#Inspiration - Posters & Adverts

[opal-owl-flight]

can I ask about the poster "agent 3" kids story?

Yes you can and here it all is!! Presenting…

tldr: She comes from a family of big name actors in the industry, and shes been raised from hatching to continue their legacy. Its…a lot of pressure to put on a kid, especially one who just wants to make her (impossible to satisfy) family proud. Despite being surrounded by impossible standards, the fakest friends chosen for her, being given everything she can ever want (except what she really needs), and putting on a hundred masks for everyone in her life for survival’s sake in a cutthroat industry, she chooses to be kind.

more details under the cut!!

Her name is Sariwa, which means “fresh” . Named for her spring green tentacles and as a blessing from her parents that shed stay youthful, beautiful. a hope that she would be seen and be adored (as freshness implies coolness/popularity in sploonworld).

Shes hatched into the acting industry, with both parents being big in the industry. From hatching she was expected, trained to be an actor like her mother is. The media adores them, this “sweet little family”, but no one knows how nefarious everything is when the cameras are off.

The dad is neglectful, disappearing into meetings most of the time. The mom is a helicopter parent to make up for it. Pointing out every flaw that Sariwa apparently has in either performance or appearance. Never giving praise. Except when she performs “well enough” on stage. This instills in the child this need to make them proud. to…to make everyone happy. She becomes someone whose dependent on other peoples’ praise to function.

Shes given everything else, dont get me wrong. Every material thing she’ll ever need. all the big popular “friends” chosen for her. But…shes not allowed to turf. yknow. biggest event in an inkling’s life here in Inkopolis. and shes not allowed to go to school either. shes too busy memorizing lines for adverts or-

The second she turned 14, she was chosen as the lead role for Cuttlegear’s brand new show abt Agent 3. She looked exactly like the legendary hero, according to the sources. All her time went into this project. Thankfully, unlike at home…her co-actors were very kind. Her parents didnt choose for her this time. She was meeting actual people who dont put on masks beyond their job. the actor they got for Cuttlefish, in particular, is a very kind soul, defending her when the directors get too pissy with her performance. (Those are the only people she fears, tbh shes fearful of most authority figures.)

*Cuttlefish is also depicted as kind and supportive in the show. and in most games. Unlike the real Cuttlefish, which is kind of a loony old man who pushes ideas on young inklings. He still gives more support and kindness that 3s dad ever gave, but thats only RELATIVE to how little he gave in the first place. One can only imagine the longing this inspires in the real 3.

Sariwa…since shes hatched shes had to put on an act. Be the perfect little doll for her parents. For the world. But her friends here, they inspired her to…have fun with what shes doing again. To take off the mask (mostly beyond the clock). Breathe life in the character when she can. (But lets be real…shes getting 3 spot on with how many parallels they have with each others lives.)

But what is she beyond the mask, her role? She wasnt allowed to do anything beyond this. She was forced to depend on her abusive parents and their associates. She cant live alone beyond them. Not allowed to turf bc shes “a prim and proper young lady; above such violent drivel that only delinquents participate in”. They gesture to 3, whos one of the faces Squidforce uses in their promotions, and say (ironically.) that she must not become that. Face ripped to shreds and eye mangled.

No one knows they got that from the real war that Sariwa is pretending to show.

The show does its best to be an accurate telling. Child friendly, to a point. Horrifying things still get kept in somewhat. Things that will horrify a child on stage.

If Sariwa is terrified of the props, can you imagine how it was for 3?

————————

And once she realizes all of this. Once she gets out of this situation thanks to Callie, Marie, and 3 themself. Does she feel guilt? Guilt for depicting the horrors in a way that glorifies it instead? A part of a project that aims to make people complacent to the real horrors that churned below?

There is one thing Sariwa feels about 3, that I am aware of rn.

“Im glad, that out of every story I couldve told, Im glad it was yours.”

Just like 8, she sung this tale in her hearts. Just like 8, she used this to break out of this terrible situation, answering the call of the ones who promised her safety. A better life. Like the way she stage broke through that prop in the choreographed Octavio fight, she broke through the influence of those around her.

*She actually went off-script a bit in that scene. After she beat down Octavio, she held out her hand. Mostly to help the actor up. But then, without realizing, she spoke, she spoke of making things better between the nations. That maybe he doesnt have to steal the zapfish anymore.

Her time with the octoling actors, and hearing the stories from the ex-octarians, made her aware and know the fact that theyre people too. The directors kept it in. They knew that if they released this as they have planned it, there will be fuckign riots from the ex-octarians or the Inkling “sympathizers”.

She saw the value this story held, despite the subliminal messaging that she wished wasnt implemented. That she wished she wasnt a part of. She saw that its a tale of hope. A tale that inspires one to become the hero of their own life. A tale that inspires one to make the world a better place.

————————

So she was hatched and raised to make people smile, singing her songs and dancing their dances. Much like the clan singer that was 4, except the tradition is much more healthy compared to industry standard. And she didnt become as mean as the people around her, at least not internally. She put on a mean mask but she felt the void within. When she was given kindness for a long enough time, she put her walls down.

And just like the real 3, she underwent through the horrors of expectations she had to hold up, and trying to make uninterested parents proud. They dont see her as their daughter, shes just a means to an end. She had to wear a hundred masks to survive and it made her lose her sense of identity. She had to be mature, she had to take the shitty behavior of adults who expect her to be like one too. It made her lose grip of who she is beyond this role. Hell, they made her so dependent on their handouts that shes not sure she can exist beyond this hell. Much like how 3 struggles to know a life beyond their duty.

