#i'm just talking about this from the very personal perspective of a visual artist who paints and draws and does digital art for a living

[magpiemirroring]

Every time I see someone argue that AI is making art accessible, or making art possible for disabled people or whatever, I'm just....

Well, first: have you talked to any disabled artists? Some of whom were artists before they became disabled? Because I've yet to talk to any who would be content with a machine making art for them. The part folks yearn for is not really the idea magically being on the paper, it's the time spent making the piece. And artists can be very clever and very determined to find a way to make art in spite of any limits their bodies may have.

But really: Why are you so ashamed of being an amateur artist?

Like, I've been putting work into getting good at art since I was in preschool and paused while eating my crayons to consider that it mattered to me how many legs a horse had and I was damn well going to attempt to get it right!

But maybe that's not you. Maybe you haven't found the right art form for you yet. Maybe you haven't been willing or able to throw yourself at the challenge of getting better at any form of art.

There's lots of things I'd like to be good at, but I'm not. I didn't have it in me to throw myself at dance or music. I took music lessons twice in my life. Once with violin through my school, and once private piano lessons with a nice lady who taught piano in her living room. I murdered the violin. I was passable at piano. I wasn't passionate enough about either to practice frequently.

Any hope of dance or sports would have been nixed by my body. I'm flexible in the wrong ways and I have shoddy proprioception, so I would have inevitably torn something or broken something important in the process. And I didn't love either enough to sacrifice my body to them. (I love art like that and I am so careful of my hands and wrists and shoulders and I still have times where I can't make art or I have to make art slowly.) But I love to dance for fun, just for myself.

I'm an amateur chef and baker. I have a bare minimum of skill in sewing. I dabbled in making websites but coding gives me a headache. I love so many kinds of science and still do, but got burned out on trying to get my math to the necessary levels. I love history, but if you ask me to write a proper research paper I will probably cry from academic burnout but I will ramble about history if you give me an opening. I am frankly shite at any sport that involves running and the only sport I ever daydreamed about getting good at was archery. I love playing video games, but I despite the many many hours I have put into some games, I always play on easy mode and have no interest in Getting Good because that's not fun for me. I can't sing, I can't dance, and my acting skills are rusty at best. I used to do whatever theatre I could. I took theatre electives 3 years in a row in school and did summer school one year to make room for theatre. I sang and danced badly as required. I'm naturally shy, but I liked acting. A lot. But I didn't like it as much as I liked drawing and painting and digital art. I didn't want to throw myself into the grind to try to make acting work for me and I decided I didn't even want to devote my time to local theatre. It took so many hours that I would rather spend on art. But I exercise my dormant theatre kid muscles by DMing D&D when I can cram that into my schedule, lmao.

I am bad at so many things that I enjoy doing and I still enjoy doing them. Doing the thing is what's fun and fulfilling.

So when folks claim they need AI so they can make art, I'm kinda flummoxed, but that seems like you're letting the AI do the fun part, the important part, the part where the art is actually made. Do you actually like art? Do you actually want to make art?

Why are you so embarrassed and ashamed of not having professional level skills in something you never put professional level effort into? Look at all those things I'm shit at! There are professionals I can and will pay for if I need a thing professionally done with professional skill. But messing around with food, with learning, with video games, with theatre and improv skills, and making all sorts of things in areas of art and crafting that are not my focus? These are my side projects. My fun times with friends. They don't need to be good, just pleasing to do.

Why do you hold art to a different standard? Why is art all about the finished product's value in someone else's eyes and not the experience you have in making it?

[fernacular]

pls talk more abt the stupid art trend of only drawing neutral faced white women no matter what its something that has been eating away at me as i see the community of artists growing ever more. it frustrates me so much cause like??? is that really the extent of your creativity? some... nameless attractive woman?

I'm really not an art historian or even an extremely analytical person, so take all I'm about to say with a grain of salt, it truly is just my off-the-cuff assumptions.

First of all I wanna clarify I don't think painting a pretty girl for the sake of painting a pretty girl is inherently creatively bankrupt, I'd be a hypocrite if I said that. Plus there are many many examples of artists having a POINT when choosing that subject matter and I don't wanna be throwing them under the bus. If you know a Pretty Girl(tm) piece of art that you think actually has a message that is enhanced by the usage of that sort of face, assume I'm not talking about them.

What really bugs me is the sheer prevalence of it EVERYWHERE and how incredibly unexamined it often gets from both the artists themselves and the audience observing.

because here's the thing, I'm pretty sure I know why they're choosing a perfume-ad-type woman as their subject. Over a very very long time that specific type of face has become the Neutral Beautiful Subject in art. A: it's a human face, which our monkey brains immediately respond to. Humans see a human face, we instinctual pay attention, that's just kinda how we work. B: it's a young unblemished face with no indications of personality or personal agency or identity that could impact the viewer's attraction, and it is assumed the viewer finds the face attractive. C: It's a white feminine face/form that has an extremely long and complicated history that I won't be able to adequately layout here (again, not a historian) but is firmly entrenched in western society as being, of all the bodies, the most synonymous with beauty and art.

So from the artist's perspective, this is a very very useful subject matter because we, as an audience, have been trained not to read into it as the Neutral Beautiful Subject Matter. The assumption is that we will like looking at it, but it won't distract too much from what else the artist is doing, the technical skill they're putting in or the unusual medium or whatEVER it is they wanna flex. That specific face is visual shorthand for beauty, and we're not intended to read into it beyond that.

But that's, like.... bullshit?

It's BULLshit that we are supposed to just accept that face as the neutral symbol of beauty. It's not neutral!!!! It's EXTREMELY political!!!!!! When you make that face the subject matter of your art with NO indication that we are supposed to take ANYthing else away from it, then you, as an artist, are in fact making a statement that you are seemingly completely unaware that you are making.

All SORTS of very very heavy social things go into that seemingly passive face. The dehumanization, sexualization, and commodification of women. The deification of white femininity. The fear of age, of disability, of injury, of sexuality outside man-attracted-to-woman. The very idea that all of this could in any way, in any universe, be considered neutral.

And I don't think all the artists who create using this kind of face are rubbing their hands together going "nyehehehe, today I will support a lot of heinous cultural bullshit for profit nyehehehehe" Most of them just aren't looking at it past face value. Again, it's a useful device. It's largely popular, it will get you views and attention and as an artist myself I fucking GET IT man. I want money too. I have rent too.

But i'm just... tired. I'm tired of it.

I'm tired of how unquestioned it gets. Of how much it's rewarded.

I don't have anything else to add, I don't know how to fix any of it, just, augh.

[getinthehandbasket]

Cross-disciplinary training for artists

My entire life I thought of myself as a writer. A nearly-failed author, because I had such a hard time writing, but a writer all the same.

I had no framework for writing anything more than drabbles or vignettes. Anything more than 2k fizzled out. Let's not even talk about papers when I was in high school and college. I thought I had to get it all out mostly-perfect all at once, the first time, and that was so overwhelming that I just.. didn't.

No one taught me about stages. No one taught me about outlining, filling in, refining, etc.

About ten years ago I decided I wanted to branch out beyond my fiber arts (a thing which I am good at) and my writing (a thing which I was not good at). I decided to learn how to paint, how to do multimedia art journaling, how to draw, how to do anything as a visual (but not digital) artist because I like making things.

The thing that surprised me the most was this: artists work in layers. The first few - hell, sometimes even the first MANY - layers are foundations. Underpaintings. Sketches. Blobs of color. Things that look nothing like what the final will be. Art is built up in layers, even fiber arts. All art, I have found, is made of layers and stages.

Now I'm back to writing. I write fanfic. I am now writing it using a "layering" strategy.

I laid out a very VERY vague timeline, and a few notes about a couple of scenes that made me want to write the fic to give those scenes a home.

Then I started noting down beats, and assigning them to different spots in my timeline. Now I had an actual outline.

NOW I'm filling in the outline with scenes. They're not necessarily good. Sometimes it's just a sentence or two saying something like "first threesome here" or "X goes to Y's house to hang out - reason??". Sometimes it's a 2k scene where I meant to do one thing and the characters decided to flirt prematurely instead. I'm not even writing in the perspective (or possibly the tense) I plan to use in the final. I'm currently writing everything from a 3rd person present-tense somewhat omnicient POV. The final fic will have first-person probably present-tense limited omniscience POV, bouncing between my MCs as the POV character.

I'm not even calling it my first draft. To keep that pressure off of myself, it's entirely within a "planning document" and I'm informally calling it my 0 Draft. I'm just telling myself the story, and not necessarily in order.

