#not own art but an important message nonetheless

[rookthorne]

it's coming up to my personal favourite event of the year, Hot Bucky Summer, as run by the mods over at @buckybarnesevents!

in order to gear up for the chaos that will ensue (no doubt) from this event within my collections, I have compiled my personal top 10 Bucky collections into a poll. and here is where I will ask for your help — I would like to gather as much information as possible to determine where most of my focus will go.

to be clear, it is very likely that all of my collections will be given love and attention through this event (now that I have confidence to write smut) once I know the prompts, but I am asking who I should prioritise from my favourites. I will also disclose that there are AUs yet to be announced that will be very prominent... 🤭

to refresh memories, I have put below the cut the afforementioned collections! otherwise, the link is hyperlinked above, or easily accessed by the first link in my bio (my navigation).

thank you in advance for your help, my chaos kittens. 💗

— 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬

The 107th motorcycle club has been the protector of their collective hometown for many, many years - shouldering all the bloodshed and loss that came with it. Little did you know, you’d become the President’s own twisted version of an angel on his shoulder; the tips of your angelic wings tinged red by your own demons.

— 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐚 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐨𝐯

A pack of wolves looked out for one another, strengthened each other and battled to keep one another safe – it was the natural order of things, the way things worked. Being between the two most dangerous and possessive of them all meant you sat on your throne with pride; just how they wanted it.

— 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲

Like a moth to a flame, you were drawn to them and their irresistible charm – their job, as firemen, was to put out fires and infernos, but you could only hope they’d let the fire they started in the depth of your soul, consume you whole.

— 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐤 

The world of body art and botany had always been beautiful to you; each pencil stroke and each flower petal amounted to a masterpiece of creation. It wasn’t until the day that a chance meeting left you reeling amongst the artful blooms of your store, you wondered if that was what heaven truly felt like.

— 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞

The depths of Hell had lost an asset, all thanks to you - no God could save you from his sights, or his clutches. Being consumed by fire was one way to go, you supposed, if it came in the form of one smug, hellish bastard.

— 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬, 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

Life in your small town could not have gotten any better, you had sworn. That was until you started to call a handsome, brooding lumberjack your best friend, and you developed butterflies at any mention of his name, or thought of him. Sure, it was going to be fine, you could do this. What could go wrong?

— 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬

Cars were all the same to you – classics, imports, you name it, they were all the same.

Well, they were, until you were nonetheless forced to visit your local mechanic and saw the man that would pique your interest in not only every single make and model of classic car, but his charming smile; the air of righteous arrogance that flowed from his tattoos, and that damned cheeky glint in his bright eyes.

— 𝐀 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨

Fate had a funny way of working. There you were, in the hospital again, and there was your favourite nurse; tall, broad, devilishly handsome, and not to mention soft, kind, and caring. Your stay, and consequently your life, just got infinitely more interesting.

— 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭

A powerful alpha had locked his sights onto you; a wolf to its prey. On the contrary, you were the fox that showed its belly to a predator – a mutual respect, the only thing keeping the wolf’s fangs from piercing the delicate flesh. You knew playing with his food was something he loved to do, and you would happily be the plaything for your mate. 

— 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲

Softness was a trait you unwittingly carried - the wings of a dove taking you higher and higher, elevating you in the eyes of the devil. And that devil did not want to wait any longer. It was time to collect.

[metaltangodiva]

what are your thoughts on the different 'versions' of Krauser as well his various dynamics with Leon? Also do you have any advice for like...not being afraid to add your own interpretations and spins to characters? Like i think i care way too much about what people would think, so i'm a but scared to start posting anything, but at the same time I'd love to add to the fic collection lol

Hello hello~!

I wanna preface this quickly by saying I'm fucking unable to summarize anything, lmao. This turned out to be TWO ESSAYS.

I'll start by replying to the second question, because I sorta realized, about halfway through the answer, that I was writing a fucking essay on Metaltango and I didn't wanna overlook the second point of your message. Because it's super important to me, as a writer (amateur/hobbyist, but writer nonetheless) that people who want to write can do it.

And my suggestion is super easy: do it. Write the thing.

I know it's hard, I went through it too. It's hard to not compare yourself to other people, to go and think "man, they're not gonna like how I portray them". When I started writing "Normal", that was my worry. I was taking these badass, gun-toting, zombie-killing, masculine characters and putting them into a situation that's not only opposite to that, but pretty damn taboo in general. I've had Comments™. But whatever.

And what I tell people, when they say they're worried about how their stories are gonna be received, maybe because it takes a weird non-canon spin, or they feel their tropes are overdone, is:

Do it anyways. There's only you to craft that story you wanna see the way you want it; no one else can do it the exact same, even with the same prompts, the same tropes, the same characters. Everyone views things differently, and I think it's an amazing thing when it comes to art, well... almost everything, honestly. A saying that goes in a Discord server I hang out on is "there's nothing original anymore", but not in a bad way at all — so many works have the same themes, and yet they all still stand out somehow.

I might not the audience. This guy next to me might be, though! Or who knows, maybe *I* am the audience!

But you don't know any of this until you write it. Do it.

OKAY SO I GUESS THAT WAS PART ONE, lol.

SO LET'S GOO FOR PART TWO!

My thoughts on the different versions: I love them! Each version and each game brings something new to the table. I got started with RE4 (VR) — I liked how *aggressively homoerotic* that knife fight was.

Since it was my entry point to RE as a whole, I was curious as to *who* Krauser was, what was his relation to Leon, what happened between them, so on, so forth. Probably what a lot of people went through before Darkside Chronicles became a thing. His obsession for Leon and especially the *passion* behind it. Surely what happened between them was personal!

Then I heard of Darkside Chronicles and I had to play it for myself. So I did. And I was positively surprised when I saw Krauser as he was back around 2002. Gruff, rough around the edges, but just as snarky as Leon — and I love snarky characters. I felt their humor meshed so well. The "boy scout" exchange has lived rent-free in my head since I heard it. Same with the shared water bottle/indirect kiss. The snake/butterfly. Krauser starting as kinda dismissive of Leon, but quickly wisening up about it and treating him as an equal (and I feel it's more than that). And this became what I really wanted to see between them on the long run, hence why I started writing the AU "Normal" takes place in. They were such a good team, in spite of Krauser's wildly varying emotions.

Then RE4R came out, and it introduced them in a mentor/trainee relationship and I love that too. It's a whole different dynamic; Krauser's more serious but still does not shut up, Leon is still a smart mouth — I guess they clashed a lot overall and Leon can probably thank Krauser for all the extra push-ups and laps that gave him this *chef kiss* physique... but Krauser has a soft side to him. The guy really cared for his men, but as an instructor, as a soldier, as a superior and also as a human, probably couldn't voice it all too well. I cried when Leon picked up Krauser's knife, kneeled next to him and Krauser told him he was proud of him. That he had trained him well. It's a dynamic I wish I could capture well enough to put in words, but my real-life experience with anything army-related is nonexistent (well, so is my ageplay/military/"life as a couple" experience with "Normal", lol) and I feel I'd have a harder time with portraying it how I want to. So... I'm eventually gonna do it, outside of oneshots.

TLDR: Give me all the Krausers. They all bring something to the table <3

[nights-wonderland]

Overwatch oc portraits pt 2

Hello everyone, today I present to you part 2 of 3 posts regarding my overwatch ocs and their portraits! This is yet again so that people know who I'm talking about and to share a little bit about them!

I'm once again more active on my instagram: nightmare.artist, so if you like to see more of them and know more about their stories and lore, I tend to drop most of it on my story there!

The ocs in order of their portraits are: Aleksander Novak, Selene Flores, Reverie Martinez, Nox Scarrow, Nico Cox, Valentijn Prins, Bonnie Prins, Hyun Chai, Azul Santana Da Conceiçao and Irzin Kron

Aleksander Novak, a doctor who suffered through an incident that never quite left him the same, granting him powers beyond his comprehension, powers that would lead him to having to learn to be at peace with himself, clinging to his humanity.

Selene Flores, an international popstar that uses their voice and their platform to spread the word of peace, one day they hope to actually see the world change for the better. For now they will just continue their career and see where this will lead them.

Reverie Martinez, a young woman who has an odd fascination with death and ghosts. It runs in her family, curiosity towards the Undead. Having gotten an old family book that has been passed down for generations at her 18th birthday, that's when things start to get interesting.

