's so brutal afterwards. She puts maggots in valefors eyes, she manages to kill the Butcher by trapping Cherish in an even worse hell, she ruins the chili, she kills Alexandria and Tagg in the most brutal way possible. Her restraints are gone, she has no reason to temper herself and every reason to lash out. The second thing it signifies is why her lashing out is so terrifying. By being unmasked, she's up there with the nine, nilbog, all the impossibly strong villains we know don't get the privilege of a mask. It tells the reader that Taylor is a villain on par with them, she's that terrifying and enough of a monster that she's not allowed to play the cops and robbers game Lisa tells her about.

[2500ji]

alright, that’s it.

i’m sick of seeing hate against people who don’t read the project sekai stories. this fandom has a lot of problems and this collective hatred of anyone who doesn’t dedicate hours upon hours to read the stories is one of them.

first of all, the event stories are fucking long.

each episode can be anywhere from 15-30 minutes if read as the game intends (with auto on). multiply this by 8, and you’re talking possibly 2-4 hours PER EVENT. this doesn’t even account for mixed events, which have 2 extra episodes.

not to mention, there are 137 events on the japanese server (and 101 on the english server) at the time i am writing this. 3 hours average times 137 events equals a total of 411 hours. that is 2 and a half weeks of solid content. to say that’s daunting for people who started playing the game any sizable amount of time since its release is a massive understatement.

not to mention, the events, if viewed in-game, take a massive amount of storage space. not everyone’s device can handle the insane amount of space needed for this game’s events (even moreso if you plan to listen to the voices)

not everyone plays the game for the events, and they’re NOT needed to enjoy the characters.

i get it. if someone who hasn’t read the events is trying to have in-depth analyses of the characters or the groups, they’re bound to mischaracterize. the thing is, nobody’s really doing that.

not everyone downloaded the game because they wanted to read 400 hours of stories. yes, they are a fundamental part of the game. i’m not trying to deny that. however, so is the rhythm game. i don’t see any hate towards people who hardly touch the shows. because they’re not for everyone.

you should be able to talk about, write fics for, and roleplay as the characters without needing to read the stories. yes, people may mischaracterize. but reading the stories doesn’t make you exempt to that either. i’ve read fics from people who read every story for the group the fics were about that still managed to get so much wrong.

the events can be serious triggers.

i’m a HUGE niigo fan. i buy nightcord merchandise, i’ve played almost all their songs, and i love the characters. i have not read a single solely-niigo event. you know why? because they are extremely triggering for me — the most blatant example being the most recent event on ensekai; “farewell, my mask.”

project sekai’s stories are beautiful. but if one’s writing is always light-hearted, it will not touch people as dearly. (i mean, for christ’s sake, No Seek No Find revolves around this exact statement.)

and project sekai is no exception — their stories unapologetically dive into extremely heavy topics, including but not limited to emotional abuse, grief/loss, and being hospitalized. reading the nightcord stories as people have tried to genuinely harass me into doing would result in some extremely bad feelings.

and i’m not the only one — many people i know, some who have even reblogged and expressed agreement with posts hating on those who don’t read the stories, have shared my sentiment. you cannot insist people read the stories like i’ve seen many people do, because you have no clue what might trigger someone.

what should we do, then?

first of all, build up some tolerance. not everyone is going to read the stories, and some people may mischaracterize the characters. did someone make a character analysis that ignored a big aspect of a character? scroll past the post. did someone write a fic making a character say and do things they usually wouldn’t? hit the backspace button.

second of all, try to be open-minded to the opinions of people who haven’t read the stories. maybe they get their content through the commission song lyrics, or maybe they diligently read the area conversations. or maybe they don’t! maybe they just want to talk about their fave.

if someone’s misinterpretation is genuinely harmful or bigoted, call out the harm and bigotry. that person who called ena an abusive sister despite akito acting similarly? call out the misogyny. this goes for any harmful interpretation of a character or group.

and finally, try to have some fun. this is a game. we’re all fans. if you do nothing but perpetuate hatred, nobody’s gonna wanna play toys with you.

[everythingsinred]

~ essay navigation ~

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Anya's essays are interesting in theory, but I really don't wanna read ALL of it! I just wanna read the analysis of my favorite parts!" or maybe "I DID read all of Anya's essays but now I wanna reread one specific thing she talked about and I can't remember which post it was in because there's too many of them!" ? Me too! Don't even worry about it! Today I am addressing those issues with a TABLE OF CONTENTS!

This is for essay parts AND in-depth character questions related to GA that I've answered. I get a LOT of questions about GA's ending and thus I feel like I've talked about it exhaustively. This is how I make it all digestible. <3 Love ya!

Anime NM Essay (6 parts/includes a self-contained and easy to navigate table of contents so I won't go into it again here)

NatsuMikan Essay (Natsume's Version) (30 parts. This is the one people actually read I think):

Part 1 (covers ch 1-4. corresponds to pt 1 of mikan's/ mikan entering the academy and the northern woods game)

Part 2 (covers ch 5-8. corresponds to pt 1+2+3 of mikan's/ northern woods game and mikan's intro to academy life)

Part 3 (covers ch 9-12, corresponds to pt 4 of mikan's/ dodgeball, letters, culture fest announcement, and central town)

Part 4 (covers ch 13-16, corresponds to pt 5 of mikan's/ the reo arc)

Part 5 (covers ch 17-20, corresponds to pt 6+7 of mikan's/ culture fest up to anna's shop)

Part 6 (covers ch 21-26, corresponds to pt 7+8 of mikan's/ rest of the culture fest)

Part 7 (covers ch 27-30, corresponds to pt 9 of mikan's/ exams, kaname & bear's story, beginning of z arc)

Part 8 (covers ch 31-35, corresponds to pt 10 of mikan's/ part 2 of z arc up to going through the tunnel)

Part 9 (covers ch 36-40, corresponds to pt 11+12 of mikan's/ part 3 of z arc up to the discovery of z's headquarters)

Part 10 (covers ch 41-44, corresponds to pt 12+13 of mikan's/ part 4 of z arc up to its conclusion)

Part 11 (covers ch 45-47, corresponds to pt 13 of mikan's/ natsume's bday and christmas ball prep)

Part 12 (covers ch 48-52, corresponds to pt 14 of mikan's/ christmas ball and winter cleaning)

Part 13 (covers ch 53-55, corresponds to pt 15 of mikan's/ part 1 of new year's arc up to n&m sleeping together)

Part 14 (covers ch 56-61, corresponds to pt 16 of mikan's/ part 2 of new year's arc up to yakumo and natsume's fight)

Part 15 (covers ch 66-70, corresponds to pt 17+18 of mikan's/ part 3 of new year's arc up to conclusion and aoi's departure)

Part 16 (covers ch 71-76, corresponds to pt 19+20 of mikan's/ transition arc including alice stones and valentine's day)

Part 17 (covers ch 77-80, corresponds to pt 21 of mikan's/ part 1 of sports fest arc up to the equipment mishap)

Part 18 (covers ch 81-86, corresponds to pt 22+23 of mikan's/ part 2 of sports fest arc up to n&m's masked hug and conclusion)

Part 19 (covers ch 89-91, corresponds to pt 24 of mikan's/ soul swap arc)

Part 20 (covers ch 93-95, corresponds to pt 25 of mikan's/ transition arc including swimming up to n&m hugging to comfort each other)

Part 21 (covers ch 96-100, corresponds to pt 26 of mikan's/ beginning of escape arc, natsume's confessions)

Part 22 (covers ch 101-116, corresponds to pt 27+28 of mikan's/ part 1 of time travel arc up to izumi's death)

Part 23 (covers ch 117-123, corresponds to pt 28 of mikan's/ part 2 of time travel arc up to conclusion & mikan's decision)

Part 24 (covers ch 124-138, corresponds to pt 29+30+31 of mikan's/ high school arc up to conclusion)

Part 25 (covers ch 140-143, corresponds to pt 32+33 of mikan's/ yuka's funeral, christmas ball and shiki's gift to mikan)

Part 26 (covers ch 144-145, corresponds to pt 33 of mikan's/ rapunzel arc)

Part 27 (covers ch 146-149/ natsume and ruka developments and new year's planning)

Part 28 (covers ch 150-163, corresponds to pt 34 of mikan's/ new year's concert and natsume's death)

Part 29 (covers ch 178-180, corresponds to pt 39 of mikan's/ final chapters, which we all know by now i despise)

Part 30 (covers the nm content in kageki, corresponds to pt 40 of mikan's)

NatsuMikan Essay (Mikan's Version) (40 parts. Longer and stole more of my soul but got less engagement) :

Part 1 (covers ch 1-2, corresponds to pt 1 of natsume's/ mikan entering the academy)

Part 2 (covers ch 3-5, corresponds to pt 1+2 of natsume's/ adventure in the northern woods)

Part 3 (covers ch 6-8, corresponds to pt 2 of natsume's/ mikan's intro to academy life)

Part 4 (covers ch 9-12, corresponds to pt 3 of natsume's/ dodgeball, letters, culture fest announcement, and central town)

Part 5 (covers ch 13-16, corresponds to pt 4 of natsume's/ the reo arc)

Part 6 (covers ch 17-19, corresponds to pt 5 of natsume's/ culture fest throughout the SA event)

Part 7 (covers ch 20-22, corresponds to pt 5+6 of natsume's/ culture fest up to imai sibling meeting)

Part 8 (covers ch 23-26, corresponds to pt 6 of natsume's/ culture fest up to conclusion)

Part 9 (covers ch 26-30, corresponds to pt 7 of natsume's/ exams, kaname & bear's story, beginning of z arc)

Part 10 (covers ch 31-35, corresponds to pt 8 of natsume's/ part 2 of z arc up to going through the tunnel)

Part 11 (covers ch 36-39, corresponds to pt 9 of natsume's/ part 3 of z arc up to mikan falling in the sand trap)

Part 12 (covers ch 40-43, corresponds to pt 9+10 of natsume's/ part 4 of z arc up to pengy's death)

Part 13 (covers ch 44-47, corresponds to pt 10+11 of natsume's/ conclusion of z arc, natsume's bday and christmas prep)

Part 14 (covers ch 48-52, corresponds to pt 12 of natsume's/ christmas ball and winter cleaning)

Part 15 (covers ch 53-55, corresponds to pt 13 of natsume's/ part 1 of new year's arc up to n&m sleeping together)

Part 16 (covers ch 56-61, corresponds to pt 14/ part 2 of new year's arc up to h+r+m chasing after natsume and ruka deciding to tell his and natsume's tale)

Part 17 (covers ch 65-67, corresponds to pt 15 of natsume's/ part 3 of new year's arc up to mikan getting hit by persona's alice for the first time)

Part 18 (covers ch 68-70, corresponds to pt 15 of natsume's/ part 4 of new year's arc up to conclusion and aoi's departure)

Part 19 (covers ch 71-73, corresponds to pt 16 of natsume's/ part 1 of transition arc, including alice stones and valentines day)

Part 20 (covers ch 74-76, corresponds to pt 16 of natsume's/ part 2 of transition arc, including the graduation concert and hoshino)

Part 21 (covers ch 77-80, corresponds to pt 17 of natsume's/ part 1 of sports fest arc up to equipment mishap)

Part 22 (covers ch 81-84, corresponds to pt 18 of natsume's/ part 2 of sports fest arc up to the borrowing race)

Part 23 (covers ch 85-88, corresponds to pt 18 of natsume's/ part 3 of sports fest arc up to kibasen and conclusion)

Part 24 (covers ch 89-92, corresponds to pt 19 of natsume's/ soul swap arc)

Part 25 (covers ch 93-95, corresponds to pt 20 of natsume's/ transition arc including swimming up to n&m hugging to comfort each other)

Part 26 (covers ch 96-100, corresponds to pt 21 of natsume's/ beginning of escape arc, natsume's confessions)

Part 27 (covers ch 101-110, corresponds to pt 22 of natsume's/ part 1 of time travel arc up to n&m/kaoru&yuka parallel)

Part 28 (covers ch 111-123, corresponds to pt 22+23 of natsume's/ part 2 of time travel arc up to conclusion and mikan's decision)

Part 29 (covers ch 124-131, corresponds to pt 24 of natsume's/ part 1 of high school arc up to hotaru's farewell)

Part 30 (covers ch 132-134, corresponds to pt 24 of natsume's/ part 2 of high school arc, including mikan getting 3 love confessions and returning 1)

Part 31 (covers ch 135-139, corresponds to pt 24 of natsume's/ part 3 of high school arc up to conclusion and yuka's death)

Part 32 (covers ch 140-142, corresponds to pt 25 of natsume's/ reuniting with mikan in labyrinth)

Part 33 (covers ch 143-145, corresponds to pt 26 of natsume's/ rapunzel arc)

Part 34 (covers ch 150-163, corresponds to pt 27 of natsume's/ new year's concert, escaping with persona, and natsume's death)

Part 35 (covers ch 164-166/ mikan trying to save natsume)

Part 36 (covers ch 167-169/ mikan's widow arc)

Part 37 (covers ch 170-172/ memories lesson)

Part 38 (covers ch 173-177/ mikan's departure)

Part 39 (covers ch 178-180, corresponds to pt 29 of natsume's/ final chapters... this part is just me ranting actually)

Part 40 (covers nm content in kageki/ corresponds to pt 30 of natsume's)

To be continued because Tumblr hates me and I hate it back <3

[grandlance]

SUPREME DEITY QUIRINUS ❲ GRAND LANCER ❳ of FATE/GRAND ORDER by percival (he/him, 30+)

⎛ app ₁ sanit graph ₂ meta analysis ₃ permanent starter call ₄ thread tracker ₅ rules under readmore ⎠ ⎛ currently housed [ . . . ] house 101. ⎠ ⎛ ranked [ . . . ] newcomer, 9/1/24 ⎠

𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚢 𝚒𝚗 [ . . . ] apotheosis. a divine mind and a human heart. the desire to protect, to create, and to love. looking at both glory and sin, accepting both. the path to a better self, a better tomorrow.