And much like 8, she used the story she was telling to break out and get herself in a better situation. She met with the real Agents 1 and 2 (without her knowledge) and asked. Begged. for help, after her show ended. (3 also kind of pointed the two in her direction. Bc cod knows how horrifying this industry is. Shes lucky she didnt get any of the grosser horrors ~~its bc I didnt feel comfortable writing such topics~~)

And then shes faced with the same problem all the real legends faced. What comes after the end? When the dust clears, what happens next? She wasnt given a damn choice, she wasnt allowed to try to learn things beyond this role. to be beyond an imagined agent 3. a soldier for the screen. who is she now, that shes out of that battlefield?

little does she realize that the real 3s asking the same question for themself.

[moneypowerglorymiddleofmiami]

heartthrob ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

note: the year is 2007, and as all romcoms do— none of this makes proper sense. (inspired greatly by notting hill, 1999)

summary: a coffee shop, the owner, hollywood's most famous actor, and a meet-cute

warnings: a cuss word here and there

genre: romcom

“Hello,” A baritone voice came after the telltale toll of the shop bell— baritone yet young, vaguely familiar but definitely not someone she knew well. “Are you open?”

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute!” She yelled back from the kitchen. She pursed her lips as she gave the cupboard a final thrust, the dodgy thing has always been a right pain in the arse.

“Hi, how can I help you, sir?” She asked cheerily as she emerged from the side door, the soles of her boots tapping loudly against the aged wooden floors.

She paused in her steps when she saw the sopping wet figure at the door, standing awkwardly and apprehensively at the threshold. Droplets of water trickled down from the sleeves of his coat down to the WELCOME rug placed conveniently at the entrance. “Oh, gods! Are you alright?”

“You don’t happen to have any tissues in here, do you?” He asked with a tight smile.

“Unfortunately, no. We’ve run out at the moment.” She scrambled to grab the nearest tea towel from the cabinet before rushing over to help him. “This’ll have to do.”

“Thank you.” Their fingers grazed as he took the fabric from her hold. “I’m sorry for making such a mess.”

“It’s fine! The floorboards needed a bit of a clean anyway.” She joked with a half-hearted grin in an attempt to ease the atmosphere. “I can have your jacket dried in the back if you want.”

“Oh, I can’t possibly intrude any further.” He waved his hand to veto her suggestion before tending to himself once more.

“You’re not from here, are you?” She asked with a sudden interest. With each minute he spent in her presence, she felt like she was closer and closer to figuring out exactly who this man was. She’d seen him enough times, surely. His name was at the tip of her tongue.

“The accent wasn’t a dead giveaway?” He grinned at her.

“Well, you get your occasional round of Americans here and there.” She shrugged her shoulders. “The sunnies were a bit on the nose though.”

He clicked his tongue, quickly pulling the pair down his face and placing it against the neckline of his shirt. “The weather report said it was going to be sunny.”

“Weather reports are dodgy.” She raised her eyebrow knowingly.

“I’m guessing it doesn't rain often where you’re from?”

“Twice every year,” He pursed his lips. “But I’m never around enough to know how true that actually is.”

“Sounds like you travel a lot.”

“A fair amount. My work keeps me away from home.”

“Ah,” She nodded her head. She must’ve seen him in a travel advert somewhere. “What do you do exactly?”

“Well, I’m an actor.”

She stopped to look at him more carefully, tilting her head sideways from one direction to the next to get a hint. She met his gaze momentarily, her eyes squinting as she wracked her brain for any clue of who he might be. He looked at her expectantly.

The dozens of movie posters she'd seen at the cinema came to her with a dazzling clarity. Ecstatic by her epiphany, she slammed her hand against the counter loudly— inducing a painful bang and an equally pain-stricken howl almost immediately.

“Are you OK?!” He asked with a panicked edge to his tone. He shoved the tea towel down his pocket carelessly as he ambled over to her. “I don’t know the emergency numbers here so I’m gonna have to either carry you or drag you— whichever comes first.”

She laughed loudly in amusement whilst nursing her hand, the pain slowly ebbing away as he continued to fuss over her. “I can’t believe it! Luke Castellan is in my depressing little shop!”

“Wait, fuck, are you sure you’re OK?” Luke mouth twitched, as if contemplating whether this was an appropriate time to laugh. He looked at her as if she’d gone insane. Maybe she did, maybe she actively was. This oddly seemed like the stuff of delusions.

“Yes, I’m fine!” She flipped her wrists as if to show him. “Healthy as a horse.”

He cracked a smile at her comment.

The bell let out a loud clang as a young man peeked his head into the shop, his umbrella left out in the street to protect him from the rain. “Luke! I’ve been trying to contact you for the last hour!”

“I suppose that’s your cue to leave then.” She smiled bashfully, the embarrassment catching up instantaneously. She was rubbish at this.

“I guess it is.” He hummed lowly with a grimace. He gave her a once over. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Luke, maybe hurry the fuck up?” The young man grumbled impatiently.

“Right,” She nibbled on her lower lip. “Thanks for coming around.”

“I’ll come back and actually buy something.” He said as he turned to leave.

“I’ll put you up to that.”

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

She was in the middle of a yawn when a loud voice called from across the street, a familiar tea towel gripped between ring-clad fingers and a head of black curls bobbing through the crowds.

It was still quite early in the morning, but Notting Hill was buzzing with life.

“Hey!” Luke yelled as he hurriedly walked towards her, expertly maneuvering himself between the masses of people and the stalls that lined the road. “I accidentally brought this with me. I had it cleaned and everything.”

“Thank you,” She said as she received it. The keys to the shop dangled between her fingers, waiting to be used. “You could have done away with the old thing.”

“It felt right to give it back.” He gave her a smile, more performative than yesterday— dazzling and charming, nothing less from an actor, of course. “It might have been sentimental, being in a display cabinet and all.”

“Well, it’s memorabilia from a royal wedding some decades ago.” She responded with a blush. “My mum likes to collect these things.”

“At least it’s got some national value to it.” He raised his eyebrows.

“There’s that, yeah.” She chuckled. “My mum’s gonna be relieved, I’m sure. Thank you, Luke— may I call you Luke?”