When I'm done with it, I will open up a new document and start retyping everything, editing in the process, rewriting a bunch of stuff, changing to the correct tense/POV, etc. That will be my first draft, because for some reason (*cough* bad English teachers who thought they weren't the ones responsible for teaching their students how to write essays, papers, or anything else, who required us to turn in "first drafts" of our papers basically for copyediting and that's it *cough*) I have it drilled into my head that a First Draft must be complete and ready to be copyedited. A First Draft can be a shitty draft, sure, but in my head it also had to be nearly the final form. So now I'm calling what most people would call their 1st Draft my 0 Draft.

And once I am done with my "1st Draft" (which is really my 2nd), THEN I will retype it one more time to catch any spelling or grammar or plothole mistakes. That's the version I will have betas read for last-minute checks, and that's the version I will post.

TL;DR - setting writing down for a while and learning other artistic disciplines, even if I nowhere near mastered them, has granted me so much insight into a better way to write. It's given me joy instead of anxiety in my most treasured creative hobby.

I'm not even halfway through telling myself the story and I'm already 13.5k in. After cutting some of my darlings out and moving them to a different doc.

"Cross-training" makes everything easier.

[neurotheascars]

I think other vision impaired people need to understand that the fear of loosing your vision is not always "hey blind person, your life is a nightmare to me."

A lot of times it's really seriously, honestly, "I am not ready for the major adjustment it will take to live my life blind" and it's spoken by someone that has a hidden good reason to worry.

It's "If I lost the ability to see, I would lose a lot of things that are extremely important to the enjoyment of my life"

The "I would commit die if I became blind" is not "I'd kill myself if I was you" it's "I am not as strong as you and my life is more easily ruined by such things"

You don't have to, as a blind person who is totally ok with being blind, insert yourself into this worry because vision impairment affects everyone differently. Some of us have preexisting conditions that make life untenable should we lose vision.

The assumption it takes to twist "I worry about being able to function if this happened to me" into "I think your life is a nightmare" very much feels like inserting yourself into that persons perspective on their own life, when you could think about how being well adjusted to being vision impaired is a privilege unto itself. You could also be the one that dashes that fear by talking about something you had difficulty with that became easy.

Consider also whether your experience with blindness is innate because you were born with it. because it certainly does make a very big difference If you didn't have to suddenly drop everything in your life and readjust to a different one after becoming blind. It's not a nightmare to you when it very well could be for someone else and you really shouldn't talk over those people.

Like the context is super important here.

The people you are mad at are the able-bodied folk giving you unsolicited opinions directly to you about what your life would be like for them, not people who are speaking about a fear they have on their own and not talking directly to you.

If we are allowed to mourn and fear a loss of ability then why does that stop at vision impairment. Why does "you don't have to like your disability" stop here. If I don't have to love my disability then let me say I hate my vision impairment! Let me say it would ruin my life if it got worse!!

I'm not saying your blind life sucks, I'm saying MY life will suck if I completely loose my vision. Just because you can manage doesn't mean everyone will. Its actually really fucking belittling how much y'all talk about how insulting it is to hear how people can't deal with what you're oh so used to.

I'm autistic and I stim visually. I am allowed to think a life without being able to stim is a bad one for me. I'm allowed to regard visual input as the most important thing in my life.

My system is a professional artist. I'm allowed to say that blindness would destroy my life as I know it and I would have to build a new one from the ground up. I'm fast losing acuity even though I can probably see more colors than most people. Colors are my God and I seriously would have a mental health crisis if something were to take color away from my life. I'm allowed to say these things without people thinking I'm talking about how their life sucks.

This is a post made by someone with legal blindness and deteriorating vision. I will block the fuck out of you if you take this post in bad faith and misinterpret what I'm saying in a mean way.

[mistchievous]

Not the same anon as before, but it's been very disturbing to see a group of white people in fandom dogpile on an artist of Korean descent who lives in Korea, especially when that artist does not speak English and is obviously struggling with expressing their views in a way that might make sense to *us*. The style the artist used, even if they didn't explain it, is a very obvious East Asian style which is very popular in Koren and Japanese cultures. I looked at the artist's blog, and even if they didn't explain it in the DMs—for whatever reason—they *have*, in a subsequent post yesterday, explained their perspective as a Korean person while making this art, and I think it's extremely unfair to exclude that part of the context while talking about this. Like...idk it just feels like you guys didn't like the answer they gave or the way they answered (again! they're not a native speaker and you need to give them more grace!) so everyone has just come to this conclusion that they're a terrible person automatically. And while you personally might not have done this, I have seen other blogs—all white people—act like a bunch of bullies about it and it's super frustrating.

This fandom does have a problem with whitewashing—gifmakers do it all the time while coloring their sets! Or they make the characters of color look super unnatural because they refuse to adjust their PSDs for their skin tones! And yet I have never seen anyone call out any of the gifmakers who've done this in the past, let alone dogpile on them to such an extreme—like y'all are doing on this Korean artist. Idk. I'm Asian too, and it's super disturbing to watch.

Hey, anon. I saw this ask last night in the jungle that is my inbox, but I wanted to wait until I was awake and aware enough to answer it (and didn’t really need to go back to sleep because of work).

The only thing I would push back on here is that it’s just a group of white people dogpiling. It was not all white people speaking. They’re just the voices that ended up on that artist’s blog and got the most attention – that includes my own. Because of that, I can see why it might be perceived that way though. And I pushed people not to interact with them or the art, because that’s how you make a difference. You don’t give something attention. The lack of engagement is a stance in and of itself. The goal was certainly never for this person to be attacked, so if that’s what you’re implying has happened, that’s a problem. And that’s on me for not being more careful.

I’ve had people who appreciated the fact that I spoke up, but there have been others, like yourself, who don’t like what’s happening, and an even wider group who thought that while there was something to be said, they’re not sure I should have said it. The response has been very multi-sided. And I do believe that you and everyone else who thinks I veered too far out of my own lane are very valid in thinking that way. I spent all of yesterday debating about whether or not I made the right decision, and I had friends both white and non-white who weren’t sure either.

It also seems there have been some gross communication failures. I’ll start off by saying that I did not see the culture post. I’m blocked by the artist (fairly), so I had a friend send me screenshots this morning. I wasn’t purposely disregarding that, and you’re right that it’s important to take into consideration.

I do think there’s never going to be agreement with this person regarding Jee’s skin tone. They have the perceptions that they have because of their experience as Korean artist living in Korea, and they see Jee as being lighter than even JLH visually and because of their cultural experiences. I do not believe that's likely to change.

I’m not saying Asian people can’t be light-skinned, but this artist is drawing a character played by two very real little girls, who are not universally perceived as light-skinned, and from our general understanding, are not Korean. Their mother is Chinese, and their father has a traditional Chinese surname which leads us to believe that he is likely Chinese as well. If this is incorrect, please correct me. And when you’re making art of real people, you can’t just use your previous perceptions of a fictional character’s identity to justify coloring them differently. And they’re using gifs to defend those perceptions. Gifs are something that you and I both know aren’t trusted references. They’re colored and altered in a variety of ways.

You’re right that gifmakers whitewash regularly. I will say that people have tried to call this out in the past, but they’ve been general posts from what I remember. Nothing about individual gifmakers. It’s been a huge problem with Eddie and with turning Athena and Karen orange. However, these general callouts don’t really get a lot of traction. And that’s extremely unfair.

I’ll be blunt and say that part of that is the fact that people tend to turn a blind eye to keep the peace, and the people in this fandom who noticed this artist’s work are the ones least likely to do so.

Another issue were the DMs, and it’s been brought to my attention by @karenandhenwillson (who I will respond to after this) and in a post by the artist, that I may have misinterpreted those completely, which is unfair of me (and anyone else who has seen the messages and come to the same conclusion). There wasn’t enough patience with someone who was a non-native English speaker, and that led to some confusion that I’m going to address when I respond to the blog I just mentioned.

The fact of the matter though is that I'm white, and I'm wading into murky waters by continuing to engage on this subject. I've turned off reblogs on my original post, and after my next response about the communication meltdown, I'm going to edit it and make another clarifying that people should read the artist's posts and my previous posts to understand their position and everything that's happened.

I don't think it's fair for me to continue to place myself in a discussion I might not have had the right to be in at all, but I'm not going to leave without publicly acknowledging the communication issue because it matters and telling people not to attack this artist. That's cowardly and not really my style.

Thank you again for this message. I really do welcome people coming to talk to me.