⎛ affiliated with [ . . . ] @isolaradiale. ⎠ art used with permission by ❲ hal ❳

rules are basic, but this blog is affiliated, there are plenty of influences from real world mythology bc its typemoon and also i, percival, am so so so normal about greco-roman mythology ⎛ im very much not normal, it was my special interest for most of my childhood and its back with a vengeance ⎠

i will write with indie blogs, because i love u guys.

my shipping policy is quiri is single ship! so far he doesn't have a ship partner but if that happens, he's not going to go for anyone else.

tldr of supreme deity quirinus is "god 1⎛ quirinus ⎠ who is angry at god 2⎛ zeus ⎠ decides that he will help out some humans to kill god 2 ⎛ zeus ⎠and then after being truly useful, decides to tuxedo mask meme his way out of existence ... until he comes back but to do that he has to nerf himself but that's ok because he used to be a human before his apotheosis and at his core he has a human heart and he loves people even if it isn't a human sort of love, but it counts. also he joins the club of lancers without lances ⎛ the sibling club of archers without bows ⎠

[puutterings]

idle theories or chimerical clues, and the wide world in which to forget it all

        “...and working along that line without blundering into irrelevant issues, I have arrived at the infallible conclusion.”       “Yes, sir,” said McCarty. “Have you got the man?”       Terhune frowned.       “That will come,” he announced shortly. “The process of ratiocination alone would disclose him in time, but we shall not adopt so lengthy and crude a measure. The objective side of crime is particularly amenable to scientific analysis, and with that objective firmly fixed in the mind the solution presents no difficulties to the expert intelligence.”       “I’ve no doubt of it in the world,” agreed McCarty [189] in haste. Of course, me being an outsider and belonging to the old school that’s past with these wonderful new scientific discoveries you’re master of, sir, it’s that interesting I can’t keep my mind from it.”       “That is natural,” Terhune acknowledged generously. “I like to ssee a man without prejudice toward innovations which he is not mentally equipped to grasp in their full practical significance.”       A dull red appeared behind McCarty’s ears, but he shifted to the other foot and asked naïvely:       “Then you’ve no objections, Mr. Terhune, to me puttering around a little and asking a few questions of some of the witnesses, just to satisfy my own mind? I’ll not be bothering you, or interfering with the real investigation, but you know we old fellows like to pull in the harness now and again.”       Terhune waved his hand airily.       “Go as far as you like, my dear McCarty! Come to me with what puzzles you have some time when I’m not so busy, and I’ll set you straight.”       “Thank you, sir,” McCarty hesitated. “I was thinking of having a bit of a talk with Mrs. Doremus and maybe that girl of hers, this afternoon. Of course if you’d rather I didn’t, sir, thinking I might upset your plans, or want me to wait till you can be along, too — —”       “My good man,” Terhune turned with an air of amused impatience, “my plans are not susceptible to change because of anything you may be able to discover. Go to her by all means, and ask what you please, but please don’t bother me with any conclusions you may reach. I am concentrating upon this from a scientific standpoint, and my attention must not be even momentarily deflected from it by idle theories or chimerical clues. Run along, Mac, and investigate to your heart’s content.” ₁

      Storm thumped his pillow viciously. Dogs had been kicked from the path before and would be again! There, within reach of his hand behind the panel lay the price of all that he asked of the future! A little more of George Holworthy’s puttering solicitude, of Nicholas Langhorne’s sleek patronage and domineering authority, a week or two still perhaps of the mask of mourning, the treadmill of the office, the dodging of hypocritical, unctuous sympathy over Leila’s loss; and then freedom! Freedom at last and the wide world in which to forget it all. ₂

      sources (both by Isabel Ostrander)

1 The Clue in the Air : A Detective Story, by Isabel Ostrander / author of Suspense, At 1:30, Etc. / frontispiece by Paul Stahr (Grosset & Dunlap,; copyright W. J. Watt & Company, 1917) : 189 : link (Harvard copy) a different Harvard copy, better view of frontispiece illustration, and showing W. J. Watt on title page (along with his distinctive logotype, via hathitrust) : link

a funny (long and interesting) “review” at goodreads : link

and, on this and other fiction by Ostrander, Mike Grost, at mysteryfile :       The opening of Isabel Ostrander’s The Clue in the Air (1917) is a full intuitionist detective novel. There is a Dying Message. There is a description of a whole apartment building, and the suspects living on various floors and corners — a description that could have served as a blueprint for the many Golden Age novels which have elaborate floor plans in their stories. link (22 January 2009)

2 Ashes to Ashes by Isabel Ostrander / Author of “The Island of Intrigue”, “Suspense” “The Clue in the Air” etc. (Robert M. McBride & Co., 1919) : 195 : link same (Harvard copy, via hathitrust) : link BPL copy via archive.org : link

summary, commentary, and great photo of dustjacket art at deadyesterday (October 14, 2018) : link that dustjacket is one of a uniform group of six Ostrander titles, viewable at/via gallica.org : link from the Bibliothèques spécialisées de la Ville de Paris

published by Hurst & Blackett, (London, 1921) ?  

Isabel Ostrander (1883-1924) wikipedia : link

see PulpFlakes for a thoroughly researched (and interesting) essay on Ostrander (24 October 2020) : link continued (31 October 2020) with a story on Ostrander’s blind detective, Damon Gaunt : link and, relatedly, “The first blind detective in modern English fiction” (a3 October 2020) : link  

[evanthenerd83]

“Foundation Files: Infection”

United States Foundation of Anomalous Research And Defense

FARD-22073534-001

PROPERTY OF THE FOUNDATION

Do Not Duplicate

Document: R#1619-A

Format(s): Text, Audio

Case File #: 1640-I

Event Designated: Infection

Description: Compilation of media recovered from Site US-1640, formerly known as the John Rossio Xenocommunication Center in Carpenter, Nevada, following Event/1640.

Commentary has been provided by Dr. [DATA EXPUNGED], head of the Event/1640 Investigatory Commission.

1

A sticky-note found on the desk of junior researcher Jeffrey Boissoneau. It was left undated, with specific words scratched out.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I couldn’t. I couldn’t just destroy the radio. I needed to hear something, anything. And her voice was there.

I had to. I had to. I’m sorry.

Please. God. Forgive me but I had to.”

2

A scrap of paper found in the stomach of operations manager Lars Vanhooser.

“If you’re reading this, you’ve found my body. Sorry for the mess. I had to make sure. We found out too late. The head and throat must be destroyed. But there was nothing left. Aside from Jensen’s knife. And his shotgun.

I can only hope that I got it right. If my vocal cords are still intact, then I apologize.

You should follow my example.

Leave no receivers be”

The document ends abruptly, as if the author had been interrupted mid-writing.

3

A text document uploaded to the cloud. Significant corruption had severely hampered recovery efforts, with portions being left unintelligible. It is unclear if this was caused by widespread infection of [DATA REDACTED] or system negligence. The author has not been identified.

“This particular signal is far more complex and intricate than any we have detected before.

Analysis remains irritatingly inconclusive. Progress has barely passed 1%. How long since (unintelligible) first isolated it? Weeks?

(unintelligible) seems to be highly caustic. System keeps breaking down whenever I try restarting. Language parameters are lost. (unintelligible) breakdown of logical thinking and cohesive understanding.

Had Joaquin take a look at (unintelligible) couldn’t believe what he saw on the monitor. Neither could I. The code w(unintelligible).

(unintelligible) radiation masked as a message? Or a message that’s been scrambled into (unintelligible)?”

4

Text messages sent between project supervisor Michael Ingram and communications officer Jake Houston.

JH, 6:23 AM: Hey?

JH, 6:23 AM: Mike?

MI, 6:23 AM: What is it?

JH, 6:24 AM: I think we need you down here.

JH, 6:25 AM: Something’s coming over the radio.

MI, 6:26 AM: Something?

JH, 6:26 AM: Yeah. Something.

JH, 6:26 AM: Whatever it is, it ain’t a transmission.

JH, 6:26 AM: Definitely not a transmission.

MI, 6:27 AM: What is it then?

JH, 6:27 AM: I don’t know.

JH, 6:27 AM: I really don’t. It doesn’t sound like a burst.

JH, 6:28 AM: Actually it sounds like a person singing.

JH, 6:28 AM: Like a little girl humming. Or a woman. Or something.

MI, 6:28 AM: The hell you mean?

MI, 6:28 AM: Singing?

MI, 6:29 AM: The machine has been adjusted to (inaudible).

MI, 6:29 AM: That frequency is isolated, Jake.

MI, 6:29 AM: We shouldn’t be receiving stray waves from the radio station.

MI, 6:30 AM: Quit screwing around and get back to work.

JH, 6:30 AM: Sir. I really think you should get down here.

JH, 6:30 AM: It’s louder.

JH, 6:30 AM: Louder.

JH, 6:31 AM: Francis just stepped out.

JH, 6:31 AM: Sir please. It’s louder. Amy is covering her ears as we speak. I can hardly hear anything.

JH, 6:31 AM: Please.

JH, 6:31 AM: Please.

JH, 6:31 AM: Please.

JH, 6:31 AM: Please

MI, 6:32 AM: Ok. Ok. I’m coming.

MI, 6:33 AM: Just give me a moment. I’m in a meeting.

5

A sample of audio recorded by the body camera on equipment specialist Thomas King. Mr. King and an unidentified male were conducting an unscheduled examination. Footage could not be salvaged.

(Begin)

TK: Do you see it?

Unknown: Yeah.

TK: What the hell is it?

Unknown: I don’t know, but I think… we should tell someone.

Unknown: It doesn’t… it doesn’t look right, man.

TK: Like a vein.

TK: Hold this.

(Rustling sounds)

(Distant footsteps)

Unknown: Wait. Where are you—

TK: I’m getting Henry. Stay right there. I’ll be back.

TK: Keep an eye on that… that thing. Ok?

Unknown: Hurry up, man.

Unknown: This just isn’t right.

Unknown: Hey, wait, give me your flashlight!

Unknown: It’s godda—

(Faint whining sound)

(Static disruption)

(END)

6

A phone call between Henry Jekyll and United States Meteorological Society member Julia Ashcore. Audio was automatically recorded. Metadata would reveal that the following conversion took place around the same time as Thomas King’s inspection of Array Dish Twenty-Nine.

(BEGIN)

(Ringing)

JA: Hello?

HJ: Hey, Julia. It’s Henry.

JA: Henry? Hey!

JA: How are you?

HJ: Oh. Um. I’m fine.

HJ: You?

JA: Everything’s just peachy.

HJ: (chuckles)

HJ: Um… Julia?

JA: Henry?

HJ: Have you guys… um, I’m just calling to check. But has there been lightning in the area?

HJ: Any big thunderstorms?

JA: U-um. I don’t think so. Why do you ask?

HJ: No reason. It’s just that…

HJ: … look. Can you please check?

HJ: This is a time-sensitive situation.

HJ: You understand.

JA: …

JA: Let me see.

JA: Please hold.

HJ: (sighing) I’m sorry.

(Typing sounds)

JA: Nope. Not really. Weather’s been fair. Unbearably hot, of course, and sunny… but fair.

JA: Closest thing to lightning that’s been reported down there was a brief drizzle.

HJ: Oh.

HJ: Ok.

JA: Everything ok?

HJ: Don’t worry, Julia. Just making sure.

JA: Got a reason for making sure?

HJ: One of our dishes got struck by lightning. Or something.

