#and how it reveals society’s desire to forget the artist

[samaspic31]

My growth as an artist was heavily stifled by the dogmatism in the online art community I was subjected to as a teen (aka by rhetoric implying or straight up saying art has to be made a certain way to be valuable, which discouraged me from experimenting and developing for my own methods, customising my artistic process felt illegal) and i will forever be mad about it

Anyways if any young artist follows me : the only good art advice is get weird about it and fuck around a lot. Also be honest

[glorytoukraine2022]

Hey everyone! I’m back with another analysis! This time I’m going to do a comparison of reformed villains from Elena of Avalor and Tangled the Series. The main reformed villains I will be comparing is Cassandra, to four reformed villains from the two aforementioned shows. If you’re a fan of both shows, you probably might know who they are.

First up, will be Cassandra vs Varian. I know this is an obvious choice I’m starting off with, but given that these two are from the same show, they’re the easiest to analyze. TTS does everything it can to push comparisons between Varian and Cassandra and make them seem like parallels. However, these two couldn’t be more different.

Varian didn’t want to turn to crime. He only became a criminal because he was pushed to it. When Varian lost his dad, he asked for help not only from Rapunzel, but the entire kingdom as a whole. But because of a false rumor going around the kingdom claiming that Varian had attacked Rapunzel. Rapunzel never cleared the rumor, nor did she follow up on Varian’s request for help. The King sent guards to chase Varian out of his home in order to cover up the destruction of the rocks, isolating Varian from society and any possible aid. Varian was still wron, but he literally had no other options left.

Cassandra, however? She was faced with no such situation. Her life was pretty stable when she stole the moonstone. Was it perfect? No, but if she was so unhappy, than she could have left anytime. She was even offered an opportunity to become a warrior of the kingdom of Ingvarr, but chose to stay because of her friendship with Rapunzel.

Like Varian, Cassandra too was mistreated by Rapunzel. I don’t blame either of them for wanting to leave her. Yet the show didn’t use any of these valid reasons as her motive for Cassandra stealing the moonstone. Instead, they decided to have Cassandra victim-blame Rapunzel for her own kidnaping.

The entirety of season 3, we see Cassandra gaslighting an abuse victim. Gothel didn’t kidnap Rapunze because she loved her more than Cassandra. She only cared about her magic hair.

Varian realized his actions were wrong long before the events of season 3, but nobody in Corona gave him a chance, leading to him turning to a Terrorist Leader. But when the Saporians revealed that they were going to destroy Completely using Varian’s chemicals, Varian turned against the Saporians to save Corona and it’s citizens, despite how the kingdom mistreated him, because it was the right thing to do. Cassandr, on the other hand, was about to rip the Sundrop straight from Rapunzel, despite her clearly being in pain.

For my next comparison, it will be Cassandra vs. Victor and Carla Delgado. One could argue that Cassandra saw the power of the moonstone as a power conduit and a means of respect, similarly to how Victor and Carla saw being Malvagos. However, given that TTS does seem to give a clear or specific reason for Cassandra’s theft of the stone, it’s honestly hard to say if power, respect or anything, for that matter, is Cassandra’s motive. “Destiny“, is also given as a motivation, but it’s hard to tell. Whereas Victor and Carla’s motivations for becoming Malvagos is clearly stated that they saw it as a means to gain power, in order to gain respect, which, quite frankly, makes more sense than anything that came out of Cassandra’s mouth throughout her entire villain arc.

Yes, Cassandra and Carla were both abandoned by their naristsstic, power-hungry mothers, but the way each of them reacted to it couldn’t have been more different. When Ash betrayed Victor and Carla by turning Victor to stone, Carla was devastated, and who wouldn’t be? Yet in that moment she saw her mother for who she truly was and turned against her, standing by her father when he needed her.

Now Cassandra? Let’s see, she went on a rampage to hurt her friends and others innocent people and ATTACKED her father. See the difference? One could argue that Cassandra was four when Gothel abandoned her whereas Carla was 19, but Cassandr’s memory of Gothel’s abandonment was repressed until Zhan Tiri showed it to her in The House of Yesterday’s Tomorow. Even though it happened when Cassandra was at a young age, when she remembered it, she was a 24 year old woma, and should have handled it with the maturity of a young adult.

Nobody is saying that Cassandra isn’t allowed to feel hurt. Nobody is saying she isn’t allowed to react badly. That she isn’t allowed to confront her father on the truth if she feels that he kept it from her. But you’d think she’d react in a mature manner. That she’d be willing to hear her father out and talk to him about it rather than straight out attack him!

Carla clearly wanted her mother in her life. She wanted a relationship with her. Cassandra also clearly wanted to be raised by her birth mother, but their mothers made their own choices. Ash and Gothel chose to abandon their daughters for selfish purposes. They can’t change who their mothers are, as much as they might want to. The difference is, only Carla has the maturity to realize that. She also realizes that she has her father, who loves and cares about her more than anything in the whole wide world. Cassandra disregards all of this.

From what we know about Victor and Carla’s childhoods’ Victor had fun days at the palace racing Esteban down the halls, playing hide and seek and cooking with him and Elena. Carla had fun cooking with her father as a child. But some of their lines from “Don’t Look Now”, tell us that their childhoods weren’t exactly peachy. According to Victor, if you had seen him as a child, he would have “always had a frown” because he was put down by others and was “treated like a clown” whenever he tried to stand up. And let’s not forget that him and his family were banished by Shuriki while Victor was still in his teens.

According to Carla, she and Victor were “always on the move“ and that the only thing that never changed was that she would “always feel alone.” The reasons she and Victor could never settle down was probably because they survived as theives and con-artists. If they were alwlays on the move, than Carla probably nevertheless had the chance to make friends growing up. And we’re suppoesd to feel sorry for CASSANDRA?!

While it’s possible she might have felt looked down upon like Victor, Cassandra had a pretty stable life growing up. Growing up inside a CASTLE! She was even allowed to train for the Royal Guard at age six! Victor and Carla had to resort to becoming con artists for a living, and Cassandra is pouting just because she didn’t get the job she wanted?!

When Carla nearly fell to her death after she was knocked over a ledge, Victor was terrified that he was going to lose Carla right then and there, causing him to realize that power wasn’t worth the price of losing his daughter. This gave him the incentive and courage to stand up to Ash for Carla’s safety, and end dark pursuits right then and there. Ash responded to this by turning him into stone. Heartbroken and angered by Ash’s betrayal, and realizing her mother’s true nature, Carla stands against Ash and reforms as well.

Victor and Carla may have once believed that power would gain them the respect they’ve always wanted, but in the end, realized that they never needed power. All they ever truly needed to be happy was love and family. Each other. That’s what I call a true, remarkable redemption. Cassandra didn’t seem to learn or realize anything based on her experience. To this day, I still don’t understand just what new insights and changes resulted from Cassandra’s “redemption.” All Zhan Tiri did was take the moonstone from her. There should have been more than that to her redemption.

Now, last, but not least, Cassandra vs Esteban. Now, I saved this one for last, because Esteban is the one I’ve heard people compare Cassandra to, and while I understand where they are coming from, I still have my objections. I’ve heard people compare Esteban to Cassandra based on the fact that they both had a desire to be noticed. While I understand this comparison, I still feel like Esteban is the more sympathetic of the two.

As much as Esteban wanted to be listened to, he always loved his family deeply. But he always made the mistake of trusting the wrong people, first Shuriki, then Ash, and then the Four Shades. He trusted them, only for them to go after the people he loved and wanted to listen to him in the first place. Cassandra wanted to be listen to, but she didn’t care if it cost her everyone that had ever cared about her. We see this early on in season 1, during “Challenge of the Brave”, when she tries to sabotage Rapunzel’s chances in “Challenge of the Brave” by stealing her weapon of choice, and in “Great Expotations“, when she breaks her promise to Varian that she would be his assistant at the Science Expo if he completed her Handmaiden duties for her, just so she could be on guard duty.

Both Cassandra and Esteban are ambitius and have sought to undermine their family/friends if given the oppourtunity, but I felt that Esteban was always more misunderstood whereas Cassandra was just willing to screw over anybody in her way. Think about it, even after Esteban joined up with Ash, he NEVER EVER wanted to hurt his family, and was always going out of his way to protect them and migiate harm. Cassandra, on the other hand? Went on a killing spree to murder her friends and cause as much destruction as possible.

I have also heard people comparing their redemptions and complaining about how they were both “last minute.” While I would agree in regards to Cassandra, I would NOT say the same about Esteban. As I pointed out in previous paragraph, Cassandra was still hell bent on hurting Rapunzel before Zhan Tiri grabbed the moonstone. Just before that scene, Esteban had just sung a duet with Elsa about how remorseful he feels for everything he’s done and all the people he’s hurt.

Iv’e also heard people comparing their “deaths”, claiming that Cassandra dying was a self sacrifice. NO. I REPEAT. Cassandra’s death in the TTS finale was NOT a self sacrifice! A self sacrifice is when you knowingly put yourself in harm’s way for someone or something else, knowing that you’ll be killed, or seriously injured in the process. Esteban teleporting in front of Elena to take Cahu’s time grain, was a self sacrific. Anna choosing to save Elsa from Hans in Frozen was a self sacrifice. Cassandr’s death was NOT self sacrifice. Cassandra and Rapunzel didn’t believe they were going to die or suffer any consequences by uniting the stones. The only person who they bellived would die was the person who United the stones, that person being Zhan Tiri. Cassandra’s actions were not self sacrificial, in any way, shape or form. What Esteban did for Elena in that moment was more powerful than anything Cassandra did in the finale.

All of these people I talked about above were better villains than Cassandr, with much better motivations, and are More worthy of redemption as have becom better people than she ever will be. If Cassandra ever grows in the futur, sh’ll be lucky if she ever gets at least half to where all these wonderful people are today.

I’m sorry if this analysis isn’t as good as my others so far. I stayed up until 3:40 AM writing this, so I apologize for any sloppiness or spelling mistakes you might see. I still hope you enjoyed my thoughts!

[filmhistorymptv1145]

Reckon with the impact of World War II on cinema history. In what ways did this cataclysmic event shape film as an art form? How do postwar films differ from prewar films either in form or content? Consider the examples that deal directly with the war and its aftermath, but reflect on earlier films we have seen as well, which may be useful points of comparison.

The aftershocks of World War II left the entire planet in shambles. From Japan to Germany and all the way to the United States, the effects were taking its toll on both their people and economies. More than sixty-one million people were dead. The shift in society was momentous, and affected the everyday lives of the average citizens, and government officials were left to pick up the pieces. One of the most noticeable shifts in artistic trends after the War was the change in the production of films. After 1948, some of the glitz and glamour left Hollywood’s movies, and directors and creators around the world began to take notice and incorporated darker, grittier themes into their work. Directors and screenwriters did not feel afraid to attack how their respective country had changed after the war, infusing their films with political tension and subtle criticisms of the powers that be.

The shift in darker subject matter challenged the Hollywood bauble. Even with the Code firmly in place, directors and screenwriters found creative ways to tell their stories around it. Subliminal messages conveyed through staging, dialogue and light became the norm after 1948. Instead of dealing with outside forces, such as unrequited love or corporate greed, narratives began to turn inward. Questioning the moral fiber of man and what good or evil we do with the immense amount of knowledge at our fingertips became the groundwork for post-war cinema. 

In Hollywood movies, directors had to be subtle and creative about showcasing their criticisms of American ideals on screen. Through the use of cinematography and subtext, a film like All That Heaven Allows can seem like a romantic drama on the surface to the average viewer. However, Douglas Sirk was able to infuse the film with multiple layers of subtext which criticized the highly sought after and idealized ‘American Dream’. Sirk wanted to take a good, hard look at the kind of lifestyle so many American soldiers had fought and died for.

Cary is a wealthy widow who falls in love with a younger man who is of lower class than she is, a gardener named Ron. Through Cary’s story, Sirk is able to turn the narrative inward to inspect the pillars of American suburban life: order, conformism, and intolerance. Cary’s friends and neighbors are aghast that she is planning to marry again, and to her gardener at that. Sirk attacks the snobby and patronizing attitudes of Cary’s upper-class acquaintances, who appear to be friendly to Cary on the surface. Even her own children appear to be devastated by her personal choices about her love life. In a scene where she is talking to her son, he speaks to her from the other side of a screen, his face obscured by wire mesh. Almost like he is talking to her from the other side of a cage. A metaphor for the manner in which Cary’s children and friends have her trapped inside of their expectations for her as a widow, as indifferent to her wishes and desires as grouchy prison guards would be towards a recalcitrant inmate.

Materialism of the American suburbia becomes another subject for Sirk to condemn near the end of the film. Cary’s children, pleased with their mother’s apparent decision to stay away from Ron, present her with a television set for Christmas. In the shot below, Sirk uses the television screen to again show us how Cary is trapped, this time by consumerism. Her son earnestly believes that she will have all the company she needs now that she owns a TV, seemingly forgetting the fact that he snubbed Ron when Cary first introduced him to her children. Her son believes that her gardener that is below her class is absurd for companionship, and yet a television set seems adequate for the lonely widow. In 1955, the age of gluttonous consumerism, replacing a loved one with a material object would have been seen as normal.

This is different from a film such as Ninotchka, where not even the USSR could keep Ninotchka and Leon apart, compare this to when Cary almost ends up letting Ron go. Between her children’s unhappiness and the way her friends have refused to accept Ron into their social circles, the future for them looks utterly hopeless for a time. Unlike in Ninotchka, where her comrades are more than approving of Leon. When Cary and Ron do eventually get together at the end of the film, Sirk dramatizes this moment by having Cary lit up in an angelic halo and even goes over the top by including a deer arriving at the nearby window. Ron’s recovery from his injuries is also miraculous, further adding to Sirk’s subtle critique of the American melodrama. 

Other countries who suffered much greater losses from World War Two, such as Japan, instead chose to make something entirely new out of the suffering they had endured. Suffering not just one, but two atomic bombs dropped on their country, Japanese cinema underwent one of the most drastic transformations after the War.