[oblexoidbriar]

Metal Madness AU Lore dump

it’s just essentially a bunch of what-ifs smooshed together (i’m just describing what an AU is haha) coupled with a bad ending premise.

For those that don’t want spoilers- long story short, Bunk Bed Junction became the big bad after some events and now they rule the city (or what remains of the city) and they’re all edgy and stuff.

I hc that all genres of music can become “corrupted” or used for evil, EDM or Rock or any musician can be corrupted regardless.

In my headcanoned NSR, magic/power can be harnessed in two ways- Natural abilities (the stuff that people just kinda have from birth) and magic harnessed through creative passion (music, art, all the stuff with creativity involved). For music, you need three components: Passion, Fan Power, and well, how well the music is. The better the music, the more powerful it is. Genre is somewhat of a factor as well (mainly minor tweaks like “oh well rock is more on attack than for example, lo-fi which is defensive and support”).

But a musician can be corrupted when they harness Hatred, and Fear. Twisting their abilities to hurt others around them and even themselves unintentionally at points. While it does make their music more powerful by a lot, it comes at very very high prices. It changes them as a person. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, after all.  

Though now I think Madness wouldn’t be a good term for what May and Zuke are experiencing, more of a corruption- but Metal Corruption wouldn’t sound as good as Metal Madness. So in this AU, Madness = Corruption. Not Insanity or any pretty awful “ooh i’m goin insane n evil” tropes like that as this corruption is more of an entity possessing them and the duo succumbing and listening to this entity as their personalities and beliefs are being affected supernaturally. There are auditory and visual hallucinations induced by this entity to further coerce them into making bad decisions and further losing themselves.

By the way, please let me know if I’m writing anything not very good from a different standpoint/perspective, I want to write a story that involves corruption and making bad decisions as this is a bad ending, but I want to avoid things such as the Insanity trope or villainizing people who experience such things like hallucinations! I'm open to taking suggestions for a new name and for how better to write this AU while keeping all the important plot points and some of the vibe. I'm researching things as best I can so it can be enjoyed by everyone. Of course I know I can't please everyone, but constructive criticism will still help me out in the long run!

Now for the premise/lore that is full of SPOILERS!

After Tatiana was defeated, Mayday learned the truth: That the person making the shots against all the indie artists in Vinyl City is actually her idol- Kul Fyra. But instead of a funny gag we get in game, Mayday is overcome with rage and attacks Tatiana, forcing her to flee- with the legendary guitar. (that'll be a special thing we'll talk about later)

So Kliff and Tatiana don't get to have their little spat in front of May and Zuke, which means May and Zuke don't realize that Kliff has just been using them this entire time. They take their rightful place as Queen and King of Vinyl City.

They're..not very good at the whole running a city thing just yet, but they're at least trying at this point in time. The stress is kind of getting to them so they're relying on Kliff more to ease the load which means they're a lot more dependent on him.

But, of course, as Tatiana predicted, EDM supporters, plus NSR Charters did fight back to claim back the city. And when Tatiana mentioned that Bunk Bed Junction wouldn't stand a chance when they're at a level playing field, oh boy does she mean it. Imagine having to juggle all the charters in one fight.

Kliff, in what he'd call a "moment of genius", recommended B2J to..switch up the genre. With Metal, which would be easy to transition to considering B2J's genre of Rock, and it gives them a significant power boost.

It all went fine at first, the music just giving them an advantage, and they beat the charters one by one like before. But..when it came to Tatiana, Mayday was immediately getting corrupted due to her hatred and feelings of betrayal. Tatiana was defeated, again, but was injured greatly.

The win certainly changed Vinyl City, and Bunk Bed Junction..as now, Mayday had other plans. She was gonna allow EDM to keep on thriving, but..she decided, if they're just gonna make another uprising, why not give them a taste of their own medicine? She banned EDM entirely.

While ruling the city from there on afterwards, the duo began to slowly get corrupted, even kicking out Kliff from Vinyl City after an argument over power distribution. They ruled the city however they pleased, and their sense of justice twisted. They still had good intentions, and believed they were "helping" the city but did more bad than good.

And that's where the story leaves off~ Current day of the duo still ruling, but who knows? Things might change.

[void-inked-pen]

hi! i saw your critique of tmnt 2012 and i was wondering where you got your info? or where i could learn more ig

sorry im just really curious!

There's no problem in asking!

a lot of my info comes from my own personal experience and understanding of martial arts! I started practicing the bo staff and learned some of the basics but also I was a black belt in tae kwon do!

Studying fighting styles and martial arts in general is not only a personal passion of mine but is also a part of my career as an action board artist. Watching tournaments and listening to fellow martial artists as well as how other people portray this information in media is a fun study along with psychology for me.

As an animator, when I made those critiques about how the characters fight, it was out of person frustration with the incorrect representation and also using gimmicks of fighting that aren't... useful. ever. (I will forever hate 2012 donnie being portrayed as weak when his weapon is a staple of martial arts FOR A REASON!!) but I also want to point out that they made that show in a time when more action-oriented shows were starting to gain attention. Anime helped influence a lot of 2012's mannerisms but because the show was done in 3D, that creates a LOT of limitations.

Most of my knowledge on the subject is from self-studying for YEARS, personal training with a master, and my job. I know quite a few martial artists who watched 2012 actually reached out to me in shock that they always felt the action in the show was a bit off and didn't realize until I pointed out the flaws. You don't always see this sort of thing a lot of the time but when a nerd who focuses a lot of their brain on action (like me) comes around and points it out, it can help you process what's going on and WHY something doesn't work.

when it comes to studying action, I would suggest watching your favorite action movies and figure out why something did or didn't work from a narrative or visual perspective. A great example of some of the best action I've seen in a directed movie, is Jackie Chan's movies. He, himself, is a martial artist and for most of those movies he directed them HIMSELF. the reason why avatar the last airbenders action was so good is because they had a professional martial artist on set, 24/7, helping them with moves and directing the board artists. I'm gonna leave two videos I HIGHLY recommend you watch if you wanna understand this stuff more in depth, there's a ton of stuff about action and what works and doesn't in a cartoon or show that is so important to my specific craft~

Hope this helps some!!

(sorry for the long post jsdhfjskd im very passionate about action~)

and thank you for the question!! I would love to talk action more with you guys~ so long as you ask legit questions and are not rude, I will answer them to the best of my ability :3

-Pen

[dirty-xenobladeconfessions]

Admin L's thoughts on xb3 so far:

I know the other two admins are of opposite opinions so i'll try to come from a slightly more objective perspective. I have learned that by watching cutscenes alone, we are missing about half of the story because a lot of the dialogue is imbedded in text boxes as you travel. I think this game is similar to X in that it is carried by its gameplay experience and not its story, and am giving people the benefit of the doubt because being immersed in the world endears it to you regardless of any garbage surrounding it. That's part of why I enjoy L! Despite contributing nothing to the plot in XBCX, he saved my life countless times on the battlefield, and that's an experience I'm not going to have watching cutscenes alone.

I don't have the money or patience to play Xb3 myself, especially knowing how many dry cutscenes I must sit through before anything happens. If anything even happens. The story to me is incredibly boring. We've had to watch it at x2 speed and it's STILL too slow for me because it is a lot of uninspired fight sequences and faction talk. And because i'm missing half of the character interaction, I can't be bothered to care during their lighthearted moments either. Meanwhile the villain designs are atrocious so I can't take any of them seriously. Especially J who we just got to… he's 5 foot nothing, wearing a clown outfit with his whole ass out talking about "quivering with excitement" at the prospect of doing evil like… I can't do this dude

Personally I think if the cutscenes cannot hold their own, then it's not a good story. However, perhaps the full game is a good experience. I'm not going to find out.

For me, the artistic elements of a game are the most important factors for my enjoyment, and there is little I enjoy there. I hate the new lifeless anime style they've chosen to go forward with, but that's old news. Most of all I hate how they cut the culture and uniqueness out of the Machina to make them conventionally attractive. For me, the story drags on, the pre-rendered cutscenes lack the dynamic camera shot work of the original, the music packs little punch, the character designs are largely uninspired. (I like Sena's design at least!) Even the landscapes xenoblade is known for are not very visually distinct in the cutscenes. So far it all feels like a lot of franchise callbacks, visual flashiness with the mechs and flute scenes, and trying to wring heavy emotions out of a dry towel for the easily swayed, in order to make up for subpar writing. But this is all a matter of personal taste. Some people enjoy or will excuse this kinda stuff. That's fine. I don't.