Nox Scarrow, neither Talon nor overwatch but a complete nuisance to society nonetheless. They do have tendencies to work with some of the Talon members as its more of an alliance sworn to a person than the organisation as a whole. They can temporary take over a person's movement, puppeteering the person to their will. They use this to get important things done.

Nico Cox, a Junker who tags along with Junkrat and Roadhog, he's the one that walks around scrap yards and picks up old bits and pieces to turn into weapons and traps or even adjustments to his own prosthetics. He's smarter than he presents himself to be.

Valentijn Prins, a brilliant inventor and engineer, he owns his own shop where he makes custom prosthetics and parts for humans and omnics alike. He has won a couple of prizes with his inventions and his ultimate goal is to make the world a better place for everyone.

Bonnie Prins, the younger sister of Valentijn and a talented skater! Atleast she was before her incident, that left her without her legs and in need of replacements. Since then she has picked it back up but it's still more difficult for her. She eventually joins overwatch during the world wide invasion of Nullsector.

Hyun Chai, a MEKA pilot who had a near death experience with his own meka, he was rebuild and that lead to him having to relearn everything. He recovers after well over a year and reluctantly rejoins the squad after he sees the world needs squads like theirs to help protect those who cannot fight for themself.

Azul Santana Da Conceiçao, a talented street artist from Brasil and the best friend of Lucio. They don't listen to authority and wish the world would be a better place. They try to spread their message via their art.

Irzin Kron, a shapeshifter and a trickster, someone who thrives on causing as much chaos as possible. They're with Talon but mostly for their own gain, they manipulate and lie to everyone and are a known backstabber.

[kadevsfilm]

babylon (2022)

i suppose this is my first post and its kind of going off with a bang. recently a friend encouraged me to watch babylon, as it was one of his favourite movies of all time which, has quite a lot of weight as a statement. i want to be able to share some of my thoughts or at least have a little collection of some of my favourite stills and moments from my first watch of the film.

first off, i tried to avoid seeing other peoples thoughts on the film before writing this (as i hope to do for most new films i write about) because i guess the whole point of evolving my mind at uni is being able to value my own thoughts and opinions on the media i consume, and learn how to evaluate things in a way that i view as good and important, as well as others i suppose. so with that out of the way, i want to say this i think damien chazelle is yet to miss. is he perfect by any means? no, i think any form of art has its nuances and that perfect cant exist in a world that is so divisive yet so beautiful. but chazelle's films never fail to lack thought and passion. i know that babylon kind of tanked in the box office, but there's a million pretty clear reasons as to why that happened. he worked up to this film for upwards of 15 years and that's quite literally crazy to me. if there's one thing i could write essays upon essays about it would be his use of colour in this film.

THE REDS!!!!!! UGH ok i know it feels so simple but his colouring is nothing short of gorgeous. nellie is introduced to us with the colour red, she is introduced to the world of stardom with red, now obviously we know that red is the symbol of passion and danger and warnings and its so simple but so incredible and i love to see it. she is blinded by all of the luxury and red is what she associates with fame and glory, she knows she's a star and she shows up in red. it's slowly dotted throughout the rest of the film even after they mellow out her image with cool blues and greens (other colours i will get to in a minute) as you can see from the picture above, the scene where she officially tanks her public image she is dressed up and feels ridiculous, even if she is trying to look the part it feels almost ucomfortable to see her dressed like that. she goes through all of the efforts only to ruin the hard work of manny and elinor by covering herself in food, the reds staining her face, hands, and dress. we then see her run back into the party and as the cherry on the cake, vomit in front of all of her posh peers, a metaphor i thought was quite cool (being her body quite literally rejecting the lifestyle she was seeing around her). a hard scene to watch especially if you're not a big fan of vomit, but a very important one nonetheless. red connects all of the characters together in some way, one of the biggest i think being the waistcoat worn by mckay as he takes manny to the underground.

the red tones hiding under the cool blues in this scene are so interesting, it just entirely captures the character of mckay and his lifestyle, he's using the surface to hide among the rest of the new age of hollywood, but he knows that he has power and dirt beneath that, very wolf in sheep's clothing-esque.

i both love and hate that these scenes were a slightly jarring watch, i am a horror lover at heart and gore in film is fascinating to me and i think its so bizarre but also very telling of the message itself, that throughout the entire film, even though i could see where it was going, i still found myself wondering what it would be like to live a life like that, and feel it in the moment and heat of it all. this film is one of those that make me realise just how small my portion of the world is, and it made us fall in love with the chaos almost as much as the likes of nellie and jack did.

jack conrad and his relationship with elinor is one i really enjoyed throughout the film, and although she was your stereotypical gossipy, scandalous writer type character, i thought that jean smart played her so well. she is a lot sharper than people give her credit for, she has been around for so long because she has wit and understands how things work, she knows how to bow out gracefully when her time is done, which she encourages jack to do. however his reputation was his everything, and it was what slowly led to his demise. the conversation between them where elinor lays it out for him and has her monologue is one of my favourite scenes of the film, and i think it was a really interesting way to show the differences between characters like sidney, who knew when enough was enough, and jack and nellie, who couldn't stand to accept a life without the vices they had become so accustomed to. manny is an unexpected middle ground that opens a whole other can of worms but i'll get on to that.

anyways back to colour, i do love this image, just the way it is so plainly two men with very opposite understandings of hollywood and the way the world works. on one side, we can see the red showing his desire for all the drugs and the money and the partying. he is desperate to be a part of all of the chaos and surrounds himself with the industry. on the other side, we can see an attempt at clean cut and proper, leaving the chaos behind and trying to look like he belongs within the evolving world of moviemaking. i kinda love the duality of it all, because it's so apparent yet so well done on chazelle's end.

i think one of the most interesting turning points in manny's character is his relationship with fay and how he steers her away from nellie's career. the existence of queer identities in hollywood, even just in the world in general, is something so intriguing to me, lgbtq people were able to find spaces in the entertainment industry in the 1920s, despite previous anti gay legislation and discrimination, and i think that fay's character was a really captivating nod at the life queer individuals would have led at the time. her sexuality is her gimick of sorts, and seeing the genuine care she had for nellie be pushed aside by manny in order to save nellie's reputation for this new era in the u.s. was a very clear pivotal point in manny's life, along with expecting sidney to go along with the humiliation he subjected him to, just to keep up with the demand of the consumers.

fay continued to live her life in the way she wanted to. the allusion to her and nellie's relationship was a nice touch that i thought, as a queer person myself, gave a bittersweet undertone to that part of the film, although short lived. fay took her way out when she was fired as title writer, an interesting metaphor in terms of the title writer being pushed out of the industry to make space for sound pictures, and the lesbian being pushed out of the industry growing with discrimination and prejudice. but still, she was able to escape the rapid downfall of the world around her, which i enjoyed being able to see in the subtleties of her story.

the evolution of manny's character throughout this film is so gloriously painful, he is just such a good example of the sadism and ruin within the depths of these industries and how someone can go from so pure and passionate to absolutely destroyed. him barely escaping hollywood with his life was a testament to how easy it is to go completely insane from greed and power hunger. the ending montage, while potentially a little rushed i think, was a beautiful and impactful aspect to the message of this film. he sees his entire life panned out in front of him on screen for others to laugh at, his friends and people he loved are being ridiculed and painted into caricatures of their authentic selves. all of the things he endured are being displayed as ridiculous problems of the past as he relives the trauma he once faced in his early days, relaying the loss and fear in his own mind. however, by the end, he is laughing along with everyone else. the tears slow and he's smiling, watching the art he once played a large part in unfold in front of him, remembering his love and passion for the hollywood he once knew. he seems to relax, as he realises that his life had a part in something bigger like he wanted all along, it wasn't all for nothing.

but that's a wrap! i hope you can somewhat make sense of my ramblings and that although i know this wasn't a perfect post and i have a lot of learning to do, i enjoyed being able to write about my thoughts.

-k

[nirikeehan]

happy dadwc friday!! sending you "a walk in the forest" for cassandra (and anyone else you may be thinking of...) :)

Happy Friday!! For this one, I ended up with a bit of Cassandra introspection, then a conversation with Rylen, of all people. XD

Might become something in the next chapter of my WIP Special Death, since it pivots into Cassandra figuring out Cullen vanished from Skyhold with Blackwall to do something stupid.