One director looked at the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and somehow found inspiration to create something from the horror. With a negative attitude towards nuclear weapons and all they stood for, Ishiro Honda directed Godzilla as a metaphor for the destructive and devastating powers of atomic bombs. Nuclear testing conducted in the Pacific Ocean’s Marshall Islands by the United States in 1954 sparked both an anti-nuclear movement across the country and inspired Honda to create the film. Twenty-three sailors aboard the Dragon no. 5 were within range of the fallout of the blast perished within days of returning home, since the weather had shifted past the US military’s calculations. The blast was also much more powerful than the US had predicted, raining death ash on the fisherman, who were positioned over eighty miles away. The story of Dragon no. 5 swept across Japan, gripping its people in panic of a possible third nuclear disaster, compounded by the fact that it had only been nine years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed.

In the film’s story, Godzilla is created by an ordinary lizard feeding off of the nuclear radiation that is present in Japan’s waters and mutating into its current monstrous form. Not only is he capable of crushing massive buildings with just his body, but the monster is also able to breathe fire that is hot enough to melt steel.

Honda had visited the ruins of Nagasaki, after returning to Japan from being kept as a prisoner of war in China. What he saw shook him to the core. Honda insisted that the texture of his scaly skin replicates the lesions that would form on those in Japan who had suffered radiation poisoning and cancer after the atomic bombs had been dropped. 

Throughout the film, Honda uses Godzilla to mirror the strength of nuclear weapons by showing the Japanese military’s inability to harm Godzilla with any of their weaponry. The film contains deep political subtext, hinting at the ongoing nuclear arms race between Russia and The US, seen near the end when Doctor Serizawa is conflicted about using the oxygen destroyer to kill Godzilla. He states that he worries about the world’s politicians becoming interested in the oxygen destroyer even after one use, and that ‘right now, it’s nothing but a weapon of mass destruction’. It is not difficult to guess what he meant by ‘world’s politicians’, with the tensions that were present in the early years of the Cold War. Although witnessing the destruction Godzilla has wreaked on land is enough to change his mind, Serizawa still destroys all of his notes and research about the oxygen destroyer. He goes even further and volunteers to use the device on Godzilla himself, and he ends up dying in the process. In his mind, taking the secrets of what might have ultimately ended up eradicating humanity with him to his grave was the only way to keep the world safe from destruction, a key insight into just how fiercely the Japanese people felt animosity towards nuclear warfare.

Other directors in Japan chose to look inward and see how the War might shape one’s morals and attitudes. Akira Kurosawa tackles this in Rashomon, a film that both defined a new method of telling a story and questions the concepts of truth and human knowledge. To this day, Kurosawa’s groundbreaking technique is still utilized in modern movies. Normally, flashbacks in film were meant to be taken as entirely truthful. Kurosawa disrupts this trend in Rashomon. In Rashomon, a nobleman is supposedly murdered by a crazed bandit named Tajomaru, who also rapes his wife. Three men are discussing the event while taking shelter from the heavy rainstorm in a ruined temple, two of them having been at the court hearing. Four characters recount the story throughout the film: Tajomaru, the nobleman’s wife, the nobleman himself, communicating through a medium, and finally the woodcutter who is at the ruined temple. The medium’s confession is thought to be the truth, since the monk says that the dead cannot lie. The husband’s version of the story is the darkest, the effect multiplied by Noriko Honma’s feral and terrifying performance as a medium for the dead.

Each telling of the story shows the audience that there are obvious inaccuracies from one person to the next. In one recount, the husband orders his wife to commit suicide after suffering the shame of being raped. In another, the wife begs the bandit to kill her husband and take her away with him. This leaves the audience with many questions. Obviously, someone is lying. Only at the end of the film is the truth revealed whether or not we believe it by then. The woodcutter admits that he lied during his hearing at the court, that he had not just found the husband’s body and the wife’s discarded hat. Allegedly, he witnessed the entire unfortunate encounter between the married couple and Tajomaru unfold before his eyes. At first, it is hard to take the woodcutter’s account as truthful, since the entire film up until this point has been about how people will lie and deceive others, as well as themselves. Kurosawa’s story is dual-sided, since he displays the foulest traits of human nature, and people’s desire to better themselves.

The woodcutter proves himself to be noble, when the three men are interrupted by the sounds of a crying baby, abandoned at the temple. The common man grabs the kimono the baby was wrapped in, as well as the protective amulet that was left with the infant and runs off. The monk picks up the child, unsure as to what to do. The woodcutter reaches for the baby, and the monk reacts negatively, accusing the man of wanting to take what little the child has left. The woodcutter is hurt by this, and says he was going to take the baby home, since he already had six children and one more would not make a difference. The monk apologizes and lets him take the baby, stating that the woodcutter’s actions had restored his faith in the human soul. The baby itself is a symbol for hope for the future of the people of Japan, further punctuated by how the rain has finally stopped, and sunlight shines down on the woodcutter as he carries the infant home.

War does not often come to mind when we consider sources for artistic inspiration. It is an ugly, horrible thing, and World War Two was no exception. However, just like with the Motion Picture Production Code, filmmakers were still able to create masterpieces even after a crippling hardship. Whether it be through direct or indirect means, directors and screenwriters are always influenced by the world around them and it shows in their work. Watching films from the past is almost like viewing a time capsule, the current trends and conflicts of the world reflecting on screen. 

[imasimpforstevengrant]

Why do we like this clown so much?

Change the "we" for "I" and you get an usual tag I use whenever I post my content in Tumblr. And it sounds funny at first but whenever you start diving into that phrase, the deeper it becomes. So, I finally have decided to share my thoughts about this strange but wholesome attraction to this deeply flawed character. It's not something I usually do since I don't know how to write down my feelings properly and also in english so please forgive any typos (I'm from Chile so don't be surprised lol).

So...Why do we like this clown so much?

Why was it that a character precisely designed to scare and to disgust the fuck out of us ended up unchaining a series of feelings that shouldn't have taken place in a beginning?

Let's take a look at the background: Joaquin Phoenix was cast as Arthur Fleck/Joker in 2018. The first image of him as the aforementioned character revealed a deeply disturbed man. We knew the plot. A man driven to insanity after a brutal history of abuse, creating concern in people if the upcoming film would inspire real life violence. Incel violence and mass shootings, more specifically.

(the image in question)

As 2019 arrives, the two trailers generated so much hype that media needed to fuel its concern about it. Since it wasn't your typical comic book film, media basically bombed our minds making us believe this film was going to be a total disaster, an excuse to cause harm to others among other nonsense, as if the film would justify everything Arthur would do in the film, eventually. As the release date is closer, the film receives thunderous applause and unanimous praise from critics. At this, fans rejoiced and expressed impatience to watch the film.

October 5th.

People left the theaters amazed, shocked and genuinely moved by the inhuman treatment Arthur received in the film. The fear media tried so desperately to infuse in us with all the incel bullshit and such turned out to awake one of the most positive, best feelings in humans:

E M P A T H Y

The word that so gloriously cleared away any dark thoughts or actions not only proves media was wrong but it turned out to ridicule it in way nobody will forget: Hundreds of people advocating for mental illness, calling out to the kindness that could change a person's bad day and questioning how politicians and rich people are indifferent to social problems proved how much as a society we have changed in comparison with the one shown in the film.

However, since we are on Tumblr, I'll get straight to the point and try to explain why the fuck does this clown has us dying out of love and compassion (and lust).

I. Background.

As nurturing as we women are for a biological matter, we see a man deprived of a good job, is on seven different medications, working like a slave to sustain his ill mother, putting aside his own health and well-being to look for her, struggling to make his dream of being a comedian despite everyone stepping on him, underpaid and treated like a freak for a disorder he did not ask to suffer, which makes it impossible to be indifferent to all the horrible ordeal that eventually will reach the limit of what he can tolerate without going insane. It is impossible to not say or think, at least, that someone (even if it's just one person) should stand for him just as it is impossible not to feel the need to throw ourselves at him to shield him from people who hurt him or simply offer him our shoulder whenever he has had a bad day, specially when he learns he was sexually assaulted by his step father.

This horrid behaviour terrifies newer generations because they get a taste of what being a social outcast was like more than thirty years ago in comparison with today, where there's more acceptance and treatment for mentally ill people like Arthur. We see in him someone who could have been saved with a proper education and emotional support instead of descending into madness as a criminal. Others simply saw themselves being treated like him at some point in their lives and couldn't help but put themselves in his shoes.

II. Personality.

TRUTH BE TOLD:

There's something called "attraction by proximity". It is the explanation to the eventual love you feel whenever someone doesn't catch your eye at first terms of physical attraction but his/her personality does attract you. This happens to be the base of this situation. His shyness, introverted nature, tenderness and innocent desire to make people laugh and put on a happy face awake some kind of tenderness we cannot resist. This combined with the gloomy background increases our understanding (but not justifying) of the bad decisions he'll eventually take during the course of the film. This traces a line of harsh, almost hurtful contrast of the violence he shows later on the film. Once again, it is not justified in any way but it is certainly understandable.

III. Appearance.

Arthur Fleck is unconventionally attractive.

This happens to be a plus for most women. He is out of the male beauty standards (no abs, not too muscly or particularly tall), which makes him even more unique. It is precisely the fact that he's not a model one of the reasons women love him. He could easily be your man next door or your colleague or the guy you always see but never dare to talk for fear to bother him Because it's about proximity. Arthur looks like your common neighbour. He's not meant to be your typical desirable male protagonist at all.

... And yet.

Jesus Christ, he's so fucking hot I can't even---

It's not about how beautiful his green eyes are, his long slender fingers, his hair or his smile only. It's the charm behind it.

Another "magnet point" is the way he dresses. I know he's impoverished and his wardrobe tend to be repetitive but it is so unpretentious, so simple that is hard to not fall for. The modesty of the shirts, ironed trousers reminds us of a mature man deeply withdrawn into himself, love starved and longing to be seen and loved by others, like a war veteran who still fights the most important war: with himself. Is someone who needs to be listened and understood.

AND OF COURSE WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT IT?

He's also brought back the old gentleman outfit, white shirts, red/yellow vest, red suit and elegant dancing moves and the retro style of the film boosts this attractiveness.

People keep comparing him with the previous interpretation of Joker (Leto's) whose costume appealed to young women with a tattooed, gangster, mumble rapper crazy-guy wannabe which didn't connect with the audiences (young people in general). This supposedly was to match or even have a sexy, tormented and desirable villain like Marvel's Loki. We all know how that story ended but it's the link for the next point below.

IV. Transformation

This is a particularly strong point considering how much we loved to watch the process of this weak, powerless, forgotten caterpillar into a beautiful and visible butterfly that will gracefully stir its wings for everyone to see its colours.

When Arthur transitions to the Joker, it's so cathartic to see taking revenge on those who wronged him (even when we're not supposed to root for him) like seeing his shyness fading away into a vivid confidence when dancing half naked in the bathroom, or witnessing him making way to make his name known to people in Murray Franklin's Show:

Adding to this newly gained confidence, there's another turn on: the way he walks.

At the beginning, his pace is hunched and limping, displaying his submission to violence, which makes the viewer more satisfied to see his broken yet beautiful soul turning the past pain of his existence into art: he lets music guide his moves as a way to tell the world he's a new man by cutting most of the sick, evil roots that harmed him, that he's invincible, that no one can stop him. Watching this cathartic display of euphoria was the most iconic scene in the film, following his speech at the TV and the inevitable meltdown that caused Murray's death.

Going to further appreciation, even his clown make up is beautiful. Why? Simple. The combination of colours, shapes and the intimidating glare just embellishes even more the character.

The dark blue triangles in his expressive eyes makes the light green colour to highlight, specially in dark backgrounds, giving the impression he's piercing your soul whenever he stares directly at the camera. Same can be said about the red smile and emerald green hair. They boost an already intimidating look.

The cold and warm colours paint a picture of a man full of intense emotions, mirroring it in a simple yet masterful artistic way.

Another interesting point is the way Joker dresses. Usually we had almost every single live adaption of this character in purple coat, hat, etc. But this particular version is not following any comic, which gives more freedom to creativity and once again, out of the standards of what we could have expected.

Red is a colour related to passion, action, love, strength, motivation and excitement. As for yellow, it indicates freshness, happiness and enlightenment and finally, green. Green is renewal, growth and regeneration. Colours that represent a new stage in his life, a mirthful chapter at last. We finally get to see our battered, always humiliated protagonist (or hero) descending into madness, but finally free from his repressed man who held his soul captive like a bird to fly away, to never come back. An insanity that despite being his downfall, turned out to be his ticket to freedom as he walks to the light in Arkham Asylum dancing at the end.

Ladies and gentlemen: behold the film nobody asked... But the film we fucking deserved.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

❤️💚💛

[littlestickers]

🌀Neptune in the houses🌀🏠

💙1H:

(they are indirectly affected by this planet, so the influences are not quite noticeable in them)

-tend to feel deceived about themselves, disillusioned and confused

-don’t really know who they are and need support

-may not have clear objectives in life

-can be great artists because they dream a lot

-make the wrong impression on people, people see them in different ways

-they don’t reveal their strength and are interpreted as subtle, mysterious or alluring

-many are attracted to them, they have a special magnetism and stare

-they try to escape problems by feeling sorry for themselves and acting helpless

-absorb the way people feel and have an imagination that is very strong

-struggling to be grounded

-see life the way they want to

-prone to suffer from alcohol and drug abuse

-very aware of their surroundings

-they can read minds but no one can read theirs

-know when someone is lying but no one can know if they are or not

-victim mentality

-have many dating opportunities or people waiting to get together with them

-need to stop keeping things inside for too long

💢2H:

-money wasted on less useful things

-dream wealth will come to them one day

-impractical, confused and even chaotic when it comes to money

-easy to trick

-can face many financial difficulties

✅3H:

-able to communicate better than others

-in youth years they have a lot of insecurity

-the older they get, the more they will learn to be more productive

-Absent-minded, undisciplined and controlling

-It’s hard for them to absorb factual information so they aren’t interested in academics

-BUT they are the best at learning based on visualization

-always dreaming and having their head in the clouds

-hard to follow a schedule

-absent-minded when someone is giving them directions

-communicate without any efforts and to understand others without asking too many questions

-creative and charming way of communicating

-receptive to everything and everyone around them

-aware of what others are thinking

-great writers and artists

-calm and likable

-attract a lot of sympathy and others always want to help them

-They treat their neighbors and friends as their siblings because they have this need to be like family with everyone

-may use nicknames to identify themselves

-can be talented at astrology

-forget all about their appointments and always be late

-conventional type of education is very boring for them.