I can say most of this about both 2 and X as well! This series is devoid of the charm and heart and the good limitations that the original xenoblade was built with, flawed as it may be.

All this is to say: I understand why people come to enjoy xenoblade 3, and if I actually played it, some of the characters and world might really grow on me! But as is, I personally find it is lacking in a lot more areas than people are willing to admit. I wish the story -- the driving force of the game -- didn't drag so much so I could actually watch it without feeling like I'm wasting my time. :[

[anyasmcm]

October 30th - November 6th research

Observational Research:

This week was incredibly productive for me. I looked at the sources provided at the end of my Capstone presentation, and I will be honest that quite a few of the references don't really reflect my current interests and ideas (lots of interspecies communication references, but not a whole lot on communication). My main inspiration for this week of work was the modern urban ghillie suit video as well as speaking with Jeff. He told me to just dive into the world of text, and this idea blossomed from a combination of the two.

Some artists that Jeff told me to look at are:

Laura Lee (p5.js creator) Fluxus art movement Laurence Weiner jenny Holtzer Printed Matter Janna Cartith

The Fluxus movement really appeals to me for the presence of the artist in the piece, or there being an obvious presence or message behind the piece. I also love how crazy and wacky some of the performances/pieces are, such as the pieces in this article.

Active Research:

I started to think a lot about my work discussing the factors that change perspective. I'm really attracted to the idea of a veil, or something that conceals the person having the conversation. This reminded me of this video I saw a couple weeks ago of a modern urban ghillie suit that is made of trash. I think ghillie suits are such a unique concept, the entire body is consumed by a pattern and/or texture to better blend into the environment. What would that suit look like if it was consumed by the invisible language of our communication? I started to hyper fixate on this idea and played around with what that would even look like.

I drew this base model so I could visualize the figure in relation to how the suit would fit, but I realized that the figure would quickly become consumed:

But the suit would be made of words layered one on top of the other, to create this really confusing but visually stimulating texture.

I then wanted to think about what this would look like in a gallery/exhibit setting, and I came up with this simple sketch:

The person in the suit, likely me, would be seated in a chair, waiting for people to approach so a veil on the suit can be lifted over their head and they too become consumed by the ghillie suit. Once under the ghillie suit, we would then engage in a conversation, though I am not sure what that would entail.

There are a lot of unknowns with this idea: for example, what significance will the words have? I turned to ChatGPT to help me determine whether AI is a plausible use for this idea. I realized being as specific as possible was the best way to get ChatGPT to write a somewhat human interaction, so I tried roleplaying to see what conversation would come from flirting and chatting with ChatGPT. It didn't really go well, as shown from the screenshot below:

I've been thinking about different forms of communication: texting, in-person communication, and talking through the phone. I think texting is really unique because its a recorded, personal conversation between two people that is informal but also extremely personal. I'm still trying to decide if I want to focus on texting or verbal communication, but at the moment I am leaning towards texting.

So I decided to write a prompt based on two people: one modeled after myself and one modeled after my friend. I then asked ChatGPT to continue the conversation in various ways, and it resembled a somewhat human conversation-- but very clearly written by someone who is not aware of modern lingo or slang that then makes it very clear it is written by an AI.

Here is the prompt used for this convo:

Write a progression of text messages between A, a 19 year old pansexual woman, and B, a 21 year old lesbian woman. A enjoys country music, McDonalds, sleeping, working out, nature, and the beach. A is captivating, fascinating, attractive, forward, and short-spoken. B enjoys soccer, working out, art, video games, and R&B music. B is caring, descriptive, attentive, and long-spoken.

Here is that convo:

A: Hey, B. 😊

B: Hey there! How's your day going?

A: Not too bad. Just jamming to some country tunes and thinking about a McDonald's run. 😋

B: Haha, sounds fun! I'm working out right now, trying to stay fit. What's your fav country song?

A: "Wagon Wheel" for sure! It's a classic. 💃

B: Nice choice! I'm more into R&B, but I can appreciate some good country now and then. What's your workout routine like?

A: I hit the gym a few times a week. Love staying active. What about you, soccer fan? ⚽

B: Yeah, soccer is my jam! Playing it now and then keeps me in shape. 😅

A: That's cool. You're into art, right? Tell me more about that.

B: Yeah, I love painting and drawing. I find it really therapeutic. I'm working on a landscape piece right now, inspired by nature.

A: Nature is beautiful. I adore the beach. Any favorite beach spots?

B: Definitely! There's this amazing beach I visit whenever I can. The sound of the waves is so calming.

A: Yeah, the beach is my happy place. It's like an escape. 😌

B: We have that in common! 😊

A: Hey, B, you know you're pretty captivating to talk to. 😉

B: Aww, thank you! You're fascinating as well, and I'm enjoying our conversation. 🌟

A: Thanks, you're pretty attractive too. 😏

B: Haha, smooth move, A. But I appreciate the compliment. 😄

A: Just being forward. Life's too short, right? 🤷‍♀️

B: Absolutely, honesty is the best policy! So, what else are you up to today?

A: Honestly, just daydreaming about the beach right now. Wish I could be there.

B: I totally get that feeling. The beach has a way of making everything better.

A: It's like a remedy for everything. 😌

B: Couldn't agree more. By the way, I also enjoy video games. Do you play any?

A: Not really, but I'd love to learn if you're up for it.

B: That could be a lot of fun! We should plan a gaming session sometime. What kind of games are you interested in?

A: Surprise me with something fun, and I'm in. 😁

B: Sounds like a plan! We'll find something you'll enjoy.

A: Looking forward to it. You make everything sound exciting, B. 💫

B: You're so sweet, A. I'm really enjoying our chat. Anything else you'd like to know about me?

A: I'd love to hear more about your favorite R&B songs or artists.

B: Oh, where do I start? Let me list a few of my all-time favorites for you...

A: Wow, that's quite a list! I'll have to check those out. 😊

B: Absolutely, you won't be disappointed. Music is such a big part of my life. How about you? Any favorite country songs I should know about?

A: Well, besides "Wagon Wheel," I'm a fan of "Tennessee Whiskey" and "Girl Crush." They hit me right in the feels. 🎶

B: Those are some good choices! I'll give them a listen. Music is so powerful; it can transport you to different places and emotions.

A: So true, just like the beach does. It's like a never-ending vacation. 🏖️

B: Haha, I'd love to go on a beach vacation someday. It's on my bucket list.

A: We should make that happen sometime, B. What's your dream beach destination?

B: Definitely Bora Bora, those overwater bungalows look amazing. What about you?

A: Bora Bora sounds incredible! I've always dreamed of visiting the Maldives. It's like a paradise on Earth.

B: Oh, the Maldives is stunning. We're dreaming big, A. Maybe one day we'll make these dreams a reality. 🌴✈️

A: I like the sound of that. 🤞

B: Me too, A. This has been a great conversation. I'm really glad we connected. 😊

A: Likewise, B. You're an amazing person. Can't wait for more chats and maybe even that beach vacation. 😉🌞

B: The feeling is mutual, A. Let's keep these chats going and work towards making that dream come true. 💖

I find it hilarious that ChatGPT knows emojis are part of modern texting language, but isn't aware of abbreviations like hru? or hbu? that are super common in the modern texting language. It could be that I needed to be more specific with my prompt, but I'm not 100% sure.

I plan to go to Printed Matter later this week to explore text in different forms as recommended by Jeff, and he also referenced some great artists that I will look into this upcoming week so I can be engulfed in research for the first part of the week (similar to this past week) and then work off of that research.

[airoarts]

Not the anon — But their advice isn’t out of touch with information I’ve heard from people who verifiably need image descriptions, though there’s disagreement about exactly how short descs should be. alt text is not dissimilar from poetry—we have to make decisions about what to describe and when. there are benefits and drawbacks to each approach. one might win in the end, but there will always be room for variation.

i don’t think it should matter whether the anon is visually impaired or not. if we reject reasonable advice just because it didn’t come straight from the mouths of the most affected, we prevent allyship and solidarity. people who need image descriptions are the authorities in this discussion, but given the variety of opinions, it’s also necessary for seeing people to draw their own conclusions, which synthesizes their perspective with others’ perspectives.

A seeing person who dislikes long descriptions will likely agree with the visually impaired people who also dislike them, but that doesn’t nullify the validity of their opinion—it just means we should investigate further.

personally, I have one summarizing sentence at the beginning of my desc and then add subsequent info to paint a more elaborate scene, because screen reader users can exit the desc when they’ve heard enough.

the rising popularity of image description will also create more diversity in style, which will create more disagreement. the discussions that arise from this will help develop the craft. however you decide to write your descriptions, you’re working toward a more accessible internet, and that’s much appreciated. thank you.