HJ: Something like that. I wasn’t… wasn’t here. I’ve been on vacation for the past… a month or so? Michael filled me in when I got back yesterday.

HJ: The prick.

HJ: Should have called me when it happened.

JA: That’d be basic courtesy.

HJ: Yeah.

HJ: Yeah, I—

(Knocking sounds)

(Creaking sound)

Unknown, Male: Sir?

HJ: What?

HJ: What is it?

Unknown, Male: Sir. It’s… it’s…

HJ: Well?

HJ: What—

Unknown, Male: Something’s happened. Down… (coughing) down by Dish Twenty… Twenty-Nine. Something bad.

HJ: Christ.

JA: Henry? What’s wrong? What’s going on?

HJ: Sorry, Julia. Gotta go. Bye.

(END)

United States Meteorological Society personnel have been quarantined due to concerns over a secondary outbreak.

7

A note pinned to the chest of a John Doe. Body was discovered near the southern entrance of Array Tower.

“Do not use this exit. Too close to Heaven. God stretches his nerves towards it, and you can get caught. Go North instead.”

Official cause of death was determined to be self-immolation.

8

A crumpled piece of paper found in the corner of Michael Ingram’s office.

“Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Keep it a surprise.”

It can be surmised that this note was written prior to the ‘blossoming’ event.

9

A sample of audio recorded by one of several security cameras that were present in the Control Tower. Footage could not be salvaged.

(BEGIN)

HJ: What the—

(Muffled screaming, unintelligible shouting)

Unknown, Male: We heard the screams and came running. And then, we—

HJ: What is wrong with him?

(Incoherent rambling)

(Bashing sounds)

Unknown, Male: We… we found him like that.

HJ: Jesus! Do something then!

(Screams intensify)

(Shattering sounds)

(Muffled shouting)

HJ: Quick! Grab him!

(Screaming overtakes rest of audio)

(Static interference overtakes screaming)

(Unidentified sound, akin to a record skipping)

(Unidentified sound, akin to a record being scratched)

(Unidentified sound, akin to gurgling)

(Unidentified sound, TBD)

(Unidentified sound, TBD)

(Unidentified sound, TBD)

([DATA REDACTED])

(END)

10

A sample of audio from the body camera on Thomas King. Said body camera had been critically damaged by multiple factors. These included exposure to heat, flame, as well as [DATA REDACTED] from the ‘blossoming’ event.

Video was salvaged, but subsequently deemed a technomalous hazard.

(BEGIN)

(Intermittent static disruption)

(Crackling sounds)

(Distant alarms)

(Bubbling sounds)

(Gurgling sounds)

(Distant shouting)

(Boiling sounds)

(Tearing sounds)

(Heavy breathing)

FIRE ALARM SYSTEM: (inaudible) evacuation in progress, please (inaudible) an orderly manner. Repeat— (inaudible)

(Unidentified sound, presumably [DATA REDACTED])

(Crackling sounds intensify)

(Audio cuts off)

(END)

An autopsy could not be performed on Thomas King, as [DATA REDACTED] irrecoverable.

11

A note found in the pocket of junior researcher Klein Harris.

“To think we believed in God. When God was inside all of us.”

12

A text document uploaded to the cloud. Corruption did not affect its contents. The author has been positively identified as senior researcher Hazel Mickk.

“The signal is being transmitted not from outer space, or from orbit, or even from Carpenter. It isn’t being transmitted, period. I can hear it as I type this.

Most of the Array was destroyed during the fire. A small mercy, given the circumstances. Only Dish Twenty-Nine remains intact.

Intact.

Standing tall.

Standing there.

Standing there with those arms and necks and mouths and the pieces the fire couldn’t get in time and the bits it left behind and the

The signal is not being transmitted.

It is self-propagating.”

13

A 911 phone call traced to the John Rossio Center. Audio was automatically recorded. However, the dispatch office was exposed to [DATA REDACTED], undergoing a [DATA REDACTED]. This would prevent firefighters from being deployed. The caller remains unidentified.

(BEGIN)

Dispatcher: Nine-one-one, what’s the nature of your emergency?

(Static interruption)

Dispatcher: Hello?

(Faint screaming)

(Faint crackling)

Unknown, Male: (inaudible) you hear me?!

Unknown, Male: (inaudible) can you hear me?!

Dispatcher: Sir, what’s the nature of your emergency?

Unknown, Male: We have a fire! There’s a fire! God (inaudible) she’s burning! Burning alive!

Dispatcher: Where are you?

Unknown, Male: Christ! Oh Christ!

Unknown, Male: She’s burning! Burning! Burning!

Unknown, Male: (inaudible) get some water! Now!

(Faint screaming)

(Faint shouting)

(Crackling sounds intensify)

Dispatcher: Sir, sir, please tell me where you are.

Unknown, Male: (inaudible) care if (inaudible) go get some water now! Can’t you see?

Dispatcher: Sir.

Unknown, Male: I… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m…

Dispatcher: Where are you?

Unknown, Male: I’m calling… I’m calling from, Christ… I’m calling from John Rossio Center. John Rossio Center.

Unknown, Male: A fire is currently… one of our, um, our array dishes have… um, uh, exploded. I don’t know which. I can’t tell which.

Dispatcher: Sir. What started the fire?

Unknown, Male: Uh—

(Unidentified sound, akin to water boiling)

(Unidentified sound, akin to metal being shredded)

Unknown, Male: Oh Christ, look out—

(Whipping sounds)

(Gurgling sounds)

(Unidentified sound, akin to skin being peeled)

(Unidentified sound, TBD)

(Unidentified sound, TBD)

(Screaming)

(Call is prematurely terminated)

Dispatcher: Sir?

Dispatcher: Sir, are you there?

([DATA REDACTED])

Dispatcher: What’s that—

(END)

For more information regarding the situation in Carpenter, Nevada, please review Document R#1619-B.

14

A piece of paper found in a trash bin. Author remains unidentified.

“Jamie was listening to the radio. He was listening to the radio. Can you imagine that? After all that’s happened, the people we’ve lost, having such self assured arrogance as to turn on the radio?

He was sitting on the floor. I could barely see it from behind him. And he was leaning over, fiddling with the buttons.

But I could hear it.

I heard it. It sounded like a little girl humming or a woman singing opera. An opera spoken in a different language, a language that wasn’t a language, a wordless message, a voice-meaning, radio of of of of of of of of

of flesh.

I had to do it. He gave me no choice, the idiot. He would have gotten both of us exposed.

And I’d have been changed too. Taken into Her holy body. Given a place among Her Children. Taken.

Taken taken taken taken taken taken taken taken taken taken taken taken taken taken

I killed him.

I shoved that radio down his throat.

I ate what came back up.

I”

It is possible that [DATA REDACTED].

15

Graffiti written on the wall of the Staff Cafeteria.

“Earplugs help us.”

16

A note found on the desk of Michael Ingram.

“I shall listen. I shall listen. I shall open my ears and bask in the heavenly song of Unbirth. I shall swallow the shocking saliva bleeding from Her mouths. I shall take Her into myself, and I will learn, and I will receive the message, the command, Her Gospel, Her, Her, Her, Her. I shall HEED.”

It is currently unknown when Mr. Ingram was initially infected by [DATA REDACTED], or if his affectation occurred following the [DATA REDACTED].

17

A sample of audio recorded by the body camera on security guard Ellis Parsons. Video could not be salvaged. Inspection reveals inexplicable and potentially hazardous alterations to the device’s metadata.

(BEGIN)

EP: Hurry! Hurry! Come on!

Unknown, Female: Hold on! I got to—

EP: We don’t have the time! It’s coming!

Unknown, Female: But we need the data! Think about it! Nobody will believe us when—

EP: Ma’am. I don’t care if people don’t believe me.

EP: We can’t risk it. Not when we are so close. The exit is right over there, see?

Unknown, Female: It’ll only take a second.

Unknown, Female: I’m almost done. All that’s left is—

(Faint gurgling sounds)

(Squelching sounds)

(Screaming)

EP: Oh my god!

Unknown, Female: (gasping)

(Gurgling sounds)

(Squelching sounds)

(Screaming)

(Unidentified voices, multiple; unintelligible)

Unknown, Female: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, get away, get away! Get away from me! Get—

EP: (inaudible)

(Unidentified sound, akin to crashing wave)

(Muffled gunfire)

Unknown, Female: (screaming)

(Unidentified sound, akin to flesh melting)

(Unidentified sound, akin to water boiling)

(Unidentified sound, TBD)

(Unidentified sound, TBD)

(Unidentified sound, TBD)

(Unidentified sounds overtake rest of audio)

(END)

18

An email written by junior researcher Taylor Jones on his laptop. Due to the nature of [DATA REDACTED], it could not be sent. WiFi signals within the center were affected. The intended recipient was Mr. Jones’ older brother, [NAME WITHHELD].

“TO: [EMAIL ADDRESS WITHHELD]

FROM: [EMAIL ADDRESS WITHHELD]

DATE: December 1, 2022

SUBJECT: SEND HELP

Please send help please send help tell someone that we are under attack I don’t know by what but please tell someone tell someone tell someone please oh god my lapto”

Mr. Jones’ remains were located in his office. An autopsy could not be performed, as they had fused with his laptop.

19

An excerpt from the diary of Amelia Hanchard. Ms. Hanchard had been Mr. Ingram’s personal secretary prior to Event/1640. The entry was dated November 13, 2022.

“I quit today. I left my desk and walked out, didn’t bother picking up my stuff. I didn’t want to give that bastard the satisfaction.

I’m glad I didn’t go inside his office. The way he was looking at me, I must have been a piece of meat. Just a piece of meat. Maybe I should go to the police.”

Ms. Hanchard could potentially have been present during the initial manifestation of [DATA REDACTED].

20

A crumpled note found in the pocket of maintenance supervisor Oswald Peters.

“I should have noticed. There were signs that something was wrong with him, and with Dish Twenty-Nine, and yet… No wonder he ordered all inspections to be delayed! Why else would he have blocked my requests to look over (unintelligible) if not to let that sickness take hold? And for weeks. For a whole month, it was settling in, metastasizing, growing. When did it start? November first? The thirteenth? It doesn’t matter. Not anymore.

If you read this, just know that it was partially my fault.”

21

A text document uploaded to the cloud. Author has been identified as Hazel Mickk. This is the final piece of digital media, textual or otherwise, available for viewing.

“Her voice is louder. It is everywhere. In the air, in my blood, seeping through my skull, brain, nerves, to inseminate cells with purpose. With being. The signal carries the one true gospel. It is the Gospel. I’m trying really hard to not lapse into Her tongue and to retain my sanity, even as She sets my head aflame and whispers and demands and commands commands commands.

I’m back. I just stabbed myself with the pen Michael gave me on my first day here. When was that? Three years ago? I can’t tell what time it is. That or it doesn’t even matter. Because time is nothing but the chains of oppression holding back Her merciful

Another jab. My neck is bleeding. It’s running down my chest and paints my fingers and makes it hard to type because it gets between the keys.

I’ve figured it out. Took me long enough.

Her voice Her Gospel Her MESSA The signal came from somewhere. Somewhere close by. Not a planet or another facility. This wasn’t terrorism. This was an infection. But it came from this place right next to ours, a separate dimension, or the spaces between our measly little home and the ones around that float in

in in in in the void the nothingness that boils and shocks and zigs and zags and contains things that used to exist and things that not yet exist bio electrical impulses without conductors or recently ejected from rotting rotting rotting rotting rotting the Static the Static is what it’s called at least that’s what popped into my bare skull my naked brain the Static is the origin of the signal and that is the source of all electricity and electricity is Her She has always been here with us has been abused by us misused by us by us by us by us by us by us by us by us by us by us by us

One last jabby jab ha ha ha red pretty red pretty red pretty red humming red screaming red red red red red red red red red

lightni”

References towards “the Static” correspond with evidence gathered during various other investigations, most notably the incident in [DATA EXPUNGED].

22

Graffiti written on the floor before a door.

“WELCOME TO OUR GRAVE.”

Further investigation revealed that the door led to a small office.

Several bodies were observed inside, although proper identification could not be accomplished.

Cause of death is theorized to be self inflicted gunshot wounds.

23

Words scratched into the wall of the northern staircase.

“Don’t go down. Bodies at the bottom.”

[DATA REDACTED] on the ground floor. Recovery teams could not safely ascend without potentially being infected. Secondary entrances such as windows were used.

Analysis of biological material has matched extraneous DNA fragments to various personnel. This contradicts our initial speculations.

Staff had indeed followed the evacuation order given during the fire, but began panicking. “Crowd crush” occurred. A total of fifty-seven individuals became trapped. Progress of degradation implies close contact with [DATA REDACTED].