-they tend to get lost easier than others

-good at sharing their knowledge with others

-good at expressing what goes through their mind

💢4H:

-need security and have a strong link with their mother and their home

-love being near water and when older

-likely for them to be very lonely and withdrawn from the society

-sensitive, worry, absent-minded or even confused by one of their parents

-home was somehow chaotic

-give everything they have in their heart to the ones they love and expect the same back

-want moments of loneliness because solitude is their only way to renew their energy

-isolate themselves and no longer want to talk to anyone when things get hard for them

-live in a dream world in which everyone around them is perfect

-they see their family and childhood unrealistically

-have strange emotions and dark feelings about their father

-Inner peace, harmony and security are essential to them

- If they had problems in their childhood, they’ll try to hide any memory relating to the places where they grew up, in their subconscious

-they’ll only remember periods of time that made them happy

-one of the parents absent, whether physically or just metaphorically

-They’ll always connect with those who have the same problems as them, especially when it comes to mother and father issues

-Might change homes very often or live in hidden houses

-nurturing and usually forget about their own needs

💙5H:

-ability to put themselves in others’ shoes and to know what their loved ones are feeling

-imagination is very rich and they are very romantic

-express themselves in a dramatic way

-talent with taking care of others

-don't mind offering help

-feel the need to be admired

-have rose-colored glasses

-Attracted by things that are erratic, mysterious and unconventional

-fall for people who need to be saved, are cold, don’t want to commit or have no idea what to do with their life/ life going downhill

-creativity exceeds the normal limits

-great talent with music, painting or other things related to art

-love drama

-can dance very well

-will be very secretive about their children

-may suffer miscarriages or can have many abortions so adoption is very possibly better

-Inspire optimism as they’re always happy and positive

-have unknown ways to bring hope and inspiring people to live life as happily as possible

-have many friends

-falling in love is their favorite thing to do

-quick temper and a big ego

💢6H:

-great desire to help others

-everyday tasks seem very complicated bc they can’t focus on details

-hard for them to organize themselves or be practical

-many will want to take advantage of them

-they don’t mind relying on others

-they may suffer from a mysterious illnesses that can’t be diagnosed or have strange allergies

-feel guilt about not being able to deal with everyday life

-love animals

-hate tidying up so their room is a mess

-may want to escape life and to avoid working as much as possible

-may get sick more often than others

-feel like they don’t have any energy, no matter what they may be doing

-can dedicate themselves completely to serving others

-chaotic, always late and dependent on others to do their job

-prone to getting poisoned so b careful!!!

-mishandling of different chemicals and getting poisoned by mistake

-Big procrastinators

-have problems finishing projects, but they shouldn’t ask others to do their job

💢7H:

-tend to give more than they’re receiving

-any of their lovers would be considered soulmates by them

-feel the need to form a strong connection that relies on intuition and psychic with who they love

-tip: they gotta step back and analyze people for who they really are because they tend to only see the good

-attracted to people how need to be “saved” or are victims who need a “hero”

-end up with individuals who confuse them, are not committed at all or can’t be with them

-they grow to be dependent on their partner

-very good at bringing out the best in others

-unconsciously mirror their own traits in the ones they care the most about in their life

-will suffer a lot in love

-too much fantasy and unrealistic imagination about having a partner

-have a need to find someone perfect

-attract people who have a lot of Neptune or Pisces influence in their chart

-don’t care too much about the everyday life

-want to offer everything they have to the person they love

-can be taken advantage of

-prone to being with abusive characters, alcoholics, criminals, artists or junkies.

-will make excuses for their lover and refuse to see the truth for how their partner is actually like

-great therapists

-driven by their own sense of what’s right & wrong

-most optimistic individuals anyone could ever know

-Knowing comfort isn’t happiness is something they should definitely learn

-they give all of themselves to different causes, and forget who they actually are

-when single they ask friends to make decisions for them

💙8H:

-very spiritual

-can have paranormal experiences

-tend to analyze their dreams

-discriminating when choosing a partner

-very generous with money

-allow their partners to take everything they have (money wise)

-don’t have any limits when it comes to sex

-very capable of dealing with emotional hurt from their past

-may be very dark, and their sexual identity can be very confusing for them bc they don’t know who they are when making love

-disappointed in their sex life

-psychic abilities, great intuition, déjà vu episodes and even prophetic dream occur to them

-very sensitive to all kind of substances, can get drunk from 1 beer

-have a need to please

-can’t handle money themselves

-confusion and twisted realities will be present in their life

-easy to hypnotize

9H:

-very educated and interested in philosophy, traveling or religion

-easy to influence bc they’re curious

-use only their intuition to find out if things are true or not

-don’t get along with distant relatives

-may be good at art

-believe anything can get done and trust the universe more than anything or anyone else

-avoid being practical or to take on responsibilities

-unrealistic plans

10H:

-may be confused and have difficulties finding the perfect job

-behavior completely opposes their personality

-intuitive when it comes to what’s mainstream

-very creative, true visionaries and artistic personalities

-great for them to work with art, in the service of others or taking care of charity events

-might do something they don’t actually love

-responsibility seems like a burden to them

-don’t want to get involved in other people’s lives, no matter what

-may not get credit for their work

-aren’t all the time recognized for their efforts

-don’t know their own value

-don’t want fame

-very successful with design, art and medicine

-want to make the world a better place

-feel unhappy with their professional life

-not good with a job that requires organization and following a strict schedule

-maybe their mother or father hasn’t been there for them or one of them was an alcoholic

-fantasize about having a lover and a perfect career

-goals are usually unattainable

-some find something to do for a living ever since very young

-or feel like they’re not interested in anything, and may end up procrastinating all of their life.

-problem with self-confidence or self-respect

💙11H:

-hopeful, dreamy and friendly

-have strange and unconventional friends

-rebels, dreamers, plan for long-term and rely a lot on their intuition

-don’t mind dealing with other people’s weirdness

-very idealistic, flexible and compassionate

-they should be careful not to be taken advantage of because they are so giving and tolerant

-if they’re not aware of their own dreams and goals they’ll be very unhappy

-often feeling disappointed, especially when their expectations can’t be met

-Sensitive and faithful

-attracted to art and get surrounded by people who are considered unusual

-great interest in everything that’s mystical, out of this world

-talent with music, design or art related things.

-they’ll never know for real what makes them happy BUT

-any form of art can make their soul happy also darker things can be liked by them

-passionate about the supernatural

-they tend to get together with people who are alcoholics or drug addicts

-they may idolize their friends

-liked by the public, no matter where

-they’re probably disappointed in life

12H:

-fears from their past

-focus on what’s wrong with their life

-only absorb the negative

-easygoing attitude and shyness

-many may feel hurt regarding their attitude and not fully understand them

-need to acknowledge their spirituality, if not they’ll stay unhappy and unfulfilled

-faith will always help them

-escape in a world of fantasy and avoid reality

-they’re capable of great spirituality when older

-very sensitive to the society as a whole

-capacity to turn collective ideas into pure art

-very kind and open to different emotions

-have psychic abilities and can guess what other people are thinking or feeling

-can become very famous in the art world

-connected with the Universe

-people love them for being empathic

-want to help everyone

-prone to become addicted to alcohol or drugs

-may seem passive, but can become fierce

-see and hear only what they want

-overwhelmed by the everyday life and just want to hide and to escape reality

[dothwrites]

spn advent calendar--angel

ahhhhh i’m so behind on these, i’m sorrrryyyyyyy =) have some light smut and humor to make up for it

{Read on Ao3}

---

Of all Christmas tasks set before him, Castiel minds decorating the Christmas tree the least. It's the kind of repetitive task that he enjoys, one that has a clear beginning and end, and one where he can see the evidence of his progress with every step he takes. Not to mention that when Dean decorates, he hums Christmas music under his breath. Hearing Away in a Manger in Dean's low voice is one of the best rewards Castiel can think of.

Also, they're at Dean's place, which means, blessedly, no Gabriel.

Castiel might camp out here for days.

"Looking good babe," Dean mutters as he takes a step back. "There's an empty space over here; can you grab something to fill it up?"

Castiel reaches into the box and passes Dean an ornament. He's much more interested by the look of concentration twisting Dean's face into the tiniest pout. A thin line appears between Dean's eyebrows, like someone took a pencil and flicked it over the skin. His lower lips sticks out and, if he's thinking hard like he is right at this moment, his chin quivers just a little. As he watches the furrow between Dean's brows deepen, Castiel can see, with startling clarity, what Dean will look like in fifteen years.

It's a beautiful sight, and one that Castiel wants to see with all his heart.

So he doesn't roll his eyes when Dean tells him that he's put an ornament in the wrong place. He doesn't wrinkle his nose in disgust when Dean shows him an ornament that Sam and Jess brought back from a business trip to Salt Lake City (Look Cas, it's made out of salt! You can lick it! Lick it Cas, come on, lick it!). He doesn't comment when Dean goes and tweaks the branches to what he considers optimal angles.

In fact, the only thing that can break his mood is the monstrosity that Dean pulls out of the bottom of the box. Dean holds it aloft like he's starring in the shittiest remake of the Lion King. If he tries hard enough, Castiel can almost hear the swelling chorus as Dean holds up the tree-topper for his perusal. "Look at him," Dean breathes. His eyes are actually misty as he stares at the object in his hands.

It's an angel. But no regular angel with their vapid smiles and empty cornflower blue eyes and cheap blonde polyester hair. No, this is an angel that God looked at and thought better of, this is an angel who might have fallen with Lucifer but got put in the back of the picture lineup with a blurry Also Pictured caption to try and distance them from the rest of the team. This angel either got into too many fights or not enough, depending on how you look at the sneer on their face. This angel is a fan of bargain shopping at the Goodwill and considers $25 a steep price for a new suit.

The angel's gender is indeterminate, and Castiel's a fan of eradicating the superfluous binaries of society, but it's disturbing, because he can tell that the artist who designed this angel had a clear gender in mind when they placed the facial features on the tiny ceramic head. Castiel just can't figure out which gender was intended, which leaves the angel with an uncanny valley sort of ambiguity in their expressions.

Forget Elf on the Shelf. If this demon is going to be sitting in Dean's house for the rest of December, Castiel will donate money to any charity he can find, vacuum daily, and even give Gabriel whatever Gabriel's twisted little heart desires. That angel looks into his eyes and knows his sins.

"Look at him!" Dean says, as he brandishes the angel towards Castiel. Castiel takes an inoffensive step backwards, away from the meanly squinted eyes and goading leer.

"I am," Castiel says, carefully, because the last time he inadvertently insulted one of Dean's decorations it turned out to be a timeless, priceless relic from his mother. But surely, surely Mary Winchester would have had better taste than to put this monstrosity on her tree? "It's, ah...unique," Castiel says, trying for something diplomatic.

"Jo picked him up at a yard sale four years ago. He's the best." Dean has the shit-eating grin on his face that says he's perfectly aware of what he's doing. It invites Castiel in on the joke, and after so many years of being on the outside, he relishes the opportunity.

"And you kept him because...There's an ancient curse and when you picked it up it activated, thus ensuring that you were stuck with this creature until your untimely death?"

Dean's expression twists into something mingling confusion, exasperation, and fondness. "No, you weirdo. It's funny."

"It's funny. You think that horrific little thing is...funny?"

"Of course." Dean gives the angel a little threatening shake, which will undoubtedly haunt Castiel's nightmares for days to come. "Look at him." Dean takes his own advice and then looks at Castiel. Castiel very much distrusts the look dawning over Dean's face, and his doubts are validated when Dean says, "You know, he kind of looks like you."

Had Dean slapped him across the face, Castiel could not have been more offended or shocked. He looks from the angel's sneer, to Dean, and back again. Has his boyfriend, the man he loves, the man he contemplates raising children with one day, gone completely insane?

"You know," Dean says. His voice is a little too even, his face too impassive. As Castiel watches, the corner of his mouth wobbles and twitches. "You have the same, uh...the same eyes. And the same...the same nose. And he's an angel, and you're named after an angel, so...You're like twins."

By now, Dean's mouth is performing a series of fascinating contortions to remain stationary. Several hitching breaths puff out of his nose and as Castiel continues to stare, a strangled cough rasps out of his throat.

"Twins," Castiel finally says, and it's that single word that sends Dean in paroxysms of laughter.

Dean laughs a lot, but these laughs are Castiel's favorites--big belly laughs that come from deep within Dean, that leave him shaking and slapping at his thighs. He reaches out for Castiel, for balance or support, Castiel doesn't know, but it's nice either way. Dean wheezes and Castiel is surprised to see that there are actual tears welling in the corners of his eyes. "Ah Jesus, Cas," Dean chokes out around his laughter. "Come on. Put him on top of the tree. Make friends with him." Dean pushes the angel into Castiel's face, close enough that his eyes cross as he tries to keep eye contact with the gremlin.

"You're very lucky that I love you," Castiel owns, gingerly accepting the angel from Dean. Part of him wants to refuse, but he's too familiar with the look on Dean's face. This ends with either Castiel storming off, or Castiel putting the dreadful angel on top of the tree. Between the two of them, Castiel knows which one he would prefer.

He tries not to look at the angel as he stretches towards the top of the tree. He can't believe that he's going to have to look at this creature every time he comes to Dean's house over the next month. Between the angel at Dean's house and the Gabriel at his, Castiel doesn't know which is worse.

"Mm, that's it baby. Right up on top." Dean crowds behind him, hands on Castiel's hips. Presumably it's to steady him, but, as Dean's thumbs stroke over the thin sliver of skin revealed, Castiel suspects an ulterior motive. "Little bit farther...little more..." Dean turns his head to nuzzle in at Castiel's neck.

Despite the distractions, Castiel manages to place the angel close to the top of the tree. He rocks back to examine his handiwork, which is exactly what Dean wanted. His arms wrap around Castiel's chest, pulling him closer.

He places a series of careful nips down Castiel's neck, nosing underneath the collar of his shirt to the skin underneath. "Dean," Castiel pants, as Dean's nips grow a little more insistent, the wandering of his hands a little more purposeful. "Dean."

"Yeah?" Dean walks them backwards until they're toppling over on the couch in a tangle of limbs. Castiel is fairly certain that his elbow ends up in the vicinity of Dean's stomach, but Dean doesn't complain. Instead, Dean keeps on rolling until he has Castiel on top of him, hands sneaking under the waistband of Castiel's jeans to grope at skin. "What do you want?" Dean asks, craning his head upwards to nip at the column of Castiel's throat.

"To go somewhere else?" Castiel asks, even as his hips roll down into Dean's. "Somewhere that we're not being watched?"