He stared at her for a moment; what for? She wasn’t exactly sure, but it was certainly magnetic. She couldn’t move away and it felt like everything else aside from the man in front of her was a blindspot. Her eyes met his, and Luke’s grin grew imperceptibly wider and her heart thumped indescribably faster.

“Sure, yes, definitely.” Catching himself, he stood straighter. His face looked ruddy, either owed mostly to the sunbeams warming his skin or the excitement thrumming underneath his flesh. “I’d like that.”

He stuffed his hand into his pocket, just in time to tend to his phone’s shrill ringtone and its incessant vibrations. Luke groaned as he pulled it out. “It’s probably my manager. I have to go, unfortunately.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear, equally as red as his cheeks despite the lack of direct sunlight against her skin. “Sorry to hear that. Have fun spending the afternoon slaying monsters.”

“The movie's about a bunch of kids on a cruise ship actually,” He laughed as he began to walk away backwards, his eyes completely fixated on her.

“Well, have fun doing that then.” She waved him off with an amused smile.

“I doubt it.” He winked at her before turning around at the curb then jogging down to god knows where.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

“Hey, mum.” She greeted when she walked into their shared flat, the whistle of the kettle loudly whooshing from the kitchen. “Did someone ring the shop while I was gone?”

It took her mother a minute to respond, too enraptured by David Beckham’s impeccable left-leg hurl into the opposing team’s goal. She listened attentively to the live play-by-play narration as she made herself a cup of tea, the announcer was basically gripping his seat with anticipation. Telltale cheers of a victory echoed through the walls.

“Mum?” She called again.

“Oh, yes, sorry, dear!” Her mother replied distractedly. “There was a young bloke that called… think he mentioned his name was Luke.”

Thank the gods she was alone in the kitchen because the silent giddy squeals and foot stomps were definitely concerning. Christ, was this real life?

She cleared her throat and feigned nonchalance. She drummed her fingers against the marble surface of the counter, her nails absently digging against old remnants of a sticker. “And what did he say?”

“He said he’s staying at the Ritz under Hermes, so give that name to the concierge if you wanna call.” A beat. “Have you gotten yourself a boyfriend?"

“He’s not.”

“Be more definitive,” Her mother snapped. Teasingly, she added: “Not ever or not yet?”

“I’m not so sure, actually.” She clicked her tongue, wracked by pensive thoughts of juvenile daydreaming. She was getting ahead of herself, surely. She needed to approach this from a rational perspective: Luke Castellan had a whole life in Hollywood, decidedly not London. He had a bombshell girlfriend back at home with a career just as luxurious as his. He was a star burning brightly and she could barely get herself to flicker.

“Doesn’t sound like a ‘not ever’ to me.” Her mother responded with a lilt to her voice.

She swallowed thickly at how foreboding it sounded.

[mrsterlingeverything]

I was homeless. I was gifted $50 by a man who said he believed in me. all i had to do was sucked his dick. I bought $14 SmartPhone and took many dick pics. I made an onlyfans account. I advertized my dick pics with a $3 poster board from Dollar Store on the time square street corner. I had $33 dollars left. I used it to buy weed and get real horny. I made $5000000 on onlyfans this way. This is my story. If you believe in yourself, then you can do this too brother. I believe in you brother. Excape the wagie life brother. Inspirational music brother.

[aurriearts]

wip wednesday!

got tagged by @silvery-bluish and @swordsandspectacles last week and i forgor to post anything. thus i bring lots of WIPS as offerings. 🤲 (image descriptions in alt text!)

this one is inspired by the fact that mortum's old villain suit apparently had TENTACLES.

the chest tentacles that wrapped around ${puppet_name} are similar enough to the arm ones found on the original Mortum suit, though decidedly more heavy-duty.

art trade wip for @defira85 of her durge kassara!

sura + juno art pastiche stuff from a perfect blue poster + leyendecker

my cat harley

ric being his charming self (+ step sura being grumpy) and a mortum doodle with a tiny tomeeta (disastersteps' neets)

older sura with a mildly judgemental expression + a Very Very reluctant chen doing an old spice advert. please save him. (yes ortega is the one wolf-whistling)

uhhhhhh pinging the game back at sadbh and bookish, and additionally @cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal, @sidesteppostinghours, @disastersteps, @defira85, @godshaper, @idlenight, @villainsidestep, @seawardboundsammy and anyone else who would like to also do this \o/

[look-sharp-notes]

The charm of old Levi Strauss & Co. advertising.

#vintage poster #Charm #old Levi Strauss & Co. advert #Individuality #Jeans #Denim #Selvedge #Denim day #Look Sharp #Elegant notes #Gallery Inspiration

[gaygoetia]

Background Details in Helluva Boss S1 E2 - Loo Loo Land

There were A LOT of background details in this episode so I won't be able to include all of them (tumblr posts have a 10-image limit) but here are some of the ones I found most interesting:

1. Octavia's Childhood Bedroom

The first thing I noticed about Via's childhood bedroom is this drawing of her and Stolas on the wall with Stella nowhere to be seen. It's possible that she has other drawings of her mother elsewhere, but in combination with Stella rarely (if ever?) interacting with Via throughout the show, this suggests she has a much closer relationship with her father.

There's also a TON of star and celestial related stuff in Via's room including decorative details like her starry bedding, wallpaper and night light but also more educational features like a telescope, star charts and books on Astronomy and Cosmology.

This suggests to me that as a child she either had a genuine keen interest in her dad's work or just took her role as his heir extremely seriously. Her seventeen-year-old bedroom lacks most of these details except for the telescope but her desire to see the stars in S2 E2 suggests she is still interested in this stuff but is just less blatant about it.