For @dadrunkwriting

WC: 1233

---

The white-lined pine trees outside Skyhold were deceptively peaceful. Cassandra trudged through the ankle-deep snow, wishing she could be afforded the same mental clarity. The confines of Skyhold were proving to be too stifling in these tumultuous days, and she hoped a change of scenery would help her clear her head. 

So far, nothing. 

“Ugh,” she said, to no one in particular. She had come here seeking solitude, perhaps a chance to reflect and ask for the Maker’s guidance, but her own thoughts buzzed around her like so many flies. 

Cassandra had stood by for days while the inquest led by Cullen, Leliana and Josephine went nowhere. She cursed herself for being out in the field on a different mission when Lady Thalia was returned to Skyhold. The chaos that ensued in Cassandra’s absence reminded her that this was the institution that she had built, regardless of who had been chosen to lead it. She’d done the little she could to reestablish a semblance of order, but feared now that it was too little, too late. 

The snowy path wound through the trees to a small clearing in the shadow of a sheer cliff-face. Cassandra had not been out this way before, though she’d heard tell of it: a smaller, quieter shrine to Andraste than the one that stood off Skyhold’s gardens. 

A wooden likeness of the prophet had been carved and erected in a small shelter to protect it from the elements. Melting ice dripped from the eaves as Cassandra approached. Previous pilgrims had worn the trail to mud mixed with dead leaves. The foot of the statue stood adorned with offerings: candles burnt down to nubs, dying winter blossoms, tarnished gold coins. A few scraps of paper, penned by the literate. Cassandra caught a glimpse of one as she lowered herself to one knee: Please, Andraste, make your Herald well. 

Cassandra sighed, peering at the face of the statue. She had seen many interpretations of Andraste over the years, and this was cruder than most. Not that the prophet cared what her likeness looked like to the people, Cassandra suspected. She found it interesting nonetheless, a reflection less of Andraste herself than the folk who followed her. This version stood with arms outstretched, head bowed in reverence to the Maker. A common enough pose — though this was the first to render her face so oval-shaped and young, hair twisted atop her head in tell-tale braids. 

Cassandra frowned. She ought not to be dismayed. The common folk rarely spied art of Andraste, but many in and around Skyhold had certainly met Lady Thalia. The bleed over of one likeness into the other was, perhaps, inevitable. Cassandra doubted the Inquisitor had been out here herself, and that was probably for the best. To say Thalia had never quite been comfortable with the designation of Herald of Andraste was an understatement. Cassandra feared a rash decision, an order to have the statue removed, perhaps. Although, she understands the importance of political messaging. She might realize that would do more harm than good. 

The thought had fully left Cassandra’s head before she remembered: Thalia was in no condition to be making any such calls, rash or otherwise. The last time Cassandra had seen her, she had been hardly able to string words together, raving about imagined ghosts.

“Maker.” Cassandra folded her hands in prayer and leaning her forehead against them. “The girl cannot lead. What are we to do?” 

When Cassandra left the shrine, it was perhaps not peace that she felt, exactly, but the time alone in the silent wilderness had allowed her to think logically. A replacement must be drafted, that much was clear. Perhaps — hopefully — this would be temporary, but the Inquisition could not continue flapping about like a chicken with its head severed.

On her way back to Skyhold, she decided first person she needed to speak with was Cullen. Given his feelings for the Lady Thalia, he must barely be keeping it together. Perhaps she could convince him to aid her in the search for a new Inquisitor. It would focus his attention elsewhere, at the least, something he sorely needed. Leliana and Josephine had whispered to Cassandra of an incident regarding the Commander and Thom Rainier; harsh words exchanged, maybe even a threat passed between the two men. 

Cassandra paused, gazing up at the fearsome stone battlements. She leaned an arm against a tree trunk and let out an aggravated sigh. Rainier was another problem entirely. That he was even allowed to remain with the Inquisition at all a mistake, in her opinion. She had not questioned Lady Thalia’s decision on the matter — no one had, at least not publicly — but keeping the likes of a criminal such as him was a glaring liability. She disliked that Rainier was testing the Commander’s patience at such a delicate time. I cannot blame Cullen. Just being in Rainier’s presence tests my patience. Cassandra huffed, the steam of her breath rising in the cold air above her. 

One crisis at a time. That was key. Rainier was a minor nuisance at best, until he proved otherwise.

Crossing the drawbridge into Skyhold’s central courtyard, Cassandra headed straight for Cullen’s office. She took the stone stairs two at a time, to better accommodate the strides of her long legs. 

She paused at the door, knocked once. Cullen would be hunched over his desk, she suspected, another sleepless night under his belt. 

“Come in,” said a voice that was not Cullen’s. 

Cassandra entered to see Captain Rylen, the former Templar from Starkhaven, sitting at Cullen’s desk. He was a pleasant enough man, good at his job, but he wasn’t the Commander. A pit of dread formed in Cassandra’s stomach. 

“How can I help you, Seeker?” Rylen asked, as if this was all very normal. 

Cassandra blinked. “Have you seen Commander Cullen?” 

“I’m afraid he had personal business to attend to,” Rylen replied evenly. “He’s asked me to fill in for the duration.” 

“Personal business?” Cassandra repeated, narrowing her eyes. “What sort?”

Rylen paused. She knew him to be unfailingly pragmatic, and almost saw the calculus he performed in his head as he weighed how to respond. He sighed. “The sort he’s certain you won’t like, Seeker.”

Cassandra rose to her full height, steeling herself. “Tell me.” 

Rylen told her. When he was done, Cassandra was grateful there was nothing of Cullen’s within reach, because she would take seized it and dashed it against a wall. “That absolute idiot. How could you let him do such a terrible, reckless thing, Captain?” 

“With all due respect, Seeker,” said Rylen with a pointed look, “he does outrank me.” 

Cassandra let out a high-pitched laugh. “Not for long. When I find him, I may actually kill him myself.”

Rylen smiled sadly. “He thought you might say that.” 

“Oh?” Cassandra retorted. Her throat felt raw, tight. Her eyes burned. “What else did he say?”

“Not to come after him.” Rylen averted his gaze. “And that he’s sorry.” 

Cassandra resisted the urge to put her face in her hands. She paced the length of the office, willing herself not to explode. Only then did she notice the view of the stables from the open door. That the campfire which usually burned there had been reduced to cold ashes. It can’t be. Surely Cullen wouldn’t be that stupid. 

Cassandra whirled. “Where’s Rainier?”

[cucumbiejerbiegalope]

How I Met My Husband

By Alice Munros

INTRODUCTION

About the Author

Alice Munro is a beloved Canadian novelist and short story writer who has captivated readers around the world with her captivating and nuanced literary style. Born in 1931 in Wingham, Ontario, Munro grew up in a turbulent family environment before going on to study English Literature at the University of Western Ontario. Throughout her life, she has published numerous collections of short stories that explore complex themes such as love, loss, and the struggle to find one's place in the world. Her work has been praised for its honesty and emotional depth, which often draws upon her own experiences growing up in rural Canada. Despite facing significant challenges throughout her personal life, Munro continues to be an inspiration to many aspiring writers today.

About the Novel

Alice Munro's "How I Met My Husband" is a classic short story that explores the theme of social mobility and the power dynamics between men and women in rural Ontario during the 1950s. The protagonist, a young maid named Edie, develops a crush on the handsome pilot Chris Watters, who charms her with his stories of travel and adventure. However, when she learns that he is engaged to the wealthy Alice Kelling, Edie becomes disillusioned and decides to move on with her life.

Statement of the author

"How I Met My Husband"? It's a pretty fascinating story with an even more interesting thesis statement that speaks to the complexities and contradictions of love and romance. Munro argues, in essence, that we tend to fall in love with people because they represent something that is missing from our own lives - a kind of fantasy or idealized version of ourselves.

My own statement

But for me those fantasies can be shattered by the reality of the person we're actually involved with, leading to disappointment and disillusionment. The protagonist of the story learns this lesson firsthand as she falls in love with a man who seems to embody all her hopes and desires, only to realize that he is not what she thought he was. It's a poignant reminder that love is never quite as simple as we want it to be - but it can still be beautiful nonetheless.