"Aw, you don't like an audience?" Dean teases, working at Castiel's belt. "Don't like your twin seeing what you get up to?" He says that just as his hand works its way into Castiel's boxers and wraps around his half-hard dick.

"You--" Castiel gasps, bucking into Dean's grip, even as he glares down at him. "You can't think of a better mood setter?"

"Maybe after Christmas I won't even put it away," Dean teases, eyes sparkling wickedly as he works over Castiel. "Maybe I'll keep him in the bedroom. Right on the table." Dean kisses him, hot and insistent. His hand works faster now, its way eased by the precome Castiel is leaking. Dean pulls back, a wide grin on his face. "Maybe he can hold our lube!"

It's unfortunate that Dean knows which of his buttons to push. Unfortunate, because Dean chooses to push them all almost immediately after saying that horrific sentence. Helpless under the onslaught, Castiel comes into Dean's hand with a low, long groan.

Dean waits for a few seconds, long enough so that Castiel can catch his breath, and then he's grinning so wide his face threatens to split. "That what gets you hot?" he teases, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Cas' mouth. "Angel holding our lube? Blessing our fornication? Is there an angel of fornication? Can we name our angel that?"

Dean's teasing stops when Castiel wraps a single, sure fist around him and starts stroking with purposeful motions. If Dean knows all of his buttons, then he knows all of Dean's, and it's not long before Dean is falling apart underneath him, turning his head to gasp his release into the arm of the couch.

"If you ever bring that hellish thing into our bedroom," Castiel says, punctuating his words with small kisses to Dean's cheeks and forehead, "I promise you that it will find a new home housed up your ass."

---

The angel mysteriously is turned around to face the wall the next morning. Dean refuses to explain why, leaving Castiel to assume one of two conclusions:

1) The angel is actually possessed and will, in short order, make good on its plans to murder both him and Dean in a way that will leave law enforcement baffled for years to come,

or

2) Dean is actually a kind and caring individual who takes his wishes into account.

Dean is a kind, caring, compassionate partner who Castiel knows would walk through fire if he asked him to. But between the two options, Castiel's more willing to believe the former.

---

Tags--if you want to be added/removed, just holler at me!

@screamatthescreen @queenvee08 @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @dizzypinwheel @homeriics @stay-inside-the-salt-ring @deansbff @spaceshipkat @rogerslouis 

[telltalebatman]

oc facts: charlie

no one tagged me i just love her a lot

PLACE IN SOCIETY

✖ FINANCIAL – wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

like all of my oc/canon girls, charlie is filthy rich - and all of it came from her parents, a politician/university professor and a med school lecturer/a highly respected surgeon. some of those money her parents got from their families; but the point is - charlie never had to worry about money. (until she met her soon-to-be husband who robbed her blind.) charlie has no problems with sharing her wealth with those in need - she frequently donates to various fundraising campaigns.

✖ MEDICAL – fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged

she’s bit of a couch potato, and a bit clumsy too; she certainly wouldn’t run in a marathon, and finds herself out of breath after a short, intense jog - but it’s nothing too severe. what she lacks in shape, she makes up with agility - she practices yoga, which renders her a tad more agile than an average person. she still can’t do a lot of things though.

✖ CLASS OR CASTE – upper / lower / middle / working / unsure

charlie is, whether she likes it or not, a member of the social elite. her father spent two terms as a mayor of metropolis when she was a kid, and is an active politician, and a college professor. her mother is a globally renowned as a surgeon and comes from european nobility. charlie grew up with children of ceos, leaders, celebrities - and even after the untimely demise of her parents at the hands of her husband and moving to metropolis, she still finds herself amount the elite, quickly befriending bruce wayne himself, as well as getting cautious attention of the maroni crime family, one of gotham’s assistant district attorneys and thomas elliot - one of gotham’s golden boys, a highly esteemed surgeon and her mother’s pet student. and whether all of this is good... that is a different matter entirely.

✖ EDUCATION – qualified / unqualified / studying

charlie has a master’s degree in english literature - nothing more, and nothing less.

FAMILY

✖ MARITAL STATUS – married, happily / married, unhappily / engaged  / partnered / divorced / widow or widower / separated / single / it’s complicated

she’s a widow - because she killed her husband. it was an ugly mess of a situation - he killed her parents, stole her fortune (in the canon verse - in various aus this changes, depending on what I have in mind) and ran away, prompting her to go on a wild goose chase across the globe, culminating in her finally tracking him down and stabbing him to death with an ice pick. one thing she hadn’t expected though was ending up in a long-term, happy, loving relationship with oz: gotham’s prodigal son, a failed revolutionary and a loyal friend to his (at times unwilling) loved ones.

✖ CHILDREN – has children / no children / wants children / adopted children

the idea of motherhood is kinda scary to her - she’s not opposed to being a cool aunt to someone else’s kid though. (in chasing echoes oswald is eventually going to pull jason todd to his side, and charlie’s gonna develop a fun, unexpectedly satisfying relationship with bruce’s troubled ex-errand boy.)

✖ FAMILY – close with sibling / not close with siblings / has no siblings / siblings are deceased / it’s complicated

✖ AFFILIATION – orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by both parents / it’s complicated

even though charlie - painfully aware of her own personal mediocrity - sometimes felt like she doesn’t quite fit in with her social, accomplished parents - they still made a happy family. for various reasons, her relationship with her mother - eleanor - was always just a bit strained and tense; but it was still, above everything else, loving.

TRAITS & TENDENCIES

✖ disorganized / organised / in between

if left to her own devices, charlie’s going to inevitably scatter her belongings everywhere, forget about doing the dishes and start getting late to things. due to unfortunate depression - time simply flows differently for her.

✖ close-minded / open-minded / in between

charlie is very open-minded, thanks to her father being an outspoken leftist - perhaps even a bit too open-minded. after the split-second of initial confusion, she’d be willing to accept everything - even a violent “revolution”. even an unjust revenge. some may call it open-mindedness; others - naivete.

✖ cautious / reckless / in between

in general, she’s rather cautious - mostly thanks to overwhelming depression and anxiety that make her doubt her every move.

✖ patient / impatient / in between

most of the time, she’s patient - but then come those times when she’s waiting for oz to hurry up and pay attention to her. then, suddenly, she’s the most impatient, almost nagging person you’ve ever met. it has a lot of charm though, because she’s well-aware of being a pain in the ass.

✖ outspoken / reserved / in between

this is something her parents taught her - have your opinion, but know a time and place for it. don’t reveal too much to people you don’t trust, or to people you want to see gone. after all, her mother did come from a noble family, and her father did have a political career. even if he kept challenging his rivals to fistfights.

✖ leader / follower / in between

charlie has absolutely NO desire to lead, or to be in the spotlight - and to be honest... she kind of doesn’t understand people who do. it’s just too responsible, too difficult, too stressful.

✖ sympathetic / unsympathetic / in between

charlie has a lot of sympathy for other people - and that’s why her short-lived marriage with a con artist struggling to pay off his debt to the mafia was so tragic: she would’ve helped him if he asked, no questions asked.

✖ optimistic / pessimistic / in between

though she might appear to be an optimistic ray of sunshine - she’s actually very, very pessimistic. she actually did go through her fair share of feeling deeply let down by people in her life; so she tends to look at every relationship - and every possible scenario - without a glimmer of hope.

✖ hardworking / lazy / in between

you know how i said she inherited a fortune from her parents? 

yeah.

(to be fair, she did work hard for her degree, so it’s not like she doesn’t know how to put effort into things. she simply never really had to put that effort into anything, thanks to her financial stability.)

✖ cultured / uncultured / in between

despite appearing as a ditzy socialite only interested in fashion and gossip - charlie is actually very cultured. she knows quite a lot about many topics, from french cuisine to religious traditions of indigenous cultures; her parents made sure she knows as much about the world as possible.

the problem is - she’s painfully disinterested in most of those topics, instead pretending to stick to things she’s actually into: fashion, games, literature.

✖ loyal / disloyal / in between

all it takes to earn her loyalty is to give her affection and attention; and she’ll be yours forever. she’s also not above being loyal to two people whose causes clash; she can be loyal to her lover, who wishes to kill harvey dent - but also to her friend, who wants to see dent flourish.

✖ faithful / unfaithful / in between

she’s faithful, she’s monogamous, she’s not afraid to wrap herself around her partner in public to make sure everyone sees how much in a relationship they are with each other.

(she might sometimes fantasize about doing the deed with someone other than her partner though. like fish mooney, because have you SEEN fish mooney? charlie had.)

SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION

✖ SEXUALITY – heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / omnisexual / demisexual

charlie is bi, without any actual preference for her partner’s gender. fate (me, it was me, it wasn’t fate) caused her to mostly end up getting intimate with guys - but her first partner was a girl, she’s very into fish mooney and selina kyle and she did once have a massive crush on lex luthor’s sister.

✖ SEX – sex repulsed / sex neutral /sex favorable

charlie LOVES sex - but only with the right person. she’s definitely not against talking about it with people she’s only platonically involved with, and has nothing against having others go at it in appropriate semi-public spaces, assuming it doesn’t go too far.

but yeah. she likes sex. it makes her feel good, plain and simple - and she likes the sense of connection between her and her partner, as well as feeling comfortably vulnerable and excited.

✖ ROMANCE – romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable

charlie really craves romance. she wants - needs - to both feel the butterflies in her stomach, and to be a source of someone else’s butterflies. she craves the casual intimacy, tender words, affectionate gestures... it’s all like water to her: an absolute necessity.

✖ SEXUALLY – sexually adventurous / sex experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / uninterested

while she’s not actually very experienced - she has a lot of fantasies and ideas she’d love to try out one day. she’s also not averse to toys and porn; even if she tends to not watch a lot of porn, for various reasons.

(such as: various fundamental problems rooted in modern-day porn industry, like incessant violence, name-calling and really bad camera work.)

ABILITIES

✖ COMBAT SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

to be honest, she only knows Woman’s Self Defense 101: the heel-stomp, the deadly elbow, the nails.

oh, and she also knows how to stab people. and oz taught her to shoot.

✖ LITERACY SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

she has a master’s degree in english literature.

except we all know this doesn’t mean SHIT, since there are people with actual degrees claiming kylo ren is queer and femme coded out there, so: she’s actually damn good at reading and understanding things and picking up subtexts and nuanced aspects. her father was a college professor, remember? he was a good teacher, and she was a good student.

✖ ARTISTIC SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

she has, and i can’t emphasize this enough, negative artistic skills, both verbal and visual.

(”but she has a master’s degr-” have you ever read anyone’s master’s thesis? because i did.)

this is one of the core roots of her depressive thoughts also.

✖ TECHNICAL SKILLS – excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

give this girl a piece of paper and tell her to fold it in half and moments later the paper’s gonna be torn and on fire and she’s gonna be having a depressive meltdown.

she is... not very good at using her hands to make things happen. this is actually one of those few things her parents did wrong; they kind of overlooked this part of their kid’s development, and as a result - charlie is a clumsy mess.

and, by the gods, don’t give her a hammer. unless you really hate all of your kitchenware, that is.

[bewitchingbooktours]

Free Audiobook Courting Moon: Vampyre’s Desire by Adom Sample #PNR #freeaudiobook

Courting Moon: Vampyre’s Desire The Bloods Passion Saga Book One Adom Sample

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Adom Sample

Date of Publication: March 15, 2020

Word Count: 88,500

Cover Artist: OA Book Covers

Tagline: Where There Is Love . . . Death Follows.

Book Description:

Those in power are suppressing the truth, and it all stems from the Coven of Vampyres strict law: Human and Vampyre fraternization—strictly forbidden. When living in a society where love, passion, and desire are restricted it isn't long before someone dissents. I just never thought that someone would be me.

The day I met him, the vampyre Sebastian of Orias, everything changed. Never in my life did I think someone like him, the son of a Count, would pursue a human like me. But he did. He stalked me . . . and now he wants me.

We chose to break the rules, defy the Coven, and embrace this connection, regardless of the dangers that may unfold. However, I fear that our passion may reveal secrets the Coven is willing to kill to protect.

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Excerpt:

The dark meadows and midnight air blast through her hair giving off a scent that would attract any Vampyre for miles. It was there he sensed her. It was there he could no longer deny himself the pleasure of getting to know who she was. The rules were set, and the laws were written, but none of that could keep him restrained. Not anymore.

His emotions fluttered, leaving him no other choice. He must take that chance, regardless of the prospect of rejection. For months, he watched her, lurking in the shadows of their lands, never giving thought as to what would happen if he were to be discovered. It was a risk he was more than willing to take, if only just to get a second glance of her beauty.

He was, after all, the son of a count, and he knew the rules better than anyone. Fraternization between Vampyre and human was strictly forbidden. The rules were imprinted in his brain from birth, but he had to choose differently. Was it her human frailty or the smell of her blood that drew him there every night? Whatever this enchanting spell was that led him to her lands took total control, forcing him to do things he thought he’d never do.

Romantic love was forbidden and after months of obsessing over this human woman, he was beginning to understand why. All rational thought escaped his mind whenever he was near her. The erratic and irrational impulses that made him sneak out of his room, cross the neutral territory, and enter their lands each night had overwhelmed him. He’d lost control, yet refused to do anything about it. This was who he wanted to be.

Henceforth, that night in the dark meadows, basking in the midnight air, he made his approach. Would she welcome him or fear him? What stories would she have heard about his kind that could force her to be reluctant by his presence? He had no choice, for it was too late to turn back now. She was alone, and he would never have an opportunity like this again. He pushed back the bushes, taking slow steps toward her. Hesitant, he thought about turning around and forgetting about her. He knew where this would lead. Still, he interjects his reason and pushes aside all logic, giving in to his wanting desire.

“Hello,” he whispered softly from behind. She froze. She knew the end was near. She knew the Vampyre creeping up behind her would make her his supper if she didn’t run, and quick. Without thought, she took off screaming for her life. Her action to his bold move didn’t surprise him at all; the only thing that entered his mind was how beautiful she looked when she ran away. He didn’t pursue right away. He stood there paralyzed, fearful that he would be discovered.

If anyone heard her screaming it would be the end of him. Before she could get too far, he headed her off, and in a flash was right in front of her. They had collided. She ran right into him. The touch of her soft warm skin sent a sense of inner peace and tranquility through this entire body.