2. Fizzarolli Branding & Marketing

Maybe unsurprisingly, given Loo Loo Land is Mammon's theme-park and stars a Robo-Fizzarolli as one of its main attractions, both Fizz and Mammon are VERY present in the background of this episode.

Most of these advertisements are centred around products and performances specific to Loo Loo Land but Fizzarolli's face can also be seen on Mammon-branded breakfast cereal and adverts for those Fizzarolli robot sex dolls we've heard so much about (showing off an impressive array of features including but not limited to "tentacle action", "ten speed vibration" and "BDSM")

We also get a close up shot of the money used at Loo Loo Land, featuring Mammon's face and a stated value of 100 souls per-note, though it's not clear whether this currency is specific to Loo Loo Land/The Greed Ring or whether this is the currency that's used across all of Hell.

3. Lu Lu World References

This episode also featured a ton of references to Loo Loo Land's inspiration/competitor Lu Lu World; a theme-park created by Lucifer himself (or at least featuring his branding).

While we aren't given much info about Lu Lu World, it's suggested that Loo Loo Land is a pretty shameless and unsubtle rip-off and everything from the name (Lu being short for Lucifer) and the apple theme (relating to the forbidden fruit Lucifer gifted to Eve) supports this.

4. Hazbin Hotel References

While almost all of the rides and stalls at Loo Loo Land are apple-themed, I was surprised to see this angel-themed "Extermination" stall, featuring a giant Exorcist peeking over the top.

It's the closest Helluva Boss comes (that I've noticed so far) to referencing the yearly extermination that drives the plot of Hazbin Hotel.

This screenshot is also a good illustration of something else I noticed in this episode which is that all of the staff at Loo Loo Land and all of the guests apart from Stolas and Via are imps. Not sure if this is representative of the demographic of the Greed Ring in general or Loo Loo Land specifically but I thought it was interesting to note!

5. Blitzo's office (ft. Blitzo's horse thing)

Blitzo has a new phone (or at least a new case) this episode after breaking and/or losing his phone in the woods last episode. His new case says "wild and free" which is probably a subtle reference to horses, given it matches the horse poster on the opposite wall.

He also has a mug saying "Boss Bitch" and a framed photo of himself half-naked and posing seductively with a rose in his mouth, signed with the words "#1 Bitch Boss"

That's it for episode 2 but you can see all my other Helluva Boss background details posts here.

[earhartsease]

before there was The Forbidden Planet, London had this amazing sci-fi book and comics shop called Dark They Were And Golden Eyed (the name taken from an atmospheric short story by Ray Bradbury) and it was a beacon for nerdy kids and adults like, well, us who made several pilgrimages there in our teens to get Samuel R Delany novels

it had a baroque whimsy to it that Forbidden Planet never managed, and we loved it - also posters and adverts designed by people like Brian Talbot - and their story is nice too, when they acquired the premises they paid builder and electrician friends in comics, and their shop inspired the Forbidden Planet

[rancid-yogurt]

As a kid I had a huge interest in band photography, adverts, concert posters and album covers. So a cartoon band like Gorillaz that could exist in any era, with imagery that mashes up photos with drawings was a very exciting concept to me.

Although I don't make music myself, I have had numerous popstar and musician type characters in my art. Here are Maim (brown hair) and Pluto (green hair) in their own promotional band 'photos'!

I'm unsure what kind of music they would make, but probably dance music with sad lyrics like the songs these pieces were inspired by. Pluto is the one that arranges a lot of the live shows, picks out their matching outfits and writes their music, and it's well known that its 50/50 if she's doing a solo show or not as Maim seems to disappear a lot. Fans seem to think its a treat when you get both of them for a performance.

LEMON SQUAD is inspired by late Mod 1960s fashion, children's storybook artwork from the 70s and the song 'Lemonade' by ZOMBIE-CHANG

CALIFORNIA is inspired by the song of the same name by Grimes, my love of cowboy glam (Elton John, Bootsy Collins) and old televised country music staged performances.

[lilac-gold]

Imaging the Headspace gang with Tumblr adjshkfs

Sweetheart uses it like a social media platform, posting pictures of herself excessively. The sprout moles make so many drawings of her and they all suck but she reblogs them anyway. They keep making x reader fanfictions about her and she doesn't know whether to be more pleased or disgusted by it

Rococo makes it his mission to master digital art and,, fails. Miserably. He's so good with a paintbrush but he's terrible on apps. He keeps trying to promote his paintings and get people to commission him but the lighting is so bad in the walls that all his pictures just look like faint colour blobs. He tags everything with 'wallcore' and nobody knows what it means.

Spaceboy creates a little blog about space, putting on a new fact every day. He sometimes has breakdowns and vents about SWH in a jumbled mess of word vomit, they're easy to find among his fun facts. He's surprisingly good at drawing digitally, and Rococo is determined to find out his secret. You can always tell when he's angry bc Space Ex-Bf changes his picture to an angry green man and his grammar & politeness get significantly worse

The unbread twins don't understand what it's meant to be for so they just post blurry pictures of bread from terrible angles. They're terrible with a camera but at least Doughie spells everything right in their random guides to making bread. (Biscuit sometimes adds in helpful little 'Oho's at random points <3)

Berly is the only one in Headspace who has figures out how to use this thing and she has more followers than anyone else combined. She's in the most niche fandoms ever, writes masses about her favourite characters, and makes a lot of memes

Mr Jawsum pays for adverts. Everywhere you look, the Last Resort follows you. There is no escape :). He keeps using Hero as a poster boy for the company and Hero is very embarrassed about it

Kite Kid likes to be as ominous as possible. He finds everyone's accounts and starts warning them about the darkness that's coming for them and refuses to elaborate even a little bit

The main 6 are usually too busy adventuring to check it out, but Kel is just pure chaos, Aubrey is the biggest shipper known to man, Hero mostly lurks in the background offering support to his friends, Mari makes a motivational blog full of inspirational quotes and good advice, Basil is too nervous to make an account and Omori's page is just months-apart terrifying little posts

Would this logistically ever work? No, no it would not. Is it a really fun idea anyway? Yes, yes it is

[pinkiepiebones]

Dear Zombie, we meet again. (I'm trying out new catch phrases, but it is still I, your old friend, Robbie) I am still recovering from the flood of feelings the Little Bit story caused, but I would hate to leave my friend in need. On a tangentially related note, have you read Junji Ito's The Spiral (a.k.a. Uzumaki)? Upon reading it, I would not recommend spiraling to anyone. Don't do it!