Summary

Romantic relationship begins with an unexpected incident, leading to a never-ending journey of love.innocent girl who is visiting relatives in rural Ontario. She is captivated by the stunning view of the farm, and decides to climb up the steps of a strange house that she spots to get a better view. By this chance encounter with Chris Watters, a pilot, who flies over her head, the series of events that unfold bring him in, as her eventual husband as well. As fate would have it, Edie falls in love with Chris, thanks to his charming personality, and his sophisticated demeanor. It is as though they both are meant to be together, as Edie, initially, had not considered him as a romantic prospect, she had even taken a firm stance of steering clear of romance. But alas, destiny had other plans for her. In some ways, it depicts how our choices and decisions in life can alter our fate in ways that we cannot predict or expect.

Analysis

Alice Munro's "How I Met My Husband" is a short story that is widely regarded as a masterpiece of modern literature. However, like any work of art, it is not without its flaws. The story takes place in a predominantly white, rural community, and there is no representation of diverse cultural backgrounds or experiences.

Conclusion

The story presents traditional gender roles. This reinforces gender stereotypes and fails to challenge them. It is important to note that these criticisms are not meant to diminish the value of the story or the skill of the author. Instead, they are intended to encourage critical thinking and discussion about the themes and messages conveyed in the story.

[badmusejail]

Ozai (and Iroh) AUs

Since I've started writing in them both on here but never formally wrote up information about them, here we go.

First off, in general, Ozai tends to be a little younger in these verses. He's around 40 at the start of ATLA and usually in his early 30s in these verses. Why? Because I find it a more interesting area for development, that's all. He and Ursa are in a tumultuous but mostly stable marriage, Zuko and Azula are rather young and repeating much of the strife Iroh and Ozai themselves have. Usually Lu Ten is already dead but Ozai hasn't (yet) made an attack on his father to claim the throne nor has he scarred and banished zuko (yet).

It makes sense to have Zuko older when Zuko is the main muse, but Zuko isn't my muse and so I shift the narrative a bit earlier to put more focus on my muses.

There's still a 15 year gap between him and Iroh, putting Iroh around his mid-late 40s. Iroh can, and has, been mistaken for Ozai's father, much to the former's amusement and the latter's annoyance.

Most of these AUs feature similar, but milder, events compared to canon. This is also to facilitate Ozai's growth and allow him to develop in ways that were never an option in canon.

He's still a dick, though.

That, and, to make him easier to interact with, as engaging with him in canon is virtually impossible unless you're Zuko, Iroh, or Azula.

He's still a firebender or equivalent in all verses unless explicitly noted.

As usual, most details and plotting are open for discussion! Just shoot me a message.

Modern AU

Azulon serves as the current CEO of Ember Strokes (畫的餘燼) with his sons serving close behind him. Whether this is literal or metaphorical depends on which son you're referring to, as Ozai tends to literally be right behind Azulon in all things he does, while Iroh tends to be halfway across the world, promoting the company as a loveable and relatable figure.

The history of Ember Strokes is unclear, but the most prominent figure was Sozin, who rocketed the company from being a small and mostly local business to country-wide and then international fame. A lot of the history prior to Sozin taking over the company has been lost, and neither Azulon nor Ozai feel inclined to dig deeper into it.

(Iroh may, yes, but not quite yet.)

Nonetheless, the accepted history of the company is that it started in artwork, traced back to a singular artist who used fire to create strange and unique pieces covering a wide variety of topics. Unfortunately, that original technique has been lost, but Ember Strokes still deals heavily in art and the surrounding areas, such as clothing, furniture, jewelry, and others.

The company puts an emphasis on cultural heritage and respecting history, focusing heavily on traditional pieces and techniques that capture the beauty of nature and yes, fire.

Keeping up appearances is important to them, so much so that Azulon and Ozai regularly wear traditional robes and a vast majority of their primary residence doesn't even have electricity, instead relying on fire and the sun and only using technology when strictly necessary.

Azulon's relationship to Ozai and Iroh is arguably more twisted in this verse; as Iroh grew into a teenager, Azulon began to fear that he'd lose control of the boy or that he'd choose to abandon Ember Strokes and leave them without an heir, and so he had Ozai, making sure to have a stronger hold over the boy.

Ozai is oblivious to any other possibilities--as far as he's considered, his life belongs to his father and the company and he's blind to the unhealthy degree of control Azulon has over him, even well into adulthood.

Ozai's hatred of Iroh developed on its own, however; while it's true that Azulon holds some favoritism towards his firstborn, it's not nearly as extreme as Ozai believes it to be. It's simply that the two have different uses and strengths and Azulon puts them to use as efficiently as possible.

He does, essentially, intend for Iroh to be the face of the company while Ozai handles the financial business in the background. In an ideal world, they'd work together well, balancing each other's flaws, but Ozai hates Iroh too much for it to ever work out. He'd much rather Iroh not have a part in the company at all.

As for the children...Lu Ten sadly passed away in an vehicle accident about a year ago. As well as Iroh is holding together, he's still heavy in his grief and noticeably different.

Zuko and Azula are mostly left to their own devices, usually watched by some sort of tutor, babysitter, or servant as Ozai is extremely busy and hardly ever spends time with them, except for the occasional family dinner or sparring.

Ozai finds Zuko far too soft for the business and has no intention of training him to take it over or even letting him be a part of it. Kicking the boy out is unnecessary, but Ozai doesn't think he has any value there. Azula, of course, is the one he's training to support him and one day take over the company.

Although the company is mostly legal...there is some underground shenanigans going on, mostly on Azulon's level that he hasn't yet revealed to the brothers. The arrangement that lead to Ursa's marriage to Ozai was one of them.

Urban Fantasy AU

Much the same as the above, except the family's rule over fire is well known and respected among human mages.

Kings and Knights (Fantasy) AU

Ozai is one of two princes of Lóngdǎo (龍島), an intensely volcanic region. The kingdom is highly aggressive and there's a general belief that the world would be better under their control.

Much like the other AUs, Ozai has not yet seized control of the kingdom and is trying to prove himself a superior heir to Iroh.

Particularly, he's interested in killing a dragon, an extremely respectable and honorable feat to his people...and something his brother has already done. (Or at least has claimed to do.)

Sci-Fi (Space) AU

(to be added)

[doorplays]

Musings on Art: Wherein A Dog Helps Me Get In Touch With My Inner Artist

Hello! As I talked about with my spoilery review for Immortality, I sometimes want to do an accompanying spoilery review/article for games that I want to really talk about, but can’t talk about as much due to not wanting to spoil their stories. I’ll be changing up the format of these kinds of articles so that it’s less a review and more of my thoughts on my experience of these games!

Before we continue though, I’ll have to give a big fat !!!SPOILER WARNING!!! for this article as I will be talking about this game in a somewhat in-depth manner, mentioning some character arcs and some lore.

With that out of the way, let’s get on to my thoughts about Chicory: A Colorful Tale!

Chicory was a lot of things I didn’t expect. Even starting out, the game asked me for my favorite food. I didn’t think it would be used for the main character name, so I just said “Lumpia” and moved on. So I guess my drawdog is named Lumpia! And based on the title, I thought the game will be chiefly about Chicory, and that I’d get to control Chicory, and I guess I was (partly) wrong about both points!

I wanna talk about the game. I wanna talk about how it made me feel. But first, let’s talk about art.

I feel I need to post a disclaimer: I am not an Art Expert in any way, shape, or form. I am just a huge fan of art! Specifically the Game kind, but I do find myself liking a bunch of art. ANYWAYYYYY

Art means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Some think it has to have a deep effect on you. Some think it has to be done in a specific way. Throughout the years, it has evolved and changed, incorporating new tools, being expressed through new mediums.

What I’ve found, though, is that at its core, art is about communication. It’s about the desire to share a thought in a way that you choose.

If art is about communication, then there’s always two parties to art: the artist and the audience. And art, in this exchange, is the message.

It is a description that may seem too simple, but I do believe that is the heart of it. Nonetheless, art is definitely more complex than that! Artists struggle to perfect their craft in an effort to deliver art that is worthy of their chosen audience. They want to perfectly distill the ideas they want to share in this capsule of art, and share it with the world. Books, poems, paintings, movies, even games are made in the name of art. From small one-person artists to sprawling collectives working with collectives, art has been made and remade in a constant conversation between artist and audience.

It is no wonder, then, that many people want to be part of this conversation in a speaking role. They want to deliver their own message and thus become artists.