They had their arms wrapped around each other like lovers in need. That sensual gaze he gave her forced the fear to melt away only to be replaced with apprehension and embarrassment.

“I will not harm you,” he said in a passionate whisper.

“What do you want from me?” Her voice trembled.

“Simple conversation.”

“You mean to kill me?”

“Of course not. But far be it for me to make you my meal someday.”

“Who are you?” She gave him an uneasy glance.

He stared into her eyes and smiled, brushing his fingers through her soft, long hair. And thus that single encounter, that bold embrace set forth the path they would go through together; placing things in motions that would tear the very boundaries of everything they’d ever known. Forever.     

About the Author:

Adom Sample is an independent author who enjoys reading and writing romance, erotic, and paranormal stories. Writing is his passion and he lives to give others ideas and inspire stories to push the limits of creativity.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Adomwrites   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdomSampleAuthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14234506.Adom_Sample

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adomwriting/

Website: http://www.adomsample.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Xrg-KIemfGUMlO9NM8Dbg/featured

[mcad-ae]

These Are Days to Remember

With the MCAD building currently closed it may feel like our main space for creativity has been taken away from us. But the beauty of our work is that it can be found in any moment, any place, and with anybody. As creatives, we are now grappling with an unfamiliar experience of adjustment and adaptation as our social interactions are limited mainly to the confines of our homes and computer screens.

Seeking an opportunity for artist connection during this challenging time, MCAD’s Arts Entrepreneurship department chair Stephen Rueff has set out to create an online place for visual and performing artists and designers to express themselves and reflect upon the new not-so-normal. The result is Irrepressible Art, a new Facebook page and Instagram account focused on the work of artists and designers who are confronting a new global era of uncertainty and tragedy. Irrepressible Art showcases art that is either created in response to COVID-19 or simply stumbled upon as artists and designers interact with the strange new world around them. Both sites are currently accepting submissions and are considering inviting submitters to be included in a future exhibition. Stephen reflects on this project below:

 Why do you believe art is crucial in times of crisis?

We all feel anxious in the unknown. We are living through a rare and historic event that for most of us has little or no reference points in our experience. We are unsure of almost everything. We are artists and designers as well as creative problem solvers and strategic planners. We use all of these skills to offer unexpected perspectives on what we see happening in the world around us.

We are seeing pain, and loss, and the fragility of society’s systems. We see more sharply the value placed on profit over people and the planet. And at the same time, we have a glimpse of what a post-carbon world might look like. This is unsettling because so many lives are being lost to COVID-19. It seems callous to think about what good can emerge from so much suffering and loss.

 How do you believe creativity can be sparked at this time?

Over 98% of cities do not meet World Health Organization air quality standards. Over three million people die each year from air pollution. And yet with economies shutting down and shelter in place orders issued around the globe, we are seeing the positive impacts created by a significant decrease in fossil fuel emissions. Across China, for example, C02 emissions dropped by 10 - 30% during the lockdown. In northern Italy there has been a 40% decrease. Clear skies have revealed mountain views in urban centers in Kenya and India that haven’t been seen in decades. The infamous smoggy air in Los Angeles has dissipated, restoring ocean vistas. I wondered, ‘how do we as creatives balance the many contradictions presented by the COVID-19 pandemic?’ and concluded that:

Our role is to:

SEE the world and respond

HEAR the world and respond

THINK about the world and respond

FEEL the world and respond

But the world is sending out a stunning array of messages right now. And so, our role becomes all the more significant during this time of great unknowns. None of us can completely fathom current events right now. None of us can process the scope of pain, the loss, the grief, the anxiety. It washes over us in waves, every moment of every day. Artists and designers express our collective experience through words and images. Expressing what we see, hear, think, and feel is who we are and what we do. We must play a role in responding to this time, not only to help others interpret the moment, but also to preserve that moment for the future, when we can process what happened with some distance from the trauma.

 What do you hope to see from this work?

This project came to me as I was listening to the song Days to Remember by the Minnesota-based band Cloud Cult. I have lived through many times of crisis before. During those times I kept my head down, my shoulders up, mouth shut, braced against the pain and grimaced at the lies meant to allay my fears. Today I regret my emotionally pulling in and staying silent during those times. I think that today, when we are all hurting, confused, anxious, and in pain, it is time for us to reach out, to connect, to feel, and to express.

Artists and designers are empathic, sensitive to the environment around us. So, when we hear a cascade of messages like ‘hunker down’, ‘isolate’, ‘shelter in place’, ‘socially distance’ we feel those directives in a deep and subconscious way. The meanings conveyed are direct as well as metaphoric. And as artists and designers we need to counter these messages with our creativity. Through our creative work we can express our pain, our grief, our anxiety, we can reach out, and we can rise up. In this way we speak for the world.

I invite artists and designers to rise up in response to these times! To safely socially connect! To think about what we knew just a few ways ago, to engage thoroughly with the transition period we are living through, and to dream of a new way of being in the world. A world in which we value people over economies. A world where we value living ‘in-time’ instead of being ‘on-time’. A world where we listen and are kind to each other. A world that we respect for its ability to simultaneously harm and heal and its ability to teach us, every so often, that we need to work together to overcome a shared threat to our existence.

I hope that people will take ownership of the Irrepressible Art spaces to express their lived experiences, their grief, their wonder at our resiliency, their feelings of a heightened desire for connection to people instead of screens, and their hope that the new normal will be better than the way things were. I hope our creative community will be a catalyst to inspire others to resist complacency and take action. In this way we can invite everyone to become active members in creating the new normal. A world where we care for people and the planet. 

These are not the days to forget, these are the days to remember because they have much to teach us. Our lives are undergoing dramatic change and we cannot know what that means for us, both individually and collectively. But by expressing what we are seeing, hearing, thinking and feeling in this time of transition, we can indeed be the change in the world we want to see.

 How can individuals submit work?

This is an open invitation to artists and designers to submit drawings from sketch books, photographs, or any other type of work either by posting it to the Irrepressible Art Facebook page or emailing it to Stephen@StephenRueff.com and I will post it to Instagram and Facebook.

To find Irrepressible Art, go to the following locations:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Responses by Stephen Rueff

Edited by Madilyn Duffy

[theworldbrewery]

Hot Takes: Elves

“When an elven soul returns to Arvandor, it is adopted by the other gods of the Seldarine and given respite from the world for a time, during which it is left alone to ponder its creator’s disappointment.” -Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, p 36

I have three sourcebooks in front of me, and all of them are trash.

Elf lore has gotten more fucked up with every new release, and WotC seem to just be digging themselves deeper.

The drow and Lolth

Narrow depictions of ethereal beauty

Relationships with other races, especially orcs

At the root of this is the rather uncomfortable blend of religious themes and racial predestination found in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes.

Disclaimer: I don’t want to suggest that all the official elf lore is bad. I want to suggest that all the official race lore is bad, actually.

Let’s dig in. Scroll to the bottom of the post if you wanna skip all the bad stuff WotC already wrote about elves.

“[The drow] are infamous for their cruelty, evilness, and desire to dominate.”  -Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, p. 107

“To most, [drow] are a race of demon-worshipping marauders [...] emerging only on the blackest nights to pillage and slaughter the surface dwellers they despise.” -Player’s Handbook, p. 24

“The surface elves’ attitude toward murder [...] is carried to the extreme by the drow, who have elevated the assassination of both enemies and friends to an art and who consider killing to be just another tool for resolving disputes and clearing the way for social advancement.” -Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, p. 40-41

So all this is bad. We’re gonna throw all this out in a hot sec, but I’m quickly going to discuss why the lore looks like this in case someone is unfamiliar with it:

basically, the creator of All Elves, Corellon, had a descendant goddess named Lolth, who apparently claimed that elves could attain superiority over other races, had a major falling-out with Corellon, and her followers went with her into exile and became the drow. Also in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, the elves were revealed to be trapped in a cycle of reincarnation where they spent an undetermined period of time dead, alone, and left to contemplate how disappointed Corellon was in them for agreeing with Lolth even a little bit. For some reason, this reincarnation cycle is presented as a good thing... somehow. (this is why elves have a blase reaction to murder, since the deceased will just be reborn later, and why the drow seem to be just fine with killing recklessly.)

This all could be just fine! Except drow are conspicuously the darkest-skinned subrace of elves, and also the one most aligned with a ‘matriarchal’ society. It’s worth pointing out that Corellon is a nonbinary god, but also that the elves “viewed Corellon as their father, the one who had sired them, and Lolth as their mother, the one who set them on the path to their destiny” (p. 36 of MToF). So not only is Corellon being forced into a cisnormative creator narrative, but the comparative “woman” power is being characterized with cruelty and violence. So there’s a lot going on with ‘innate’ savagery and race.

So we’re just gonna throw all that out, because it sucks. It’s got signficant racist implications of inherent violence in racial groups. Sure, WotC tries to retcon it from an in-born racial trait to a cultural one, but it still preys on the concepts of racial essentialism, whether biological or cultural, and fuck that noise. 

“Usually, true elves were a naturally slender and athletic race. Elves had a similar range of complexions to humans, with wood elves typically coppery or pale skinned and wild elves having darker pigmentation.”

“[Elves] live in places of ethereal beauty, in the midst of ancient forests or in silvery spires [...] Elves love nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry, and the good things of the world.” -Player’s Handbook, p. 21

Moving on from the drow, official lore gives the impression of elves as a whole as graceful, thin, and more ‘white.’ The quote above from the Forgotten Realms wiki (which is often used for lore reference) asserts that “wild” elves have “darker pigmentation”--a frankly horrifying example of the same problem with the drow characterization equating savagery, or lack of civilization, with dark skin colors. It’s... bad. It looks bad and it is bad.

Furthermore, the ‘good’ elves (and this itself has to be interrogated) are “naturally slender and athletic,” and constantly being characterized as beautiful. We’re equating elves with thinness and apparent youthfulness--you’ll never hear about the beauty of gnomes, for example, who are just as long-lived but who continue to age at a human-ish rate (making them extremely old-looking by the end of their lifespan). Looking young, thin, and athletic combined with the goodness, grace, and artistic nature of elves creates 1) a very human-esque image of beauty that elves almost surely shouldn’t possess, and 2) a serious problem of describing most elves as “good and beautiful” and drow as “evil”. 

“Although they can be haughty, elves are generally gracious even to those who fall short of their high expectations—which is most non-elves.”

“Most of the gods accepted Corellon’s mutability and passionate behavior, but these traits infuriated Gruumsh, the greatest of the orc gods.” -Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, p. 35

The PHB has a subsection on elven attitudes toward other races, specifically dwarves, halflings, and humans. This subsection is comprised of backhanded compliments: dwarves are stupid and clumsy but brave and good craftworkers, humans go much too fast but they’re good at accomplishing stuff, etc. In MToF, we see the “elven perspective” that if elves are reincarnated souls of their ancestor elves, then half-elves are a reincarnated but weak elf, a human soul in an elf-ish body, or a “true elf” trapped in a half-body until freed by death, all basically bummers. And don’t get me started on orcs, where their god was the cause of the bloodshed that created the first elves. 

In the official lore, elves look down on everyone, all the time, for just about any reason. And those reasons almost always fall into (you guessed it!) racial stereotyping!! 

There’s no discernible reason for elves to be as “haughty” as they are. Apparently they’re just so perfect that it’s impossible to live up to their expectations. I guess.

And that’s not even getting into the concept of eternally punishing all elves for apparently disagreeing with Corellon, all of one (1) single time. It’s... horrific. Reading up on the reincarnation cycle has only convinced me that it’s designed as a unique torture where elves have to spend their childhood totally aware of how they betrayed their primary deity in a past life, then when they “sleep” or trance out they also relive those memories, and then forget them just in time to die and be forced to spend up to millennia pondering how Corellon is upset with them. And that’s the elves who get reincarnated! The drow live shorter lives, and will never reach the apparent paradise of Arvandor. They just go to some other afterlife plane, presumably the one reigned over by an evil spider goddess.

Like. That’s so awful and grimdark, and steps all over the “elves are descended from the fey” thing, but more than that?

It’s horribly unimaginative. It’s just so boring in comparison to all the potential an elf society contains. (not to mention it’s wayyyy too focused on the cosmic side of things rather than a societal view.)

Reimagining Elves

yeah, so, given that we’re scrapping... pretty much all the elf lore.... I’d be remiss in not providing some cooler, more inventive options. As always, you can always choose to craft your own, but here are some ideas to get the gears turning.

Racial interactions: Elves live in close communities composed of one’s extended family, and place a lot of emphasis on family ties and the political relationships between elf families. These family communities tend toward conservatism, with the elders of the family deciding things like marriages, suitable careers, etc. 

Marrying outside the complicated political machinations of elven culture is verboten, so having half-elf children is especially off-limits. Or leave that whole hangup in the lorebooks entirely! Maybe having loads of half-elf children, especially by multiple humans, is super popular because then you can get your political influence into many different places! Who knows! 

But also, any culture that doesn’t lean into this community structure is seen as totally incomprehensible and not worth bothering with. Too many failed marriages with orcs who don’t understand things like “individual property rights”.

Aesthetics: Elves tend to do artsy stuff, but their definition of “art” is... unusual, for most other races. They carve large boulders in the woods and just... leave them there for travelers to find, or manipulate the growth of vines to take shapes like one of an elf drawing a bow, or weave a glimmering silver net of fine thread and hang it from the trees like a dew-speckled spiderweb. They’re reclusive, living in artists enclaves. 

They might dress in loud colors, play screamo music because it’s “expressive”, and paint their faces with blocky shapes because it’s “an avant-garde reflection of the soul.” Go wild. 

Elves can be chubby, elves can be fat, elves can be buff, elves can be light and dark-skinned, elves can glow in the dark, elves can be disabled, elves can be chronically ill (actually, imagine elves with disabilities or illness creating the most pretentious medical aids or training like. a direwolf as a service animal. cause they’re that extra.), elves can be tall or short or whatever. just make sure they have pointy ears (unless...)

Subrace differences, gender: different elf communities have very different views on gender; none of which are “there are two immutable genders/sexes.” for instance, high elves might have a rigid 2-gender system, but it mostly relies on sets of stereotypes and social roles that adolescent elves have to choose as they mature, and then they’re ‘locked in’ for the rest of their life, and they’re seriously looked down on for violating those rules one gender is not valued over another, but they’re rigid systems. 

wood elves may have a ‘what’s a gender’ approach instead, but then any elf who comes up with a gender identity for themself is suspected of wanting to be like those snobbish high elves or something. 