I do largely agree with this and like.. this should be very obvious given the fact that i'm a visual artist but I am in fact a seeing person, and i am relatively new to describing images, and am struggling to find the right sort of balance in terms of describing something accurately and not boring people to death with over-detailing, particularly because a TTS thing talking at you will take longer than a seeing person reading a caption. i think the major thing to note here is that this is an art blog, i draw shit by hand, and every detail is intentionally put there, so image descriptions will just... be longer than normal as i try to note anything that might be important to understand the art. you can see that in the sexyman fusion drawing, because there are a lot of details in the design and they all mean something because they are references to the like, 11 characters it's made out of

things i worry about are posts with multiple images with quite a bit of detail, and i do wonder if it would be better to post art individually with image descriptions in mind, because accurately describing multiple pieces of artwork without being long as hell is... very tough

i will continue to try to work better at making image descriptions. much to think about.

[happysmilebtr]

(1/2) hi anna! just wanted to drop by and (sort of) introduce myself - i'm your caratblr gift exchange person! i hope you're doing well and that you've had a good weekend so far. :) to get some ideas on my end, i wanted to ask you about a few things: when it comes to "vibes," are you interested in something more "visual" (think: photoshoots, mvs, stages) or would you prefer a focus on some of the friendships you listed, like member dynamics? (!! one more question incoming!!)

(2/2) my other question, which might be kind of broad; what do you like about the members you listed as biases? what draws you to scoups, mingyu, seungkwan, and jun (visually, personality-wise, etc) and the same question for the relationship dynamics: what do you like about mingyu & seungkwan's friendship, or hoshi & woozi's, or the group's? sorry if it sounds like i want you to write an essay - i'm just really curious and would love to hear what makes them special to you. :')

Hi, hi my secret carat bean!! Sorry for the lateness of this ask, I just got home from work!

Such a very curious one you are fnsjdjs but vibes can mean really anything! It could be the simple mv aesthetics or from photoshoots or whatever you wanna come up with! I love seeing peoples perspective on stuff like this ya know? As for what draws to me to each member welpPPp

-scoups because I just adore how one minute he can be just pouty over the fact someone used his full name before then you see him body throwing some of the members and going "yepp i felt that" lmao. Jokes aside. Cheol is really just a lovely soul! I love his lil giggles or his smile. The way he dotes and truly cares of his members despite it all. He truly made sure the members were taken care well, that they weren't screwed over from pledis (he went to meetings ALWAYS. Idk if he still does that though) and despite he is the youngest of his family and we do see that "maknae" side as he interacts with the members, he is a wonderful leader and makes sure each member is heard. Like he takes the back seat in interviews and just eyes the group before popping up and sometimes letting the more quiet members speak. He's a noob as well but he's cute

-seungkwan oh my lordy that is my signature crossiant boy. That is my emotional support boy if I need a pick me up. He was a creeper bias as I dub them. Ones that you DO NOT expect to become a bias but suddenly do lmao. I was of course aware of him but next thing I knew, he popped up as a bias out of the blue and it was nice getting to know him more. Knowing how much he values and loves his sisters and mom. How he went to producers for variety shows to ask them to invite svt (which worked out bc homeboy is friends with everyone in the industry lmao). How yes he is the super funny memeber but he is more than just that. An artist that wants to improve his craft, we won't talk about his vocal talents because I can be here all day.

-mingyu is the classic member that im like "yeah maybe I can be delulu for a bit xD" he is legit a person I feel like I would enjoy being friends with if I ever met him. Very much can see him bugging me and making fun of my shrot height but tis fine. That means he could be my irl stepping stool so I can reach high places haha. He is attractive sure but the fact he has more left feet than my clumsy butt does is hilarious to me. Outside of that, while he isn't the strongest say rapper within svt I like his lyrics like in game boi he ain't a video game player but the lyrics sound so natural it doesn't make you question it if you are someone who plays video games. I love his personality as well like how can you not fall for this giant 6 foot tall doggo boy fjsjdj.

-jun is a recent addition and idk why but here he is. I wanna keep him in my pocket at all times (despite him being like close in height with mingyu) like I think we all need a personal mini jun to keep our life happy ya know? From his chaotic wild self with his hot dog machine or his big brain 1 + 1 moments to his beautiful song writing lyrics or watching him dance. He isn't the smoothest dancer per se but he is hypnotizing for a reason (limbo is a perfect song for this or watch a wave performance!)

And as for those dynamics. Mingyu x seungkwan just make me laugh so much idk why, it reminds me of a friendship I have with my guy friend at times and it feels familiar. Its always fun to see seungkwan about to throw a shoe at hoshi and mingyu is there to hold him back while woozi and hoshi are wholesome. Sure, woozi may LOOK annoyed and done with him (see his anti tiger agenda or him being ??? At the studio one time when hoshi asked to make him a song beat and help with autotune) but he happily still does it. He will.mumble and complain but he will still do it. He loves all of his members (circles anyone?) That is a fact but him and hoshi have this kind of bond that is akin to friendship that has lasted for 50 years at least to me

I hope that answered your questions ^_^

[muldxr]

Hey Laur 💕 Just wanted to say happy disability pride month and happy 32 to the ADA! Thank you for trying to raise awareness! If you're feeling up for it, would you like to share some disabled artists or advocates that we should know more about? As a designer I'm always striving towards more accessible and inclusive works and try to continously educate myself, clients and interns/students, so I am always grateful for new perspectives! Thank you and sending so much love your way 🤟

Hi, of course! We celebrate disability pride year round! (alternatively: I'm posting this ask outside of July because I wanted to put together an intensive list)

[ Disabled Artists/Creators: ]

Christine Sun Kim (Korean-American deaf woman. she works as a sound artist and has done a Ted Talk. her art famously depicts issues between the hearing and deaf worlds)

Lachi (black blind woman. singer and advocate for accessibility and visibility in the music industry. she has a youtube series documenting her journey.)

Troy Kotsur (white deaf man. long-time actor respected by the Deaf community who finally got his mainstream recognition through CODA, now trying to break through in activism)

Youmee Lee (Korean-American deaf woman. an artist w/ many medias such as animation, clay, painting, and digital art.)

Donald Rodney (black disabled artist who passed away in 1998 from sickle cell anemia. his art heavily centered around his experience being ill, alongside other topics such as racism, inequality, and bodily autonomy.)

Sam Slupski (white, chronically ill, non-binary writer and content creator. they discuss their experience with OCD, chronic illness, their gender journey, and is otherwise a very calming lifestyle blog!)

Chuck Close (white disabled artist with dyslexia, prosopagnosia, and paralysis. his work focused on abstract photorealist portraits of people.)

MANY MORE: Raul Pizarro (visual artist w/ muscular dystrophy), Mari Katayama (multimedia artist and amputee), Phelan Conheady (deaf content creator), Christy Brown (artist and writer w/ cerebral palsy), Riva Lehrer (painter and writer w/ spina bifida), Meeya Tjiang (deaf digital artist and designer), Keith Salmon (blind landscape artist), Nabil Shaban (actor and activist w/ ostogenesis imperfecta), Frida Kahlo (painter w/ chronic pain and spinal injury). Even more here!

[ Disabled Activists: ]

Judith Heumann (white Jewish disabled woman. wheelchair user. activist, author. if you know disability history, she's been around since the civil rights movement.)

Ebony R. Gooden (black deaf woman. frequently discusses her intersectional experience and boosts other black creators.)

Sarah A. Young Bear-Brown (Meskwaki deaf woman. advocate for deaf indigenous rights. link is to her twitter. she also frequently creates facebook vlogs and has a shop.)

Alice Wong (AAPI disabled woman. wheelchair user. activist, public speaker, author. founder of the Disability Visibility project.)

Quinns_quirks on twitter (AAPI non-binary neurodivergent deaf adoptee. shares their experiences about being a transracial adoptee and its impact on their life, as well as other topics.)

Sukhjeen Kaur (chronically ill activist in South India, founder of a startup called Chronically Brown.)

MANY MORE: Chella Man (deaf creator), Madison Russell (queer wheelchair user), Riah Person (autistic advocate), Victor Pineda (activist and consultant w/ muscular dystrophy), Jules Dameron (deaf queer filmmaker), Javed Abidi (activist for disabled employment), Aaron Rose Philip (disabled model), Haben Girma (deafblind lawyer and author), Molly Burke (blind content creator), Liam O'Dell (deaf journalist)

Final Note: If you consume any of these creators' works and find them enlightening, consider monetarily supporting them if they have direct links!