In Chicory: A Colorful Tale, there is only one artist that truly matters, and that artist is the Wielder.

When you start the game, you are introduced to the concept of a Wielder, and how important the role is to the society of Picnic, the world of this game. Using The Brush, they bring color everywhere, painting the trees, the seas, and the skies. They go around Picnic, retouching old paintings and buildings, helping everyone who needs their help. Since this role is a singular one, it is very important, and the responsibility weighs heavy on those who are charged with it. A new Wielder is chosen by the previous one, apprenticing them until they are ready to take on the role.

We see four Wielders in this game. We see Cardamom, an adorable old Lion! He loved doodling. He loved being in touch with his creative side whenever he drew and painted. But when he became the Wielder, he found that he disliked the role, as it meant that he was no longer doing this for his own happiness. As time passed, he grew tired of being the Wielder and he searched for someone to pass it on to.

Blackberry was the Wielder after Cardamom. She is a severe figure who values skill and greatness. She sees the Wielder role as a very important responsibility that must be handled with care. As such, she took decades before she chose an apprentice. She chose Chicory. Though passing on the Brush to her was a traumatic event for both of them, Chicory ended up becoming the Wielder all the same.

Chicory worked hard to be the Wielder. It’s all she wanted. It didn’t leave her room for much of a life other than working for the role. And now she has it… and she has grown to hate it. Blackberry pushed her too hard to be great. She colors in one spot and is unsatisfied, repeatedly erasing and coloring it in until she thinks it’s perfect. She is celebrated by everyone… except herself.

Lumpia, my player character, was a janitor for Chicory. Throughout the events of this game, they end up becoming the new Wielder, with Chicory guiding them. While Lumpia is happy to become Wielder, they are keenly aware of how they just stumbled into the role by luck, and constantly think if they are worthy of it. They are happy to help people using the powers of the Brush, yes, but they also think that maybe someone else deserves it better. Not only that, they also don’t know if this is what they even want in life!

It is interesting to me to see the Wielders’ varied motivations and their differing relationships with their role. Cardamom saw it as a burden that he soon cast off. Blackberry saw it as a responsibility to carefully guard. Chicory saw it as her ultimate calling, a goal to work towards. And Lumpia saw it as a way to help others. This… relation of the art with the artist, this is what Chicory: A Colorful Tale wants to talk about. How does your passion move you? How does your creativity manifest? What do you like about being an artist? How do you use your art? There’s a lot of questions to ask, but the point of Chicory is to help you explore these questions yourself. And what better way to do this than to be an artist in-game?

Chicory: A Colorful Tale opens with the world being devoid of color. It is an open-world coloring book for your own creativity to run wild in. The cursor is a brush that can change to different colors (depending on the area) and sizes. There’s even an in-game series of art classes for you to draw your own interpretation of various prompts and art pieces!

The art classes are optional. Heck, to my memory, there are only really one or two required paintings you really need to do. The painting in-game is mostly a way for you to interface with the Metroidvania platformer gameplay. Nonetheless, the game invites you to have fun with it. Color in the world! Draw some graffiti! Draw some [REDACTED]! It’s a blank canvas, you can draw as much (or as little) as you like! This is all an exercise for you to explore how you want to express your own creativity, and how much fun you have doing it.

I really like the game for how much it let me have fun with drawing and painting. It made me remember my younger days where I’d draw a lot of robots on notebooks, giving them stats. And seeing the in-game characters comment on my art enriched the experience, making me feel like my art actually mattered.

I think it’s too simplistic to call this game’s story as “unexpectedly dark,” but that’s what first comes to mind. On its face it seems like a fun coloring book of a game. As you play it, though, it then tackles themes of burnout, depression, systems that gatekeep, and a bunch of others.

I identify a lot with Chicory. As a person diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, I really empathize with her. She has lost her drive, her main motivation, and is now lost. She blames herself for the current troubles of Picnic, even though it isn’t her fault. Blackberry pushed her too hard and she just took it silently because she really wanted to become the Wielder! The Brush that she so wanted to Wield has become the representation of the heavy expectations placed on her by Blackberry, by society, and by herself. Who wouldn’t buckle under all of that stress?

It is only when she lets go of the Brush that she begins to heal. As she helps Lumpia with their path to being a Wielder, they too help Chicory with their path to recovery. When the full nature of the Brush’s darkness revealed itself, they came back to Chicory and fought to help her despite her own self-destructive tendencies.

The Brush, being the creativity of all the Wielders made manifest, is also their doubts, their fears, their insecurities. Cardamom’s burnout. Blackberry’s gatekeeping. Chicory’s depression. Lumpia’s impostor syndrome. And so much more. It is the reason why the color of Picnic has been drained, and it will become worse if left unchecked. This is the moment where Chicory and Lumpia think: this has to end. There has to be a better way to create that doesn’t involve such trauma.

In Picnic, everyone can make art, but only one person at a time gets to be the Wielder. I like how the story discusses how unfair this system is, with recognition only being given to the current Wielder. Radish, an art student in Picnic, talks about this unfairness at length, and even after quitting art school in protest of this, she still needed Lumpia’s help to get her work noticed. So I especially liked it when in the ending, the current Brush is destroyed by Lumpia and Chicory, who have rediscovered the forgotten skill of growing your own Brush.

At the end of the game, she moves out of the Wielder Tower and into her own house. She painted it with her own style, and hung up Lumpia’s rendition of her. “I really want to be better,” she says. She doesn’t know what the future holds, but right now she wants to help all those who want to be artists in this new world that she and Lumpia helped build: a world where everyone can grow their own Brush.

I really like that. Anyone can be an artist, if they so choose to be.

Art is communication between artist and audience. But sometimes, you have to remember that you are also the audience of your own art. And sometimes you have to sit back, relax, and take a break. Take a moment to play a game about a dog who draws. The world can wait.

[stingslikeabee]

to: Melissa from: mvheideggerGA@//shinramail.com subject: Nope.

Melissa, could you do me a favour and pretend I'm not here? Silly, I know, but Palmer has insisted I be his wingman at the Christmas Party later tonight and I think my best approach is to avoid and evade. I've told him several times I have no interest in - in his words - 'getting him a lady' but the man is persistent. Like a bug. Or a disease.

If he comes on to you, there's mace in your drawer. Or your can call me - I guess I don't mind laying him out (haha!)

Will you be attending tonight? I'll be in costume as Santa Claus, so if there's anything you'd like - you can be the first one across my lap. :-)

Magnar Valerio Heidegger, GA. Head of Public Safety

( immediately after, another email comes through - this one hastily written )

to: Melissa from: mvheideggerGA@//shinramail.com subject: Nope(2)

hahaha, please delete that last email! the last bit was a typo, I spilled coffee on my keyboard. Whoops. Happens to the best of us. Haha, sorry :-D

Magnar Valerio Heidegger, GA. Head of Public Safety

unscripted asks . always accepting

The sound of keys being rapidly pressed was halted as soon as a notification appeared on Melissa’s screen at the bottom right corner - a new e-mail, and one from her boss at that. The secretary always prioritized his communications over others, and stopped working on the requests she had been including in the system for some additional materia orbs to be supplied for 3rd Class SOLDIERS, as well as an authorization for deployment of certain bots under the plate.

The brunette frowned at the title of the message, though - clicking to open and read the entire thing, Melissa soon enough was smirking at the screen. Pretending her own boss wasn’t in was a work of art she had perfected early on - his wife paid a visit and Heidegger had asked her (in no uncertain terms) to keep her from his own office at any cost. 

Well - she had delivered. Threats to call security were involved but it was one of the secretary’s best memories from work; the look on the other woman’s face was rather priceless - she sounded like a horrible, condescending bitch who had gotten away with disrespectful behavior for too long while being just a guest at Shinra Building, in Melissa’s opinion.

But returning to the e-mail, the secretary hummed softly at the idea of Palmer needing his assistance. Melissa could understand the need to hide - punching a co-worker and also a director (albeit of a defunct department that existed mostly for decorative purposes) couldn’t be seen well internally; even the general had limitations to what his power within the company could accom-

...And then she got to the last bit of the e-mail.

The Shinra Christmas Party was something of a legend among employees; a chance for the normal, regular working men and women of the company to experience the glory of working for the most important corporation of all of Midgar. Melissa knew about his costume - but the idea of sitting on his lap and asking for a gift was...