24

A sticky-note found in the pocket of Michael Ingram, whose body was discovered in Conference Room A.

“Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the Gospel Heed the”

An autopsy was determined to be unnecessary.

[painted-crow]

Hey I hope this isn’t awkward but that post about your burned badger (lion?) secondary really hit home for me. I’m pretty sure I’ve had the same burned model in the past - I think I started off with a healthier badger/lion model (I can’t figure out which and am still figuring out my sorting anyway) and some external life stuff going on later, I’m really just pushing through and getting stuff done with all the delicacy of a brick. And same here with the emotional rollercoaster ... 1/2

And same here with the emotional rollercoaster of it between panic/apathy. And the burnout. And the ignoring physical pain. And I can see now how this was uh. Pretty unhealthy actually but it really was just so. effective especially given the circumstances and I kind of miss it in a way. It would be nice if I could get back a healthier version of whichever model it was. Anyway I love reading your blog you always have such insightful things to say thanks for reading this ramble <3 2/2

💙💙💙 :D

Not awkward! I'm glad that was useful for someone, rather than just being an angst dump on my part lol

Emergency secondary mode, Badger or Lion?

Links to previous posts:

- post describing my emergency secondary mode (cw for burnout stuff)

- the worst version of this post (cw for terrible memes)

So, after a lot of consideration and chatting with some lovely SHC people (looking at you @mooglesorts and you @magpie-of-a-birb), I've come to the tentative conclusion that I have a Lion secondary performance.

Which is not something I ever expected to say! I've long had a knee-jerk "aaaaa scary!" reaction to Lion secondary, but actually I think that's because I have this performance and I've had to use it in unsustainable ways.

I should probably put a trigger warning here for self harm through overwork... yeah.

So, I found this song:

(While it is a bop, it is also x2 trigger warning combo for self harm ahaha)

This song's primary is exploded Glory Hound Lion--that's not what's relatable about it to me tho. What I wanted my friends' opinion on was the secondary that's displayed here. Sounded familiar. So I brought it up on the SHC Discord server (which is out of beta, dm me for an invite link if you wanna join!).

I was thinking it might actually be the fully Burned "anything that works" secondary, but Magpie was like "no, that's a Lion sec with a Snake model" and I went "huh..."

...and then Moogle was like no that's a snakesec with an unhealthy Lion model, the masks aren't working so they're busting out Lion--and especially there's the focus on the character feeling powerful because they can hurt themself with it and keep going anyway

And I was like "oh shit that tracks more than I was expecting it to... whoops"

Badger hits different without unhealthy pressure

I do have and use a Badger secondary model, and I used to think my emergency secondary mode was just my Badger model taken to unhealthy extremes. But I don’t think so now.

First, because I actually think that my emergency mode is/was often a product of my exploded Badger primary model, which itself idealized Badger secondary.

I'm still picking through that thing's shrapnel and finding its influence in old memories and automatic reactions I still have and stuff like that--not to mention rooting it out of my system. Which is to say, now that I know what I'm looking for, I'm still discovering how far back this thing goes! Turns out I've been trying to whack this piñata for years, and it used to be so much worse.

The self-destructive "I'd rather run myself hard into the ground than fail" nature of my emergency mode makes a lot of sense in retrospect. When you tie your self-worth to achievement... well: the lyrics "I'll never lose / I'll never die" from the song seem less "I have achieved immortality!" and more "I basically equate failure with death." This song really straddles that edge of relatable but also obviously messed up. It's... something.

Second, my Badger secondary model is very different when it's not under pressure from the 'splodey primary model. I'm kind of having to figure out what it's like without that and it's weird. It seems to be a whole lot more chill and also I'm getting more Courtier than I'm used to?

Yeah, turns out if you dig out "you should help other people to justify your existence, but don't accept help back or it cancels it out" from your system (because damn, there's a system piece I didn't look at closely enough) it might have been holding up Courtier potential you haven't been using.

What's the difference?

I don't know who pointed this out first, I think I read it somewhere, but Badger secondary is very process focused and Lion secondary is very results focused. (Bet you this was from @wisteria-lodge. I'm not sure, though.)

Badger usually shows up as a few main things for me: mirroring, chipping away at big projects, picking up life maintenance and self care type tasks (especially when Bird secondary is burned), and caregiving/service stuff. It can also Burn on its own, which is its own brand of "motivation is a cryptid" exhaustion. None of this looks like Lion, so where does the confusion come in?

The only time my Badger model starts to look like Lion--and here the line really blurs with the performance--is when I've tried to get it to do tasks it's not really meant for. There are things I need Bird unburned in order to tackle (perhaps it's the presence of burned Birdsec that gets in the way? That injured confidence can be really debilitating) and I can't do them with just Badger.

I'm sure actual Badger secs know how to, say, learn Adobe Illustrator's unbelievably complicated controls while under deadline using Badger, but I have no clue. I powered through using probably the least efficient controls possible. (If you're using the nudge tool as a form of measurement, you're probably doing it wrong. I'm guessing.)

Needless to say, that's exhausting. I think there's some point in the project timeline where it stops being "well it's not efficient but at least I'm making progress!" and starts being fueled by raw stubborn determination and a little bit of spite. The contentment with the process goes out the window. I'm fighting my own perfectionism (and usually losing) because I just want this thing done.

Which, that's not necessarily a bad thing! Sometimes it's really useful to be able to go "screw it" and charge. It becomes a bad thing when you ignore all your other needs to do it, possibly because you've tied success and/or productivity to your self worth, and also you're still clutching your perfectionism and hissing "my precioussssss."

also:

It's not always obvious, but I sometimes use Lion secondary in ways not connected to the splodey Badger primary model.

(Occasionally it is obvious though... haha)

I do have this one story about realizing my younger brother might be in danger and charging off to find him, armed with a heavy wooden coat hanger against potential assailants. I went from Bird situational analysis to "this is the best weapon I can find on short notice" in like 30 seconds. In my defense, I was very sleep deprived at the time.

(It makes more sense in context.)

(Sort of.)

so.

I think the emergency secondary mode is a Lionsec performance.

This post took me like a month to write even after figuring it out. And then another few weeks collecting dust in my drafts, because how do you edit something like this

But I've been sitting on it for way too long and I'm tired of saying I should finish/post it, and tonight I'm feeling bored and a little impulsive... so, screw it--I'm calling this done.

(can you hear it? it's there... fighting my Birdsec/Badgersec model perfectionism again.)

(this time, I will listen.)

[raederle-phoenix]

Mom sent me a video called “Could it be Aspergers?”

Raederle: I've been learning a lot about autism recently. Btw, It's no longer trendy to call anything on the spectrum Asperger's, apparently.

Mom: It may not be trendy, but while I'm comfortable saying, “I have Asperger's,” I am not comfortable saying I have mild Autism.

Raederle: Many people have the opposite feeling because of the guy Asperger's was named after.

I'm watching the video now. It's good thus far. I was the “Italian driver” as a kid, as he put it. I didn't read the signs in social situations. lol

Lytenian has noooo tolerance for people shouting. (9 minutes into the video now.) 

Lytenian also can't wear a mask without having a panic attack. Every time we go grocery shopping I have to pause and hug him regularly while he hyperventilates.

Accountants are shown to be really likely to have aspy kids, lol. (Looking at you.) [Mom has always had a passion for accounting.]

He tells the story around minute fourteen of the kid who ends up studying psychology . . . And points out he has been studying people since he was three because it was the only way to cope. Man do I relate to that. And so does Dad, I'm sure. [Dad studied psychology in college and went on to continue to study it for life. He’s the one who introduced me to transactional analysis and NLP.]

OMG. Minute 20. Aspy girl observes the popular girl. “What does she wear? Pink. I'll wear pink-pink-pink. What does she like? Barbies. I'll get 100 Barbies!” I don't recall deciding to do that due to any particular girls I knew, but perhaps I used TV as a model.

OMG #2. Minute 22. Sometimes the aspy girl can't find acceptance so she gives up copying the others and turns to things like promiscuity, so at least she can get acceptance that way.

Did Dad watch this with you? LOL. 

Yoga and meditation. “Tell aspies to do it because it makes them smarter. Explain that being upset makes their IQ drop 30 points. Yes, it will drop into the normal range.” LOL. 

Wow. He even mentioned narcissism toward the end.

Mom: The video is SO on point – for you, me, Dale, Carlos – I didn't know about Lytenian.

Raederle: Ah, of course Carlos. And obviously Michael. [My nephew.] I think our family is actually a magnet for aspy people. [I named other friends of the family.]  

[The next day] Raederle: I'm now questioning whether Greg has a touch of it after all. The man in the video did say that a percentage of people were subclinical . . . I really want to know all about the genetics of it. How many different genes are we dealing with? Three? Fifteen?

Mom: Good question.  And I also wonder about that. But I don't think that genetics has the final say about it. I think a lot of it is things like mercury poisoning. Early trauma that affects the brain.

Raederle: I used to think it was more about things like mercury poisoning, but after learning about how the dynamics of HSPs [Highly Sensitive People] work, and that hundreds of other species have HSPs, and that they serve an important role in society, I now think aspy people serve a nature-intended role. 

I think the enhanced awareness and diagnosis of people with autism could actually be due to our society becoming more dysfunctional. When the diet everyone ate was healthy, and when communities were more supportive and close-knit, aspy people would have had a strong support system that accepted them as they were. The healthy food and healthy relationships would keep their anxiety down and their strengths would shine through. 

With the way society is structured now, it is too hard to cope as an aspy, so the ones in the latest generation are becoming spokespeople.

Mom: Certainly a valid argument.  And certainly aspies serve valid functions, just as do homosexuality and other 'aberrations'. 

But I think the trigger is always early trauma.

Consider that the very things that cause violence and narcissism are violence and narcissism.

And in societies where those are rampant, they are considered good traits.

Raederle: Hmm. But violence and narcissism are behavioral patterns. Autism impacts the neural pathway structure itself, and even how many hormones are released in conjunction to certain stimuli . . . Then again, I suppose behavior works that way too. Our brains develop neural superhighways based on whatever we do a child while we are using dendrites rapidly in our brain to make connections.

I still think there is something different going on with things like autism and being an HSP, however. When someone does a lot of shadow work, they can find themselves increasingly healed from a need to have a narcissistic relational style, but their brain set-up (being good at pattern recognition, or being more focused on incoming sensory stimuli, as examples) actually gets better at what it was already doing; it doesn't change to suddenly become neuro-typical if it wasn't previously.

Mom: Also good points, but the premise, logic, and brain power are getting beyond me. My brain doesn't do things it used to. [Mom is over seventy now. She had me when she was forty-two, and I’m thirty-one now.]

Raederle: *sad*

Mom: Yeah I know.  Such is life.

Raederle: I brag to people all the time that in college you had a 4.0 in calculus. :)

Mom: I brag to myself about it.  But I went back once to audit a class, and couldn’t follow it.

Raederle: I've started re-learning all the math I knew in high school from Greg. And he's going to teach me calculus after I'm caught up. From there, Scott might teach me more.

Mom: That would be cool! Bear in mind that my first calculus teacher (they taught it over three semesters) was extremely good.

Raederle: I'm sure. It helps that I get to have one-on-one tutoring. While I learn a lot from books now, I still learn a board game better from a good teacher than from a manual. The idea of learning math from a book scares the daylights out of me. I never learned a thing about math from a book.

It seems more natural to learn about people and psychology from books, and yet learn about math from people.

Okay, that is a weird thing . . . lol.

[billehrman]

Focus on the Bigger Picture

Focus on the Bigger Picture

Market participants, including the pundits on cable news most of all, are transfixed by the meme stocks and are missing the more significant, far more critical investment picture as it unfolds.

Our favorable investment outlook has been reinforced over the last several weeks as we are getting our arms around the coronavirus; the monetary policy remains overly accommodative at least through the end of the year; the fiscal policy will remain stimulative with the prospects of a trillion-dollar infrastructure on the horizon without a punitive increase in the corporate tax rate, and recent economic data points indicate that the global recovery is taking off sooner than we envisioned a few months ago. Despite all this favorable news, all we hear and read about is a handful of meme stocks, as well as cryptocurrency, whose trading volumes are out of sight. We do not like to see this action as it is devoid of fundamental analysis and valuation. It is genuine gambling and speculation, as Warren Buffett has said, and we agree.

Each week, we set out to offer our view of the investment landscape using time-tested analytical methods that have served us well over our 45+ year career successfully managing money. We step back from the daily noise and volatility to develop an investment view incorporating all the critical financial, monetary, and political variables at our hands globally.