To the prompt: Would you please tell the world about that time I got Dracula to watch a "Dracula" adaptation? Your friend, always, Robbie

You try out as many catch phrases on me as you want, bud. And I'm sorry the story made emotions happen, but, like- she loved you, man. And you loved her! If you didn't you wouldn't have placed her somewhere you knew she'd be safe and happy and spoiled. You're a good person. Little Bit had a wonderful life thanks to you. ❤️

I read Uzumaki a long time ago. Heh, didn't take you for a manga guy- a horror manga guy at that (though I guess after Dracula, most horror would be... not so bad?). Really I know I should go give it a reread someday but I keep thinking of the last Ito story I saw, all I remember from it was this gross guy who's face was like one giant zit UGH I feel my skin crawl just thinking about it!! Can't deal, won't deal.

... Oh, the movies! Yes yes.

The legend of Dracula inspired imaginations throughout the decades. Films, books, television series, even video games, all existed simply because of the allure, the gothic romance of Count Dracula.

Renfield scoffs as he eavesdrops on some young men discussing something called Castlevania. As if a whip could do anything to Master...

Dracula never spoke much of his storied past, nor did his doting familiar Renfield ever ask. Sometimes, usually after he had fed on a few drunk sorority or fraternity kids, Dracula would sometimes stare contemplatively into the fireplace and mutter about someone named "Bram." Renfield never asked. It wasn't his place to ask.

Renfield picks up a video cassette as he stalks the woman in the rental store. He starts to pretend to read the cover but then actually reads it because it sounds too preposterous to be real- "'The Satanic Rites of Dracula'?" he asks aloud. The woman he's stalking looks over at him. "Oh, that's a sequel, if you can believe it" she says.

The turn of the century was a thrilling thing to Renfield. He was born close enough to 1900 that the change over from the 1800s was not in even his earliest memories. But this- 2000! He wanted to celebrate, somehow. People were buying supplies and he kept hearing something about a virus and why two kay. All that mattered was food for master, and, maybe, just maybe, he could take Master to a theatre to show him a film. Maybe if Master eats really well...

Renfield frowns at the bookstore display. VAMPIRE ROMANCE is written in sparkling letters on a posterboard situated atop a shelf on wheels at the store's entrance. A young woman shoves past him to pull one off the shelf. "Oh, I want a vampire boyfriend so bad" she sighs. Renfield makes a choking noise as she walks away; he's not sure if he's trying to laugh at her or at himself.

At the height of his power, Master was known to have a disposition that was downright cheery. Renfield had shyly showed him the newspaper advert for the film, and the title alone piqued the vampire's interest.

"Dracula 2000." Dracula folded the newspaper and Renfiled flinched, anticipating the paper either being thrown at him or rolled up and used to hit him, but Dracula does neither; he sets the paper on the arm of the plush armchair he's claimed as his and says "well, how does one go about purchasing theatre tickets in this day and age?" Renfield was giddy with delight.

Renfield glances at the poster gracing the wall of the victim's bedroom. Dracula 3D. Renfield chuckles as he ties the unconscious man's arms. "I suppose that's fate, or something," he says to himself.

It was Christmas Eve and Renfield sat right beside Master in the middle of the auditorium. Master had 'convinced' the ticket taker that no no, we don't need tickets, thank you so much darling. We! Renfield dared to think about the early days when Master wined and dined him, seduced him... held his hand and touched him and bit him and pulled him down into bed and...

Dracula 2000 was fucking awful. A descendant of Van Helsing owned an antique store built where Carfax Abbey had once stood. A group of thieves broke in and found the coffin, Dracula's coffin, inside an underground vault. Some of the thieves died and the remainder decide the coffin must be valuable so they nick it and head to New Orleans but Dracula woke up and killed everyone, causing the thief's plane to crash in a swamp. Dracula then wandered the modern world a bit, and a record store was featured quite prominently. Somewhere in the nonsensical story they proclaim Dracula was Judas Iscariot, and this was given as reason for Dracula's hatred of symbols of Christianity. And Dracula died shortly after freeing the leading lady from the curse of vampirism. The movie was atrocious, with an agonising rock and roll soundtrack and nonsensical action sequences. Renfield felt sick when the credits started rolling because he knew Master would take out his aggression on him. Perhaps Master would pull all his teeth out by hand? He hadn't done that one in a decade or so.

"That-" Dracula growled. He couldn't finish his thought. He threw his head back and- and laughed! He laughed, loud and genuine, and Renfield chuckled nervously along with him.

"That was absurd!" Dracula said, giggling. "An utter farce. It was- oh, what's the phrase, Renfield? 'So bad it's good'?"

"Um, yes, I think that's it, Master."

Dracula was smiling and staring at the credits as they continued to roll. "I didn't catch the name of the actor who-" He chuckled- "so valiantly attempted to portray me."

Renfield glanced up, pretending to see the name (he had committed it to memory in case Master wanted to find the actor and kill him). "Gerard Butler?"

The vampire clucked his tongue. "They could have chosen someone more in line with my good looks." He stroked his chin. "What was the movie we saw on television a few years back, when we were staying at that hotel?"

Renfield's eyes were big. He never imagined that Master would care to remember little things. "Um, I think it was Face/Off?"