[chubbletea]

Why I think Shuichi is TRANS

I don't believe Shuichi is trans coded, but he has many trans male attributes that I noticed and highly believe he's trans because of it

I know it's a popular-ish headcanon in the fandom, and a lot of the time I just headcanon characters as trans just because. why not

I'm also elaborating on this because I can and want to, and I would like other people to see my perspective on it

Also please don't debate with me on this unless it's a joke, since I haven't seen much of Shuichi outside of ndrv3

anyways strap in folks this is gonna be a long one

1. Feminine looks

Every afab (assigned female at birth) person tends to be described as feminine

and, especially when it comes to men, Shuichi looks very feminine, even so much to the point where a few characters thought Shuichi was a girl in the manga (see below)

Alongside the manga panels of those few characters thinking Shuichi could possibly be a girl, even the wiki says that his eyelashes are feminine, and it's not only that, he just looks feminine in general.

And I'm not saying that men can't be feminine, they can be feminine as much as they like, but it's not things that Shuichi could change that are just feminine, it's just him in general that's feminine too. As in, his body (no not genitals you dirty-minded bitch /lh)

Anyways here's some images of Shuichi incase you need reminded of visuals

(focusing on Shuichi in these pics. And no, I'm not calling Shuichi feminine for expressing emotions)

See, it isn't really as visible as it is in his sprites, but that's what I'm about to discuss

2. Baggy(-ish?) clothing

I've seen some stuff about transmasc/trans male people, and heard from them that they tend to wear baggy clothing to hide their femininity, typically their boobs but it can really be anything when it comes to baggy clothing

And you maybe be thinking- "Shuichi's clothes aren't baggy"

Well, let me show you this-

See? It's slightly big on him. Plus, he's wearing two layers; his shirt and his jacket

I've seen multiple trans boys say that they like to wear multiple layers or baggy clothing to hide their femininity, and Shuichi is doing both; wearing more than one layer and his clothing is slightly baggy

Bonus points since he rarely takes it off

Even MORE bonus points since he wears a jacket on his swimsuit sprite! (sorry for the shit quality)

3. The ahoge jokes

Okay.

You might be thinking- "It's just a joke"

Well, yes, it is so, BUT! We should still consider it for this analysis

(for those of you who don't know the joke, here it is-)

It's a design gimmick the Danganronpa artist(s) use(? Is that the right word for it?)

Shuichi's ahoge is slightly spiked, if you squint

Either way, Komaru's debut, Danganronpa Ultra Despair Girls, came out before ndrv3, and Kaede was introduced before Shuichi was as well

So do you think it's normal to switch the consistent design of the male protag's ahoge to look more like a female protag's one?? while the designers know of this change??? mmmm I'm lookin at the trans flag!!

4. Stereotypes

Well, he has two gender-aligned stereotypes that go along with him

He looks like a stereotypical tomboy

He's a little associated with the "trans male uwu soft boy" stereotype

Shuichi's only partially stereotyped with those, but I will still elaborate on them

The stereotypical tomboy look is a girl with short hair while wearing a jacket, no skirt, and usually a hat and enjoying more "masculine-aligned" activities. While I don't believe that any activities are masculine or feminine aligned, it's just what society says and we're talking stereotypes here soooooo

The second stereotype, the one about trans men, is that they're shy and "soft"

While Shuichi can speak up and get serious if he needs to, and has done so before, he tends to avoid doing so when he can, and it's clear that he's shy and a bit stuttery, which is a trans boy stereotype (the stereotypes aren't true btw they're just rude)

So!

Yeah, this is why I think Shuichi is trans

Feel free to add on if you'd like, I'd love to see more evidence! Like I said, I haven't seen much outside of ndrv3!

Also, I apologize if this is a bad analysis, I haven't done one in awhile if I have ever even made one lol

I have never elaborated so much on a headcanon good GOD *slams my head on a desk*

Reblogs appreciated!

[pascalina]

The brothers' movie

11/07/2015

They don't use the same last name, but they are siblings. Pedro Pascal (40) the Chilean actor who starred in Game of Thrones and now has a starring role in the Netflix series Narcos, uses his mother's surname because it is easier to pronounce in English. 17 years younger, Lucas Balmaceda Pascal (23), also an actor, debuted in Los 80 and today stars in the TVN series Juana Brava. Here, both talk for the first time about their relationship, their love for cinema and their mutual admiration.

José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal was born in Chile, but a few months later he had to go into exile with his parents and his older sister, Javiera, to Denmark. It was the end of 1975. Thanks to the Rockefeller scholarship granted for his father, the doctor José Balmaceda Riera, a year later they moved to the United States: first they lived in San Antonio, Texas. Life there was just beginning and it was not easy.

Seventeen years later, in 1992, Lucas Balmaceda was born in Orange County, California, into the comfort of a family that was financially in its prime. His dad was at the peak of his career: as a fertility specialist and director of one of the University of California's reproductive health centers. But suddenly they moved back to Chile when Lucas was three years old and his brother Nicolas was eight. The two older ones stayed there. Pedro was already studying drama at Orange County High School of the Arts. Then he went to New York to study theater at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

After a couple of small appearances in TV series, in 2014 he took the big leap in his career: he played Prince Oberyn in Game of Thrones, which made him world famous. Today, he has a starring role in the series Narcos. He is also filming a movie with Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe.

Fame came early for Lucas. After leaving Saint George High School in 2010, he studied theater at the Universidad Católica, and he began to shine: in year fourth, he starred in the theater play "La noche obstinada", by choreographer Pablo Rotemberg, and got a role in the successful television series Los 80 and today, in his last year, he is the co-star of Juana Brava, the new TVN nighttime series.

Scene one:

Lucas appears in Pedro's life

P: "I was 17 when Lucas was born. He was a baby when I left to go to university. I remember my first visit back and Lucas, who was not even two years old, was already the owner of the house. I remember those looks, wanting to tell me: 'I don't know who you are, but this is my house, mate.

To this day I have never seen that personality in another child. It was fascinating to see that wit in someone so small. Since he was a kid he had that fierce intelligence... The four siblings, Javiera, the eldest and the queen of the family; Nicolas, the doctor; Lucas and I are like a compact and consistent unit. I can't imagine life without them".

L: "Pedro was studying at the university in New York when I was born. When he went home for vacations to see the family, as I didn't know him, I thought: 'who is this guest, who is this weirdo who kisses my mother? She's mine!'. Back in Chile, every year Pedro came to visit us. It was the most entertaining thing in the world for me. He was much older and he would come with all the coolness, with all the culture of cinema, with horror movies that were not available here. Then we would watch them and play them out, we would do sketches. We would play that Pedro was a murderous monster and we would escape from him. We were each a character. He was very funny, he did voices, he impersonated people. He gets mad when I tell him, but I've always found that he has a Jim Carrey thing about him, he manages to make some impressive faces. When he came on, I couldn't stop watching him, he was too entertaining. We are all big movie buffs thanks to my dad. When I was three years old, he took my brothers and me to see Batman. I remember crying hysterically. I was very young, sensitive, and being in the cinema was like entering to another reality: loud noises, giant screen. I didn't understand anything.

Scene two

Transplanted

P: "What's Chilean about me and what's gringo about me is a very interesting question, because I don't think even at 40 years old I've been able to figure it out. I was raised and educated in the United States and socialized a lot with American pop culture, but Chilean pride has always been unwavering. My parents were exiled for eight years. So our visits to Chile were regular. My whole life I have lived in the United States and my whole life I have visited my relatives in Chile. However, since my siblings were raised in Chile, my connection to the country is much stronger today and it is something I am grateful for. Something that happens to me a lot is that when I say I've been in the U.S. my whole life, they say, "Well, you're a gringo then! And after a conversation in my fluent Spanish with a clear Chilean accent that same person turns around and says: I've been listening to you, you're Chilean!

L: "I am Chilean because I lived and grew up here since I was three years old, but at the same time I have a cultural disconnection: my parents lived 25 years in the United States, my brothers are gringos. My visual culture is super gringo, the TV shows I watched when I was a kid or the movies I watch to this day I understand them from that place: as an American. More than being born in the United States, I feel it's because of my family's background".