We continue to begin our view of the investment landscape with an update on how well we handle the coronavirus, which halted global economic activity in 2020 as the world shuts down. Fortunately, therapeutics and vaccines were developed in record time such that we will put the virus in the rearview mirror as we exit 2021 permitting a sustained global economic recovery supported by trillions of monetary and fiscal stimulus put in the global financial system to help us get to the other side with minimal damage and hardship. More than 2.01 billion doses have been administered worldwide. The latest run rate is roughly 36.4 million doses per day. In the U.S., 298 million doses have been given and we are vaccinating approximately 1 million per day. We are opening rapidly now as evident by the change in mask policy. News in Europe is far better too, and the opening is accelerating there, including travel between countries. We are even contemplating a trip to Europe over the summer. News in India, which has been a notable trouble spot, has also begun to get better, as evidenced by its improving economic data recently. Finally, we are confident that we will have billions of doses available next year if needed. We are more optimistic than ever that the coronavirus will be in the rearview mirror by year-end, permitting a sustained synchronous global economic expansion in 2022 and beyond.

The Beige Book came out last week, which indicated that the economy’s pace quickened in April and May as vaccinations increased and social distancing measures were relaxed. Still, supply line disruptions were evident as well. The report specifically mentioned that auto and truck sales were constrained by shortages of chips causing tight inventories and that homebuilders said that demand outstripped capacity to build. The book also commented on improved lending volume, moderate wage growth, and the lack of job candidates preventing businesses from increasing output. Overall prices increased moderately while input prices rose more briskly. Higher inflation is expected to be transitory for all the reasons discussed previously. We continue to believe that the Fed will begin discussing tapering in the fall, start tapering next year, end its bond-buying by the fall of 2022, and begin to lift the funds' rate by mid-2023 which is two years down the road.

Negotiations between President Biden and the Republicans appear to be heating up significantly. It seems that reconciliation would not give the Democrats anywhere near what they want in an infrastructure plan. We still believe that we will end up with roughly a $1.4 trillion plan, including $1 trillion of new spending, over eight years and possibly a minimum tax of 15% rather than hiking the corporate rate at all. The plan would also be financed with user fees, project financing, and increased collections. Biden’s social “infrastructure” spending would be put off for another day which is excellent news. It is interesting to note that Treasury Secretary Yellen is pitching infrastructure spending globally to combat climate change. We are confident that we are entering a period of accelerated global capital spending to alleviate shortages, shorten supply lines, and going green.

Economic data domestically continue to improve sequentially as expected: the May Manufacturing PMI hit 61.2; new orders registered 67; the production index was 58.5, penalized by shortages; the backlog of orders rose to 70.6; the supplier index increased to 78.8; the price index hit a new high of 88; inventories feel due to shortages; new construction was up 0.2%, up 9.8% from a year ago; the services index hit a record high of 64; unemployment claims fell to a new post-pandemic low of 385,000, and job cuts remain low at 24,586. We were somewhat disappointed that first-quarter productivity increased only 5.4% in the first quarter and unit labor costs rose 1.7%. We still expect that we have entered a sustained period of higher productivity. Corporations have learned to do more with less and have increased their technology spending substantially to increase efficiency while reducing costs.  The all-important May employment report came in light with only 559,000 new jobs added versus forecasts closer to 700,000. There is certainly no problem with job availability as there are record job openings. Still, people are being paid a $300 supplemental unemployment benefit not to work, but this will end in a few months. The employment number is pivotal as Fed Chairman Powell has said that he won’t alter policy until we return to pre-pandemic employment levels. We are still around 8 million jobs short of that goal. This number supports our timetable that the Fed will not begin to taper its bond purchases until 2022.

Economic data points have been improving overseas, too, as the number of coronavirus cases/deaths decline: eurozone manufacturing activity expanded at a record pace in May, increasing to 63.1; output came in at 62.2, and prices rose 2% year over year. Economic data country by country in the Eurozone improved dramatically in May over April.  China’s Purchasers Managers’ Index fell to 55.1 in May, remaining in expansionary territory. We are confident that overseas data will improve sequentially as the coronavirus is under more control as vaccinations increase, permitting an acceleration in openings—all good news.

Investment Conclusion

Investors can miss the forest through the trees if they focus on the meme stocks and cryptocurrencies, which we hear about all the time on the business news networks and from the pundits every day. A successful investor must step back and think longer-term, reviewing all the data points to see if they are consistent with one’s longer-term investment view.

After careful consideration of progress on the coronavirus, monetary and fiscal policies worldwide, and all the most recent data points, we have not changed our view that we are on the cusp of a global synchronous economic recovery for several years that will have favor the production side of the economy, especially if we have a significant boost infrastructure and capital spending over the next several years.

Areas of emphasis include the global capital goods, industrial and machinery companies; financials as we expect the yield curve to steepen over time; technology at a fair price; transportation, and industrial/agricultural commodities. We would continue to avoid the highfliers, meme stocks, cryptocurrency, and bonds.

Our investment webinar will be held on Monday, June 7th, at 8:30, am EST. You can join the webinar by entering https://zoom.us/j/9179217852 in your browser or dialing +646-558-8656 and entering the password 9179217852.

Remember to review all the facts; pause, reflect, and consider mindset shifts; look at your asset mix with risk controls; turn off your cable news; do independent research and …

Invest Accordingly!

Bill Ehrman

Paix et Prosperite LLC

Paixetprosperite1@gmail.com

917-951-4139

[bnhaclaimedmysoul]

✧･ﾟ:  floofvember!  :･ﾟ✧

floofvember is here and I really wanted to do something like kinktober but this soul is untainted so here i am, attempting a floofvember (am sorry i just like saying floof a lot)

there is something different I want to try this floofvember: i am going to post drabbles and not headcanons cuz why not?

let’s play a game, guess the which character for each prompt!! and then send me your thoughts and analysis. 

HERE WE GO!

1.    Candles- todoroki shouto

2.     Lights- kaminari denki

3.     Curtains- kirishima eijirou

4.     Blankets- mirio togata

5.     Chocolate-  katsuki bakugou

6.     Television- midoriya izuku

7.     Stationery- sero hanta

8.     Tissues- iida tenya

9.     First Snow- hitoshi shinsou

10.   Coffee- hawks/ keigo takami

11.   Star gazing- dabi

12.   Night- tokoyami fumikage

13.   Flowers- monoma neito

14.   Snuggles- mezou shouji

15.   Hoodies- yaoyorozu momo

16.   Time- asui tsuyu

17.   Earphones- nejire hadou

18.   Confessions- bakugou katsuki

19.   Promises- kirishima eijirou

20.   Umbrellas- ochaco uraraka

21.   Nail paint- aoyama yuuga

22.   Pancakes- hitsohi shinsou

23.   Children- midoriya izuku

24.   Meetings- mirio togata

25.   Dawn- tamaki amajiki

26.   Face masks- shigaraki tomura

27.   Freckles- himiko toga

28.   Cold feet- tamaki amajiki

29.   Pinky fingers- kaminari denki

30.   Rings- Todoroki shouto

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, January 4

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Ghislaine Maxwell buying her way out of prison

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Gavin Rossdale playing tennis with his pup Chewy, Brooke Burke holding holiday balls topless, James Franco takes his cellphone into the sea 

Page 3: Leighton Meester surfing in Malibu, Robbie Williams, Lisa Rinna wearing two masks 

Page 4: Angelina Jolie is bracing for major humiliation after being dragged into Johnny Depp’s latest legal showdown with ex-wife Amber Heard -- Angie’s run-ins with Johnny who she starred with in 2010′s The Tourist are coming under intense scrutiny as Depp gears for a second court battle with Amber -- Angie and Johnny were so coy about their white-hot connection at the time even though their romance was an open secret but they got lucky because nobody had the smoking gun to prove it but now it’ll all come out in the open -- at the time Johnny was still dating Vanessa Paradis while Angie was five years into her doomed love-in with Brad Pitt -- there’s talk bisexual Amber was kind of obsessed with Angie so Angie is central to the plotline whether she likes it or not

Page 5: The Bachelor host Chris Harrison is worried he’ll follow Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron out the door -- both these shows have been on TV forever and the world has changed around them and to keep up with Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movement changes are being discussed and that’s left Chris fearing he’ll be the next Tom Bergeron and replaced by a woman of color 

Page 6: Aging divas Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton are caught in a bitter country catfight and long-dead Patsy Cline is the excuse -- although there’s been little love lost between the Nashville icons for nearly 50 years their simmering feud exploded weeks ago when Dolly apparently took some veiled public shots at Loretta’s BFF Patsy who was horribly disfigured in a car wreck two years before dying in a 1963 plane crash -- in an interview Dolly recalled standing in the wings of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry at age 13 and watching Patsy perform and she remembered thinking about how awful it was that she got her pretty face scarred up like that -- Loretta was fit to be tied over the comments Dolly made about her old pal and thinks Dolly should stop running her mouth about Nashville legends like Patsy and Johnny Cash -- Dolly’s heard about Loretta’s complaints through the grapevine and brushes them off as quarantine boredom mixed with old age 

Page 8: Blake Shelton’s going bonkers after fiancee Gwen Stefani told him she wants to skip the mega-million star-studded wedding shindig he’s been planning and elope -- Blake is all bent out of shape over Gwen’s latest switcheroo which calls for them to get hitched on the sly at a Mexican resort and she’s got him so mixed up he can’t think straight because for the longest time she wanted the Hollywood-style wedding with all the bells and whistles and was very particular about details but now she’s telling him to ditch those plans which have already cost them a small fortune and book a trip somewhere exotic so they can just just get it over with -- Gwen wants to elope so they can hitched at the Riviera Maya resort in Cancun where they could swap vows on the beach witnessed by her three sons and Blake has no choice but to give in to Gwen and he’s saying he’s fine with it as long as she’s sure this time 

Page 9: Hollywood horndog John Mayer is back sniffing around old flame Jennifer Aniston after his mom gave him a shove -- John and Jen had a steamy fling for about a year before he dropped her in 2009 and now John’s mom Margaret Meyer is scolding him for letting Jen go and John’s mom is always on him about settling down and she feels that at 43 he should be married and she recently had a heart-to-heart talk with him and told him she thought Jennifer was the most down-to-earth of all his exes and because John considers his mom one of the smartest people he knows he decided to reach out to Jen and he’s always admired Jen and thought of her as a classy lady and now he’s reaching out to her again in hopes of getting her to agree to see him again once things leave lockdown 

* FKA Twigs has socked actor Shia LaBeouf with a bombshell lawsuit claiming he subjected her to relentless physical, emotional and mental abuse and gave her an STD and she also accuses him of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress -- although Shia says she’s lying Twigs insists Shia once choked her in the middle of the night and kept a loaded firearm by the bed leaving her terrified to get up at night for fear he’d think she was an intruder and shoot her -- she claims during an incident around Valentine’s Day 2019 Shia threatened to crash his speeding car unless she professed her love for him so when he pulled into a gas station she got out of the car but he threw her against the car while screaming in her face then forced her back into the car -- Shia also had rules about how often Twigs had to kiss and touch him -- Shia has been arrested several times on now-dismissed charges including assault and disorderly conduct 

Page 10: John Lennon didn’t have to die -- that’s law enforcement experts’ explosive analysis after reviewing newly discovered evidence about the Beatles legend’s December 8, 1980 murder in NYC -- an odd series of coincidences and simple decisions put Lennon and his killer Mark David Chapman in the same place at the same time -- a review of the details concludes Lennon’s death was a strange result of flukes including his penchant for running around without protection and a missed appointment with his photographer and without these quirks of fate John would still be alive and recording hit songs 

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Pink flashes her bandaged thumb after getting stitches in Santa Monica (picture), Amanda Seyfried confesses she made a terrible decision for turning down the role of a lifetime as Chris Pratt’s love interest in Guardians of the Galaxy and now she’s watching from the sidelines as the director’s second choice Zoe Saldana skyrockets in the money-making Marvel franchise, Katherine Heigl will star in the upcoming limited biopic series Woodhull about Victoria Woodhull the first woman to run for president in 1872, Big Brother alum Zach Rance has come out as bisexual after admitting a sizzling same-sex romance with his former reality show housemate Frankie Grande who is the real-life older brother of pop star Ariana Grande

Page 13: Jaime King slurps down a meal on the streets on L.A. (picture), Jax Taylor mowing the lawn (picture), Guns N’ Roses axman Slash loads up on supplies at an L.A. grocery (picture), former teen heartthrob Chad Michael Murray admits his inflated young ego got the best of him and now he looks at photos of himself and thinks what a dweeb