The drow are inclined to have lots of genders, but there’s a clear hierarchy that places “femininity” (by an elf definition) above other gender presentations in emulation of their goddess, Lolth. 

Subrace differences, food: Elves divide themselves by how they cultivate their food. Wood elves cultivate “wild” foods by feeding meat and dairy-producing animals and taking care of naturally occurring plants, and harvesting from the technically-untamed world when they need supplies. 

High Elves have gardens and livestock pens, which are typically exquisitely maintained, but they don’t eat meat; all animals are strictly for dairy and textiles. 

Drow have a collectivist system of crop production, which involves sustainable growing practices on the lands they own aboveground and harvesting at night. They keep animals to eat weeds, bees to pollinate and for honey, and spiders that catch pest insects that would damage the crops.

Religion/Ancestry: some elves believe their elf gods shaped them from the fey, some believe they were descended from the fey and the gods adopted them, and others insist that evolution is fake and the gods created them from whole cloth and the fey thing is just a coincidence.

Weapons: Elves train with weapons because it is: an artform (weapon dancing), a skill competition, an environmental necessity (either for hunting or for battle), or what have you.

The drow, as a whole: you get to choose one. Either the drow are evil, or the drow are dark-skinned, or neither of those are true (on like, a subrace level. individual drow can be whatever). Anyway. If the drow aren’t evil (the better option anyway), they weren’t exiled to the Underdark. Obviously. but a significant portion of the elven population is descended from winter eladrin/the Unseelie Court, and as a result they are allergic to sunlight to varying degrees, so they’ve made a home underground. They worship the spider goddess because she taught them to weave clothing from the web of giant spiders that live in the Underdark. Let Lolth be the goddess of practical craftwork, rather than art for art’s sake, a goddess of knowledge and advancement instead of murder and savagery.

Obviously you can use any and all of these in your own campaign. If you don’t use them, have fun making up your own lore that is clearly superior to existing WotC elf lore!

[rgurung-me]

Ten Interesting Nepali Novels

1)Palpasa Café (narayan wagle)

Palpasa Café tells the story of an artist, Drishya, during the height of the Nepalese Civil War. The novel is partly a love story of Drishya and the first generation American Nepali, Palpasa, who has returned to the land of her parents after 9/11. It is often called an anti-war novel, and describes the effects of the civil war on the Nepali countryside that Drishya travels to.

2)Unlikely Storytellers (bikash sangruala) The book focuses on a central character Deepak, a journalist and the stories are woven around the characters during the insurgency period of Nepal. The book has themes of lost childhood, love, sex, marital infidelity, war, guilt and more.

“https://publicationnepalaya.com/book/unlikely-storytellers”

3)Titled earth (manjushree thapa)

Startlingly original and closely observed stories that capture the dynamism and diversity of Nepali society in a time of great flux In Tilled Earth several compressed, poetic and deeply evocative micro-stories offer fleeting glimpses of small, private dramas of people caught midlife: an elderly woodworker loses his way in a modern Kathmandu neighbourhood; a homesick expatriate nurses a hangover; a clerk at the Ministry of Home Affairs learns to play Solitaire on the computer; a young man is drawn to politics against his better judgement; a child steals her classmate’s book . . . The longer stories in the collection, too,span a wide course, taking subjects from rural and urban Nepal as well as from the Nepali diaspora abroad. In ‘Tilled Earth’ a young woman goes to Seattle as a student, and finds herself becoming an illegal alien. ‘Love Marriage’ is an inner narration by a young man who—defying family pressure—falls in love with a woman of the wrong caste. In ‘The Buddha in the Earth-Touching Posture’, a retired secretary visits the Buddha’s birthplace, Lumbini, only to find his deepest insecurities exposed. With their unexpected, inventive forms, these stories reveal the author’s deep love of language and commitment to craft. Manjushree Thapa pushes the styles of her stories to match the distinctiveness of their content, emerging confidently as a skilled innovator and formalist.

“ https://vajrabookshop.com/categories/nepalese-fictions/products/tilled-earth”

4)While the Gods were Sleeping: A journey Through Love and Rebellion in Nepal (Elizabeth Enslin)

The Constituent Assembly of Nepal, in its very first meeting, abolished the monarchy in May 2008. After that watershed event, however, the way forward has been stalled by vexing questions. How is power in such a fractious polity to be shared? Which form of governance is best suited to the country - republicanism? federalism? How are the excesses of the decade long civil war to be reckoned? How is the People's Liberation Army to be integrated with the Nepal Army? To what extent should neighbours be allowed to interfere in the internal politics of the nation? And why is it that the Constituent Assembly, years after it was elected, cannot draft a Constitution that is acceptable to all? In The Lives We Have Lost, Manjushree Thapa asks these vital questions and many others. In seeking answers, finds the nation still muddling its way from crisis to crisis, in desperate search of a centre that will hold.

“https://vajrabookshop.com/categories/nepalese-fictions/products/the-lives-we-have-lost-essays-and-opinions-on-nepal”

5)Buddha's Orphans( samrat upadhyay)

Called “a Buddhist Chekhov” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Samrat Upadhyay’s writing has been praised by Amitav Ghosh and Suketu Mehta, and compared with the work of Akhil Sharma and Jhumpa Lahiri.

Upadhyay’s new novel, Buddha’s Orphans, uses Nepal’s political upheavals of the past century as a backdrop to the story of an orphan boy, Raja, and the girl he is fated to love, Nilu, a daughter of privilege.Their love story scandalizes both families and takes readers through time and across the globe, through the loss of and search for children, and through several generations, hinting that perhaps old bends can, in fact, be righted in future branches of a family tree.

Buddha’s Orphans is a novel permeated with the sense of how we are irreparably connected to the mothers who birthed us and of the way events of the past, even those we are ignorant of, inevitably haunt the present. But most of all it is an engrossing, unconventional love story and a seductive

and transporting read.

“https://vajrabookshop.com/categories/nepalese-fictions/products/buddhas-orphans-a-novel”

6)Blue Mimosa(parijat) Shirish ko Phool is one of the best Nepali Nobel 

of Parijat. Shirish is the beautiful flower, shirish is also known as Mimosa.

Parijat originally known as Bishnu Kumari Waiwa is great Nepali Novelist who

has won prestigious Madan Puraskar for her great Nepali Novel Shirish ko Phool

in 2022. Blue Mimosa is the translated version of the novel Shirish ko Phool

which has also been adapted in the literature curriculum of some colleges in

some English-speaking countries. This program was recorded from Ujayalo FM

(Shruti sambeg ) with a very beautiful voice of Achyut Ghimire .I can't forget

to that Achyut Ghimire's contribution for his talented voice.

“https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10579671-blue-mimosa”

7)The City Son: A Novel(Samrat Upadhyay)

In The City Son, acclaimed and award-winning author Samrat Upadhyay has crafted a spare, understated work examining a thorny subject: a scorned wife s obsession with her husband's illegitimate son. 

When Didi discovers that her husband, the Masterji, has been hiding his beautiful lover and their young son Tarun in a nearby city, she takes the Masterji back into her grasp and expels his second family. Tarun s mother, heartsick and devastated, slowly begins to lose her mind, and Tarun…

“https://vajrabookshop.com/categories/nepalese-fictions”

8)Other side of the Paradise(Kenny Pandey)

Sadhu predicts the end of the world. As the East and West come together, a young boy longs to taste cheese. A monsoon thunderstorm awakens memories of a flood. A young man returns from India and encounters the New Buddha. And a hungry policeman steals some vegetables. Amidst desire, longing and the awareness of suffering, these stories ask the common question: What is the nature of existence? Why do we suffer? Can we ever fulfill the hunger of the human heart?

“https://vajrabookshop.com/categories/nepalese-fictions/products/the-end-of-the-world-a-collection-of-short-stories”

9)The Lazy Conman and Other Stories: Folktales from Nepal(Ajit Baral)

Do you not have eyes? Can’t you see that I am watering my tree?’ The merchant said, ‘But there are clothes on the branches.’ ‘Yes, I would expect a clothes-tree to grow clothes—wouldn’t you?’ Kakaji is a lazy man, much given to sitting around, until, one day, his wife kicks him out in a rage. After a series of adventures—which involve a tree that bears clothes and a dancing bear that shits silver coins—Kakaji comes home rich and resumes his…

“https://vajrabookshop.com/categories/nepalese-fictions/”

10)Summer Love(subin Bhattarai) here was crowd to see the entrance result in Central Department of Environmental Science, Kirtipur. In the notice board Atit saw the name - Saya in the number one. He did not see Saya but just her name. He was impressed by her name, and when he met the beautiful and talented Saya, he fell in love with her. And their two-years-collage-romance starts…

“https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17371265-summer-love”

[blogulianatish]

Ascendant in lion. Leo Rising

The ascendant, which shows the way of the native to manifest itself in society, being in Leo (top 1 of the house) of the Natal chart, requires balancing the contradictions between the desire to lead, demonstrating the strength of the personality, and the tendency to idle, lazy pastime. It is impossible not to notice the owner of the ascendant in Leo. Generously endowed with charisma and fiery energy, he attracts attention with a Regal appearance and manners, presenting himself as a very special person so skillfully that others instantly believe in it. This is a conscious manipulator, ready to exceed moral laws for his own benefit, but generous and fair, if it does not infringe on his interests. The rising lion never fully trusts even proven people and feels on stage even alone in his own house.

 Appearance and behavior 

the Invented role fits the owner of the ascendant in Leo with a strong aura so closely that he forgets about himself the present. In the absence of real your fantasies Nativ overestimates his power and talents, that looks like pomposity and arrogance. The spiritually advanced and intelligent man becomes the master, with the enthusiasm of admiring subjects leading to the great goal. He shows fearlessness and foresight, knows how to lead, forming a team of talented intelligent assistants. Personality and behavioral traits of the individual: 

1.a luxury hair reddish-brown curly hair; 

2.a large convex forehead without wrinkles, smooth skin, oval face; 

3.the eyes large, the eyelids cover the upper part of the iris, where visible gold inclusions;

4.aristocratic nose pointed downward, the nose thin; 

5.lips well-shaped, medium in size, open smile and kind regardless of the true intentions; 

6.strive to materialize the dreams, causing a stir and gained the admiration of a lover revealing a generous gesture and demonstration of the main emotions mood; 

7.pays special attention to appearance and clothes, preferring youth style of expensive brands; 

8.achieves the quiet conversation without transition to shout and the conflict;

9.seeks to exceed social position of parents, having soared on top of the power and wellbeing. 

Nativ with an ascendant in Leo loves luxury and quickly draws her full handfuls, if developing natural talents, especially with the support of the Royal star of Regulus near the Sun, which often happens to those born on August 23-26. A striking example is Louis XIV, Napoleon Bonaparte, Bennito Mussolini, Alexander Dumas, Marilyn Monroe.

The rising lion in the horoscope of a woman 

Is a Luxurious socialite, well-groomed and exquisitely dressed, attracts with a cheerful disposition, self-confidence, spreading the radiance of cheerfulness. She fascinates and fall in love with the interlocutor kindness, elegant speech and noble intentions, for which she is ready to work, as well as generosity and responsiveness. However, do not forget that this image can be outwardly exaggerated to impress others. Having reached the top of fame and success, the owner of the ascendant in Leo risks losing touch with reality, considering wealth as a reason for domination over others, despite their desires. If the dream does not come true, it becomes caustic and bitchy, taking revenge on others for failures. A girl with an ascendant in Leo sincerely loves children and becomes a wonderful mother, gladly taking part in their fun, but also requiring achievements in the field of study and creativity, confirmed by diplomas and awards. For a happy marriage you need a strong man who will not interfere with personal and creative development, giving enough freedom and independence. A good pair will be a rising lion, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Libra.

Ascendant Leo in the horoscope of a man 

The ascendant in Leo gives two types of personality in men's horoscope: born leaders who don't need to prove leadership – it flows through the veins and fills the sight by force, sexy and charismatic artists with a sparkling sense of humor, playing a major role. Nativ does not suppress the other and does not cause irritation of a privileged location, thanks to Royal manners and impeccably polite behavior towards others and also nobility, and generosity. Combined with confidence and authority, these qualities make him incredibly attractive to women. He chooses a bright independent girl, which will see the Queen, worthy to share the throne with him. His lure of the Lioness ascendant, Libra and Sagittarius. Nativ's a great dad. He remembers his childhood well and transforms into a playmate in communication with children, while he likes to make gifts and surprises. The behavior of a man with an ascendant in Leo is influenced by the position of the Sun in the horoscope. For example, in fiery signs, it manifests itself as an explosive and arrogant temper, in the water enhances the creative gifts in the air and the earth – the ability to make friends and to be true to the word. 

Professional success 

Rising lion gets fame, money and honors in any business, excluding the monotonous routine work away from society. He needs a society to Shine and rule, which is easy to implement in the state structures of the highest level, military Affairs (subject to the commander's position), theater, cinema, stage, circus, television. Good luck awaits in the jewelry business: Nativ himself likes to work with precious metals and create exquisite jewelry or can own a factory for their production. 

[proheromidoriyashouto]

Inksignia, Beyond Alteo - Tattoo artist!Inko x Flower Shop Owner!Rei AU with pre-IzuShou Part 1

Canon is mostly the same with a few exceptions. Izuku immediately tells the teachers what Shouto said during the Sports Festival. Trust is broken but Izuku would rather have him alive and safe than continue to leave him in that house. The teachers - Eraserhead, All Might and Nighteye mostly- investigate and Endeavor is taken down, goes to jail, blah, blah, blah he’s not important. After careful consideration, the authorities tentatively release Todoroki Rei from the mental hospital as an out-patient.

In order to gain independence from his estate, she decides to start up a flower shop for income. So much time spent in that drab, stale hospital has fostered a desire for bright colors and the scents of nature. She uses some of her monetary award to pay off the rent for a space wedged between a smaller convenience store and a tattoo shop. The tattoo shop has dark-tinted windows with intricate, black detailing that creates a black-on-black appearance Rei recalls seeing on pottery in the States a lifetime ago. The tattoo shop opens and closes later than her own flower shop so she goes a few weeks before she makes contact with the owner.