Dracula grinned. "Yes. I think the actor in that one would play a good 'me.'" He turned to look at Renfield. "What do you think?"

"D-do you mean Jon Travolta or Nicolas Cage?"

The count frowned and turned his attention back to the winding down credits. "Surely you should be able to tell," he sighed.

Robert is perusing an estate sale with Rebecca. Ideally, he's hoping to find a tableware set more in line with his, what Rebecca calls 'retro kitsch' aesthetic. He opens a box and sees a pile of DVDs and video cassettes. One is labelled "Dracula 2000."

"I'll take a dollar for that whole box," the man running the sale says. Robert carefully closes the box.

"Ah, no thanks."

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

NOT MY FAVORITE MAIDEN ALBUM, BUT EDDIE GONE SCI-FI/BOUNTY HUNTER REMAINS A MASTERSTROKE.

PIC INFO. Spotlight on a record advert and/or concert tour poster for "Somewhere in Time," the sixth studio album by English heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN. Somewhere on Tour ran from September 10, 1986 to May 21, 1987.

ALBUM OVERVIEW: "The weakest album from IRON MAIDEN's classic ‘80s period, "Somewhere in Time" is really the first true disappointment in their catalog, too often collapsing under the weight of their now-trademark ambition. Though it sold well on the heels of the hugely successful "Powerslave" tour, and is often regarded as underrated by Maiden devotees, it clearly finds the band struggling to refresh what was rapidly hardening into formula.

Trying to keep up with the times, Maiden incorporate synthesizers here, much as JUDAS PRIEST attempted to do on the same year's sterilized-sounding creative flop "Turbo;" the main difference here is that MAIDEN pull it off much more effectively. Yes, the production does have more of that typically ‘80s studio sheen, but MAIDEN makes the new instrumentation serve their existing sound, rather than trying to hop on contemporary trends. (And really, why make the sound more commercial when you're already amassing a small fortune from merchandising?)

Their ferocity hasn't gone anywhere either, as this ends up their fastest album (on average) since "The Number of the Beast." The real problem here is that the material is less inspired; too often "Somewhere in Time" feels like epic-Maiden-by-numbers, as fewer of the extended pieces truly catch hold. The first half of the album actually works very well -- "Caught Somewhere in Time" is an effective opener, introducing the newly futuristic flavor in the band's sound while offering a thematic parallel about time travel. 

Adrian Smith really comes into his own as a writer here, penning both of the album's singles ("Wasted Years," the undisputed highlight here, and "Stranger in a Strange Land," surprisingly not based on Robert A. Heinlein's sci-fi classic), plus the nicely metallic "Sea of Madness." Though it perhaps could have been trimmed a bit, "Heaven Can Wait" remained a concert singalong staple for years to come. But then the misfires take over.

"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" is far and away the least suitable subject for an extended epic that the band has ever undertaken, and the music itself offers little catharsis. Despite the wailing chorus, "Déjà Vu" never quite gels, feeling a bit underdeveloped musically. The now-expected prog-metal album closer this time is "Alexander the Great," and this part of the Maiden formula here verges on self-parody. Steve Harris' lyrics largely stick to a recitation of facts, names, and places that add little drama to the music, and Dickinson is stuck belting out a lazy, totally on-the-nose chorus ("Aaaaaaalexander the Greaaaaaat!").

Somewhere in Time will appeal more to the metal diehard who's already suspicious of too much overt melody; there's plenty of progressive complexity here to impress that type of listener. For the rest of us, even though fully half of the album is still excellent, "Somewhere in Time" is the first Maiden record that's less than godlike."

-- ALLMUSIC (review by Steve Huey)

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/thinlizzyguide/3198766135.

[mars1anthonydeyn]

Walle

For My FMP with Chris I'm looking into propaganda posters. I want to take things in the post apocalyptic direction so I figured Walle might have some good inspiration. At first glance you might think this is a weird choice. However at many points during the Movie we get to see abandoned posters and adverts for the company BuynLarge. the company has posters advertising their robots that are meant to clean the world of pollution and garbage. the layout of this poster has a propaganda WW2 feel to it, the way the robots are lined up in a row has a very military feel about it. it also has a catch slogan: "working to dig you out". I really like this'd I want a similar slogan for my poster.

[123franksivmblog]

Group Tutorials, 3D Workshop Introduction, Visiting Lecturers

Wednesday 15th February

I spoke with Eilis about my initial thoughts on the newest project. I explained how I was excited by the prospect of attempting to do work with more of a commercial angle to learn the skills to create refined and wildly accessible work. I also explained how the idea of creating packaging was a welcomed but intimidating prospect as I had never worked too far outside of the fine art world. This felt like a good step towards manipulating my styles and concepts to fulfill a consumer friendly illustrative style whilst learning how to create commissioned work.

Obviously I would be retaining my niche and exploring the moral and ethical routes of artistic creation whilst attempting to finish with a consumer product.

Eilis directed me to focus on colour as well as the style and design of the package as a whole, utilising the whole space rather than focusing on purely just an illustration. Moreover, for this project Eilis suggested using the analog printmaking methods that had been successful in the 'I love my town' project, and which I've been keen to use more.

The idea of using form, shape ,and, colour appealed to my initial ideas as observing the work of the Boost Brand Accelerator in the project brief, I had decided to use Paula Scher as inspiration, with a focus on the typography on the packaging and what I could achieve through that.

In a follow up email, Eilis told us to focus on; colour, line, texture, typography, voice, and, character, for next weeks session.

Some quotes from research

"Packaging as a canvas"

"Rise of wrap around illustration"

"Packaging as transformative storytelling

Jonny - Deuce Studio - Branding and Packaging agency

Pearl Fisher, Landor

Insightful Strategey -> Effective Design -> Pitch -> Mood Boards -> Concepts -> Design Development

I found their process for generating and providing ideas for commissioned work really interesting and useful. They were obviously very successful as a result of how thorough they were with their work.