Page 14: Julia Roberts is headed for the small screen headlining the limited TV series The Last Thing He Told Me where she’ll form an unexpected relationship with her teenage stepdaughter while searching for the truth about her husband’s mysterious disappearance, Emma Stone is also heading for the flat-screen in the comedy series The Curse alongside Nathan Fielder about a couple starring on an HGTV-style show who are trying to conceive a child amid an alleged curse, Nicolas Cage is hosting a new series called The History of Swear Words in which he’ll delve into the origins and pop culture usage and science and cultural impact of profanely shocking expletives

* Fashion Police -- Peyton List 8/10, Sofia Carson 9/10, Vanessa Hudgens 2/10, Neve Campbell 1/10, Chelsea Handler 4/10 

Page 16: Cover Story -- Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s $30M jail break -- terrified and tortured Ghislaine risks family fortune to buy her freedom -- the accused sex predator and her fat cat inner circle are set to plunk down an obscene $30 million to buy her way out of federal prison in what outraged investigators fear is a brazen plot to cheat justice 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Mayim Bialik

* Lizzo is admitting she’s having negative thoughts and is hating her 300-pound body but adds she knows she beautiful

* The Spice Girls were likely liquored up on cut-rate champagne when they made their first album according to Emma Bunton a.k.a. Baby Spice who says she and her bandmates swilled the cheapest sparkling wine in the studio 

Page 20: True Crime -- a chilling message left by the elusive Zodiac Killer has finally been cracked by a team of code breakers after 51 years -- a hodgepodge of numbers, symbols and letters called the 340 cipher was sent to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 and lawmen believed it contained key clues to the serial killer’s identity but the truth is even more chilling -- according to the experts the message says I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me, I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradise all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me 

Page 21: Caitlyn Jenner is terrified after learning her skin cancer has returned a second time -- she was diagnosed with basal cell skin cancer a few years ago and had an entire layer of skin removed from her nose -- since then she’s been slathering on sunscreen but a new red spot on the right side of her nose popped up along with some crusty areas on her scalp but the nose patch was not cancer but hypertrophic keratosis or scaly damage from sun exposure -- however the dozen spots on the top of her head was squamous cell carcinoma which is a skin cancer that’s known to be aggressive so her doctor burned off the offending spots -- her doctor recommended she replace her 1960 Austin-Healey convertible but the chances of Caitlyn selling her prized ride are slim 

Page 23: Your 2021 Horoscope -- love, luck, health, wealth, happiness -- plus surprising celebrity predictions -- Elton John, Valerie Bertinelli, Johnny Depp, Jessica Simpson, Matthew Perry, Cameron Diaz, Will Smith, Katy Perry, Howie Mandel, Savannah Guthrie, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood 

Page 30: Larry King has reached a deal with estranged wife Shawn but she’s royally peeved about the payoff -- Larry has agreed to pay her a lump sum of $20,000 plus $33,000 a month in spousal support which lasts until at least their next scheduled hearing in April but Shawn claims the 33Gs only covers a third of her monthly nut which includes $25,000 for rent on her home, $12,000 on clothes, $3500 on groceries and $4500 for hair and nails and pet care and gym 

Page 31: Kim Kardashian is reading husband Kanye West the riot act over his junk food benders that are sabotaging her healthy eating program and it’s led to more than a few arguments with no peace in sight -- he’s telling her to chill and let him live by his own terms but she can’t do that because it’s driving her crazy -- what really ticks Kim off is his junk food has totally taken over her section of fresh cut veggies, fruits and water and she wants him to get his own storage in a different part of the house where she won’t have to see it or hold her nose 

* Kardashian momager Kris Jenner’s faux reality TV home is on the market for nearly $8 million even though she never lived there -- the L.A. estate was used for exterior shots of the image-conscious family’s compound on Keeping Up with the Kardashians but it was all for show -- dubbed the Iredell Estate the house also appears in True Blood and Chelsea Lately 

Page 33: Health Report 

Page 34: Wrestling Ring Kings: Where Are They Now? Sable, Bret Hart

Page 35: Lex Luger, Steve Austin, Ric Flair 

Page 36: The Undertaker, Tito Santana, Diamond Dallas Page 

Page 37: Kane, Kurt Angle, Sunny, Mick Foley 

Page 39: Despite an astounding 30 No. 1 country music hits legendary singer Charley Pride took a haunting regret to his grave that he never made it as major league baseball star -- Charley had so much success but he died tormented his baseball career short-circuited -- Charley was singing and playing guitar by the time he was 14 but his real goal was to pitch for the New York Yankees -- Charley signed with a Yankees farm team as a flame-throwing phenom at 17 but in his rookie season he threw out his arm and was just never the same -- after he struck out in baseball he put his full energy into singing but faced an uphill battle -- Charley was the Jackie Robinson of country music and he endured a lot of racism 

Page 40: Kelsey Grammer admits he often breaks down and blubbers like a baby and it makes him feel better and he cries when he’s upset or sad or scared and it provides him a lot of relief and he believes years of tragedy in his life taught him to cry as a healing mechanism and now he sheds tears whenever he has sad feeling bottled up inside him 

* A moneybags James Bond fan coughed up a whopping $256,000 for the handgun 007 Sean Connery toted in the first spy epic Dr. No -- the disabled Walther PP semi-automatic was supposed to bring in no more than $200,000 but the unidentified American buyer who claims to have seen every Bond epic went even higher 

Page 44: Straight Talk -- Miley Cyrus is now blabbing about why she broke up with husband Liam Hemsworth after years of togetherness and just nine months of marriage and it sounds like a case of the pot calling the kettle black 

Page 45: Furious Queen Elizabeth has booted Princess Eugenie and her husband out of Prince Harry’s Frogmore Cottage home in a bit to foil Meghan Markle’s plan to completely cut him off from England and the royal family -- pregnant Eugenie and her booze-seller husband Jack Brooksbank were ordered to quit the cottage and move back to Kensington Palace just six weeks after Harry and Meghan secretly leased them the home meaning Harry and Meghan are still on the financial hook for Frogmore which was a gift from the queen and they will have to underwrite the cost of keeping up the property and it also ensures Harry has a home in Britain if he ever wants to come back -- by moving Eugenie and Jack out the queen has made sure Harry still has a place to hang his hat if he decides to come back to leave his American wife 

Page 47: Bizarre But True 

[miggydiaz]

I was tagged by @thugheadjones. Thanks, dear! 1. what is the color of your hairbrush? White, with a gray handle that has since been dyed purple due to my hair

2. name a food you never eat: I hated broccoli as a kid, so I tried it recently as an adult... it still tastes like what dirty socks smell like so I’ll pass, thanks.

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? Too cold -- I am a hoodie in the summer kind of person.

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? Eating a breakfast so late that it crossed over from brunch to lunch.

5. what’s your favorite candy bar? Uh... I’m not really a candy *bar* person. I like sour candy more, but I guess if I had to choose, something dark chocolate. Just not a Mounds because I hate coconut.

6. have you ever been to a professional sports game? A couple of baseball games. Both of them the Tigers won! (this is unusual, as the Tigers typically suck)

7. what is the last thing you said out loud?  “How do I get this stupid thing to go away?” It was a sign-in banner on my word document for OneDrive.

8. what is your favorite ice cream? Orange Sherbet, or uh, coffee/chocolate chip cookie dough. It really depends on my mood.

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? Coffee

10. do you like your wallet? Yeah! It’s this bat wing clutch one from Blackcraft Cult. Plenty of card space, the license spot isn’t a pain in the ass... it’s a good one. 30 bucks well spent.

11. what is the last thing you ate? Waffles.

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Nope. I basically refitted my wardrobe this year though.

13. what’s the last sporting event you watched? Uh... oh, a Michigan/Ohio State football game two years ago? Michigan lost, just like they have the last million years. I gave up on football after that.

14. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Just a normal butter popcorn. Or I like popcorn covered in toffee.

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to? @starryeyedagony. It was a link to the Johnny Lawrence himbo video.

16. ever been camping? Once! It was fun, I’d do it again.

17. do you take vitamins? ... I know I should, but no.

18. do you regularly attend a place of worship? Not even a little bit. Not even at all.

19. do you have a tan? HAHAHAHAHAHA. Ha. Ha. No. Never.

20. do you prefer Chinese or pizza? Two years ago, I probably would’ve said pizza. Now I’m all about Chinese.

21. do you drink your soda through a straw? In restaurants? You guys remember restaurants? But no. I actually prefer canned soda.

22. what color socks do you usually wear? black. 90% of my sock drawer is black.

23. do you ever drive above the speed limit? I haven’t drove in years, but when I did... yes.

24. what terrifies you? Bees and all of their horrible cousins. Bumble, honey (I know they are good, I don’t kill them, I just run away) wasp, hornet, yellow jacket... basically, if it is black and yellow and flying then I am GONE.

25. look to your left, what do you see?  My bookcase, reminding me that I should be finishing up this critical analysis of formulaic violence against women in pop culture, but YA KNOW.

26. what chore do you hate most? Cleaning the tub is up there, but I do dishes more often, so I hate that one the most.

27. what do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? The old Foster’s beer commercials.

28. what’s your favorite soda? I like pomegranate italian sodas the best. Mainstream wise? Probably Squirt or Sprite.

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Plague means I don’t go inside anymore, but it used to depend on whether or not the drive-thru line was too long.

30. what’s your favorite number? 13. Yes I am an overgrown edgelord. I was also supposed to be born on the 13th though, so there is that.

31. who’s the last person you talked to? @starryeyedagony over our brunch/lunch

32. favorite meat? Probably chicken these days. Unless I’m eating chinese because my go to dish anymore is mongolian beef.

33. last song you listened to? Uh, Come Little Children while watching Hocus Pocus. But I’ve had this Wear a Mask parody of Be Our Guest stuck in my head all day (thanks for reminding me that I have to start Season 2 of TLK though!).

34. last book you read? Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler. I’m finishing up Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation by Carolyn Cocoa

35. favorite day of the week? The day I don’t have to worry about this election bullshit anymore (I am keeping that answer because this election cycle has me so drained, can it just be November 3rd already?)

36. can you say the alphabet backwards? Yep. I can sing it backwards too.

37. how do you like your coffee? Hot, in my favorite mug with my initial on it, with some vanilla or hazelnut flavored almond milk.

38. favorite pair of shoes? My purple-black glittery converse.

39. time you normally get up? Somewhere between 9 and 11 depending on whether it’s a week day or a weekend day.

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets for sure (because I’m awake to appreciate them)

41. how many blankets are on your bed? I have one fuzzy blanket, one knit blanket, two down comforters, and a quilted velvet coverlet. So, 5 altogether.

42. describe your kitchen plates? white. Corelle. Google tells me the pattern is called South Beach. It has teal dots along the rim.  

43. describe your kitchen at the moment: Cluttered. There isn’t enough counter space in the world for all of my kitchen appliances. Probably warm since @starryeyedagony is making pork mole right now.

44. do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? I can’t really drink anymore (thanks heart condition!) but it used to be whiskey, neat, or in a whiskey sour. Or a glass of pinot grigio.

45. do you play cards? I’m decent at poker/black jack, but card games like Uno and Phase 10 are a different story.

46. what color is your car? I don’t own one. My roommate’s car is maroon? A dark red.

47. can you change a tire? I haven’t in probably 10 years, but yes.

48. your favorite state or province? To be quite honest with you, if it wasn’t for the people, I would love my home state of Michigan. I don’t live there anymore, but even though Detroit gets a bad rap, I miss my home <3 But outside of that, Minnesota was really pretty, and I actually like Florida (again, minus the people). Probably Florida since I’ve been there more than Minnesota. 

49. favorite job you’ve had? I used to work in this movie/video game/music resale shop that I loved. All of my coworkers were cool, we always had fun at work... aside from that though, I loved working holiday retail at Williams-Sonoma when ours was still open, and I actually really liked my most recent job at the university. I’m hoping I can go back (laid off... THANKS COVID) once they’re allowed to hire again.

If you want to, I’m tagging @starryeyedagony, @magicknightblue, @poloniumicecream, @magnetic-rose, and uh, anyone else who wants to do this.

[sbooksbowm]

Weekly Wrap-Up - 2 October

Look who is procrastinating editing the bookbinders chapter! This kid. The main body is written, but I’m trying to work in some theoretical background in the introduction to do the academicky-thing of nodding to the other writers who have laid the groundwork for this kind of research. I’m speed-reading Leah Price’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Books and trying to scrounge together some information on Jessica Pressman’s forthcoming Bookishness: Loving Books in a Digital Age, both of which foreground a lot of the points I make about the tensions between digital and print forms of texts. 

New Approach to the Weekly Wrap-Ups!

I’m only 2.5 weeks out from turning in this dissertation, so as I move away from giving regular updates about my research, I’m going to change the form of the weekly format to compile all of the things I posted about, recommend, and am thinking about in one place. That way, if you’re ever wondering ‘what is sbooks up to?’, you can go to my research masterpost and click on my weekly wrap-ups to get quick access to fun links and lukewarm takes.