...Actually pretty perfect, considering everything that happened between them inside a broken lift not long ago. The follow-up e-mail was clearly an excuse, but the woman found herself leaning forward, chin in hand and pondering her next step. Well - a good secretary would abide by her boss’ wishes and delete the e-mail which had been ‘accidentally’ sent, but nonetheless carry on with the original idea in relation to Palmer and his wingman necessities.

Inhaling deeply, the woman stretched her neck and looked at the overall direction of Heidegger’s office - not a sound or signal of movement came from that area; it was as if the man had been indeed out, as his e-mail had suggested. Well, Melissa knew what she needed to do - and what she wanted to do. Unfortunately, the two did not precisely overlap.

Her final choice was a compromise - half pretense and half truth; after all, this was a corporate e-mail account, and everything they wrote could be monitored and screened by the IT team. Smirking, the woman clicked on the ‘reply’ button to the second e-mail, and typed her response to Heidegger:

to: Heidegger, M.V. (GA); from: mjdrysdell@shinramail.com; subject: Re: Nope(2)

General,

Consider your original request re. Director Palmer done; rest assured that I would not hesitate to ask for assistance if anything terrible happened as a result. I’m hoping your (very considerate) precautions will not be necessary! On a separate note: do let me know if you need a replacement keyboard after the coffee incident - I’m happy to reach out to the IT team on your behalf.

In relation to tonight’s festivities, sir, I was hoping the previous invitation would remain open? I picked your costume from the dry cleaner’s early this week so the secret was spoiled - in order to ensure I’d be in the best place to continue to offer you the appropriate assistance, I took the liberty of procuring a suitable attire.

The store did have a lovely red dress for a Santa’s Helper, and they made sure the colors would be matching down to the last detail. I did promise to be the best assistant this department ever had and it felt like not showing up to the party in character would tarnish my record. If you are already taking requests for gifts this year, sir, would you perhaps consider re-issuing the invitation to join you upstairs later tonight?

I’m looking forward to the celebrations!

Kind regards,

Melissa J. Drysdell | P.A. to Magnar Valerio Heidegger, GA Public Safety Department Shinra Company, Midgar

[ch4tk4t]

Comics Fangirl n°5 - I say thee slay!

Plot by Colin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing

Art by Ibrahim Roberson & Wilson Moss

Today's review is about Thor Annual/2023

If you'd told kid me I'd ever enjoy reading Thor comics, I would've probably laughed in your face. I started my fangirl journey with Marvel's merry mutants and the whole webhead family, and dabbled in the occasional doctor Strange comics. Everything else seemed really corny and ridiculous to me. I scoffed at Ironman fans. I was convinced Captain America was straight up propaganda. And Thor? Another blonde perfect looking aryan ideal to my eyes.

But since then, I've actually opened a Thor comic. I gotta say I had this all wrong. I read the occasional boring issue, but for the most part, I've been having a gay ol' time with Thor, Loki, and the entire Asgard family.

The issue starts with a solemn monologue by Thor Odinson. His father, Odin, has left the throne to him, and after some tribulations, he is starting to get used to the role.

Nonetheless, when he wakes to discover the world tree corrupted and Sif, her eyes obscured by said corruption, he can't help but let self-doubt seep through the cracks in his will, that echo with the ones in his hammer.

Not letting fear and doubt take the lead once more, Thor sets off for Midgar. Once he arrives, he tries to locate his fellow Avengers. When he realizes this corruption extends to his friends very existence as heroes, he sets off to find its source. He can't believe his eyes when he finds it. The source is none other than MODOK,now using a new acronym.

Now in possession of the power of Yggdrazil, the tree of life, the former D-list vilain is now a force to rival the all-father himself. MODOK vanquishes Thor, as if he were a mere child, sending him careening towards the earth once more.

Defeated, Thor thinks of his father as he decides to retreat "to the shadows", trying his best to not view it as cowardice.

Thankfully, in his retreat, he bumps into a de-powered and memory reset Peter Parker. The loveable nerd is getting beat up for standing up for someone.

Thor helps him and shares a touching moment with Peter. Parker shows him that, even though MODOK stripped him of his life as Spider-Man and all his memories of all his experiences as the webhead, he stays the same, never one to give up on helping people in need.

His words of wisdom help Thor to get back in the fight, humbled by the mortal's indomitable will. He bolts out of Parkers window to get back in the fight with MODOK.

Alas, even though he ends up defeating MODOK, Thor decides he won't act as his father would, choosing to forge his own path, no doubt inspired by Peter's kind heart.

As reality mends itself, Sif and him reflect on his choice to let MODOK live and maybe find redemption...

I gotta say, this issue is very light on actual story, but, and I might be biased because of my love for the webhead, I love what little plot there is. This annual reflects on the changes Thor experienced the past years, and teases more evolution in the future, all the while having a hopeful ending and a nice message. I personally interpret it as "We may fall down, what's more important is how we get up, and how we use the experience to go forward, no matter your physical strength, the power of your heart is what shines through in the end". I'm all about that message. When Thor mends the cracks in his hammer using the all powerful power of comics epicness, it's like a message of hope to the reader. Even gods have wounds to heal.

I give this issue a Laufeyson/10

Talk to you soon, true believers.

Fangirl out.

[hkleoso]

Origin of my creation

Everyone may want to ask, why do I have an obsession with making derivative works on this small web animation series? And everyone may want to question my capability and even discredit me by any means.

It’s a complicated story — more and more complicated than you thought. Frankly, I look at the final look of Daisy Lai Fuk Yan, my first fanmade Daisy design, with mixed feelings every time. I’m so pleased that I can witness the long-process redesign of the characters, but at the same time, I’m so worried that I fail to spread my important message through my large derivative project.

It all initially started from my ambition to archive the stories about the 2019 crisis but at the risk of being erased instantly by the regime in mid-2020.

One of the inspirations is The Sheep Village Defender (Chinese: 羊村守衛者) series, the children's picture books published for the reading materials of children's speech therapy. However, those books are severely banned by the regime because of its fear that the next generations will no longer support the regime after learning these stories based on true incidents between the opposers and the regime. Even though we can archive them on the Internet with the aid of VPNs, the regime may still suppress their accessibility by either forcing the Cloud service provider to delete them or assembling supporters and hackers spreading fake news. (Extra example: On 6th October 2023, a clerk living in my homeland/birthplace was unreasonably sentenced to four months in prison after importing these books.)

Then I had an alternative idea, as straight creation may not work, why not apply derivative works creation to break through the suppression? Nonetheless, I hadn't seen any popular cartoons and video games to be a suitable creation base. Hence, I decided to take a long mental break.

Until late 2021, I accidentally clicked a gameplay video about a small web animation series created by Jzboy when I was searching for some video games' background music. (Yes I like listening to BGMs or video games' main songs while learning/working, don't ask which is my favorite.) The song choices for this simply-created tiny Stickman guy were pretty good and I enjoyed the parts when some meme songs played.

In the last part of the video, the whole environment changed from relaxing to quietly calm. Then a secret teenage girl appeared. Her song seemed joyful in the beginning. However, she suddenly revealed her true identity and power, surprising and confusing me for a while. After watching it, I searched for her information, understanding that she was a robot based on a dead teenage girl in another web animation series. Additionally, in my view, robots represent our future life. Everyone will complete his/her life goals through the wide application of robots. Some of us even may want to become robots after his/her death to keep in touch with the community and the world. That's why I accept this robot girl as my creation base.

In early 2022, I tried to draw Daisy even though I had stopped drawing on my tablet for a long time. (But I deleted the drawings as they looked ugly compared to my recent artwork, so I had no past fan art about her.) In May 2022, I decided to design my own Daisy species after looking up some of Thingooooooo's past design works.

Eventually, the creation of Daisy Lai Fuk Yan will be an alternative way of archiving the story of Christy Chan Yin Lam's life. Besides, I also wonder how Christy Chan would enjoy her second life after being reborn in the form of a robot.

It isn't important what creation tactics argument you have against me. I'm honestly welcome to receive any feedback about my works, not only rating my personality and my project promotion strategy.

[artg210che]

Manifesto# 2 - Type + Texture + Colour

I believe that communication and respect are two separate entities.

The medium of communication, speaking, drawing, writing, music, graphic design, fine art, etcetera, should have no impact on the importance of respect and the fact that human beings deserve it.