Retain identity of the brand within your design - detaching yourself from the outcome to make the customer happy

Making things - simple, accessible, clean

Being aware of what the consumer wants addressing it obviously

Stretch your usefulness and range - think about branding merch ...

Using marketing videos, posters, billboards, adverts, social media

Craft beer - a very experimental and free form option for illustration

Logo

Graphic Language

Packaging

Stickers/emojis

versatile logos that can work and be elongated or reduced in response to different areas depending on the size of the packaging - horizontal, vertical, small/big.

Motion graphics

Stop motion

Two tones - contrast

Stenciled shapes

Consistent motifs

This was a really inciteful lecture for the processes of designing and producing work in the industry that gives your customer options and providing them with the look they want. I learnt a lot about the simple ways of appealing to audiences, eg. animals for kids, cycling gear for IPA men within your packaging and merch.

I couldn't help but feel that the way Jonny spoke about the company's he was producing work for meant that he actually didn't respect them that much. For example the Redfora company of which he was kind of taking the piss out of. There was very clearly no heart in the work he was producing, he had no connection to the products, they were simply fulfilling consumption needs. The way he spoke about some of the aspects of the branding directed at kids I couldn't help to hear the sample from the beginning of a song, "Youth culture becomes monopolised by big buisness what are the youth to do... I think we should destroy the bogus capitalist process that is destroying youth culture." Now this isn't totally the same because this is aimed at children, but you can't help but feel like things are little bit sinister when a grown ass man is talking about tricking kids into buying a product or making their breadline parents buy it. Or, furthermore, without any care it seemed, talking about using marketing strategies like reference to climate change and veganism and loving animals. When in actual fact the business or designers don't give a fuck and they're just using tropes to make themselves seem modern and trendy, but whilst throwing around really important issues.

I wanted to ask Jonny if his company had a moral and ethics code or if they literally just followed the money. They seemed very proud of their work on Budweiser's Labour Day branding exploiting American workers and making them feel cared for. Would they, for example, do branding for a maccies burger full of fat and overwhelmingly poor farming conditions that was aimed at poor children who specifically lived on the breadline and in tower blocks, if it made them a bit of money? Since they referenced Pearl Fisher as a influence or whatever.

Saelia Aparico

Inspiration and referenced artists, institutions and galleries - FUMI, Frieze, Matches Fashion, Carlos Place, MK Gallery, The Tetley

I found the dynamic in lecturer very interesting. We got an insight into two very different worlds. The world of the corporate brander, and the work of a fine art sculpturer.

I found Saelia very interesting, her brain seemed to have a really expansive imagination so I found hearing about her work and process fresh through the perspective of a passionate artist. She is very successful at creating a lot of really amazing and original work whilst revealing a lot about herself and letting the audience think about themselves. She also just seemed very introspective, funny, worldly, caring, and relevant.

I love her use of the interactions and flow of natural forms, the human body, and found objects.

One of Saelia's projects campaigned for social housing, which is a really important issue for our country and in particular working class areas in London that are being degraded by gentrification. She also shone a light onto the effects of living in the city such as stress, less empathy and grumpiness, which we can all relate to through ourselves and those around us. I think hearing it makes you more conscious and aware.

Saelia also worked heavily with oxymorons that added an insight into how we can't understand a topic with a single look and how some unanswered questions are good to represent the changing, uncomfortable and confusing nature of life.

[janewaylisterlatifah1]

From my OTHER accounts that happened to be hacked into - hmm! i wonder who did this the 3rd time around..hmm the mind boggles... anyways

It is heavy on my heart to finally admit my immense disappointment and dismay how the woman who brought us the incredible, uncompareable Captain Kathryn Janeway has completely neglected, surrendered and abandoned what was a hero that others fail to compare to. That woman is Kate Mulgrew- herself.

In the early 90s during the Voyager season, she would often appear on guest shows (as well as out and about) sporting a dapper pant suit,her slender figure slayed the shit out of them. She was cool as hell! .Her swag, her facial expressions. She was a black woman in a white skin. That coolness was so fitting with the Captain.

After the show drew to a close on May 23 2001, It soon become apparant to me there was a distinctive shift both in her dress sense, demeanor, confidence, comfortability and spirit. Even though it was painful to watch such an revelationary show come to an end, i lived in hopes she would view her experience - not only as an immense accomplishment, but as an inspiring journey that would go onto encourage her to continue to tap into more of her inner strength and utilise her incredible talent,when it came to her pursue of future roles . Roles that will continue to showcase her amazing energy and endurance as an actress.

I had been a follower of Kate’s work prior to Voyager, but was never a fan. When she embarked on Voyager and took it by storm , all hell broke lose.I was in owe to witness how she blew that mf’er up! - Literally with her magnificent performance in episode Year of Hell . From that point, i was singing her praises as far and wide as possible. I was never one to have posters decorated around my room , nor was i an advert convention goer. I have only been to one.

I was also never a fan of Kate -on a personal level , her lesbophobic views has always plaque her throughout her entire life. She seemed to only capitalises on the subject due to majority of her fans being lesbians. She used her fake support of the LGBT Community as a means to stay relevant for the purpose of her career. That mindset has hindered her in so many ways , both creativity and personally. But that is not neither here or there.

As Captain Janeway, she exuded an amazing physical sharpness, an undeniable flairless nature beauty with the use of little make up. She was exceptionally stunning.

In 2013, Kate starred in a show called Orange of the New Black. The very thought of the title makes me cringe. Out of curiousity i forced myself to watch the first season and my heart completely sunk. I struggled to focus on the words that came out of her mouth. All i could think of was “ What happened to that naturally strong, sharp, muscular powerhouse with a stamina that can take on 5 guys in a fight?. I was baffled.