Business starts off slowly as there are more renowned shops a short drive away but Rei creates a niche for herself by exclusively offering carnivorous plants, and freeze-drying flowers. She had a lot of time to read and explore her tastes with a decade apart from Enji and she developed a fascination with carnivorous plants. Beautiful, deadly, and deceptively delicate, they require the utmost care. Preserving flowers by freezing them was a past-time of hers prior to her marriage and she is delighting to pick it up again. It was an uncommon practice then and continues to be so now. She uses her quirk to frost the vases and keep that part of the shop cool without altering the temperature necessary by the tropical plants. Soon enough she has moderate, steady business and she’s finally beginning to turn over a profit.

She’s returning from lunch when she spots Shouto shuffling about outside. He visits her here since her release or at her apartment above the shop so being outside must mean he was waiting for her. He looks despondent when she guides him inside and he spends nearly an hour simply walking through the shop, familiarizing himself with her wares. Even after all this time she call tell something has upset him, though he undoubtedly has a lot on his mind after the Hosu Incident. Though when he came to visit after the Sports Festival and again since the investigation into her ex-husband he had been angry about something then too. He’ll speak when he’s ready so she helps a few patrons with their orders in the meantime and when he does he seems... lost.

Mama?

Yes, dear?

Are you... happy... with all of this?

...How do you mean?

I... He visibly swallowed around a lump in his throat. H-his arrest. The court proceedings, the media attention, public opinion. Doesn’t it... bother you? Make you uncomfortable? I passed by people on the way here who were whispering about you and all of us, how we’re ungrateful and-! Validating the things people like Stain say about heroes and society. Is this, he kept his eyes firmly downcast, all even worth reliving that pain? Wouldn’t you rather forget it?

S-shouto?

I’m not saying this isn’t a good thing, now, but wouldn’t have been better to let sleeping dogs lie? I... I was going to save you from that place. When I made it and he couldn’t control me or you anymore, I-I had a plan, but...

But? She approached him slowly, letting him gather his thoughts. Something changed that? She could see the tips of his ears flush though she couldn’t see his face for his hair.

I told someone. He almost growled at that taking her by surprise. He told the teachers. That’s when they started looking into it. His fists were clenched at his sides in his hurt. I just needed him to understand what- I didn’t think he’d say anything. I didn’t know him. We’d never spoken before but he was always butting his nose into things... I didn’t think he’d hang us out to dry. But he did and now. He lifted his head to look her in the eye. His expression was imploring, desperate maybe. Being dragged through court and forced to relive all those horrible things and having people think less of you for it.You- you can’t tell me it’s made you happy.

She considered his words carefully. No. No, that certainly wasn’t. Having to testify, being in the same room as your father. That was... never something I wanted to experience again.

He adopted a look that was equal parts relief and... vindication? But she continued.

But I would do it again in a heartbeat.

His expression became clear shock then. Why?

Shouto, where do you live now? She asked instead of answering.

...with Fuyumi?

Are you happy with her?

Yes.

Do you feel safe there?

He tilted his head to the side, reminiscent of an inquisitive puppy. So cute her son. ...Yes.

And you know that your father will never come near you again, right?

...Yeah.

So, my sweet boy, who I know is so so smart, She gently cupped his face in her hands and kept his eyes on her own, why wouldn’t I repeat this fight if it meant getting you and your siblings here, to this safe, happy place every time?

His eyes shined with tears.

For the record, she said, I am. Happy- that is- here. And however unintentional, I’m grateful that you told that boy. Her son’s eyes widened. He set us on this path. It was painful, yes. She tucked an errant lock of crimson hair behind is ear. It was also the road to freedom. For all of us.

Tears wet her fingers and Shouto looked away in shame. Oh. He said so softly. You- it- it doesn’t... you mean that?

She nodded fervently. Absolutely. I would thank him if I saw him.

Shouto drew his shoulders up tensely and gently pulled her hands away from his face. That... I’m not sure that’ll ever happen.

She hummed curiously. Has he requested to remain anonymous?

No, I-I thought you were hurt by all of this. I, um. He curled in on himself a bit. I was angry. I... told him off after they started looking into our lives. ...we aren’t talking.

Oh. Shouto. You were worried about my feelings? She would remain amazed by his capacity to love her after what she’d done to him.

He nodded.

Could you make up? I’d hate for him to think he didn’t do the right thing. He might not come forward for someone else if the situation arises. I’d hate to think that someone else if left in suffering over this.

He seemed to shrink in on himself even more. The- the things I said to him were, um, pretty personal. His face twisted in obvious shame. Someone else told me- a bully of his told me that he was... I said a lot of horrible things to him and he won’t even look at me anymore. Before, I was glad. But you’re- you’re happy. He said the last word as though it a ludicrous notion.

She nodded.

Now, I- I don’t know. I should apologize. Looking back it was going too far. He didn’t mean to hurt you by it. Or me. Or any of us. He’s just... I think he’s just like that. So helpful.

She smiled. He sounds nice.

Yeah. His voice cracked as he blinked away more tears. His right hand reached over to cover the knife wounds on his left arm. They were weeks old, maybe they were still causing him pain? Too nice. ...I don’t think he’ll want to talk to me. His voice dropped to a nearly inaudible whisper, a few more silent tears slipping down his face unbidden. ...I made him cry.

Would it hurt to try?

They spent the rest of the day discussing how to go about making amends, and ended up staying well-past the typical closing time. It’s dark out by the time they head out to pick up dinner. She finally has enough money to take the children out for food and Fuyumi and Natsuo said they would meet up at the restaurant. It’s been such a long time since she had a warm meal with her babies. She’s excited. They can finally get to being a real family.

They’re surprised by the door to Inksignia suddenly swinging open, bathing the street in light. A woman stepped out and she blinked large eyes at them. She was short and chubby with green hair and eyes, wearing a black dress with sheer lace revealing colorful patterns on her shoulders, chest, and back without appearing risque. Her arms, neck, and legs were conspicuously bare of tattoos. She carried herself like someone comfortable in their own skin. Surreal.

Oh! Hello! She offered them a smile. Didn’t see you there. Her green eyes drifted over Rei’s apron. She’s forgotten to take it off. You work right here at Beyond Alteo?

No worries. Yes, I’m the owner actually. I’m, uh, Rei. Just Rei.

Ah, how rude of me, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Midoriya Inko, nice to meet you. Her round face was soft and welcoming. This is my parlor. She said proudly.

Midoriya? Shouto blurted out suddenly, eyes wide.

Hm? Yes. Inko turned to him. Do I- oh. You’re him. She narrowed her eyes in recognition. Todoroki Shouto-kun. You fought my son during the Sports Festival.

Y-yeah, I did. Shouto looked nervous. Understandable. Rei had watched the fight after all. A seed of suspicion before to take root in her chest. If it had been her son injured in their match...

Are you alright? Inko asked to their surprise.

I- I’m okay.

I heard about Hosu. Are you healed properly? Have you been eating enough? My son said you eat very little- he eats me out of house and home so his idea about what constitutes regular portions is a bit skewed but he seems really worried about you so I thought I’d ask. Ah, if that’s okay?

It’s... fine. My wounds are healed. I’m eating, uh, everyday?

We’re going out for dinner right now. Rei said. Hm, she would have to see if he was in fact eating enough for a boy his age. She’d compare to Natsuo for reference.

Midoriya-san, your son... talks about me? Shouto asked.

Oh, all the time. Everyday it’s Todoroki-kun this, Todoroki-kun that. He’s been so worried about you! Especially since the, well, the news. And Hosu. He said you’ve been busy with family matters- and I won’t pry- so he hasn’t had the chance to talk to you in a while. So you mind if I tell him you’re doing okay?

Everyday? He seemed to whisper to himself. No, t-that’s okay. Yeah. Um, has he said anything else?

Ah... Just that he’s worried about where you’re staying and if you feel comfortable there. We have a spare bedroom and he wants you to know you’re welcome to it if you need it. It’s alright with me of course.

Shouto’s jaw dropped as his cheeks pinked again, and he dropped his face to hide behind his bangs. He clutched his hands to his chest. O-oh.

Shouto is staying with his sister for the time being. He was telling me how much he likes it. Rei replied when it was clear Shouto wasn’t going to. Thank you for the concern. Please thank your son for his thoughts. I’m glad that someone outside of the family is looking out for him.

Shouto flinched from behind his mother.

Inko smiled. I will. He’ll be so relieved. She spared a look to her watch and gasped. Oh gosh, I just meant to get some fresh air but I’ve kept you from your plans! Sorry! She opened the door to return to her business. It’s been wonderful talking to you. I know the hours are a bit unusual but feel free to stop by anytime with your boy! It’ll be nice to have a friend in the neighborhood.

Rei felt a flutter of something soft and fuzzy from her hairline to her toes. A friend? ...when was the last time she had one of those? Before Enji. After, most of her friends had gone on to actually make use of their hero certification and were too cowed by his political and social capital to heed her plight. None of them had reached out to her in years. The children were great comfort but they had their own lives. Maybe... should she? Oh it’s been a bit, should probably respond sometime this year- Yes!

Inko blinked at her loud answer.

Erm, Rei flushed, y-yes, I’d like that.

Inko’s smile widened into a 1000-megawatt grin that almost seemed to dull the lights from the within the parlor in comparison. We’re open earlier on the weekends. You could come by then if it’s better for you.

I will, I think. Yeah.

(This was supposed to be a short headcannon and now the animal is loose. I’ll expand from here and post link to AO3 when it’s done. Does anyone want to read more??? Let me know!!

Shouto felt betrayed and protective over his mama so he raged a bit. Izuku can understand why but it definitely hurt and he’s been avoiding Shouto- which Shouto now feels regret about. They’ll make up don’t worry.

Rei and Inko are gonna be nearly as dumb as their sons and I think it’ll be fun.

TLDR: tattoo artist!Inko x flower shop owner!Rei get together AU, still quirks and hero-sons. the name of Rei’s shop has meaning. inko’s almost as cool as she seems yo)

[sfaioffical]

Next Friday is the 2019 MFA Exhibition at San Francisco Art Institute! Fifty emerging artists will open their studios and transform SFAI—Fort Mason Campus into a large-scale gallery, theater and performance space full of multi-media installations, sculptures, contemporary art films, paintings, prints, photography, performances, and more. 

To give you a sense of what’s in store for visitors, let us introduce you to ten SFAI MFA students who will be exhibiting work May 17–27! 

Tune in next week for another preview, and don’t forget to join us to celebrate the opening of the exhibition on May 17th during the public opening, or May 16th at Vernissage for an exclusive VIP Preview! 

Ans Li 

“My paintings and installations contain bright colors as well as materials from childhood. Under a cheerful surface, my work discusses issues that I am concerned about—such as gender inequality and cultural conflict—as a Chinese woman living in the United States. I highlight the importance of interaction and multiple senses, asking the viewer to become a participant in the work by allowing their senses (sight, taste, smell, and touch) to be engaged.” 

Anthony Chao

“This work explores the relationship between the splendid beauty of the undeveloped, rural, ancient landscapes and stunning ancient architecture in 安徽 Anhui Province, China, and the brilliant artistic craft that has passed its prime in history.”

Ben Cornish

“My current body of work acts as unsure timelines of mistakes and anomalies. The tensioned narratives that governed my childhood were spoken with a certainty that could only be argued back in a kind storytelling steeped in repentance. I choose to speak in image. Bosch made paintings for the dungeons, I make images for houses that are filled with arguments and quiet anxiousness hidden for oneself from an environment built of allegory and alibi.“

Guiliana Funkhouser 

“I’m interested in meeting the Wizard, how about you? My artwork interrogates contemporary mass-media entertainment and “content delivery” platforms that promise instant connection while fragmenting reality in unprecedented ways. By presenting the darkly Babylonian aspects of weaponized narrative and social media interactions through photo and sound art installations, I hope to celebrate the people and places continually pushed to the wayside in the name of technological acceleration, economic expansion, and the siren song of paradise.“ 

Haley Toyama

“I dedicate my energy to preserving memories of the city I love. I treat my practice as one of the remaining ways to criticize the neo-imperialism of the mainland Chinese government acting under the guise of British postcolonialism in Hong Kong.“

John James Hartford V

“Through a destructive process, exhumed works are constructed of both collected material and found objects that resonate with personal traumas, memories, or appeal to the aestheticized destroyed object. My work guides the viewer's attention to the visual object’s (or icon’s) sediments of time and decay—in what I've come to describe as “post-opulence”—and aims to reveal the contemporary mimesis of twice-removed truths surrounding greater bloom and decay.“

Joshua Mintz

“Through the act of stitching fractured, yet interdependent, moments in time, my work explores themes of memory and the displacement of the human psyche experienced through the wonted events of ordinary life. Sculptural and illustrative, the miniature environment, combined with the imitative inclusion of banal objects, becomes a door to the uncanny. These cross sections, extracted from a complex story line, present the viewer with ignored moments of everyday life, frozen to invite stillness and contemplation.“ 

Katie Curry

“These works are subject to the liminal: a convergence of opposites where line becomes form, where the two-dimensional verges on the sculptural, where desire and conscious thought intersect. Forms give way to recognizable imagery in the guise of domestic goods and desert landscapes, often flirting with the figurative.“

Leigh Daniels

“Using non-archival and semi-photographic processes, time and human interaction encourage inevitable destruction. I create camera-less exposures, using both light-sensitive and natural materials such as cyanotype and turmeric or beets and sun. Welcoming the materials to flow freely, I remove myself and enable the moment I have created to live and decay naturally. I strive to bring visibility and beauty to what society and the art world deem easy to dismiss.“

Sami Cutrona

“Often revealing the subject through fragments, I am interested in the ability to maintain agency through abstraction. I utilize photo-based works as a means of reclaiming bodily autonomy and disrupting the ways in which power and meaning have been inscribed on my queer abject body. While considering the art historical canon, I seek to reject its traditions. I do not directly allude to my identity—allowing room for gender ambiguity and, ultimately, agency.“

Don’t forget to join us at SFAI’s Fort Mason Campus next week to see work by these and more brilliant contemporary artists! 

[seeyuwriting]

Glittering Paradoxes

— The image of Snow in English Modernist Poetry

The idiom ichi-go ichi-e – literally translated as 'one time, one meeting' – describes the treasured Japanese tradition of hosting an unrepeatable gathering of weather, time of day and guests. Collectively reminding all involved parties of life's singularity, it is commonly linked to spontaneous tea ceremonies held until today. The Heian court, whose period spans from the 8th to the 12th century, is known for thereby becoming obsessed with snowy days: it most often chose the most unrecreatable of all moods of nature, and surely also the most visually intriguing one. 