As graphic designers, our goal is to communicate, usually on the behalf of others. We create visual messages in the hopes of fashioning timeless icons that benefit our clients. This means our voice is often not regarded as our own. Nonetheless, we are the engineers of our own content.

A sad truth about our industry is we don’t always have room to object to the images and copy we work with if we hope to keep our jobs. With the influence we have over the products we create, however, we must strive to depict other human beings with dignity.

[asrtron]

The best numerologists prediction of your life in India

Numerology is an old review that draws significance from various numbers, number blends, letters, and images in your day to day existence. We can learn new things about who we are by tapping into the universe's underlying patterns through this art. Your Life-Path numerology number is probably the most significant aspect of numerology to take into account. 

This is not entirely settled by your introduction to the world date and addresses who you are as of now. It points to particular characteristics that are already present and are likely to remain active and influential throughout your life. Enter your introduction to the world data beneath to ascertain your Life Way Number and get your Everyday Numeroscope.

Customarily, while computing our life way number, or any numbers in our numerological representation, we separate it into a solitary digit number. Nonetheless, there are two exemptions for this standard: 11 and 22. These unique numbers are thought of as "ace numbers"  and thus, have more potential than others.

For what reason would they say they are so unique? They now no longer most effectively have  digits which might be the same, however in addition they have numerology calculator effective numbers that may be doubled. In numerology, "One" is the leader, and "Two" is the harmonizer. In both positive and negative ways, having these identical digits together generates a lot of energy and power.

It is essential to take note of that expert numbers are typically found in our life way number. They should be added to a single-digit number if they appear in your numerological portrait. The most important thing you want in the world is represented by numerology number your soul number, also known as the soul's urge. It addresses what your spirit profoundly aches for in this life. It is your fundamental identity and what you require to be content. The Pythagorean number system, which assigns a single-digit number to each letter, is used to calculate the soul number, in contrast to the life path number, which is calculated by adding all of your birthday's digits together.

To find your spirit number, include every one of the vowels of your name until you get a solitary digit number. For instance, on the off chance that we were searching for the spirit number of somebody named Jack Smith, you add together. In the event that you've made a wish when the clock struck 11:11 or gave a look when your espresso request sums you are now acquainted with the idea of heavenly messenger numbers. Angel numbers are a series of numbers that keep coming back to you as messages from the universe.

Each number in numerology has its own energy vibration; the more frequently you see that number, particularly in succession, the more grounded the name numerology vibration gets. You will typically see heavenly messenger numbers haphazardly out on the planet: the time on the clock, your receipt, in a book you're perusing. Don't ignore a number that keeps coming up again and again! It could be a message from the universe to you.

This energy is forward-thinking, upbeat, brave, and alive. This makes a One individual normal at assuming responsibility for any circumstance they're in. Ones are areas of strength for free individuals — which makes compromising with them troublesome. It's their way of doing things numerology numbers or they forget about it. Be that as it may, while One is dependably the first, it can likewise be the loneliest number. Ones are driven to greatness, motivated, and determined when they are at their best. They are controlling, obstinate, and self-critical at their worst.

The quantity of duality, "Two," addresses congruity. Above all else, this number promotes diplomacy and peace. They are the peacekeepers of numerology, loathing struggle regardless of anything else. You simply believe everybody should get along! You can see all numerology name calculator sides of a contention, which is perfect for compromising yet not really ideal when they need to remain by their convictions. Twos aspire most of all to be loved without condition. They are likewise quite possibly the most natural number in numerology, attracted to Tarot cards, palmistry, and different types of divination. At their best, Twos are caring, legit, and great companions. Best case scenario, they are excessively touchy, ambivalent, and benevolent.

Continuously the energy everyone needs, the number "Three" is the performer of numerology. Imaginative, active, and stunning, they are consistently at the center of attention  regardless of whether they search it out (however they typically do). Threes love to put themselves out there in different ways  from how they dress to their correspondence style. You will frequently see Threes drawn to human expression and media outlets, either as a side interest or a profession. However, Three can be quite dramatic despite treating the entire world as a stage. Regardless of anything else, Threes make every moment count.

Threes are charismatic, generous, and optimistic at their best. They are directionless, superficial, and irritable at their worst. Four is the manufacturer of name numerology calculator. They put in a lot of effort, starting projects and tasks from scratch and building them up. They are calculated, functional, and practical. While you have a serious, straightforward demeanor with regards to life, it might give you a standing for being a downer. However, all you want is the best for everyone. At their best, Fours are methodical, trained, and trustworthy. They are strict, obstinate, and blunt at their worst.

[deepergrooves]

Surrealism - Exploring art through the unconscious

“The surrealist revolution has this incalculable advantage of bringing the irrational into everyday life and of having made unknown known to men the treasures of the unconscious…poetry thus has an end. The absolute liberation of man.” Malcolm de Chazal, 1960

I’ve been finding myself drawn to a lot of different surrealist art forms recently and wanted to join the dots and share my experience of what I have found in my short exploration of this fascinating, peculiar and sometimes unnerving world.

Engaging with "art"

Despite being a sensitive person by nature who generally appreciates and experiences things deeply, I sometimes find "art", purposely in inverted commas, difficult to engage with. There can be a palpable snobbishness and elitism around art which seems fundamentally at odds with the very concept of creativity, and many of the people who create it. I wanted to start off by saying that I look at art through a purely instinctive lens as somebody with no real background in the theory or history of art (beyond a brief introduction in secondary school!), but nonetheless I’ve had an urge to delve into this world and my early preference seems to be towards the surreal.

Looking at things through a Lynchian lens 

My appetite for what I’m starting to understand as surrealist art was triggered by an interest in David Lynch and his work. I was intrigued by an interview I heard with him where he spoke passionately about his creative process which was centred around Transcendental Meditation (TM) and going to the deepest parts of his psyche in service to creativity. He seemed fully committed to getting to the very core of his being to unearth the truest expression of what he called the ‘collective consciousness’ and express that through stories and symbols without compromise. 

In Lynch’s ground-breaking TV series Twin Peaks there is an odd but captivating sense of connection and meaning behind the dreamlike messages and symbols that drive the narrative of the show, sometimes speaking more directly and resonating more deeply than the actual dialogue or more traditional story arch. I was struck by the honesty and also the determination to touch on the darkest and strangest parts of a subject in order to tell the full unfiltered story through his work and this commitment to true expression has underpinned my own interest in other works of this kind. 

The importance of authenticity of spirit

This theme of authenticity also came through for me when watching The Radiant Child, a documentary on the life of Brooklyn born expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. I was equally inspired by Basquiat’s search for truth and his understanding of the burgeoning art scene around him and how this shaped his existence but didn’t compromise his integrity. He stuck to his artist principles no matter what and ironically in the long term this is what drew the more mainstream world of fine art to him. 

I felt a similar outlook from Craig Richards in his interview with Resident Advisor last month when he spoke about the process he follows when DJing and painting and how he just wants the very best and truest expression to come through. "Devotion is the main aim”. He seems to connect deeply with the culture but again as his own uncompromising self.

Further immersion and exposure to surrealism - Dali and other masters

So back to my own journey with surrealism. While making my way through Season 2 of Twin Peaks I noticed the Tate Modern museum was hosting an exhibition on surrealism so I marked it in my diary and went along last August. Not sure what to expect, I was most struck by art that wasn’t art. The surrealist movement felt inclusive in the way that anything can be considered art. The exhibition included doodles on train tickets and photographs of little skulls sat beside more traditional, albeit obscure, paintings as well as film loops of increasingly bizarre scenarios. Salvador Dali’s iconic lobster telephone sat front and centre connecting two seemingly unrelated objects in an attempt to trigger deeper meanings by warping traditional outlooks.       

Dali was the one name I had encountered before. I didn’t know why I knew him, but I knew him. Joining the Salvador Dali Surrealist World exhibition at the Chali-Rosso Art Gallery in Vancouver (https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/salvador-dalis-surreal-world-tickets-646654841037) last week I learned that this seems to have been part of his artist concept. He wanted to become famous and have himself become part of the performance. 

The free Dali exhibition was held in a tight, bright gallery near the top floor of a hotel at the waterfront near Canada Place and displayed some of his original drawings, painting, sculptures and etchings. It kicked off with a talk on Dali by the gallery host who gave a knowledgeable whistle stop tour of Dali’s life from his obsessive relationship with his wife (and his own moustache) to the motivation and meaning behind some of his most famous works on display which included his melting clock sculptures and his depiction of Dante's Divine Comedy trilogy which is now next on my book list.