In 2015, i created a Twitter account which celebrated such a wonderful character - that was of Captain Janeway . The account was entitled InvincibleCptJ . Consequently, it was hacked and in-turn my email address which was linked was also hacked . I can only hazard a guess onto whose team was responsible as i later learned several other fans had their dedicated pages succombed to the same demise.

The number of people that followed my page ( at the time showed 264 people )was all removed by the hacker.

Followed by the second page created which automatically deleted by Twitter

Then followed my Tumblr account - which was mysteriously hacked and then followed my recent account - JanewaytrulisterLatifah . I later discovered from various people happen to have pages dedicated or have some mention of this persons, page have also came to the same demise, But i digress.

Katie tried to insert some of the Captain’s traits, but it just was not working-certainly not for me. It was haggard, uncomfortable and an excruciatingly painful rendition. Orange of the new black was automatically cancelled in my head. By now my patience of her deliverance was waying thin. I then heard she was due to appear in another show . Fingers, toes and whatever else was crossed only to recieve another knock back. All that came to mind was " Oh God, She went on another bender the night before". It was so obvious to see. I did not take the time to watch the show, the publicity photos showed me all i needed to know.

Kate, has completely abandoned ship and abandoned her rank as the Captain. Throughout the lengths Jeri Ryan has gone to tear her down and dismantel her career, i had ALWAYS had her back and always had faith she will continue to come on top. She was built for the trenches right? and no one -by the likes of Ryan would frazzle an exceptional talent with a huge range, undeniable talent and creativity. I wanted her to win even more after that …woman’s lynch on her.

I wanted to believe that Kate had hidden gems locked away, ready and waiting to be unleashed and shock the system of her enemies and doubters, but time again , she has become the mercy of Ryan’s words. She has indeed retreated and lost focus, which has become apparant from the roles she has continue to accept. She appears unworthy of her own greatness ,unworthy of heroic strong roles that morally held her with high esteem for over decades-prior to Voyager. She has claimed defeat .

It should not be about forming an allegience with someone that has delibrately broken her trust and the line of secrecy. Their only motive was to destroy her career and fanbase, so theirs can grow , become relevant and in doing so - take her spot. And it is now come to flourish.

I had not watched any of her roles since the one season of Orange is the New Black and cannot say that i will ever again. For me, Captain Janeway was and always will be her staple, the pinnacle of her career and one that was honorable by Kate and Captain Janeway.

Live Long and Prosper in my memory, Captain Janeway ~Janewaytrulvlisterpeake

captain janeway#kate mulgrew#star trek voyager#livelongandprosper#sad

[mattconnorb2]

Artefact - Evaluation

In this assignment was to to choose an artefact of personal significance, an object that reflects

or even helped who I am today. This was challenging at first as i didnt know what my artefact could be as I felt like I didn't have anything that I had an emotional attachment to.  While growing up I would move a lot so things would either get forgotten or put in storage and get lost. So that's what I went for “nothing”. After that was decided I needed to visually communicate how this is relevant both culturally and historically to who I am as an individual through creating a brand and identity around it and producing an art directed advertising campaign. The brand I went for was a removal service called “BURIED” which was a service that would take away your heirlooms, artefacts and emotion attachment objects and take them away and dispose of them for you. The brand needs to be flexible and noticeable and  can be applicable to all applications. With that in mind I created a 3d room shape inspired by Spike Jonze for the Apple HomePod advert which showed stretching and moving parts within a home. This makes the brand practical and memorable. In my deliverables I designed a riso poster and keychain which was part of a welcome package when you first use the service to help you through the ditching process. I wanted to do more to build the concept by having uniforms and packaging tape  but while balancing it with the other briefs I didn't have time. I'm happy with the outcome but I think that was one of the flaws I had for this project./

[melissa-service-promotion-module]

Evaluation 1

Within this evaluation I am going to analyse how my use of self -promotion within an artistic setting has impacted the modes of promotion for our test site install as a group. Prior to this module I had already made an account on Instagram solely for my art, and used it regularly, following artists that inspired me along with galleries etc that could be of use with regards to networking and getting my foot in the door outside of college. I have also outsourced business cards that I had used while I had a stall at the Ayr Grain Exchange in December last year. By having a physical thing to use to promote myself it appealed to audiences that might not be on social media, which opened up my potential client base. Furthermore, the use of cross promotion (tagging other artists/galleries etc. so they know you exist) was also beneficial in my own promotion, as sometimes you need to make the first move instead of waiting for other to come to you. I believe this was successful as through my Instagram page I was contacted about a potential commission for an up-and-coming Glasgow based -band called Poster Club. This commission serves as promotion for both myself and the band for their new single. Through a lengthy Teams meeting with the band, we have agreed on future work after this commission after the academic year which is a huge success in terms of an artistic career.

Personally, if I had to change anything that I have done thus far through social media, I would have included the use of more hashtags to boost engagement with my work with a larger audience. This made me consider using the boost post option on Instagram which allows you to essentially turn your post into an advert which can be seen by a larger portion of the platform. This feature is great, however in order to do this you have to pay a small fortune.

Furthermore, using social media was also a huge aspect of the promotion of our group show. Once our posters etc were generated we then posted it onto our accounts to make our exhibition known to those outside the college building and boost engagement. This type of promotion paired with our very traditional low-fi approach to making invites generated successful feedback and interest in our exhibition. It was refreshing to essentially take the middle man out and go straight to the audience by handing out our invitations by hand which also added a personal touch. By going straight to our fellow creatives this opened up discussions and networking which benefitted us for our Round Table Discussions as everyone was comfortable to give their opinions. I have noticed this small gesture has been the catalyst for the HND and BA4’s to come together and build personal and creative connections, with both of our classes floating between studios. This is a huge step forward in creating harmony between the different years, as in the past it felt like the BA4s were untouchable, but at the end of the day we are all creatives striving for the same thing.