Things I posted about

Casey Fiesler’s (@cfiesler) awesome video about fan migration, the oral explanation of her most recent article with Brianna Dym. This is totally worth the 30-minute watch, and Fiesler does an amazing job of tracking the history of fannish media alongside the impetuses of fan migration

a reflection on why fans are the most likely to think critically and expansively about the media they consume, in response to the criticism that fans are content with just consuming the same story over and over again (which is true, but not without reason)

Things I recommend 

Riley J. Dennis’s Case for the Legend of Korra, which is an excellent elaboration on some popular pro-Korra arguments against the naysayers of the sequel series. I love that Riley talks about Korra’s journey towards humanization via healing from trauma, which is something I think many viewers feel affirmed by.  

Penguin Cafe Orchestra’s 'The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away and It Doesn’t Matter’. What a title! And it really does sound like it.

Things I’ve been thinking about

Takeaways on writing: This has been a week of revisions, with some serious cutting and clarifying. My advisor pointed out that as I am a newbie academic writer, I still rely a lot on quotations instead of paraphrasing my sources for support, rather than evidence. Rephrasing a lot of quotations opened up a lot of room for my own argument. This process made me think a lot about writing guidance in middle school and high school, wherein I was trained to use quotations as evidence rather than as support. Anyone else learn this? That the more people who agree with you, the more right your argument is, instead of drawing from original or revisiting primary evidence and using previous writing as a framework for analysis? It’s a pretty bad habit! And it makes us reliant on regurgitating other work rather than working through our own arguments and examining how they align or disalign with others. Graduate school has been one long re-learning process on writing...and I studied writing in uni. 

Different kinds of fan spaces: I hang out, actively participate, and lurk in a variety of fan spaces, mostly in the form of Discord servers (my love) and Facebook groups (bane of my existence). And I’m in a lot of fan spaces for different media: TV shows, books, comics, podcasts, even fan platforms. Though this has been said elsewhere, the difference in attitude and behavior of fans depending on the type of space (and whether fans are masked by a pseudonym or not) is fascinating to me! I’m in one enormous Facebook group dedicated to television show, and without fail, every single post ends up with the comments off because the discourse gets too heated. This behavior is almost definitely a function of:

the impersonal size of the group. In my favorite Discord servers, the smaller size makes the conversation more personable and friendlier (I know these people! I’m not going to harangue them!), and,  

affirmational versus transformational fandom: affirmational fans tend to work within the confines of canon, and so when they disagree over the interpretation of canonical elements, the conversation turns to facts (’no, this is how it happened in season 12, episode 472’) over feelings (’this happened once in the spin-off comic and I’m cool w extrapolating this bc I wanna feel warm and fuzzy inside’). Transformational fans are less canon-restricted and perhaps more lenient, and are probably more likely to silo themselves in fan spaces with agreed-upon interpretations (e.g. I’m in a few dedicated shipping servers, and I know other shipping servers exist, but I won’t bother myself with them, because that’s not my cup of tea, so I’ll just save myself the trouble). 

This isn’t to say that affirmational fans won’t break off from the main group and form their own interpretive communities, but I think affirmational fans are more likely to want to be a part of the “official” fan spaces, because they are interested in the “official” story. 

This is anecdotal conjecture, but I wonder, have you seen differences in fan behavior depending on the fannish space you’re in? I’d love to hear about other fan-space-specific experiences!

[merbabekelsey]

I wanted to know the results of other people’s mental health since the pandemic started. So I did what any intelligent, bored, and currently ill pandemic survivor would do and did some research! I imagined it wouldn’t be positive but my primary goal here is to positively raise awareness to my fellow humans to help change these negative results. Lately, I’ve heard of so so soooo many people depressed (including myself and even people I never would’ve imagined being depressed...are currently depressed). I am enlightened and sad by the realization that this is not only a pandemic due to Covid-19, but also a mental health pandemic.

The CDC says, “Elevated levels of adverse mental health conditions, substance use, and suicidal ideation were reported by adults in the United States in June 2020. The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety disorder was approximately three times those reported in the second quarter of 2019 (25.5% versus 8.1%), and prevalence of depressive disorder was approximately four times that reported in the second quarter of 2019 (24.3% versus 6.5%) (2). However, given the methodological differences and potential unknown biases in survey designs, this analysis might not be directly comparable with data reported on anxiety and depression disorders in 2019 (2). Approximately one quarter of respondents reported symptoms of a TSRD related to the pandemic, and approximately one in 10 reported that they started or increased substance use because of COVID-19. Suicidal ideation was also elevated; approximately twice as many respondents reported serious consideration of suicide in the previous 30 days than did adults in the United States in 2018, referring to the previous 12 months (10.7% versus 4.3%) (6).” “To reduce potential harms of increased substance use related to COVID-19, resources, including social support, comprehensive treatment options, and harm reduction services, are essential and should remain accessible. Periodic assessment of mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation should evaluate the prevalence of psychological distress over time. Addressing mental health disparities and preparing support systems to mitigate mental health consequences as the pandemic evolves will continue to be needed urgently.”

Mayo Clinic lists the symptoms of depression:

“Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include: Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness, Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters, Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports, Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much, Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort. Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain, Anxiety, agitation or restlessness, Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame, Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things, Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide, Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches. For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.”

The CDC and Mayo Clinic’s articles regarding depression were interesting reads (link for the cdc link is attached if you want to read the whole thing). If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health through this pandemic, please don’t hesitate to message me and I will give you support and resources. You aren’t alone. If you’re not comfortable with that, please call the suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255 or SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Heath Services Administration): 1-800-662-4357 for assistance. If you’re not comfortable with that or you feel it isn’t an emergency and you want other support and resources, you’re welcome to contact a wonderful non-profit agency in Elkhart: Saving Grace Advocacy, Monday through Friday from 9am to 1pm at (574) 293-0482.

These are real statistics, in really dark times for our whole world.

Please check on your friends near and far. Muffle a kind greeting through the mask at the store, work, or wherever you go if you feel safe to do so. A simple message, text, or video chat with someone could mean more than you know to someone. Encourage hope. Support healing. Engage in life. Embrace positivity since we can’t embrace each other. Embody and send positive vibes. Promote creativity. Enjoy the moments. Take nothing for granted. Love compassionately. Be generous. Uplift when you can and get inspired when you need it most. Stay healthy inside and out.

Most of all...

Know that you’re never alone despite how things may feel but also know safe boundaries and reach out for help when you need it.

🤗

-Kelsey

[alicedoessurveys]

Doctor Who Tag

yes im a nerd...

CHILDHOOD

1. Did you like DW as a child?

I was 10 when it came back on telly with Eccleston and the first episode with the autons scared me so much my mom wouldn't let me watch it again until a couple years later, but yeah my teens I was obsessed with DW... still am at age 25

2. Your age at the time of the revival?

10

3. First DW episode you ever saw?

‘Rose’

4. Did you have any of the toys?

I still have the eleventh doctor’s screwdriver... I used to have some of the figures but there in storage now somewhere

5. Which DW character did you play on the playground?

didn't play it on the playground

6. Monster(s) that scared you most as a child?

all of them! the ones that still scare me now are the Cybermen and the Autons... genuinely cant walk past a shop mannequin without being suspicious 

7. Joke/story you didn’t get as a kid?

as a kid, any of the innuendo type jokes

8. DW opinion that has changed since you were a kid?

idk I think I still have the same opinions

9. Who introduced you to DW?

parents

10. Did you like Sarah Jane Adventures as a child?

I LOVED SJA!! I miss that show, and Elizabeth Slade :(

DOCTOR

11. Who is your Doctor?

Ten was the doctor that made me fall in love with Doctor Who 

12. Your favourite Doctor?

omg why not just ask me who my favourite child is... (I don't have kids but you know what I mean) if I had to chose my top three are ten, eleven and thirteen

13. Least favourite Doctor?

purely just because he doesn't have enough episodes... nine...

14. Best regeneration?

none of them I hate regenerations :( they make me sad, im too emotionally invested in every single one

15. Do you like “Doctor-Lite” episodes?

they're not my faves

16. Who is the most human Doctor?

I think nine maybe? or twelve?

17. Best multi-Doctor story?

the 50th anniversary special 

18. Best Doctor monologue?

“Hello Stonehenge! who takes the pandorica, takes the universe. but bad news everyone, cause guess who? HA! You lot you're all whizzing about- its really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I AM TALKING. Question of the hour is, who's got the pandorica? Answer, I do. Next question, who's coming to take it from me? Come on, look at me! No plan. No backup. No weapons worth a damn. oh and something else, I don't have anything to lose. So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship with all your silly little guns and you've got any plans on taking the pandorica tonight... just remember who's standing in your way. remember ever black day I ever stopped you and then- AND THEN- do the smart thing... let somebody else try first.”

not copied and pasted, remember that from the top of my head... its always there waiting in my mind incase I ever need an epic monologue :’)

19, What do you think TenToo/MetaCrisis Doctor is doing now?

hopefully living his best life with Rose

20. Best Doctor/companion pairing?

ten and donna 

COMPANIONS

21. Favourite companion?

Donna, Clara, Amy

22. Favourite secondary companion?

is Mickey classed as secondary? idk

23. Least favourite companion?

Ryan

24. Best TARDIS Team?

Doctor, Amy and Rory

25. Most underrated companion?

Graham, but that may just be cause I love Bradders

26. Most overrated companion?

Rose... I like her but idk, I think she gets more hype than she deserves.. don't @ me

27. Favourite companion’s family?

Rose’s mom

28. Who should have been a companion but wasn’t?

idk I cant think of anyone

29. Favourite (canon or non-canon) DW universe relationship?

Amy and Rory

30. Who did you not used to like, but really like now?

wasn't keen on Bill at first but by the end I really liked her, same with Rory

EPISODES

31. Favourite episode ever?

girl in the fireplace

32. Least favourite episode?

most of Chibnall’s episodes tbh sorry not sorry 

33. Which episodes do you skip?

the regeneration episodes

34. Best two-parter?

Human Nature - Family of Blood

35. Historical, present day or futuristic episodes?

I like them all in there own way but I think present is fave, then historical, then future

36. Episode that will always make you smile?

all of them

37. Episode that will always make you cry?

Rory and Amy’s last episode :’(

38. Best run of episodes?

ugh I cant answer this theres too many 

39. Best cliffhanger?

the end of Spyfall part one when the Master reveals who he is... I was SHOOK

40. Favourite Christmas special?

Voyage of the Damned

SERIES

41. Classic Who or New Who?

new who

42. Favourite series?

four or five

43. Least favourite series?

eleven, I just cant with the writing

44. Which series do you skip?

none

45. Favourite series opening?

eleventh hour

46. Favourite series finale?

Doomsday

47. Best series arc?

Bad Wolf

48. Thoughts on series 11/12?

I adore Jodie Whittaker and her doctor, and although I think 3 companions is too many I do love Yaz and Graham (Ryan is hit & miss). I just think theyve been massively let down by the stories/writing... they’ve tried to hard to tick certain boxes and completely missed what Doctor Who is about for a lot of people.. an escape from the real world into these outrageous unbelievable but lovable fun alien adventures 

49. How much of Classic Who have you seen?

not a lot

50. Who should have had another series?

NINE NINE NINE NINE NINE 

MONSTERS

51. Favourite monster/villain?

the master 

52. Most creative monster?

Weeping Angels, whoever came up with monsters that look like statues and only move when you're not looking at them is genius 

53. Monster(s) that scares you most?

Autons, Cybermen, the creepy dolls from Night Terrors, the ones from Waters of Mars, Weeping Angels

54. Monster you think is too easy to defeat?

idk

55. Least favourite monster/villain?

absorbaloff

56. Monster you want to return?

The Master, I really hope that isn't the last we see of Dhawan

57. In your opinion, what makes a monster good?

being genuinely scary, 

58. Daleks, Cybermen or Weeping Angels?

Weeping Angels

59. Best Dalek story?

Daleks in Manhatten

60. Best one time villain/monster?

my brain has gone blank I cant think of an answer right now 

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

61. Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures?