SCENE THREE:

The performance

P: "There were good years and bad years (when I started my acting career in the United States). Many years I was a waiter to supplement my income. But from a very young age I was auditioning for professional jobs. In my late twenties my career in the theater was relatively consistent. Then, when opportunities in television arose, I was consolidating and it became much easier to pay my expenses. I think that struggle, going through those situations, empowers you a lot and it's one of the things I'm enormously grateful for. And Game of Thrones was an incredible gift. It's the best role I've ever played and they're the best people I've ever worked with."

L: "It's Pedro's fault that I wanted to be an actor. But when I told him I wanted to study theater it was hard for him, more than anything, because he cares about me and studying theater is hard. You have to be very wise and have a super high self-esteem to take care of yourself. Pedro went through many things. If there is an actor who doesn't have contacts in the United States, it's him. Everything he has achieved is because of his work. That's why when people ask me why I don't go to the U.S., it's a resounding no. Being Pedro Pascal's little brother is not going to get me around the corner; I would have to be Tom Cruise's twin to achieve anything. Even so, Pedro had many failed career starts. In 2011, for example, he was offered a starring role in a series called Wonder Woman and it was eventually canceled. That's why, when Games of Thrones came up, I was like, wow! We were all freaking out, because Games of Thrones is like a worldwide trending topic. All the episodes he was in, we were all watching them together at my house, eating pizza or sushi."

SCENE FOUR:

Mutual lessons

P: "I try not to get too involved in anything Lucas does or how he does it. He has single-handedly created each of his experiences and is one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen. He loves his work and is continually developing his skills for television and theater, and eventually film. He executes like a real artist and, to be honest, it is more common for me to learn something from him than for him to learn something from me. I mean that very sincerely. Lucas reminds me to work hard and keeps me inspired. When I saw him in Los 80 I was incredibly proud, but not surprised. I was seeing something I had always known. The only advice I've given him is to not be such a workaholic, to take care of himself and to be proud of what he's accomplished and what he still has yet to accomplish. Deep down, I'm always going to be the protective big brother."

L: "Pedro is an object of admiration for me. What he says is law for me. Sometimes I ask him: 'Pedro, did you see that movie?' and he says: 'Yes, I didn't like it'. I tell him: 'Oh, I didn't like it either'. The nice thing about our relationship is that it happens so sporadically, once or twice a year, that the moments when we see each other are very intense. We either fight a lot or we love each other too much, but it's always like a story, like a movie. While he's there and I'm here, we talk a lot on WhatsApp and Facebook".

P: "With Lucas we always keep each other up to date on what movies to watch, what TV shows are good. I bug him all the time asking him about what's going on in his life and I'm always asking him about his perspective on things. Despite being away from each other for a long time, Lucas and I are very close and always have been. I see Lucas at the beginning of an amazing career, with an unwavering curiosity and passion. I love it when he confides in me about things he is enjoying or situations he is dealing with."

L: "I've never seen Pedro in theater, but I've been told he's tremendous. On camera, I find that he has a very intense look. He also has, and in that we are very similar, a very strong visual culture, the fact that we have always liked horror movies. He plays characters that hide something, dark characters. A great strength is that he is very sensual, he knows how to handle himself well from seduction".

P: "Lucas is brave, he's fearless. There's nothing he's not willing to try, he's never going to give up on a challenge, he's never going to leave something halfway, no matter what that means to him. Lucas is unstoppable.

Link interview

[sanstropfremir]

I'm curious for your take on a fashion trend that always has been hanging out in the wings, but seems to have really taken off in K-Pop in particular the last few years.

It seems like every way I look these days, we're getting hit with luxury "looks" that are legit just the luxury brand printed all over a bland or non-innovative item. This definitely isn't new (it makes me think of the prevalence of those stupid - and stupidly expensive - Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts in the US back in the 2000s), but I feel like it's now seeping into K-Pop album concept photos and stage outfits in addition to just their every day fashion/sponsored photo shoots. In some cases it doesn't bother me as much because its a small addition (like Sunmi's triangle Prada barrettes in some of her latest comeback photos - I don't like the barrettes, but they work because the wider concept is great) or its used unconventionally (like TxT's latest concept photos, where you can see some of the usual brands but thrown together with unconventional pieces so they feel fresh).

But in other cases, it feels like they're just phoning it in by picking luxury clothing so they can say "look, we're expensive" and calling it a day. I'd submit the examples of The Boyz in some of their latest teasers, the latest Stray Kids concept photos, and quite a few of Blackpink's albums/promotions since they all have their own brand sponsors that they stick to these days. A lot of American celebrities are guilty of this as well so its not just K-Pop, but I honestly just don't expect more from Hollywood like I do from K-Pop.

It's clear that you can have effective styling without defaulting to the luxury branding (A.C.E comes to mind immediately), and there are plenty of luxury pieces that don't have their branding all over it that often allow the same luxury feel without shoving the brand in your face. So this branded merchandise trend really ends up rubbing me the wrong way.

What are your thoughts? I think my stance is clear, but I'd love a different perspective from someone that has a lot more background in fashion, particularly stage fashion, than myself.

anon ilu i have many thoughts on this topic but i don't think i've ever mentioned it before so thank you thank you for somehow reading my single braincell and asking about it!

basically for anyone who doesn't want to read me going off about luxury branding the tldr is yes i agree, i personally don't like branding in general and luxury branding especially. i don't own a single item of clothing or accessory with an obvious/recognizable brand logo and i haven't for probably over a decade now. now let's get into some nitty gritty.

in the current fashion climate i think most of the time it's tacky to display wealth so openly and obviously and it is one of the main factors in driving the machine of fashion consumerist culture. i also think it's a weak styling choice because it only has one association: money. 99% of the time it does not contribute anything meaningful to the artistic vision of the work and it's just to brag. sm stylists pull off luxury branding better than most other groups because they tend to integrate it well into the overall aesthetics of the specific mvs, and it's usually pretty sparing. with sm they use it more as a confirmation of the quality of the sm brand than just boasting about money in general. notable examples where i think visible branding works are kun's supreme jacket in kick back, and taemin's balenciaga 2017 in day and night, because both well integrated into the aesthetics of the videos and they're also offset by other looks. i also like the styling in bambam's ribbon, because although the whole mv is designer looks, he only uses one actually logo-ed one (louis vuitton escale summer 2020), which gives a visual indication of expense to anyone who isn't familiar with fashion. the only time i can think of an idol using a brand ironically is taemin's supreme instagram bad bitch outfit in advice, because he's parodying a specific look.

most of the clothing from designer houses is absent of logos, with the exception of a few (lv, gucci are the main offenders). but, there is the caveat that it does tend to be the ready to wear collections that have that kind of design. (ready to wear is the stuff that is available for off the rack purchase). here's a few examples:

taemin and key in balenciaga menswear ss2018 for story of light, taemin and ten in louis vuitton menswear ss2021 for advice and paint me naked.

in my opinion there's only one house that can get away with the irony of its own branding and that's balenciaga, because they consistently do the weirdest shit you could possibly think of. they have a collaboration with crocs. no i am not joking. the shoes for their fall 2021 collection are platemail stilettos. yes like the medieval armour. they launched that collection as a video game. they recently cleared their entire instagram but prior to that they were just letting models post cryptid blurry shots with no captions. there are designers that are doing interesting things, but very rarely is it with the physical branding itself. it's difficult because like i said before, it locks the audience into an extremely specific connotation and honestly most kpop stylists are not deft enough to work around that in a truly meaningful way.

the important things to hit in any styling are colour, harmony, and silhouette. thank you for bringing up a.c.e because i would have done it anyways, because their stylist is probably the best in the business right now. i talk about the basics here (of styling and of a.c.e in particular), but anon you are correct, a.c.e uses very very little branded styling and they look great. good styling is not about looking expensive, it's about looking the best as befitting of the concept.

but here's where we come to an important point. like with most things about kpop and western pop culture as a whole, luxury branding and streetwear as a trend has been appropriated from black hiphop artists and black streetwear fashion in the 90s and 00s. it started in the hood as a reclamation of items that were meant to be 'outside their station' (luxury) and an elevation of plainclothes that were available to them. sportswear by and large was always cheaper and mass produced, in comparision to day to day wear, which used more expensive materials and had more complicated construction. and was activities based only. it wasn't until around the 1860s that sportwear even existed at all, and even then it was not what you would think of as sportwear by modern standards. there was, up until the 1980s, a pretty strict unspoken dress code that if you wanted to be taken seriously in polite (white) society, you had to dress according to the class standards at the time. (this still exists by the way, it hasn't gone away at all, especially in relation to workplaces and black/natural hair). streetwear at the time was a form of celebration of black excellence and a subversion of white society. but like all innovations by black people, it got jacked by white america and now it's lost the meaning behind its context. on black bodies and paired with black achievements, branding is an important and relevant styling choice. on kpop boys? they're already lifting second hand at this point. do better.