In the presence of falling snow, my spectrum of feelings is incomparably celebratory as well. Collective softness rules every single association, and even though they are multiplying paradoxes – resistance and endurance, newness and familiarity, unification and uniqueness, oppression and reconciliation, rest and change, a purity that is both untouchable and violable, a barrier that can be both fleeting and perennial – there it always appears: a sense of comfort, settling down on my shoulders like the hands of my parents when I think of falling snow.

Its ample potential turned the archetypal image of snow not least into a glittering common thread in the works of many English Modernist poets. In 1922, it was Nobel laureate T. S. Eliot who burned it into the literary mass imagination by most famously telling us how "Winter kept us warm, covering / Earth in forgetful snow" in his 434-line poem "The Waste Land". Intriguingly, he contrasted snow with spring, also frequently found in Modernist poetry – encompassing rebirth, resurrection, rejuvenation, the pain of finally being illuminated – which, in this case, is embodied by the month of April: "April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire, stirring / Dull roots with spring rain".

This essay will attempt to trace snow's many facets as brilliantly employed in three later Modernist poems by Stephen Spender, Louis MacNeice and David Gascoyne, offering a glance beneath softness and an argumentation for how snow – just as well as ice, frost and winter – substantially carries the same meaning throughout all of them, although embedded in different sceneries.

I. The Vague Delight of Revolution

Spender – also called "the lyric poet of his generation" by none other than Eliot – let snow strikingly pervade one of his most well-known poems, "After They Have Tired". With its shine, its light and its whiteness outbidding the rest of the imagery, the metaphor gets repositioned among the lines of enthusiastic political upheaval. Spender even turns it into a two-sided device for describing the impacts of both capitalism and the grand rebirth of the proletarian spirit: "After They Have Tired" was written in 1932, when Spender was still a member of the political left, and had been sensing the catastrophes ahead for years.

While there is little commentary on "After They Have Tired" – "perhaps because it seems to be a self-explanatory satire of a generic communist", as literary scholar Richard Danson Brown suggests • – it did, without doubt, play a constitutional role in constructing his reputation as a poet of profound political and social conscience. Scholar and critic Sir Frank Kermode declared that Spender’s writings on politics "and on the relation of artists to politics, remain the most considered and the most serious of any by the young writers of the period".

Spender insisted on poetry's mission to explore political issues, although he also stated that it can only have a real effect on society or its direction in certain situations: yes, poetry could stimulate essential feelings but it was and never will be able to portray certain essential situations that are "quite literally unimaginable" in their horror. 

As the only organized opposition to fascism at that time, the communist party was increasing its membership with its literary scene gathering more closely – also including Christopher Isherwood and Cecil Day-Lewis among others – and eventually beginning to look forward to a new life, a new society, a new England. Spender, on top, had a reputation of being the archetype of the romantic poet. His poem is therefore saturated with hope and fervour, altruism, even love. All its four stanzas argue in favour of a heroic fight, albeit demonstrating another essential Modernist theme first.

The first stanza centres on urban decay, disillusion and alienation, caused by capitalism and the bourgeoisie – "they" who are predicted to slowly tire, who are haunted by "stalking" death – it is always the city that is doomed, the city with its crossing-sweepers and streets built by the rich, the city that has lost all faith. Here, its exploration furthermore spans from the metaphor of "easy chains" – the extensive, imperceptible imprisonment of its inhabitants – to the metaphor of "old cloths" – their pallor and vapidity. It closes with its first of mention of snow which equalizes the capitalists to a perversely repellent and empty mass.

The pains of the working class – depicted as the "pillars of that day's gold roof" in the second stanza, as society’s back-bone – are coldness, grief and hunger, but it ultimately is "hard light", it is light and not darkness that they face now. Light that is naturally destined to become the decisive spark igniting the fire of hope, "a strange language" shared by all the readers of this poem as if an automatism is being at work, the same automatism that leads Spender to speaking of a symphonious "we".

Strengthening its cohesion, the next stanzas continue to depict the revolutionary spirit as vigorously delighted with verses such as "We may strike fire, like fire from flint", preparing for the climax in the fourth: "Watch the admiring dawn explode like a shell / Around us, dazing us with its light like the shine from snow". Notwithstanding, Spender lends depth to the storybook mission shortly before, admitting to the complications ahead that are all seemingly caused by the poor, enemy- ruled past: "Banks", "cathedrals", "the declared insanity of our rulers" are depriving the revolution of its otherwise "Spring-like resources of the tiger / Or of plants who strike out new roots to gushing waters". He reasonably considers a beginning with a completely blank canvas impossible as "old fabric" still constrains sight.

The third and fourth stanza then reintroduce the image of snow, with its hard, white light now equal to that of endless hope: blazing, enlightening, piercing through the veil of the materialistic world ("works, money, interest, building") to reveal nothing but "love for each other", relentless capabilities to make the planet a better place, to mobilize.

Despite the predominating sacrifice of traditional syntax and grammar in Modernist poetry, enabling immediate and vivid thought-representation, "After They Have Tired" reads quite fluidly, openly. Its "strange language" resembles natural rhetorical speech by means of organic stanzaic shape, anaphora (especially the justifying "and"), empowering repetitions ("strength", "love", "failure of banks / failure of cathedrals", direct appeal and recurring variants of the key phrase "clean and equal like the shine from snow".

Spender makes it seem easy for the reader. Seamless. And just too romantic to be true. The imagery’s enormous energy feeds from its simplicity and universality, but it ultimately remains unspecific: Which grief pours over us? Which pain gleams at every street corner? Which strength is embedded in our bones? When he was asked about writing processes, Spender once stated: "My own experience is that a rhythm or something comes into my head, which I feel I must do, I must write it, create it." But which rhythm is it? Which rhythm is it that we must hear, which course is it that we must take in order to admire revolution’s dawn?

While the poem's optimism may seem too vague for the reader, it eventually most definitely seemed too vague for Spender. The publication of his programmatic "Forward from Liberalism" in 1937 led to an offical invitation of the British Communist Party which turned out to be a short-lived association: "I wrote something for The Daily Worker attacking the party and that was the last I heard of my membership", the poet recalled. The Spanish Civil War had shattered his – and many other’s – hopefulness towards communism.

Full text upon request. – Dieu Nguyen. Published 2016.

[yupuffin]

Why You Probably Think Nezumi’s Hair Looks Silly

(and why it’s probably not as bad as you think it is)

In the past I’ve written a few anime analysis posts with varying degrees of seriousness. My last post along these lines was not the most lighthearted read, but fortunately, this time around, I spontaneously got an idea for a less serious topic to write about. I managed to keep up with the anime JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR right on the tail end of its release, which I believe was crucial to my ultimate enjoyment of this series. What I did not manage to do was predict that Nezumi would end up my favorite character (although I’m certainly not complaining, given, for one, how much inspiration his narrative has given me for analytical posts such as this one).

Like most other viewers, I comfortably got to know Nezumi over the course of the story, but when the episode that focuses on his backstory rolled around, I was not sufficiently prepared for the most dramatic reveal of all!!: his true... hairstyle?

As usual, an obligatory warning for spoilers under the cut.

Let’s face it, the assumption that, under all of that armor, Nezumi is just a plain grey-haired anime boy is completely reasonable based on what we see of him i the first eleven episodes. Sure, we see that the armor on his head is shaped rather oddly, but -- I don’t know about you, but I merely assumed that its sole function was to provide a visual pun in reference to his zodiac animal and ability: the protruding portions are shaped like rodent ears, and match nicely with what I would guess is an ear cover shaped like a computer mouse (haha -- because of Hundred Click, and because he’s a rat). Alas, how very wrong I was, because it turns out, that part is actually --

...A HAIR PROTECTOR?

Okay, back up for a minute. What’s the deal with this?

As it is without the fwooshes (as I affectionately call the longer, flowing, reminiscent-of-rodent-ears portion of Nezumi’s hairstyle), short, solid-colored hair is a pretty typical style for any generic anime character, and based on what we can see when Nezumi is wearing his very stylish armor, we don’t really have any reason to think to ourselves, “Oh yeah, I bet his hair totally fwooshes out under those rat ears,” because we’ve never really seen it before -- or, if we have, characters with simple, short hair like you’d see on a normal person are much, MUCH more common. So, since that’s the basis of information we have to refer to, that’s what we conclude, and we never really give it a second thought until finally, in the very last episode, we see Nezumi in his civilian garb, and his hair, is in fact, very much not normal.

(Granted, there are slight visual indications of the presence of the fwooshes even when Nezumi is wearing his armor, or even the hooded sweatshirt he dons in the ending animation, but since we don’t have the expectation that there’s any ornamentation there to begin with, they are very easy to miss. That’s how the human brain works -- we tend not to notice things that we don’t expect to be there. This is effectively supported by one of my favorite studies of all time, which involves an animal whose close relative also participates in the Juni Taisen.)

Because Nezumi’s hairstyle is highly unusual and blatantly contradicts our expectations, it’s a big surprise when it’s finally revealed. From what I can tell based on the posts that were floating around on Tumblr, as well as other platforms, on the same day that the final episode of JUNI TAISEN was released, the overall response was one of shock. I recall reading the consensus that Nezumi’s hairstyle was thought of as “silly” (heck, I even said out loud to myself as I was watching the episode, in spite of how emotionally attached I was starting to get to him, “that looks stupid!”) and I distinctly remember reading a post that simply told Nezumi to “get a new haircut.” Again, given our previous assumptions and conclusions, this reaction is understandable. For eleven episodes prior, we got used to seeing Nezumi in cool-looking warrior armor, which, despite his meek disposition, makes him look strong and capable in battle on the outside. Hence, the flowing, delicate, arguably more feminine silhouette given by his everyday appearance is incredibly incongruous.

As anyone who has seen KADO: The Right Answer (another of my favorite anime to analyze, so shameless plug here) can certainly argue, properly executed surprises evoke a strong emotional response from the audience, and the artists behind JUNI TAISEN definitely did not design Nezumi thinking that the audience wouldn’t be at least a little bit surprised when they grew intimately familiar with an armor-clad Warrior of the Rat who was then revealed to be a normal schoolboy with strangely fwooshy hair in his everyday life. Hence, the pronounced and highly specific emotional reaction the audience experiences upon this reveal was evoked intentionally. However, the function of this response changes depending on your particular experience of the series.

The anime JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR is based on a one-shot manga released in January 2015 titled “The One Wish That Must Be Granted, and the Ninety-Nine That Can Be Done Without,” which, as you can probably guess from the shared name, encompasses what is essentially the exact same story retold in the twelfth episode of the JUNI TAISEN anime; hence, JUNI TAISEN functions as a sequel to the original manga, despite taking place beforehand from a chronological standpoint. As a result, the original manga is all about Nezumi; the readers have no previous experience to refer to when first diving in -- not even any background on the function of JUNI TAISEN in its dystopian society, or who any of the other characters are. In this case, Nezumi’s hairstyle does not exactly function as a surprise due to this lack of background. Instead, the added visual interest of Nezumi’s hair fwooshes make him less plain and more interesting to the reader. With normal hair, he would just be another main character anime schoolboy, and, because of his lack of other redeeming or heroic qualities (which makes him such an intriguing character in the narrative of a battle royale), there would not be much about him to make him memorable to the reader. (What he does have going for him is that his plainness and his general ambivalence towards the high school experience makes him particularly relatable to anyone who has also gone through that sort of thing.) Perhaps, in the case of the original manga, Nezumi’s hair was indeed simply an attention-grabbing visual quirk added mostly as a shoutout to his signature animal, the rat.

On the other hand, the JUNI TAISEN anime seems to be written under the assumption that the viewer is not already familiar with the original one-shot manga, hence the surprised reaction to Nezumi’s hairstyle reveal. This response adds some emotional interest and investment to an episode that would otherwise start out in a rather mundane fashion, and probably have the viewer thinking not much other than “Okay, here we go with yet another character introduction. I wonder what he’s going to wish for? Maybe, instead of watching, I’ll space out for the duration of the episode wondering what I would wish for.” This would be in stark contrast to the backstories of some of the other warriors, which tickled our emotions by making us feel for them to varying degrees. However, by instantly giving the audience a new, unexpected cue for a pronounced emotional response, Nezumi’s character design makes the viewers more emotionally vulnerable in preparation for the figurative roller coaster that is the twelfth episode. One of the major factors in my falling in love with Nezumi was the poignant expertise and effectiveness with which the narrative of “The One Wish That Must Be Granted, and the Ninety-Nine That Can Be Done Without” was composed to evoke very particular and measured emotional responses in the audience. We feel our pulses quicken as Nezumi frantically deliberates about which of his ninety-nine wishes would be the best one; our hearts sink when we witness Nezumi cry for the first time, begging that his one desire is to forget his experience of 139-plus horrifically violent deaths; and finally, we feel catharsis when Nezumi shows us his first smile, as though there was nothing more he ever wanted in the world.

Now, if the viewer was spacing out throughout this whole episode, none of this would have anywhere near as much of an emotional impact. Hence, as silly as it might look, the “surprise” factor behind Nezumi’s unusual hairstyle is actually critical for ensuring not only that the viewer is paying attention, but also that their emotions are activated and prepared to be fully invested in the story -- a necessity to experience full satisfaction at its deceptively meaningful conclusion.

And once you’ve recovered from that shock, maybe you’ll be like me and start to think that Nezumi’s hair actually looks kind of pretty.

That’s all I have for today on that subject! I hope you enjoyed reading this much more lighthearted analysis post. If you find this type of writing particularly interesting, feel free to take a look at some of my other anime analysis posts you may like. A few of them are linked in various places throughout this post, but here they all are in chronological order for your convenience:

 Why I Love Nezumi (and the ending to JUNI TAISEN in general)

 The Meaning of Meaninglessness in JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR and KADO: The Right Answer

Deus Ex Machina in KADO: The Right Answer, part 1

Deus Ex Machina in KADO: The Right Answer, part 2: Yaha-kui zaShunina as the Tragic Hero

*slaps roof of KADO* this bad boy can fit so much meaningful dialogue in it

JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR: Remember to Die

You can also find all of these by browsing through the “anime analysis” tag on my blog.

Additionally, my ask box is always open if you have any questions, want me to clarify something, have an idea about anything else you want me to write about, or if you just want to give me an excuse to gush about Nezumi for a little while!