SJA

62. Favourite Torchwood Team member?

I haven't watched it all so I couldn't say 

63. Which Torchwood death made you saddest?

again, not watched it all 

64. Do you rewatch COE or MD?

huh

65. Favourite SJA Team member?

Sarah Jane

66. Mr Smith or K-9?

K-9

67. Maria or Rani?

Rani

68. Do you read the comics/novels or listen to Big Finish?

Nope

69. If you do, your favourite additional stories?

n/a

70. Do you like DW analysis (video essays, fan theories, etc)?

yes

DESIGN/PRODUCTION

71. Favourite piece of alien tech?

the sonic, I love how it is so multipurpose except for when it comes to wood 

72. Favourite piece of Murray Gold music?

I am the Doctor - gets me pumped every time 

73. Favourite TARDIS design?

Ten’s Tardis 

74. Has the 2005 era CGI aged well?

actually yeah, I was rewatching the ‘are you my mummy’ episodes the other day and my God when the gas masks emerged from the faces... ooooooof I was like omg how 

75. Favourite Doctor outfit?

eleven or thirteen

76. Monster with the best design?

not really a design more of a costume.. I live Dhawan master’s costume. that shade of purple, oof he so stylish 

77. Best show runner?

idk

78. Best writer?

Gatiss

79. Best opening titles?

eleven’s titles where the Tardis is flying and being zapped is cool but thirteens music hits different 

80. Will DW age well/stay popular in the future?

I hope so, I feel like its lasted this long surely it can last forever.. if the writers don't fuck it up... 

IF YOU WERE IN THE SHOW

81. Time period you’d want to go with the Doctor?

whatever time means Id get to wear the most beautiful costumes

82. Planet/place you’d want to go with the Doctor?

Galifrey, pre-desctruction

83. Doctor you’d most like to travel with?

any of them, please and thank you

84. Companion you’d most like to travel with?

donna, sceso a good laugh but also I feel like she’d look after me 

85. Monster you’d like to defeat/fight?

The Master 

86. If you could go back on your own history (like Father’s Day), where would you go?

back to when I was a toddler, I wanna see what I was like 

87. If you could ask the Doctor anything, what would you ask?

theres too many to ask 

88. Historical figure you’d like to meet?

Shakespeare

89. How do you think you’d meet the Doctor?

id probably be rescued from doing something stupid and then the doc would be like you know what the bitch clearly needs supervision she's coming with me 

90. Would you travel forwards or backwards in time first?

backwards

IF YOU MADE THE SHOW

91. Historical event would you like to see in DW?

Hamilton

92. Issue you’d like to see addressed in DW?

idk 

93. Who would you completely erase from the DW universe?

Ruth

94. One unanswered DW question you’d love to know the answer to?

where is Clara now?

95. Actor/actress you’d like to see play the Doctor?

Phoebe Waller Bridge (or Lin Manuel Miranda)

96. Actor/actress you’d like to see play a companion?

Andrew Scott (yes I did just basically recast fleabag and hot priest)

97. Is DW “too political”?

series 11 got a bit like that 

98. Which characters fate would you changed?

Danny Pink

99. What about DW could be improved?

I think ive made my options about Chibnall pretty clear... 

100. If you could write an episode of DW, any ideas for what you’d do

bring back Jenny, the Doctor / Daughter adventures they would have. I’m actually writing a fic about it if you wanna read.... here

[anniesarthistoryblog]

A Review of three works from the ‘Shape and Form’ Exhibition at @heartofthetribe Gallery, Glastonbury

As our final assignment for our Art History module for @strodefad​ we were required to write an essay discussing eithere an art history movement or a recent exhibition visited. Always up for a challenge i chose to write about the brief opportunity I got to see an art gallery between lockdowns in the new gallery that i am fortunate to have just a few minutes walk from my home here in Glastonbury.

What made it a really special experience was that i managed to contact two of the three artist I chose to include in the essay and they very generously answered my questions about their exhibit pieces to give me some context and process insights as first-hand accounts and it was wonderful to be able to ask the creators quesitons about their work and how they made it. The exhibition had high quality contributions from over 30 Somerset artists, so it was hard to select just 3 works, but  I managed and got the essay completed in time.

This is an analysis of three selected works from the ‘Shape and Form’ exhibition at the Heart of the Tribe Gallery in Glastonbury. The gallery only opened in September 2020 and despite the restrictions caused by the COVID pandemic, this was the third exhibition that the gallery has managed to stage since then.

Following a core artist group launch exhibition ‘Diversity’, and solo exhibition ‘Beauty and Truth’ by John Minshull, this exhibition was a collation of works submitted by 30 Somerset artists following an open call for contributions from the gallery core artists and online directory members.

Curated by gallery manager Kim von Coels (aka artist ‘The Krumble Empire’), the aim of the exhibition was ‘to explore the fundamental building blocks of visual art, both geometric and organic’. The exhibition was open from 3rd December -26th January and I managed to see it twice before lockdown restrictions came into force. A virtual tour (1) is also available here

1. Millie Gleeson: ‘All We’ll Know’

The Painting was displayed in a prominent position on the last wall as you exit the exhibition, directly opposite a canvas featuring an abstract female form in greyscale graphite, and the scale of this canvas (60 x 48 inches) made it really stand out.

I saw Millie’s solo show also entitled ‘All We’ll Know’ at the Red Brick Building in June 2019. She uses reference photographs to help with composition and is heavily influenced by her time in Berlin and Mexico.

Many of her works feature masks painted on the (mostly nude) female subjects, so what I found fascinating about this piece was that the face was illuminated and prominent and she is swathed in billowing robes.

I contacted the artist for more information on the context and process of the painting.

She told me this is a self-portrait, painted from a 'still' of the artist performing in a music video her friends (the Hics) produced, also called "All We'll Know"( 2 )

Gleeson started began painting this in 2014, but it was put into storage until she revisited to complete it in 2019.

She commented ‘it was a huge time of transformation and the end of an era and perhaps I had to return to the painting when I felt I'd fully transformed.’

The Painting has lots of movement, which is representative of the video it is sourced from, the performers are in an industrial setting and are either submerged under water, or as captured in this image, rising up and breaking free. The robes are flowing and there is a sense of movement in the arms and legs. Her website (3) describes how the work was developed as part of a series developed during an Artist Residency at Arquetopia in Mexico.“The residency applied Levanasian ethics to the artistic process, teaching to respect the integrity of differences and question the desire for totalisation. Questioning whether you can truly know the other and if you only know the self, how can you respect the space between?” “Any creative project I have embarked on at the core has revolved around the topic of identity or identification. Following the residency lectures my project became entirely introspective, leading me on a journey of self-discovery. I began to look at my own shadow, distortions, fractions, mirror images, deep and dark aspects of myself. Using the vibrant colours that surrounded me I began to explore my own conflicts and duality through a series of self-portraits, in an exploration to “All we’ll know.”I really resonated with this piece as it reminded me of the Salvador Dali painting ' Christ of St John of the Cross’ I saw at the Glasgow Kelvingrove museum. Light comes from above and the arms are widely placed. The pale blue colour palette and rich drapery in the dress against the dark background is similar to that shown in ‘The Countess of Southampton’ ( 4) (Anthony Van Dyck 1599-1641), seen at the Cambridge Fitzwilliam museum.

Ruary is an Edinburgh-born artist who has lived and worked all over the world and is a gallery core artist working in an attic studio above.

He is inspired by nature and psychedelic culture (6) and another of his works ‘Sacred Chaos’ was chosen as the exhibition feature image.

I interviewed the artist to learn more about the context and process behind these works. Ruary explained that “Trap Dance was a process-oriented piece, created as an experiment using masking tape to create random abstract geometric forms”.

The piece depicts two females and a male dancing, with Cubist and Italian futurists-influenced segmentation and distortion of the figures. The artist noted that the title ‘Trap Dance’ is a pun, as the two female figures appear to be being pressed together by the male dancer (Allen quipped it should have been called ‘Tape Dance’). The experimental process with repeated randomly placed masking tape and paint until the forms emerged, resulted in an abstract image.

The artist saw the forms of the dancers appearing and added them at late stages of development. It is more narrative in comparison with the cover piece ‘Sacred Chaos’; which was another process oriented, straight-edged construction using platonic forms, mathematical constructions, intersecting circles and combining them to make a striking abstract image. The artist has a lifelong interest in Alchemy in art and alchemical symbolism, and this is evident in the works presented here (7).

The colour palette is cooler at top and has more vibrant and darker tones at bottom, with a spotlight in the top left corner, which the artist suggests is reminiscent of a stage or nightclub scene. There is lots of movement as the figures are interweaved amongst the abstract shapes.  

This painting is hung in a long narrow corridoor directly opposite the toilets (another ‘trap’ reference?) and adjacent to the exit door to the garden space. The works surrounding the piece are smaller in scale and have less visual impact, and I think that having to stand so close to it makes it more of an experience as the viewer is drawn into the movement and abstract forms on the canvas. There is no opportunity to stand back and see the work in a wider context so one is trapped like the dancers in the image.

3. ‘Lost Toys’ by Julie Ackerman .

This is an installation assemblage sculpture piece selected from a collection of 10 museum themed boxes. (8). The work is inspired by the ‘cabinets of curiosities’ or ‘Wunderkammer’ (as described by Anastasiya Gutnic from the Metropolitan museum of art here with an example from the German artist Nicolaus I Kolb) (9).

The cabinet is displayed with a second piece called and ‘Science Lab’ and both are relatively small in scale requiring the viewer to lean in close to see the details.

Key elements of a Wunderkammer are:

·       Naturalia (natural, found objects),

·       Artificialia/Artifacta (mand-made, abstract objects), and

·       Scientifica (scientific instruments and technological items)

The cabinet contents are carefully considered to reflect the message that the artist is trying to express, and fits the categories described above.

I chose this piece as the lockdown period has made many of us question what is important to us and question our consumerism and its’ environmental impact.Using upcycled packaging and materials has been a theme of my own creative practice this year.

The artist states on her biography (8)

“I was compelled to take on the challenge of using unwanted objects and materials as an art medium. Raising awareness of a world in crisis through art is paramount in my work. By transforming waste into beautiful works of art, I hope to inspire and encourage the 'Art of Recycling' turning a negative situation into a positive one.”

The artist goes on to state “The impact of overpopulation means greater demand on natural resources and an escalating waste problem. We need nature to thrive by reducing our demand for new materials, leaving nature intact.”

In the ‘Lost Toys’ cabinet a collection of sticks and a pine-cone (Naturalia) are surrounded by a plastic ‘monster’ (Artificialia) and assorted toy animals. A green butterfly rests on a branch with a wooden ’tribal style’ peg and a ‘protective’ dragon flying overhead and a lurking toy hairbrush in the background.

The second cabinet has scientific paraphernalia (Scientifica) and a skull with glasses, references to the impact of sanitary waste and plastic pollution on marine life. There are also humorous touches, like the small creature and drawing pin on top of the skull.

This fits with the exhibition theme as it invites the viewer to examine how the items relate to each other and to our own experiences. Viewers will respond to the individual elements and interpret their relationships differently.

The placing of the cabinets in a transition space between two rooms containing large paintings is also an interesting variation in form and requires a different type of interaction by the viewer.

Summary

The aim of the exhibition was to explore the fundamental building blocks of visual art, both geometric and organic, and the curator has selected a broad range of 2D, and 3D exhibits to really allow this theme to be represented. I found it quite difficult to select only three works for this essay as there was such a high quality to choose from.

These three selected artists have interpreted the theme in quite different ways, but one gets a sense of shape and form from all of their works shown.

References  

1.       Shape and Form Exhibition Virtual tour: https://www.infohost360.com/heart12/

2.       Millie Gleeson – The Hics reference video "All We'll Know" https://youtu.be/RB2MweTwfQY.

3.       Millie Gleeson website: https://milliegleeson.co.uk/all-well-know

4.       Van Dyck Image reference found in Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge guide, p37. 2016 ISBN: 978-0-9574434-9-5

5.       Image sourced from https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/rachel-de-ruvigny-countess-of-southampton-as-fortune-5613

6.       Ruary Allen Artist Bio:  https://heartofthetribe.com/portfolio_page/ruary-allan/

7.       Ruary Allen Artist website:  https://artalchemist.com/

8.       Julie Ackerman Artist Bio: https://heartofthetribe.com/artist-directory-view-by-artist/user/77/

9.       Cabinet of Curiosities reference video: https://youtu.be/j6q10euArks Nicolaus I Kolb (German, 1582–1621). Apothecary Cart, 1617–18. Veneer: ebonized pearwood (Pyrus communis), ebony, partially gilded silver; carcass: conifer; interior: protective quilted cushion covered in red silk, drawers and chest lined with red silk velvet; gold, trimming; mounts and fittings: brass, partially gilded; thirty-two (32) vessels and utensils: glass, partially gilded silver, low carbon steel, leather, 11 x 11 x 9 1/16 in. (28 x 28 x 23 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Anna-Maria, and Stephen Kellen Acquisitions Fund, 2019 (2019.229.1a–c–.32a, b)

10.  Cabinet of Curiosities reference description: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_curiosities

11.   Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "How to do visual (formal) analysis," in Smarthistory, September 18, 2017, accessed January 28, 2021, https://smarthistory.org/visual-analysis/.