Before moving on to that book series I need to finish another surrealist masterpiece, Flann O’Brien’s The Third Policeman, which brings readers through a weird and wonderful Alice in Wonderland style journey through rural Ireland using the philosophy of fictional psychologist De Selby to underpin the descent of a man into madness as he encounters a police officer who believes his colleagues and friends are turning into bicycles. 

The gallery also featured pieces by Picasso and Mr. Brainwash, the man profiled in Exit Through the Giftshop, a 2010 documentary that examines the commodification of graffiti by sharing the story of Thierry Guetta (aka Mr. Brainwash) and Banksy and bends the walls between reality and fiction by challenging viewers to decide if the documentary itself is real or imagined.

Eerie, unpredictable and inspiring

There is something uniquely imaginative and exciting about surrealism that I’m keen to explore both as an observer and in my own small way as a creator. I’ve tried to incorporate aspects of this in my mixes over the last year (check this one out) and want to expand this more widely having been inspired by David Lynch, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dali, Craig Richards and Rick Rubin who in his new book ‘The Creative Act’ encourages everyone to be an artist.

Despite its obscurity, surrealism seems to be the artistic language that speaks to me most clearly for now.

[stampstoreau]

Understand The Art Of Embossing & Its Mysterious Features

The basic notion of custom embosser is familiar to most people; you've undoubtedly seen it on an expensive stamp or stationary. Emboss means "to elevate or depict surface patterns in relief," and the idea of creating art or paintings from impressions is not new. Embossed seals began in old-world custom and technology, and they have withstood the test of time to remain current and in demand today.

Although materials, uses, and processes have changed, the essential concept of creating in relief or recess has not. Nonetheless, producing a custom embosser foil seal is the most difficult custom-printed product for our clients. We attempt to explain some of the most mysterious features of embossed seals below.

Artwork supplied

We now employ sophisticated technologies such as graphic design software to produce the art that forms the plate that compresses against the metallic foil to shape the impression or embossment. Embossed seals are possibly the most perplexing since you must look at the pattern on a flat board and imagine it sticking out from the screen.

As previously said, visualising a design in relief might be difficult. A nice place to begin is to imagine the work of art in black and white, not in grayscale with shading or gradients, but in black and white. Outline each item in your design, such as text or lines, in black or white. Recognise that different things must be distinct for embossing.

Examining a coin might also assist you in visualising the design on an imprinted foil seal. If desired, a high level of detail can be obtained, although faces, landscapes, and intricate pictures must be minimised if the design is to imprint clearly. Fewer, stronger strokes imprint more crisply and provide a less crowded appearance. Simple ideas result in gorgeous embossed seals.

Blind Embossing

A blind embossing seal has no ink; it is merely foil stamped with a pattern. Perhaps another way to consider it is that a transparent or colourless ink is used rather than no ink because some seals include both a blind embossed area and an inked portion. In certain circumstances, it is a two-ink plate seal for quotation and manufacturing reasons.

Debossing

Debossing is the converse of embossing in that the pattern is depressed or indented into the outermost layer of the foil or other material. Sticky Business only uses ink on the recessed areas of the seal, and the foil is embossed.

Bleeding and Borders

Unless otherwise indicated, bespoke embossed seals usually include a border. It's considered a bleed if you don't want the border, even if it's a flat foil that extends to the cutline. A bleed is often defined as ink going over the edge of a label, but bespoke embossed seals are a class of their own!

In the art of embossing your stationery, you need to know

While the art of letter writing may not be as popular as it once was, numerous individuals who prefer writing letters make their art as beautiful as it is important. Using an embosser is one method. This stamp-like device presses raised graphics onto paper using plates. Embossers, of course, may be used for more than just adornment.

Embossing seal are tiny, portable presses that are frequently constructed of metal. These materials, however, cannot be embossed with a paper embosser. Artists who work with various materials to produce patterns often use various tools.

Even if you are not required to leave an official mark on legal papers, you continue utilising an embosser at your job and home. Embossing your stationery is ideal whether you're mailing formal invitations, business communication, or notes to pals. You may emboss envelopes or the message itself, creating personalised stationery.

StampStore is a renowned name in the industry of stamp stores. Here at this store, you can find the best embossers which melt your heart! For more details contact us now.

[skeppsbrott]

Unfortunately the post you reblogged about the perception of autism as something only cool people have was written by a terf. (I agreed with the post so I checked out op’s blog, got bad vibes, searched “trans” and found ugly stuff real fast)

Hi there anon!

So I've been waffling back and forth about how to reply to this but here is (sort of) where I have ended up:

Terfery is bogus. I don't need to elaborate on this. Terfery was embarrassing, destructive, self-cannibalising and reactionary when I first encountered it in like, 2012. In 2023, amidst a quite frankly astounding and terrifying backlash, even moreso. Socially isolating terfs from fellow feminists, activists, and (possibly) queers is a legitimate tactic of activism and I think it is a quite effective one. You treat our siblings, friends and allies like that while calling yourself a feminist? Go take a long walk off a short pier, mate.

And yet...

I do not really want to recieve messages like this.

I understand the impulse and I think the fact that you go out of your way to send me this underlines something important - we have a culture on this corner of the Tumblr that terfs ain't got no friends. It is not controversial to be like "yo fuck feminists that oppose trans liberation and have a gender-essentialist worldview" and that's unequivocally a good thing. I am glad that you trust my politics enough to send me this. I am glad that my politics shine through enough that I would obviously support your anonymous suggestion (except it is not a suggestion, you just gave me this information to, idk, fill out a bingo card and draw my own conclusions with, but nonetheless).

And yet, I do not really want to recieve messages like this.

I gave up social media activism many years ago. It made me miserable. It made me miserable to be around. It made my spaces of respit miserable and it meant I was always fucking on and I am not saying I am a great activist now but at some point you realize you'll just burn yourself out on that shit when instead you could like, idk, talk kindly to young queers who haven't worked out their internalised shit yet and help people come out of their freshly cracked eggs and support your older queer friends in their quests for parenthood in this wretched world. Make sure that anyone in your social circle knows that if they fuck around with gender essentialism they'll find out real soon but not because you make a big deal out of hating terfs but because you are loud and proud about having declared the old ways of doing gender over and done with. Hopefully?

I don't know. If you are my friend or you've followed me for a long time or we're mutuals or whatever and you see me behave in a way that makes you feel unsafe on my blog I think it is fair to reach out. "Hey, Skeppsbrott, this person you reblog a lot of art from is a quite vocal terf on their main blog and I really wish you wouldn't". "Hey, Skeppsbrott, I think you are being way too charitable to the debate happening on that post you just reblogged. This is my read, I hope you'll reconsider."

That seems actionable to me. Like yeah I probably should pay attention to the politics of people who very often end up in my reblog chains! I definitely should pay attention to the changing rethoric used by gender essentialists! I do not, however, want to spend energy wondering whether every post I reblog might possibly be made by a terf and feel guilty if I perhaps missed one. I also struggle with the anon ask as something that demands a response but which also demands it publicly. Would you have noticed if I removed the post but never replied to your ask? Would you get suspicious if I never DID reply to your ask? I guess part of why making it an anon ask is that the act of condemning terfery in an ask is more potent than removing a jokey and a little mean but nonetheless fair post about autism that got like three hundered notes. No one really suffers from that post, that's kind of the conundrum here. Either way, I am not here to scorch the earth, but then again -

"Hey, Skeppsbrott, this person you reblogged a post from is trying to become a tumblr funnyman so that they can infiltrate more people with transphobic propaganda"? Yeah. I guess that is not so different from what I commented above.

Perhaps at the end of the day I am just really, very, terribly equipped for social isolation tactics. I just can't really bring myself to do it. Call it trauma or poor constitution or whatever. It just brings me this great, deep sadness, where I look at who I was and can't help but wonder what I would have gotten lost in if there hadn't been people who looked me sternly in the eye and said "that's fucked up. Get out now before I too grow to hate you".

Or maybe I am just a coward. That is entirely possible as well. Even quite likely.

Thank you, anon, genuinely. I appreciate it. But maybe next time, don't?

xx