[genderhoax]

I used to want to be an artist but then i stopped drawing for like 7 years. I want to go back but i'm scared and dont know where to start. So yes, i am interested in those drawing videos can you post them if you dont mind? ^_^

Of course!! I am in the same situation as you actually. I used to draw a lot in middle school (2010-2012) but my depression worsened during high school and in college, I’d only draw as a distraction, never seeking to study or improve. I decided to get back this year, since I decided drawing was the only thing I could see myself doing professionally. I felt very lost, because how do you get back? How do you know what’s your actual, current, art skill? What are your weaknesses? Your strong points?

That’s how I learned to study the fundmentals of art. Because visual art is not a skill. It is a set of skills, if you are very good at anatomy but not really when coming to painting your art is going to look differently than someone who learned anatomy in how to draw manga books but paint like a pro. I am going to divide this post in categories, Also, all the videos I link I also recommend all the channels they are from! My favorites are The Drawing Database, Sycra and Ganev, Sycra and The Drawing Databse have a little of everything and are great at explaining. Ganev is a bit sarcastic but I like the way he teaches. I took some parts of the text of this post from here.

How do I begin? How do you even get back at art? What tips should you use? These are general tips videos, usually nice to draw along. /the fundmentals and how to get started/ /5 tips for better drawing/ /perfect pratice/  /beginner’s guide/ /5 tips for digital art/ /10 tips to improve/ /why your drawings are stiff/ /what level is your art/ /improve your art fast/ /drawing basics/ /how to hold and control your pencil/ /intuitive drawing method/ /iterative drawing/

The Fundamentals: Proportion & Placement Proportion is relationship between one element and another. In the visual arts proportion relates most importantly to the abstract quality of scale and placement. You know how stereotypically an artists puts a pencil to their eye when looking at an object? They’re mesuring the proportion of the object in question and how to represent it corectly in the drawing. /principles of proportion/ /ways to create illusion of space/ /drawing the human figure/ /how to draw proportions playlist/ /how to use proportion in character design/ /basic anatomy and proportions part one/ /part two/ /part three/ /part four/ /proportion basics/

Form & Construction The idea of form is how we see the 3D objects in or world and transform them into 2D in the paper/canvas. It’s understading that eveyrthing is made up of basic forms. /dynamic sketching part one/ /part two/ /how to draw forms/ /structure/ /building form/ /another how to draw forms/ /how to visualize 3D forms/ /form study process/

Perspective & Depth Perspective is knowing that as things move away from the viewer’s eye, things seem to get smaller. Get familiarized with terms like horizon line and vanishing point. This is the basic that must be understood to learn perspective. Here’s a good article about this. /an intro video on the subject/ /step by step tutorial/ /perspective basics part one/ /part two/ /part three/ /part four/ part five /part six/  /another basics video/ /20 perspective lessons/ /eye level tip/  /linear perspective/  /simple form perspective/ /drawing the figure in perspective/

Anatomy Anatomy is something I think it’s one the most crucials things to learn in order to make your drawing look good. Once you understand how joints work you’ll be able to see how bones and muscles move. And this goes for anything with a skeleton. It’s one of those things of you learn the rules before breaking them. I am linking different playlists, since linking different videos on various parts of anatomy would take forever. Just study a body part at time: head, eyes, nose, lips, ears, shoulders, neck, hairline, breats, torso, hands, feet etc. /how to do an anatomy tracing/  /playlist 1 /  /draw the head from any angle/  /anatomy for artists/ /draw facial features/ /how to draw and paint/ /playlist 2/ /draw 3/4 head with loomis method/ /playlist 3/ /drawing a head in 3 hours (this one is great to draw along with the artist)/ /how to draw a body/ draw a head with loomis method part 1/  /part 2/ /part 3/ /decipgering bridgman’s anatomy/ /anatomy quick tips/

Gesture Gesture drawing is a method of capturing figures in exaggerated poses, usually drawn quickly. It is important to undersand that the goal of all gesture is to study the figure and see how it moves. I like looking at poses and copying them. Here’s a good article. /how to draw gesture/  /how to draw any pose/ /draw interesting poses/ /a guide on gesture drawing/  /tips for expressive dynamic poses/  /figure drawing tips/

Composition The overall layout of a piece is very important. Artists often consider things like the rule of thirds or the infamous golden ratio. Neither truly defines a composition, but they can both go into your decision making. /composition in art/  /understanding composition/ /10 composition tips/ /beginner’s guide to composition/ /art fundamental: composition/

Value Studying value is very much the study of light and shadow. But there is a technical side of light that you’ll want to pay attention to if you’re going for technical rendering. /guide on rendering/  /seeing light and shadows in daily life/  /10 minutes to a better painting/ /understaing colors and values/ /shading basics/ /ambient occlusion/ /shadow colors/ /tips on how to shade/ /draw shadows on objects and people/ /lighting tutorial/

Color Theory Color theory is understanding which colors go good with eachother, and knowing the pyschology behind it. (what are cool colors? what colors make someone feel comfortable?) It is fundamental in art for you to understand the relationship between colors and what makes them look good. Best color theory books. A comprehensive guide to color theory. /hue value saturation in photoshop/ /color theory for noobs/ /understanding color/ /what you should know about colors/  /warm and cool colors/  /the basic elements/ /choose colors that work/

Traditional Media If you draw in traditional media, all videos above can be used easily. These are just videos for general tips in traditional media, there isn’t many since my focus is digtal ^^’ /watercolor tips/ /draw with colored pencils/ /blending colored pencils/ /4 how to draw lessons/ /Block in colors/ /holding the brush/ /

Digital Media Digital art is how everyone’s been doing art these days. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing with your phone or your computer. I don’t do art on my phone, I know the most used app is mediabang for android and procreate for apple, and I think anyone who is able to do art with their finger is very skilled. If you are like me and prefer doing art on your computer, you probably have your tablet. If not, well you should have. Not having a tablet is not an option if you want to get better at art ^^’ Best tablet for beginners in 2020. Or you can just buy an old used one, if it still works, and you are a beginner, a small intuos is all you need. When talking about softwares, the three big ones I see people using are: Photoshop, Clip Paint Studio and Paint Tool Sai. The best one is CPS, but I find Sai easier to navigate, but CPS is extremely complete and I hope to be able to master it someday. CPS Tutorials. I don’t have much to say about photoshop, people use it mostly because they’ve been using it forever lol I divide my digital painting process in steps: Sketch/Lineart/Color Blocking/Shading/Blending/Color correction. Sketch is the basics, draw your idea. Lineart is to clean your sketch. Color Blocking is to color your drawing one color, so it’s easier to work in it. Shading is to understand where the lighting sources are coming from and apply them. Blending is to blend the colors of your drawing with brushes. Color correction is when I use filters of hue/saturation and others to make the drawing more appealing. These require understadings of the software of your choice which I am not very good at the moment so I can’t give you more tips than that ^^’ Hopefully these videos can help. /perspective grid/ /clean line art/  /coloring process/ /make lineart interesting/ /best brushes for digital painting/ /skin shading tutorial/  /lineart vs painting/ /art in clip studio paint/ /hair tutorial/ /3 tips for improving/ /10 digital art mistakes/ /color block tutorial/ /shading skin/ /from lineart to painting/ /cleaner lineart/ /add texture to your art/ /improve your art with better shadows/ /the importance of brushes/ /use layer modes/ /improve your lines/ /how to blend colors/ /another blending tutorial/  /color blocking/

Exercises It’s no secret that to improve on art, you must pratice. Everyday, even if it’s just a little! A great way to pratice is make use of youtube picture in picture function to draw along in your software of choice. /pratice drawing forms/ /proportion exercises/ /perspective exercises/ /value studies/ /creative drawing exercises/  /simple drawing esercises/

Resources Senshi stocks, a deviantart page full of poses photos. Quick poses,  pictures of models, contains nudes. Character design references DesignDoll, create a personalized sketch doll and make it pose.

Phew!!! This took forever to make and is way more than you asked for, but I decided to go all in so I can have a masterpost for me too and for anyone else interested in art. As soon you can understand the fundamentals, you can do your own research and study, youtube is really great for this. I hope this helps, let’s get better at drawing together!!! Ganbarimashou (ง •̀_•́)ง